12/03/2008 20:29

2nd July 2005

Devon's Under-175 semi-final in the Inter-Counties Championship was quickly resolved when their opponents Leicestershire conceded the match, giving Devon a place in the final against Lancashire without a piece being played. That match is being played today at Syston in Leicestershire, where finalists from all the other sections will also foregather.

Cornishman Michael Adams has been involved in a  six game match at the Wembley Conference Centre  against a computer nicknamed "Hydra".

The last two matches of this nature involved Garry Kasparov and IBM's computer "Deep Blue" and its off-spring "Deeper Blue". This latter match, which took place in 1997, was surrounded by a certain amount of controversy as Kasparov became convinced the playing field was not quite level. The computer would alternate between playing like a novice in one game and a genius in the next, and he felt the program was being tampered with mid-match. Whatever the truth, in the sixth and final game he undoubtedly contributed to his own downfall.

White: Deeper Blue. Black: G. Kasparov.

Caro-Kann Defence [B17]

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Ng5 Deeper Blue uses the same system which Kasparov used to play himself against Karpov. 5...Ngf6 6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 h6? This move virtually forces White to sacrifice a piece, and the resulting attack is very powerful. This line seems particularly inadvisable against a computer: a wide-open position, tactical ideas on all sides and a vicious attack for the computer. 8.Nxe6 Qe7? After this move Black is totally lost. 9.0–0 fxe6 10.Bg6+ Kd8 11.Bf4 b5 12.a4 Bb7 13.Re1 Nd5 14.Bg3 Kc8 15.axb5 cxb5 16.Qd3 Bc6 17.Bf5 exf5 18.Rxe7 Bxe7 19.c4 When this move was made, Kasparov resigned immediately and rushed from the stage, apparently incandescent with rage, probably as furious with his own inept 7^th move as with any possible behind the scenes shenanigans.

Computers have improved exponentially since 1997, so Adams needs to be at his very best to claim any of the prize money on offer - £14,000 per win or £5,500 per draw.

The solution to last week's problem by Edith Winter-Wood, better known as Mrs. W. J. Baird,  was 1.Bg2!

This week's position involves the American problemist, Sam Loyd, yet was not one of his compositions - it arose from actual play, in his game against the Frenchman de Riviere in the Paris Tournament of 1867. However, it was an ending that amused this "showman of the problem world". Loyd (White) to play and mate in two.

25th June 2005

Last week, the East Devon League held their 2^nd "Coast v Country" match at the Manor Hotel, Exmouth. One team is made up of players from the  seaside clubs of Exmouth, Sidmouth and Seaton, and the other comprises the inland clubs of Exeter, Tiverton and Isca Juniors.

This year the teams were well matched and the encounter was keenly fought over all 29 boards. From the time the first results started to come in there was never more than two points between the sides, and it was only the 28^th game to finish that guaranteed a narrow 15 - 14 win for the seasiders.

Here is the game on Board 8, between a couple of politicians, Dr. Jonathan Underwood of Seaton, who polled over 11,000 votes for the Exeter Lib Dems in the recent General Election, and Steve Owen of Woodbury, who has been a Devon County Council candidate.

White: S. M. Owen (130e) Black: Dr. J. Underwood.(138)

Sicilian Defence - Pelikan Variation. [B33]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 constituting the Pelikan or Lasker Variation, whereby Black accepts a backward d-pawn in exchange for active piece play. 6.Ndb5 probably the best response. d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Nxf6+ Qxf6 12.Qd2 0–0 13.Be2 Rd8 14.Rd1 Be6 15.c4 bxc4 16.Bxc4 Nd4 17.Bd5 Rab8 18.b3 Rdc8 Black is now ahead in development, and his Rooks have open spaces ahead of them. 19.Bxe6 Qxe6 20.0–0 d5 21.exd5 Qxd5 22.Nc2 Rd8 23.Qd3 Qc6 24.Rc1 Ne6 25.Qe3 Nf4 26.f3 Qb5 27.Rfe1? Losing the exchange. White needs to contest the d-file with something like Rcd1. 27...Nd3 28.Na3 Qb7 29.Rcd1 Nxe1 30.Rxe1 f6 31.Nc4 Rd4 32.Kf2 Rbd8 doubling Rooks and increasing his grip on the position. 33.Kg1 Qd5 34.Nb6 Qa5 forking the Knight and the a-pawn,  so White resigned. White does have 35.Na4 but with his Knight stuck on the edge of the board and the Black Rooks controlling the d-file, it was always going to be an uphill struggle. 0–1  To be fair, although a chess firebrand in his youth, Steve Owen hasn't played much in recent years and may have been showing signs of "ring rust".

