Quick Links:

  Home

ECA Admin Menu

 Club Scene

Clubs News

This year's National Club Finals provided success for two Essex Clubs: Wanstead in the Major Final and Thurrock in the U100 Plate Final, played at Golden Lane Estate, London EC1 (the London League central venue).

National Club Major – Final, 12th July 2009

Rogues gallery of the winning Wanstead team (The "Angels"!), l to r: non-playing captain John Philpott (with the trophy), Ian Reynolds, Ian Hunnable, Philip Staniland, Larry Marden, David Spearman. [Photo: Brian Smith]

Wanstead were at full strength, fielding the same quintet that was successful in the semi-final away to Hastings. The only thing Wanstead lost all afternoon was the toss, so they had the majority of blacks. One of these was neutralised comfortably when Ian Reynolds forced a draw by repetition.

Larry Marden had his opponent under pressure from an early stage and secured the full point to give Wanstead the lead. David Spearman in a queenless middlegame faced a passed pawn, but managed to neutralise its effect and offered the draw.

This left Philip Staniland with a comfortable positional advantage and Ian Hunnable getting back into the game after weathering an early Black initiative. Hunnable missed several winning opportunities before entering a winning R & P ending, but the match was wrapped up first by the full point on board 5. When the ECF CEO resigned board 2, Wanstead had a convincing 4-1 win.

Play through the games from both matches in DGT Game viewer    Games supplied by John Philpott

Jacek Winter - Ian Reynolds [C54]
National Club Major Final board 1, 12.07.2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 d6 5.c3 a6 6.0-0 Nf6 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.Nbd2 g5 11.Bg3 Qd7 12.b4 Ba7 13.b5 Nb8 14.bxa6 b5 15.Bb3 Nxa6 16.Qc2 c5 17.a4 b4 18.Bc4 Nc7 19.cxb4 cxb4 20.Bb5 Nxb5 21.axb5 0-0 22.Qc6 Rfc8 23.Nxe5 Qe6 24.Qb7 Rcb8 25.Qc6 Rc8 26.Qb7 Rcb8 27.Qc6 ½-½

Ian Hunnable - Chris Majer [A31]
National Club Major Final board 2, 12.07.2009
Notes by Ian Hunnable
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4 c5 3.c4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d5 6.cxd5 Bc5 7.e3 0-0 8.N5c3 e4 9.Be2 Re8 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Nd2 Nb6 12.a3? Preparing b4 while, I thought, maintaining a defence to the d-pawn, but this is based on a miscalculation. Best is 12 Qc2. 12...Nbxd5 I thought that Black couldn't do this on account of 13 Ndxe4, but he captures with the rook: 13.Ndxe4 Rxe4 14.Nxe4 Nxe4=/+. 13.Nxd5  13...Qxd5 14.b4 Qe5? 15.Rb1? I played well enough to win this game, but had trouble focusing my thoughts. Here is the first example. 15.Bb2 Qxb2 16.Nc4 Qc3 17.Rc1+- On missing this opportunity, I handed Black the initiative. 15...Bd6 16.g3 Qe6 17.Bb2 Be5 18.Qc2 Bxb2 19.Qxb2 Qh3 20.Rfd1 Ng4 21.Nf1 Bf5 22.Rd6 h5 The need to bring up reinforcements indicates Black's initiative is waning. Also inconclusive is 22...Ne5 23.Nd2 Bg4 24.Bf1 Qh5 25.Qd4 Bf3 26.Qd5= 23.Rc1 h4 24.Rc5 At this point, I felt I was back in the game with dangerous threats gathering around the Black king. 24...hxg3 25.hxg3 g6 26.Bc4 Nh6 27.Nh2 Ng4? 28.Nxg4 Here and on the next move, I missed Bxf7+ with Rc7(+) to follow. 28...Qxg4 29.Qf6 Here, I really should have been able to see 29.Bxf7+ Kxf7 30.Rc7++- 29...Be6 30.Bxe6 I looked at 30.Rg5 but once again couldn't focus on the conclusion: 30...Qf3 31.Rxg6+ fxg6 32.Qxg6+ Kh8 33.Qh6+ Kg8 34.Rxe6 Qd1+ 35.Kh2+- 30...Rxe6 31.Rxe6 Qxe6 32.Qxe6 fxe6 With the fragmented Black pawns, White must win this ending. 33.Rc7 b6 34.Re7 Rc8 35.Rxa7 Rc1+ 36.Kg2 Ra1 37.Re7 Rxa3 38.Rxe6 Kf7 39.Rxe4 Black could resign here, but plays on, more in hope than expectation, in view of the match situation. In fact, by the time this game was finished, we had already secured the match. 39...Rb3 40.f4 Rb2+ Time control. QPF. 1.56/1.58 41.Kf3 Kf6 42.Rc4 Kf7 43.e4 Rb3+ 44.Kg4 Kg7 45.f5 gxf5+ 46.exf5 Kf7 47.Kf4 Rb1 48.g4 Rb2 49.Ke5 Ke7 50.g5 Re2+ 51.Re4 Rb2 52.g6 Rg2 53.f6+ Kf8 54.Kf5 Rf2+ 55.Ke6 Rf1 56.g7+ Kg8 57.Ke7 b5 58.Re6 Rf2 59.Re5 Rf4 60.Ke6 Rf2 61.Rxb5 Alternatively 61.Rh5 is sufficient. 61...Re2+ 62.Re5 1-0

