Archive: UNCUT! 23

The Sean Marsh Chess Column
UNCUT!
Column 23
August 2003

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Dear Readers,

Chess often goes nap over the Summer months, but this time there has been plenty going on at all levels. Recent events have proved to be a bit of a mixed bag, hence the title….


The Good

Norman Stephenson – British Champion!

For a few years now, Norman has been ‘threatening’ to enter the Senior Championship. I think we all knew he was capable of winning it, and he has proved us all right!

He shared first place with David Anderton and George Dickson on 5/7 (21 played). Norman was unbeaten; he won three games and drew the rest.Unusually, his three wins all came from the Black pieces (he scores well with both colours but is normally a particularly ‘big hitter’ with White).

Here’s a couple of snippets from the champion’s games.

Norman Stephenson v J. Toothill, J
Round 4

White looks to be on the verge of victory in the following position. The Black Knight is cut off behind enemy lines and seems to be about to die for no compensation. However, Black was able to muddy the waters with the following sequence….


24...Qc7 25.Bxd3 Qxc3 26.Bxf5 Qxa1 27.Qd2 g6 28.Bd7 …and in this unclear position, the players agreed to a draw ½–½ White still appears to stand better, but perhaps the change in circumstances, which saw the position pass from ‘easy win’ to ‘murky complications’, influenced the decision.




David Anderton v Norman Stephenson

This is a critical encounter from round 5. Black is in real trouble and faces the sort of problems all exponents of the Dutch Defence will be familiar with. Yes, the Dutch is a good fighting opening, but there are times when it just seems to go horribly wrong, all on its own. Black’s King position resembles Custer’s Last Stand. The White Bishops are beautifully active and the heavy pieces are in very strong positions. Yet there are always chances….


Just a few moves later, White played Bd3-c4, reaching this position, and Norman must have breathed a huge sigh of relief as he played Bc8!, trapping the White Queen, and winning the game.


Following this amazing reversal of fortune, Norman coasted to his final tally with a couple of speedy draws but David Anderton was able to catch him up with two wins from his last two games.

Well done, Norman! Now you’ve got to set your sites on retaining the title at next year’s championship!


It has to be said that the internet coverage of this year’s British Championship was woefully inadequate. Only the top four boards of the main section had (very) occasional updates and the rest of the games merely had the results up by the next morning. Several days later, the game scores of were finally posted for download. I’m not doubting that the people in charge worked very hard to get even that amount of information posted, but for the national championship I think we have every right to expect something more comprehensive.


Meanwhile…

From the postbag….

‘Dear Sean,

I really can’t face going back to school in September. Ever since chess club last term, when I won the tournament following a dubious ruling, I have the feeling that everyone hates me. The teachers hate me, the kids hate me, the dinner ladies hate me and the cleaners hate me. Oh, I don’t want to go back to school! What can I do?’

Mike Hunt
(School address withheld)

Sorry Mike, you’ll have to go back to school. After all, you’re the Headmaster!


The Bad

The following is quoted from the BCM website, as part of a tribute to the great Grandmaster of chess history. Visit http://www.bcmchess.co.uk/ for the full tribute.

† Ken Whyld (1926-2003)
"What terrible news about Ken Whyld. I first met him in the pressroom at the London Candidates Matches (Karpov-Yusupov and Speelman Timman) and then several times at big London-based matches after that. Being new to such behind the scenes press activity, I was a bit dazed to be in such tremendous chess company but Ken made a special effort to befriend me and put me at ease. At the subsequent events he was always very friendly and always greeted me warmly. Shortly after our first couple of meetings, he wrote to me with some information about two old tournaments based in Redcar, close to where live. He turned over his entire findings to me and I was able to collate them and produce a bulletin for our local players. I managed to turn up a 'new' newspaper reference to the tournament in one of our county library archives, which Ken was delighted with. Since then, we kept in touch through many letters and e-mails, the most recent of which was just a couple of weeks ago. He always answered promptly and very instructively. Ken's modesty kept his name very low-profile, often tucked away in the small print of books to which he made massive contributions. There is no doubt that the loss of this perfect gentleman and grandmaster of chess history will leave a huge gap in the lives of his friends and in chess itself. He was a wonderful and irreplaceable man. I can't believe he's gone." Sean Marsh, Yarm

The Ugly

According to a shining wit in the forum of this very site, this article should be renamed ‘I am great feature’.

Well, apart from the fact that this suggested title displays a grasp of grammar not seen since JFK’s infamous ‘I am a jelly doughnut’ speech, it does seem to miss a rather fundamental point of the column. It is not now, and has never been intended to be, the mouthpiece of the Cleveland Chess Association, the British Chess Federation or anyone else. It is, always has been and always will be, my own personal thoughts on whatever takes my fancy.

So what was the point of the suggestion, I wonder?

Despite the best efforts of some, the forum has once again descended into a three-handed game of attention seeking. This can take many forms, such as…

· Claiming ‘I won’t be back’ - but returning more times than The Terminator.

· Making outrageous claims and statements and having the cheek to add names of respectable chess players as corroboration.

· Turning a simple announcement into a battle of wits to see who can squeeze the last drop of attention from a particular thread.

· Making sure the forum is not a fit place to post in and then appearing bemused and amazed that nobody posts there any more.

…and many more, of course. It’s hard to tell who’s ‘Braindead’ and who’s not. The forum once again makes us the laughing stock of the chess world. Have you ever tried entering a debate in the forum? You soon find out that some play by one set of ‘rules’ and expect others to play by another set altogether.

I know for a fact that I am not the only local player who is fed up with the juvenile rantings of the forum. Lines have been crossed, and bridges have been burned, far too often. This should end now. To make the forum workable and enjoyable, the membership needs to be critically reviewed and certain threads need to be deleted. As it stands at the moment, local chess is being brought into disrepute.

It is said that if you give an infinite number of monkeys an infinite number of typewriters and an infinite amount of time, they will, at some point, come up with the complete works of Shakespeare. Give the thickest chimp character from the old PG Tips adverts a couple of minutes with a blunt pencil and no access to a dictionary and you will no doubt end up with something resembling the majority of quotes from the forum. Or at least as unintentionally hilarious. Yes, if you thought the classic line ‘Can you ride tandem?’ was one of the funniest things you’ve ever heard, you really should check out the forum.

And finally…..

Here’s a curious position from my last round game at the Middlesbrough Congress.
Sean Marsh v Chris Ross


White is winning, and indeed Black resigned at this point, but the funny thing is that the main threat is Bxf8, capturing a Knight which does not defend any of the key squares and has no remotely good move for itself. Yet it’s demise is crucial in the variation 29 … a5 30 Bxf8 Rxf8 31 e7 Rg8 32 e8=Q! when the overloaded state of the Black Queen ensures the loss of a Rook. I don’t think I’ve ever known the threatened capture of such a useless piece to carry such weight.

Archive: UNCUT! 22

The Sean Marsh Chess Column
UNCUT!
Column 22
July 2003

Dear Readers,

It’s been a while since the last UNCUT! column, due to various reasons. Meanwhile, the old postbag has been filling up and it’s time to dig deep and answer a few letters…

Starting with this one…

Dear Sean,
I never know what the correct etiquette regarding going away to weekend chess tournaments. Does one take the wife, or does one go alone?
Yours sincerely,
Arthur Littlehampton

Judging by the picture you sent, I think you should take her with you. Looking like she does, it’s preferable to kissing her goodbye.

