Summing Up Coventry

MY score for Wessex B of +2=0-1 at the final weekend of the Four Nations Chess League gained 3.6 ECF and 6.0 Fide elo.

4NCL Round 11

PLAYED on board one (of six) for Wessex B against Oxford 3 today.

Philip Neatherway (1835 ECF/1804 Fide) - Spanton (1940 ECF/1911 Fide)

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0-0 8.Bb3 d5!?

8...d5!? is the 'new' move I blogged about last month while playing at the world team 65+ championship in Albania

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9.Nxc6!?

Varying from Neatherway (1806) - Jacques Parry (1596), London Classic Open 2017, which went 9.exd5 Na5 10.d6?!, when the simple 10...Qxd6 would have given Black a slight edge, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 (they also like 10...Ng4!?).

The main line in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database runs 10.0-0 Nxb3 11.Nxb3 b6 12.Qd2 Bb7 13.Rad1 Qd7, when Black has sufficient compensation for a pawn, according to the engines, but the whole variation is in its (relative) infancy, and a consensus has not emerged as to how White should proceed.

9...bxc6 10.exd5 cxd5 11.0-0!?

After 11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.Qxd5 Bxb2 Black has at least equalised, according to the engines, and if 12.Bxd5, they reckon both 12...Bxb2!? and 12...Qa5+ at least equalise.

11...Bb7 12.h3!?

This may be too slow. The engines do not agree on how White should play, but they suggest 12.Bd4, 12.Re1 and 12.Na4!?

The position after 12.h3!? was also reached in Chinmay Kulkarni (2215) - Dammaraju Gukesh (2320), Aeroflot Open B (Moscow) 2018, but there it was White to play as the game followed a different variation in which Black plays ...d6 and later ...d5 (1-0, 30 moves)

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12...e5!?

This may be a novelty, and anyway is probably an improvement on the known move 12...Qa5.

13.Bg5

The engines suggest attacking Black's centre immediately with 13.f4!, when their main line runs 13...d4 14.fxe5 dxe3 15.exf6, and either 15...Bh6 or 15...Qb6!?, claiming Black has more than enough for a pawn. Also possible is 13.Bc5, as long as White does not meet 13...Re8 with 14.Ba4?!, when Black has 14...d4! as 15.Bxe8 Qxe8 16.Ne2 fails to 16...Qc6!

13...d4 14.Ne2 Qb6 15.Ng3 Qc6 16.f3 Nd5 17.Bxd5!?

The engines do not like this, preferring 17.Qd2.

17...Qxd5 18.c3 d3!?

The d pawn may never queen, but it is unlikely to be endangered either as Black has the only light-square bishop

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19.Qd2 f6 20.Be3

The engines prefer getting rid of the bishop-pair with 20.Bh6.

20...f5 21.Bf2 h5!? 22.Rfe1 Kh7 23.Nf1 Bh6 24.Be3 f4!?

The engines agree both the text and 24...Bg7!? are better than swopping bishops.

25.Bf2 Rfe8 26.Rad1 Red8?!

This gives away much of Black's advantage, according to the engines. They prefer offering the a7 pawn with 26...Rad8, meeting 27.Bxa7 with 27...g5!?, 27...Rd7 or 27...Qxa2, eg 27...g5!? 28.Nh2 Bg7!? 29.Ra1!? Qa5 30.Bf2 e4!? 31.fxe4 Bxe4, when they reckon Black has a positionally won game.

27.Nh2?!

This does not seem to achieve anything, whereas the engines' 27.c4!? offers counterplay, eg 27...Qd6 28.Qa5, with pressure. Perhaps Black should try 27...Qxc4, but 28,Rxe5 Rd7 29.Qa5 again offers counterplay.

27...a5 28.c4!?

With the same idea as at move 27, but the inclusion of Nh2 and ...a5 favours Back.

28...Qd6 29.Qc3 Bg7 30.Qb3

How should Black proceed?

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30...Rd7

The engines give 30...Rab8!?, and if 31.Ba7, then 31...e4! 32.Bxb8 Rxb8, when Black has obvious compensation for the exchange, and, they reckon, is winning comfortably.

31.c5 Qd5 32.Qxd5 Rxd5

How would you assess this queenless middlegame?

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White's queenside pawns give counterplay, but Black's extra space, bishop-pair and dangerous passer on d3 add up to a winning advantage, according to the engines.

33.Nf1 Ba6

The engines give 33...g5 34.Nd2 g4!? 35.fxg4 hxg4 36.hxg4, after which Black's central pawn-mass is very threatening.

34.Nd2 Rb8 35.b3 a4?!

The wrong plan, according to the engines. They give 35...g5, and if, as in the game, 36.Re4, then 36...g4!? 37.hxg4 hxg4 38.g3!?, awarding Black at least the upper hand after 38...gxf3 or 38...Rf8. Perhaps 36.Nc4 is better, but then 36...a4, among other moves, also gives Black at least the upper hand, according to the engines.

36.Re4 axb3 37.axb3 Bf8 38.Ra4 Bb7?!

Probably better is 38...Bb5.

39.b4

White is winning (Dragon1) or at least has the upper hand (Stockfish17.1)

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39...Bc6 40.Ra7+

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 40.Ra6!?, eg 40...Bb5 41.Ra5 Rdd8 42.Ne4 Kg8 43.Ra7 Bg7 44.Be1!? Ra8 45.Rxa8 Rxa8 46.Nd6 Bc7 47.Rxd3.

40...Kh6 41.Rb1 Rd7 42.Ra6

White is at least slightly better after 42.Rxd7 Bxd7 43.Ne4, according to the engines.

42...Bb5 43.Re6 Re7 44.Rxe7

PN offered a draw.

Objectively speaking, should Black accept?

