County Championship 2005–06

Under 150

Leicestershire U150 – Nottinghamshire U150

Neil Graham

Two evenly matched sides met at Syston on 15 October 2005 with only seven grading points separating the 16 players when all the players’ grades had been added up. Well at least that was the theory – but in the words of Darth Vader ‘the force is strong in this one’ as Notts swept aside their East Midlands rivals by 11–4½, including a 10–2 drubbing for Leicestershire over the top 12 boards. With 14 of the 16 players who won the National Under 150 Championships selected for Notts, team spirit was clearly in evidence as the county side started the 2005–06 campaign in winning style. I can’t really pick out any individual performances, largely as I had a complex game that took up most of my attention, but I was most impressed by the way the final boards played on to take full points. Leicestershire gave us a tough match in the national semis last year and I am sure that they will bounce back from this setback. Nevertheless, this is just the start we needed with matches against Warwickshire, Greater Manchester and Staffordshire to come in what is always a closely contested zone.

Leicestershire U150 – Nottinghamshire U150
15 October 2005
Notts White on even-numbered boards
Board Grade Grade
1 Paul Deacon 147 0–1 Tim Lane 148
2 Jacob Mejlvang 146 0–1 Brian Hayward 148
3 Phil Evans 145 0–1 Sean Foreman 143
4 James Bingham 144 0–1 Keith Brameld 142
5 Brian Foreman 142 ½–½ Keith Walters 140
6 Alan Jex 139 0–1 Kevin Harvey 138
7 James Miller 137 0–1 Dave Flynn 137
8 Iain Dodds 130 ½–½ John Tassi 137
9 Otto Hardy 137 ½–½ Tony Wright 134
10 Michael Cowley 136 ½–½ Neil Graham 136
11 Steve Wylie 123 0–1 Stan Cranmer 132
12 Michael Tate 133 0–1 George Murfet 131
13 Graham Booley 132 1–0 Phil Morgan 128
14 Peter Harrison 124 0–1 Keith Roper 125
15 Phil Harlow 131 1–0 Marcel Taylor 126
16 Steve Turvey 127 ½–½ Mike Nailard 121
4½–11½

Nottinghamshire U150 – Warwickshire U150

Neil Graham

Thirteen of the sixteen players who trounced Leicestershire in the opening match were in the team that met Warwickshire at Sherwood. Steve Hunter, Dick Edwards and Drag Sudar were in for Keith Walters, John Tassi and Mike Nailard to make up the team.

Warwickshire have always been competitive and I was rather surprised to see them bottom of the Midlands zone last year with their exceptionally strong side.

This time they took an early lead after losses from George Murfet and Kevin Harvey, and although Stan Cranmer played a strong combinative game to pull back a point, Warwicks continued to pile up wins, with only Sean Foreman and Keith Brameld replying.

With three matches remaining their lead was 7½–5½. Last season we rescued any number of these with Houdini-like escapes. I really thought that perhaps we could do it again when Keith Roper’s opponent blundered horrendously, but this time it wasn’t to be. Tim Lane, who had saved the day in last year’s final, couldn't repeat the feat and his defeat meant the match was also lost. Marcel Taylor played on not knowing that the match was already lost and eventually his flag fell, thus giving Warwicks a deserved win.

We were in the same position last year and went on to win our last two matches, but the task facing us now is very much an uphill one.

Nottinghamshire U150 – Warwickshire U150
19 November 2005
Board Grade Grade
1 Tim Lane 148 0–1 A. J. Singh –
2 Brian Hayward 148 0–1 Mark Cundy 145
3 Sean Foreman 143 1–0 Murray David 142
4 Keith Brameld 142 1–0 Robert Wallman 140
5 Steve Hunter 140 ½–½ Mike Maher 140
6 Kevin Harvey 138 0–1 Pablo Padilla 141
7 Dave Flynn 137 0–1 Gary Hope 141
8 Tony Wright 134 ½–½ Thomas Robinson 139
9 Richard Edwards 136 0–1 Neil Clarke 139
10 Neil Graham 136 ½–½ John Fahy 131
11 Stan Cranmer 132 1–0 Keith Thomas 131
12 George Murfet 131 0–1 Mike Biddle 127
13 Drag Sudar 131 ½–½ Alan Burnett 127
14 Phil Morgan 128 ½–½ Paul Hodgskin 125
15 Keith Roper 125 1–0 Philip Bull 123
16 Marcel Taylor 126 0–1 Chris Pitt 124
6½–9½

