Return Match

The second of our pair of friendly matches against the University team was played in the Hugh Owen Building of the University on Thursday 24th November. Playing his first match for the Club, Luis Ortiz Sanchez had Black on top board againt his compatriot Lluis Navarro. Appropriately the opening was a Catalan, though I suppose a Spanish would have been still more so. White took advantage Black's loose queenside to penetrate the position and was soon able to work his way over to the kingside and force mate. In another Catalan (by transposition from the English), Peter Windows won a piece in the opening and was always winning but had to be patient in the face of some awkward Black counterplay before it finally fizzeld out. Sam Holman's King's Indian soon became blocked; Harry Fox's position looked better, but he had no way through. Samuel Raybone reached a level ending against Patrick Bourne in a Queen's Gambit Declined. Black dropped a pawn and White missed a chance of a winning advantage but the eventual ending with rook and pawn against rook was a clear draw. Once again the result was a friendly 2-2.

[Event "Aberystwyth Town vs Aberystwyth Univers"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/XlJ"] [Date "2022.11.24"] [Round "?"] [White "Navarro, Lluis"] [Black "Ortiz Sanchez, Luis"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D78"] [WhiteElo "1970"] [BlackElo "1892"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/pwbourne"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nd7 3. c4 c6 4. d4 Ngf6 5. Nbd2 g6 6. Bg2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O { The opening has elements of the Catalan and the Grunfeld.} 8. b4 $5 {White decides that his natural area of expansion is the queenside, with the possibility of a minority attack supported by the fianchettoed bishop.} Re8 9. Bb2 Ne4 $6 {Looks unwise because of the vulnerabilty of the pawn after it recaptures the knight.} 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Ng5 e5 (12... f5 $4 13. Qb3+ $18) 13. Nxe4 Qb6 {This must be the point of Black's 9th move, attacking the b and d pawns.} 14. d5 Qxb4 {Black has recovered the pawn, but the queen comes under attack.} 15. Bc3 Qa3 16. Qd2 b5 17. Rab1 Rb8 18. Ba5 {Penetrating on the weak dark squares.} Bf8 19. Rb3 Qa4 20. Bc7 Rb7 21. Rc1 $16 b4 22. Rc6 Rb5 23. Bh3 f5 24. Re6 Kf7 $2 (24... Re7 25. Nd6 Rxe6 26. dxe6 Rc5 27. Nxc8 Rxc7 28. Bxf5 $1 $16 {and if} gxf5 29. Qg5+ {winning.}) 25. Ng5+ {and the rook falls.} Kg8 26. Rxe8 Nc5 27. Bd6 Nxb3 28. Rxf8+ Kg7 29. Rf7+ Kh8 30. Ne6 Bxe6 31. Qh6 Bxf7 32. Qf8+ 1-0 [Event "Aberystwyth Town vs Aberystwyth Univers"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/XlJ"] [Date "2022.11.24"] [Round "?"] [White "Windows, Peter"] [Black "Zurek, Filip"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E02"] [WhiteElo "1713"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/pwbourne"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. c4 e6 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. d4 dxc4 5. Nc3 {The Open Catalan.} Bb4 $4 { A blunder, losing a piece.} 6. Qa4+ Nc6 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. Qxb4 Nd5 9. Qxc4 O-O 10. Nf3 Qd7 11. Ne5 Qe8 12. O-O (12. Qxc6 {winning a pawn and offering a queen trade looks natural, but of course this is fine, too.}) 12... Bb7 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Qd3 a5 15. Qc2 f6 16. Nd3 Qe4 17. Be3 Rfe8 18. Qd2 {Threatening Nc5.} Bc8 19. Nc5 Qg6 20. Nd3 Ba6 (20... Qe4 21. Rfc1 Bh3 22. Ne1 {defends the mate threat, but White is a bit uncomfortable for the time being.}) 21. Rfe1 Bb7 22. b3 Re7 23. Nc5 Bc8 24. Rac1 Bh3 25. Qd3 Bf5 26. Qd2 Rae8 27. Nd3 Be4 28. Nf4 Qf5 29. Rc3 g5 30. Ng2 Qh3 31. f3 {At last White is able to play this defensive move...} Bg6 32. Bf2 h5 33. Rxc6 {...and has time to take this pawn and penetrate the Black position.} Kg7 34. Rc5 Kh8 35. Rxd5 Re4 36. Rc5 (36. fxe4 Bxe4 37. Ne3 Bxd5 38. Nxd5 {and White's troubles are over.}) 36... h4 37. Rc6 hxg3 38. Bxg3 g4 39. Rxf6 gxf3 40. Rxf3 {threatening to win the queen.