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Black has the bishop-pair, but White has a connected pair of passed pawns. However, both Black's passer and the white duo are easily blockaded, and the position is equal, according to the engines.

44...Bxe7 45.Kf1?!

But the position is not equal anymore. White should almost certainly have stopped Black taking the open file. After 45.Ra1, the engines reckon the position is completely equal, one sample line running 45...Bc6 46.Ra6 Bd5 47.Ra7 Bf8 48.Rd7 Bc6 49.Rxd3 Rxb4.

45...Ra8 46.Ke1?

Immediate king centralisation is not right in this situation. The engines suggest improving the knight with 46.Ne4, meeting 46...Ra3 (46...Ra2?? 47.Nc3) with 47.Ke1, when they agree Black has a slight edge, but no more.

46...Ra2

PN spent about 21 minutes on his next move, thus flouting grandmaster John Nunn's 20-minute rule

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Nunn wrote in Secrets Of Practical Chess (Gambit 1998): "When analysing a given position, it is fair to say that one almost always sees more in the first five minutes than in the next five minutes. The five minutes after that is even less productive, and so on. I have observed that if a player spends more than 20 minutes over a move, the result is almost always a mistake. The normal decision-making process should not take longer than this, even in fairly complex situations."

However, the move my opponent came up with is, for a while, the top choice of Stockfish17.1, although not of Dragon1.

47.c6!?

The engines come to more-or-less settle on 47.Rd1, but continue 47...Ba4 48.Rb1 Bb8!?, eg 49.Ne4 g5 50.g4!? fxg3 51.Bxg3 g4! 52.hxg4  hxg4 53.Bxe5 Re2+ 54.Kf1 gxf3 with what they reckon is a large advantage for Black. Note that 47.Ne4, trying to get the same sort of position as in the line 46.Ne4 Ra3 47.Ke1, runs into 47...Re2+, with fatal consequences whichever way the king moves, eg 48.Kf1 Rc2 49.Ke1 g5, when one line continues 50.Rd1 g4!? 51.hxg4 hxg4 52.Rd2 (52,fxg4? Re2+) Rc1+!? 53.Rd1 Rc4 54.Rb1 g3 55.Bg1 Rc2 56.Nd2 e4! 57.fxe4 Bf6. These are long, and not simple, lines, but the engines' verdict always strongly favours Black.

47...Rc2?!

There is no need for this 'cleverness'; 47...Bxc6 is both simple and good.

48.Bc5!?

This seems White's best try.

48...Bxc5

Apparently much stronger, but also more complicated, is the engines' 48...Bh4+!? 49.Kd1 Ba4 50.Rb3!? e4!? (50...Bxb3? 51.Nxb3, when 51...Bd8 is forced, but 52.Nc1!? completely equalises, according to the engines) 51.fxe4 f3! 52.gxf3 Bg5 53.c7 Rxd2+ 54.Ke1 Bd7 55.b5 Be6 56.Rc3 Rc2!? 57.Bf8+ Kh7 58.Rxd3 Bh4+ 59.Kd1 Rxc7, after which Black is winning on material.

49.bxc5 Bxc6 50.Rb3 Rxc5 51.Rxd3

How would you assess this rook-and-minor-piece ending?

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Black is a pawn up, and has the generally better minor piece for cooperating with a rook, but all the pawns are on one side of the board. Stockfish17.1 for quite some time gives Black only a slight edge, while Dragon1 reckons Black has the upper hand. However, given longer to calculate, the engines reverse their positions, with Stockfish17.1 giving Black the upper hand, but Dragon1 calling White only slightly worse.

51...Bb5 52.Rd6 Rc1+ 53.Kf2 Rc2 54.Rd5 Bc6 55.Rd6 Kg7

Nevertheless, it is one of those positions where the better side can keep probing, knowing there should only be two possible outcomes (short of Black falling for a knight fork).

56.Ke1 Kf7 57.Kd1 Rc3 0-1 (Time)

PN said afterwards he thought White is lost. However, the engines disagree, but only if White plays 58.h4!, when they reckon Black probably has just a slight edge. Other plausible moves seem to lose, eg 58.Ke1 g5!? 59.Kf1 g4!? 60.hxg4 hxg4 61.fxg4 Rc1+ 62.Kf2 Ke7 63.Rd3 Rc2 64.Kg1 e4 etc.

Wessex B won the match 3.5-2.5, finishing 13th of the 30 teams that entered Division Four.

4NCL Round 10

PLAYED on board one (of six) for Wessex B against a junior (born 2009) for Ashfield 2 this afternoon.

Sebastian Griffin-Young (1901 ECF/1841 Fide) - Spanton (1940 ECF/1911 Fide)

King's Indian Attack

1.g3 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.0-0 e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.e4!?

Contrary to first impressions, 6.e4!? does not lose a pawn

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6...dxe4 7.dxe4 Qxd1 8.Rxd1 Bg4

If 6...Nxe4?!, then 7.Nxe5! is good for White as 7...Nxf2?? (this has been played) loses to 8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.Kxf2.

9.Re1 Rd8

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 prefer getting the queen's rook to d8 via 9...0-0-0.

10.Na3!?

This is not in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, which has 10.h3, 10.c3 and 10.Nbd2? (10...Nb4).

10...Be7

The engines suggest 10...Be6!?, 10...h6 or 10...Bd6.

11.Nc4 Bxf3?!

Breaking the well-established rule that when you have a bad bishop (in this case the king's bishop, hemmed in by black pawns), you should not swop your good bishop.

12.Bxf3 0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

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Black's light-square weaknesses are probably the main reason why the engines award White the upper hand.

13.Ne3 g6 14.c3 Kg7 15.Nd5 Rd7 16.Be3

The engines like 16.Nxf6!?, or starting to advance on the kingside with 16.h4 or 16.g4!?

16...b6

Black equalises (Stockfish17.1), or comes close to it (Dragon1), with 16...Nxd5!? 17.exd5 Na5.

