SUSSEX HOME (SCCU STAGE)
WANSTEAD HOUSE
20 OCTOBER 2001

This fixture caused some difficulties in both camps, partly because of its proximity to the opening round of matches but also because of individuals unavailable because of flights to play in Jersey. Whereas Essex were able to shuffle the pack and field a team no weaker than the previous week, Sussex were severely depleted and ended up having to concede bottom board. The comfortable home win that the teams on paper suggested would be the case duly arrived, although in the event the heavily outgraded Sussex lower order held their own, with the damage being done at the top where Essex scored 6½/7, including a win for debutant Ian Reynolds.

Tim Hebbes v Stephen Hawes

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.d3 Bc5 6.0-0 c6 7.Bc4 d6 8.Nd2 Be6 9.Bxe6 fxe6 10.e5! d5 11.Qg4 Qe7 12.Nb3 Bb6 13.Nxd4 Kd7 14.Nb3 Qf7 15.a4 Re8 16.Be3 Bxe3 17.fxe3 Qe7 18.Qd4 Ra8 19.e4 Nh6 20.exd5?! [20.c4 fritz] 20...cxd5 21.c4 Nf5 22.Qc5 [22.Nc5+! Ke8 (22...Kc6 23.Rxf5 Qxc5 24.cxd5+ exd5 25.Qxc5+ Kxc5 26.Rf4 d4 27.Rf7 b5) 23.Rxf5 exf5 24.cxd5 b6 25.Ne6 (25.Na6 Rc8 26.d6) 25...Rc8; 22.Rxf5?! exf5 23.cxd5 b6] 22...d4 23.Qb5+ Kc7 24.Nc5 b6 25.Na6+ Kb7 26.Nb4 a6? [26...a5 A) 27.Qc6+ Ka7 28.Nd5 Qb7 29.Qxe6 Rhf8 30.Rxf5 Rae8 31.Rxf8 Rxe6 32.Raf1 Rxe5 (32...Ka6 33.R1f7) ; B) 27.Nd5 27...Qd8 28.g4 Nh6 29.Nf4 Qe8] 27.Qc6+ Ka7 28.a5 1-0

Rasa Norinkeviciute v Ian Hunnable [Notes by IDH, who commented that "This was an occasion where advance notice of one's opponent was an advantage, otherwise I might have lost on time getting her name down.  In this respect, however, I was the best pick on the Essex side to meet this opponent having first made her acquaintance in last season's Insurance fixture with Hastings: I had already mastered not only the spelling, but also the pronunciation!"]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 Qb6 8.Nf3 f6 9.exf6 Nxf6 10.0-0 cxd4 11.cxd4 Bd6 12.Nc3 0-0 13.Bg5 Qd8 14.Rc1? [Better is 14.Re1 preventing Black's planned transfer of the Queen to the kingside as 14...Qe8 is met by 15.Bxf6 Rxf6 16.Nxd5] 14...Qe8 15.Qd2 Qh5 16.h3 Bd7 17.Rfe1 h6 White sank into a long think about this, and on playing her reply had only 20 minutes left. 18.Bf4 [18.Bh4 Nxd4; Best I think is 18.Be3 when I planned the freeing 18...e5] 18...Ne4 The best option despite White's next move, possible as the bishop on d6 is loose, since White is left with a broken Kingside after the exchanges. 19.Rxe4 dxe4 20.Bxd6 exf3 21.Bxf8 Rxf8 22.Bf1 fxg2 23.Bxg2 e5 24.dxe5 Bxh3 25.Qd5+ Kh8 26.Re1 Bxg2 27.Kxg2 Qg4+ 28.Kf1 Qf5? [Correct is 28...Qf4 when the game defence 29.Re2 meets with 29...Nd4] 29.Re2 Rd8 30.Qe4 Qh3+ 31.Qg2 At this point, getting nothing out of pressure against the king, I decided to go for the rook and knight ending, with a substantial time advantage for the Quickplay Finish. 31...Qxg2+ 32.Kxg2 g5 33.Ne4 Rd5 34.Nd6 Nxe5 35.Nxb7? [White, in a time-scramble misses the better option 35.Rxe5 Rxd6 36.Re8+ Kg7 37.Re7+ Kf6 38.Rxb7] 35...Kg7 The quickplay finish commences with White having 31 minutes against Black's 44. 36.Nd6? [This simply puts White's knight in peril. Correct was 36.Rc2 ] 36...Nd3 [36...Ng6 is more accurate, preventing 38 Re7+] 37.Ne8+ [Even after 37.Re7+ Black has adequate play. 37...Kf6 38.Nc8 Rc5 39.Re8 Rc2 40.Kg3 Nxf2! 41.Rf8+ Kg7 42.Rxf2 Rxc8 with a winning rook and pawn ending.] 37...Kf7 38.Kf3 Ne5+ 39.Ke4 Rd7 40.Kf5? [White had to play 40.Rc2 after which Black maintains the advantage with 40...Nd3 41.Nc7 Nb4 42.Rc4 Nxa2 43.Nb5 Rd2 etc.] 40...Nc6 41.Re3 Ne7+ 42.Ke5 Kxe8 43.Kf6 Rd6+ 44.Kg7 h5 45.Re5 h4 46.Kh7 Rg6 47.b4 h3 [I chose to decoy the rook before manouevring my knight to f6, but I could have played 47...Kf7 then ...N-g8-f6 immediately] 48.a4 h2 49.Re1 Kf7 50.b5 Nd5 51.Rd1 Nf6+ 0-1

Ian Reynolds v Adrian Pickersgill

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.Nge2 c5 7.h4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 h5 9.f4 hxg4 10.Bb5+ Nd7 11.Qxg4 Bh5 12.Qh3 a6 13.Bxd7+ Qxd7 14.f5 exf5 15.Qxf5 Qxf5 16.Nxf5 0-0-0 17.Bf4 d4 18.Ne2 Bb4+ 19.Kf1 Bf3 20.Rh2 Bxe2+ 21.Kxe2 g6 22.Nd6+ Bxd6 23.exd6 Nh6 24.c4 Nf5 25.c5 Kd7 26.b4 Rxh4 27.Rxh4 Nxh4 28.Kd3 Nf5 29.a4 Kc6 30.Kc4 Ne3+ 31.Bxe3 dxe3 32.b5+ axb5+ 33.axb5+ Kd7 34.Kd5 f5 35.c6+ bxc6+ 36.bxc6+ Ke8 37.Ke6 Kf8 38.c7 Re8+ 39.Kf6 1-0

Josiah Lutton v Gino Scamardella,

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bb5 Nd4 6.Bd3 e6 7.Nxd4 cxd4 8.Nb5 d5 9.e5 Bh6 10.Nd6+ Kf8 11.b3 f6 12.Ba3 Kg7 13.0-0 f5 14.h3 Ne7 15.g4 fxg4 16.hxg4 Nc6 17.Qf3 a6 18.Qh3 b5 19.Bc5 Bd7 20.Rf2 Bxf4 21.Rxf4 Be8 22.Raf1 Nxe5 23.Nxe8+ Rxe8 24.Bxd4 1-0

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