AGM of the Sussex Chess Association

The Annual General Meeting of the Sussex Chess Association will be held at the Lewes CC, St Mary's Supporters Club, Christie Road, Lewes, at 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday 9th September.

The organisation started in 1882 and is responsible for arranging county fixtures and competitions. It also produces a magazine once a year, which coordinates chess within the county.

You do not have to be of county standard or even a strong player to attend. Anyone who is a club member is welcome at the meeting.

Michael's draw with a grandmaster in a simul

In May 2013 Ray Keene gave a ten board simul at the Hove Club in Fourth Avenue. He won eight of these games while Sue Chadwick and Michael Cain did well to obtain draws.

Ray won the British Championship in 1971 and represented England in eight olympiads. He gained the title of grandmaster in 1976 and in 1985 was made an OBE for services to chess. He also has a strong Brighton connection and is an honorary member of our club. To date he is the only grandmaster ever to have represented the club in matches. He organised the Brighton international tournaments from 1979 to 1985 and the publicity from this may have helped our club when we were trying to stay at our premises in Pavilion Buildings. Ray has been chess correspondent of The Times since 1985 and has written over a hundred books. He is also an exceptional organiser and was involved in the organisation of the 1986, 1993 and 2000 World Championships.

I know from playing Ray on a few occasions when I was a young player that he has a highly original, hypermodern style which is difficult to cope with.

I enclose the score of his game against Michael Cain in the above-mentioned simul. Ray would of course have been under pressure to move almost immediately and it would have been difficult to calculate anything complicated. On the other hand this is another example of Michael reserving his best chess for these occasions:

Play Online Chess

[Event "10 board simul in Hove"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "3.5.2013"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Raymond D Keene"]
[Black "Michael Cain"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nc3 O-O 5. Bg5 d6 6. Qc2 Nbd7 7. e4 {This move does not seem to lead to any significant advantage for White. After 7 e3 b6 we have reached the position of the 7th game of the 2nd World Championship match between Kasparov and Karpov played at Moscow in 1985. 8 Bd3 gave White the better game.} e5 8.
d5{Black has a comfortable position after this move, though the alternatives 8 a3 and 8 dxe5 do not promise much for White.} Nc5 9. Nd2 Bxc3{9...a5 was an interesting alternative.} 10. bxc3 h6 11. Bh4 g5 12. Bg3 Nh5 13. Be2 Nf4 14. Bxf4
exf4{14...gxf4 would have given Black a more compact pawn structure. It might seem that such a move would have weakened the king position, but, if 15 g3 Qf6 16 Rg1 Kh8, and Black is quite safe.} 15. Nb3 b6{Black might have tried 15...Nxb3 16 axb3 f5, though 17 Bd3 would have been a little better for White.} 16. Nxc5{16 g4 was better preventing Black from playing f5 and planning h4 without having to worry about the reply g4.} bxc5 17. h4{A mistake which gives Black a definite advantage. 17 g4 could be met with Rb8. 17 h3 is safe and about equal.} g4 18. f3{This move does not seem to help White, but it would be difficult to suggest a good alternative.} f5{Over elaborate. Simply 18...g3 would have given Black a very good game. Now White can gain counterplay along the b1/h7 diagonal and also eventually down the e file.} 19. Bd3{Also to be considered is the complex variation 19 fxg4 fxg4 20 e5 Bf5 21 Bd3 Bxd3 22 Qxd3 Kg7 23 e6 f3! and if 24 g3 f2+ while 24 Qe4 can be met by h5 and if 25 0-0-0 (25 e7 Re8) Qf6. In these lines White must play very carefully and Black seems to have an advantage.} Qe7{Loses a tempo as Black moves the queen to the better square of f6 three moves later.} 20. O-O-O fxe4
21. Bxe4 Bd7{21...Rb8. Qf6 and g3 were all to be considered.} 22. Rde1 Qf6 23. h5{23 fxg4 Bxg4 with a small advantage for Black was also to be considered.} g3 24. Bg6 Rab8 25. Kd2{White naturally plays his king to a safe place. However, a critical line, which indicates that White's play down the e file balances the danger of Black's rooks down the b file, goes 25 Re2 Rb6 26 Bh7+ Kh8 27 Rhe1 Rfb8 28 Re7 Rb1+ 29 Qxb1 Rxb1+ 30 Kxb1 Qxc3 31 Bc2, which seems equal.} Rb6 26. Rb1 Bf5{A mistake which gives White a definite advantage. Black was better after 26...Rfb8.} 27.
Bxf5 Qxf5 28. Qxf5 Rxf5 29. Rxb6 cxb6 30. Kd3 Re5 31. Kd2{A mistake. 31 Rh4 would have given White a substantial advantage. After 31 Kd2 Black has the equalizing move 31...b5. 1/2-1/2