17.Rad1

Again the engines like swopping on f6.

17...Rfd8

And here they again like swopping on d5.

18.Rd2

I will not repeat the obvious, but at this point the engines also like 18.Bc1!?, eg 18...h5 19.h4 Rd6 20.Kf1!?, claiming Black has nothing more constructive than 20...R6d7!?, but then they seem to run short of ideas, one line given being 21.Kg2!? Rd6 22.Kf1!?, nevertheless agreeing White has the upper hand.

18...Na5!?

Stockfish17.1 reckons this is even better, albeit marginally, than 18...Nxd5. Dragon1 is not so sure.

19.b3 Nxd5 20.exd5 Nb7

The engines suggest 20...c4!?, eg 21.b4 Nb7. However, Stockfish17.1 recommends sacrificing a pawn with 21.d6!? Rxd6 22.Rxd6 Rxd6 23.b4 Nc6, claiming the bishop-pair gives enough compensation.

21.c4 Nd6

How would you assess this queenless middlegame?

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White has the bishop-pair and a protected passed pawn, but the latter is well-blockaded, and only likely to become dangerous in an ending. Meanwhile, the bishops do not have open diagonals on which to work. The engines call the game equal.

22.Rde2 f5 23.Bg2 Bf6 24.h3 h5 25.h4 Re7 26.f3!? Rde8 27.Bf2 g5!?

The engines prefer 27...e4 or 27...a5.

28.hxg5 Bxg5 29.Be3?!

Unnecessarily giving up the bishop-pair. The engines suggest getting White's queenside going with 29.b4!?, eg 29...cxb4? 30.c5. Better is 29...Nxc4, but 30.bxc5 bxc5 31.Bh3!? gives White plenty for a pawn, with the position opening up for the bishops.

29...Bxe3+ 30.Rxe3 Kf6 31.Kf2

How should Black proceed?

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31...f4

This is reasonable, but best may be the engines' 31...h4!?, eg 32.gxh4 f4 33.R3e2 Rh7, when Black will regain the pawn, with a position the engines disagree about. Dragon1 reckons Black is winning, but Stockfish17.1 gives Black only the better part of equality. Allow the engines more time, and they start to see more resources for White, with Dragon1 downgrading Black's advantage to the upper hand, and Stockfish17.1 giving Black a tiny edge worth about a tenth of a pawn. A possibly better response is 32.f4!?, when 32...hxg3+ 33.Kxg3 again brings disagreement, except both engines reckon Black is at least equal.

32.Rd3!?

Possibly better is 32.R3e2, or 32.gxf4 exf4 33.Rxe7 Rxe7 34.Rh1.

32...fxg3+ 33.Kxg3 Rg8+ 34.Kf2 Reg7 35.Bf1 Nf5

How should White proceed?

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36.f4!?

The engines like this pawn sacrifice to activate the e1 rook, although they reckon other moves also give complete equality.

36...exf4 37.Re6+ Kg5 38.Bh3 Nd4 39.Re5+ Kh4 40.a3!?

40.Re4 and 40.d6!? maintain equality, according to the engines. They strongly dislike the text at first, but, given time, Stockfish17.1 reckons White is still holding, although Dragon1 gives Black the upper hand.

40...Rg3

Dragon1's idea at first is 40...f3, but 41.Bf1 seems to hold, It switches to 40...Rg5, but White seems fine after 41.Rxg5, followed, whichever way Black recaptures, by 42.d6!? Dragon1 later likes the text for a while, and the move comes to be Stockfish17.1's top choice, again for a short time.

41.Bf1?

But the engines agree this is wrong, preferring 41.Rxg3 Rxg3 42.Bg2, with what they reckon is enough compensation for a pawn.

Black to play and win

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41...Rxd3?

Simplification helps White. The engines reckon both ...Kg4 and ...a5 win, eg 41...Kg4 42.d6!? Rd8 43.Rd5, and now 43...Rxd3 44.Bxd3 h4, with a large advantage for Black.

42.Bxd3 Rg3 43.Be2!?

The text threatens mate in one, but White completely equalises with 43.Be4, according to the engines.

43...Nxe2 44.Kxe2

Black has one move that wins (Dragon1) or draws (Stockfish17.1), but plenty of continuations that lose

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44...Rg7?

Correct is 44...Rg5!, when 45.Rxg5?! Kxg5 gives a pawn ending that, despite White's protected passed pawn, is won for Black (Dragon1) or at least gives Black the upper hand (Stockfish17.1), eg 46.Kf3 h4 47.Kg2 Kf5 48.Kf3 h3 49.a4 Ke5 50.Kf2 Kf5 51.Kf3, after which it is hard to see how Black makes progress, even though Dragon1 reckons Black's advantage is equivalent to more than four pawns. However, note that 46.d6? definitely loses to 46...Kf6 47.Kf3 Ke6 48.Kxf4 Kxd6 49.Kg5 Ke5 etc.

Instead of trading rooks, White can play 45.Re7, when 45...Kg3 is completely equal (Stockfish17.1) or leaves Black with the upper hand (Dragon1). This time, however, giving the engines more time leads Stockfish17.1 to backtrack a little and award Black a slight edge. Play might continue 46.d6 f3+ 47.Kf1 Rg6 48.d7 Rd6 49.Rg7+ Kf4 50.Kf2 Rd2+ 51.Ke1!? Rd3 52.Kf2 h4 53.Rh7 Kg5 54.b4!?, after which the engines agree the position is completely equal.

45.Kf3

White is winning easily

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45...Rf7 46.d6 Rg7 47.Rd5 Rg3+ 48.Kxf4 Rg4+ 49.Ke5 Rg8 50.d7 Rd8 51.Kd6 Kg4 52.Kc7 1-0

After 52...Rxd7 53.Rxd7 h4, White sacrifices the rook for the h pawn, leaving White's king to mop up the black queenside pawns.

