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European Team Championships in Warsaw starting today
#11
Brilliant stuff yesterday, just enjoyed looking through all the games. Everyone playing 2500 or 2600 GM's. Good to see everyone getting on the scoreboard already.

Board 1 - Was fascinating after his exchange sacrifice and his opponent was only to happy to take a perpetual check draw in the end game.

Board 3 - Alan defended rock solid then pounced when he saw his moment. He must have been massively dissapointed after yesterday's result, so to come back like that, fair play!

Board 4 - Another exciting game, looked like Jonathan got forced into a series of exchanges leaving him with 2 bishops + rook v the queen + knight. He battled hard, and his opponent also took a perpetual check draw.

Anyway my amatuer commentary aside, I really recommend a look at these games. Expecting more of the same tommorow.
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#12
Another fine win for Alan today. 2 out of 3 against 3 GM's averaging just under 2500, excellent.
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#13
Andy McCulloch Wrote:Another fine win for Alan today. 2 out of 3 against 3 GM's averaging just under 2500, excellent.

Actually his opponent's average about 2542 - even more impressive!

Alan T's opponent went from +9 (essentially a queen ahead in material terms) to = in one move! HIs ...a5 was the desperate move of someone who was still thinking about what might have been.

No idea what happened in Graham's game at the end. He went from drawn to worse in one strange move and then resigned very prematurely in my opinion?!

I think Alan M. must have miscalculated something with his Rc7 move. His position was perfectly ok up to that point.

Really tough matches for our guys so far but they are acquitting themselves very well Smile
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#14
a lot of swings in games but 3rd match in a row we scored above expected
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#15
I managed to catch the games live today. Was really rooting for Alan, was an exciting game again with the exchange of rook and minor piece for queen, only for his opponent to repeat the exchange sac later in the game to level the material again. I thought Alan was better throughout.

Thought Graham was good for a draw in that endgame until pawn was moved to d4+. Didn't understand that, just a mistake perhaps, was the losing move.

Much more entertaining anyway than the world championship!
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#16
Move 29...Reb8! would win for black. The black rook is unpinned and the pressure on b2 is untenable. Great fightback by Alan though when he was given the chance Smile

[pgn]1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. d4 exd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nxc6 bxc6
6. e5 Qe7
7. Qe2 Nd5
8. c4 Nb6
9. Nc3 Bb7
10. Bd2 g6
11. h4 Bg7
12. f4 O-O-O
13. h5 Rhe8
14. hxg6 hxg6
15. O-O-O f6
16. exf6 Qxf6
17. Qf2 d5
18. cxd5 cxd5
19. Qc5 Kb8
20. Kb1 d4
21. Nb5 Be4+
22. Ka1 Rd7
23. Qb4 c6
24. Na3 Ka8
25. Re1 Nd5
26. Qa4 d3
27. Nc4 Rb7
28. Qa3 Bf8
29. Qxd3 Bxd3
30. Rxe8+ Rb8
31. Rxb8+ Kxb8
32. Bxd3 Nxf4
33. Bc3 Qg5
34. Be5+ Kc8
35. Be4 Kd7
36. Rd1+ Nd5
37. a3 Qg4
38. Rd4 Bc5
39. Bf3 Qxd4
40. Bxd4 Bxd4
41. Kb1 Ke6
42. Kc2 Bf6
43. b4 Be7
44. Bg4+ Kf6
45. Bf3 Nb6
46. Nd2 Nd5
47. Kd3 a5
48. bxa5 Bxa3
49. Bxd5 cxd5
50. Nb3 Bd6
51. a6 Bb8
52. Nd4 Ba7
53. Nc6 Bb6
54. a7 Bxa7
55. Nxa7 Ke5
56. Nb5 Kf4
57. Ke2 Ke4
58. Nc3+ Kd4
59. Kd2 g5
60. g3 Ke5
61. Nd1 Ke4
62. Ke2[/pgn]
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#17
[quote="andyburnett"]Move 29...Reb8! would win for black. The black rook is unpinned and the pressure on b2 is untenable. Great fightback by Alan though when he was given the chance Smile

Agreed Andy, good spot! Watched it live and I think Alan's opponent was possibly getting short on time at that stage. Or he could have just simply not seen the move regardless of time. Perhaps Alan himself saw the reply 29. Reb8!, but he had to move his Queen anyway and 29. Qxd3 proved to be a clever gamble and distraction.
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#18
What happens if W takes the B after Reb8 - Rxb2 Qe5? Something brilliant like Bg7 or Ba3 perhaps, but these don't seem to work. Maybe Qxd3 was a sparkler
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#19
WBuchanan Wrote:What happens if W takes the B after Reb8 - Rxb2 Qe5? Something brilliant like Bg7 or Ba3 perhaps, but these don't seem to work. Maybe Qxd3 was a sparkler

I had first thought... If whites reply to Reb8 is QxB, Rxb2 has black threatening mate in one (as Rb1+ is a double check). But white can stop that line progressing with Qe5.

If before even thinking of Rxb2, the play goes Reb8, QxB, Bg7 (to increase the pins and pressure on b2) what is whites reply? If the reply is still Qe5 black might play Qf7? Then white plays Qd6 perhaps and it is fizzling out for black.
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#20
Apologies guys - I wrote the move ...Reb8 from memory of watching it live. Looking at it again I think the win is actually 29...Rxb2 followed by ...Reb8.
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