Back to SCCU home page
updated 2.6.02
GAMES



BRITISH CHESS SOLVING CHAMPIONSHIP
2002-2003

This is the first stage of this year's Championship. (Starter problems from previous years are further down the page.)

Successful solvers will go on to a harder postal stage, followed by a live (so computer-free) Final in the new year.
     Solutions (key move only), postmarked no later than 31st July 2002, to BCPS, 9 Roydfield Drive, Waterthorpe, Sheffield S20 7ND bstephen@freeuk.com. British resident solvers only. Send SAE, and entry fee of £3 payable to British Chess Problem Society. Entries by email (SAE not required) must be followed by a cheque the old fashioned way. Email entrants will receive all further communications by email.
     Mark your entry "SCCU". We might get a prize if you do well. We didn't last year, but we've been known to.
     Last year's Championship was won by Michael McDowell.



Solving Championship 2002-3
White to play and mate in two

To find out more about chess problems, and to follow the course of the competition, visit Brian Stephenson's site at http://www.bstephen.freeuk.com.

__________



White JA Dodgson 184 (Sussex)
Black DA Knox 150 (Gtr Manchester)
Counties Open Quarter-final 11.5.02

1 e4 e6 2 d3 d5 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 dxe4 e5 5 Ngf3 Bd6 6 Bc4 Nf6 7 0-0 0-0 8 c3 b6 9 Qe2 Bb7 10 Rd1 Qe7 11 Nh4 Nxe4?! 12 Nxe4 Qxh4 13 Nxd6 cxd6 14 Rxd6 Rd8??

(diagram)

Black has gone outside for a smoke. See if you can have the winning move played and waiting for him when he comes back.

White did. 15 Qh5 1-0
in view of 15 ...Qe7 16 Qxf7+

Dodgson-Knox
White to play



__________



A TRIFLE
Filched from Chessex for May/June 2001

Place two white rooks and one white knight on the board so that Black is checkmated.

Chessex, having excluded White's king from the board, observes helpfully that the position could not arise in actual play.

This took your Webmaster at least five minutes.

Chessex is edited by Ivor BN Smith Ivor_Smith@compuserve.com

A Trifle



__________


A brevity from Sussex v Warwicks, Minor Counties semi final 9.6.01
White B Cafferty (Sussex), Black IA Galloway (Warwicks)
1 c4 Nf6 2 Nc3 b6 3 d4 Bb7 4 Qc2 e6 5 e4 Bb4 6 f3 Nc6 7 Ne2 0-0 8 Be3 d5 9 e5 Ne8 10 cxd5 Qxd5!? 11 a3 Bxc3+ 12 Nxc3 Qa5?
[12...Qd7 and then occupying d5 by Bc6-e7-d5 keeps Black in the game.]
13 Bd3 g6 14 0-0 Ba6 15 b4 Bxd3 16 Qxd3 Nxe5 17 Qe4 1-0

__________



BRITISH CHESS SOLVING CHAMPIONSHIP 2001-2002

This is the first stage of this year's Championship. (Last year's starter problem is a couple of screenfuls down the page, and we've forgotten the answer.)

Successful solvers will go on to a harder postal stage, followed by a live (so computer-free) Final in the new year.
     Solutions (key move only), postmarked no later than 31st July 2001, to BCPS, 9 Roydfield Drive, Waterthorpe, Sheffield S20 7ND bstephen@freeuk.com. Send SAE, and entry fee of £3 payable to British Chess Problem Society. Entries by email (SAE not required) must be followed by a cheque the old fashioned way. British resident solvers only.
     Mark your entry "SCCU". You never know, we might get a prize if you do well. Didn't last year, but we've been known to.
     Jonathan Mestel won the Championship last year, for the fourth time.



Solving Championship 2001-2
White to play and mate in two

To find out more about chess problems, and to follow the course of the competition, visit Brian Stephenson's site at http://www.bstephen.freeuk.com.