Final standings in the triangular match:
Wessex B 3.5-2.5 Iceni2
Ashfield 2 4-2 Wessex B
Iceni 2 1-5 Ashfield 2

4NCL Round Nine

PLAYED on board one (of six) for Wessex B against Iceni B this afternoon.

Spanton (1940 ECF/1911 Fide) - John Feavyour (1843 ECF/1944 Fide)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.0-0 Nf6 6.Qe2 Nc6

This position occurs 1,535 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database

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7.c3

Trying to build a centre is the main continuation, but also popular is 7.Rfd1.

7...g6

The main line in Mega26 runs 7...e6 8.d4 cxd4 9.cxd4 d5!? 10.e5 Ne4 11.Be3 Be7 12.Ne1!? f6!? 13.f3 Ng5 14.Nd3 0-0, when Black has equalised (Stockfish17.1) or is only slightly worse (Dragon1).

8.d4 Bg7!?

Black more usually plays 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 Bg7!?, although the engines fluctuate between 9...Bg7!? and 9...d5!?, with, in the latter case, play similar to the previous note.

9.d5!?

The engines prefer this over the commoner 9.Rd1.

9...Ne5

The engines suggest 9...Na5 or 9...Nb8.

10.Nxe5 dxe5 11.Nd2 0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

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White has the better pawn-structure, a fine outpost on c4 for the knight, and a little more space in the centre. The engines give White the upper hand.

12.Nc4 Nh5 13.Be3 Nf4!? 14.Bxf4

This seems better than 14.Qf3 f5 15.Bxf4 fxe4 16.Qxe4 Rxf4, although the engines reckon White would still have an edge.

14...exf4 15.Rfd1 b6

On 15...b5!?, White has 16.Na5, with Nc6 to come, although it is not clear the knight is better on c6 than on c4.

16.a4 Rab8 17.e5!? Qf5 18.d6

The engines suggest 18.Rd2 or 18.f3.

18...exd6 19.exd6 Rfe8 20.Qf3 Qe4?

This looks like a forcing move in that the black queen hits the knight as well as the white queen, but there is a serious flaw

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21.d7!

White wins the exchange.

21...Qxc4 22.dxe8=Q+ Rxe8

Black has an extra pawn, but it is doubled and weak, and so provides little compensation

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23.Rd7!? Qb3?

If 23...Qxa4!?, White has 24.Qd1!? (Rxa4?? Re1#), eg 24...Qxd1+ 25.Raxd1 a5 26.Rd8, getting down to a rook-v-bishop ending, when Black's two extra pawns will soon fall. Nevertheless, the engines reckon 23...Qxa4!? is better than the text, although they suggest meeting 24.Qd1!? with 24...Qe4, allowing 25.Rdxa7.

24.Qxf4 Qe6 25.Rdd1 Qb3

Black now has no compensation for the exchange, and can only play for tricks

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26.Qc1 Qc4 27.g3 h5 28.Re1 Rd8 29.Qc2 Bf6 30.Re4 Qd5 31.h4 Qf5 32.Kg2 Bg7 33.Rae1 Kh7 34.Qe2 Bh6 35.f4!?

This weakens the position of the white king, but it is playable because White's advantage is so large.

35...Qd5 36.Kh2 Bg7 37.Re7 a5 38.Rf1 Qf5 39.Rd1 Rf8!?

This is horribly passive, but keeps pieces on the board.

40.Qe4 Qg4 41.Rd6

At least one black queenside pawn must fall.

41...Qc8 42.Rxb6 Qd8 43.Rbb7 Qd2+ 44.Qe2 Qd5 45.Rb5 Bf6 46.Re3 Bc8 47.Qd3 Qc6 48.Re5 Bf6!?

The engines reckon this may be Black's best move, which only goes to show how desperate Black's position is.

49.Rxh5+ Kg7 50.Rhxc5 Qe6 51.Rd5 Qe1 52.Qd2 Qf1 53.Qg2 Qe1 54.Rd2 Re8 55.Rbd5!?

How should Black proceed?

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55...Bxh4!?

This should not work, but it is surely Black's best practical try.

56.gxh4

Simpler is 56.Qf2!?

56...Qxh4+ 57.Qh3

Not 57.Kg1?? Re1+.

57...Qxf4

On 57...Qf1 I planned 58.f5!?, the point being 58...Rh8? loses to a mate that starts with 59.f6+!

58.Qg3 Rh8+ 59.Kg2 Qe4+ 60.Kf2 Rh1 61.Rd1?!

61.Qe5+ puts an end to Black's threats.

61...Qc2 62.R1d2 Qb1 63.Ke3 Re1+ 64.Kd4 Qe4+ 65.Kc5 Qe7+ 66.Qd6 Qa7+ 67.Kb5 Re6!?

This loses instantly, but Black has anyway run out of checks.

68.Qxe6! fxe6 69.Rd7+ 1-0

After today's games, the triangular match stands as follows:

Wessex B 2-1 Iceni2

Ashfield 2 1.5-1.5 Wessex B

Iceni 2 0-3 Ashfield 2

4NCL Final Weekend

AM playing for Wessex B in the the fourth division of the Four Nations Chess League.

It is the last weekend of the 2025-6 season, and is being held at a Holiday Inn about five miles from Coventry rail station.

Three rounds will be played over three days, each with a time limit of 40 moves in 90 minutes, a further 30 minutes to finish, and a 30-second increment throughout.

Because there is an odd number of teams, three teams (in this case Iceni B, Ashfield B and Wessex B) will receive 'triangular' pairings today and tomorrow.

This is an ingenious system that caters for odd numbers without resorting to byes.