Jeremy Fraser-Mitchell - David Spearman [A45]
National Club Major Final board 3, 12.07.2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 g6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.c4 f5 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.g3 0-0 7.Bg2 d6 8.e3 c5 9.Nge2 Nd7 10.0-0 a6 11.Rb1 Rb8 12.b4 cxd4 13.exd4 Nf6 14.a4 Qc7 15.Qd3 Be6 16.c5 Rfd8 17.c6 d5 18.cxb7 Qxb7 19.Nf4 Ne4 20.Rfc1 Qb6 21.Nce2 Rdc8 22.Rxc8+ Rxc8 23.b5 axb5 24.Qxb5 Qxb5 25.axb5 Rb8 26.Bxe4 dxe4 27.Nxe6 fxe6 28.b6 Rb7 29.Rb4 Bf6 30.Nc3 Bd8 31.Na4 Kf7 32.f3 exf3 33.Kf2 Ke7 34.Kxf3 g5 35.g4 Kd6 ½-½

Larry Marden - David Bower [E94]
National Club Major Final board 4, 12.07.2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nbd7 8.Be3 c6 9.Qc2 a6 10.Rfd1 Qe7 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Nd2 Nc5 13.Na4 Nxa4 14.Qxa4 b5 15.Qc2 Ng4 16.Bxg4 Bxg4 17.f3 Be6 18.Nb3 Rfc8 19.Bc5 Qg5 20.Na5 f5 21.Qf2 fxe4 22.fxe4 Bf8 23.Be3 Qg4 24.Qf6 Bg7 25.Qf3 Bf8 26.c5 Rc7 27.b4 Rf7 28.Qxg4 Bxg4 29.Rd2 Bd7 30.h3 Ra7 31.Rad1 Kg7 32.Bg5 Be8 33.Rd8 Be7 34.Rxe8 Bxg5 35.Nxc6 Be3+ 36.Kh2 Rac7 37.Nd8 Rfd7 38.Rxd7+ Rxd7 39.c6 Rd2 40.c7 Rc2 41.Ne6+ 1-0

Ian Cross - Staniland,Philip [D12]
National Club Major Final board 5, 12.07.2009
1.d4 d5 2.e3 Bf5 3.Bd3 e6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.0-0 Nbd7 6.c4 Bxd3 7.Qxd3 c6 8.Nc3 Bd6 9.Re1 0-0 10.c5 Bc7 11.e4 dxe4 12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.Qxe4 Nf6 14.Qh4 Nd5 15.Qe4 Nf6 16.Qh4 Nd5 17.Qe4 Qf6 18.Bg5 Qg6 19.Qxg6 hxg6 20.a3 f6 21.Bh4 Kf7 22.Bg3 Rad8 23.Bxc7 Nxc7 24.Rad1 Rd5 25.Re3 Rfd8 26.Rb3 Rb8 27.Rdd3 a5 28.Nd2 Nb5 29.Nf3 a4 30.Rb4 Rbd8 31.Kf1 e5 32.Rd2 e4 33.Ng1 Rxd4 34.Rbxd4 Rxd4 35.Ke2 f5 36.Rc2 Rd3 37.Rc4 Rb3 38.Rxa4 Rxb2+ 39.Ke3 Rb3+ 40.Kd2 Nxa3 41.Ne2 Rd3+ 42.Kc1 Nb5 43.Kc2 Rd5 0-1