The solution to last week's problem by Edith Winter-Wood was 1.Ng2! She was eulogized on her death in 1924, her obituary in the British Chess Magazine noting her other skills as artist, poet and archer. She had composed about 2,000 chess problems which were "generally of a light texture, never profound, but always pleasing to the ordinary solver." And they gave this week's position as one of her best.

White to play and mate in two.  

18th June 2005

The acronym 4NCL is shorthand for the Four Nations Chess League which is the chess equivalent of the football league. It was started in 1993 and has mushroomed in size and popularity ever since. There are now four divisions, and teams have to nominate their pool of 12 players at the start of each season and of these, eight must play in eleven matches.

In spite of the fact that many of the world's great players participate, or perhaps because of it, no one has ever won all of their eleven games during a season - until now, that is. St. Austell's Andrew Greet achieved this astounding feat last month, helping his team, Hilsmark Kingfisher, to the Division 2 Championship.

With a maximum score of 10 / 10 pts. behind him, he sat down to play this last round game, and try for a small piece of chess history.

White: Andrew Greet (225). Black: John Hodgson (203)

Sicilian Defense [B53]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Qxd4 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Bg5 e6 9.0–0–0 White is on the verge of making chess history and is determined to give himself every chance by quick early development. 9...Be7 10.Rhe1 0–0 11.Kb1 Qc7 12.Qd2 Rfc8 13.Nd4 Rab8 14.Ndb5 Bxb5 15.Nxb5 Qc5 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.Nxd6 Rc6 18.f4 Be7 19.e5 Bxd6 20.exd6 Rd8 21.d7 Rc7 22.Re3 Rdxd7 23.Rd3 Rxd3 24.Qxd3 g6 25.c3 Rc8 26.Qe4 Rc7 27.Rd4 Qf5 28.Qxf5 exf5 29.Kc2 Kf8 At first sight White has not been able to make much out of his early rapid development, and is now down to a Rook & Pawn ending with equal material. What next? In such positions the answer is to act immediately on the wing where one has the advantage. White's Rook is perfectly placed, but it's all about the pawns. Black's extra pawn on the Kingside is negated by being doubled, and in such endings it is almost impossible to rectify this by force alone. 30.a4 Ke7 31.a5 h6 32.Kd3 g5 33.g3 Rc6 34.Rd5 Ke6 35.c4 Rc7 36.b4 f6 37.Kd4 h5 38.b5 h4 39.c5 White's plan is working to perfection. Like a boa constrictor he is squeezing all life out of Black's game. 39...Rg7 40.a6 bxa6 41.Rd6+ Ke7 42.Rxa6 hxg3 43.Rxa7+ Kf8 44.Ra8+ Kf7 45.hxg3 resigns. 1–0 Well done, Andrew.

Last week's problem by Ellerman was solved by 1. Nf3!

Here is a 2-mover by Plymouth's own Queen of the Problemists, Edith Elina Winter-Wood (1859 - 1924), who was born at Hareston Manor, Brixton, and died at Paignton, shortly after her elder brother, Edward, and days before her only other sibling, Carslake - a whole chess dynasty passing in a matter of months.

White to play and mate in two.

11th June 2005

Last month the 16^th Frome Congress attracted 190 players, of whom the following won prizes:

Open Section: 1^st= Chris Beaumont (Bristol Clifton), Peter Chaplin (Bristol Downend), David Sully (Cardiff) & Michael Yeo (Lymington). Chaplin and Michael White (Cheltenham) were offered and accepted Qualifying Places for this year's British Championship on the Isle of Man in August. Grading prize (U-160): Joshua Hall (Brown Jack) & David Littlejohns (Taunton).

Major (U-155); 1^st= Mark Abbott (Exmouth), R. Clegg (Huddersfield), B. O'Gorman (DHSS) & D. Wood (Glastonbury). Grading prize (U-131): M. Steevens (Bridport) & P. Smith (Brighton).

Intermediate (U-125): 1^st= P. Tew

(Cardiff) & D. Mcarthur (Keynsham). Grading prize (U-105): M. Richards (Newquay), A. Papier (Bristol Clifton) & N. Wilcox (Bristol Downend).

