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Archive for the ‘A Team’ Category

BEC 4.5 Heywood 1.5

Posted on: July 5th, 2012 by Phil Ramsey

BEC got the season off to a great start last night with a comprehensive victory over Heywood.

Edwin and Andy won pretty quickly and then Dave B won to give us at least a draw. David’s half point gave us the match and I managed to get away with some pretty dodgy play as Black and eventually win on time.

Here is the scorecard:

1. Phil 1-0 J Carrington (151)
2. David T 0.5-0.5 B Parkin (116)
3. Dave B 1-0 I Mitchell (110)
4. Keith 0-1 D Thorp (102)
5. Edwiin 1-0 M Lally (77)
6. Andy 1-0 B Thompson (UG)

I expect we will meet stronger teams in Division C but this was a good start.

And just for fun here is my position after 27 moves each:

I expect my “6 pawns attack” to pay rich dividends in future!

Stockport C 3 – ECA 3

Posted on: April 19th, 2012 by Phil Ramsey

Our last match of the season was away to Stockport C in their plush new venue.

David T lost on time and then I evened up the match to leave it all in John’s hands. John was winning but ran out of time to work things out and had to settle for the draw.

1. L Smith (149) 0 – 1 Phil

I took on the King’s Indian with the quiet fianchetto system. However my opponent played it badly and ended up in a cramped position. I then found an accurate move to win a piece and ground down my opponent in the endgame. And for once no time trouble!

2. J Mason (151) 0.5 – 0.5 John

Mason played a quiet system that didn’t allow John’s Albin Counter Gambit. However John developed quickly while Mason dithered and John soon had the advantage. After the time control John had the advantage of good Knight against bad Bishop and a passed pawn but Mason defended well and John didn’t have time to find the win.

3. M McNulty (145) 0.5 – 0.5 Keven

Keven played his “bore Black” system again and again did well, winning a pawn in the middlegame. However he didn’t see a safe way to make progress so took the draw.

4. P King (137) 0.5 – 0.5 Dave B

As always Dave got a decent position out of the opening and managed to get some pressure but King played sensibly and got the draw.

5. A Catlow (UG) 0.5 – 0.5 Paul

Paul played his slow anti-Sicilian system again and again managed to expose his opponent’s King at the cost of exposing his own. Catlow won a pawn but Paul had enough activity to get the draw.

6. V Rushworth (137) 1 – 0 David T

David had a decent French Defence but the classic bad Bishop. In a slightly worse position David lost on time.

So a decent season for ECA. We came close to beating Chorlton twice and almost beat Macclesfield in our first match. However we are not ready for the A division yet so a solid mid table position is about right.

ECA 3.5 Altrincham A 2.5

Posted on: April 12th, 2012 by Phil Ramsey

ECA won their final home match of the season last night to cement their position in 3rd place. Smooth wins by John, Keven and Paul saw us to victory.

1. P Ramsey 0 – 1 Y Kolodiy (178)

Playing another King’s Indian I had a cramped position and in time trouble missed a move to free my position and ended up with a losing endgame.

2. J Reed 1 – 0 K Lockett (169)

Karl played the opening badly and gave John a strong Kingside attack. John missed the quickest win but kept Karl under pressure and he eventually collapsed.

3. K Holton 1 – 0 W McCartney (136)

Keven had a perfect Sicilian, easily refuting McCartney’s attack and then taking control of the board with his extra centre pawns.

4. P Bamford 1 – 0 R Clucas (127)

Paul’s slow system against the Sicilian was exactly that but eventually yielded Paul a mating attack.

5. T Rickards 0 – 1 D Hughes (134)

Tudor had an equal position out of the opening but drifted into a defeat (the game ended in my time trouble so I didn’t see what happened.)

6. A Stokes 0.5 – 0.5 C McNulty (120)

All the heavy pieces were swapped off on the open C file and a sharp endgame was eventually drawn due to insufficient material.

Chorlton 3.5 East Cheshire A 2.5

Posted on: April 4th, 2012 by Phil Ramsey

Last night we put up a great fight against a strong Chorlton side and came close to a famous victory.

Paul lost early on and after three draws and a win from me it was all down to Dave’s game. It looked like his opponent was going to run out of time but Dave made an illegal move and the extra two minutes awarded was enough for Philip to finish off the game and win the match.

1. Hope Mkhumba (184) 0.5 – 0.5 John Reed

John played a drawish version of the Four Pawns Attack against Hope’s King’s Indian and swapped off all the heavy pieces to share the points.

2. Chris Vassiliou (166) 0 – 1 Phil Ramsey

In another Four Pawns Attack against my King’s Indian I played the same obscure sideline that I played against Toole recently and this time got a decent position. With us both in time trouble I played some speculative moves that were probably bad but put Chris under pressure and he eventually lost on time in a lost position.

3. John Horner (172) 0.5 – 0.5 David Taylor

David played a very solid Reti and snapped John’s hand off when he offered a draw!

4. Philip Olbison (162) 1 – 0 Dave Broadbent

Dave once again won the opening and was several pawns up at the time control. Unfortunately Philip had a combination to win two pieces for a Rook and his bishops started to control the game. It looked like it would all end in a mad time scramble but the Dave played an illegal move and Philip had enough time to clean up.

