League Competitions, March - June 2024

[Updated 12th March] League Secretary and Club President Kit Blundell has announced the dates and venues of four league competitions in March-June 2024. These are as follows:

Wednesday 20th March - Individual Buzzer
Location: Margate Chess Club
Time: 7:30 PM
To express interest in participating in this individual event, please contact John Clarke at jlclarke9@yahoo.co.uk.

Friday 19th April - Individual Quickplay
Location: Sandwich Chess Club
Time: 7:30 PM
To register interest in this fast-paced event, reach out to Kit Blundell at friendlyfox44@gmail.com

Tuesday 4th June - Team Buzzer
Location: Bridge Chess Club
Time: 7:30 PM
For team events, it is highly recommended that teams register in advance. Please send your team's player names to Kit Blundell at friendlyfox44@gmail.com.

Tuesday 25th June - Jamboree
Location: Bridge Chess Club
Time: 7:30 PM
Gather your team and join us for this thrilling team event! Clubs, please ensure your Club's Jamboree Team Captain contacts Graeme directly at graemeboxall@talktalk.net

Jon Hunt v Alan Atkinson (Bridge)

[Event "Julius Day Shield (Jamboree)"] [Site "St Clement's Hall"] [Date "2023.06.20"] [Round "?"] [White "Jon Hunt"] [Black "Alan Atkinson"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1597"] [BlackElo "1910"] [EventDate "2023.06.20"] [ECO "A07"] {I arrived in front of Alan Atkinson as a last-minute substitute with the clock already running. As it turned out, Bridge needed this point to eclipse Herne Bay, who scored an impressive 4.5/6. Alan secured their 5/6 jamboree victory, but not without a fight!} 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.O-O h6 5.d3 Bf5 6.Nbd2 Qc8 7.Re1 e6 8.Nd4 $5 Bg6 9.e4 c5 10.N4b3 ( 10.Nxe6 $5 fxe6 11.exd5 Be7 12.Nc4 $1 Bh5 13.Qd2 O-O 14.Rxe6 {White collects his third pawn for the piece.} 14...Re8 15.Qe1 $1 $10 ) 10...d4 $6 11.e5 ( {White has a move more in keeping with the KIA:} 11.Nc4 $1 Bh5 12.Qd2 Nbd7 13.e5 $1 Nd5 14.Bxd5 $1 exd5 15.Nd6+ Bxd6 16.exd6+ Kf8 17.Qf4 $16 ) 11...Bh5 $2 {I had feared this move, but in fact at this moment it's a poor choice.} ( 11...Nd5 ) 12.Bf3 $2 ( 12.g4 $1 Nxg4 ( 12...Bxg4 13.f3 Bf5 14.exf6 gxf6 15.Ne4 $1 $16 ) 13.Bf3 $1 Nxf2 14.Kxf2 Bxf3 15.Qxf3 $16 ) 12...Bxf3 13.Qxf3 Nd5 {End of Round 1. Honours even!} 14.h4 $6 ( {The position really cries out for} 14.Nc4 $1 a5 ( 14...Nb4 15.Qe2 ) 15.a4 ) 14...Nb4 $1 15.Qd1 Nd7 16.f4 {It's not that what White's doing on the kingside doesn't make sense. It's just that it hasn't really prevented ...g5, which was rather the point.} 16...a5 ( 16...g5 $5 17.Ne4 gxh4 18.c3 dxc3 19.bxc3 Nxd3 20.Qxd3 c4 21.Qf3 cxb3 22.axb3 Qc6 23.gxh4 Rg8+ 24.Kh2 $1 $14 ) 17.Nc4 {A bit late} ( {I should have gone with my first thought:} 17.a4 $1 Nb6 18.Ne4 $1 Qc6 19.h5 $10 ) 17...a4 18.Nbd2 b5 19.Na3 {End of Round 2. White has found answers to Black's queenside attack so far, but the knight on a3 is rather awkward.