Dear Sean,
I’m a great fan of yours and think you are fab. Is it true that you completed a domestic clean sweep this year, with success in the county championship, club championship and being part of the team that completed the league and cup double? If so, why not share a few interesting snippets from your games?
Best Wishes,
Napoleon,
Ward 20,
St. Luke’s Hospital,
MIDDLESBROUGH

Well that’s not a bad idea! Here’s a little bit from each of the four events……

Marsh,S - Spence,D
Elmwood v M'bro Rooks, 09.05.2003

This was the crunch match of the season. The Rooks held the advantage on board points and could retain the title with a drawn match. Nothing but a match victory would do for Elmwood. I think the match lived up to expectations and featured several very exciting games. A key encounter saw John Garnett gain revenge for a bad loss earlier in the season. Meanwhile, on board one, this was happening.

Black is trying to win key squares and looking to slam the Knight into d3. However, White has an attack which could well feature both Bishops, both Rooks, Queen and Knight! Black was also running very short of time. 20.Qg3 Rfe8 21.Ne2 Threatening Rxf6, unleashing the dark-squared Bishop and rerouting the Knight to d4. 21...Kh8 22.Nd4 Qd8 Black's flag was already hanging and he is far from move 36! 23.Bg5 Nd3 24.Re2 Re5 25.Bxf6 gxf6 26.Nc6 Qe8

27.Qf3 I thought this better than just coldly taking the exchange. Black's whole position is on the point of collapse. 27...Rg5 28.Qxf6+ Rg7 29.Re3 Ne5 30.Rg3 Ng4 ...and seeing that this allows the simple 31 Rxg4, Black resigned and Elmwood took a big step to taking the title. This gave us a 2.5–0.5 advantage with three still playing. 1–0

Winning the league for the third time is a good achievement for Elmwood but the success must be built on. The target now is to retain the title for the first time. The Rooks have always made retaining the title look easy. Elmwood must emulate that to prove a shift in the balance of local power.

Myers,B - Marsh,S
Elmwood Ch. 2003 (5), 08.05.2003
Things have not turned out well for White and it is not surprising that Black can storm the enemy King by direct tactical means.
19...e3 20.fxe3 Nxe3 21.Qd3 Rxd4! 0–1 A Knight fork crashes in on c2 if the Rook is taken and declining with 22 Qc3 allows 22 Qh4+ 23 g3 Rxg3 24 Nxg3 Qxg3 mate.

Marsh,S - Simpson,J
KO Cup Semi-Final, Elmwood v Peterlee, 14.04.2003
We always have good battles with Peterlee. For this match they were strengthened by the addition of Mike Fenton.

14.Bb1 Here rather than c2 for two reasons; firstly, the Ra1 can swing across to the centre along the uncluttered second rank, and secondly the Queen can quickly slip to c2 with instant threats in the some lines. 14...Bd7 15.Nf5 Bxf5 After playing Nf5 I got up to take some food from the buffet. I glanced round and saw that Jim was already capturing the Knight. So fast, in fact, that my first reaction was that I must have made a blunder but I kept a straight face on my return to the board. Although the Knight was troublesome, I think it's a definite mistake to leave White with two bishops v two Knights. Black is far from a complete blockade of the position - once White pushes the e-pawn both Bishops will be fierce. 16.Bxf5 a6 17.Ra2 Qc7 18.Qe1 Nc4 19.Re2 Qb6 20.Kh1 Nd6 21.Bc2 Here rather than b1 - for two reasons! The Bishop might get a jab in at a4 and on c2 it is protected. 21...Rac8 22.e4 The thematic break. Jim was under the impression that he'd stopped it...
22...dxe4 23.fxe4 Nc4 24.e5 Ng4 25.Qh4 No need for 25 Bf5, winning the exchange, as Black's King is the real target. 25...Nh6 26.Qe4 Qg6 27.Qxb7 Qh5 28.Bxh6 gxh6 29.g4
Curtains! Either the Queen dies or it's mate. Peterlee board 2, Colin Walton, said afterwards that the Bishops were so strong that he was worried they were going to start playing on his board too! This game made the score 2½–½ to us, with two playing. The match ended up 2½–2½ but we went through to the final on board count. 1–0

Taylor,B - Marsh,S
County Ch. 2002-3 (2), 14.11.2002
Lots of active pieces, so let the good times roll!
16 Qg3! 17.Kh1 Bxf2 18.Rxf2 Qxf2 19.Bxh7+ Kh8 20.Ng5 Nf4 21.Qg4 Nxe5 22.Bd4 Nxg4 0–1
The Qg3 idea is not new.

I remembered it from a famous Korchnoy game
Tatai,S – Korchnoy V
Beersheba Beersheba (6), 1978
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 c5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Qe2+ Be7 7.dxc5 Nf6 8.h3 0–0 9.0–0 Bxc5 10.c3 Re8 11.Qc2 Qd6 12. Nbd2
Qg3! 13.Bf5 Re2 14.Nd4 Nxd4 0–1

I first played in the county championship in 1983 and have occupied second place more times than any player in recorded history. This time I shared first place with David Wise. It also took me 20 years to win the Redcar Congress (1980-2000). So if I say I’m going to cut the lawn, trim the hedges or complete my tax return, don’t forget - I might be slow but I get there in the end.

Dear Sean,
I am intrigued by the concentration required for competitive chess. What goes through a player’s mind during tough chess battles? Does anything intrude, or is it purely the current game that occupies the thoughts?
Mrs. Trills,
Seaview Guest House,
Scunthorpe

Well Mrs. Trills, you’d be amazed at the things that are going on in a player’s mind during a game of chess. When one is losing, the main thoughts concern the noise in the room, the annoyance of mobile ‘phones and the ugliness of the opponent. In fact, these things are common to all chess clubs and tournaments.

However, when one is winning, it’s more likely to be something like this….

''Chantilly lace and a pretty faceAnd a pony tail a hangin' downThat wiggle in the walk And giggle in the talk Makes the world go round There ain't nothin in the worldLike a big eyed girlThat makes me act so funny Make me spend my money Make me feel real loose like a long necked goose Like a - ohhhhhhhh baby that's what I like!''

Dear Sean,
Now that you have conquered the local chess scene, will you retire like Bobby or will you create new goals, further afield?
Yours in peace,
The Dalai Lama,
Tibet

There’s no cause for a-lama! I can never retire from chess. I have plans to conquer the universe, but only with a little help from my friends!

That’s all for now folks!
And don’t forget – if you’ve enjoyed this column just half as much as I have, then I must have enjoyed it twice as much as you!

Archive: UNCUT! 21

The Sean Marsh Chess Column

UNCUT!

Column 21

April 2003

‘Knocking at the door’

Dear Readers,

It is not long ago that in this very column I warned you all of the rapid rise of two of our local juniors. For those of you who didn’t go out and bag a couple of wins against the juniors in question when you had the chance, I’m afraid to say you may have left it too late. For the Eggleston twins, Thomas and David, are now getting far too strong to trifle with.

Their list of victims grows by the tournament. Here’s a few examples of play from the recent Durham Congress. Thomas and David shared first place, ahead of a strong field. It took me 20 years, from my first weekend congress, to win an Open tournament. The Eggleston’s made it look easy at Durham.

In the first round, they drew with Jimmy Simpson and Bret Addison. In the second round they switched opponents and had to take on the two greats with the Black pieces....