__________


White David Smith, Black Brian Atkinson
36th Berks & Bucks, Challengers Round 5
1 e4 c5; 2 Nf3 d6; 3 d4 cxd4; 4 Nxd4 Nf6; 5 Nc3 g6; 6 f4 Bg7; 7 e5 dxe5; 8 fxe5 Ng4?; 9 Bb5+ Kf8?? (there were better ways of cutting his losses!) 10 Ne6+ 1-0

__________



BRITISH CHESS SOLVING CHAMPIONSHIP 2000-2001

This is the first stage of this year's Championship. (Last year's starter problem is further down the page, and the answer - look away if you don't want to know it - was 1 Bb1.)

Successful solvers will go on to a harder postal stage, followed by a (live) Final in the new year.
     Solutions (key move only), postmarked no later than 31st July 2000, to BCPS, 9 Roydfield Drive, Waterthorpe, Sheffield S20 7ND bstephen@freeuk.com. Send SAE, and entry fee of £3 payable to British Chess Problem Society. Entries by email (SAE not required) must be followed by a cheque the old fashioned way. British resident solvers only.
     Mark your entry "SCCU Website". You never know, we might get a prize if you do well. Didn't last year. Three people put "SCCU" on their entries last year. This easily beat the Sun, which only achieved one entry. The Sun never published the problem.



Solving Championship 2000-1
White to play and mate in two

Last year's winner was AJ Mestel, again, with what looks to have been a perfect score in the Final.

To find out more about chess problems, and to follow the course of the competition, visit Brian Stephenson's site at http://www.bstephen.freeuk.com.

__________



White DM Moskovic 210, Black RP White 199
County match Cambs-Essex 29.1.00

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.a4 b4 8.Re1 0-0 9.c3 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.Rxe5 Nf6 13.d4 Bd6 14.Re1 Ng4 15.h3

Diagram

Bh2+ 16.Kf1 Qh4 17.Qf3 Be6 18.d5 Nxf2 19.dxe6 fxe6 20.Bxe6+ Kh8 21.Bf7 Nd3 22.Re4 Rae8 23.Rxe8 Rxe8 24.g4 Qe1+ 0-1


Moskovic-White
Black to play



__________






This position (Sussex, 1998-9) went for adjudication. Well, if they will have adjudications. We guess both sides were claiming wins.

It was a three-man panel, as usual, and between them they gave all possible answers. What do you think?

The Adjudication Secretary, receiving three different answers, "accordingly" registered a draw. Expect the rule is, majority verdict wins and if there isn't one you take the average. But what do you think?


for adjudication
White to play: adjudicate



__________



This (also from Sussex) went for adjudication as well, a few moves later. But they had some fun over the board first.

Both sides were desperately short of time. Play proceeded:

39 Rxh4+ Kg6 40 Rg4+?!
     Missing a better move
40... Kh5 41 Rh4+ Kg6 42 Rg4+?? Kh5

At this point Black claimed a draw by repetition. But he'd overlooked the fact that, first time round, there was a pawn on h4. So, no draw.
     Black must have been penalised on the clock for his incorrect claim. Fortunately for him, he'd just made the time check so it won't have mattered much. Unfortunately for him, White's made the time check as well and has plenty of time to find a win.
     There is one! 43 Rh4+ is mate in two. On the other hand, he can't play it because it IS a draw by repetition...
     They stopped here anyway, and it went for adjudication. Presumably White sealed a move first, and it can't have been 43 Rh4+ because the position came back as a White win. Lucky old White.



repeated moves
White to play



__________





White Thomas Sharp (age 10) 1201, Black Adam Hunt (age 17+) 2121
Saitek Terafinal 28.8.99: Round 2
Commentary by M Basman

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.c3 cxd4 5.cxd4 d5 6.a3 g6 7.Nd2 Nf6 8.Ngf3 Bg7 9.e3 0-0 10.Be2 Nc6 11.0-0 Nd7 12.Rc1 Kh8 13.Bb5 Qb6 14.Qa4 Ndb8 15.Qb3 a6 16.Bd3 Qxb3 17.Nxb3 f6

After surviving a passive opening, Black seems to be ready to take the initiative in the centre. However, his pawns soon end up as a target for the white pieces.