} 19...Qc6 20.Qf3 {A reasonable proposition to slow Alan's brewing attack} 20...Qxf3 21.Nxf3 Rb8 22.Bd2 $1 {At least White has cleared his back rank at last.} 22...Nd5 23.c4 dxc3 24.bxc3 Nc7 25.c4 b4 26.Nc2 Be7 27.Rab1 O-O {End of Round 3. Black's attack is far from over, but he's been stopped for now, and Alan has finally spent two moves on castling.} 28.d4 $1 Rfd8 29.Be3 $6 {This takes away an important square from the knight on c2.} 29...b3 30.axb3 axb3 31.Na3 $2 {The rot finally sets in.} ( {In fact, there *was* a good square left for the knight:} 31.Na1 $1 b2 32.Nc2 {but I didn't like the idea of giving Black ...b2 so easily.} ) 31...cxd4 $1 32.Nxd4 Bxa3 33.Nc6 {With this knight manoeuvre I make the best of this losing proposition.} 33...Re8 $1 34.Nxb8 Rxb8 35.Red1 $1 {White is still punching.} 35...Nc5 $1 36.Bxc5 Bxc5+ 37.Kf1 Na6 38.Rd3 b2 39.Ke2 ( {In retrospect I prefer the engine's choice here, even though it seems to lead to a similar demise:} 39.h5 $1 Nc7 40.Rd2 Ba3 41.Rd7 Rc8 42.Ke2 f6 $1 43.Kd3 fxe5 44.fxe5 Na6 45.Ra7 Nb4+ 46.Kc3 Nd5+ 47.Kd3 Bc5 48.Rb7 Nb4+ 49.Ke4 Bf8 50.Rxb2 Rxc4+ 51.Kf3 $17 ) 39...Kf8 $6 ( 39...g5 $1 40.hxg5 hxg5 41.fxg5 Rb4 $17 ) 40.Kd2 $2 Nb4 $2 41.Rb3 $2 {I'm on Plan B now, but Plan A was better...} ( {I missed this, even though I knew about the pin on the b-file:} 41.Rxb2 $1 Rc8 42.Rdb3 Rd8+ 43.Ke2 $1 Nc6 $1 $15 ) 41...Rd8+ 42.Kc3 Rd3+ $2 {In a humorous moment, Alan declared checkmate! He suffered a nasty shock after...} 43.Kxb2 {And White has managed to round up that pesky passed pawn.} 43...Rd2+ {My scoresheet runs out, but sadly the memory lingers on...} 44.Kc1 {(only square to avoid mate)} 44...Rc2+ 45.Kd1 Rxc4 46.Rc1 $1 Rxc1+ 47.Kxc1 g6 $6 48.g4 $4 {Alan has taken all the fight out of me, and with less than five minutes on the clock sadly I make a mess of things, when perhaps the draw was still salvageable.} ( 48.Kd2 $1 {and White still has chances.} ) 48...Nd5 49.Rf3 Be3+ {It's game over. I played on for a few more moves before resigning.} 0-1

Club News, September 2022

After the formal presentation of trophies at the AGM, there was a chance to take a photo of the winning team - Robert Starley, Harry Sharples, John Thorley & Mark Towlson - with the Team Quickplay Shield. As joint winners (with Bridge) of the League Jamboree, we hold the Julius Day Shield for the first six months of this season. This is the first time that Sandwich (or Woodnesborough) has put its name on this prestigious trophy, and it’s fitting that pictured proudly showing it off is our strongest player, Robert Starley, who held Bridge’s Richard Eales to a draw on Board 1 in the match. Our full Jamboree team was: Robert Starley, Harry Sharples, Jon Hunt, Mark Towlson, Adrian Tottenham & Ethan Latymer.