Play through the games from both matches in DGT Game viewer    Games supplied by John Philpott

National Club U100 Plate – Final, 12th July 2009

Thurrock rogues gallery, l to r: Ron Prickett, Mike Bradford, Robin Smith and Andrew Offord. [Photo: Brian Smith]

Play through the games from both matches in DGT Game viewer    Games supplied by John Philpott

Mike Bradford - Ray Francis [B72]
National Club U100 Plate Final board 1, 12.07.2009
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Be2 g6 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 a6 9.Qd2 Qc7 10.Nf3 Nc6 11.Rfd1 b5 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.exd5 Ne5 14.c3 Nc4 15.Bxc4 Qxc4 16.Qd3 Qxd3 17.Rxd3 Bb7 18.Re1 Rfe8 19.Nd2 Rac8 20.Bg5 Kf8 21.Be3 Kg8 22.f3 Kf8 23.Kf2 Kg8 24.Bf4 Kf8 ½-½

Steve Rogers - Andrew Offord [A18]
National Club U100 Plate Final board 2, 12.07.2009
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e4 a6 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Bc2 d6 7.d3 Bg4 8.Be3 Nd4 9.Rg1 0-0 10.h3 Bxf3 11.gxf3 Kh8 12.f4 exf4 13.Bxf4 Qd7 14.Rh1 Rae8 15.Be3 c6 16.Bxd4 Bxd4 17.Qf3 d5 18.0-0-0 Bxc3 19.bxc3 d4 20.cxd4 Qxd4 21.Rhg1 Re6 22.a4 b5 23.axb5 axb5 24.cxb5 cxb5 25.Qg3 g6 26.Kd2 Nxe4+ 0-1

Robin Smith - Ian Jenkins [D35]
National Club U100 Plate Final board 3, 12.07.2009
1.d4 d5 2.e3 e6 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.c5 c6 8.Bd3 b6 9.cxb6 axb6 10.0-0 Ba6 11.Ne5 Nxe5 12.fxe5 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 Ne8 14.Rf3 f5 15.Bd2 Nc7 16.Raf1 Qd7 17.a3 c5 18.Rh3 Rf7 19.Qe2 g6 20.Qf3 Raf8 21.Qf2 c4 22.Rf3 Kh8 23.Ne2 Bg5 24.Qg3 Qd8 25.Qf2 Kg8 26.g3 Kg7 27.h4 Be7 28.Nf4 Rh8 29.Qg2 Qg8 30.Bb4 Kf8 31.Bd6 Bxd6 32.exd6 Ne8 33.Nxe6# 1-0

Ron Buffton - Ron Prickett [D05]
National Club U100 plate board 4, 12.07.2009
1.d4 e6 2.e3 d5 3.Bd3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.b3 Nc6 6.a4 cxd4 7.exd4 Bd7 8.Bd2 Bd6 9.Nc3 a6 10.h3 h6 11.Rb1 Nb4 12.a5 Nxd3+ 13.cxd3 Bb4 14.Na2 Bxd2+ 15.Qxd2 0-0 16.Nc3 Qxa5 17.b4 Qd8 18.Ra1 Qe7 19.Na4 Bxa4 20.Rxa4 Rfc8 21.g4 b5 22.Ra1 Nh7 23.h4 Qc7 24.Ra3 Qc1+ 25.Qd1 Qxa3 26.Ke2 Qxb4 27.g5 Qb2+ 28.Qd2 Rc2 29.Ke3 Rxd2 30.Nxd2 a5 and Black went on to win comfortably 0-1

Play through the games from both matches in DGT Game viewer    Games supplied by John Philpott

Essex Chess Association

About | Clubs | Links | Site Map | Contact ECA