Tag: Chess

Bicester 1 v Cumnor 1 [Match Report]

After Cumnor 1’s exploits in the Frank Wood Shield, it was back to the league with a visit to Bicester. Bicester 1 have had a good season so far and their only loss was against Cumnor 1 back in October. A close match transpired but Cumnor pulled the draw out of the bag when the pressure was on.

The evening did not start too well with Gareth’s loss to Richard Becket. However, Richard is one of the form players in the League so far this season with points 6.5 from 7 games. My (Liam’s) game was… putting it politely just awful and there is not much to say about that.

So with Cumnor two points down it was not going well nevertheless both Andrew and Simon picked up draws on boards 1 and 3. Mark got an all important win against Tom Maddox.

Surprisingly, Daniel was the last to finish. A win would mean the match would finish as a draw, anything less and Bicester would win. As the clock ticked down, Antony had two Bishops and a Rook v Daniel’s two Rooks and an additional pawn. Daniel also had bit of extra time on his clock so Antony offered a draw. Daniel refused the draw in a worse position and then won the time scramble.

Bicester 1 are having a great season – so holding them to a draw (and in an away match too, where we didn’t have the benefit of a stadium full of supportive fans) is a fantastic result.

Playing for Oxfordshire!

Berkshire Vs Oxfordshire Result U150

Wellington College (built as a national monument to the Duke of Wellington) had the honor of hosting the match.
Wellington College (built as a national monument to the Duke of Wellington) had the honor of hosting the match.
On 17th January our under grade 150 team won their Chiltern League match against Berkshire at Wellington College by 12 games to 4.

Two Cumnor players took part for Oxfordshire, Gareth Stevens who drew his game and Liam Glenn who got a win.

The team have won all three of their matches so far this season, but still have the return match against Buckinghamshire and the two matches against Hampshire to come.

Ray Cordon’s write up and the complete result can be found here.

Cumnor 1 v Witney 1 [Frank Wood Shield – Match Report]

King downAt the tail end of 2014, there were a few dry mouths in the Cumnor chess camp.

“Have you seen the draw for the Frank Wood Shield in January?” someone said with a nervous twitch akin to Herbert Lom in the Pink Panther movies. “They’ve only gone and drawn us against Witney 1 in the first round.”

G-u-l-p.

You see, the Frank Wood Shield is the Oxfordshire chess equivalent to the FA Cup. Teams from across the county competing in a knock-out competition.

And Witney 1? Well, they have won the Frank Wood Shield twice in the last three years, and are league one champions. And that’s before you even stop to remember that they’re currently top of the top league, and unbeaten this season.

Cumnor 1, as fine a team as we are, are literally not in the same league as Witney 1.

In case I haven’t emphasised the point enough: Witney 1 is a very good chess team.

So there Cumnor’s team was, last night, playing at home against – jeepers – Witney 1.

Because of Witney’s lofty position in the premier league, we didn’t have to win more games than them in the match. But we did need to get at least 2.5 points, and even that looked like it might be a real challenge.

But not to fear. Simon Terrington, Cumnor’s top-graded player, had had a dream:

I just had this weird dream. Zoe, Liam and I halved out on the top three boards and then one of Andrew, Mark, Gareth or Daniel came up with that moment of creative sparkle that brought a win and progression to the next round against City 1. Bring on City and then…BRING ON THE CUP! Ahhhh what a great dream it was.

Would Simon’s dream come true? Well, sometimes even long shots make it…

David and Goliath

Gareth finished first, with a strong win, playing as White on board 4. You can relive his game below.

Then Liam fell on his sword after Csaba Koszta did a sneaky knight sacrifice which rapidly unravelled Liam’s kingside as white’s Queen and rook swept in.

Zoe performed superbly, holding a robust opponent with a much higher grade to a draw in a game which ended up with just rooks and pawns.

Is it really possible that Cumnor could knock Witney out of the competition?

After a slow and steady game, in which nothing terribly dramatic happened, Simon and his opponent on board 1 agreed a draw. Of course, ensuring that nothing terribly dramatic happens in your chess game is a skill in itself, and there is probably much to learn from analysing such games.

Here it is:

The score now was 2 – 2. Cumnor only had to squeak one draw out of Mark and Daniel’s continuing games to cause a major upset.

And then, boy wonder Daniel did it on board 6. Earlier in the game, Daniel had managed to swap a knight for one of his opponent’s rooks, and now he had used some cunning tactics to steal away another piece.

It was all over. Daniel’s opponent resigned, and it was 3-2 to Cumnor.

Only Mark’s game remained, but sadly despite valiant efforts it was clear that the writing was on the wall, and his opponent applied pressure with two past pawns and slipped his Queen in for a decisive mate.

But no-one was really upset… because Cumnor, against all odds, had knocked Witney out of the Franks Woods Shield: 3 – 3.

Match result

Thanks to our opponents from Witney 1 who played a fine game, and certainly kept us on our toes. And well done to Simon, Zoe, Liam, Gareth, Mark and Daniel for playing so well.

Next stop? City 1.