18.Bg3 e5 19.dxe5 Nxe5 20.Be2 Nbc6 21.Nbd4 f5 22.Nxe5 Nxe5 23.Rc7!
Diagram

Black's game gets worse and worse. White has occupied the c file. Black has an isolated pawn at d5 blockaded by a knight. His Bc8 and Ra8 are undeveloped. The pawn at f5 further restricts his bishop. Finally White threatens total humiliation with 24 Rxg7 Kxg7 25 Bxe5+. Adam goes into "mix-it" mode in an attempt to throw his young opponent off balance.

1 August 1999 Rapidplay grades


Black (Hunt) to play Sharp-Hunt
White (Sharp)

Nc6!? 24.Nxc6 bxc6 25.b3 d4 26.Bf3 Be6 27.Bxc6 Rad8 28.Bh4 Rb8 29.Be7 Rf7 30.exd4 Bxd4 31.Bd6 Rxc7 32.Bxc7 Rc8 33.Re1 Bf7 34.Re7

White still holds the advantage but the game was eventually drawn.


__________



White David Rumens & David Howell, Black Dykes & Woodward
World Open (Philadelphia) Doubles.
So what's Doubles? Leonard Barden says:
Doubles chess is increasingly popular in the US. Pairs are limited to an average rating of 2000 (175 BCF) so can include a master and an amateur, or two club experts. Players alternate every four moves. White changes after moves 2, 6, 10 etc; and Black changes after 4, 8, 12 etc. [rjh: This must get confusing in time-scrambles.] The time limit is Rapidplay, 25 minutes per game.
     The World Open Doubles was scheduled at the end of the main $200,000 event in such a way that Rumens & Howell had to take a half-point bye in round 1. They also had to cope with the problem of an 8 year old playing rounds between midnight and 2 pm. Despite these handicaps they scored 3½/4 to finish 3rd, out of nearly 50, and took $150 prize money. In the process they utterly routed an American pair who are specialists in this type of chess.
     Rumens taught Howell the Grand Prix Attack just beforehand. The youngster quickly grasped the concept and played his part in a textbook miniature which illustrates the Grand Prix's strength against unwary opponents. Anyway:
     White David Rumens & David Howell, Black Dykes & Woodward
Rumens played moves 1-2, 7-10 and 15-18.
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bc4 d6 6.0-0 a6 7.d3 b5 8.Bb3 Nf6 9.Qe1 0-0 10.Qh4 e6 11.f5! exf5 12.Bg5! Be6 13.Rae1 (even better is 13 exf5) f4? 14.e5 dxe5 15.Ne4 Nd4 16.Nxf6+ Bxf6 17.Bxf6 Nf5 18.Bxd8 Nxh4 19.Bxh4 1-0

__________



BRITISH CHESS SOLVING CHAMPIONSHIP 1999-2000

This is the first stage of this year's Championship. Successful solvers will go on to a harder postal stage, followed by a (live) Final in the new year.

Solutions (key move only), postmarked no later than 31st July, to BCPS, 9 Roydfield Drive, Waterthorpe, Sheffield S20 7ND. British resident solvers only, and it has to be snail mail. Enclose a cheque for £3 payable to British Chess Problem Society.

Mark your entry "SCCU Website". You never know, we might get a prize if you win.

Last year's winner was AJ Mestel with 29/30 in the Final, and he took 35 minutes less than anyone else.

Solving Championship
White to play and mate in two


__________



WHO ELSE WOULD PUBLISH THIS?

You're not expected to take this game seriously. It had the spectators falling about, a few months ago.

