KENT AWAY (SCCU STAGE)
CHARLTON HOUSE
13 JANUARY 2001

Any doubts as to the effect that the home defeat against Sussex might have on team morale were removed by a commanding performance at Charlton House. Essex struck early when Colin Ramage's 12 Nxf7 quickly established a won position. Although Ivan Myall doubled the lead, it still looked at that stage like being a tight match. However, once Larry Marden, whose king looked in great danger, managed to turn the tables on top board, Essex were away and running and the points just continued to pile up all afternoon. Despite the clear lead, difficult positions continued to be defended as if the match depended upon them, and special praise should go to John White for hanging in against the Kent captain after losing a pawn early on. In the end, Essex managed to negotiate the afternoon without losing a single game, a feat only previously achieved by the team at home to Sussex in 1992/93.

Robert Maullin v Larry Marden

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.0-0 d6 6.c3 d3 7.b4 Bb6 8.Qb3 Qe7 9.a4 a5 10.b5 Ne5 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.Ba3 Qf6 13.Nd2 Bg4 14.Bd5 Rb8 15.Nc4 Be2 16.Nxb6 cxb6 17.f4 exf4 18.e5 Qxe5 19.Bxf7+ Kd7 20.Rxf4 Qxf4 21.Qe6+ Kc7 22.g3 [Missing 22 Bc5!] Bg4 23.gxf4 Bxe6 24.Bxe6 Nf6 25.Rd1 Rbd8 26.Bc1 d2 27.Rxd2 Rxd2 28.Bxd2 Ne4 29.Be3 Nc5 30.Bc4 Rf8 31.Bd4 g6 32.Be5+ Kd7 33.Bd5 Nd3 34.Bg7 Rxf4 35.c4 Nc5 36.Kg2 Nxa4 37.Kg3 Rf5 38.Bg8 Nc5 39.Bd4 Ne4+ 40.Kg2 Nf6 0-1

Mark Robertson v Ivan Myall

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.0-0 Nd4 5.Nxd4 Bxd4 6.c3 Bb6 7.Qe2 c6 8.Ba4 Nf6 9.d4 d6 10.d5 Bd7 11.c4 cxd5 12.Bxd7+ Qxd7 13.cxd5 0-0 14.Na3 Bc5 15.Nc2 a5 16.a4 Rfd8 17.Qd3 Qg4 18.Re1 Qg6 19.Bd2 Rf8 20.b4 axb4 21.Bxb4 Rac8 22.Bxc5 Rxc5 23.f3 Nxd5 24.Qb3 Rc3 25.Qb2 Nf4 26.Ne3 Rfc8 27.Rac1 Rxc1 0-1

Martin McCall v John Lewin

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 c6 5.Qd2 Nbd7 6.f3 b5 7.0-0-0 Qa5 8.Kb1 a6 9.g4 h5 10.g5 Nh7 11.e5 Bg7 12.exd6 e6 13.Nge2 0-0 14.Ng3 Bb7 15.Nge4 b4 16.Ne2 c5 17.dxc5 Bxe4 18.fxe4 Nxc5 19.Bg2 Rab8 20.Bd4 Bxd4 21.Nxd4 Na4 22.Nc6 Qc5 23.Nxb8 Nc3+ 24.bxc3 bxc3 25.Qc1 Rxb8+ 26.Ka1 Nf8 27.d7 Rd8 28.Qb1 Nxd7 29.Qb3 Rb8 30.Qa4 Ne5 31.Rb1 Rd8 32.Rhd1 Rd2 33.Rxd2 cxd2 34.Qb3 Qd4+ 35.c3 Qd3 36.Rd1 Ng4 37.Qb2 1-0

Mark Ruston v Neville Twitchell

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.Nf3 g6 7.Nc3 Bg7 8.Be3 0-0 9.Be2 Nc6 10.Rc1 Bg4 11.b3 f5 12.Ng5 Bxe2 13.Nxe2 Qd7 14.d5 Nd8 15.Nf4 Re8 16.Nge6 Be5 17.Nxd8 Rexd8 18.Ne6 Re8 19.g4 fxg4 20.Qxg4 Rf8 21.Rg1 Rf7 22.h4 Kh8 23.h5 Rg8 24.f4 Bf6 25.f5 g5 26.Bxg5 Qc8 27.Bxf6+ Rxf6 28.Qxg8+ Qxg8 29.Rxg8+ Kxg8 30.c5 dxc5 31.Rxc5 Rxf5 32.Rc7 Nxd5 33.Rc8+ Kf7 34.Nd4 Rxh5 35.Rd8 Nf6 36.Rb8 b6 37.Rb7 Rh1+ 38.Kd2 Rh2+ 39.Kd3 Rxa2 40.Nc6 Nd5 41.Ke4 Nf6+ 42.Kd3 Nd5 43.Ke4 Rd2 44.Rxa7 Kf6 45.Nd4 Nc3+ 46.Ke3 Rxd4 0-1