Brunswick Chess Festival 2014

Hi Brighton Chess Club,

Thanks for everyone who came down to the Brunswick Festival on Saturday. Unlike the rain last year we enjoyed a warm breeze and wonderful sunshine.  It was great to see the general public showing interest, taking photos, watching the games and playing chess with us. I really enjoyed the day and hope you all did too.

I would like thank the people of Brunswick Festival for allowing Brighton Chess Club to take part. I spoke to the main organiser "Jon The Van" and he said Brighton Chess Club can take part again next year which is great news for the Chess Club.

Click link to see pictures; Brunswick Chess Festival Pictures

Also here is a short video clip, just to give you an idea of how busy it was during the day.

Short Video Clip

Thanks Again

Michael

Geoffrey's excellent result in British Seniors

Geoffrey James recently came second in the British Seniors at Aberystwyth with 5.5 points out of 7. This was his highest score in the competition, though in 2009 he came first equal in the event with 5 points. Geoffrey is the club's longest serving member having first enlisted in about 1960. He is at present the club treasurer, but has also carried out the duties of secretary and match captain in the past. He has won the county championship seven times and the club championship a record seventeen times. He has also made over 400 appearances for Sussex, second only to John Cannon of Horsham in county history. Geoffrey has kindly supplied notes to his win in round 6 of the British Seniors:

Play Online Chess

[Event "British Seniors at Aberystwyth"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "31.7.2014"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Geoffrey H James"]
[Black "Tom Bimpson"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Be3 Qb6 5. Rb1 Ng4 6. Bg5 e5 7. Nf3 h6 8. Bh4
Nd7 9. Be2 Qc7 10. h3 Ngf6 11. O-O Be7 12. a4 O-O 13. Qd2{13 b4 with a Q-side push might be stronger as in James v Har-Even Greece 2011} a6 14. Ra1 b6 15.
Bg3 Kh7 16. Nh4 g6 17. Kh1 Bb7 18. f4 b5 19. fxe5 dxe5 20. dxe5 Nxe5 21. Qf4
Nfd7 22. Bg4 Bg5{Stronger is 22...f5 23 exf5 g5 24 Qe4 c5 25 Nd5 Bxd5 26 Qxd5 gxh4 27 f6 Bxf6 with equality} 23. Qf2{If 23 Qxf7+ Rxf7 24 Rxf7+ Nxf7 25 Bxc7 Nf6 26 Nf3 Ng4 27 hxg4 and Black is O.K.} Nxg4 24. hxg4 Qb6 25. Nf3 Qxf2 26. Nxg5+ hxg5 27.
Rxf2 f6 28. Rd1 Rf7{28...Bc8 is forced.} 29. e5{The winning move} Nf8 30. Ne4 Ne6 31. Rd6 1-0

Dates for your diary

Saturday 16th August
The club will be transferred to the Brunswick Festival in Brunswick Square - weather permitting. The Bridge Club will be closed for the day.

Saturday 6th September @ 3:00 pm
The Annual General Meeting. Subscription renewal time. All current members will receive the relevant documents in the next couple of weeks.

Saturday 27th September
Home to Dieppe Chess Club for our annual friendly fixture. Score currently level so we are putting out the strongest team we can muster! (And so are they.)

