Ken Bloodworth, who donated the Cup for this junior chess league, died just over a week ago aged 96, playing chess even in his last year. A wonderful man and a player, who did so much for junior chess, not just in Devon but all over Britain.

Obituary at Keverel Chess: http://www.keverelchess.com/ken-bloodworth-1914-2011/ Biography at Keverel Chess: http://www.keverelchess.com/k-j-bloodworth-25-06-1914/

{This back-and-forth game was settling into a tense endgame when White allowed a snap mate. Both sides allowed and missed chances!}

[Event "Exeter Juniors vs Newton Abbot Juniors"] 
[Site "Palm Handheld"] 
[Date "2011.04.01"] 
[Round "4"] 
[White "Katz, Michael"] 
[Black "Shepherd, Levi"] 
[Result "0-1"] 
[ECO "A00"] 
[PlyCount "60"]
1. e3 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. 
Nf3 d6 (3... d5 {is better twice over: it doesn't shut in a Bishop and it 
gains time by the threat against c4.}) 4. O-O Be7 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. d4 $2 6... 
Bxb5 7. dxe5 7... Bxf1 $2 8. Kxf1 $2 (8. exf6 $1 {and White is attacking two 
pieces, so White will get to take another piece next move.}) 8... Ng4 9. exd6 
Bxd6 10. h3 Nh2+ 11. Nxh2 Bxh2 12. Qxd8+ Kxd8 13. e4 $2 (13. g3 $1 { 
nets the Bishop} 13... Nc6 14. Kg2) 13... h6 14. Be3 Nc6 15. Na3 Be5 16. Rd1+ 
Ke8 17. Nc4 17... Bd4 $2 {Black should try to swap, but that loses a piece!} ( 
17... Rd8 {when you're winning, swap off}) 18. Bxd4 Nxd4 19. Rxd4 { 
So, we come out about level, but Black's Rooks are not yet taking part.} 19... 
c5 20. Rd5 b5 21. Re5+ Kd7 22. Na5 Kd6 23. Rf5 23... Rad8 $2 24. e5+ $2 (24. 
Nb7+ $1) 24... Kd5 25. Nb7 (25. Rxf7 $1) 25... Rd7 26. Na5 26... Ke4 { 
KUFTE! (King Up For The Endgame)} 27. e6 fxe6 (27... Rd1+ 28. Ke2 Rhd8) 28. 
Rxc5 Rd1+ 29. Ke2 Rhd8 30. Nc6 $4 30... R8d2# $1 0-1

{Black won a pawn and a piece early on and steered the game to a calm win.}

[Event "Exeter Juniors vs Newton Abbot Juniors"] 
[Site "Palm Handheld"] 
[Date "2011.04.01"] 
[Round "3"] 
[White "Whitehead, Rafe"] 
[Black "Royle, James"] 
[Result "0-1"] 
[ECO "C00"] 
[PlyCount "86"]
1.e4 e6 2. Nf3 2... Nc6 {Usually in the French, you want to play ...c5, so I'd 
wait with this Knight move.} (2... d5 { 
can always be your second move in the French.}) 3. d4 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 (4... 
exd5 {lets out the Bc8}) 5. c4 Qd8 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Bd3 $2 7... Nxd4 8. Bg5 $4 
8... Nxf3+ $1 {A typical 'removing the guard' tactic.} 9. gxf3 Qxg5 10. Be2 { 
On the scoresheet it says "a3" but I can only make sense of it if I move the 
Bishop now.} 10... Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 Ne7 12. Qd4 Nc6 13. Qd3 Ne5 14. Qe4 Qf5 15. 
Qxf5 {Swapping pieces helps the winning side.} 15... exf5 16. f4 Ng6 17. Rg1 
O-O 18. Bd3 Be6 19. Rg5 Rfe8 20. O-O-O h6 21. Rg3 Nxf4 22. Re3 Nxd3+ 23. Rdxd3 
Bxc4 24. Rxe8+ Rxe8 25. Rd4 Be6 26. c4 Re7 27. c5 Rd7 28. Rb4 b6 29. c6 Rd6 30. 
Kb2 Rxc6 31. Ra4 a5 32. Rd4 g5 33. Rd1 f4 34. Rf1 a4 35. Rc1 Rxc1 36. Kxc1 Kg7 
37. Kc2 Kf6 38. Kc3 b5 39. Kb4 Bd7 40. Kc3 Ke5 41. Kc2 Ke4 42. Kc3 Kf3 43. Kd4 
b4 0-1

{ White grabbed a loose piece but lost it back to a neat Black tactic. White came up with a tactic of his own to win the exchange, and swapped off to win.}

