Keverel Chess

The arrival of June brings the British Championships that bit closer, as they return to the Westcountry next month, starting at the Riviera Centre, Torquay, on 28^th July. The fact that this will be the 100^th championship makes it that bit more special, and extra events have been organised to help mark the occasion, several of them quite unusual. For example, Gary Lane and Keith Arkell, past and present Paignton residents, will try to set a record for the greatest number of games played in 1 hour. The rate of moves is 1 minute per player per game, called “bullet chess”. Then 9 players will take part in an all-play-all simultaneous match, using 36 boards and there will be a prize for the player gaining the highest points total in all the tournaments he/she plays in, which, in theory, could be considerable.

Peter Chaplin of Weston-Super-Mare was Somerset’s only winner in their recent match against Lancashire.

White: P. Chaplin (187). Black: P. Almond (180).

Sicilian Defence – Close Variation [B50]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 a6 4.g3 Nf6 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.0–0 Bg4 7.h3 Bh5 8.d3 e6 9.Re1 Be7 10.Be3 0–0 11.Qd2 Qc7 12.g4 Bg6 13.Nh2 Rad8 14.f4 d5 15.exd5 If 15.f5 d4 16.Bf4 dxc3 17.bxc3 e5 18.Bg3. 15…exd5 16.Bf2 d4 17.Ne2 h6 18.f5 This lock-out of the bishop is a major factor in the eventual win. 18…Bh7 19.Bg3 Bd6 20.Bxd6 Qxd6 21.Qf4 Qd7 22.Ng3 Nb4 23.Re2 Nbd5 24.Qf3 g6 25.Re5 Rfe8 26.Rae1 Rxe5 27.Rxe5 Qd6 28.Re1 Ne3 29.Nhf1 Nxc2 30.Re2 Ne3 31.Nxe3 dxe3 32.Ne4 Nxe4 33.dxe4 Qd1+ 34.Bf1 Rd2 After the next skirmish, the weakness of Black’s bishop becomes more apparent. 35.Qxe3 Rxe2 36.Qxe2 Qxe2 37.Bxe2 gxf5 38.exf5 f6 39.Kf2 Kf8 40.Bc4 Ke7. If 40…b5 41.Be6 Ke7 and Black’s bishop is blocked out of the game. 42.Kf3 Kd6 43.Ke4. 41.Ke3 h5 42.Be6 hxg4 43.hxg4 b5 44.b3 a5 45.Bd5 If 45.a4 bxa4 46.bxa4 Kd6 47.Kf4 and Black hasn’t got a positive move on the board. 45…Kd6 46.Ke4 Kc7 47.Bf7 Kd6 48.Be8 Bg8 Finally the bishop is out, but still powerless. 49.Bxb5 Bd5+ 50.Kf4 Bg2 51.Bc4 Bc6 52.g5 fxg5+ 53.Kxg5 Ke7 54.f6+ Kf8 Bishop and pawn combine to keep the Black king on the back foot. 55.Kf4 a4 56.Ke5 axb3 57.axb3 1–0 Black resigns as his last pawn must fall.

Dave Howard’s problem last week was solved by 1.Be8! after which Black has 3 moves, all answered by a rook mate viz. 1…Kb5 2.Rd5#; 1…f4 2.Rh5# and 1…b5 2.Rc2#.

This 2-mover won 1^st prize in the Uzbekistan Sport Committee Tourney 1947.

White to mate in 2.