Like many clever ideas, it is much simpler to understand than to explain, and for those interested, the details are here, but basically today one half of Wessex B will play one half of Iceni B, while the other half of Wessex B will play half of Ashfield B.

Meanwhile, those halves of Iceni B and Ashfield B not playing Wessex B, will play each other, and the same happens tomorrow, except the halves are rotated so everyone plays someone new.

[Round 11 on Monday will feature a half-triangular match between three other teams. If you understood how a full-on triangular match works, you will probably be able to guess how a half one operates.]

Image by uxwing

The British - 2026

NEXT year's British chess championships will be held at Coventry, over nine days in August - early details here.

Summing Up Coventry

MY score of +2=0-1 in the final weekend of the Four Nations Chess League's 2024-5 season lost 4.6 ECF elo and 3.8 Fide elo.

Costa Coffee at junction 2 of the M6 at Coventry

4NCL Final Weekend: Game Three

PLAYED on board three (of six) for Wessex B against Shropshire & Friends in division four of the Four Nations Chess League today.

Richard Bryant (1912 ECF/1835 Fide) - Spanton (1976 ECF/1937 Fide)

Max Lange Attack

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.0-0 Nf6 6.e5

The first four games to reach this position in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database were won by Max Lange with white

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6...d5 7.exf6 dxc4 8.Re1+ Be6

This is the main move, but Dragon1 prefers 8...Kf8!?

9.Ng5!?

Lange - Eugen von Schmidt, Magdeburg 1853, went 9.fxg7 Rg8 10.Ng5 Qe7?! (probably better is 10...Qd5) 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.Qh5+ Kd7 13.Bh6, when material is level, but Dragon1 and Stockfish17 reckon White is winning (1-0, 23 moves).

9...Qd5
Not 9...Qxf6? 10.Nxe6 fxe6 11.Qh5+ and 12.Qxc5.

10.Nc3!? Qf5

Not 10...dxc3?? 11.Qxd5 as the e6 bishop is pinned.

11.Nce4 0-0-0

Probably not 11...gxf6?! 12.g4!? Qg6 13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.Nxc5.

12.Nxe6

The main line in Mega25 runs 12.g4!? Qe5!? (12...Qd5? 13.fxg7 Rhg8 14.Nf6) 13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.fxg7 Rhg8 15.Bh6 d3 16.c3, with at least a slight edge for White, according to the engines.

12...fxe6 13.fxg7?!

White should probably transpose to the previous note with 13.g4!? Qe5 (forced) 14.fxg7.

13...Rhg8 14.Bh6?!

More common is 14.Nxc5 Qxc5, and now 15.Bh6 or 15.Qg4.

The engines suggest an apparent-novelty, 14.Ng3!?, but reckon 14...Qf6 leaves Black with the upper hand.

How should Black proceed?

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14...Bb4!?

How should White respond?

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15.Qf3!?

This is not satisfactory for White, but it seems there is no good answer.
Csaba Papp Zoltán (2350) - Zoltán Schlusnik (2265), Hungarian Team Championship 1998, saw 15.Re2 Qg6 16.a3 d3 17.cxd3 cxd3 18.Re3 Qxh6 19.axb4 Qxg7, with a winning advantage for Black, according to the engines (0-1, 35 moves).

Petr Buchníček (2270) - Stanislav Marek (-), Slovak Championship (Prešov) 1997, went 15.Ng3 Qg6, after which White faces ruinous material loss (0-1, 24 moves).

Both 15.Bd2 and 15.Nd2 can be met by 15...c3, again with a winning position for Black.

15...Qxf3 16.gxf3 Bxe1 17.Nf6?!

This probably makes matters worse. Best, according to the engines, is 17.Rxe1, when Black has several strong moves, including 17...Rfd8!?

17...Ne5 18.Nxg8 Rxg8 19.Bf4 Nxf3+ 20.Kf1

Or 20.Kg2 Nh4+ 21.Kh3 (21.Kg3 Nf5+) Ng6.

20...Bd2!? 21.Bg3 Bh6 22.Ke2 Ng5

Black is knight and pawn up, and about to win a second pawn

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23.Be5 Bxg7 24.Bxg7 Rxg7 25.Rg1 e5 26.h4 Ne6 27.Rxg7 Nxg7 28.Kf3 Kd7 0-1

Wessex B won the match 4-1 (Shropshire & Friends suffered a -1 penalty for defaulting late on bottom board).

4NCL Final Weekend: Game Two

PLAYED on board two (of six) for Wessex B against She Plays To Win Falcons in division four of the Four Nations Chess League this afternoon.

Jane Scott (1650 ECF/1640 Fide) - Spanton (1976 ECF/1937 Fide)

French Advance

1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6 3.d4 d5 4.e5 Bd7 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 Bb5!? 7.dxc5!?

The main move in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database is 7.0-0, but the text scores 16 percentage points better, and is preferred by Stockfish17 and Dragon1.

7...Bxc5 8.b4!?

How should Black proceed?

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8...Bxf2+?

The main line in Mega25 runs 8...Bxd3 9.Qxd3 (9.dxc5? Qa6) Bf8!? 10.0-0, when White is slightly better, according to the engines.

9.Ke2

Not 9.Kf1? Bxd3+ 10.Qxd3 Nh6!? 11.Bxh6 gxh6 as the bishop escapes, or Black gets plenty of compensation for it, eg 12.Ke2 Rg8!? 13.g3 a5 14.Rf1 Bxg3 15.hxg3 axb4.

9...Bxd3+ 10.Qxd3 Nc6 11.Rf1 Bh4!?

Four other moves are known, but this apparent-novelty is the engines' top choice, albeit they reckon White is winning.

12.Nxh4 Nxe5 13.Be3 Qc6 14.Qd4 f6 15.Qc5

The engines prefer 15.Kf2 or 15.a4.

