Insurance Chess Club
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ins.chess
4-Handed Chess - 1992
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"London" (ICC) v Cambridge University
18th March 1992
Notation: Descriptive notation seems the simplest to use in four-handed chess. An algebraic version can clearly be employed, but due to the size of a 4H board, can involve a lot more counting! With descriptive notation, all ranks are described from the view point of the player whose turn it is to move. Squares in the board extensions to either side of each player are expressed as that of the player concerned, given in a lower case letter before the square eg yK3 means Yellow's K3, rKB3 means Red's KB3 etc. The same device is used if necessary to avoid an ambiguity, sometimes in relation to a piece, eg bKN means Black's king's knight, etc.
A player who is mated loses his turn and his "move" is therefore shown as a dash.
PAGES AT THIS LEVEL
Round 1, Board 1
London (Insurance): Ian Hunnable (White) and David Malcolm (Yellow)
Cambridge: Andrew Ponting (Black) and Philip Best (Red)
White Black Yellow Red White Black Yellow Red
1 P-K3 P-K3 P-K3 P-K3 17 B-N2 B-N10+ N-N3 P-Q3
2 Q-N4 P-QB3 N-QB3 P-QB3 18 K-N1 P-K4 BxP RxB
3 N-QB3 B-Q3 Q-N4 P-QN4 19 R-B1 BxB NxP K-K2
4 Q-B5 Q-B3 Q-K6 N-B3 20 R-B7 P-B3 N-bQ3+ R-KB1
5 N-R4 Q-B10 Q-B7 BxKP 21 RxP+ K-B1 N-R9 R-B7
6 NxP+ K-Q1 BxP BxBP+ 22 B-K4 PxR K-K2 R-B10
7 QxB QxB QxQ+ BPxQ 23 P-N3 N-K2 N-bQ3 R-B6
8 QxQ+ P-N4 P-QN3 KxQ 24 N-K2 R-N1 K-Q1 R-B7
9 P-Q3 BxNP BxP R-N1 25 R-KB1 R-N5 N-N8 R-B7
10 B-rQ3 BxR BxN+ K-K1 26 N-B3 R-B5 N-K7 R-K7
11 O-O-O K-B2 B-R7 R-N10 27 N-R4 R-yN1+ K-K2 RxN
12 N-bK1+ K-Q1 O-O-O BxNP 28 R-B6+ K-K1 P-KB3 R-K5
13 BxB KxN N-R3 P-QR3 29 N-bN2 K-Q1 K-B2 R-wN1+
14 BxN B-yB3 NxR P-KR4 30 K-N2 RxP+ P-QR4 R-wN1 mate
15 BxBP BxR KxB P-R5 White & Yellow Resigned (44 moves).
16 BxR BxN N-K4 K-Q1
London 0 - 1 Cambridge.
Round 1, Board 2
London: Tony Paish (White) and David Sedgwick (Yellow)
Cambridge: Natasha Regan (Black) and Dave Boyle (Red)
White Black Yellow Red
1 P-K3 P-K3 P-K3 P-K3
2 Q-N4 P-QB3 N-QB3 P-QB3
3 N-QB3 N-KB3 B-Q3 P-QN4
4 Q-Q7 B-Q3 Q-B3 N-KB3
5 P-KR4 N-R3 P-QN3 P-KR3
6 P-R4 N-QN5 Q-Q5 Q-K2
7 P-R5 N(3)-Q4 P-KR4 Q-B4
8 P-R6 N-B6 Q-Q10 Q-K4
9 Q-Q5 N-yB3+ NxN QxQ
10 QxQ N-K7 N-QN5 BxKP
11 Q-KB5 Q-B3 NxN+ PxN
12 BPxB QxR O-O N-R3
13 QxN Q-Q5 R-K1 N-wN3
14 R-KR3 P-QN3 B-B1 BxR
15 NxB PxyP NxP NxB
16 KxN Q-Q9+ B-N2 R-KN1
17 N-B4 BxwP BxbP R-N6
18 PxB Q-K10 B-N5 R-Q6
19 Q-R4 R-KN1 B-bB3 P-KB4
20 QxRP R-B1 B-K2 P-N5
21 PxrP QxwP B-N4 R-K6
22 R-R5 QxyN B-B5 R-QB6
23 PxP Q-KB4 B-K6 RxN+
24 K-K1 Q-K2+ B-N7 RxQ
25 NxQ QPxP BxR K-B2
26 P-QN3 B-R3
No further moves recorded. The game finished in a long time-scramble, won by Cambridge.
London 0 - 2 Cambridge.
Round 2, Board 1
Cambridge: Andrew Ponting (White) and Philip Best (Yellow)
London: David Sedgwick (Black) and Tony Paish (Red)
White Black Yellow Red
1 P-K3 P-K3 P-QB3 N-QB3?
The Cambridge players had come up with an opening novelty (yP-QB3) and Red fails to see its point. On the other boards, the London players also found themselves confronting this position and fell into the same trap!
