| 3rd EK Open Round 2 |
Round 2, where can I start. I know, how about at the beginning. Round 2 can best be described as a bang at the start and plenty of explosions throughout the night. Lets talk for a moment about chess grades. That wonderful 3 or 4 digit number is supposed to tell us how good we are, it is an indication of strength (or in my case, weakness!!). So when a player plays someone over twice his grade, a loss is worth putting your mortgage on? Round 2 in an Accelerated Swiss is where the previous round winners from the bottom half of the draw are supposed to be beaten, they are paired against the top players not on maxiumum points. They are not supposed to win. Well that is the script anyway :-)
The evening started very pleasantly as EK stalwart Henry Lynn celebrated his 80th Birthday. Henry is once of the nicest people you will ever meet. When I first joined the club, I remember going away to tournaments with Jim, Henry, Stewart, Alex and young Alex. Fond memories indeed!
We could not allow Henry's birthday to go uncelebrated :-)
Henry commented that he hoped to still be playing into his 90's. I for one will look forward to the presentation at Henry's 90th during the 13th EK Weekly Open!
There were three major shocks this evening. I have the games for 2 but alas the third one was not on a board that had carbons (and the players ran off before I could pinch their scoresheets!).
As a coach, one of the biggest pleasures you can have is when the people you are coaching perform well. Phil, Paul and I have ran hours of coaching sessions in the last year for the EK juniors and we are starting to see some good results come in from them. Nothing prepared us for the game that I am about to show you. I should add that Colin is not related to me, his chess playing is far too good for that! Colin is graded 710 provisionally, Arthur a mere 935 points above that. It is a drop in the ocean! Honest!!
[Click here to replay the game] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. c4 Be7 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qb3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Na5 10. Qa4 Nxc4 11. Qxc4 Be6 12. Qd3 c5 13. O-O Rc8 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. h3 Rfd8 16. Rd2 Qa5 17. a3 a6 18. a4 b5 19. Ng5 Bc4 20. Qc2 b4 21. Nce4 b3 22. Nxf6+ Bxf6 23. Qxc4 Bxg5 24. Bxg5 cxd4 25. Qd3 Qxg5 26. Rad1 h6 27. Qxa6 Rc2 28. Qd3 Rxd2 29. Rxd2 Qd5 30. Rd1 Kf8 31. a5 Qxa5 32. Qxb3 Qe5 33. Kf1 Rb8 34. Qa3+ Kg8 35. Qa7 Qb5+ 36. Kg1 Rd8 37. Rxd4 Re8 38. b4 Re1+ 39. Kh2 Rb1 40. Rd8+ Kh7 41. Qxf7 Qe5+ 42. g3 Rxb4 43. Rh8+ Kxh8 44. Qf8+ Kh7 45. Qxb4 Qe2 46. Kg2 Qc2 47. g4 Qc6+ 48. Kg3 Qc7+ 49. Qf4 Qc3+ 50. Kg2 Qc6+ 51. f3 Qc2+ 52. Kg3 Qc3 53. Qf5+ Kh8 54. g5 Qe1+ 55. Kg4 Qg1+ 56. Kh5 Qc1 57. Qf8+ Kh7 58. g6# 1-0 |
How do you follow that? I don't know, shall we end the report here?
Shock number 2, well I am not all that sure if I can classify that as a shock (with no slight on either person's play), however Tony Dunlop has had some remarkable wins over the last couple of years. Here is the game in all it's glory (and a very nice game it was too!)
[Click here to replay the game] 1. d4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bg5 g6 4. Nbd2 Bg7 5. e4 Be6 6. c3 Nd7 7. Bd3 Nb6 8. O-O Nf6 9. e5 Nfd7 10. Qe2 O-O 11. Qe3 Re8 12. Bh6 f6 13. h4 Nc4 14. Nxc4 dxc4 15. Bc2 Nb6 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. h5 Nd5 18. Qd2 Bf7 19. hxg6 hxg6 20. Qe2 Qd7 21. Rfe1 Qg4 22. Qe4 Qh5 23. e6 Bg8 24. Nh4 Bh7 25. g3 Rh8 26. Kg2 Rag8 27. Rh1 Qg5 28. f4 f5 29. Qxd5 Qxh4 30. Qxc4 Qf6 31. Rad1 g5 32. fxg5 Qxg5 33. Qd3 Bg6 34. Qf3 Bh5 35. Qxf5 Qxf5 36. Bxf5 Bxd1 0-1 |
Lets take a wee look at the three pre-tournament favourites and see how they got on. Starting with EK's own Alan Jelfs. A feature of the recent games of Alan's I have been using on the website is the desire to make pawns run. Did he do the same here? Well that is for me to know and you to find out!!