Mark Brougham v George McNally

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bg5 Bg7 4.Nbd2 d5 5.e3 0-0 6.Bd3 Nbd7 7.0-0 c6 8.c4 Qc7 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.Rc1 e5 11.Qb3 Qb6 12.Qxb6 N5xb6 13.Nc4 h6 14.Be7 Re8 15.Ba3 Nxc4 16.Bxc4 exd4 17.exd4 Nb6 18.b3 Bg4 19.Ne5 Bxe5 20.dxe5 Rxe5 21.Bd3 Rae8 22.Bb2 Be2 23.Rfe1 R5e6 24.Bb1 Nd5 25.Bd4 b6 26.f3 c5 27.Bf2 Nf4 28.Be4 Bd3 29.Bxd3 Rxe1+ 30.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 31.Bxe1 Nxd3 32.Bd2 g5 33.Kf1 f6 34.Ke2 Ne5 35.Ke3 Kf7 36.Bc3 Ke6 37.g4 Kd5 38.Bb2 b5 39.Bc3 b4 40.Be1 a5 41.h4 c4 42.bxc4+ Kxc4 43.hxg5 hxg5 44.Bg3 a4 0-1

David Morris v Ian Hunnable

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.0-0 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.Nc3 a6 11.Qe2 Ne7 12.Kh1 Nc6 13.f4 Nb4 14.Rd1 Nxd3 15.Rxd3 Qb6 16.f5 [16.Be3 is the book movc] 16...Bb5 White's most dangerous piece is his knight with the threat of the sac on d5. This forces the exchange of that piece. White spent a long time over his next four moves.17.fxe6 fxe6 18.Nxb5 Qxb5 19.Qh5+ [I expect White spent his time on 19.Qg4?! Qxd3 20.Qxe6+ Kd8 21.Bg5+ Kc7 22.Rc1+ Kb8 Black can avoid the complications with 19...Qd7, but at the time I was intending to take the rook (subject to final analysis). White interpolates a check.] 19...g6 20.Qg4!? In reaching this point, White had incurred a time deficit of some 40 minutes over my clock. He has either overlooked that he had 20 Qh3, or wanted to tempt me into 20...Qxd3 now that, at the end of the analagous sequence given in the previous note, he will have Bf6 regaining some material. However, in view of my time advantage, I wasted little time in declining the offer. 20...Qd7 21.Bg5 Bg7 22.Rf1 Rf8 23.Rxf8+ Kxf8 24.h4 Kg8 25.h5 gxh5 26.Qh4 Rf8 27.Bf6 Bxf6 28.exf6 Qf7 29.Rf3 Kh8 30.Qd4 Rc8 31.Qe5 Rg8 [White is annoyingly near to securing a draw. I wanted to play 31...Rc1+ 32.Kh2 Qc7 but 33.Qxc7 Rxc7 34.f7 is a win for White. So I have to fiddle around a bit, with White in time trouble.] 32.Rb3 Threatening Rxb7! 32...b5 33.a4 Rf8 34.Rf3 bxa4 35.Qd4 Rc8 Reaching the quickplay finish, with Black having 17 minutes in hand against White's one. 36.Qe5 h4 With the idea of ...Kg8 not being met by Rg3+, but also changing things a bit. 37.Rf4 Rc1+ 38.Kh2 Rc4 39.Kh3? [39.Qb8+ Qg8 40.f7 Qxb8 41.f8Q+ Qxf8 42.Rxf8+ Kg7 is a straightforward rook and pawn ending win.; 39.Rf3 Re4 raising the blockade.] 39...Rxf4 40.Qxf4 Kg8 41.Kxh4 [I was unaware at the time, but White had 41.Qg4+ Kh8 (41...Kf8 42.Qb4+) 42.Qf4 However, Black can then proceed with 42...a5 preventing the check on b4.] 41...Qg6 42.g4 h6 White now throws in a couple of traps before the towel. 43.Qe5 Kf7 44.Qh5 Kxf6 0-1

Colin Ramage v Brendan O'Gorman

1.g4 d6 2.Bg2 Nc6 3.g5 g6 4.d4 Bg7 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.c3 h6 7.Qb3 Rb8 8.Nbd2 hxg5 9.Nxg5 e6 10.h3 Bh5 11.Nde4 Nf6 12.Nxf7 Qd7 13.Nxh8 Bxh8 14.Nxf6+ Bxf6 15.Bxc6 Qxc6 16.Qxe6+ Be7 17.Bg5 Qd7 18.Qxe7+ Qxe7 19.Bxe7 Kxe7 20.Kd2 Rf8 21.f3 Rf4 22.Rag1 Ke6 23.h4 a6 24.Rg5 b6 25.Ke3 Rf6 26.c4 Ke7 27.Rc1 c6 28.b4 Re6+ 29.Kf2 Rf6 30.a4 Kd7 31.b5 cxb5 32.cxb5 axb5 33.Rxb5 Rf4 34.Ke3 Rxh4 35.Rxb6 1-0

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