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EJCC 2-2 Newton Abbot Juniors 16th Dec 2011

One of the best and best-contested matches I've had the pleasure to watch. Well done to all players!

W Royle ½-½ Fraser B Trott ½-½ Whitehead W Keat 1-0 Ramesh B Terrill 0-1 Chornenkyy

A tough game fought in the jungles of a hypermodern opening, in the end Black's exchange was enough to balance an advanced passed pawn - or maybe the other way around!

[Event "EJCC vs. Newton Abbot Juniors"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.12.16"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Royle, James"]
[Black "Fraser, John"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B20"]
[PlyCount "83"]
1. e4 c5 2. c4 (2. Nf3) (2. c3) 2... Nc6 3. Nc3 d6 4. d3 g6 5. g3 Bg7 6. Bg2
6... Nf6 {This has slid across into a variation of the English Opening.  White
needs to open a file for the Rooks at some point, either by f4-f5, or d3-d4,
or b2-b4.} 7. Nf3 (7. Nge2 {
is the usual square for this one, leaving the f-pawn free to move.}) 7... Bd7
8. d4 $2 {This has to be prepared by h3 and Be3.} 8... cxd4 9. Nxd4 O-O (9...
Nxe4 $1 {is a standard Dragon/King's Indian trick, winning a pawn.  Usually
you play this with the Bishop on c8, when it's a bit clearer as the b7 pawn is
not loose.} 10. Bxe4 (10. Nxc6 Bxc3+ (10... Nxc3 11. Nxd8 Nxd1 12. Nxf7) 11.
bxc3 Bxc6) 10... Bxd4) 10. Be3 {Normally you play h3 before this move, because
of ...Ng4, but right now White has to cover d4.} 10... a6 11. Qb3 Na5 12. Qb4
Ng4 13. O-O-O Nxe3 (13... Rc8 $1 {is even stronger.}) 14. fxe3 Qc7 15. b3 15...
Nc6 $1 16. Qa3 Nxd4 (16... b5 $1 {asks some hard questions of White.}) 17. exd4
{White has battled back to rough equality.  I think I fancy Black's chances
better, with the two Bishops and loose white King defences, but White has
plenty to do.} 17... e6 18. h4 $1 {
Looking for counterplay against the black King.} 18... d5 $1 {
Discovering an attack on g3.} 19. exd5 Qxg3 20. Qb2 e5 21. Ne4 Qe3+ 22. Qd2
Qxd2+ 23. Rxd2 23... Kh8 $2 {Too slow!} 24. dxe5 Bxe5 25. Re2 (25. Nc5 $1 25...
Bc8) 25... Rfe8 26. Kd1 $2 {Walks into a pin.} 26... Bg4 $1 27. a4 Bxe2+ 28.
Kxe2 Bd6 29. Kd3 {
White rushes his win to the centre to support the passed d-pawn.} 29... Bb4 30.
h5 Kg7 31. Kd4 b6 32. d6 $2 {Too early.} (32. h6+) 32... Re6 33. c5 bxc5+ 34.
Nxc5 Bxc5+ (34... Rxd6+ $1) 35. Kxc5 Rd8 36. Rd1 Kf8 37. hxg6 hxg6 (37... Rxg6)
38. Bc6 f5 39. b4 Kg7 40. b5 axb5 41. axb5 {Two passed pawns now!} 41... Kf6
42. b6 {All three results are still possible!} 1/2-1/2

A wild game where both sides did enough to win...