} Rd8 $2 {Black misses it, but the contest is over anyway.} 41. Be5+ Rxe5 42. Rxh3+ Bh7 43. Qf4 Red5 44. Qf6+ Kg8 45. Rg3+ 1-0 [Event "Aberystwyth Town vs Aberystwyth Univers"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/XlJ"] [Date "2022.11.24"] [Round "?"] [White "Fox, Harry"] [Black "Holman, Sam"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E61"] [BlackElo "1386"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/pwbourne"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Bg5 O-O 5. e3 {Black's Modern Defence has become a King's Indian.} d6 6. Nc3 Re8 7. Be2 Bg4 8. O-O Nc6 9. h3 Bf5 10. Bxf6 {Giving up the two bishops to attack in the centre.} (10. d5 Ne5 11. Nd4 { gains space.}) 10... Bxf6 11. e4 Bd7 12. Rc1 e5 13. d5 Ne7 {The position has become blocked, and White looks to attack on the queenside.} 14. b4 Bh8 15. a4 f5 {The natural counter.} 16. Nd2 f4 $6 {But this releases the tension and allows White to block the advance.} 17. Bg4 Rf8 18. Bxd7 Qxd7 19. f3 g5 20. b5 $6 (20. c5 $1 {looks much better.}) 20... b6 {Now both advances are blocked.} 21. Kf2 Ng6 22. Na2 h5 23. Rg1 Bf6 24. Ke2 a6 25. Nb4 a5 26. Nc6 Ne7 27. Nxe7+ Qxe7 $11 {Black has a bad bishop, but there's no clear way through for White.} 28. g4 fxg3 29. Rxg3 h4 30. Rg4 Rf7 31. Qg1 Rg7 {White was threatening to take the h pawn.} 32. Qg2 Rf8 33. Qf2 Kf7 34. Rg2 Ke8 35. Nf1 Kd7 36. Ne3 Qd8 37. Nf5 {The knight looks powerful here, but there's nowhere for it to go.} Rgf7 38. Qg1 Kc8 39. Nh6 Rh7 40. Nf5 Rhf7 41. Nh6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Aberystwyth Town vs Aberystwyth Univers"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/XlJ"] [Date "2022.11.24"] [Round "?"] [White "Raybone, Samuel"] [Black "Bourne, Patrick"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D30"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/pwbourne"] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 {Queen's Gambit Declined, Exchange Variation.} 5. Bg5 c6 6. Qc2 h6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. e3 Bd6 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Bf5 11. Bd3 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Nd7 13. O-O Rac8 14. Rfe1 Nb6 15. b3 c5 16. e4 dxe4 17. Nxe4 Qd8 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. Rac1 Rfd8 20. Red1 cxd4 21. Rxc8 Nxc8 22. Qe4 (22. Qxd4 {leads to exchanges and a likely draw.}) 22... Qd5 23. Qxd5 Rxd5 24. Rxd4 Rc5 {Threatening mate.} 25. g4 (25. g3 {looks safer.}) 25... Kf8 26. Rd2 b5 27. b4 Rc4 28. Ne5 Rc1+ {The rook can't leave the c file because of the threat of Rd8+.} 29. Kg2 Nb6 30. Nd7+ Nxd7 31. Rxd7 Rc4 32. a3 $6 {The g pawn will fall with check.} (32. h3 $1) 32... a5 $1 (32... Rxg4+ 33. Kf3 Rc4 34. Rxa7 $11) 33. bxa5 Rxg4+ 34. Kf3 Ra4 35. Ra7 Rxa3+ {Now Black has the upper hand, but these rook endings are notoriously hard to win, and this one is probably drawn anyway.} 36. Ke2 g5 37. a6 Kg7 38. Rb7 (38. Ra8 b4 39. a7 Kf6 40. Kf1) 38... Rxa6 39. Rxb5 Ra3 $1 {Taking this valuable defensive rank away from the White rook.} 40. Rb4 $2 Kg6 $2 (40... Rh3 $1 $18) 41. h4 f6 42. hxg5 hxg5 (42... Kxg5 {gives Black a passed pawn, and the king can shelter from check behind the other one.}) 43. f4 Kf5 44. fxg5 fxg5 {The ending is drawn.} 45. Kf2 g4 46. Kg2 Kg5 47. Rc4 Kh4 48. Rb4 Ra2+ 49. Kg1 Kh3 50. Rb1 Rd2 51. Rc1 g3 52. Rb1 Rg2+ 53. Kh1 Rf2 54. Kg1 Rf5 55. Rc1 g2 56. Rb1 Kg3 57. Rc1 Rf1+ 58. Rxf1 gxf1=Q+ 59. Kxf1 1/2-1/2 /div>

Back in Business

The last couple of years have been difficult for chess in the area. Not only were we forced to move to online competitions because of the Covid pandemic, but three popular players and energetic supporters of Dyfed chess have sadly died: FM Iolo Jones, organizer of the Dyfed League and one of the pioneers of modern Welsh chess, Tony Haigh, Treasurer of the Dyfed Chess Association, and David Pinch, who kept chess going by organizing online matches and torunaments when over-the-board play was impossible. They are all much missed.