From Dave:

Opening – French advance.

Terrific game v strong opponent (162) but wrong result. Phil Olbison was clearly uncomfortable with my opening. I won a pawn and there were lots of tactics in a complicated game. We were both in time trouble. I castled and immediately noticed he could then win my knight. I then turned the game around and 6 moves later was 3 pawns up and had him on the ropes! My move 36 seemed good just before the time control. However, he found a great reply with R*B to exchange his rook for 2 minor pieces. His minor pieces then took over but he was in serious

danger of losing on time. Unfortunately, I played an illegal move which gave him 2 extra minutes and rescued him. I was then in more time trouble and lost on time but by then he was in the better position.

I stayed until past 11pm with all the |Chorlton team looking at the game.

5. Richard Nurse (164) 0.5 – 0.5 Keven Holton

Keven played his “Bore Opponent” system as White and again got a good position with some positional pressure. However Richard did enough to hold the game.

From Keven:

I had the best of it and in analysis later he conceded I had all the chances but we played it out to a drawn N&P’s ending in all scenarios.

6. Alan Beresford (150) 1 – 0 Paul Bamford

Paul’s Modern Defence got squashed. Paul lost a couple of Queenside pawns early on and then could not stop Alan’s Kingside attack.

We have a slightly easier match next week at home to Altrincham.

ECA 5 Denton B 1

Posted on: March 16th, 2012 by Phil Ramsey

ECA made sure of their status as Division B also-rans with a convincing win over Denton B on Wednesday night.

Denton were rather distracted as they all got stuck in traffic on their way to our venue and one of their players did not turn up at all. Nevertheless we were missing our board 1 so we did well to produce such a good score.

Here is how it went.

1. Phil 1-0 D Toole (171)

I have to face David’s Four Pawns Attack against my King’s Indian and tried a risky sideline where Black does not move his e pawn. I allowed David to play e5 and it looked like I was getting crushed. However in time trouble he didn’t spot the killer move and I was able to get at his King with my Queen and pick up a few pieces with check.

2. Dave N 1-0 Default

Dave N played 1. d4 with great panache and that was the end of that one.

3. Dave B 0-1 K Ahmadi (155)

Dave B was doing fine (as normal) after the opening but then had a hallucination and lost a piece. There was no way back after that.

4. Keven 1-0 P Boyd (123)

Adopting a solid “bore my opponent into a strategic blunder” strategy Keven gradually ground his opponent down with a smooth win. Karpov would have been proud.

5. David T 1-0 D Cook (107)

David T seemed to be without counterplay in a stodgy French defence but his opponent lost on time while looking for the winning move.

6. Paul 1-0 I Urwin (119)

Paul did his best to play a gambit but his opponent insisted that Paul won a pawn instead. Paul gradually consolidated his advantage and won more material.

Next A team match is away to Chorlton on Tue April the 3rd.

ECA 3.5 Stockport C 2.5

Posted on: March 1st, 2012 by Phil Ramsey

East Cheshire A team finally managed something that they haven’t done for years – beat a Stockport team!

The night started off well with a very convincing win by Keven. After a defeat and three draws it all came down to my game. Fortunately my opponent played rather passively and I was able to bring home the bacon.

1. John Reed 0.5 – 0.5 Mark McNulty (145)

John had a dubious opening and had to struggle for a few hours to finally achieve a draw.

2. Phil Ramsey 1 – 0 Peter Taylor (141)

Playing against an Old Indian system I build up a strong pawn centre. However Peter managed to exploit some of the holes in front of my King and complicate things. Fortunately for me he played very unambitiously and I emerged from time trouble with a winning passed pawn.

3. Dave Broadbent 0.5 – 0.5 Peter King (137)

Dave again had a very strong opening and won a pawn in the middlegame. However he let his opponent win the pawn back and eventually a draw was agreed.

4. Keven Holton 1 – 0 Vic Rushworth (137)

Playing against the King’s Indian Keven obtained a couple of advanced passed pawns in the centre of the board and then finished things off in fine style, checkmating his opponent.

5. David Taylor 0.5 – 0.5 Marc Jackson (130)

David seemed to be on the rocks after the opening as his opponent had a fearsome attack but David defended carefully and in the end had the better of a draw.

6. Paul Bamford 0 – 1 John Kelly (126)

Paul had a typical swashbuckling opening and ended up two pawns up but his opponent managed to win the exchange and then the endgame.

Next match in two weeks: at home to Denton B.

Altrincham A 2.5 ECA 3.5

Posted on: February 8th, 2012 by Phil Ramsey

At last, a win for the first team!

We slightly out-rated our opposition for a change and wins for Dave N and I saw us scrape to a 3.5-2.5 victory.

1. Y Kolodiy (178) 0.5-0.5 J Reed

Sadly for John his opponent did not play the Queen’s Gambit but – obviously scarred by his previous defeat – tried a Benoni. John seemed to have a nice position with extra space and pressure against some weak pawns when Yaroslav unleashed a fearsome combination which ended in a drawn endgame.