White RJ Haddrell, Black Anon. Club match.
Never mind how we got to Diagram A, but White has just woken up to the fact that he's losing a piece.
...26 Nef4+; 27 Kd1 Rxe3
     Yes, there it goes.
28 dc Rxd2+; 29 Kxd2 Re8; 30 Bxf7+
     Might as well give him another one. Perhaps it will confuse him.
...30 Kxf7; 31 Qc4+ Ne6; 32 Ne4 Qf4+; 33 Kc3 Qe5+; 34 Kb3 Kg7; 35 Rd1 Rd8
     Well, I've made the QPF.
36 Rd7+ Rxd7; 37 cd7 Nd4+; 38 Kc3
     Wonder how quick I can get mated?
...38 Ne6+; 39 Kb3 Nf6; 40 Ng5 (Well, I've got to give him something to think about) Qe3+; 41 Kb4 Bd6+; 42 Kb5 Nc7+??!
     The room and his dog saw 42...Qxg5+. Apart, that is, from the players themselves.
43 Kc6 (He's out of checks, and I'm threatening something!) 43...Qe7; 44 Qf7+
     Well, it's good time-trouble stuff. Black now decided it was time to give back one of his pieces in exchange for that pawn. Let's see how he managed it.
44...Qxf7; 45 Nxf7 Nxd7; 47 Nxd6
     Diagram B.
It seems to have been two pieces. At this point White, aware that he was suddenly winning, offered a draw. This is a very instructive tactic. Black looked at White's clock (two minutes left, against plenty) and declined without more ado. A couple of minutes later, still without having moved, he stopped the clocks and said "OK, draw."
     By this time White had had plenty of time to work out how easy the win was, and it was only a question of convincing Black that no, he didn't have the right to take his refusal back on the ground that he hadn't moved yet. Black resigned eight or ten moves later.

With apologies to the anonymous Black, who can scarcely be said to have played any worse than White did. But it was a famous victory.






Farcical Game 1
Diagram A: Black to play



Farcical Game 2
Diagram B: Black to play


__________



A game with a difference: competition by Gary Kenworthy.
Gary writes:
This is a prize competition. Entries should be sent to Gary Kenworthy, 17 Buttermere Close, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK2 3DG (please do not use email). Closing Date is the 1st July 1999.
     Rather than provide notes just for the Herts Website, I would prefer to run a competition for the best ASSESSMENT (explanations) and ANALYSIS concrete lines) of the strategy and tactics in this game. It would be a worthwhile and beneficial exercise, especially for those who have very strong juniors at their chess clubs. I believe Chris Briscoe missed a very spectacular win, whose degree of difficulty is hard. Can you find it? I will award two groups of prizes, one for U18 and one open age. In each group there will be a good book for the best written answers and also a runner- up book prize. Then I will publish full notes. For those wanting to copy it to your web sites, club mags etc please do.
     How sound was 29 Qb8 --? Were there better moves for both sides after 25... Nd5 -- ? Warning, I think this is a very difficult game to assess and analyse.
     Since time is important to this game - 35 moves in 75 minutes - total time used is shown after each move.

