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04-May-2008

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Legal & General

Rapidplay Match

Played 29th September 2007, at The Carpenters Arms

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Oxford University

Played 3rd November 2007, at University College, Oxford

Report by Ian Calvert

The eight board centenary match was friendly and hard fought.

The match began with a short presentation by Ian Hunnable of the first volume of our club history and a 1907-8 ICC match programme.

The early games to finish were all drawn. Alf Bullock had a very-even-throughout game which morphed from a Pirc to a French. Ian Calvert played a sound Scandinavian gambit but became a little worse positionally. David Malcolm achieved a draw from a French Advance variation with the Oxford Match Captain and President. Bob Collins appropriately left his king in the centre in a sharp Sicilian after his opponent castled long and advanced his kingside pawns.

Geoff Naldrett had a very tough game against Marco Zhang. After early success, Geoff had to give up the exchange and then, after going for some tactics, a pawn.

Tony Paish similarly defended nobly with R, B, N and six pawns and a weak kingside pawn structure against R, 2B and six pawns. Eventually his opponent skilfully increased the scope of the Oxford bishops. Tony was murdered rather than robbed by the Oxford bishops.

Thus ICC was now two down with two to play.

Martin Page pressured this opponent throughout after a solid QGD opening. His opponent defended resourcefully and eventually a drawn rook and pawn ending resulted after the exchange of the last pair of knights.

Meanwhile the President had won the exchange, returned it and was a pawn up in a difficult Q and R ending. Ian manoeuvred skilfully winning another pawn and the game as 1800 approached.

Thus we lost by 4½-3½ but in truth we never looked like winning the match.

IC

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Combined Services

Played 8th December 2007, at The Carpenters Arms

Report by Ian Calvert.

This close match was decided by the Ian Hunnable win against Andy Hammond. Following Capablanca v Yates, New York 1924, one of Capablanca's greatest positional masterpieces, Ian was winning after 13 moves although tenacious defence by Andy meant that victory did not come until move 61. Theirs was the last game to finish. (Game: Hunnable-Hammond)

Geoff Naldrett accurately reports on his game:

“My game was always fairly even, with me fighting for a draw as black in a Ruy Lopez Open Variation.  Eventually the game boiled down, just before the time control, to a king and pawns ending, with my opponent having 2 v 1 on the king's side, whilst I had 4 v 3 on the queen's side.  As this was the penultimate game to finish, with the President looking as if he was going to win, I then offered a draw, as I felt we would then win the match.  I also thought the end-game would be difficult to draw in the quickplay finish, as he might create a passed pawn on the king side and then pick up some of my queen side pawns, so I was pleased when he agreed to the draw.  I think the game would have been drawn with best play, but could also have been lost.  The President then duly delivered the whole point and we won the match! “.

Similarly, Alf Bullock agreed a draw in an apparently even but complex position shortly before Geoff.

The first ICC game victory was achieved by Martin Page early on. His modest description follows:

“In my game I was lucky. Early on I blundered a pawn for what should have been nothing, but my opponent missed the best line and I recovered the pawn.

A few moves later I won a pawn with an unexpected move. My opponent could have limited the loss of material to that but, taken aback by a move he had not seen coming, blundered a knight.”

David Malcolm was unlucky to face an ungraded opponent who we later discovered “should be at least 170”.

The other three members of the team had creditable draws including Ray Hamilton who very helpfully agreed to play at a late stage to allow Tony Paish to drop out.

IC

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15th Roy Wagstaff Memorial Match

v Wanstead & Woodford

Played 12th January 2008, at Wanstead House

Report by Ian Calvert:  

ICC won the annual memorial match, again without losing a game. This was most notably due to wins from Tony and David Malcolm and resolute defence from Alf and David Sedgwick. Tony, playing White, seized the initiative.   He reports: “I was able to maintain my initiative throughout the middle game, and although Black struggled resourcefully to maintain counterplay, he consumed a great deal of time in doing so. ...With less than half a minute to complete his remaining five moves to the time control, he then blundered and lost a piece.” David Malcolm won for the third consecutive year: like ICC.   He won a good bishop ending after an irregular response to his French defence. Martin reports:  