15...Qa6+ 16.b5

Forced, as both 16.Kf2?? and 16.Ke1?? allow the knight fork 16...Nd3+.

16...Qa4 17.Nf3 Qc2+

The engines much prefer 17...b6!? 18.Qb4 Qxb4 19.Nc4, claiming White 'only' has the upper hand.

18.Nbd2 Qd3+ 19.Kd1?!

Not 19.Kf2?? Ng4+ etc, but the engines reckon 19.Ke1 is best.

19...Nc4 20.Bg1

What should Black play?

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20...Qxc3?!

This lets the white king get out of danger, whereas 20...e5! keeps the white king on the back rank and takes the d4 square away from the white queen. The engines reckon 21.Ke1!? then gives White the upper hand, but the position remains tricky.

21.Qd4

The engines reckon 21.Ke2!? is best, but also like 21.Rc1!?

21...Qa3

Stockfish17 gives 21...Qxd4 22.Nxd4 Nxd2 23.Kxd3 Kd7, claiming White has 'only' the upper hand, while Dragon1 suggests 21...Qb4 22.Rb1 Qa4+ 23.Ke2, albeit claiming White is winning.

How should White proceed?

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22.Nxc4!

Opening lines to the white king, albeit while grabbing a pawn and swoping off a dangerous piece, looks strange, but the engines come to agree it is the best move.

22...dxc4 23.Qxc4 Rd8+ 24.Kc2 Ne7

This seems best, even though it allows:

25.Bc5

Objectively Black's best continuation, according to the engines, is 25....Rc8, but after 26.Bxa3 Rxc4+ 27.Kb3 White's extra piece should tell without much difficulty.

25...Qa5!? 26.Bxe7

This is good enough for a win, but even stronger are 26.Rae1 and 26.Qxe6, according to the engines.

26...Kxe7 27.Qc5+ Kf7

27...Rd6!? sets a nice trap, ie 28.Rfd1 Rc8!! 29.Qxc8 Qa4+ gives Black a perpetual. However 28.a4! wins.

28.Ne5+ Ke8 29.Nc4 Qa4+ 30.Kb2

The engines prefer 30.Kc3.

30...Kf7

The engines' 30...Rd5!? probably gives better chances. They reckon White has to find 31.Qc8+ Kf7 32.Qc7+, winning after both 32...Kg6 33.Qg3+ Rg5 34.Qd3+ Kh6 35.Rad1! (the key is that the white king will be safe on a1) and 32...Kg8 33.Rad1!, eg 33...Rxd1 34.Qc8+ Kf7 35.Ne5+ Ke7 36.Qxb7+ Ke8 37.Qc6+ Ke7 38.Qc7+ Ke8 39.Rxd1 Qxd1 40.Qc8+ Ke7 41.Qb7+ Ke8 42.Qa8+ Ke7 43.Qxa7+ Ke8 44.Qb8+ Ke7 45.Qc7+ Ke8 46.Nc6 (Black has no perpetual).

31.Nd6+!? Rxd6!?

The best try.

What should White play?

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32.Qc7+!

Not 32.Qxd6? as Black wins after 32...Qxb5+ 33.Ka3 Qa5+ and 34....Rd8.

32...Kg6 33.Qxd6 Qxb5+ 34.Ka3 Qa5+ 35.Kb3 Rd8

The same idea as in the previous note, but Black is losing as the white queen has a saving check.

36.Qg3+ Kf7 37.Rad1 Qb5+ 38.Ka3 Rc8 39.Qb3 Qa5+ 40.Kb2 Qe5+ 41.Kb1 Qe4+ 42.Rd3!? Rc4

Or 42...Qxg2 43.Rd7+ (43.Re1 is also very strong) Kf8 44.Rfd1 etc.

43.Ka1 Rb4 44.Qc2 Qe5+ 45.Qc3 Qa5 46.Rd7+ 1-0

She Plays To Win Falcons won the match 4-2.

4NCL Final Weekend: Game One

PLAYED on board two (of six) for Wessex B against Ashfield 3 in division four of the Four Nations Chess League this afternoon.

Spanton (1976 ECF/1937 Fide) - Alex Bentley (1763 ECF/1784 Fide)

Sicilian ...e6/Maróczy Bind

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nxd4!?

This makes an odd impression, at least to me, but it has been played by Vladimir Epishin (2667), Bogdan Lalić (2507) and other grandmasters.

6.Qxd4 d6

The main line in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database runs 6...Ne7 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.Qd1 Bc5, with an equal position, according to Stockfish17, although Dragon1 favours White.

7.Nc3 Nf6

If 7...Ne7, then 8.Be3, when 8...Nc6 can be met by 9.Qd2 with a more harmonious development than in the previous note.

8.Be2 Be7 9.0-0 0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

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White has achieved a Maróczy Bind, while also being slightly ahead on development. The engines reckon White has the upper hand.

10.Rd1!?

Of the 29 games to reach the position in Mega25, 10.Be3 was played in 21 of them, but the engines prefer the text.

10....Qd7

This seems to be a novelty. Known moves are 10...e5 and 10..a6, while the engines suggest 10...Bd7 or 10...b6.

11.Bg5 Rd8?!

Probably better is 11...h6!?, when the engines reckon 12.Bxf6 Bxf6!? 13.Qxd6 Qxd6 14.Rxd6 g5!? leaves Black with enough compensation for a pawn (Stockfish17), or at least only slightly worse (Dragon1).

12.Rd3

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 12.e5!?

12...Ne8 13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.e5 Bd7?

Better is 14...b6.

15.exd6 Qf8!? 16.Bf3 Bc6 17.Bxc6?!

The engines prefer 17.c5.

17...Rxd6!

This is much better than 17...bxc6 18.c5.

18.Bd5 exd5 19.cxd5?

The knight recapture is significantly stronger.