[Event "EJCC vs. Newton Abbot Juniors"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.12.16"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Whitehead, Rafe"]
[Black "Trott, Tomas"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D31"]
[PlyCount "104"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 3... Nc6 {As a rule, Black leaves the c-pawn free to
move.  You need to open up a file for the Rooks one day, and if you can't get
in ...e6-e5, then it's got to be ...c7-c6.} 4. Nf3 Bb4 5. Bd2 {A bit quiet.}
5... Qf6 6. a3 Bd6 7. e3 e5 8. c5 8... exd4 $2 9. cxd6 {Oops.} 9... dxc3 10.
Bxc3 10... Qxd6 $2 (10... d4 $1) 11. Bxg7 $1 11... Bf5 12. Bd3 $2 (12. Bxh8 {
no reason to delay this one!}) 12... Qg6 $1 13. Bxh8 13... Bxd3 {The dust has
settled for a monent, and we can see White is the Exchange ahead... as long as
he can retrieve the Bh8.} 14. Qa4 $2 (14. Rg1 $1) 14... f6 $2 {Natural, hoping
to catch the Bishop one day, but Black can have a Knight right now.} (14...
Qxg2 $1) 15. g3 $5 15... Be4 16. O-O $4 (16. Nh4 $1 {saves everything.}) 16...
Bxf3 {Now Black is ahead.} 17. Rac1 O-O-O 18. Qf4 Be4 (18... Qh5 $5 {
looks like it would have given White more of a headache.}) 19. Rfd1 Bf5 20. Rd2
Nge7 21. e4 $1 {rescuing the Bishop for the moment.} 21... dxe4 22. Rxd8+ Kxd8
23. b4 Nd5 24. Qd2 Nce7 25. Rc5 25... c6 {Black has a firm grip on the centre
while White's pieces are scattered and uncoordinated.} 26. a4 b6 27. Rc4 Kc7
28. b5 $1 28... Qg8 29. Bxf6 Nxf6 30. Qc3 Nfd5 31. Qe5+ Kc8 32. bxc6 Qe6 33.
Qh8+ Kc7 34. Qa8 Nxc6 35. a5 (35. Qxa7+ $1) 35... b5 36. Rc5 b4 37. Rb5 {
White refuses to give up and lie down.} 37... Qd7 $4 38. Rb7+ Kd6 39. Rxd7+
39... Kxd7 {Three pieces are supposed to be equivalent to a Queen, but it's
rarely put to the test!  The number of possible variations with all these
pieces on an open board is just crazy.} 40. Qb7+ Kd6 41. a6 Nb6 42. Qg7 b3 43.
Kg2 43... Ne5 $2 {Gives White a plan.} 44. Qxa7 Kc6 45. Qb7+ Kb5 46. a7 b2 47.
a8=Q 47... b1=Q {If the two Queens can co-ordinate, they will be awesome.} 48.
Qba6+ (48. Qxb6+ $5 {(Thynne)} 48... Kxb6 49. Qb8+ Kc5 50. Qxb1) (48. Qaa6+ {
is mate in about 20, according to Fritz.} 48... Kc5 49. Qc7+ Kd4 50. Qd6+ Nd5
51. Qa7+ Kc3 52. Qxe5+) 48... Kc5 49. Qe8 Ned7 50. Qe7+ Kd4 (50... Kc6 $1) 51.
h3 (51. Qd6+ $1) 51... Qb2 52. g4 $6 {
White is exposing his own King, which must be Black's best hope.} 52... e3
1/2-1/2

Some devilishly complicated opening play resulted in an early win of a piece for White.

[Event "EJCC vs. Newton Abbot Juniors"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.12.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Keat, Sam"]
[Black "Ramesh, Vignesh"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[PlyCount "103"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O 4... a6 {This used to be thought quite a
cunning move order, if Black wants to avoid the Exchange Variation.} 5. Bc4 $6
(5. Ba4 $5 {is the Main Line Morphy}) (5. Bxc6 $1 {
may be the best try for advantage, despite Black's cunning.}) 5... Nxe4 $1 6.
Re1 $6 (6. Bd5) 6... Nd6 (6... d5) 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. Rxe5+ Be7 9. d3 b5 (9...
Nxc4 $1 10. dxc4) 10. Bd5 $1 10... Bb7 11. Nc3 11... b4 $2 12. Bxb7 $1 12...
Nxb7 13. Nd5 {Winning a piece.} 13... O-O 14. Nxe7+ Kh8 15. Qg4 d6 16. Re1 f6
17. Bf4 Rf7 18. Nc6 Qd7 19. Qxd7 Rxd7 20. Re7 Rxe7 21. Nxe7 Re8 22. Re1 Ra8 23.
Nd5 a5 24. Nxc7 Rc8 25. Re8+ Rxe8 26. Nxe8 a4 27. Nxd6 Nc5 28. d4 Ne6 29. Be3
g6 30. Nb5 g5 31. d5 Nf8 32. d6 Nd7 33. c3 bxc3 34. Nxc3 Kg8 35. Nxa4 Kf7 36.
Nc5 Ne5 37. a4 Nc4 38. d7 Ke7 39. b4 Kd8 40. a5 Na3 41. Bd4 Ke7 42. Bxf6+ Kxf6
43. d8=Q+ Ke5 44. a6 Nb5 45. Qb8+ Nd6 46. a7 g4 47. a8=Q g3 48. Qh8+ Kf4 49.
Qf3+ Kg5 50. Qg8+ Kh6 51. Qf4+ Kh5 52. Qfg5# 1-0
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