“… I found a move that gave me some pressure. Whether this could have been enough to develop real winning chances is doubtful but, in any case, I did not find the best continuation and the game simplified out to a more or less level position.” David Sedgwick and Ian Hunnable drew after a long struggle. There was a close, time-trouble-influenced, ending with both sides having a rook and pawns. David defended resourcefully with an active rook. Alf also defended a very difficult ending. It finished with a pawnless R and N v R. Due to the defending K position, Alf needed to play carefully and have some luck in order to draw. The other two draws were less eventful. Geoff reports on his game: “…I had to play carefully to avoid defeat.  After the complications had died down, and we both had 10 moves to make in 15-20 minutes, my opponent offered a draw, which I was pleased to accept!  I managed to draw before the Match Captain did!“

IC

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Cambridge University

Played 26th January 2008, at Newnham College, Cambridge

Report by Ian Calvert:

The centenary friendly match was played at Newnham College thanks to the good offices of Julie Kourtseva. Ian Hunnable said a few words at the start of the match and presented CUCC with Volume 1 (1893 -1953) of the ICC history.

In the battle of the Presidents on Board 1, there was a French Advance, a3 variation (1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 Qf6 6 a3 c4). Ian Hunnable reports: “In the resulting position, split in two by the pawn chain across the board, we castled on opposite sides (White K-side, Black Q-side). I gained the advantage of our respective manoeuvres. The most significant factor of this part of the game, however, was the time taken by my opponent on the clock. I then went the wrong way about opening lines on the K-side and allowed my opponent to equalise, but in the process he succumbed to his time shortage, two moves short of the time control.”On Board 2, we had already won the match when, in the last game to finish, Ian Calvert made a tactical error in a quickplay, queen and pawns ending after an eventful game.

Tony reports on his Board 3 game: “My game started quietly….. In the middle game a variety of tactical issues started coming to the fore, with White (my opponent) attacking on the Queenside and later on the Kingside too, while Black counter-attacked in the centre. In the event, my opponent handled the complications better than I, and gradually came out on top, eventually forcing a passed pawn to the seventh with a winning position (my passed pawn … was one tempo too late).”David won classically with a closed Sicilian: winning tactically on the Kingside while his opponent attacked on the Queen’s.

Martin’s game was a repeat of last year’s encounter. He reports: “Both games began with the two knights defence, but last year I lost in 16 moves, having blundered a piece with my 15th. This year my opponent sidestepped a trap in a slightly different variation, after which the position became drawish with bishops of opposite colours. I managed to develop a small amount of pressure and was even going to win a pawn; this would probably not have been enough to win the game, but at this point my opponent blundered a piece.”On Board 6 Bob drew after a sharp King’s Indian contest.

On Board 7, Geoff won after a Blackmar-Diemer gambit. He reports: "I exchanged off pieces to give my opponent doubled pawns on the queen's side.  He could have offered an exchange of queens, but decided to keep queens on.  This rebounded on him, as my queen was more powerful than his and, in a difficult position, he lost two pawns.  When I then forked his queen and bishop he resigned.  If queens had been exchanged he might well have saved the game.”

IC

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Hastings

Played 29th March 2008, at 2 Corwallis Terrace, Hastings

Report by Ian Calvert:

ICC won this year's match at the impressively refurbished Hastings Chess Club.

On Board 1, Ian Hunnable, almost unbelievably, blundered a piece and then properly resigned immediately: chess like the sea can be cruel. On Board 2, after 1. b3 Ian Calvert refuted an unsound King's Indian exchange sacrifice which his resourceful opponent almost made work. On Board 3, Tony played the Falkbeer, as recommended by Tarrasch, against his opponent's King's Gambit and a quick draw resulted.

Martin's report on his Board 4 game follows. “ As regards my game, after a Tarrasch French, Omar was left with a backward pawn on e6 which he was never able to advance and which was eventually lost...then ... , comparatively short of time in the quickplay finish, he blundered his queen.

Geoff reported on his win and Alf's draw. “John Felton went astray after 15 moves, allowing me to sac a knight to win a rook.  He couldn't take the knight, so lost a pawn.  Later he should have exchanged queens, but instead won back a pawn, leaving his knight en prise.  He resigned shortly afterwards.  Had he exchanged queens, though, I would easily have won the knight and pawns endgame.  Wins against John Felton two years running!  I hope I play as well as him at age 84, though!

Alf's game was interesting, but always looked likely to be drawn.”

IC

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