Minor (U-100): 1^st Katie Hale (Millfield School). 2^nd T. Taylor (Sedgemoor). 3^rd= Hazel Welch (Seaton), Doreen Helbig (Keynsham) & R. Jervis (Sedgemoor).

The new Somerset champions are Peter Chaplin (Open), Dave Wood (Major), Duncan Mcarthur (Intermediate) and Katie Hale (Minor).

Here is a miniature from Round 2.

White: M. White. Black: S. Williams. Scandinavian Defence [B13]

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 cxd5 5.d4 Nc6 6.Bg5 dxc4 7.Bxc4 Nxd4 8.Nf3 Nxf3+ 9.Qxf3 Qc7 10.Bb5+ Nd7 11.0–0 e6 12.Rfe1 [an immediate 12.Nd5! is crushing 12...Qe5 (12...exd5 allows a mate in 3 13.Qe3+ Qe5 14.Qxe5+ etc.) 13.Rac1 Bd6 (13...Qxg5 14.Nc7+ Kd8 15.Qxf7) 14.Bf4 Qxd5 15.Qxd5 exd5 16.Bxd6 f6 17.Rfe1+ Kf7 18.Bxd7 Bxd7 19.Re7+ Kg6 20.Rxd7] 12...Bd6 13.Nd5! Qa5 [13...Qc5 14.Nf6+ gxf6 15.Qxf6 0–0 16.Bxd7 Qf5 17.Qxf5 exf5] 14.Rxe6+! fxe6 15.Nf6+ gxf6 16.Qxf6 Qxb5 17.Qxe6+ [The superficially attractive 17.Qxh8+ regains some of his considerable material deficit, but does not lead to mate. 17...Kf7 18.Qxh7+ Kf8 19.Qh8+ Kf7 20.Qh7+ Kf8] 17...Kf8 18.Bh6 mate.

In the National Quarter-Finals, Somerset defaulted their matches against Warwickshire in the Open Section and Essex in the Under-100 and fielded half a team against Leicestershire in the U-150 which explains the 13 - 3 scoreline. Devon had a bye in the Under-175 section and now face Leicestershire in the Semis. Last year, Devon beat Leicestershire 11 - 5 in the same section which bodes well for another appearance by Devon in the Finals.

The position from 21^st May by Arnaldo Ellerman was solved by the unlikely move of 1.Ba8. Here is another by the Argentinian master of the 2-mover.

4th June 2005

Late entries are now being taken for the 4th Yeovil Congress on 17^th - 19^th June. Contact Jack Rudd for details on 01237-475185 or mobile 07973-887123

Here are three instructive miniatures from the recent Frome Congress.

White: C. Beaumont. Black: T. Thynne Queen's Pawn Game [D05]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 b6 4.Bd3 Bb7 5.0–0 d5 6.b3 c5 7.Bb2 Nc6 8.Nbd2 Be7 9.a3 0–0 10.Ne5 Qc7 11.Qf3 c4 12.bxc4 dxc4 13.Nexc4 Ne5 an attractive-looking double attack on the White Queen, but with a fatal flaw... 14.Qg3 The Queen has side-stepped her attackers but the Black Knight is now stuck in front of its own Queen and must fall. 1–0

Bristol's Chris Beaumont went on to tie for 1^st prize in the top section.

White: J. T. Sherwin. Black: J. Footner.

Grunfeld Defence [D94]

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d5 5.e3 0–0 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 c5 8.d5 White seeks to establish a strong centre. 8...Nbd7 9.Be2 a necessary retreat, in view of... 9...Nb6 10.e4 e6 11.d6 e5 12.0–0 Be6 13.Nxe5 Ne8 14.Bf4 f5 15.exf5 Rxf5 16.Bg4 Rxf4 17.Bxe6+ Kf8 18.Nd3 Rf6 19.Nxc5 Nxd6 20.Bb3 Ndc4 21.Qe2 Qc8 22.N3e4 Rc6 23.Rac1 Bxb2 Grabbing a Knight's pawn while pieces lie undeveloped is a traditional recipe for disaster, and this is no exception. 24.Rxc4 Nxc4 25.Qxc4 Resigns. 1–0

White: N. Harris. Black: Tyson Mordue.