The full Club Schedule to the end of January 2023 has been published on the club noticeboard and can be viewed in PDF format here or via our online Calendar. Our new series of occasional (and optional) lessons begins on Tuesday 20th September, 7:30-9:00pm, with Jon Hunt leading a session entitled “Passed Pawns That Win… …And Passed Pawns That Don’t!”. Entries for the Club Championship and the open rapid “Black-and-White” close on 30th September and are free to Sandwich members. Thank you to everyone who has already paid the first instalment of their annual subscription or has signed up to pay by direct debit from our “Join” page. If you’re planning to pay annually, then please sign up online or pay the Treasurer (Jon) direct before the end of September.

The AGM minutes will appear on the Club page as soon as they are ready. We are still looking for a candidate for the vacant role of Club Secretary.

Ethan Latymer v Martin Jordan (Bridge)

[Event "Thanet & East Kent Chess League Jamboree"] [Site "Union Church Hall, Margate"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "?"] [White "Ethan Latymer"] [Black "Martin Jordan"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1252"] [ECO "C50"] [EventDate "2022.06.23"] [WhiteElo "1000"] { Ethan's comprehensive win on Board 6 in the League Jamboree brought about the decisive swing against Bridge which put Sandwich into contention. He didn't put a foot wrong - we could all wish to have played a game like this! } 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 { Black offers the Petroff Defence. } 3.Nc3 { White prefers the Four Knights. } 3...Nc6 4.Bc4 ( 4.Bb5 { is more commonly seen, after which play might continue: } 4...Nd4 5.Ba4 Bc5 6.Nxe5 O-O 7.Nd3 Bb6 8.e5 Ne8 9.Nd5 d6 10.Ne3 c5 11.c3 Nf5 12.O-O $10 ) 4...Bc5 5.O-O Ng4 $6 { Black tries piling on the pressure early at f2. } 6.d3 h6 7.h3 h5 $2 { Black must be pinning his hopes on opening the h-file. Perhaps it's a trick which has worked for him before. } 8.hxg4 hxg4 9.Ng5 $1 ( { It's possible to go wrong in this position as White: } 9.Nh2 $4 { is fatal. } 9...Qh4 $1 { Now White has a dozen ways to die, e.g.: } 10.Bxf7+ Kxf7 11.Qf3+ gxf3 12.Bf4 exf4 13.Rfd1 Qxh2+ 14.Kf1 Qh1# ) 9...Qf6 $2 { Combining attack and defence? } 10.Bxf7+ $1 Ke7 $4 { Walking into a horrible fork... } 11.Nd5+ $1 Kf8 12.Nxf6 gxf6 13.Qxg4 $1 d6 14.Be6 fxg5 $4 { Opening lines against the king } 15.Bxc8 ( { In fact, White can mate from here: } 15.Qf5+ $1 Kg7 16.Qxg5+ Kf8 17.Qf6+ Ke8 18.Qf7+ Kd8 19.Bg5+ Ne7 20.Bxe7# ) 15...Ne7 16.Be6 Kg7 $2 { Does this king have a death wish? } 17.Qxg5+ Ng6 18.Be3 Raf8 19.Bf5 Rf6 20.Bxc5 dxc5 21.Bxg6 Rxg6 22.Qe7+ Kg8 23.f3 Rh7 24.Qe8+ Kg7 25.Kf2 Rh2 26.Qxe5+ { Black resigns. } 1-0