38th Kidlington Chess Tournament, 7-8 February 2015

38th Kidlington Chess Tournament, 7-8 February 2015

This year’s Kidlington Chess Tournament is taking place on Saturday and Sunday 7 & 8 February and will be held at Exeter Hall, Kidlington. There will be four sections (Under-120, Under-145, Under-180, and Under-225) of five rounds each, with a total prize fund of £1930. There will be, as usual, a bookstall provided by Chess Direct, and refreshments will again be provided by Hackett’s Food & Drink of Witney.

Full details can be found on the entry form, which can be obtained online from either the tournament website: https://kidlingtonchess.org.uk/

The organizing team hope that many local players will again support this well-established and friendly event and have an interesting and enjoyable weekend of competitive chess. We look forward to seeing you there!

Gerard O’Reilly

Cumnor 1 v Cowley 3 [Match Report]

Cumnor 1 had an early Christmas present, after beating Cowley 3, 4-2 on Thursday night.

Cumnor 1 Cowley 3
1 Terrington, Simon (173) 1-0 Idle, Oscar (150)
2 Stevens, Gareth (147) 0-1 Robson, David W (149)
3 Glenn, Liam (147) 0-1 Rasell, Geoff C (147)
4 Varney, Zoe (149) 1-0 Keeling, David (136)
5 Sayers, Mark (139) 1-0 Stanley, William (Bill) (133)
6 Varney, Daniel (137) 1-0 Taylor, John F (131)
Match played on Dec 11 2014. 4-2

Cumnor 1 played the same starting 6 which had beaten Wantage 1 only 3 weeks before, so confidence was high. As tradition dictates Daniel was the first to finish with a win on the bottom board. I (Liam) was the next to go but I ended my night badly with a loss, mainly caused by Geoff playing very accurate and quick moves, poor piece co-ordination and some time trouble at the end. I might ask Father Christmas for an extra 10 minutes on my clock in my stocking this year.

Simon won for the third game in a row on the top board against Oscar just before Gareth lost his game on the board below.

Christmas chess

Zoe confirmed at least a draw for the team with her win and Mark finished it off with a win on board 6. So at the halfway point in the season we have 3 wins and 3 losses out of the 6 games, click here for the table.

The next game for either team isn’t until 2015 and a quick reminder that the club is closed on 25/12 (Christmas Day) and 1/1 (New Years).

The last club night of 2014 therefore is Thursday 18/12 with an exciting game between Mark and Simon to decide the winner of the 2014 Players Cup on offer and maybe some Mince Pies if you are lucky!

If I don’t see you before please eat, drink and be merry!

Didcot 2 v Cumnor 1 [Match Report]

Last Wednesday saw Cumnor 1 take on Didcot 2 at the Marlbourgh Club in Didcot.

Unfortunately, Cumnor’s team was suffering even before the first pawn had been moved: both Andrew and Zoe became unwell on the day of the match, forcing Zoe to pull out. Special thanks goes out to Robert Steel who stood in at a very short notice.

Didcot 2 Cumnor 1
1 Thetford, Roger (130) 0-1 Terrington, Simon (173)
2 Harvey, John (129) 0-1 Glenn, Liam (147)
3 Webb, Andrew (127) 1-0 Varney, Andrew (147)
4 Harkins, Sam (128) 0.5-0.5 Alvarez, Francisco (115)
5 Jacobs, Robert B (123) 1-0 Steel, Robert (85)
6 Reynolds, Gary (126) 1-0 Slade, Richard ()
Match played on 3 Dec 2014. 3.5-2.5

The bottom two boards, Richard and Robert, did not have the best of evenings.

Both lost their games but they were playing strong opponents with much higher grades.

Pako had to dig-in when he went against two connected outside past pawns but with some pressure on theKingside he managed to exchange down to an endgame with Knight v Bishop and pawn. The Knight was just about to sacrifice itself for the Pawn when the players agreed a draw.

Andrew, who was feeling unwell, played well but then made a mistake which eventually proved fatal.

With the match already lost for Cumnor, the top two boards carried on regardless. Simon reached an interesting endgame with no easy win, but in true Simon-style came through a combination which saw him in a much better position.

Liam’s game was also very interesting, and you can play it through below.

The result keeps Cumnor 1 in fourth place in division 2, and demonstrates that one week you can beat top of the table Bicester then the next week lose to bottom team Didcot!

Cumnor 2 v City 4 (Abingdon School) [Match Report]

Cumnor 2 has been busy, taking on the chess teams of both City 4 and Cowley 4 in the space of five days.

The two teams are Cumnor 2’s main rivals at the top of the division 4 table, so there’s no denying the importance of these matches.

You can find out how Cumnor 2 fared against Cowley 4 here, but below you will find the result from Cumnor 2’s home game against City 4, who are made up of students and staff from Abingdon School.