For Aberystwyth Town Chess Club, the problems were compounded by factors which had been apparent even before the pandemic, the erosion of our membership and the lack of a suitable place to meet. Two valued members, Rudy and Julie van Kemenade moved away from the area earlier this year, leaving us down to four active players, Adam Watkin-Jones, Tom Gunn, Sam Holman and myself - and, now Adam is unable to play for the time being due to pressure of work. In the circumstances, I thought it would be necessary to dissolve this historic club.

But, unexpectedly, things have begun to revive, both for the club and Dyfed. Several new players have moved into the Aberystwyth area, and at the same time FM Howard Williams, the Secretary of the Dyfed Chess Association, has begun the process of reviving the Dyfed League, which is due to start as a hybrid online / OTB event in January. As we look for a permanent meeting place, the Town club has been generously welcomed by our sister club at the University to their Wednesday afternoon sessions in the Arts Centre bar, and we have celebrated having enough players for a team by organizing some friendly matches.

The first of these was played between the University and the Town at the Arts Centre bar on Thursday 17 November. On top board for the Town, Peter Windows couldn't make progress with his kingside attack against Toby Carter's Pirc, and a misjudged exchange left him down in material, with a lost game. I built a defensive stronghold with my Caro-Kann against Toby Bates, and was eventually able to break out with a winning counterattack. Tom Gunn turned the win of a piece into a speculative queen sacrifice in an irregular Queen's Pawn Game against Harry Fox, and gained a decisive advantage in the ensuing complications. Samuel Rayburn also played a Caro-Kann against Rufaro Chisiwenga but lost a pawn to a neat tactic and was unable to get back into the game. A 2-2 draw seemed an appopriate result for this celebratory friendly.

