Round seven of the Four Nations Chess League (‘4NCL’) brought a continuation of the form shown in previous rounds by our teams. They produced excellent performances and there were wins for all three Chessable White Rose teams, all of whom have now advanced to the semi-final stage of the competition.
Chessable White Rose Team 1
A very rare defeat for James Adair led to some tense moments against Watford 1, before wins from Gawain Jones, Christof Sielecki and Oskar Hackner turned it into another impressive 3-1 victory.
The team’s sole defeat featured an instructive shot.
Ernest Karumazondo – James Adair
White to Play
It is difficult to appreciate from this position, but 12…Bc6 is Black’s best move.
12…f6??
Missing a big threat.
13.Bb6!
Attacking the queen and intending 13…Qxb6 14.Qxd7 checkmate. This is why 12…Bc6 was essential; Black must protect d7 a second time. James had to give up material but couldn’t hold out for much longer.
1-0 (23).
Meanwhile, Christof found the correct moment to sacrifice a knight.
Christof Sielecki – Edward Holland
White to Play
20.Nxf7
White forces the black king to go on a little journey. The material invested in the venture will soon be recouped – with interest.
20…Kxf7
21.Nxg5+ Ke8
22.Ne6 Qb6
23.Nxg7+ Kf7
There are several tempting options here, but the safest is to castle (at last!).
24.0-0! and Black resigned; 1-0. There are no tricks available to Black. 24…Kxg7 gives White the choice between 25.Be5+ and 25.Qxe7+, both of which are winning easily.
Chessable White Rose Team 2
Kamil Plichta, Tim Wall and Peter Gayson all won their games against Shropshire 1. Maaike Keetman drew, making it a very impressive 3.5-0.5 victory for our team.
The match seemed to be quite a nervy affair, with several strange moments, such as this one.
Tim Wall – Kevin Hurney
White to Play
31.Rd8+
Offering a trade of rooks, which Black declines.
31…Ke7??
True, 31…Rxd8 32.Rxd8+ Ke7 33.Rh8 and 32…Kg7 33.Rd6 are both excellent for White, but there was another threat in the position.
32.R1d7 checkmate.
Chessable White Rose Team 3
David Mooney, Jonathan Arnott, Alexandra Busuioc and Max Parkhouse all won their games against Bishop Knights to record a resounding 4-0 victory.
Jonathan created a tactical opportunity for himself early on in the game and netted material with a smart move.
Jonathan Arnott – Chris Clynes
White to Play
12.Nxf7+! Qxf7
13.Bxe6 and Black, having being ‘holed below the water’, did not last much longer; 1-0 (19).
Current Standings
Round Seven of the 2021 4NCL was a very successful one for all three of our teams and the tables make for impressive reading.
Team 1 dominated Division One, Group B, with seven wins from seven matches. They finished four points ahead of second-placed Mushrooms 1.
Team 2 won Division One, Group C. Their record of six wins and one draw from seven matches leaves them two points clear of Barbican.
Team 3 won all seven of their matches to finish three points ahead of their nearest rivals, Redbridge All Sorts 1 in Division Five, Group C.
The Next Phase
All three teams will now play in the semi-finals, in which they will be pitted against the winners of other groups in their respective divisions. The matches will be played on Tuesday 4 May. Perhaps Team 1 and Team 2 will have to lock horns in the semi-finals?
For further information on our teams, follow Chessable White Rose on Twitter.