You are here

See also:

Exeter Junior Chess Club

Some of these pages are quite old; we have a new site for the

[LINK] Exeter Junior Chess Club



and more recent chess advice is accumulating at

[LINK] Devon Junior Chess Association.

Exeter Juniors vs Exeter School, 11th March 2011 (1-3)

Lots to enjoy in an evenly matched contest.

Board 1

{A well-played game by both sides. We don't see close endgames very often in junior chess, and this was a fine one.}

[Event "Exeter Juniors vs. Exeter School"] 
[Site "?"] 
[Date "2011.03.11"] 
[Round "1"] 
[White "Royle, James"] 
[Black "Senior, Tom"] 
[Result "0-1"] 
[ECO "C50"] 
[PlyCount "110"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 3... h6 { 
Ooh, too slow.  Playing quite that safe is dangerous!} 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Qf6 
6. Be3 Bc5 7. c3 {White is a move ahead on the usual Scotch Game.} 7... b6 ( 
7... Nge7) (7... d6 {is more natural}) 8. b4 (8. O-O Nge7 9. Nb5 $1 9... Kd8 
10. Bxc5 bxc5 11. f4) 8... Bxd4 9. Bxd4 Qg6 10. Qf3 { 
The Queen is exposed on this square.} (10. O-O $1 {and the e-pawn is immune}) 
10... Bb7 11. Bd5 ({White should get on with development} 11. Nd2) 11... Nge7 { 
White has started a fight with a larger gang!} 12. Bc4 $2 12... Nxd4 13. cxd4 
Qxe4+ 14. Qxe4 Bxe4 15. O-O 15... O-O $6 { 
Natural, but now White can wrestle back the pawn.} 16. Nd2 (16. Re1 d5 17. Bb3) 
16... Bd5 17. Rfe1 Bxc4 18. Rxe7 $1 18... Bb5 19. Rc1 (19. a4 $1 19... Bc6 20. 
b5 $1 {and White is fine here}) 19... Rfe8 20. Rxe8+ Rxe8 21. h3 Bc6 22. Nf3 $2 
{This allows Black to do two things that damage White: make a mess of the 
pawns, and swap off another pair of pieces.} (22. Nc4) (22. d5 Bxd5 23. Rxc7 
Re2 24. Nf1 a5 25. bxa5 bxa5 26. a3) 22... Bxf3 23. gxf3 c6 24. Kf1 Re6 25. Re1 
$4 {Once the last pair of pieces come off, Black has a won game.} (25. Rc3) 
25... Rxe1+ 26. Kxe1 Kf8 27. Kd2 Ke7 28. Kc3 Ke6 29. a4 a6 30. Kc4 30... b5+ $6 
{Probably doesn't do any major harm, but I would not be so quick to invite the 
white King into a strong square.} (30... d6 $1) (30... Kf5 $1 31. a5 bxa5 32. 
bxa5 32... d6 $1) 31. axb5 axb5+ 32. Kc5 { 
Now Black has to be careful in order to squeeze out the white King.} 32... f5 
33. f4 g5 34. fxg5 hxg5 35. f3 f4 36. d5+ $1 36... cxd5 37. Kxb5 37... Kd6 { 
White has a passed pawn and counterplay.} 38. Ka4 Kc6 39. Kb3 Kb5 40. Kc3 d6 
41. Kd4 Kxb4 42. Kxd5 Kc3 43. Kxd6 Kd3 44. Ke5 Ke3 45. Kf5 Kxf3 46. Kxg5 Kg3 
47. h4 f3 48. h5 {White's pawn is too slow.} 48... f2 49. h6 f1=Q 50. h7 (50. 
Kg6 50... Qf8 {comes to the same thing}) 50... Qf8 51. Kg6 Qh8 52. Kh6 Kf4 ( 
52... Qf6+ 53. Kh5 Kf4 54. h8=Q 54... Qg5# {is one move faster!}) 53. Kg6 Ke5 
54. Kh6 Kf5 55. Kh5 Qxh7# 0-1