Old Abingdonian Richard Slade (right), about to play Robert Jeffreys, a biology teacher at Abingdon School.
Old Abingdonian Richard Slade (right), about to play Robert Jeffreys, a biology teacher at Abingdon School.
Cumnor 2 City 4 (Ab Sch)
1 Sayers, Mark (139) 0-1 English, Andrew (127)
2 Carr, Robin (124) 1-0 Reynolds, Edward (107)
3 Bennett, Steven (110) 0.5-0.5 Ren, Ray (106)
4 Ives, Marc (97) 0-1 al-Akiti, Rafi’i (105)
5 Slade, Richard () 0-1 Jeffreys, Robert (104)
6 Flockton, Alan () 0-1 Beckinsale, James ()
Match played on 4 Dec 2014. 1.5-4.5

Richard Slade, now playing for Cumnor, used to play for Abingdon School while he was a student, and was looking forward to take on his old school. Meanwhile, Alan Flockton played his debut game for Cumnor 2, appearing on board 6.

Sadly, on this occasion, the team from Abingdon School beat the chaps from Cumnor. Better luck next time Cumnor 2!

Cumnor 1 v Wantage 1 [Match Report]

Firstly, please accept my apologies for the late delivery of this match report.

I was unable to publish the result due to an issue which will soon become clear.

But let’s start at the beginning. On Thursday 20th November Cumnor 1 took on Wantage 1. This early in the chess season both teams wanted the points to get off to a good start.

Cumnor 1 Wantage 1
1 Terrington, Simon (173) 1-0 Piggott, Roly (149)
2 Stevens, Gareth (147) 0.5-0.5 Ashford, Martin E (134)
3 Glenn, Liam (147) 0.5-0.5 Langham, Rod E (137)
4 Varney, Zoe (149) 1-0 Spalding, George H (129)
5 Sayers, Mark (139) 0.5-0.5 Richards, Simon A (124)
6 Varney, Daniel (137) 1-0 Cordon, Ray (85)
Match played on 20 Nov 2014. 4.5-1.5

Gareth was the first to finish this time with a draw on board two – the position was blocked with neither player able to make any real progress, a draw was offered and accepted.

Daniel picked up a piece and then a win against Ray who was playing his second game against Cumnor in as many weeks.

Mark had also recently played against Wantage (albeit Wantage’s second team), being part of the successful Cumnor 2 team that won its match on 13 November. Mark managed to get the same result this time for his game – a draw.

Zoe had a great position and as George Spalding said after the match “She was as strong an opponent as I have had all season, all her pieces seemed to always be on good squares – the sign of a good player – and I got hardly any play.”

Meanwhile, on board 1, Simon managed to win his game.

It was my game (Liam) on board 3 which was the most engaging.

The game went though a few phases before it got to the critical position.

At first I thought I had an advantage then I knew I had an advantage and finally I thought I was going to lose! The explanation into what happened next is taken from my version of events which had to be put in front of an arbiter.

The arbiter determined the game was a draw, which I believe is the right result.

Here are my notes on what happened:

“This is the position with White (Rod) to play, he had 90 seconds on his clock while Black (Liam) had under a minute.

Board position

White played b8... White pushed the pawn to the eight rank and hit his clock. I understand that this is an illegal move. White should have replaced the pawn with the promoted piece before hitting his clock therefore he did not complete his move. However, I did not say anything, as my clock was ticking and after I take the piece (whatever it is) we have reached a drawn position.

So I took the pawn/piece with my rook (...Rxb8) and offered a draw.

Board position

I could see that this was a drawn position and I had about 30 seconds on my clock, White had about 85 seconds left. Whatever White does I can win the a-pawn within the next few moves and potentially swap off Rooks to result in a final draw.

White’s next move completely stunned everyone, he picked up my Rook and replaced it with a Black(!) Knight (I am not sure how to notate that) and hit the clock.

Board position

Now my clock was running and I sat there for a few seconds trying to work out how the Black Knight got there. I then asked him what made him play that (thinking I was just being an idiot under time pressure and had miscalculated).

A discussion ensued while my clock was still ticking down, which it shouldn’t have been as White yet again hadn’t made a legal move. This action caused confusion, and was a clear interference of play at such a critical time of the match.

After a few more seconds I asked for the clocks to be stopped while I still had time left, I had about 6 seconds left at this point and by the time the clock were paused I had run out of time. Black then claimed a win because my clock fell seconds after the game was halted, saying he had done nothing wrong”

The result places Cumnor 1 into the middle of the table for division 2, with two wins and two losses out of the four games.

The updated table for division 2 can be found here here.

Carlsen Retains Crown

A big thanks to everyone who supported me on this interesting journey. Two down, five to go.
“A big thanks to everyone who supported me on this interesting journey. Two down, five to go.”

World chess champion, Norway’s Magnus Carlsen retained his title, handing out a punishing defeat to Indian challenger Viswanathan Anand in the 11th round of their title match in Russia on Sunday.

The reigning world champion punished Anand for his misadventurous exchange sacrifice on move 24 to wrap up the game in 45 moves.The final score at the end of 11th round stands at 6.5-4.5 in favour of Carlsen.

With this win, Carlsen retains the title that he wrested from Anand in Chennai last year.

If you feel like playing some chess, why don’t you head down to the local club (see here for more details), I promise we are not all as good as Magnus!