Resourceful play by Michael Cain

Ezra Kirk gave a simultaneous display at the club on 21st June and did not lose a single game. He took on eleven players and was held to a draw by Michael Cain and Arthur de Silver, but defeated everyone else. In the 2012-13 season he won against grandmasters Keith Arkell and Tony Kosten to establish himself as the highest rated player in the country for his age. More recently he has played little competitive chess as he has been taking several exams. He is already a FIDE master and plans to spend a year entering chess competitions to try to become an international master before going to university. We wish him the best of luck in his quest, though he probably has the potential to become not just an international master but also a grandmaster. I enclose the score of Ezra's game against Michael Cain in the recent simul. It is very difficult playing eleven players at the same time particularly when one is expected to make every move very quickly. However, we must also give credit to Michael for a resourceful display. Michael seems to produce his best chess in simultaneous displays as he also drew last year with grandmaster Ray Keene in this form of chess. On other such occasions he has given Nigel Short and Luke Rutherford very good games before eventually losing.

Play Online Chess

[Event "11 board simul in Hove"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "21.6.2014"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ezra G Kirk"]
[Black "Michael Cain"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]
[A10]

1. c4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. d4 c6 4. Nc3 d5 {Sometimes called the Grunfeld-Slav Defence.}5. g3 {Not the best. If White wants to fianchetto his White-squared bishop, it is better to play 5 cxd5 first.} dxc4 {Correct, giving Black an advantage.} 6. a4 {To stop Black playing b5. If 6 Bg2 Nf6 7 0-0 0-0 8 e4 b5 or Bg4 are both better for Black.} Bg4 {The best move is probably 6...c5 attacking the White centre. If 7 dxc5 Qxd1+ 8 Nxd1 Na6 with the better game. If 7 d5 Bxc3+! 8 bxc3 Nf6 is also strong for Black. Finally if 7 e3 Nf6 8 Bxc4 0-0 9 0-0 Bg4 is still better for Black.} 7. Ne5 {Black gets a definite advantage now. Better was 7 e3.} Bxe5 8.
dxe5 Qxd1+ 9. Nxd1 f6 {Better was 9...Nd7 and, if 10 Bf4, then f6. In this line 11 exf6 could be met with e5.} 10. exf6 exf6 {Better was the developing move 10...Nxf6 with an advantage.} 11. e4 {A mistake which loses a pawn for nothing. Better was 11 Bf4.} Bf3 12. Rg1 Bxe4 13. Bxc4 Nd7 14.
Nc3 Bf3 15. Bf4 {Better was probably 15 Be2.} O-O-O 16. Kf1 {Again Be2 seems to be the best chance.} Re8 {The correct move was 16...g5 and if 17 Bd6 Nh6 18 Be6 Rhe8 19 Re1 Ng4 with a strong position.} 17. g4 {Better was 17 h4 to stop Black playing g5.} Ne5 {17...g5 was very strong. Now the game is more or less level.} 18. Bxe5 {White should have played 18 Re1 so that Black would have had to lose a tempo to break the pin by moving his king. After 18...Kd7 or Kd8 White could then have played Bxe5. This might seem similar to the game but White would benefit from his rook on e1.} Rxe5 {18...fxe5 was better and would have given Black a definite advantage. The f6 square would have been vacated for the Black knight and there was the potential to play e4.} 19. Rg3 Bd5 20.
Bxd5 cxd5 21. f4 Re6 22. Nxd5 Ne7 {The game now looks drawish.} 23. Nc3 {Possibly Ezra decided against exchanging knights as he still hoped to win the game. However, it could be argued that a Black knight on c6 would have been stronger than a White knight on c3 in this type of position.} Rd8 24. Rc1 {24 Re1 would have been more or less level.} Kb8 {24...Nc6 looks better.} 25. Rc2 {Again 25 Re1 was a safe drawing line.} Rd4 26. Rf3
Nd5 {26...a6 might have given Black an edge. The exchange of knights brings about a similar position to what might have happened if White had played 23 Nxe7.} 27. Nxd5 Rxd5 28. Rfc3 {Surprisingly this move seems to give Black an advantage as White has difficulty defending his pawns. 28 b3 looks better.} a5 {Much better than 28...a6 as it establishes a bind on White's queen side pawns and gives the Black king a little more space.} 29. Rc4 {29 b3 might still have been the best move.} h5 {Not the best move. Black could have got an advantage by 29...Rd1+ 30 Kf2 Rb6 because of the weakness of the White pawn on b2.} 30. h3 {30 f5 gxf5 31 gxh5 would have taken all the pressure off White.} h4 {Black could have played 30...hxg4 31 hxg4 Rd1+ 32 Kf2 Rb6 with perhaps a slight advantage - cf. my note to Black's 29th move. 30...h4 is a bold move with the potential for Black to seize control of the third rank with his rooks. White must now play very carefully.} 31. Kg2 {This seems to be a mistake. White should play 31 Rc8+ Ka7 32 R2c5. If then 32...Rd1+ 33 Kf2 Rd2+ 34 Kf3 Rxb2 35 Rxa5+ Kb6 36 Rac5, which looks drawish.} Re3 32. Rc8+ Ka7
33. R8c5 {33 Rf8 and 33 Rg8 both lead to complex variations in Black's favour.} Rdd3 34. Rxa5+ Kb8 35. g5 f5 36. Rb5 {36 Rac5 also comes into consideration, though here also White is in difficulties.} Rxh3 37. Rc6 {This move seems to lose. White may be able to draw by 37 Rc3 Rhg3+ 38 Kh2 Rd2+ 39 Kh1 Rxb2 40 Rxb2 Rxc3 41 a5 and if 41...Rc5 42 Rb6 Rxa5 43 Rxg6 Ra4 44 Re6 Rxf4 45 Re1. As Black's king is a long way away from White's passed pawn and White has a threat of Rg1, the position may be drawn.} Rhg3+ {It appears that this move wins for Black. A rather amusing finish would be 38 Kf2 h3 39 Rxg6 h2 40 Rg8+ Kc7 41 Rg7+ Kd8 42 Rbxb7 hi=N+, which mates in a few moves. White could play 42 Rg8+ and try to keep checking, but eventually Black's king escapes from the checks and his 'h' pawn will prove to be the decisive factor e.g. 42...Kd7 43 Rg7+ Ke8 44 Rg8+ Kf7 45 Rh8 Rh3 etc. Also if 42...Kd7 43 Rxb7+ Kc6 44 Rh7 Rh3 etc. These lines were not tested in practice as a draw was agreed.} 38. ½-½
1/2-1/2