Board 2

{Black gets a plus in the opening but gets his wires crossed.}

[Event "Exeter Juniors vs. Exeter School"] 
[Site "?"] 
[Date "2011.03.11"] 
[Round "2"] 
[White "Clay, Chris"] 
[Black "Nagy, Daniel"] 
[Result "1-0"] 
[ECO "C00"] 
[PlyCount "53"]
1. e4 e6 2. d3 
d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bd2 5... d4 { 
[The first five moves have been invented!]} 6. Qe2+ Be6 7. Ne4 Bxd2+ 8. Nxd2 
Nc6 9. Ngf3 Nh6 10. c3 Nf5 (10... O-O { 
and Re8 will give White problems, just as in the game.}) 11. Ne4 O-O 12. Nc5 
12... Re8 $1 13. Nxb7 Qd5 (13... Qb8 {was winning, I thought, but} 14. Nc5 $1 { 
gets back in time:} 14... Bxa2 15. Ne4 15... Bd5 { 
but Black still has big threats of Nd6 and f5}) (13... Qf6) 14. c4 14... Bd7 $4 
(14... Qd7 15. Nc5 Qd6 16. Ne4 Qb4+ 17. Kd1 Rab8 18. Rb1 { 
and Black's activity is worth a pawn.}) 15. cxd5 Rxe2+ 16. Bxe2 Nb4 17. O-O Be8 
18. Ne5 Rb8 19. Nc5 Rd8 20. Nb7 Rxd5 21. Nc4 Bb5 22. Rfc1 Ba6 23. a3 Nc6 24. 
Bf3 {It's going from bad to worse for Black.} 24... Rb5 25. Bxc6 Rb3 26. Nc5 
Rb8 27. Nxa6 1-0

Board 3

{The two sides emerge from a stodgy old opening into a stodgy old middlegame and then a roughly level endgame. White adds some interest by losing a piece (and it could have been worse!) but makes good use of his chances and eventually brings off a swindle.}