White Gary Kenworthy, Black Chris Briscoe (both of this season's demised Bumbles Green Chess Club)
Capel Cup (Hertfordshire Individual Championship) Final
Saturday 8th May 1999
1 c4(-) e5(-); 2 g3(-) Nf6(3); 3 Bg2(-) c6(7); 4 Nf3(-) e4(9); 5 Nd4(-) d5(10); 6 cd5(1) cd5(12); 7 d3(1) Bb4+(27); 8 Nc3(2) Qb6(29); 9 e3(5) Nc6(35); 10 0-0(6) 0-0(42); 11 de4(8) Bc3(44); 12 bc3(9) de4(46); 13 Ba3(10) Re8 (47); 14 Rb1(11) Qa6(54); 15 Nb5(12) Be6(54); 16 Qc1(14) Ne5(72); 17 Nc7(16) Qe2(72); 18 Qd1(22) Qa2(72); 19 Ne8(23) Re8(72); 20 Bc5(25) Bg4(72); 21 Qb3(27) Qe2(72); 22 Rb2(29) Nf3+(72); 23 Kh1(29) Qa6(72); 24 Qb7(30) Qe6(73); 25 Bd4(32) Nd5(73); 26 h4(35) Bh3(73); 27 c4(38) Qg4(74) 28 Rfb1(40) Nh4(74) 29 Qb8(44) Bg2+(74); 30 Kg1(44) Rf8(74); 31 gh4(44) Bh3+(74); 32 Qg3(46) Resigns(74) - 14 seconds left.

__________


Jones,G - Ramage,C
Yorkshire v Essex, BCF QF, 08.05.1999
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Bc4 b5 (a Colin Ramage speciality) 4.Bb3 fxe4 5.Nxe5 Qg5 6.Nf7 Qxg2 7.Rf1 d6 8.Qe2 Nc6 9.c3 (Fatally weakening d3) 9...Nf6 10.Nxh8 Ne5 11.f4? Nd3+ 12.Qxd3 (As 12.Kd1 Bg4 also loses the Queen, White might as well have resigned here.) 12...exd3 13.Bd1 Bh3 0–1

__________


Crouch - Harris
Golders Green Blitz 4.5.99 (Round 6)
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 Bg5 c6 6 e3 0-0 7 Qc2 Nbd7 8 h3 Nb6 9 c5 Bf5 10 Qb3 Nbd7 11 Qxb7 Rb8 12 Qxa7 Rzb2 13 Qa3 Qb8 14 Bf4 Qb7 15 Ba6 Ra8 16 Bxb7? (16 Nd1) Rxa3 17 Bxc6 Rxc3 18 a4 Bd3 19 a5 Ne4 20 Rf1 Ra2 0-1

__________




White Gavin Wall, Black David Buckley
Richmond Rapid 7.3.99

1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e5 Nfd7 4.d4 c5 5.e6 fxe6 6.Bd3 Nf6 7.dxc5 e5 8.Bg5 e6 9.b4 b6 10.Nf3 bxc5 11.Nxe5 c4

(diagram)

12.Ne4 Bxb4+ 13.Kf1 dxe4
(13...cxd3 14.Bxf6 Qc7 15.Qh5+ g6 16.Nxg6 Qf7 17.Bxh8 hxg6 18.Qe5 dxe4 19.Qb5+ Bd7 20.Qxb4 e3 21.f3 dxc2 22.Rc1 Qf5 23.Qc3)
14.Bxe4 Qxd1+ 15.Rxd1 Bc3
(15...Nd5 16.Rxd5 exd5 17.Bxd5 Bc3 18.Nf3 Bf5 19.Bxa8 Bxc2)
16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Nf3 e5 18.Nh4 Na6 19.Bxa8 Nb4 20.a3 Na6 21.Bd5 1-0

White to play
Wall-Buckley



__________





White John White 161 (Eastbrook)
Black Paul Byway 197 (Powdermill)

Essex League, week beginning 18.1.99

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Bxf6 Bxf6 6.e5 Be7 7.Qg4 0-0 8.f4 f5 9.Qh3 c5 10.dxc5 Nd7 11.0-0-0 Nxc5 12.Bd3 Bd7
     Too slow. 12...b5 is the theoretical move, after which Black has serious counterplay.
13.Kb1 Qa5 14.g4 g6 15.Nge2 Kh8 16.Rhg1 Nxd3 17.Rxd3 Bc5 18.gxf5

(diagram)
Spot the blunder, and we don't mean 18...Bxg1


18...gxf5?? 19.Qxh7+! 1-0


Black to play
White-Byway



__________





WhiteD Gormally, Black J Plaskett
Golders Green Rapidplay 16.1.99 (rd 5)