Bret Addison - Thomas Eggleston

1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.Nc3 Be7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bf4 0–0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.c5 Ne4 8.Rc1 g5
(Double edged! Thomas hunts the Bishop and soon sets up a delayed Stonewall system) 9.Nxe4 gxf4 10.Nc3 fxe3 11.fxe3 f5 12.Be2 c6 13.b4 Bf6 14.0–0 Rf7 15.Ne1 Bg5 16.Rf3 Rg7 17.Nd3 Qe7 18.Nf4 Nf6 19.Rb1 Ng4 20.Qd2 e5 21.dxe5 Qxe5 22.h3 (This doesn’t look like a typical Bret position) 22 ... Nxe3 23.Qxe3 Qxe3+ 24.Rxe3 Bxf4 25.Re8+ Kf7 26.Bh5+ Kf6 27.Ne2 Be5 (Black has the extra pawn but must suffer a little discomfort on the back rank.) 28.Rf8+ Kg5 29.Bf3 a6 30.Re1 Rb8 31.Re8 Kf6 32.Nc1 Bg3 33.Rf8+ Rf7 34.Ree8 Rxf8 35.Rxf8+ Kg7 36.Re8 Kf7 37.Bh5+ Kf6 38.Rf8+ Kg7 39.Rf7+ Kh6 40.Bf3 Kg6 41.Re7 Bh4 42.Re8 Kf6 43.Ne2 Be1 44.a3 Bd2 (Black is clearly winning now as White’s Queenside pawns canot be maintained.) 45.Kf1 a5 46.bxa5 Bxa5 47.Nf4 b6 48.cxb6 Ba6+ 0–1

Jim Simpson - David Eggleston

1.Nf3 f5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e3 (The openings are not the strongest part of Jim’s game; here he goes into a line that certainly shouldn’t trouble Black’s Leningrad Dutch too much. However, in the middlegame Jim can play as strong as a master. He enjoys the struggle, the creation of plans and the battle of wills.) 5 ... d6 6.d5 0–0 7.Qc2 Na6 8.Be2 e5 (Black’s thematic break in this defence.) 9.dxe6 Nc5 10.Nd4 Nxe6 11.Nxe6 Bxe6 12.0–0 c6 13.Bd2 Qe7 14.Rad1 Ng4 15.h3 Ne5 16.b3 Rad8 17.f4 Nd7 18.Bf3 Nf6 19.Bc1 Rfe8 20.Rfe1 Qf7 21.e4 fxe4 22.Nxe4 Nxe4 23.Bxe4 (White can now target the potentially weak d6 pawn) d5 24.cxd5 cxd5 (David has accepted an isolated Queen’s pawn, which can be a weakness if it can be restrained, blockaded and finally destroyed. However, in this game it goes on to win the day.) 25.Bf3 d4 (here it comes...) 26.Be4 Rc8 27.Qf2 Bf5 28.Bxf5 Rxe1+ 29.Rxe1 Qxf5 30.Qe2 d3 (Slowly but surely...) 31.Qf3 Bc3 32.Rd1 Rd8 33.Bd2 Qc5+ 34.Kh2 Bxd2 35.Rxd2 Qd4 36.Qf1 Qe3 37.Rd1 d2 (Almost there...) 38.Qc4+ Kh8 39.Qb4 b6 40.Kh1 a5 41.Qc4 Qe1+ 42.Kh2 Qxd1 43.Qc3+ Kg8 0–1

The final round clash between the twins took a well known route to a quick draw, safe in the knowledge that nobody else could catch them up as they shared first place with 4/5. A magnificent achievement! We can look forward to seeing some more great Eggleston action at the British Championship. One has already qualified and I’d be very surprised if the other doesn’t manage to before the Summer!

Meanwhile, for us old has-beens, here’s a few fitting lines from The Master....


Age calls the tune,

Youth’s over soon,

That is the natural law.

There’s a Younger Generation,

Knock knock knocking at the door.

Why sit and fret?

Vainly regret

Things that have gone before?

There’s a Younger Generation

Knock knock knocking at the door.

I’ve had my fun,

All that is done,

Why should I sigh for more?

There’s a Younger Generation

Knock knock knocking at the door.

Archive: UNCUT! 20

The Sean Marsh Chess Column
UNCUT!
Column 20
February 2003

Dear Readers...

it is a great pity that the Redcar Chess Congress did not go ahead this year (for the first time in 23 years). There were various problems which led to it being pulled form the schedule, most of which can hopefully be solved by next year. It will be a great shame if the series dies altogether and a speedy return is absolutely essential. Congresses that die tend never to return. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.

Luckily for local chess, Graham Marshall, the indefatigable chess impresario, agreed at short notice to create yet another Hartlepool event. Under the name of The Cleveland Congress and held at the Masonic Hall, Hartlepool, the new event was a great success.

The Open was particularly strong, perhaps due to there being a qualification place for this year’s British Championship up for grabs. Even better than that, the place came with a paid entry fee for the Championship - a saving of around £155!

Here is a summary of the scores and a couple of games from the event. My thanks go to Lara Barnes and Clive Waters for supplying the official scores and games. In my opinion, given all the coaching, bulletin writing, Arbiting, grading and organising they do, I think Clive and Lara are two of the most important figures in North East chess. Apart from all the things mentioned
above, they are both very creative players and tough tournament competitors. I speak from many personal experiences!

Cleveland Congress
Hartlepool
BCF Arbiter - Lara Barnes

Open
1st= Robert Shaw, Bret Addison(u-21) 4/5
3rd= David Eggleston (junior), Colin Walton 3.5/5
5th= Sean Marsh, Martin Mitchell, Chris Ross (Disabled), Thomas Eggleston (Junior), Jonathan Hawkins (junior), Michael Round 3/5

Major
1st Ian Elcoate (Middlesborough) 4.5/5
2nd= Jinwoo Song (Kings Head), Darren Laws (Tynemouth) 4/5

Minor
1st= David Appleyard (Teesside), Peter Smith (Bishop Aukland) 4.5/5
3rd Stan Hawes(South Shields) 4/5
4th David Ross[Athenaeum], Nick Webb[Elmwood] (Junior u-14), John Reddington, Fred Stobbart, Keith Burrett, 3.5/5
Vicky Crompton (Female, junior u-11) 3/5

Novice
1st Matthew Hammond [Hartlepool](Junior) 8.5/10
2nd= Bill McAlpine[Hartlepool], Thomas Mavin[Darlington] (junior, u-11) 6/10

Meanwhile, in honour of the Redcar Congress series, let’s tumble back through time to discover more about...

Redcar’s ‘unknown’ Chess Tournaments
1865 & 1866

Some years ago, I received a letter from chess historian Ken Whyld, asking if I could offer any information towards the completion of the cross-table for the second Redcar Congress - the one in 1866! I doubt if anyone in our county was even aware of there being two congresses in Redcar so long ago, but being very interested in the historical side of chess I was instantly intrigued. Ken had managed to construct the table for the first congress (1865) and most of the second from local papers and chess magazines, but there were still question marks over three games.

Further correspondence followed and Ken sent his entire findings on the congresses to me. Taking up the baton, I contacted all the relevant county libraries and the county archivist to see if there were other local newspapers of the time or any other archive material from which we could add the final piece to the jigsaw.

Meanwhile, I dug around in a large number of books for details of the participants, learning a great deal about players of which I had hitherto only the slightest knowledge. The chess library of local chess enthusiast Mike Mossom was of particular use in tracing some old references. The more I read, the more I realised how steeped in history the whole thing was and how strong the top players in the second congress really were.

In a parallel to today’s chess world, there existed a rivalry between associations. The British Chess Association (‘BCA’) had been formed in 1855 to try and co-ordinate chess within Britain but like any new thing it met with opposition - this time by none other than England’s most famous player, Howard Staunton. There were also those who thought the BCA was biased in favour of professional players, and also too London based. Rev. Arthur B. Skipworth was one of the biggest objectors but unlike many people he was also prepared to do something about it. He was one of the main organisers behind the 1st Redcar tournament, September 14-16 1865. It has also been labelled, retrospectively, the 1st Counties’ Chess Association tournament.

The Reverend Arthur Bolland Skipworth was the strongest player of the nine in the tournament, which was held at the Royal Hotel, Redcar in a room facing the beach. It was apparently quite an informal tournament. The newspaper ‘Middlesbrough Weekly News and Cleveland Advertiser’ of September 22 1865 commented on the ‘...lack of rules (which) caused various minor points to be left unsettled.’ It is quite explicit in the reporting of results, which led to Ken being able to reconstruct the cross-table.