British Championship prize winners 2014

Two successes for club members at the British in Aberystwyth: Geoffrey James came second in the British Senior Championship on 5.5/7 and Callum Brewer came joint third in the Under 14s on 5/7. They can both be seen collecting their prize money between 23:30 and 26:00 at the closing ceremony. Congratulations young and old.

New ECF grades out

The new grades are now on the Members page of the website. Congratulations to Brian whose greater involvement in the club this year has resulted in both winning the Club Championship and making the top of the list. His interest and help with other people's games has also been much appreciated.

Brunswick Festival - 16th August 2014

Hi Brighton Chess Club Members,

A totally free day out that promotes your chess club. :-)

I am pleased to tell you about an up coming exciting event "The Brunswick Festival Chess Promotional Day" on Saturday August 16th from 11am to 7pm located at the prestigious Brunswick Square, Hove.

If you are interested in seeing last years photos; Last Years Pictures

To see where you go? click here to see map;  Map Of Brunswick Square

We have been allocated a space in Brunswick Square as part of the popular Brunswick Festival.
 Additionally the event organizer has kindly donated 2 large tables and chairs which we can use to play chess on during the day.

Would you be able to help participate with this event? (Yes/No/Maybe)

All you have todo is come down and play chess with each other and the general public.
If you are interested and are free on this day, please reply as I would really like to here from you? More people the better :-)

Thanks for reading this and will be great to see you between 11am and 7pm on Saturday the 16th August 2014 at the Brunswick Festival.