1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.c3 e6 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bh4 b6 6.e3 Bb7 7.Nbd2 Be7 8.Bd3 0-0 9.0-0 Nc6 10.a4 Rc8 11.Re1 cxd4 12.exd4 Nd5 13.Bg3 f5 14.h3 f4 15.Bh2 Kh8 16.Nc4 Qe8 17.Be4 Nf6 18.Bb1 g5 19.h4 Qh5 20.Qc2


(diagram)



...Nxd4 21.cxd4 Bxf3 22.gxf3 Bb4!? 23.Re5 Qxf3 24.Qg6 Qg4+ 25.Bg3 Qd1+ 26.Kg2


(diagram)
Find the mate!



...f3+ 27.Kh2 Ng4+ 28.Kh3 Nxf2+ 29.Bxf2 Qh1+
0-1
[30.Kg4 Rf4+ 31.Kh5 Qxh4+ (if you want to do it the flashy way round) 32.Bxh4 Rxh4#]

Black to play
Gormally-Plaskett

Black to play
Gormally-Plaskett



__________



Here's a spectacular brevity (thanks, John) from one of last weekend's county matches.


White CPL Parker 147 (Surrey), Black IJ Myall 164 (Essex)
U175 County match Essex-Surrey 9.1.99

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 b6 5.Nf3 Bb7 6.e3 Ne4 7.Bd3 f5 8.0-0 Bxc3 9.bxc3 0-0 10.Ba3 d6 11.Rab1 Rf6 12.Nd2 Rh6 13.g3?
Now that's asking for it.
(diagram)

...Qh4! 14.Nf3 Ng5! 15.gxh4 Nxf3+ 16.Kg2 (Walking into a mate. But if 16.Kh1 then simply 16...Rxh4 17.h3 Nxd4+ 18.Kh2 Nxc2 19.Bxc2 Rxc4)
...Ne1+ 17.Kh3 Bg2+ 18.Kg3 Rg6+ 19.Kf4 Rg4#

Black to play
Parker-Myall


__________



Just received from Gary Kenworthy (notes GK):

White J Lopez 187, Black Lawrence Trent 151
Kensington 28.11.98

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4
Once this was a TN by Julian Hodgson. Previously the 1960's Boleslavski theory ran: 3 Bh4 c5 4 f3 g5! Now the point of 3 Bf4 is that 3..g5 is met by 4 Bc1! which makes it unclear to the passer by why Black is making silly double knight moves and unnecessary weakening of his kingside structure.
     3...d5 Classical, and trying to show that the bishop is not brilliant at f4, rather than the sharper 3..c5 challenging the weakened dark squares on the queenside.
     4.f3 Nf6 5.e4 e6
It is dangerous to take the gambited pawn.
     6.Bd3 c5 7.dxc5?
It is not easy for White (7.Ne2 c4. or 7.c3 Nc6 putting off the decision off, but gaining the bolt hole c2 for the bishop), but this is truly horrible for White to commit hara-kiri on the dark squares around his king, and compounded by the loss of time.
     ...Bxc5 8.Nd2 Nh5 9.Bxb8 Rxb8
White says goodbye to 32 dark squares and the rest is just a reaction to multiple threats. Simple chess has given Black a strategically won game.
     10.g3 Qb6 11.Ne2 Bf2+ 12.Kf1 e5!
Threatening the kill, this time on the white squares with Bh3, a Boden mate otherwise known as a cross-fire mate.
     13.Kg2 Be3 14.exd5?
White's first spare move for half the game, so he snaffles a pawn. Black pressurises d2 and something else.

(diagram)

...Qh6 15.Bb5+ Kf8 16.Ne4 Bh3+ 0-1
If 17.Kh3 Nf4 + 18.Kg4 Qh5#

Black to play
Lopez-Trent


Back to top      Back to SCCU home page