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With the return of over-the-board chess still looking a distant prospect, the Welsh Chess Union has organized a new online contest, the WCU Online League. Aberystwyth has entered the Under 1800 section of this, with Rudy van Kemenade, who is too strong to play in this section, as non-playing captain. Matches are played on Lichess, with four-player teams and a rather faster time-limit than we were used to in the Dyfed League. Results do not count towards national grading.

On Tuesday 15th September, we played our first match, against North Cardiff Titans. I had White on Board 1 against Liam Penny, in the Portugese Variation of the Scandinavian Defence (one of those delightful hybrid names that chess occasionally comes up with). Black weakened his kingside position but was holding well, and a pawn up, till I found a tactic that regained the material with advantage. Passing up an opportunity for a kinghunt, I transposed into a favourable rook ending, and was able to win it without too much trouble. On Board 2, Julie van Kemenade played a Philidor-type opening with an early queen sortie that she has been using recently - I'm not sure if it has a name, but it seems active and interesting. The position was level till she missed a trick that cost her a pawn, which seemed to discourage her, though she was still reasonably well placed. White took the initiative and invaded on the seventh rank, winning material and the game. On Boards 3 and 4, Tom Gunn and Sam Holman were playing much lower-rated opponents, Callum Penny and Kushi Bagga. Both the Aber players had White, because of a technical issue which meant the Board 4 game was played with reversed colours. The two games, a Colle System and a Ruy Lopez, Bird's Variation, followed a similar course, with the Cardiff players attacking prematurely and giving up material without compensation, allowing their opponents to launch mating attacks with their extra firepower. Our first online match was a 3-1 win to Aberystwyth.

