Round 1

 

1	Humphries	0 - 1	Baker
2	Wall	1 - 0	Lesniowski
3	Chaplin	1/2 - 1/2	Cole
4	Thompson	1 - 0	Horner
5	Lane	1/2 - 1/2	Beaumont
6	Rudd	1 - 0	Boyce
7	Buckley, ST	0 - 1	Haydon
8	Headlong	1/2 - 1/2	Borkowski
9	Hill	1/2 - 1/2	Sharp
10	Phillips	1 - 0	Taylor
11	Brierley	0 - 1	Dilleigh
12	George	1 - 0	Buckley M
13	Wright	1/2 - 1/2	Sage
14	Littlejohns	1/2
15	Butterworth	1

The first round is when serious contenders set out their stalls early as they take on the lo Games at this stage can be rather short and bloody, and it is certainly no time to concede a careless draw that might cost dear in the end. Of the leading contenders, Chris Baker of Keynsham and G. Wall both drew early blood, and Ian Thompson and Jack Rudd soon followed up with wins of their own, but Roland Cole and Chris Beaumont both conceded draws.

 

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White: J. G. Humphries.
Black: C. W. Baker.
Scotch Game

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Nb5 Bb4+ 6. N1c3 Ba5 7. Bd3 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. g3 Qh3 10. Bd2 Nf6

  Black has threatened to fork the knights, but to press ahead would probably rebound. [10...b4 11.Nd5 bxa3 12.Bxa5 Nxa5 13.Nxc7+] 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. exd5

  Black now offers his first piece; others follow.

 

12. ......0-0 13. dxc6 Re8+ 14. Be2 d5

  A second piece is offered, but this time white declines.

15. Rf1 Bg4 16. f3 Qxh2

  A third black piece is left to its fate, and white cannot resist longer.

17. Bxa5 Qxg3+ 18. Kd2 Qf4+

19. Ke1 Bxf3 20. Bxc7 Qh4+ 21. Kd2 Bxe2 22. Rf4 Qe7 23. Resigns

  Meanwhile, Wall benefited from a blunder and

 

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White: G. Wall
Black: Lesniowski
Sicilian - Closed

1. e4 c5

2. Nf3 e6 3. d3 Nc6 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. 0-0 Nge7 7. c3 d5 8. Qe2 0-0 9. e5 Qc7 10. Bf4 h6 11. h4 Kh7 12. Nbd2 b5 13. Rfe1 Rb8 14. Nf1 b4 15. N1h2 bxc3 16. bxc3 Qa5 17. Rac1 f5? It's difficult to see what Black was thinking about here, allowing white to take e.p. and attack 3 pieces simultaneously. Developing the queen's bishop seems logical.

 

18. exf6 Rxf6 19. Bxb8 Nxb8 20. Ng4 Rf8 21. Nge5 Nbc6 22. Bh3 Nxe5 23. Nxe5 Bxe5 24. Qxe5

  Black's central defences are so threadbare it is folly to go snaffling the odd rooks pawn. 24......Qxa2 25. Re2 Qa6 26. Bxe6 Qxd3 27. Qc7 Re8 28. Rce1 Ba6 29. Bf7 Resigns

  Final position.

  Black's knight suddenly has two extras attackers and its only defender routed.

  Another contender, Jack Rudd, had a scare. Playing at the speed of light, as is his way, he found himself a piece down on move 20 having used just 10 minutes on his clock. However, he made good use of what compensation he had forcing his opponent into a blunder.

 

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White: Jack Rudd (200)
Black: Jim Boyce (163)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Nf3 Nbd7 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Be7 10. 0-0 0-0 11. Rab1 Ne4 12. Bf4 Ndf6 13. b4 a6 14. a4 Re8 15. b5 axb5 16. axb5 Ra3 Threatening to win the knight.

17. Rfc1 Qa5 18. bxc6 bxc6 19. Ne5 Rxc3 20. Nxc6 Rxc1+ 21. Rxc1

  White has lost a piece, whose only compensation is taking black's backward c pawn leaving the d pawn vulnerable. Not much perhaps, but White plays on it....

21. ....Qd2 22. Qxd2 Nxd2 23. f3 Kf8 24. e4 Nc4 25. Bg3 Rc8 26. exd5 Nd6 27. Re1 Nf5 28. Nxe7 Nxe7 29. d6 Nf5 30. Be5 Rd8 31. Rb1 Nxd6 32. Rb8! Rxb8? [32...Nc8 33.Bxf6 gxf6 would have kept the piece intact.]

33. Bxd6+ Ke8 34. Bxb8 Kd7 35. Be5 Ne8 36. Kf2 Ke6 37. Ke3 Kd5 38. g4 f6 39. Bg3 g6 40. g5 Ng7 41. gxf6 Nf5+ 42. Kf4 Nxd4 43. f7 Ne6+ 44. Ke3 Kc6 45. Be1 Kc5 46. Bc3 Kd6 47. Bb4+ Resigns

  Roland Cole and Chris Beaumont both drew against opponents graded 30 - 40 points below them.

 

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Dr. Dave