S G B L D T B B B Total

A.B. Skipworth R 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8

W. Grimshaw 0 E 1 1 1 1 1 0.5 1 6.5
Dr. G. Bodington 0 0 D 0.5 1 1 1 1 1 5.5
Rev. G.G. Lynn 0 0 0.5 C 1 1 1 1 1 5.5
Dr. P.M. Deas 0 0 0 0 A ? 1 ? 1 2
W.C. Trevor 0 0 0 0 ? R 1 1 ? 2
Rev. Beckett 0 0 0 0 0 0 X ? 1 1
Dr. Bennett 0 0.5 0 0 ? 0 ? ‘6 ? 0.5
Rev. R.R.W.Batty 0 0 0 0 0 ? 0 ? 5 0

From the way the paper reports the scores, it seems very likely that the games with a question mark in the table were not actually played, which would fit in with it being rather an informal affair. There were some fine prizes on offer, though and the influence of Staunton was very noticeable. Skipworth took home a ‘handsome set of Staunton chessmen’ and Grimshaw won a smaller set of pieces. Dr Bodington and Rev. G.G. Lynn ‘divided the third prize, a set of Staunton’s books on chess.’

The 2nd Redcar tournament is considered much more important, at least from the point of view of the strength of the players. Howard Staunton was there in person, but not to play in the tournament. It was hoped that Adolf Anderssen and Wilhelm Steinitz would attend, but they were busy playing their match which had suffered a delayed start. Steinitz rather surprisingly won the match 8-6 and claimed to be the strongest player in the world, although the first official World Championship match wasn’t until 1886, when Steinitz defeated Zukertort.

‘Neither... were present, as expected, but as some slight consolation Mr. Staunton handed round photographs of the "veteran" and his "gallant little foe," taken during their great match.’

Middlesbrough Weekly News and Cleveland Advertiser, August 17 1866.

This time the congress was in four sections. ‘Class 1’ was open to all British amateurs on becoming members of the association, with the first prize being £12-12s. Rev. Skipworth was the only one of the 1865 participants to enter this section, but he ended up being so busy with the organisational side of things that he ended up withdrawing from the tournament. The same was also true of Dr. Bennett, who had entered ‘Class 11’. As the newspaper of the time said:

‘Great praise is due to the Rev. A.B. Skipworth and Dr. Bennett, for their efficient management of the meeting, and it is to be regretted that their indefatigable exertions placed both gentlemen under the necessity of withdrawing from the tournament.’

V T W O W W S S Total
Cecil V. De Vere R 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 6
Edmund Thorold 1 E 1 0 0 1 1 1 5
John Wisker 0 0 D 1 1 1 1 5
Rev. John Owen 0 1 0 C 1 1 1 1 5
Dr. Wilson 0 1 0 0 A ? ? 1 3
Rev. William Wayte 0 0 0 0 ? R ? 1 2
Rev. David M. Salter 0 0 0 0 ? ? ‘6 1 2
Arthur B. Skipworth 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0

The question marked results cannot be worked out from the newspaper reports, but the correct totals for the players can. Ken Whyld suggests the results could be:

W W S

Dr. Wilson X 1 0
Rev. Wayte 0 X 1
Rev. Salter 1 0 X

...or a similar arrangement of wins and losses. It is also possible that all the games of the mini-table were drawn, which would also give the correct totals.

Apparently Steinitz was to have given a blindfold simultaneous display, which Rev. Wayte carried out instead. After five hours, he had won three (against Fieldsend, Beckett and Mrs Seaton) and drawn two (Morley and Semple) of the five games.

Staunton had played several casual games throughout the week of the tournament - giving Rook odds and winning every time. The final event of the chess meeting was a consultation game featuring Staunton & Salter v Owen & Skipworth, which was drawn after six hours’ play.

A report in Chess World, possibly written by Staunton himself, contains several negative comments on the meeting.

‘The prizes were small, and, if we are rightly informed, were not all given. The excursions promised to places of interest in the neighbourhood, consisted of a trip to Saltburn, where everybody paid for himself, and could hardly get anything worth having even upon those independent terms.’

‘The shortcomings in question we are willing to believe the result of inexperience on the part of the Managing Committee, and we are quite sure they will not occur at any future Meeting of the Association.’

Three games have been traced from the 1866 tournament. The scores are taken from the magazine Chess World (September 1866) and some of the original (often quaint!) comments are also quoted here. The games are Thorold v Owen, Thorold v Wilson and Owen v De Vere.

Thorold v Owen
Spanish Game
1 e4 e5 (Owen refrains from his own defence, 1 ... b6!) 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Be7 5 0-0 Nf6 6 d4 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 Re1 0-0 9 h3 Bb7 10 c3 Na5 (10 ... Re8 would give a Flohr-Zaitsev variation, which was one of the major battle grounds of the Kasparov v Karpov World Championship matches, over 120 years after this game was played!. 10 ... Na5 leads into the Chigorin variation, with Black striking quickly at the centre with ... c5.) 11 Bc2 Nd7 (One of Fischer’s most famous games, played against Stein at the 1967 Interzonal, continued here with 11 ... Nc4. Fischer won brilliantly.) 12 a4 c5 13 axb5 axb5 14 d5 c4 15 Be3 Ba6 16 Nbd2 Qc7 17 Nh2 (White is re-routing his pieces to head for the traditional Kingside attack. Black prepares a demolition job on the White centre.) 17 ... Bb7 18 Ndf1 f5 19 f4 exf4 20 Bxf4 fxe4 21 Rxe4 Nf6 22 Rd4 Qc5 23 Ne3 Nb3 24 Rxa8 Rxa8 25 Bxb3 cxb3 26 Nhg4 Ra4 (As The Chess World puts it: ‘The game is now extremely critical for both parties, and demands the nicest play.’) 27 Nf5 Nxd5 28 Qxb3 (An amusing brace of pins. White threatens 29 Nxe7+) 28 ... Kf8 29 Nxe7 Kxe7 30 Be3 Nxe3 31 Nxe3 Rxd4 32 cxd4 Qxd4 33 Kh1 Be4! (Black is a sound pawn up and this very strong move eliminates a lot of White’s hopes. For example, 34 Nc2 fails simply to 34 ... Qd1+ and 34 Ng4 to ... Qd3! forcing off the Queens due to the threat on h3. White tries his luck without the Queens but this sort of ending should be winning quite easily.) 34 Qc3 Qxc3 35 bxc3 d5 36 Kg1 Kd6 37 Kf2 Kc5 38 Ke2 d4 (Basic plan: create a passed pawn and Queen it.) 39 cxd4+ Kxd4 40 Kd2 b4 41 g3 b3 42 Nd1 h5 43 h4 Bf3 44 Nb2 Bd5 45 Nd3 Ke4 46 Ne1 Be6 (‘We should have preferred playing 46 ... Kf5 as a more expeditious and a more artistic mode of winning’ - The Chess World. Fair enough!) 47 Nd3 Kf3 48 Nf4 Bf7 49 Ne2 g5 0-1