19...Nf6 20.Rad1 Qe7 21.Qc4 Rad8

How would you assess this pawn-up middlegame?

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White is obviously better - winning, according to the engines - but the extra pawn is firmly blockaded, and, as will be shown, making progress proves difficult.

22.h3

If 22.Nb5 Black has 22...Rxd5! 23.Rxd5 Nxd5, when 24.Rxd5?? loses to 24...Qe1+ 25.Qf1 Qxf1+ 26.Kxf1 Rxd5. White instead remains a pawn up after 24.Nxa7, but no longer has a passer, and is no longer winning, according to the engines.

22...a6 23.a4 h6 24.b4 Qd7 25.b5

The engines suggest 25.Rd4, one line running 25...Re8 26.Qd3 Kf8!? 27.Kf1!? Qc7 28.Rc4 Qd7 29.Rd4 Qc7 30.Qf3 Re5, but it is unclear how White makes progress.

25...a5 26.Ne4 Nxe4 27.Qxe4 Re8 28.Qd4 b6

The engines prefer 28...Rd8.

29.Rg3 f6 30.Rdg3 Re5 31.Qc4 Qf5

Active, but not liked by the engines, which suggest holding tight with, for example, 31...Kh7.

32.g4?!

Probably stronger is 32.Re3, when 32...Rxe3 33.fxe3 will allow the d pawn to be supported by a fellow pawn, while 32...Qh5 33.Qc8+ Kh7 34.g4!? Qg5 35.Rxe5 Qxe5 36.Qf5+!? gives White a winning rook-and-pawn ending, according to the engines. In the latter line, if Black instead plays 35...fxe5, then 36.Qc4 consolidates, after which there is much less pressure on d5, and both sides have an isolani, but White's is the only passed one, and White remains a pawn up.

32...Qd7 33.f4?!

The engines much prefer 33.Re3, one point being 33...Rexd5?? loses to 34.Red3.

33...Re8 34.Qd4 f5!

White's king is much less safe than Black's - a key factor in heavy-piece middlegames

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35.gxf5 Qxf5 36.Rg3 Rg6

How should White proceed?

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37.Qf2?

Both 37.Qd3 (37...Re1+ 38.Kg2) and 37.Rxg6 Qxg6 38.Kf2 keep the position equal.

Black to play and win

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37...Rd6

AB offered a draw.

Instead 37...Re2! wins as 38.Qf3 can be met by 38...Qxh3!

Should I have accepted the draw offer?

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Black has full compensation for a pawn, according to the engines, and the Black position is easier to play, thanks to White's three isolated pawns and exposed king, so objectively, ratings aside, it is hard to make out a case for playing on.

38.Qg2 Re7 39.Qf3 Red7 40.Qe3 Rxd5 41.Rxd5 Qxd5 42.Qxb6?

White has nothing better than taking a draw by perpetual.

Black to play and win

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42...Qd1+

The engines show that the clever move 42...Qe4! wins as Black has no good answer to 43...Rd1+.
43.Kh2 Qd2+ 44.Kh1

Not 44.Rg2?? Qxf4+ etc.

44...Qd5+ 45.Rg2 Re7 46.Qc6

Not 46.Qxh6?? Qxg2+ etc.

46...Qd1+ 47.Kh2 Qxa4 48.Qd5+ Kh7 49.Qf5+ Kg8 50.b6 Qb4 51.Rc2

Black to play and draw

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51...Qe1??

Black had to guard the back rank with 51...Re8, and if 52.Rc8 White cannot escape perpetual check after, for example, 52...Qd2+ (exchanging rooks also draws).

52.Rc8 Re8 53.Rxe8+ Qxe8

White to play and win

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54.Qe5?

The simplest win is 54.Qd5+ Kh8 55.b7, meeting 55...Qe2+ with 56.Kg3, after which the checks eventually run out, but not 56.Qg2? as 56...Qb5, followed by pushing the a pawn, draws.

Black to play and draw

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54...Qf7?

The engines reckon 54...Qc6 definitely draws, eg 55.Qxa5 Qc2+ 56.Kg3 Qd3+, when the white king cannot escape the checks, and 54...Qd7!? may draw, although Dragon1 is a lot less convinced than Stockfish17.

55.Qc7 Qa2+ 56.Kg3 Qb3+

White to play and win

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57.Kh4

The engines show only 57.Kf2! wins - not an easy move to find.

Black to play and draw

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57...g5+?

The engines show both 57...Qf3 and 57...Qe3!? draw as the white king cannot escape perpetual check.

58.fxg5 hxg5+ 59.Kxg5

The white king has no cover on the kingside, but it does not need it as the black queen has no support and cannot stop the white king reaching cover on the queenside

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59...Qd5+ 60.Kf6 Qf3+ 61.Ke7 Qf7+ 62.Kd8 Qf8+ 63.Kd7 Qf7+ 64.Kc8 Qe6+ 65.Kb8 1-0

Wessex B won the match 4-2.

4NCL Final Weekend

AM playing for Wessex B in the Four Nations Chess League's final weekend of the 2024-5 season.

We are in division four, which is being held in a Holiday Inn on the outskirts of Coventry today, tomorrow and Monday.

Our opponents today are Nottinghamshire-based Ashfield 3, which, as the table below shows, is something of an upfloat for us.

The time control is 40 moves in 90 minutes, followed by a further 30 minutes, with a 30-second increment throughout.