Pirc Defence [B08]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be3 0–0 6.Qd2 Nc6 7.0–0–0 Having castled on opposite wings, it's all about who gets in his attack most quickly and effectively. 7...Bg4 8.Be2 e5 9.d5 Ne7 10.h3 Bd7 11.g4 b5 12.Bd3 b4 13.Nb1 c5 14.Qe2 Qa5 15.Nfd2 Qxa2 16.f3 Nc8 17.h4 Nb6 18.Bc4 Nxc4 19.Qxc4 Qa5 20.Qe2 Bb5 21.Nc4 Qa2 22.Nbd2 Nxd5 26. Resigns. 0-1

Here is a second chance to look at  the starter problem for the next cycle of the British Chess Solving Championship. It is White to play and force checkmate in two moves against any Black defence. Work out the first move, (the key move) and send it, together with the entry fee of £3 to:- Paul Valois, 14, Newton Park Drive, Leeds, LS7 4HH. (Cheques must be payable to "The British Chess Problem Society"). Only postal entries, postmarked no later than 31^st July, will be accepted. Also, don't forget to mention this paper on your entry. In August, all entrants will receive the correct solution and a set of 8 more difficult and varied problems which constitute the Postal Round, plus a recent copy of their magazine, The Problemist.

28th  May 2005

This week's position is the starter problem for the next cycle of the Winton Capital British Chess Solving Championship.  It is White to play and force checkmate in two moves against any Black defense.  Work out the first move, (the key move) and send it, together with the entry fee of £3 to Paul Valois, 14, Newton Park Drive, Leeds, LS7 4HH.  (Cheques must be payable to the British Chess Problem Society).  Only postal entries, postmarked no later than July 31, will be accepted.  Also, don't forget to mention this paper on your entry.  In August, all entrants will receive the correct solution and a set of eight more difficult and varied problems which constitute the Postal round, plus a recent copy of their magazine, The Problemist.

Best of luck if you decide to go ahead.

Last year's winner, John Nunn, went on to become the World Chess Solving Champion in Greece last September.

21st  May 2005

A report appeared recently in the national press to the effect that, in addition to all the usual  good lifestyle habits, one of the secrets of a long, healthy life was to experience regular short periods of moderate stress. This would not only extend one's life-span but also help to ward off chronic illnesses like arthritis and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

This may explain why chess players often reach a ripe old age. Not only is the brain kept active, but it appears the adrenalin rush brought on by a tense struggle over the chequered board is actually good for the system as a whole. Two cases in point are the former WMN chess columnist and nonagenarian Ken Bloodworth, and Lelant's Ron Slade, who isn't far behind.

A former West of England Champion, Ron hasn't played for some time, but has recently been going through his old score books to pick out about 100 of his best games, which can now be found on the Keverel Chess website, for all to enjoy.

Here is an example of his buccaneering style from 1954, which doubtless involved at least two people in a fair amount of adrenalin, enough to last a long lifetime perhaps.

White: R. A. Slade. Black: J. Ecelson.

Sicilian Defence - Sveshnikov Variation. [B33]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Bxf6 gxf6 [Of course not 8...Qxf6 because of 9.Nc7+] 9.Na3 d5 10.Qxd5 Qc7 11.Qd2 Bxa3 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.bxa3 Be6 14.Rd1 Rc8 15.c3 f5 16.Qh6 To prevent castling &  exploit the dark square weaknesses. 16...Qa5 Aiming at the weak c-pawn 17.Nf6+ Ke7 18.Rd7+ Bxd7 19.Nd5+ Ke8 20.Qd6 Rc7 21.Bb5 Trying to buy enough time to get castled. But if the Queen takes it, there's Nxc7+ winning the Queen, so 21...axb5 22.0–0 Rg8 23.Nf6+ Kd8 24.Nxg8 Qxc3 25.Rd1 Kc8 26.Qf8+ Nd8 27.Ne7+ Kb8 28.Qxd8+ Ka7 29.Nd5 Forking Queen & Rook 29...Qd2 An ingenious try. White has now a problem; if he takes the proffered Queen, the Rook mates on the back rank. But if he ignores it, he still gets mated, and if he retreats the Rook, to f1 for example, Black has Rc1 with more mating threats. So did White have any tricks left? 30.Qa8+! Clearly he did. Kxa8 31.Nxc7+ Kb8 32.Rxd2 Kxc7 33.exf5 Bxf5 34.Rd5 Kc6 35.Rxe5 Resigns.

A game to jangle the nerves and prolong active life.

Last week's mediaeval problem was solved by 1. Qb7, forcing the King to e5, when 2.Qe5 is mate.