Thorold v Wilson
King’s Gambit
It seems a little unfair that two of the three surviving games from the tournament are the only two Thorold lost. This one is the best of the three.
1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Nf3 g5 4 Bc4 Bg7 5 0-0 h6 6 c3 Nc6 7 d4 d6 8 g3 (A different plan to the more usual attack on the pawn chain by an early h4. Morphy often followed up an early c3 with Qb3, instantly attacking f7.) 8 ... g4 9 Nh4 f3 10 Be3?! (10 Nd2 is normal, with a sacrifice of one of the Knights on f3 looming. Thorold seems content with simply completing his development but it doesn’t answer the demands of the position.) 10 ... Nf6 11 Nd2 d5! (Black’s big equaliser in most open games.) 12 exd5 Nxd5 13 Re1 0-0 14 Bf2 Nce7 15 Qc2 c6 16 Qe4 Re8 17 Rad1 Bd7 18 Qd3 f5?! (Another pawn moves from the King’s defence, but Wilson wanted to keep the Knight out of e4. However, it still creates weaknesses and White’s chances improve over the next few moves. ) 19 Bb3 Kh7?! (‘This subjects Black to a little embarrassment. It is difficult, however, to suggest a perfectly safe move for him at the present juncture.’ - The Chess World.) 20 Nc4 Rf8 21 Ne5 (21 Nd6!? is suggested by The Chess World.) 21 ... h5 22 c4 Nf6 23 Nxd7 Nxd7
24 Rxe7?! (‘We question the soundness of this sacrifice. Would he not have won the pawn, equally, and without losing the exchange, by moving his Bishop to QB’s second?’ - The Chess World.) 24 ... Qxe7 25 Nxf5 Qe2 (‘Very well played, indeed’ - The Chess World. Black renders White’s intended crushing discovered checks harmless. Presumably this is what Thorold overlooked when sacrificing the exchange.) 26 Qb1 Kh8 27 Re1 Qd2 28 Nxg7 (‘Mr Thorold might have kept his enemy at arm’s length, at any rate for a time, by now playing the Rook to the seventh, a move which leads to many striking situations. For example: 28 Re7 Rxf5 29 Qxf5 Nf6 30 Bc2 and he may still defend himself, or: 28 ... Rae8 29 Rxg7 Rxf5 30 Rxd7 Re2 31 Qf1 etc. He may play, too, 30 Rh7+, but we have only space to indicate the variations; the student must work them out.’ - The Chess World.) 28 ... Kxg7 29 Re6 Nf6 30 d5 cxd5 31 cxd5 Rac8 (The threat of 32 ... Rc1+ kicks White back.) 32 Re1 Rfe8 33 Rd1 Qg5 34 d6 Re2 35 Bxa7 h4 (‘Mr Staunton, who witnessed the latter part of this game, suggested afterwards that Black should now have played 35 ...Rc5. A good move, certainly, but so also is 35 ... h4.’ - The Chess World) 36 Bf2 hxg3 37 hxg3 Qh6 38 Qf5 Rh8 0-1

Owen v De Vere
Spanish Game
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 d4 exd4 (This position usually comes about from the move order 5 d4 exd4 6 0-0 Be7 and is reckoned to be a riskless way for White to attempt for an edge. However, against accurate play from Black White can count on very little.) 7 e5 Ne4 8 Bf4?! (White has a choice between the wild 8 b4?! and the normal 8 Nxd4. The move in the game is rather insipid and gives Black very few problems.) 8 ... 0-0 9 Bxc6 dxc6 10 Nxd4 Bc5 (10 ... Nc5 and 11 ... Ne6 is another very sound way of continuing, and a common manoeuvre in this variation.) 11 c3 Be6 12 Nd2 Nxd2 13 Nxe6?! (As pointed out in The Chess World, 13 Qxd2 is an improvement. Black will already be counting on winning a pawn - and the game - after the move played.) 13... fxe6 14 Qxd2 Qxd2 15 Bxd2 Rad8! The White e5 pawn is very difficult to defend and Black heads straight for it.) 16 Bg5 Rd5 17 Rae1 Rf5 (Black has wasted no time in attacking the seriously weak pawn. The painful pin on the f2 pawn prevents a successful defence.) 18 Be3 Bxe3 19 Rxe3 Rfxe5 20 Rxe5 Rxe5 (White is a clear pawn down and now decides to swap off the Rooks to prevent Black from occupying the seventh rank. The question is, will Black’s doubled c-pawns make the winning process difficult?) 21 f4 Re2 22 Rf2 Re1+ 23 Rf1 Rxf1+ 24 Kxf1 Kf7 25 Ke2 Kf6 26 g4 e5 27 Kf3 c5 28 c4 exf4 29 Kxf4 g5+ 30 Ke4 c6 31 a4 b6 32 a5 (An interesting attempt to confuse the issue but nothing offers chances to save the game.) 32 ... bxa5 33 b3 Ke6 34 Ke3 Ke5 35 Kf3 Kd4 0-1

The second class of entry was: ‘...open to North Yorkshire and Durham especially, but other amateurs were admitted by the consent of the Executive Committee.’ South Durham Herald.

The first prize was £10 and this was won by Rev. F.R. Drew, who won 10 games and lost none. It would appear that draws were not counted, as the South Durham Herald reports that: ‘...Mr. W. Grimshaw also took a good position in the contest, winning six games and playing a long game with the Rev. F.R. Drew, which resulted in a draw.’ Mr Grimshaw’s official score is recorded as +6, -2 which earned him sixth position out of 12 players.

Class 3 was: ‘Open to amateurs who have never made a study of the game, or have not frequently played with strong players.’ Rev. G.B. Morley won, with four wins and no losses. Class 4 was: ‘...open to ladies who are members of the association.’ No scores are available - it is only known that Miss Thorold and Mrs Dixon were the competitors.

So there you have it - a bit of local chess history featuring some of the giants of 19th Century chess. If anyone stumble across any of the missing details, please drop me a line!

Coming next....
My own personal memories from all of the Redcar Congresses! You lucky people!!

Archive: UNCUT! 19

The Sean Marsh Chess Column
UNCUT!

Column 19

Dear Readers....

Well, here we are in December once again. The Panto Season! Men dressed as women, women dressed as men, and the ever-increasing cries of ‘he’s behind you, he’s behind you!’ (*Thinks*.....actually, I might give Mike’s party a miss this year....)

The local chess scene takes a bit of a break for a couple of weeks as men everywhere are forced to shop till they drop, wrap things up rather than play chess on the net and meet relatives that one wouldn’t usually kiss under anaesthetic, never mind the misteltoe...Yes, it’s all good fun, isn’t it? Isn’t it...? Oh well, please yourselves........

Anyway, here’s a few odds and ends from the first third of a busy season

.

The Tom Wise K.O. Cup

There were several intriguing pairings in the first round of the cup and for the first time in years there was a guarantee of some strong teams being eliminated. I must admit I’ve not enjoyed the first rounds of recent years,with most of the top teams receiving byes. The fun of the cup starts when all the teams are mixed up right from the start. Strange things can happen in knockout events and frequently do.

Elmwood faced there permanent cup rivals Middlesbrough Knights somewhat earlier than usual and despite a few anxious moments on a couple of boards the defending champs steered a careful path to the second round.

Redcar never seem to be at full strength in the cup for some reason. Often they divide their strength between two cup teams but this time they only had onebut they were far short of maximum strength. However, they held Peterlee to a2.5-2.5 draw, only to be eliminated on the board count rule. Consolation for Redcar came in the beauty of a win by Steve Place, which should find its way onto the KOTH list.

Middlesbrough Rooks, despite their recent dominance of the league, rarely stamp their authority on the cup. They were missing their top two boards fortheir clash with Guisborough, which should have been fatal if the East Clevelanders had turned up with all of their top players, but instead they were very under strength themselves. This gave rise to a curious match in which The Rooks seemed to be in control right until the end. Yet when Stuart Morgan continued his great form and won what was the very last game to finish, The Rooks were suddenly out of the competition as the victims of another board-count tiebreaker. Giving extra weight to wins scored higher up the boards is a bizarre way to decide a tied match but something has to be done and I’ve never heard of a completely fair tiebreaker.