[Click here to replay the game] 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be2 O-O 6. O-O b6 7. c4 Bb7 8. Nc3 c6 9. Rc1 e6 10. h3 Re8 11. Ne5 Nbd7 12. b4 a5 13. a3 Qe7 14. Qb3 Ra7 15. Ra1 Rc8 16. c5 bxc5 17. bxc5 Qd8 18. Rfb1 Ba8 19. Qa4 Ne8 20. Nxd7 Qxd7 21. Rb6 Bb7 22. Rab1 f6 23. Bg3 Rca8 24. Qd1 Bc8 25. Na4 Bb7 26. R6b3 Qf7 27. Nb6 Rd8 28. R1b2 Ba6 29. Bxa6 Rxa6 30. Na4 Nc7 31. Rb7 Rd7 32. Rb8+ Ne8 33. R2b6 Raa7 34. Rxc6 e5 35. Rcc8 Re7 36. Qb3 Rac7 37. Rxc7 Rxc7 38. Qb5 Re7 39. Qxa5 Bf8 40. Nb6 Ra7 41. Qb4 exd4 42. exd4 Kg7 43. a4 Nc7 0-1 |
Alan won this as there was a scramble at the end and his opponent ran out of time. All I know is that if I am facing Alan in the Club Championship, I am
sacc'ing all my pieces for his pawns!
Over on board 1, Richard Wiltshire was trying to stamp his authority on proceedings. Trying to stop him was David Johnstone
[Click here to replay the game] 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. Nc3 Nxc3 4. dxc3 d6 5. Bc4 e6 6. Nf3 Bd7 7. O-O Be7 8. Qe2 d5 9. Bd3 c5 10. c4 O-O 11. b3 Nc6 12. c3 Na5 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Rd1 Be6 15. Bf4 Qc7 16. Ng5 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 Nc6 18. f4 Qc8 19. Qc2 h6 20. Bh4 b6 21. Rf1 d4 22. f5 Bd7 23. Rae1 Nd8 24. cxd4 cxd4 25. Qf2 Qc5 26. Bg3 Rc8 27. Bf4 Qc3 28. Qg3 Kh8 29. Rf3 Bc6 30. Be4 Qb4 31. Bxc6 Rxc6 32. Ref1 b5 33. f6 Rg8 34. Qh3 Kh7 35. Rg3 Qf8 36. Rxg7+ Rxg7 37. Qxh6+ Kg8 38. fxg7 Qxg7 39. Qh4 Ne6 40. Rf3 Qh7 41. Rg3+ Kh8 42. Qf6+ 1-0 |
Lets check into the hall as we approach the first time control
That is an improvment on last week!
I have often wondered what Club Secretaries do during competitions.
Mystery solved!! Enough hilarity, on with the games....
[Click here to replay the game] 1. Nf3 d6 2. c4 e5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Nxd4 6. Qxd4 Nf6 7. e4 Be7 8. Be2 O-O 9. Bf4 Be6 10. f3 Nh5 11. Be3 Bf6 12. Qd2 c6 13. Rd1 Qa5 14. O-O Bxc3 15. bxc3 Rfd8 16. g4 Nf6 17. g5 Ne8 18. f4 f5 19. exf5 Bxf5 20. Bd3 g6 21. Rb1 Rd7 22. Qc2 Ng7 23. Bd4 Bxd3 24. Qxd3 Qf5 25. Qxf5 Nxf5 26. Bf2 b6 27. Rfe1 Kf7 28. Rbd1 c5 29. a4 Re8 30. Rxe8 Kxe8 31. Kg2 Kf7 32. Kf3 Re7 33. h4 Ke8 34. Rh1 Kf7 35. h5 Kg7 36. hxg6 hxg6 37. Rd1 Kf7 38. Rd3 Ke6 39. Rd2 Kf7 40. Ra2 a5 41. Rb2 Rb7 42. Bg1 Kg7 43. Ke4 Ne7 44. Bh2 Kf7 45. Bg3 Ke6 46. Rh2 Kf7 47. Kf3 Kg7 48. Rd2 Nf5 49. Bf2 Rd7 1/2-1/2 |
The final game is the board 2 tussle between EK's Frankie Murray and Shettleston's James Doyle. Unfortunately I can't make out the score beyond move 30. I guess they were in time trouble....
[Click here to replay the game] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5. g4 Bg6 6. Nge2 c5 7. h4 h6 8. Be3 c4 9. f4 Nc6 10. f5 exf5 11. Nf4 Bb4 12. Bg2 Nge7 13. Qf3 fxg4 14. Qxg4 Nf5 15. Bf2 h5 16. Qd1 Qa5 17. Nfxd5 Rd8 18. O-O Bxc3 19. Nxc3 Nfxd4 20. Ne4 O-O 21. Nd6 Qxe5 22. Nxc4 Ne2+ 23. Kh1 Rxd1 24. Nxe5 Rxa1 25. Rxa1 Nxe5 26. Re1 Ng4 27. Rxe2 Nxf2+ 28. Rxf2 b6 29. c3 Re8 0-1 |
Well that wraps it up for round 2
PS,
Beware of this person. He likes to beat 80-year-olds at chess on their birthday. Approach with caution.....