Clive Le Baigue (Margate) v Jon Hunt

[Event "Thanet & East Kent Chess League Jamboree"] [Site "Union Church Hall, Margate"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "?"] [White "Clive Le Baigue"] [Black "Jon Hunt"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1684"] [ECO "A30"] [EventDate "2022.06.23"] [WhiteElo "1548"] { An outrageous steal in a lost position helped make Sandwich joint-winners (with Bridge) of this year's League Jamboree. (Apologies again to Clive - that's two wins of yours we promise to publish next season...) } 1.c4 c5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.Nc3 d5 $1 { I don't know anything about the English Opening. I couldn't see anything wrong with this, and indeed it's the main line, but I already felt that I might be playing into Clive's hands by playing this way. } 5.cxd5 exd5 6.d4 c4 $6 ( { I thought that } 6...cxd4 7.Qxd4 Nc6 { would lose the d-pawn, but: } 8.Qd3 Nb4 $1 ) 7.Bg5 $1 { Now the threat of doubled f-pawns haunts Black. } 7...Be6 8.e3 $6 ( 8.Bxf6 $1 gxf6 9.e3 ) 8...Qa5 $6 { I was baffled already in an unfamiliar position. I hoped to prevent Qa4 and "enable" Nbd7. } ( { In fact, } 8...Nbd7 { was all that was needed. } ) 9.Bxf6 $1 { Of course! } 9...gxf6 10.Ne2 Nd7 11.Qa4 $5 { Fair point - Black has not prevented Qa4 at all! } 11...Qxa4 12.Nxa4 O-O-O 13.O-O b5 $2 { I snatched at this move without thinking it through, and felt a right fool when White played the only logical move in reply... } 14.Nac3 Nb6 $1 { This, however, was a good decision. Black cannot afford to let the d-pawn fall. } 15.Nxb5 Kb7 16.Nbc3 Kc6 $6 { I knew I was already losing. This move is intentionally perverse and stubborn. Now the d-pawn will not fall any time soon, and Black's king is pulling his weight while White's cowers in the corner. } 17.Rfc1 h5 $1 { I seized the opportunity to get in one move of "counterplay". It turned out to be a very important move later on. } 18.a4 $1 { Clive rightly puts his foot down and begins the queenside onslaught. } 18...Bb4 $2 { I thought this was clever because it stops White playing b4. } 19.b3 $2 ( { White should just press on: } 19.a5 $1 Nc8 20.Ra4 ) 19...a5 $2 ( { Best was } 19...cxb3 $1 { exploiting the potential fork on b2. More on that later... } ) 20.Na2 $2 { Both players are struggling in unfamiliar territory, but White missed a clean win here. } ( 20.bxc4 $1 { calls Black's bluff, with his king caught in a double-pin: } 20...Nxc4 21.Nxd5 Bxd5 22.Rxc4+ $18 ) 20...Kd6 { Releasing both pins } 21.Nxb4 axb4 22.a5 cxb3 $1 { Correct - the fork on b2 is still useful to Black. } 23.Rcb1 Nc4 24.Rxb3 Ra8 $6 ( 24...Rb8 { was the logical move, and Clive's response indicated that he was surprised not to see it. } ) 25.Rxb4 { Things are going thoroughly White's way now. } 25...Rxa5 26.Rxa5 Nxa5 27.Nf4 $1 { A good move I hadn't considered } 27...Kc6 { Preventing Rb5 } 28.Nxd5 { Not the best, but why shouldn't White simplify into a clearly winning ending now? } ( 28.Ra4 $1 ) 28...Bxd5 29.Bxd5+ Kxd5 30.Rb5+ Ke4 31.Rxa5 Kf3 $2 { Clumsy } 32.Rf5+ $1 { Surely it's time to resign? [HIARCS +6.1] } 32...Ke2 33.Rxf6 $6 ( 33.Kg2 $1 { or h4 or h3 would give the white king the luft he needs. } ) 33...h4 $1 { Remember Black's brilliant "counterplay" half the game ago, on move 17? Now White must take care. } 34.Rxf7 ( { I was hoping for the careless: } 34.gxh4 $4 Rg8+ 35.Kh1 Kf1 36.h3 Rg1+ 37.Kh2 Rg2+ 38.Kh1 $10 ) 34...h3 $1 { I was getting overexcited, as White can easily parry the mate threat. } 35.e4 $4 { Clive couldn't quite see it - probably he couldn't believe that Black still has a threat like this in such a desperate position! } ( 35.Rc7 $1 Ra8 36.Rc1 ) 35...Rc8 { White resigned, in view of: } 36.Rc7 Rxc7 37.f4 Rc1# 0-1