MIDDLESEX HOME (SCCU STAGE)
WANSTEAD HOUSE
15 DECEMBER 2001

In advance of this fixture it was unclear whether the Middlesex team returning to Wanstead House after a 2 year absence from the U175 competition would resemble the side that had been demolished 14½ - 1½ by Sussex, conceding a large number of defaults in the process or the side that had only gone down by 7½ - 8½ to Kent. In the event it was a bit of both; a full team with a reasonably strong line up was announced at the outset, but 3 of the players failed to turn up, and although Zoe Ryle played well as substitute on board 13 before succumbing to give Kevin White his first win for the side, the resultant points handicap coupled with a marked grading disadvantage on the lower boards made a home victory almost inevitable. This duly arrived, although Middlesex won the last two games to finish to keep the Essex winning margin down to respectable proportions. For Essex, Marc Brazier made a long overdue debut, and it was particularly pleasing that Neville Twitchell scored a convincing victory after his last-minute disaster in the Kent match, and that Steve Williams won on his return to the side.

Bobby Payne v Oliver Williams

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 Be7 4.Nbd2 d5 5.e3 0-0 6.Bd3 c5 7.c3 Re8 8.Ne5 Nbd7 9.f4 Nf8 10.0-0 N6d7 11.Qh5 g6 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Qh3 f6 14.Ng4 h5 15.Nf2 Qf7 16.g4 e5 17.fxe5 fxe5 18.Qg2 exd4 19.exd4 c4 20.Nh3 Qe6 21.Bc2 Nf6 22.g5 Qe3+ 23.Nf2 Bg4? 24.gxf6 Qxd2 25.f7+ Kg7 26.fxe8Q Rxe8 27.Nxg4 Re2 28.Rf2 Rxf2 29.Qxf2 Qg5 30.Qf6+ Qxf6 31.Nxf6 Kxf6 32.Rf1+ 1-0