14th May 2005

Early in 1831, a crofter on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, while rounding up his cattle on the southern shore of Uig Bay, noticed that the recent high tides had partly uncovered a stone chamber from beneath a large sand dune. On exploring his discovery further, he found the tomb-like structure contained about one hundred of the finest early mediæval chess pieces and other items ever discovered.

Who made them, how they got there and the precise circumstances of their discovery has become the stuff of speculation and legend. The collection was quickly broken up, with 11 pieces finishing up in a Scottish museum in 1880, and 67 going immediately, at a cost of £84, to the British Museum, where they have been a prize exhibit ever since, but there may have been other pieces that finished up in private hands and  never revealed.

British Museum staff are keen for its treasures to reach a wider public in the provinces, and to this end they have formed an exhibition of board games of all ages, entitled "Across The Board". It comprises a wide range of material from a 1^st edition Monopoly game to early backgammon sets from ancient Babylon, but the Lewis chessmen are undoubtedly the cream of the crop.

This exhibition is due to reach the Royal Albert Museum, Exeter, on Saturday 23^rd July where it will stay until 17^th September. Museum staff are currently working on a programme of chess-based events to take place in the Museum alongside the exhibition, details of which will appear in the local press nearer the time.

Exeter has its own chess records, of course. The earliest written record of a chess set in Britain was to be found in the inventory of the personal belongings of Thomas Bitton, Bishop of Exeter from 1291 to 1307, though the set and board referred to can no longer be traced. Perhaps they looked like the Lewis set.

Last week's position was played out as follows: if Black's King retreats, the White King will move up to seize the "opposition", so he played the only other plausible move 1…g5+. It is immediately lost to 2. fxg5+, but at least his King can now move to 2…g5, whereupon the White King suddenly has nowhere to go, so he must play 3.g4. Black doesn't take it, but plays 3…f4, and White can do nothing but self-destruct with 4.b4.

In keeping with this week's medieval theme, we have the following position, one of 30 problems to be found in the Göttingen manuscript of 1471. This is the earliest work devoted to the game after its rules had been rationalised and modernised and become chess as we know it today. But the tag is familiar - White to play and mate in 2.

7th May 2005

Following his unexpected success in the British Championship last August, Andrew Greet of St. Austell, took a year out from his career and has been travelling Europe trying for a 3^rd and final norm that would give him the title of International Master. Britain's most promising player of school age, 14 year old David Howell of Sussex, has similarly been looking for his third GM norm that will give him the much-coveted title of Grandmaster. Coincidentally, they met in the final round of a recent event in Gausdal, Norway, and both needed a win to achieve their separate aims, a sure recipe for fighting chess - a draw was never on the cards.

White: A. Greet. (2403)  Black: D. Howell (2413)

Spanish Opening - Berlin Defence [C67]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nc3 Ne7 10.Nd4 c5 11.Nf3 Bf5 12.Ng5 Be6 13.Rd1+ Kc8 14.Nxe6 fxe6 15.Ne4 Nc6 16.Ng5 Nd8 17.Rxd8+ Kxd8 18.Nf7+ Ke8 19.Nxh8 White is now temporarily a piece up, and though the Knight is bound to be recaptured later, it will only be at the cost of further disruption to Black's pawn formation. 19...Be7 20.Be3 Rd8 21.Kf1 Rd5 22.f4 Kf8 23.c4 Rd8 24.Ke2 Kg8 25.Ng6 hxg6 26.Rd1 Rc8 27.Kf3 Kf7 28.h3 b6 29.Kg4 Rd8 30.Rxd8 Bxd8 There now follows a long period of cat and mouse, as White seeks to exploit his small advantage. 31.Bf2 c6 32.Bh4 Bc7 33.a4 Ke8 34.b3 Kf7 35.Kf3 Ke8 36.Bg5 Kf7 37.Kg3 Ke8 38.Kg4 Kf7 39.h4 Ke8 40.h5 gxh5+ 41.Kxh5 Kf7 42.Bh4 a6 43.g4 b5 44.Bf2 g6+ 45.Kh4 bxc4 46.bxc4 Bb6 47.Kg5 Bd8+ 48.Kh6 Be7 49.Kh7 Bd8 50.Bxc5 Bh4 51.Be3 Bg3 52.Kh6 Bh4 53.Bd2 Bd8 54.Be1 Bb6 55.Bg3 Ba5 56.Bf2 Bd8 57.Be1 Bb6 58.Bd2 Bd8 59.g5 Bb6 60.f5 exf5 61.e6+ Kxe6 62.Kxg6 Bd4 63.Kh7 Ke5 64.g6 Ke4 65.Be1 c5 66.Bf2 Ba1 67.Bxc5 Kd3 68.Bd4 f4 69.g7 f3 70.g8Q Bxd4 71.Qg6+ Kd2 72.Qe4 Resigns as White can now afford to exchange his Queen for Bishop and pawn, and run his c-pawn in for a 3rd Queen. 1–0 Congratulations to Andrew on his success in becoming an Internal Master.

