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Chandler Cornered
Lothian Championship 2008
Lothian Championship 2008
Championship: 1st. K. Ruxton
Keith Ruxton with the Bill Smerdon Trophy.
Stars Barred: 1st= D.Campbell & V.Steuch
Major: 1st F.Batchelor
Francis Batchelor winner of the Major.
Minor: N.Boostdred
Knights: Scott Brown, Musselburgh
Giant Killer: Jack
(Chandler stop messing about. Who was the Giant Killer...Ed)
Giant Killer: Sam Turner-Blyth (760) who beat an 1179 player.
A quartet of players in the Championship.
G.Montgomery & W.Burnett v Rhian & Lloyd Hughes.
Once again trying to squeeze games out of players was like
pulling teeth.
"It's a terrible game.", "Oh it's no good for printing.",
"You are not going to make a fool of me on your site."
"I'll send it to you.", "I've lost the score sheet."
Some players have told me they do not want everyone knowing
what openings they play so refuse to hand over a game.
Yeah! I can just imagine Vishy Anand losing sleep wondering
what opening some 1600 Scottish player is playing this year.
So in Bells that night I asked Keith for his best game.
Keith said he was not too impressed with his own play over
the weekend. The most interesting game was one he should
lost against George Neave.
"Ahh a wee problem here." I said, but it was lost on Keith
as he quickly set up this position with White to play.
Black is in trouble here. George chose 20.Nb6?! which was answered
by the cunning reply 20...Nd4! The winning move to which I can
find no defence in the simple (with hindsight), 20.Rh5 and the
attack down the h-file coupled with the real threat of Nb6 wins.
The full game follows.
Watch how George builds up a winning position and then
totally relaxes playing the wining move. Heart breaking
for George but a moral booster for the rest of us to
know the good players are just as susceptible as the rest
of us to this common error.
"Winning a won game is the hardest thing in Chess."
[Click here to replay the game] G.Neave - K.Ruxton 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qf3 Nbd7 8.0-0-0 Qa5 9.Qg3 Be7 10.Be3 0-0 11.f4 Nc5 12.Bd3 d5 13.e5 Nfe4 14.Bxe4 dxe4 15.f5 Kh8 16.Rhf1 exf5 17.Rxf5! Ne6 18.Nb3 Qc7 19.Nd5 Qd8 20.Nb6 [20.Rh5 g6 21.Rh6 Bg5 22.Bxg5 Qxg5+ 23.Qxg5 Nxg5 24.h4 Bg4 25.hxg5 Bxd1 26.Nf6] 20...Nd4 21.Bxd4 Bxf5 22.e6 f6 23.Nxa8 Qxa8 24.Qc7 Qe8 25.Nc5 Rg8 26.Qxb7 Bxc5 27.Bxc5 Qxe6 28.Qd5 Qc8 29.Be3 Re8 30.b3 h6 31.Qd4 Qc7 32.g3 Rc8 33.c4 Kh7 34.Kb2 Qc6 |
The problem I have with giving this game is that the
only other game I have to show is a George Neave loss.
George will be thinking I am going to rename this column
The Games of Losses of George Neave. But I have
explained the games drought I face and I could not leave
this game out. Read on...
I turned up just as the 5th round started, I had a cup of tea
and something to eat and then went into the playing hall.
I was immediately informed there was a cracking game on
board two in the Championship, G.Neave v K.Mayo.
I got there and found Dave Stewart copying down the moves for me.
so I took a picture of the players.
Oops! That is me sitting on chair next to a bus stop.
Here were are. George Neave playing Kevin Mayo.
Quite a game. Kevin was up for a sharp struggle and
George did not shy away from the complications.
I give a few short variations in the auto-game.
There was one moment when George could have gambled
in a lost position. Here George played 21.Bd3.
21.Bb5 has more swindling chances. 21.Bb5 Qxh1 22.Bxc6 bxc6 23.Qb4+
is a plausible continuation which ends in a perpetual.
Having shown that line I'll have to say the way Kevin played
in this game he would have spotted the flaws in this variation.
Here is the full game.
[Click here to replay the game] G.Neave - K.Mayo 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Qb6 6.e5 Bc5 7.Be3 Nd5 8.Nxd5 exd5 9.Nf5 [9.Nb5 Bxe3 10.fxe3 Qxe3+ 11.Qe2 Qxe2+ 12.Bxe2+-] 9...Qxb2 10.Nxg7+ Kd8 11.Bg5+ Kc7 12.Bf4 Qc3+ 13.Ke2 Qc4+ 14.Kf3 Qe4+ 15.Kg3 Bxf2+ 16.Kxf2 Qxf4+ 17.Qf3 [17.Kg1 Qe3#] 17...Qd4+ 18.Qe3 Qxa1 19.Qc5+ Nc6 20.Qd6+ Kb6 21.Bd3 [21.Bb5 Qxh1 22.Bxc6 bxc6 23.Qb4+=] 21...Qxh1 22.Nf5 Rg8 23.Ne3 Rxg2+ 24.Nxg2 Qxh2 25.a4 a5 26.Qxd5 Qxe5 27.Qb3+ Ka7 28.Qxf7 d5 29.Qxh7 Bg4 30.Qh6 Re8 31.Ne3 Re6 32.Bg6 Qf6+ 33.Kg3 Qf3+ |
At the book stall I ordered 100 carbon score sheets.
I'll be handing these out at tournaments and league matches
so I can get some games without having to beg, steal and borrow.
I also bought two snazzy wazzy chess badges.
Pretty nifty I'm thinking.
What else happened at the Lothians?
Oh yeah. Andy Muir played in the Minor.
You don't believe me. How about this one.
If that's not Andy Muir then I'm a Dutchman.