Neville Twitchell v Peter Walters [Notes by Neville Twitchell]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.h3 An innocuous looking move, but one favoured by Fischer on several occasions, most notably against Najdorf himself. One idea is to counter black's queenside expansion of ...a6, b5, b4 and Bb7 with an equivalent kingside demonstration of g4, g5, Bg2 etc 6...b5 The move favoured by Najdorf, though 6...e6, e5, Nc6, g6, Qc7 are all very playable. 7.Nd5!? Offering a pawn 7...e6 Probably best and certainly the safest, though Fischer recommends grabbing the pawn. [7...Nxd5 8.exd5 Bb7 9.c4 bxc4 10.Bxc4²; 7...Bb7 8.Nxf6+ gxf6 9.c4 bxc4 10.Bxc4 Bxe4?! 11.0-0 d5 12.Re1 e5 13.Qa4+! Nd7 14.Rxe4!! dxe4 15.Nf5 was the stem game Fischer-Reshevsky, Varna 1962 which white won brilliantly in just 24 moves- (see My 60 Memorable Games, game 40); 7...Nxe4?! 8.Qf3 Nc5 9.b4! (9.Nf6+ gxf6 10.Qxa8 Bb7 11.Qa7 Qc7 12.b4 Ncd7©) 9...e6 10.bxc5 (10.Nf6+ Qxf6 11.Qxa8 Qxd4 12.Qxb8 Qxa1 13.Qxc8+ Ke7 is a mind-boggling variation given by Fischer) 10...exd5 11.Qxd5 Ra7 given as equal by Fischer.] 8.Nxf6+ Qxf6 9.c4 bxc4 9...b4 keeps it closed but the pawn is vulnerable. However, Fritz 6 has found the amazing move 9 ... d5! (overlooked apparently even by Fischer) viz: - [9...d5 10.exd5 exd5 11.cxd5 Bb4+ 12.Ke2 (12.Bd2 Qxd4) 12...Qe5+ 13.Be3 Qxd5 14.Rc1 0-0 15.a3 Bd6 16.Ke1 --] 10.Bxc4 Bb7 11.0-0 Nd7 [11...Bxe4!? 12.Re1 d5 13.f3 (13.Rxe4? dxe4 14.Qa4+ Nd7 15.Be3 Bc5 16.Rd1 0-0 17.Qxd7 Rad8) 13...Bc5 14.Be3 dxc4 15.fxe4 0-0 16.Rc1 e5 17.Nf5 Bxe3+ 18.Rxe3] 12.f4 Bxe4 At last black has swallowed the bait. I felt that white should now have a tremendous attack. 13.f5! I must admit that after this I thought I had a completely won game, though in fact the position is still very unclear, and it is still all to play for.# 13...e5 Probably best, though it allows a great shot. [13...exf5 14.Nxf5! Bxf5 15.Qd5 Nb6 16.Qc6+ Ke7 17.Qxb6 and black is in a terrible tangle.] 14.Ne6! fxe6 15.fxe6 Qg6 16.exd7+ Kxd7 17.Rf7+ Be7 [17...Kd8 18.g4 Be7 19.Be3 Rb8 20.Qd2 Kd7 21.Raf1 Rhc8 22.Rxe7+ Kxe7 23.Bf7 Qxf7 24.Rxf7+ Kxf7 25.Qxd6; 17...Kc8 18.g4 d5 19.Bxd5 Bc5+ 20.Kh2 Rd8 21.Bxe4 Qxe4 22.Qf1] 18.Qa4+ Kd8 Obviously not 18...Bc6? 19 Rxe7+ [18...Kc8 19.Bxa6+] 19.g4!? [19.Qa5+ Ke8 20.Qa4+ Kd8 21.Qa5+ forces a draw since the king can't really go the other way 21...Kc8 22.Bxa6+ but I was convinced I had a forced win if only I could find it.] 19...d5 20.Qa5+ I spent a long time looking at 20 Be3, but couldn't make it work after 20..Rb8. After the game my opponent managed to convice me that 20 Bd2 is a forced win, but alas Fritz again disabused me by finding the crushing rejoinder 20...Bc5+!, eg [20.Bd2?? Bc5+ 21.Kh2 Qxf7 22.Ba5+ (22.Qa5+ Qc7) 22...Ke7] 20...Ke8 21.Bxd5 Bxd5 22.Qxd5 Rd8! I was now getting the nasty sensation that the win was slipping away, or that it had just never been there in the first place - a not uncommon sensation. [22...Bc5+ 23.Qxc5 (23.Kh2 Rd8 24.Qxe5+ Kxf7 25.Qxc5 Qd6+ 26.Qxd6 Rxd6 27.Bf4 Re6 28.Rc1 Rhe8 29.Kg3 Re2 30.Rc6 R8e6 31.Rc7+ Kf6 32.g5+ Kg6 33.h4 Rxb2 34.h5+ Kxh5 35.Rxg7 Rxa2 36.Rxh7+ Kg6 37.Rh6+ Kf5 38.Bc1 is a hopeless ending for white) 23...Kxf7 24.Qd5+ Qe6 25.Qb7+ Kg6 26.Qe4+ Kf6 27.Qf3+ Kg6 28.Qe4+ Kf7 29.Qb7+ Qe7 30.Qd5+ Kg6 31.Qe4+ apparently forces a draw, but by now Black seemed to think he was the one winning.] 23.Rxe7+ Obviously forced, but I wasn't at all sure whether I could exploit the exposed position of the black king. By now both of us were running into time trouble with about 5-10 minutes left for the remaining moves to the time control at move 35. 23...Kxe7 24.Qxe5+ Kf7?? [24...Qe6?? 25.Bg5+; 24...Kf8 seems to be the critical variation, eg 25.Bg5 Re8 26.Rf1+ Kg8 and although black's rook is temporarily imprisoned on h8 it is hard for white to conjure up a decisive combination. 27.Qd5+ (27.Be7 h6 28.b4 hoping to mobilise the queenside majority but it is very slow.) 27...Qe6 28.Qd4 h6 After the text white finally does have a forced win.] 25.Qc7+! Ke8 [25...Kf6 26.Bd2 Rxd2 27.Rf1+ Ke6 28.Re1+ mating; 25...Ke6 26.Bg5 Rd4 27.Qc6+ Ke5 28.Qc5+] 26.Bg5! Qxg5 This leads to mate but Black has no defence to the multifarious threats. 27.Re1+ Kf8 28.Rf1+ After 28...Qf6 29 Qxd8 wins the house. 1-0

Steve Williams v John Harvey

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 h6 6.Bh4 0-0 7.Nf3 c6 8.Rc1 a6 9.Bd3 Nbd7 10.0-0 Nb6 11.c5 Nbd7 12.Bb1 g6 13.Ne5 Nxe5 14.dxe5 Nh5? 15.Bxe7 Qxe7 16.Na4 Ng7 17.Nb6 Rb8 18.f4 Nf5 19.Rf3 Rd8 20.g4 Ng7 21.Rh3 Kh7 22.Kh1 Rh8 23.b4 Kg8 24.Qf3 f5 25.gxf5 Nxf5 26.Bxf5 exf5 27.Rg1 Kh7 28.Nxc8 Rhxc8 29.Rxg6! 1-0

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