After 7 rounds of hard fought chess Aidan, Dylan and Harry were tied. The following play off was organised
A v B
B v C
C v A
With Aidan drawing A, Harry B and Dylan C.
Game 1, Aidan Harry
The game started with both players getting their pieces out and quickly reached the below position.
8.Bb5? Breaks the" don't move the same piece in the opening twice unless there is a good reason to" rule.
8...a6?! There isn't really much point in asking the bishop what his intentions are I would prefer 0-0 and then Black has broken the pin and got his king safe, if White then captures the knight anyway Black would be a move ahead of the game.
9.Bxc6 bxc6, 10.Re1 0-0
11.e4! Probably the best move on the board. White puts pressure on Black's centre and threatens d5 winning a piece.
11...Bb4 Black would like to play dxe4, but the double isolated pawns on c6 and c7 would be too weak. Black spots the fork which in itself is good for an 8 year old.
12.Bg5 Bxc3, 13.Bxf6 Qxf6, 14.bxc3 Bg6, 15.e5 Qf5 (hitting c2)
16.Rc1 f6
Black presses on! Perhaps Rb8 with the idea Rb2 is a safer plan.
17.g4 Qf4, 18.exf6 Rxf6 Black now has a dangerous battery on the f-file.
19.Nh4?? Qxf2!
White is lost here, but
20.Kh1 Be4? Forcing
21.Rxe4! where Black wins the exchange with
21...dxe4 roughly a 2 point advantage. However {
20...Qxh4 is much better as it wins a piece a clear 3 point advantage, but much more importantly Black's attack is still in full swing. Black threatens Rf2, Qxh3 or Qg3 and then a mate on g2 or h2. In fact White can't stop this attack and the computer calculates a check mate in 13 moves}
Play continues with exchanges favoring Black and we come to the following position.
The rook is much stronger than the knight here and can easily pick off White's weak queen-side pawns, or simply play Rg5 and then try h5, or a switch to the a-file. Instead Harry tries to move his attacked c-pawn with
31...c5?? 32.Nxg4 perhaps Black could still draw, but after such a shock Black loses.
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Aidan couldn't believe his luck winning this game, but you have to play on full power until you shake hands games don't win themselves.
Harry V Dylan was a poor game with Dylan losing his queen early trying for an attack and quickly lost.
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Aidan 1, Harry 1 if Dylan beats Aidan its still a tie.
Dylan V Aidan
Aidan tries out the French. But after playing a million e4 e5 games plays
6..Ngf6??. Of course the knight naturally goes to f6 in so many variations that this is just an automatic move, but not with a pawn on e5, which is one of the downsides to the French (French players would point out a different set-up making this a fine solid system).
Both players quickly develop, shame Black lost a piece so early, as this could have been a good game.
White wants to exchange down to a winning ending and has just played
18.Ne4 Kg7? Black needs as much firepower as possible and getting the king sucked into the centre too early is trouble of its own.
19.Nxf6! Kxf6, 20.c3! dxc3?? 21.Qxd7 Rxd7, 22.Rxd7 winning a rook.
22...cxb2, 23 Rb1
White then exchanges rooks throwing in the knight leaving a rook to take all the Black pawns and we reach the following
51.h7?? STALEMATE!!! NO. Obviously 51.Ra7 or 51.g5 wins easily.
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Aidan is the new club champion. A little lucky in the play off, but over the 7 rounds he played well and deserves the shield.