"Zugswang" is a German word that describes a position in which it is worse to have the move than for one's opponent to have it. This week's position was reached in a Devon League match earlier this year, and is an excellent example of this. White has just moved his pawn on g2 to g3 in the expectation that, though it is clearly a finely-balanced position, his extra pawn, with the necessary King support, should prove enough to win. Now take the Black pieces and work out which player resigned two moves later, and why.

30th  April 2005

If you haven't seen it recently, it's worth taking a fresh look at the Keverel Chess website, recently re-vamped by the webmaster, Bill Frost. It's a goldmine of westcountry chess news, including all the WMN chess columns for the past six years and now has, amongst other goodies, hundreds of down-loadable games from the recent and more distant past.

Here, for example, is a game selected from the site's database of games from the 1956 Paignton Premier, in which the favourite was the South African, Heidenfeld. In fact, he trailed in near the bottom and the event was won by Exeter's Frank Kitto.

Francis Ernest Appleyard Kitto, born in London in 1915 of Cornish stock, was a brilliant if eccentric academic, who ran his own private school in Kennford for boys with special needs.  He was selected to play for England against Holland and his death in St. Austell at the early age of 49 was described in the British Chess Magazine as "a disaster for bright English chess".

Andrew Rowland Benedick Thomas was a Lancastrian who became a naturalised Devonian, teaching Maths at Blundell's School, Tiverton, for most of his working life. He was much more conventional in his lifestyle than Kitto, but his chess was equally unconventional. He was also selected to play for England but was denied the opportunity by his headmaster. 

They played each other many times in the post war years and this game was just another in the series. Although it was drawn, just watch how they struggle to get the better of each other. Dull it ain't.  

White: F. E. A. Kitto. Black: A. R. B. Thomas.

Sicilian Defence Closed System [B23]

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 e6 5.Bg5 Be7 6.Nge2 Nxe4 7.dxe4 Bxg5 8.f4 Be7 9.a3 a6 10.0–0 b5 11.Ba2 Bb7 12.f5 Ne5 13.Nf4 c4 14.Qe1 Ng4 15.Kh1 h5 16.b3 Bf6 17.bxc4 bxc4 18.Rb1 Bxc3 19.Qxc3 Qh4 20.Nh3 Bxe4 21.fxe6 dxe6 22.Rbe1 Nf6 23.Rf4 Nd5 24.Rxh4 Nxc3 25.Rhxe4 Nxa2 26.Rxc4 0–0 27.Ra1 Rab8 28.Kg1 Rb2 29.Nf4 Rfb8 30.Nxh5 Rb1+ 31.Rxb1 Rxb1+ 32.Kf2 Rb5 33.Ng3 Ra5 34.a4 Rd5 35.Ne2 Kf8 36.Ke3 Ke7 37.Nf4 Ra5 38.g4 g5 39.Nd3 Kd6 40.Rd4+ Rd5 41.c4 Rxd4 42.Kxd4 f6 43.c5+ Kc6 44.Kc4 a5 45.Kb3 Nb4 46.Nxb4+ axb4 47.Kxb4 

Draw agreed. Kitto is a pawn up, but Black's pawns are united and the White King will have to move over to deal with them.

Last week's problem by David Howard was solved by 1. Qb1! - a waiting move which threatens nothing immediately, but puts the Queen in the right place to strike on either a2 or d3 after Black has made his next move.  In this week's second 2-mover by David Howard, you need to look for another "waiting" move.

23rd April 2005

Somerset is becoming quite a centre of chess activity these days, with World No. 7, GM Michael Adams, now resident in Taunton and GM Matthew Turner teaching at Millfield School, and the county team becoming WECU Champions again.

They have three teams in the National Quarter-Finals to be played on 21^st May, which will test to the full the resources of their players in general and captain Jack Rudd in particular. The 1^st team are due to meet Warwickshire, the Under-150 team face either Leicestershire or Cambridgeshire, but the Under-100 team have yet to learn who they play.