Board pairings are published 60-90 minutes before the start of each round.

			rd 1	rd 2	rd 3	rd 4	rd 5	rd 6	rd 7	rd 8	P	W	D	L	MP	GP
1	War and Piece A	wapa	pwdp 5	oxf3 5½	eps 5	tfp 4	war 3½	shr 5½	bknc 2½	gck 2	8	6	1	1	13	33
2	Golden Cockerels	gck	spwf 4	bknc 3	wapb 4	war 2	sxm3 5½	gil1 4½	shr 4	wapa 4	8	6	1	1	13	31
3	Barnet Knights C	bknc	gil2 5½	gck 3	sxm3 4½	gil1 3	tfp 3½	ice2 4	wapa 2½	war 5	8	5	3	0	13	31
4	Warrington Mates	war	watb 5½	csc3 4½	gil1 3	gck 4	wapa 2½	wapb 5½	ice2 3½	bknc 1	8	5	1	2	11	29½
5	Apprentice Woodpushers	pwdp	wapa 1	lis 2	watb 3	wapc 4	crob 4½	wata 4½	wapb 3½	csc3 4	8	5	1	2	11	26½
6	Guildford Young Guns 1	gil1	ash3 5½	ash2 4½	war 3	bknc 3	ice2 2½	gck 1½	lis 5½	eps 5	8	4	2	2	10	30½
7	Ashfield 2	ash2	pbu 4	gil1 1½	wapc 5½	shr 2	can 4½	tfp 4½	csc3 2½	wesb 4½	8	5	0	3	10	29
8	CSC/Kingston 3	csc3	cel3 3½	war 1½	bknd 4	ice2 2½	lis 4½	wesb 5	ash2 3½	pwdp 2	8	5	0	3	10	26½
9	Shropshire & Friends	shr	bknd 6	ice2 2½	cel3 4½	ash2 4	eps 3½	wapa -½	gck 2	spwf 3½	8	5	0	3	10	25½
10	Ashfield 3	ash3	gil1 ½	pbu 2½	spwk 4½	edc 3	gil2 5½	lis 2½	spu 3½	wapb 4	8	4	1	3	9	26
11	Iceni 2	ice2	spwk 5½	shr 3½	tfp 1½	csc3 3½	gil1 3½	bknc 2	war 2½	sxm3 3	8	4	1	3	9	25
12	Sussex Martlets 3	sxm3	wapb 3	wapc 5½	bknc 1½	gil2 3½	gck ½	eps 3½	spwf 3	ice2 3	8	3	3	2	9	23½
13	The Full Ponty	tfp	crob 5½	wesb 5½	ice2 4½	wapa 2	bknc 2½	ash2 1½	eps 2½	lis 5	8	4	0	4	8	29
14	Castell Nedd	can	wata 2	wwdp 6	wesb 2½	bknd 4	ash2 1½	cel3 2½	spwk 6	pbu 4½	8	4	0	4	8	29
15	She Plays To Win Falcons	spwf	gck 2	gil2 2½	wwdp 4	crob 3	oxf3 5	edc 4½	sxm3 3	shr 2½	8	3	2	3	8	26½
16	Epsom	eps	wwdp 6	wata 3½	wapa 1	wesb 4	shr 2½	sxm3 2½	tfp 3½	gil1 1	8	4	0	4	8	24
17	Wessex B	wesb	edc 3½	tfp ½	can 3½	eps 2	cel3 3½	csc3 1	wata 3½	ash2 1½	8	4	0	4	8	19
18	Watford A	wata	can 4	eps 2½	pbu 4	lis 3	wapb 2	pwdp 1½	wesb 2½	edc 4	8	3	1	4	7	23½
19	War and Piece B	wapb	sxm3 3	spu 4	gck 2	oxf3 3½	wata 3	war ½	pwdp 2½	ash3 2	8	3	1	4	7	20½
20	Lisburn Chess Club	lis	oxf3 ½	pwdp 3½	crob 4	wata 3	csc3 1½	ash3 3½	gil1 ½	tfp 1	8	3	1	4	7	17½
21	She Plays To Win Uni	spu	wapc 1½	wapb 2	edc 2½	watb 5½	pbu 3	bknd 3½	ash3 2½	oxf3 3	8	2	2	4	6	23½
22	Peterborough United	pbu	ash2 2	ash3 3½	wata 2	cel3 1½	spu 3	crob 5	edc 3	can 1½	8	2	2	4	6	21½
23	English Deaf Chess Association	edc	wesb 2½	crob 2½	spu 3½	ash3 3	spwf 1½	oxf3 3	pbu 3	wata 2	8	2	2	4	6	21
24	War and Piece C	wapc	spu 4½	sxm3 ½	ash2 ½	pwdp 2	spwk 2½	wwdp 4	oxf3 2	bknd 4½	8	3	0	5	6	20½
25	Oxford 3	oxf3	lis 5	wapa ½	gil2 3	wapb 2½	edc 2	spwf -1	wapc 4	spu 3	8	2	2	4	6	19
26	Celtic Tigers 3	cel3	csc3 2½	watb 4½	shr 1½	pbu 4½	wesb 2½	can 3½			6	3	0	3	6	19
27	She Plays To Win Kestrels	spwk	ice2 ½	bknd 2½	ash3 1½	wwdp 2	wapc 3½	gil2 3½	can 0	crob 4	8	3	0	5	6	17½
28	Barnet Knights D	bknd	shr 0	spwk 3½	csc3 2	can 2	wwdp 3	spu 2½	gil2 5	wapc 1½	8	2	1	5	5	19½
29	Crowthorne B	crob	tfp ½	edc 3½	lis 2	spwf 3	pwdp 1½	pbu 1	wwdp 5½	spwk 2	8	2	1	5	5	19
30	Guildford Young Guns 2	gil2	bknc ½	spwf 3½	oxf3 3	sxm3 2½	ash3 ½	spwk 2½	bknd 1	wwdp 4	8	2	1	5	5	17½
31	Woody's Woodpushers	wwdp	eps 0	can 0	spwf 2	spwk 4	bknd 3	wapc 2	crob ½	gil2 2	8	1	1	6	3	13½
32	Watford B	watb	war ½	cel3 1½	pwdp 3	spu ½					4	0	1	3	1	5½