Good Skills

Michael

Tournaments

Congratulations to the following members in their recent tournament success.
        1)       Club Championship.
                        1st       Brian  Denman
                        2nd      Mustapha Othman
                        3rd      Geoffrey James.
        2)       Plummer Knight.
                        1st       Hussaini Ndakwo     Paul Selby
                        3rd      Julian Clark
        3)       Tasker Tankard
                        1st       Peter Benson
                        2nd      Terry Brown
                        3rd       Alaa Albadin             Kevin Gee
        4)      Denman Cup
                        1st        Oliver Loftus
                        2nd       Stan Chekhachyov
                        3rd        Sylvia Card              Andrew Shoulders           Dave Waldon

Members may wish to continue to play graded games in the following tournaments until the end of August.
         1)         The Open Tournament. Standard Play.
         2)         The rapid play Ladder.  The present rapid play chart will be removed. The present standard play ladder will just change to rapid play.
Both tournaments are open to new entries.

Weekend trips

If you're looking for weekend excursions there is a standard play tournament at Bexhill this Saturday and Sunday and the Weald Congress at Worth Abbey (near Crawley) the following weekend.

A message from Stan

I would like to inform you that I am not able to come anymore, because I am leaving UK next Wednesday. Unfortunately I will not finish my Open Tournament. I have to play one game against Neil Tasker, however a lack of time would not give a chance to do it. I am so sorry for unfinished tournoment!!!
  Also I would like to tell you and to all members of our club - GREAT THANKS for the time which I spent there. I wish all of you GOOD LUCK !!!

BEST REGARDS,

STAN

Ezra's simul on Saturday

All members are welcome to Ezra's simul on Saturday 21st June at 2:00 pm - a sighted simul this time so no limit on numbers - £3 a head. And a chance to find out about the course Ezra will be running at the club over a week in mid-August, which is open to all, members and others, although places are limited. Ezra is currently a FIDE master and the top-rated under 18 in the country.

Congratulations to John and Andrew!

It has now been confirmed that John Henshaw and Andrew Caswill will receive the Division 1 and Division 4 tankards respectively for the best individual results in those leagues. John obtained a score of 8 points out of 9 and Andrew 6.5 out of 7. Andrew will also receive an award for the best percentage score in all four divisions. It should also be mentioned that Michael Hamilton's commendable score of 7.5 out of 9, which included games in both Division 2 and 3, was the seventh highest in all of the divisions. The AGM of the Mid-Sussex League is to be held at the Lewes CC, St Mary's Supporters Club, Christie Road, Lewes on Tuesday 17th June starting at 7.45 a.m.

Tournaments

  A reminder to members that the DC, TT, PK, and CC tournaments finish at the end of this month.Please try to avoid leaving games to the last week, because players may be involved with other games or away.
  At the same time the 1st January to 30th June 2014 grading season finishes.
  The OT tournament continues until the end of September at the latest.
  Members who wish to play standard play graded games during the months of July, August, September may wish to write their names on the blank cards on the ladder and play Long Play Ladder ( LPL ) games.

Paul plays a captain's part.

Paul Batchelor has shown great loyalty to the club by serving as first team captain for nearly fifteen years. It is no easy job to be a team captain. Boards have to be arranged, clocks set at the correct rate, refreshments arranged and teams selected. If any incident occurs in a match, the captain has to be on the spot even if he/she is concentrating on his/her own game. Paul is also the county U-180 captain, a post which he first undertook in 2009. As his grading is nowadays over 180, he cannot play in this team, although he still organises the players. Paul also helps Dix Roberts, the Open team captain, and plays himself in the first team. The improvement in his play is reflected in the fact that he won the Brighton CC Championship in 2010. In the recent McArthur Cup final against Hastings Paul played a captain's part by winning on board three against Ollie Willson, a very promising junior who won the British U-16 Championship last year. Paul had a won game by about move fifteen and he did not allow his opponent to obtain any significant counterplay. I enclose the score of this excellent win