The reward for Guisborough is a second round clash with powerful Peterlee -the tie of the round. The full draw is:

ELMWOOD B

V

ELMWOOD A

ATHENAEUM

V

TEESSIDE HUNGARIANS

PETERLEE

V GUISBOROUGH

M'BRO WASPS

V

SYNTHONIA A

The league has already developed into a two-horse race between Middlesbrough Rooks and Elmwood. Both teams have won all of their matches and don’t meet head to head until January. It appears that Darlington have defaulted their away match to TheRooks, just as they did last year. This is deplorable. The league title could well come down to ‘goal difference’ and every half-point won or lost could be vital. I know that last year Rooks captain Tony Kiddle tried very hard to rearrange their match without success. Just lying down and dying is a terrible attitude to take and I don’t think such things do the image of chess any good at all. Hopefully this matter will be sorted out a high level, with suitable penalties introduced for such needless offences.

Synthonia A are so far dominating the B division and look confident champions-elect. Athenaeum will be their biggest rivals as they aim for a speedy return to the top flight.

TROTSKY GOES K.O.T.H.

CRAZY!

Earlier in the season, when I was mercilessly crushed by Collin Smith (and that was just the handshake!), the Cleveland Chess website managers decided to introduce King of the Hill, in which surprise victories over higher graded opposition were released into the public domain. Alan Trotter immediately rattled off three such KOTH contenders, and here they are for the first time.

In the first one, Alan wins quickly against Whitby’s top player. He obtained a comfortable game early on and then exploited Vidal’s slip on move 19 to win a piece.

(158) Madria,V - Trotter,A (121)

Elmwood v Whitby, 21.11.2002

1.d4 g6 2.e4 d6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Be3 Bg7 5.Qd2 Nd7 6.Be2 e5 7.Nf3Ngf6 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.Bh6 0–0 10.Bxg7 Kxg7 11.0–0–0 Qe7 12.h4 Ng4 13.Rdf1Ndf6 14.Ng5 Rd8 15.Bd3 Qc5 16.Qe2 Nh5 17.Kb1 Nf4 18.Qf3 f6

19.g3 Nxd3 20.cxd3 0–1

Here, Alan continues his County Championship campaign where he left off last season....by beating Steve Dauber! From a position with balanced chances, Alan went on to eliminate the key White-squared Bishop and inflict structural damage at the same time. Steve resigned rather than play a second session.

(121) Trotter,A - Dauber,S (173)

County Ch. 2002-3 (1), 17.10.2002

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 Nf6 6.0–0 0–07.Nbd2 Nc6 8.c3 Bg4 9.h3 Bd7 10.Re1 Rb8 11.d4 cxd4 12.cxd4 Qc8 13.Kh2 b5 14.e5dxe5 15.dxe5 Nd5 16.Nb3 Nb6 17.Bf4 Be6 18.Rc1 Qe8 19.a3 Rd8 20.Qc2 Rc8 21.Qd3Bc4 22.Qc2

Be6 23.Nc5 Bf5 24.Qe2 b4 25.g4 Be6 26.Nxe6 fxe6 27.Bg3 Nd528.Qe4 bxa3 29.bxa3 Qd7 30.Bf1 Na5 31.Nd4 Rxc1 32.Rxc1 Rb8 33.Bb5 Qb7 34.Bd3 Qd735.h4 Rb6 36.h5 Nb3 37.Rc2 1–0

The very next round saw one of the greatest ever shocks of the tournament. Norman Stepehnson, the defending champion, built up a crushing position but it all slipped away in serious time-trouble. It’s a miracle that Alan survived the middlegame.

(184)Stephenson,N - Trotter,A (121)

County Ch. 2002-3 (2), 11.2002

1.e4 g6 2.d4 d6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Be3 Bg7 5.Qd2 Nd7 6.Nf3 b5 7.Bd3e5 8.dxe5 Nxe5 9.Nxe5 dxe5 10.Rd1 Nf6 11.Bc5 Nd7 12.Be2 Qf6 13.Bd6 h5

14.Bxb5 (Strong, but 14 Nxb5 looks even better. The fork on c7 is threatened and 14 ... cxb5 15 Qd5! Would give White an even bigger advantage.) 14 ... Bb7 15.Bc4 Nb6 16.Bc5 Bh6 17.Qd3 Rb8 18.Bxb6 axb6 19.Qd7+ Kf8 20.Rd6 Qe7 21.0–0 Bg5 22.Rfd1 Kg7 23.Qh3 Bc8 24.Qd3 b5 25.Bb3 Qc7 26.Qe2 Be727.R6d3 b4 28.Na4 Ba6

29.Qf3 Bxd3 30.Qxf7+ Kh6 31.Rxd3 Rhf8 32.Qe6 Rbd8 33.Rxd8Qxd8 34.Qc4 Qd1+ 35.Qf1 Qd4 36.Qe2 Rf4 37.g3 Rxe4 38.Qf3 Re1+ 39.Kg2 e4 40.Qf4+g5 41.Qf7 Qf6 42.c3 g4 43.Qxf6+ Bxf6 44.cxb4 Bd4 45.Nc3 e3 46.fxe3 Bxe3 47.h4Bc1 48.Kf2 Re3 49.Bd1 Rd3 50.Be2 Rd4 51.b5 cxb5 52.Nxb5 Rd2 53.Kf1 Rxb2 54.Bc4Rb4 55.Nd6 Bb2 56.Bb3 Rb8 57.Kg2 Rf8 58.Nf7+ Kg7 59.Ng5 Kh6
This was the adjourned position. It still looks difficult to win, but Big Al finds the way...60.Nf7+ Kg6 61.Ng5 Rf6 62.Bc2+ Kg7 63.Bb3 Bc1 64.Ne4 Rb665.Kf2 Rb4 66.Nc3 Bd2 67.Nb1 Bc1 68.Nc3 Bb2 69.Nd5 Re4 70.Nf4 Bd4+ 71.Kf1 Be572.Bd5 Re3 73.Nxh5+ Kh6 74.Nf4 Rxg3 75.Ng2 Rd3 76.Bc6 Rc3 77.Bd5 Rc1+ 78.Ke2 Rc579.Bb3 Bg3 80.Ne3 Kh5 81.Be6 Kxh4 82.Bxg4 Bf4 0–1

I think Alan must have sold his soul to the devil in return for this game! Having beaten Steve and Norman in the first two rounds, he now moves on to play David Wise in round three. Nobody dare predict the result!

Here’s a great game from the KO Cup, showing the creative powers produced in the battle of the Steves.

Steve Place (99) - Steve Carter (129)

KO Cup, Redcar v Peterlee 11.2002

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nf3 d6 4.Nc3 c6 5.Bc4 Nf6 6.0–0 0–07.e5 Ng4 8.h3 Nh6 9.exd6 exd6 10.Bg5 Qb6 11.Bb3

White could move in and grab the pawn now because b2 doesn't fall in return: 11.Be7 Re8 12.Bxd6 Qxb2 13.Na4 and the Queen dies. 11...Nf5 12.Ne2 d5 13.g4 f614.Bf4 Ne7 15.Bd6 Re8 16.c4
Smashing open the a2-g8 diagonal to get at the King. Steve P.is nothing if not direct! 16...dxc4 17.Bxc4+ Nd5 18.Nf4 Qd8 19.Bxb8 Understandably reluctant to lose a tempo on saving the Bishop, but White could have crashed through on d5 with 19 Nxd5 cxd5 20 Bxd5+ Kh8 21 Bf7! 19...Rxb8 20.Qb3 b5 21.Bxd5+ cxd5 22.Rfe1 Kh8 23.Rxe8+ Qxe8 24.Re1 Qd7 25.Nxd5 Lots of threats are in the air now..the back row is weak for Black... 25...Bb7 26.Ne7!