2 B-Q3 Q-K2?
On the other board, Black found the correct move, which is 2 ..., Q-N4, only to go wrong, however, two moves later!
2 .... .... QxP mate -
3 Q-R5
This move, which is prevented by 2 ..., Q-N4, allows a subsequent Q-R9 upholding the mate.
3 .... Q-B4 P-K3 -
4 Q-R9
With the mate consolidated, Black is left to fight the combined White and Yellow forces single handedly, morevore, having one move to their two! It is only a matter of time.
4 .... QxQ BxQ -
5 P-QN4 P-QN3 P-KR3 -
6 N-QB3 B-N2 B-K10 -
7 KN-K2 BxB N-KB3 -
8 NxB P-QR3 P-KR4 -
9 KN-QB3 PxP RxP -
10 P-KR4 N-QB3 R-K4 -
11 P-R5 R-N1 R-K5 -
12 R-R3 N-N5 NxN -
13 R-B3 BxN K-K2 -
14 BxNP Black and Red Resign.
London 0 - 3 Cambridge
Round 2, Board 2
Cambridge: Dave Boyle (White) and Natasha Regan (Yellow)
London (Insurance): Ian Hunnable (Black) and David Malcolm (Red)
White Black Yellow Red
1 P-K3 P-K3 P-QB3 N-QB3?
See note to previous game.
2 B-Q3
yQxrP mate cannot now be prevented, except by bBxP+, giving up a piece. However, Black saw a means of playing so as to subsequently raise the mate without giving away material:
2 .... Q-N4!
...so as to follow with 3 ..., Q-QB4.
2 .... .... QxP mate -
3 Q-N4 Q-QB4 Q-N9 P-K3
Black and Red are out of the woods at the cost of a red pawn. Black, however, was about to plunge them back into the mire...
4 Q-B8
Now Black managed to convince himself that Red was under threat of mate by wQxKP+ and yQ-N3 mate. (This neglects to take into account that Red has a move in which to defend against this threat.) Under the misapprehension that it was vital from him to lend support to the Red camp, he played...
4 .... Q-B13??
...which turned out to be the biggest blunder of the entire event! Correct was 4 ..., N-KB3, for as White & Yellow swiftly demonstrate, it is Black who is threatened with mate!
4 .... .... QxbP+ Q-B3
5 QxbQP mate - Q-N12+
...releasing the mate so that White can capture the Black pieces. A simple strategy: Yellow keeps Black in check allowing White to mop up the bits; it is a lot easier to win if you can render one opponent impotent rather than having both queens tied up in maintaining a mate. The game concluded:
5 .... .... .... Q-B4
6 QxB+ K-K2 Q-bK1+ P-QN4
7 QxN K-B3 QxB+ Q-KR4
8 QxR K-K4 P-QN3
...cutting out the mate by 8 ..., ..., ..., Q-yQ1 mate.
Black & Red Resign.
London 0 - 4 Cambridge.
Round 3, Board 1
Cambridge: Andrew Ponting (White) and Philip Best (Yellow)
London: Tony Paish (Black) and Ian Hunnable (Red)
White Black Yellow Red
1 P-K3 P-K3 P-QB3 P-K3
2 B-Q3 N-QB3 P-K3 Q-K2
3 P-QB3 Q-B3 BxKP N-QB3
4 P-QN4 P-KR4 BxrBP+ K-Q1
5 N-KB3 N-R4 Q-N4 Q-Q10
6 B-N6 NxP+ K-Q1 QxQ
7 BxQ Q-QB6 N-QR3 P-Q4
8 Q-B2 QxB+ P-R4 N-R3
9 P-KR4 P-QB3 P-N4 N-yR2
10 B-K8 P-QN3 RxN B-KR6
11 P-R5 NxP+ BPxN BxR
12 PxN BxN R-N1 BxN
13 BxB QxP+ K-K1 B-Q3
14 N-R4 Q-K7 BxP R-KN1
15 NxP+ BxP B-rB3+ K-K1
16 RxP Q-QR7 R-N4 B-yQ3
17 B-yN2 QxyR P-R3 R-N5
18 RxP+ QPxR PxQ RxwP
19 Q-rN1+ B-B10 K-Q1 B-B1
20 K-B1 R-Q1 P-KN5 R-wR2
21 N-R3 R-Q7 B-rN2 R-yR1+
22 B-R7 B-K12 B-B1 Q-rB2 mate
23 R-yK1+
This is not mate as Red is mated, therefore Yellow can play KxR or, for that matter, K-B2. In any event...
Black & Red lost on time.
London 0 - 5 Cambridge
Round 3, Board 2
London David Malcolm (White) and David Sedgwick (Yellow)
Cambridge: Natasha Regan (Black) and Dave Boyle (Red)
Won by White and Yellow.
Moves not to hand.
London 1 - 5 Cambridge