[[Event "Aberystwyth Town vs Aberystwyth University"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/VLj"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "?"] [White "Windows, Peter"] [Black "Carter, Toby"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B07"] [WhiteElo "1713"] [BlackElo "1891"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/pwbourne"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 d6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d3 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. h3 O-O 6. Be3 c6 7. Qd2 e5 8. Be2 {With the pawn on d3, it would be more usual to fianchetto the bishop, King's Indian Attack style.} Re8 9. Bh6 Bh8 10. Nh2 d5 $11 {Black's counterthrust in the centre at least balances White's kingside prospects.} 11. Bf3 Be6 12. Ng4 {Hoping to eliminate a defender and / or open the h file.} Nbd7 13. Bg5 Qc7 14. Nh6+ Kf8 15. Ng4 d4 16. Ne2 Ng8 { Guarding h6. White's attack still doesn't amount to much.} 17. Bh4 {Presumaby Peter isn't castling queenside because of} (17. O-O-O Bxa2 18. b3 a5 19. Kb2 a4 {with unclear complications.}) 17... Bg7 $15 18. Bg3 Qd8 19. Nc1 {Heading for b3 to allow queenside castling, but it takes a piece away from the kingside.} f5 $17 20. Nxe5 $2 {A miscalculated exchange, but Black was looking better.} Nxe5 21. Bxe5 Bxe5 22. Nb3 fxe4 23. Bxe4 Nf6 24. f4 Nxe4 25. dxe4 Qh4+ 26. Qf2 Qxf2+ 27. Kxf2 Bxb3 28. axb3 Bxf4 29. Kf3 Be5 30. Rab1 Kg7 31. Ke2 Rf8 32. Kd3 Rf2 33. g4 Raf8 34. Rhf1 $2 {Ending the game quickly.} Rxf1 0-1 [Event "Aberystwyth Town vs Aberystwyth University"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/VLj"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "?"] [White "Bates, Toby"] [Black "Francis, Matthew"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B15"] [WhiteElo "1563"] [BlackElo "1648"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/pwbourne"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 {The Tartakower variation of the Caro-Kann.} 6. Nf3 Be6 {Murray Smith, our strongest player, thinks the bishop is misplaced here. I was aiming at a formation I'd seen online, with bishops at e6 and d6, a rook at e8 and a knight at f6, but it seems more logical to develop the kingside first.} 7. Bd3 Bd6 8. Be3 O-O 9. h4 Re8 10. h5 (10. Ng5 fxg5 11. hxg5 g6 {and White's sac hasn't achieved anything. }) 10... Nd7 11. Nh4 Nf8 {Black's defensive plan is complete.} (11... Bf4 12. Bxf4 $2 (12. O-O $1) 12... Bg4+ {looks tempting, but White doesn't have to capture the bishop.}) 12. Kf1 $5 {Avoiding pinning ideas on the e file.} Qd7 { Guarding f5.} 13. c3 Rac8 {Preparing the typical c5 break in this opening.} 14. Qc2 c5 15. Nf5 cxd4 16. Bxd4 Bc5 $14 17. Rh4 Qc6 18. Rg4 {Sacrificial ideas on g7 or f6 don't work.} Bxf5 19. Bxf5 Rcd8 20. Rd1 $11 {Black's defence has held and the pieces start to come off.} Bxd4 21. Rdxd4 Rxd4 22. Rxd4 h6 {Planning to let the knight out at last, though it never happens.} 23. Qd2 $6 (23. Qd3) 23... Qb5+ 24. Qd3 (24. Bd3 Qxh5 25. Kg1 {looks better.}) 24... Qxb2 25. Kg1 $2 {The losing move. After Qc2 White could fight on.} Re1+ 26. Kh2 Qxf2 27. Qf3 ({ There's no defence, eg,} 27. Qc4 Qg1+ 28. Kg3 Re3+ 29. Kf4 Qf2+ 30. Kg4 Qg3#) 27... Qg1+ 28. Kg3 Re3 0-1 [Event "Aberystwyth Town vs Aberystwyth University"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/VLj"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "?"] [White "Gunn, Tom"] [Black "Fox, Harry"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "1422"] [BlackElo "1504"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/pwbourne"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d5 $6 {The Marshall Defence, which is considered dubious.} 3. e3 (3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. Nf3 {threatening 5.e4 with a dminant position.}) 3... b6 $6 {Premature and weakens the queenside. Black shoud transpose into the QGD with 3.e6.} 4. Nf3 (4. cxd5 $1) 4... e6 5. Nc3 Bb4 $2 {Losing a piece.} 6. Qa4+ Nc6 7. Qxc6+ Bd7 8. Qxa8 $2 (8. Qb7 {saves the queen.}) 8... Qxa8 $19 9. Bd2 O-O 10. Bd3 a5 11. Ne5 Qa6 $2 {Putting the queen on a vulnerable square.} 12. cxd5 $15 Bb5 $2 (12... Qc8) 13. Bxb5 $18 Qb7 14. Bc6 Qa6 15. O-O-O Bxc3 16. Bxc3 exd5 17. g4 Ne4 18. Be1 {Defending against the fork.} f6 $2 19. Bxd5+ Kh8 20. Nf7+ Kg8 21. Ng5+ Kh8 22. Nxe4 c6 23. Bb3 a4 24. Bc2 Re8 25. Bd3 Rxe4 { Desperation.} 26. Bxa6 Rxg4 27. d5 1-0 [Event "Aberystwyth Town vs Aberystwyth University"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/VLj"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "?"] [White "Chisiwenga, Rufaro"] [Black "Raybone, Samuel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B12"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/pwbourne"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bd3 { 5.Be2 is the Short variation.} Bxd3 6. Qxd3 c5 $11 7. Qb5+ Qd7 8. Qxd7+ Nxd7 9. Be3 {White has played the opening unambitiously. Now 9...cxd4, weakening White's hold on the centre, looks good.} Ne7 10. Nc3 ( 10. dxc5 Nc6 {and White can't hang on to the extra pawn.}) 10... Nf5 11. Nb5 Kd8 (11... cxd4 12. Nc7+ Kd8 13. Nxa8 dxe3 {and Black gets two pieces for the rook.}) 12. Ng5 Ke7 13. dxc5 Nxe3 14. fxe3 Nxc5 $11 15. O-O (15. Nd6 f6) 15... f6 16. Nh3 a6 17. Nd4 Ne4 (17... fxe5 18. Nf3 Nd7 $17) 18. exf6+ gxf6 (18... Nxf6 $1 {defends the d-pawn so that the e-pawn can advance when attacked.}) 19. Nf4 Bh6 20. Nxd5+ $1 exd5 21. Nf5+ Ke6 22. Nxh6 $17 Rac8 23. Rac1 b5 24. Nf5 Rhg8 25. Nd4+ Ke5 { Trying to stay active, but the king is moving into danger.} 26. c3 Rg6 27. Rcd1 Rcg8 28. g3 h5 $2 {Losing another pawn.} 29. Rf5+ Kd6 30. Rxh5 Nxg3 {Desperation.} 31. hxg3 Rxg3+ 32. Kh1 Rxe3 33. Nf5+ 1-0