There's plenty of more action coming up in Somerset shortly. The 15^th Frome Congress on the weekend 6^th - 8^th May, usually attracts a large entry and several big names, and it incorporates the Somerset Championships. Enquiries for late entries to Gerry Jepps on tel / fax 01749-344191.

After that there is the 4^th Yeovil Congress on 17^th - 19^th June. Details from Jack Rudd on Tel: 01237-475185 or mobile 07973-887123.

Here is an instructive game by two Somerset players from last year's Frome Congress.

White: Andrew Footner. (Yeovil) Black: James T. Sherwin. (Bath) 

Ponziani Opening  [C44]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 constituting the ancient but nowadays seldom seen Ponziani Opening, named after an 18^th century Italian from Modena. The move prepares a future d4, but fails to develop or free up any minor piece, nor threatens Black immediately in any way, so has been dropped from the modern opening repertoire - well, almost. 3...Nf6 The steadiest response, avoiding some of the ultra-sharp lines that can occur after d5 or f5. 4.d4 exd4 5.e5 Ne4 6.Qc2? Definitely the wrong square for the Queen, where it will come under attack from Black's white-square Bishop. Qe3 is preferable.  6...d5 7.cxd4 [if 7.exd6 Nxd6 8.cxd4 Bf5 and White already seems to be chasing the game.] 7...Bf5 8.Bb5 Bb4+! 9.Nc3 Ng3 10.Qa4 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Nxh1 12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.Qxc6+ Bd7 14.Qxd5 0–0 15.Qe4 Qc8 16.Kf1 Bf5 17.Qf4 f6 18.Kg1 fxe5 19.Qxe5 Nxf2 20.Kxf2 Bg4 21.Bf4 Rf5 22.Qxc7 Qxc7 23.Bxc7 Rc8 24.Ba5? White is losing anyway, but this speeds things up. 24...Bxf3 25.gxf3 Rxa5 White resigned 0–1.

Last week's problem by Pope John Paul II was solved by 1. Nd2! Then if 1…Kd5 2.Qd7 mate, or, the only other possibility 1…Kf5 then 2.Qf7 mate.

This week's 2-mover is by Somerset reader, David Howard. The board is crowded and the Black King is stuck in the centre but has a protective guard of pawns. So how can White mate in two?

16th April 2005

The Teignmouth Rapidplay Congress was played out in brilliant spring weather at Trinity School, Teignmouth on 2nd April. Winners were as follows:

Open: 1^st J. T. Sherwin (Bath) 6/6. 2^nd= A. Greet (St. Austell) & B. Edgell (Sedgemoor) 4½. Grading Prizes:

U-150 1^st N. J. Wilson (Taunton) 4 

U-130 1^st= S. K. Dean (Sidmouth) & B. Boomsma             (Torquay) 3½.

Major: (U-120) 1^st= R. H. Jones (Exmouth) & S. Mason (Shaldon).

Grading Prizes: U-90 1^st = W. A. Frost (Teignmouth) & J. James (Plymouth)

U-80: 1^st K. Sparks (Exeter).

Junior Prizes: U-16 1^st R. Pope (Isca Juniors). U-14 1^st B. Kingsley-Smith (Torquay Boys' G.S.).

Team Prize : Exmouth "B".

Junior Event: U-12 1^st Tim Seah (Teignmouth / Torquay Boys' G.S.) 2^nd= Kai Purchase (Broadclyst) & William Norton (Isca Juniors). U-9 1^st Jeff Leung (Stover School). U-8 1^st James McLeod (Taunton). Best Girl: Savanna Bonstow (White Rock P.S.  Paignton). Team Prize: 1^st= Broadclyst "A" & Torquay Boys G. S.

There was local success at the 2^nd Coventry International Congress, over the Easter weekend. In some very strong company, St. Austell's Andrew Greet came 4^th=, while the performance of Exeter student, Alex Therrien, in getting a 50% score, was described by  Malcolm Pein in the Daily Telegraph as "sensational". The pair met in Rd. 3 in a drawn game of swinging fortunes.