[Event "Exeter Juniors vs Newton Abbot Juniors"] 
[Site "Palm Handheld"] 
[Date "2011.04.01"] 
[Round "2"] 
[White "Keat, Sam"] 
[Black "Causey, Bradley"] 
[Result "1-0"] 
[ECO "C55"] 
[PlyCount "61"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 (3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4) (3. Bb5) 3... Nf6 4. Nc3 { 
This is not a good enough move: it flops into a dull four-square-knights 
position and also gives Black a little trick to equalise pretty easily.} (4. d4 
{offers a pawn to attack}) (4. Ng5 { 
is complicated, White usually grabs a pawn and suffers an attack}) (4. d3 { 
and c3 is a slow game, but has some more tension about it.}) 4... Bb4 (4... 
Nxe4 $1) 5. d3 (5. O-O $5) 5... Nd4 $2 6. Nxe5 O-O 7. Bd2 d6 8. Nf3 8... c6 $4 
(8... Bg4 $1) 9. Nxd4 d5 10. exd5 cxd5 11. Bb3 Bc5 12. Be3 Qe8 13. O-O Bg4 14. 
Qd2 Bd6 15. Nxd5 $6 15... Nxd5 16. Bxd5 16... Qe5 $1 {Forking d5 and h2.} 17. 
Bxf7+ $1 {Right.} 17... Rxf7 18. g3 Qd5 19. c4 Qe5 20. Rae1 $1 20... Re8 $2 21. 
Bf4 $1 21... Qxd4 22. Rxe8+ Rf8 23. Rxf8+ Bxf8 24. Re1 Bc5 25. Qe3 (25. Be3 Qd6 
26. Bxc5 Qxc5 27. Qf4 $1) 25... Qxe3 26. Bxe3 Bb4 27. Rc1 Be2 28. c5 Bxd3 29. 
c6 (29. a3 $1 {snaffles the Bishop.}) 29... bxc6 30. Rxc6 Bb5 31. Rc1 { 
White queened a pawn, and quite properly hoovered up all Black's pawns before 
checkmating.  The point is, if White's flag fell, White would get a draw not a 
loss.} 1-0

{Some loose play by Black gave White a pawn in the opening, and White swapped his way to the win.}

[Event "Exeter Juniors vs Newton Abbot Juniors"] 
[Site "Palm Handheld"] 
[Date "2011.04.01"] 
[Round "1"] 
[White "Fraser, John"] 
[Black "Trott, Tomas"] 
[Result "1-0"] 
[ECO "B40"] 
[PlyCount "84"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 2... c5 {Not a bad move.} (2... d5 { 
is the French Defence.}) 3. Nf3 {This is now at the door of a Sicilian Defence. 
} (3. d5 $1 {is the best way to seek an advanage.}) 3... Nf6 (3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 
Nf6 5. Nc3 {is the Sicilian.}) 4. Nc3 4... d5 $5 5. exd5 exd5 6. Be3 (6. dxc5 
$5 {gives Black an IQP.}) (6. Bb5+ {goes for quick castling and Re1+}) 6... b6 
$6 {Ooh, too many pawn moves.} 7. g3 Ba6 (7... Nc6 $1 {is still fairly level.}) 
(7... Be7 $1 {and castling is safest.}) 8. Bxa6 8... Nxa6 { 
This Knight is going to take a while to get back onto the pitch.} 9. Qe2 $1 { 
Threatening all sorts of discoveries.} 9... c4 10. Bg5+ Qe7 11. Qxe7+ (11. Bxf6 
$1 {is slightly more accurate.}) 11... Bxe7 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Nxd5 O-O-O (13... 
Bxd4 $1 14. Nxd4 Rd8 15. Nf6+ gxf6 16. O-O-O { 
and Black is not a pawn down but has a pretty duff position.}) 14. Nxf6 gxf6 
15. c3 Rhe8+ 16. Kd2 Kc7 (16... Nc5 $1) 17. Rhe1 Kc6 (17... Re6 $1) 18. Rxe8 
Rxe8 19. Re1 19... Re6 {Black would prefer to avoid the exchange.} 20. Rxe6+ 
fxe6 21. Ke3 Nc7 22. Ke4 Nd5 23. Nd2 23... a5 $2 (23... b5 $1) 24. Nxc4 { 
Now it's pretty hopeless.} 24... h6 25. Ne3 Nxe3 26. fxe3 Kd6 27. c4 h5 28. d5 
a4 29. dxe6 Kxe6 30. Kf4 Ke7 31. Kf5 Kf7 32. h3 (32. b4 $1 {is quickest.}) 
32... Kg7 33. g4 hxg4 34. hxg4 Kf7 35. e4 Ke7 36. e5 fxe5 37. Kxe5 Kd7 38. g5 
Kc6 39. g6 Kc5 40. g7 Kxc4 41. g8=Q+ Kb5 42. Kd5 Ka6 1-0