A fabulous move, demonstrating White’s clear advantage. 26...Bxf3 27.Qf7 Creative stuff! White has sacrificed the Knight on f3 and now threatens Nxg6+, winning the Queen. What can Black do? 27...Qxd4 This fails to a brilliant rejoinder. Black's best seems to be 27 ...Qd8 when Steve suggests 28 d5, with great complications. However, Black seems to have the edge in most of them...can anyone find anything convincing for White in that line? 28.Nf5!!

With far too many threats to handle with just one move! 28...gxf529.Re8+ 1–0 Unfortunately, Redcar were KO’d on the board-count rule.

Finally, here’s a recent league game with an interesting Queen sacrifice

Sean Marsh - Paul Welford

Elmwood v M'bro Wasps, 31.10.2002

1.d4

d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Bf5 If this equalised as easily as Black hopes it will, then everyone would be playing it.The normal Slav move is 4 ...dxc4, ruling out an early Qb3 for White, and only then should Black develop the Bc8. 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Qb3 This is the big problem with Black's move order. Saving the pawn with 6...b6 allows a big initiative after 7 e4! 6...Qb6 7.Nxd5 Nxd5 8.Qxd5 e6 9.Qc4 last book move9...Nc6 10.a3 10...Be4 11.e3 a6 12.Nd2 Bg6 13.Bd3 Be7 14.0–0 0–0

15.Bxg6 hxg6 16.b4

Black's attempts to complicate have not achieved much and White still has the extra pawn. 16...Rac8 17.Qe2 Rfd8 18.Bb2 Rd5 Rather than lose technically, Black goes hunting for more complications. Randomising the position could well be his best bet. 19.Rac1 Rh5 20.Nf3 Rd8 21.Rfd1 Bd6 22.g3 f6 23.e4 White intends d5 Heading for the big break on d5 which not only create a passed pawn, but also aim to exploit Black's weakened King and strange piece co-ordination. 23...Kf7 24.d5 exd5 25.exd5 Re8
26.Qxe8+ I was excited at the prospect of playing this over the board and took a little time to analyse objectively. Meanwhile, I was starting to get some funny looks from my teammates. 26...Kxe8 27.dxc6 An examination of the White threats should convince the reader that there is more than enough for the Queen. 27...bxc6 28.Rxd6 Qb5 My lack of time on the clock prompted a couple of draw offers from my opponent around here 29.Re1+ Kf7 30.Rd7+ Kf8 31.Ree7 Rd5 32.Rf7+32...Ke8 33.Rde7+ Kd8 34.Nd4

A complete triumph for the White forces. 34...Rxd4 35.Bxd4 Qd3 36.Bb6+ Kc8 Here we wound the clocks back, but just for one more move.... 37.Rf8+ 1–0

*********************

Enjoy your festive break and
I’ll see you all in 2003!

Sean Marsh
December 2002

*********************

Archive: UNCUT! 18

The Sean Marsh Chess Column

UNCUT!

Column 18

Dear Readers.....

The minutes of the most recent meeting of the Cleveland Chess Association are now up on this site for your perusal.

It was an interesting meeting with a very good turn out. This was, of course,mainly due to the amalgamation of the meeting with the presentation of prizes,due to the cancellation of the earlier presentation evening.

Here’s a few personal comments based on the topics discussed at themeeting.

The Chess Set

This subject has been running for some time and needs resolving. Opinionseemed to be split about 50/50 between those present at the meeting on thequestion of whether or not the antique set should be sold. My personal view is that it should not be sold. The set is an important part of our local history; it was around before any of us and will still be around long after we’ve all gone. Selling it just because the association is strapped for cash seems to be a knee-jerk reaction. There are plenty of other avenues to explore to cure the fragile financial situation before we should even think of selling this magnificent chess set. It should not be used as a quick fix.

Decorum in the Forum

The anonymous forum abuse has been stopped by the need to register to post messages. This should be the complete solution to the problem. The depth ofhostility unleashed was at times very surprising and equally disappointing.However, now that the problem has been solved, I hope that all who wanted a ‘clean’forum will take the time to post there and enjoy the discussions. I’d also like to propose an amnesty on all of the previous unpleasantness, and encourage ALL previous posters to register and join in. We should all be on the same side,the side of chess, whatever our views on a particular subject might be.

CCA Officials

The Association currently lacks a Secretary. Ernie Lazenby kindly stepped into take the minutes of the last meeting but has no intention of taking over theposition on a permanent basis. It is easy to sit back and be critical of the CCA but it is not so easy to actually do something and try and improve the situation. I believe that there is a need for some very frank talking on the future of the CCA. We need a way forward, a way to return a sense of pride and enthusiasm for our own Association. We are not unique in fighting apathy and falling numbers. It’s a nation-wide disease. I think we must change to survive. Gerry Walsh is often accused of running the CCA as a one-man band.Unless people are prepared to take up positions within the Association, then hehas little choice. I have started a thread in the forum about this, and I welcome your suggestions. What is the way forward for Cleveland Chess?

The BCF Grading List

The matter of the £15 copyright fee for reproduction of the grading list was resolved in a satisfactory manner. The worrying thing was that the web site and every club would have to pay this amount to use the grading list for their club walls, handbooks etc. However, the single payment of £15 covers all copies ofthe list used by all clubs in our county for the year.

In Praise of Printed Matter

There is a big danger, a few years down the line, of printed chess magazines dying out due to lack of interest. How on earth can anything compete with the Internet? Why wait for a month or so to see a few recent games from a GM tournament when you can download the whole lot, instantly, from any number ofweb sites? I don’t the answer. I still buy chess books and magazines but I think I’m in the shrinking minority.

Here’s a few recent highlights from the world of printed matter.

1) Anyone with an interest in famous tournaments and matches should pop alongto:

http://www.hardingesimpole.co.uk/

They are reprinting lots of classic books, including Golombek’s works onthe

‘1948 World Championship Match Tournament’, ‘World Chess Championship 1954’ and‘World Chess Championships of 1957 and 1958’. There are also very welcome reprints of Botvinnik’s ‘Championship Chess’ as well as Alekhine’s books ‘Nottingham International Chess Tournament 1936’ and ‘World Chess Championship 1937’

, and a whole load of others. (There’s also a proposed series on Bob Dylan which could well interest one of our better known chess friends!).

3) The Northumberland Chess Bulletin

As a former writer of such bulletins myself, I know well how much hard workis involved and how little feedback and apparent enthusiasm one sees in return.These bulletins must be under a greater threat than ever before, given the universal apathy currently afflicting our great game.

However, The Northumberland Chess Bulletin really is an excellent read, well worth the£5.30 annual subscription. Clive Waters, top chess coach, great player and fantastic annotator, is the current editor of the bulletin. Every issue ispacked with top quality material and games.

4) BCF Book of the Year 2002: Shortlist

Four books make up the shortlist and the winner will be announced soon.

Fischer World Champion! by Max Euwe & Jan Timman, New in Chess

Nezhmetdinov’s Best Games of Chess by Rashid Nezhmetdinov, Caissa Editions

Fundamental Chess Endings by Karsten Müller and Frank Lamprecht, Gambit

"The English Morphy"? by Owen Hindle and Bob Jones, Keverel ChessBooks

The first two books on the list are reprints, but they are appearing in English for the first time. The endgame book has received high praise, but as with most endgame books, I wonder how many people have actually read much of it? My favourite from the shortlist is without doubt "The English Morphy"? Although I must declare an interest in it (it features a few local snippets) I genuinely believe it to be the most interesting of the four books, and it is the first effort by Keverel Chess. I have a sneaky feeling that this book will pick up the title.

Archive: UNCUT! 17

The Sean Marsh Chess Column

UNCUT!