White: Alex Therrien. (177). Black: Andrew Greet. (212)

Nimzo-Indian Defence - Rubinstein Variation.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0–0 5.Nge2 d5 6.a3 Be7 7.cxd5 exd5 8.b4 b6 9.g3 Bb7 10.Bg2 Ne4 11.Bb2 Nd7 12.Qb3 Ndf6 13.Rd1 Qd7 14.0–0 Bd6 15.f3 Nxc3 16.Nxc3 c5 17.dxc5 bxc5 18.bxc5 Bxc5 19.Na4 Bxe3+ 20.Qxe3 Qxa4 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Rd4 Rfe8 23.Qf4 Qc6 24.Kh1 Kh8 25.Qh6 f5 26.Qxc6 Bxc6 27.Rc1 Rab8 28.Rxc6 Rb1+ 29.Bf1 Rxf1+ 30.Kg2 Ra1 31.Ra6 Re2+ 32.Kh3 Rh1 33.Kh4 Kg7 34.Kg5 Rhxh2 35.Rxd5 Re3 36.Rxf5 h6+ 37.Kf4 Re7 38.Rfa5 Rc2 39.Ra4 ½–½

Last week's problem by Comins Mansfield was solved by 1. Bd3!    

Karol Wojtyla, who died on 2^nd April, was a man of many parts; poet, playwright, priest, Pole, Pontiff - but nowhere in the obituaries was there any mention that he was also, reputedly, a chess player and problemist. Although there is no independent proof of this, today's problem has been published in chess literature and credited with his name, well before he came to world prominence. Whatever the truth, it's an enjoyable 2-move teaser, well worth a try.

9th April 2005

The West of England Championships were successfully held over the Easter weekend, for the 7^th consecutive year at the Royal Beacon Hotel, Exmouth, at the kind invitation of the owner, Paul Nightingale.

At the outset, it was reasonable to assume that Grandmaster Matthew Turner would complete the first-ever  hat-trick of clear winners, but he could only draw his first game, which seemed to give heart to Rudd, who adopted a ruthless approach in all his games, and by securing a draw against Turner in Rd. 4, kept ahead of the chasing pack.

The prizewinners were as follows:

Open Section: 1^st Jack Rudd (Barnstaple) 6½/7 pts. 2^nd Matthew Turner (Millfield School) 5½; 3^rd= P. Bonafont (Hemel Hempstead) 4½. Grading prize (U-160): 1^st G. Taylor (Gloucester) 4½. 2^nd= A. Jaques (Blackpool) & D. Hall  (Brown Jack). Rudd thus regained the Championship trophy he last won in 2000. Geoff Taylor was awarded the British Championship Qualifying Place, as Rudd & Turner were pre-qualified, and Philip Bonafont was ineligible.

Major Section (U-160): 1^st H. Hjort (Hendon) 5½/7 pts. 2^nd=   I. Jamieson (Exmouth); Sarah Hegarty (Millfield School) P. Hutchings (Camborne) & N. Fallowfield (Stourbridge), all on 5 pts. Philip Hutchings was awarded the newly-presented trophy, the Wilkinson Cup, on tie break, as Hjort was ineligible. Grading prize (U-135): 1^st=  D. Adams & D. Rogers (both Exmouth).

Minor Section (U-125): 1^st C. Gardiner (Falmouth) 6/7 pts. 2^nd= T. Chapman (Guildford) & R. Desmedt (Netherton). Grading prize (U-90) B. Childs (Bodmin) 4½ pts.

The following game entertained spectators from the first morning.

White: B. O'Gorman. Black: T. Gutteridge.

Queen's Gambit - Slav Defence [D16]

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 c6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bg4 6.Ne5 Bh5 7.f3 e6 8.e4 Bb4 9.Bxc4 White naturally wishes to regain his gambited pawn, but his defence of e4 is compromised. 9...Nxe4 10.Qb3 Qh4+ 11.g3 White's alternatives are little better. 11...Nxg3 12.hxg3 Qxh1+ 13.Ke2 Bxc3 14.bxc3 b6 15.Ba3 White seeks to keep the Black King in the centre, even at the cost of his other Rook. 15...Qxa1 16.Bxe6 Qxa3 17.Qxa3 fxe6 Black has calculated that 2 Rooks and a Bishop should be enough compensation for the Queen, which normally would be true, but this is not a normal game. White's 2 pieces are highly active, while Black's pieces are mostly untouched. 18.Qd6 Bf7 19.g4 h5 20.g5 h4 21.g6 Bg8 22.Qc7 h3 23.Qxg7 Na6?? Finally, a blunder puts an end to it all. 24.Qd7+ 1–0

Last week's problem was solved by 1. Rh2! Today's 2-mover is by Mansfield.