[Event "Exeter Juniors vs. Exeter School"] 
[Site "?"] 
[Date "2011.03.11"] 
[Round "3"] 
[White "Frey, Adam"] 
[Black "Pike, Lionel"] 
[Result "1-0"] 
[ECO "D00"] 
[PlyCount "151"]
1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 (2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 { 
is a good system for juniors who like 1.d4}) 2... e6 3. a3 { 
Bleah.  Get your pieces out!} 3... Bd6 4. Nf3 b6 5. Qd3 Nf6 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bxf6 
gxf6 8. O-O-O (8. e4) 8... Bb7 9. e3 Qd7 10. g3 { 
Too slow.  Open a file and get the Rooks into play!} 10... Nc6 11. Nb5 O-O-O 
12. Nxd6+ Qxd6 13. Qb5 Nb8 14. Qb3 Qc6 15. Bb5 Qd6 16. Qa4 { 
White is attacking with just two of his five pieces.} 16... a6 17. Bd3 c5 18. 
c3 cxd4 19. exd4 Qc6 20. Qxc6+ Nxc6 21. Rhe1 Rhe8 22. c4 {Right move, not so 
good timing!  This releases the Bb7 and gives White an isolated pawn in an 
endgame, where it will just be weak.} 22... Re7 (22... dxc4 { 
is the variation to prove this judgement:} 23. Bxc4 Na5 24. Be2 Bxf3 25. Bxf3 
Nb3+ 26. Kb1 Rxd4) 23. cxd5 Rxd5 24. Be4 Rd6 25. Rd3 Rc7 26. Kb1 Rd8 (26... f5 
$1 27. Bxc6 Bxc6 28. Nd2) 27. Red1 Kb8 28. d5 Ne5 29. Nxe5 29... fxe5 { 
If we've got the moves right:} 30. dxe6 $4 (30. Ka2 $1) 30... Rxd3 $4 (30... 
Bxe4 $1) 31. Bxd3 fxe6 32. Bc4 $4 32... Rxc4 33. Rd6 Be4+ 34. Ka2 a5 35. Rxb6+ 
Kc7 36. Rxe6 a4 37. Rf6 { 
[I'm sure this wasn't the move, but we've missed one out somewhere!]} (37. Rxe5 
) 37... Bc2 38. Rxh6 Bb3+ 39. Kb1 Rc2 (39... Rd4 $1 {leads to a quick checmate! 
}) 40. h4 Rxf2 41. Rh7+ Kc6 42. Rh6+ Kd5 43. Kc1 Rf1+ 44. Kd2 Kd4 45. h5 Ke4 
46. Ke2 Bc4+ 47. Kd2 Rf2+ 48. Kc3 Bb3 49. Rd6 Rc2+ 50. Kb4 Rc4+ 51. Kb5 Rd4 52. 
Rc6 Kd3 53. h6 Rd7 54. g4 Rb7+ 55. Ka6 Rf7 56. Kb6 e4 57. Rc7 e3 (57... Rxc7 
58. Kxc7 Bg8 59. g5 59... Bh7 {wins for Black}) 58. Rxf7 58... e2 $4 (58... 
Bxf7 {might hang on:} 59. h7 e2 60. h8=Q e1=Q 61. Qh7+ Qe4 62. Qxf7 Qxg4) 59. 
Re7 Bg8 60. g5 Kd2 61. g6 e1=Q 62. Rxe1 Kxe1 63. h7 Bb3 64. h8=Q Kd1 65. Kb5 
Kc2 66. Qc3+ Kb1 67. Kb4 Ka2 68. Qc1 Bd5 69. Kxa4 (69. b3 {Kc3 and Qb2 is mate} 
) 69... Bb3+ 70. Kb4 Bd5 71. a4 Bb3 72. a5 Be6 73. a6 Bg8 74. a7 Bd5 75. g7 Be4 
76. g8=Q+ (76. g8=Q+ Bd5 77. a8=Q# {is overkill!}) 1-0

Board 4

{The game was close for quite a while, with one side then the other looking better. Black lost a piece but correctly went on the attack, looking for tactics or a perpetual. White survived all the threats and spotted a chance for checkmate, and it was all over.}

[Event "Exeter Juniors vs. Exeter School"] 
[Site "?"] 
[Date "2011.03.11"] 
[Round "4"] 
[White "Gandhi, Suraj"] 
[Black "Shepherd, Levi"] 
[Result "1-0"] 
[ECO "C44"] 
[PlyCount "59"]
1. e4 e5 2. d4 Nc6 (2... exd4) 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 
(3... exd4) 4. c3 Ba5 5. b4 Bb6 6. Bd3 6... d6 { 
I think some moves were missed out here.} 7. a4 a5 8. Bg5 Nf6 9. Na3 exd4 10. 
Nxd4 Nxd4 11. cxd4 Bxd4 12. Rc1 (12. Bb5+ $1 {idea Qxd4!}) 12... O-O 13. Nb5 
Be5 14. Nxc7 Bg4 15. Qd2 Rc8 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nd5 { 
This is about level: Black should get the Rf8 into play} 17... Bd4 18. Bc4 { 
There's the discovery again!} 18... Be6 $4 19. Qxd4 Qg5 20. f4 Qxg2 21. Rf1 
Rxc4 (21... Bxd5 22. Qxd5 22... Rfe8 $1) 22. Qxc4 Qxh2 23. Rc2 Qg3+ 24. Kd1 
Bg4+ 25. Kc1 Qa3+ 26. Rb2 h6 27. Qd4 $4 27... Rc8+ $4 (27... Qa1+ $1 { 
and Black is back in the game}) 28. Kd2 Bh3 (28... Rc4 $1 { 
is the best way to seek a perpetual check.}) 29. Rg1 29... h5 $4 30. Qxg7# 1-0

Class: 
Attached file(s):