No 17

Dear Reader....

As promised, here’s three games from Norman Stephenson’s latest success.He shared first at the Middlesbrough Open congress (with Jim Simpson and FIDE Master Richard Webb) with 4/5. Here are his three wins, with his own notes. Enjoy!

First, a text-book demolition of the King’s Indian Defence. Norman’s handling of this formerly obscure system has scared off many life-long devotees of the K.I.D. At times, he makes the system look like a forced win for White!

Stephenson,N - Widrascu,P

Middlesbrough Congress (2), 07.2002

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Bd3 This is a line that Tom Wise played against my King's Indian over 40 years ago...and thus converted me into a QGD player! 5...e5 6.d5 c6 7.Nge2 cxd5 8.cxd5 a6 9.0–00–0 10.h3 Nbd7 11.Be3 Nh5 Here it comes....the knee-jerk King's Indian reaction...but it isn't always apposite. 12.Qd2 f5 13.exf5 gxf5 14.f4 This blockading move, in the best Nimzovich tradition, is a complete answer to Black's aggressive pawn advance. 14...exf4 14 ... e4 was another type of game (one which I tried without success against Tom all those years ago), but Black's Knight-on-the- rim would have been a liability for its owner 15.Nxf4Nxf4 16.Bxf4 Ne5 17.Be2 b5 Some coaches in their books have recently taken to implying that a player should 'talk to his pieces' before making any move...I have been doing the same for years - but I also include in my coaching 'talking to your squares'...the 'c6' square might have a comment or two about this particular move, which gains nothing in a strategic sense but abandons that square to its fate 18.a4

18...b4 19.Na2 White has his eye on three (!) weak squares - at d4, c6 and e6...not to mention the poor pawn on f5. 19...Rb8 20.Kh1 Qa5 21.Nc1 Qb6 22.Nb3 Rb7 23.a5 Qa7 24.Nd4 Ng6 What else? 25.Nc6 Qa8 The tragi-comic situation of Black's Queen suggests some sort of tactical finish could be 'in the air' 26.Bxd6 Rff7 26 ... Re8 was forced but after27 Bxb4 and 28 Bc3 it is difficult to see any compensation for Black's missing pawns. 27.Nd8 Ne5 28.Bxe5 Bxe5 29.d6 Rg7 30.Bf3 Bf6 31.Nxb7 Bxb7 32.Bxb7 Qxb733.Rxf5 Bd4 34.Raf1 1–0

Winning with Black is never easy against strong players

,

but Norman didn’thave the option of playing for the draw; he’d drawn in round one and taken a half-point bye in the third round - so two wins on the final day were absolutely essential to have a chance of taking one of the top spots.

Gregory,P - Stephenson,N

Middlesbrough Open (4), 07.2002

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0–0 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 b6 My own recollection is that I play Lasker's 7 ... Ne4 more often here, but Paul was sure that I would go in for Tartakover's System...and had this line prepared for some years! 8.Bxf6 Bxf6 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Qb3 Be6 11.Be2 I had been expecting 11 Rd1 to discourage Black from getting active in the centre. 11...c612.0–0 Qe7 13.a3

Again, talking to your squares would leave 'b3' wondering why it had been left vulnerable. 13...Rd8 14.Rfd1 c5 15.Rac1 c4 16.Qb5 Qb7 17.Qa4Bf5 Threatening to catch White's Queen 18.Ne5 a6 19.Rd2 b5 20.Qd1 Nc621.f4 Na5 Now the 'b3' square isn't talking back to White - it's yelling at him! 22.Bf3 Be4 Snatching at the exchange with 22 ... Nb3 would leave Black losing at least the same in return after 23 Nxd5...White is rather 'winging it' around here. 23.Bxe4 dxe4 Black had seen that he could ge this Knight to the 'd3' square by now 24.Rf2 Nb3 25.Rb1 Nc5 26.Ng4 I had missed the strength of this shot... 26...Be7 ...but, fortunately, 27 Nxh6 gxh6 28 Qg4 Kh8 29 dxc5 Bxc5 is also OK for Black. 27.f5 Nd3 28.Rf1 Bg5 Paul said later that he had missed this move completely but I wasn't sure if 28 ...b4 was perhaps stronger. 29.Qe2 a5 30.Nf2 Maybe White could have grabbed his chance to play 30 b3 30...Nxf2 31.Qxf2 b4 32.Ne2 Qe7 33.axb4 axb4 34.Rfc1 Rdc8 35.Nf4 Bxf4 36.Qxf4 Ra2 37.f6 Time-trouble was looming equally for both players but Black's game is much the easier to play. 37...Qxf6 38.Qxe4 c3 39.Rf1 Qe6 40.Qxe6 fxe6 41.bxc3 Rxc3 If now 42 Rf2 I had noticed the strong reply 42 ... b3! 42.Rxb4 Rcc2 'The absolute seventh' usually wins but draws at worst. 43.Rb8+ Kh7 44.Re1 Rxg2+ 45.Kh1 Rxh2+ 46.Kg1 Rhg2+ 47.Kh1 Rge2 48.Rxe2 Rxe2 49.Re8 Rxe3 50.d5 This does not quite work. 50...e551.Kg2 e4 52.d6 Rd3 0–1

So, to the last round, and given that the top two players had agreed a draw very quickly, the players knew that a win would give a share of first place

Stephenson,N - Ross,C

Middlesbrough Open (5), 07.2002

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0–0 5.Bd3 d6 Unusual. 6.Nge2

(Note: Why do all books and databases insist on this superfluous ‘g’? The ‘c’ Knight is pinned and cannot go to e2!) e5 7.0–0 Bxc3

There is a real danger now that White will reach a 'standard position' with an extra tempo through not needing to have played a3. 8.Nxc3 Thus, 8 bxc3 would be a Samisch plus an extra move. 8...c5

Again, talking to the abandoned 'd5' square might have caused Black to reconsider this move. 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.b3 Nc6 11.a3 Bg4 They saythat a bad plan is better than no plan at all...I have never been convinced of this. 12.Qc2 Bh5 13.Bb2 Bg6 14.Rad1 Qc8 15.Nd5 The consequence of Black's 8th move. 15...Nd7 16.f4 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 Re8 18.Qf5 Nf8 19.Qh5 f6 20.f5 20fe was tempting if only because I could not help feeling at the time that Chris had missed that 20 ... Nxe5 lost to 21 Bxe5 (21 ... Rxe5 22 Qxe5 fxe5 23 Ne7 or21 ... fxe5 Qf7 Kh8 23 Ne7) but I could not see anything convincing against 20fe fe 21 Qf7 Kh8 22 Rf3 Ne6! 20...b6 21.Rf3 It might not be readily apparent that this is a very risky manoeuvre....if White cannot set Black serious problems on the Kingside, the off-side nature of this Rook could easily cost White the game. 21...Qb7 22.Rg3 Qf7 Seeing that 23 Qxf7 Kxf7 24 Nc7Rad8 is OK. 23.Qf3 Red8 24.h4 Ne7 25.e4 Nc6 26.Qe2 Kh8 27.h5 h6 28.Bc1 Rd629.Rg6

It should be mentioned that only by winning (or losing) this could either of us catch the two leading players...who had agreed a four-move draw hours earlier! 29...Nxg6 Now, or on the next move, Black had to throw in the ...Nd4 manoeuvre....but Chris was playing quite quickly now and giving the impression that he had seen his way past White's attack. 30.hxg6 Qd7 31.Qh5 After ..Nd4 now (or earlier) White had planned a second Rook-jump, Rd3/Rg3 Rh3 before sacrificing on 'h6' but now there is no need. 31...Kg8 32.Bxh6 gxh6

33.Nxf6+ 1–0