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Move	N	Result	Elo

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1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 2...Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 Horrell-Penny, WEst Wales Major 2019,1-0 3.d4 Bg4 B01 Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Variation 3...Nxd5 Matthew has faced this 3 times, but only in Aberystwyth club games 4.Be2 4.f3 a more complex line 4...Bxe2 5.Qxe2 main Qxd5 6.Nf3 e6 7.c4 7.0-0 main Nc6 8.Nc3 Qh5 7...Qf5 47% for Wh 7...Bb4+ 7...Qh5 main 8.Nc3 8.0-0 8...Be7 8...Bb4 9.0-0 0-0 10.h3 10.d5 main Bc5 11.dxe6 Nc6 63% for Wh 10...h5?! prevents g4, but is a permanent weakness to watch 10...Nc6 11.Be3 Ne4 1 game each 11...Rfe8 12.Rfd1 Rad8 13.a3 Kleinwaechter-Harzer, EU Seniors tm Dresden 2004,0-1 10...c6 11.Be3 Bb4 12.Rac1 Nbd7 13.a3 Bxc3 14.Rxc3 Rfe8 Jarvis-Mountford, 4NCL 2016,1-0 10...h6 11.Rd1 Re8 12.Ne5 c6 13.g4 13.Rd3 Komodo14 MC 11.d5± 11.Nh4± 11...Bc5 12.dxe6 12.Nh4 Qh7 13.dxe6± Komodo14 MC 12...fxe6 12...Nc6 Komodo14 MC 13.Bg5 13.Nh4 Qh7 14.Qxe6++- Komodo14 MC 13...Nc6 14.Rfe1 14.Rad1 14...Rae8 14...e5 15.Bh4 15.Rad1± 15.Bxf6± 15...e5= 16.Ne4 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Rad1 Nd4 18.Qd3= Komodo14 MC 16...Nd4 16...Bb4 17.Nxf6+ 17.Nxd4= 17...gxf6 18.Nxd4 Bxd4 19.Rad1 c5= Though Bl's B looks a better placed than Wh's 20.Kh1 Rf7 21.b4 Komodo14 MC first choice 21.b3 looks sensible e4 Komodo14 MC 21...Bc3 21...b6= Komodo14 MC 22.Rf1 22.Rg1 cxb4 23.Rd5= Komodo14 MC 22...cxb4 23.Rd5= for half a pawn, Wh gets the open file Qg6 24.Rfd1 24.f4= Komodo14 MC 24...Rfe7 24...Rg7 25.R1d3 25.Rd7 25...Rg7 26.f3 26.Rg3 Rudy & Komodo14 MC , after a bit of consideration [ looks promising as Bl has to take care of a draughty K side] Qf7 26...Qb1+ 27.Rd1 Qf5 28.Rxg7+ Kxg7 29.Rd6 Rf8 30.c5 Qb1+ 31.Kh2 Qf5 32.Qb5 Rf7= 27.Qd3 Kf8 28.Rxg7 Kxg7 29.Qe4 Re7 30.Rd3 f5 31.Rg3+ Kh6 32.Qf3 Re6 33.Rg5 Bd2 34.Rxf5 e4 35.Qf4+ Bxf4 36.Rxf7 Be5 37.g4= Komodo14 MC 26...Bd4? appears to hold the fort, but allows an invasion elsewhere 26...Ra8= Komodo14 MC 27.Bxf6!+- 27.Be1 looks posible, however a5! 28.Rxa5 Bf2!-+ Komodo14 MC 27...Qxf6 27...e4!? 28.R5xd4 28.R3xd4 looks stronger- keeping a R on the active d5 outpost 28...Rc8 28...e4 29.Re4 Rg5 29...Rc5 30.Rd5 Rxd5 31.cxd5 Rc7 32.Rxb4+- Komodo14 MC 30.Rd5 30.Rd7 preferred by Komodo14 MC 30...Qc6 seeking activity rather than defend weak pawns 30...Re8 31.Qd2+- 31.f4 Rf5 32.fxe5+- 32.Rd7+- 31.Rdxe5 31.Rexe5 appears stronger Rg6 31...Rxe5 32.Qxe5 leaves the Bl K very exposed 32.Qe4 Rf8 33.c5 33.Rxh5 also 33...Rg7 34.Re6 Qc7 35.Re8 Qf7 36.Rxf8+ Qxf8 37.Qh4 Qf7 38.Rxh5 Wh just picks up pawns, while Bl has great difficulty covering the K 31...Rxe5 31...Qf6 32.Rxe5 Qxc4 32...Rc7!? 32...Rd8!? 33.Rg5+ 33.Re8+ is another K hunt Kh7 33...Rxe8 34.Qxc4+ 34.Qe7+ Kg6 35.Qd6+ Kg7 36.Qe5+ Kg6 37.Re6+ the kind of positions Engines adore, where humans, especially in time pressure, go in for simpler measures ( though the Bl K position is dire enough) Kf7 38.Re7+ Kg6 39.Rg7+ Kh6 40.Qg5# 40.Qf6# 33...Kf7 33...Kf8 may be a little bit better 34.Rf5+ Kg8 35.Qf2 h4 36.Rg5+ Kf7 37.Rg4 Qc1+ 38.Kh2 Rg8 39.Rxh4+- 34.Qxc4+ 34.Qe5+- Komodo14 MC 34...Rxc4 35.Rxh5 Rc1+?! helps the K forward 35...Rc2 at once 36.Kh2 Rc2 37.Ra5 37.Rh7++- Ke6 37...Kg6 holds up the Wh pawn advance, but is also liable to end up in a mating net 38.Rxb7 a5 39.a4 39.a3 bxa3 40.Rb5 looks simpler 39...Ra2 40.h4 Rxa4 40...Ra3 41.Rb5 41.g4 Ra2+ Bl would have had better chances if the Wh K were still on h1 42.Kg3 Ra3 43.h5+ Kf6 43...Kh6 44.Kh4 Rxf3 45.g5# 44.h6 Rc3 45.g5+ Kxg5 45...Kg6 46.Kg4 mating net 46.h7 Rc8 47.Rg7+ Kf6 48.Rg8 note that the Bl pawns have scarcely been able to move 38.Rxb7 Rxa2 38...a5 39.h4 Rxa2 40.h5 Rc2 41.h6 Rc8 42.g4 Ra8 43.h7+- is much too slow 39.Rxb4+- 37...a6 38.Kg3± Bl has 2 and a half pawns to 1 on the Q side, while Wh is 3-0 on the other. Kg6 39.Ra4 39.h4+- 39...Rb2 40.f4 40.h4 preferred by Komodo14 MC 40...b3 there is little else for Bl to try 41.axb3 Rxb3+ 42.Kg4 42.Kh4 Kf6 43.g4 42...Rb2 43.g3 Rb5 44.h4 a saying is that Bl pawns travel faster, not here. Kh6 45.f5 45.Re4 45...Rb3 46.f6 46.Rd4 46...Kg6 47.Rf4 Kf7 48.h5 the extra Wh pawn on g3 limits Bl's R mobility b5 48...Rb1 49.h6 Rh1 50.Kg5 Kg8 51.f7+ Kf8 52.Kg6 and the Bl pawns are nowhere 49.h6 a5 50.h7 a4 51.h8Q Normal Black resigns. 1–0

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White	EloW	Black	EloB	Res

Matthew Francis	1648	Liam Penny	1793	1–0
Gavin Williams	1640	Julie van Kemenade	1641	1–0
Tom Gunn	1398	Callum Penny	905	1–0
Sam Holman	1386	Kushi Bagga	882	1–0

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