Play Online Chess

[Event "McArthur Cup final"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "10.05.2014"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Paul A Batchelor"]
[Black "Ollie Willson"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 {The Veresov System named after Bussian master, Gavriil Veresov, who lived from 1912 to 1979. The opening is less explored than the regular Queen's Gambit lines.} d5 3. Bg5 Bf5 {A playable move, though 3...Nbd7 is the main line.} 4. Bxf6 exf6 5. e3 c6 6. Nge2 Nd7 7. Ng3 Bg6
8. h4 h6 {This move gives White space on the king's side. 8...h5 is better and if 9 Be2 Qb6 10 Rb1 0-0-0. White could then capture the 'h' pawn, though Black would have compensation because of his play down that file.} 9. h5 Bh7 10. Bd3 Bxd3 11. Qxd3 Qa5 12. O-O Nb6 {12...0-0-0 is better. After the move played the knight and queen get in each other's way.} 13. b3 {Most strong players would make this move, but better is 13 a3. If then 13...Nc4 14 b4 (14 b3 also gives White a good game) Qc7 15 e4 0-0-0 16 b5 Nb2 17 Qe2 Qa5 18 Qg4+ Kb8 19 Nge2 Na4 20 Qh3 is a complex line which gives White a strong initiative.} Bb4 {Not the best. 13...Ba3 would stop a3 possibilities for White and allow Black to castle safely on the king's side.} 14. Nce2
Qb5 {A mistake as the queen is now shut out of the game for a number of moves. Better was 14...0-0.} 15. Qf5 {White is probably now in a winning position as Black cannot castle on the king's side because of Qg4.} Nd7 {Planning to castle on the queen's side, but the king will not be safe there. 15...Ba3 was to be considered followed by Rg8 and Kf8.} 16. Qg4 {An amazing computer suggestion is 16 Rfb1 planning a3 and c4. There does not seem to be any good line against this.} Bf8 17. Rfc1 O-O-O 18. c4 dxc4 19. bxc4 Qg5 20. Qf3
g6 21. Nf4 Re8 {21..gxh5 gives more practical chances.} 22. c5 {A fine move restricting Black's counterplay.} f5 23. Rab1 {More decisive might have been 23 Qd1 and if 23...Rxe3 24 fxe3 Qxg3 25 Qb3 Bxc5 26 dxc5 Ne5 27 e4 Qxf4 28 Rab1 winning.} Qf6 {Black might have done better with 23...Qg4 exchanging queens but losing a pawn.} 24. Nd3 {Better 24 Qd1 followed by Qb3 or Qa4.} Qe6 {Black might have done better with 24..f4 giving up a pawn.} 25. Rb3 {The obvious move and clearly good. It is possible that 25 Rc3 was slightly better putting one rook on the 'a' file and other on the 'b' file. If 25...Qxa2 26 Qd1 is unpleasant for Black.} Nb8 {Passive, but it is difficult to find a better move. Perhaps 25...Kc7 could have been tried to transfer a rook to b8. White could force the king back by 26 Qf4+, but the queen has better squares than f4.} 26. Rcb1 Re7
27. Nf4 Qf6 28. d5 {A good move but 28 Qe2 followed by 29 Qb2 might have been more decisive.} Rg8 29. d6 Rd7 30. Nd3 {30 e4 might have been a little better.} Na6 {A mistake which gives White a quick win. Better was 30...Qe6.} 31. Rxb7 Rxb7 32. Qxc6+ Rc7 33.
d7+ Kd8 34. Qxf6+ 1-0

:

Fine win by Callum at Hastings

One might have expected that 13 year old Callum Brewer would have found the opposition daunting at his first Hastings Masters tournament, but instead he did well to score four points out of nine. His best game was in the first round, when he completely outplayed the Norwegian player, Joar Pettersen. I enclose the moves of this excellent win:

Play Online Chess

[Event "Hastings Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "28.12.2013"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Joar G Pettersen"]
[Black "Callum D Brewer"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ {The Bogo-Indian Defence named after Russian grandmaster, Efim Bogoljubov (1889-1952), who challenged Alekhine twice for the World Championship in 1929 and 1934, but lost on both occasions.} 4. Bd2 {A more critical line is 4 Nbd2 to try to keep the two bishops.} a5 5. Nc3 b6 6. g3 {If White wanted to fianchetto this bishop, it was probably better to have done it a move earlier. 6 e3 seems better.} Ba6 7. b3 d5 8. cxd5{If 8 Bg2 Black can play 8...dxc4 9 bxc4 Bxc4 and if 10 Ne5 Bd5 with a safe position.}
exd5 9. Bg2 O-O 10. O-O Re8 11. Re1 Ne4 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Ng5 {A mistake which puts this knight effectively out of play. White cannot play 13 Ne5 because 13...Bxd2 14 Qxd2 Rxe5 wins a piece. However, White could have done better with 13 Bxb4 axb4 and then 14 Ne5.} Bb7 14. Bxb4
axb4 15. h4 Nd7 16. Qc2 Nf6 17. Rec1 Re7 18. e3 Qd6 19. Bf1 {White is running out of ideas. Black has a bind over the position, which makes it difficult for White to form a plan.} h6 20. Nh3 Nd5
21. Bg2 f5 {Surprisingly this natural-looking move may not be best as it weakens the g6 square. White was not threatening to capture on e4 as Nxe3 would then have been a good reply. 21..Ra3 would have been very good for Black.} 22. Kh2 {Better for White was 22 h5 to try to hold up Black's g5 plan, though Black was still much better.} Kh8 {At this stage of the game it is not entirely clear where the Black king is best placed. Black could again have played Ra3, but the most critical move was 22...g5. Wild complications arise in the variation 23 hxg5 hxg5 24 Nxg5 f4! It would probably be beyond the human mind to calculate these lines with certainty in over-the-board play, but it appears that Black would have been winning in all variations.} 23. Rg1 {Again 23 h5 seems to have been the only chance.} Qf6 {Good enough, though Black could have played an immediate 23...g5 since 24 hxg5 hxg5 25 Nxg5 Rg8 looks like a clear win.} 24. Bf1 {If now 24 h5, Black wins by Qf7.} g5 25. hxg5 hxg5 26. Bc4 {26 Rh1 would have given more chances.} g4 {This fine move had to be calculated carefully.} 27.
Bxd5 Qh6 {Not 27...Bxd5 when 28 Nf4 brings White back into the game.} 28. Rh1 Rh7 {A very nice finish with White now losing a piece. A very mature game by one so young.} 0-1

Brighton retain the McArthur Cup trophy

Last Saturday the club's first team defeated Hastings 4-2 to hold the trophy for the sixth consecutive year. A few days ago we had received a setback when we heard that our top board player, Luke Rutherford, was ill and unable to take part in the match. We wish Luke a speedy recovery from his illness. When the match got under way, Hastings were unfortunate to lose on board two by default. We do not know why their player did not turn up, but this win took some of the pressure off the Brighton players. Draws were obtained by John, Mustapha, Chris and me and Paul gained an excellent win. Earlier in the year the club won the Mid-Sussex League first division and it has been a good season for the first team. Thanks are due to Paul for organising the side.

Hastings

A team of five players from DC and TT tournaments went to Hastings for the day on Saturday 10th May and played a similar team in rapid play games ( 59 minutes each ). Each player played two games and overall we won 7 points to 3 points.

McArthur Cup final preview

125 years ago Lewes defeated Horsham in the first ever McArthur Cup final. The competition, which began in the 1888-89 season, was named after Sgt. Major William McArthur of the Royal Sussex Regiment. He had been a founder member of the Chichester CC in 1877 and was a keen composer of chess problems as well as a prominent correspondence player. He had been a secretary of the Sussex Chess Association and following his death in 1888 a halt was called to competitive chess in the county for about a month as a mark of respect. Next Saturday, 10th May, Brighton play Hastings at Hove to decide who will win the trophy. In the early years of the competition Brighton and Hastings clubs were not allowed to field players of county strength and this led to a number of the smaller clubs lifting the trophy. It was not until 1965 that the competition was opened to all players and from that time the winners have usually been Brighton or Hastings. Teams from Brighton and Hastings first started playing each other in 1882 and few years have passed without such a match taking place. In the first World War difficulties in travel meant that Brighton and Hastings players were forced into playing each other by correspondence. In World War II Brighton and Hastings managed to play several friendly matches despite the fact that the Hastings CC suffered war damage. We welcome our visitors from Hastings next Saturday and the usual close match is expected. The teams are well-matched and it would be very difficult to predict the result.