2. K Lockett (169) 0-1 P Ramsey

Karl played his favourite English system and I was probably a bit hasty in pushing pawns on my Kingside and ended up with some hanging pawns in the centre. Karl allowed me to consolidate though and missed a couple of tricks in the middlegame which allowed me to win a piece.

3. R White (135) 0-1 D Newall

Dave’s Bird’s opening resulted in a strong Kingside attack which his opponent was unable to counter.

4. T Tomkins (130) 1-0 D Broadbent

Dave lost a piece early in the middlegame. He then won it back but at the expense of giving his opponent a winning attack.

5. D Hughes (134) 0.5-0.5 K Holton

Keven’s Reti opening didn’t seem to lead to any pressure and after a quiet game (unless I missed something) a draw was agreed.

6. R Clucas (127) 0.5-0.5 D Taylor

In a rather stodgy French Defence the pieces were swapped off and a draw agreed.

Our goal this season is to score points against Altrincham A and Denton B and finish mid-table so this was a job well done.

Our next first team match is Stockport C at home on Feb 29th.

Macclesfield A 4.5 – ECA 1.5

Posted on: January 25th, 2012 by Phil Ramsey

After the close match earlier in the season we were hoping for more excitement tonight but all we got was a gradual grind down against a strong Macc. team. At least we don’t have to play them again this season!

1. D Risley (171) 0.5 – 0.5 J Reed

Playing against a Bogo-Indian John had the better of things and built up some useful Queenside pressure but Dave managed to exchange pieces for a draw.

2. D Lobo (153) 1 – 0 P Ramsey

In a topsy turvy game I started off better, then was losing and was finally easily winning. The problem was that we were in the allegro finish and my flag was about to fall. In a fluster I made a ridiculous move when I actually had a bit more time than I thought. Someone get me a digital clock for Christmas!

3. V Kumar (155) 0.5 – 0.5 D Newall

Dave played his favourite Colle / Birds system and gradually built up some Queenside pressure but Vijay managed to hold.

4. G Laurence (150) 0.5 – 0.5 D Broadbent

Dave played actively in the opening and had a very comfortable position but not enough to beat his solid opponent.

5. J-P Taylor (146) 1 – 0 P Bamford

Paul played a closed system against the Sicilian but his Kingside pawn pushes backfired as J-P ended up eating one of the Kingside pawns and winning the endgame.

6. P Cattermole (138) 1 – 0 S Howells

Sion played a positional gambit but didn’t seem to have enough compensation for the pawn and was gradually ground down.

So not a very fun night for East Cheshire.

Next match is away to Altrincham on Feb 6th. Let’s hope for some fireworks then!

Denton B 3 ECA 3

Posted on: December 2nd, 2011 by Phil Ramsey

East Cheshire A earned its first point of the season on Wednesday night in a dynamic match against a relatively weak Denton team.

Dave T and I had a night to forget, losing with bad blunders, but Tudor and Keven had smooth wins to equalise the match for us.

1. K Ahmadi (155) 0.5-0.5 J Reed

John had to take on a stodgy Czech Benoni and managed to build an impressive pawn centre but his opponent created sufficient counterplay to draw the game.

2. D Boulden (146) 1-0 P Ramsey

I had a good opening and won a pawn but then got into time trouble. I played a combination that didn’t work, panicked and allowed a mate in one! Not my finest hour.

3. D Holt (139) 0.5 – 0.5 D Newall

Dave N built up a winning attack but misplayed the execution of it and ended up a piece down for nothing. Fortunately Dave H offered a draw as he was about to lose on time.

4. P Boyd (123) 0-1 T Rickards

Tudor gradually outplayed his opponent in an even middlegame and built up a strong attack on his opponent’s King which he finished in fine style.

5. D Taylor (114) 0-1 K Holton

Keven systematically turned the screw against his elderly opponent and eventually found a narrow path to victory.

6. D Cook (107) 1-0 D Taylor

David T won a pawn early on in a strange French Defence. However David’s King’s Rook was hemmed in the corner and, under some Queenside pressure, David blundered his other Rook.

We have a couple of months off now until 24th Jan when we are away to Macc. A.

Tudor gives up his Queen

Posted on: November 17th, 2011 by Phil Ramsey

Here is a recent win of Tudor’s playing for our A team against Macclesfield A.

One thing for King’s Indian players to note is that Tudor’s move order allowed White to transpose to the Pirc (playing e4 without c4.) If you want to avoid this you should play 2. … g6 so that you can reply to 3. Nc3 with d5.

Now over to Tudor.

The game involves a bishop sacrifice as only way to keep attack going. Then I found a nice queen sacrifice which was not just a variation of a known one.

The interesting thing for me was the very thematic way the game unfolded with black backing the Q side pawn storm against white’s superior centre. ICC analysis suggests white was always slightly ahead until 21 Ka3 (Kb1 leaves black having to find a win for his pressure and B sac. ).

During last few moves I was trying to get all my pieces coordinated into attack. I had noticed possibilities of Bf8 pinning White’s Queen but it did not quite work. Only then did I look for something better and noticed the very satisfying Queen sac (which seems a bit more obvious after the game.)

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