Nottinghamshire U150 – Greater Manchester U150

Neil Graham

This match ended in an 8–8 draw, although with three games to go Notts were leading by 7½–5½. However, time and the Laws of Chess conspired to prevent a Nottinghamshire victory. The match was notable for a high percentage of draws, some more hard-fought than others. Steve Hunter was the only Notts loser until the last three games. There were wins for David Toms, with a discovered check that forced mate, Phil Morgan, who won a piece, and Keith Roper, who comprehensively outmanoeuvred his opponent. With three games to go the score stood at 7½–5½.

At this point Tony Wright made a claim under Law 9.2, but unfortunately executed the move on the board. He therefore lost the right to claim under Law 9.4. His opponent refused to accept a draw proferred under the normal rules, and although Tony at first thought he had a perpetual check this proved incorrect and he eventually lost. Score: 7½–6½.

Then Keith Walters, who had been a pawn down for some time, found his opponent able to exchange rooks to leave Notts with a lost pawn ending. Score: 7½–7½.

Dave Flynn struggled past the first time control with seconds to spare. The match suddenly depended on his game. Dave firstly equalised and then won pawns in a queen and pawn ending and was two pawns up. If Dave had had 15 minutes left, I’m sure he’d have won – unfortunately he had closer to 15 seconds. The Manchester player took a perpetual check and the match was all square: score 8–8.

Nottinghamshire U150 – Greater Manchester U150
14 January 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 Brian Hayward 148 ½–½ Adam Tyton 148
2 Keith Brameld 142 ½–½ Mick Norris 146
3 Keith Walters 140 0–1 Richard Glover 143
4 Steve Hunter 140 0–1 Marcial Flores 141
5 Kevin Harvey 138 ½–½ Jon Lonsdale 139
6 Dave Flynn 137 ½–½ Ghassan Ele Gehani 138
7 John Tassi 137 ½–½ Chris Jardine 137
8 Tony Wright 134 0–1 Michael Compston 129
9 Neil Graham 136 ½–½ Jim Nicholson 134
10 Bill Ray 135 ½–½ Alan Edwards 136
11 Stan Cranmer 132 ½–½ David Pardoe 130
12 David Toms 131 1–0 Mick Connor 129
13 George Murfet 131 ½–½ Alan Beresford 124
14 Phil Morgan 128 1–0 Robert Glover 109
15 Keith Roper 125 1–0 Mick Connolly 117
16 Marcel Taylor 126 ½–½ Chris Murfin 109
8–8

Staffordshire U150 – Nottinghamshire U150

Neil Graham

Notts had the bye in the fourth round of the above competition. Prior to the fourth round there were some 24 different possible outcomes, with all the five counties competing still in with a chance. The results from that round did not favour Notts – Leicestershire beat Warwickshire 8½–7½, whilst Staffordshire drew 8–8 with Greater Manchester. Without dwelling too much on the outcome of these matches, Notts entered the final round knowing that only a win against Staffordshire would suffice, but that their chances of progressing to the national finals were slim. The other remaining match was between Manchester and Leicestershire – a victory by either side would see them through to the final stages, whilst only the unlikeliest of results – a fourth successive draw for Manchester – would mean Notts could go forward. Warwickshire, meanwhile, could sit at home secure that despite their loss to Leicestershire they would qualify because of the arcane MCCU rules on tie breaks.

Notts were slightly weaker than normal and on paper the two teams were evenly matched; the grading difference between the teams being a matter of single points when added together. As it was, Notts took the lead and after eight results had established a 5½–2½ lead thanks to wins from Kevin Harvey and three Ashfield players. The half points continued to drift in, but Staffordshire started to pick up wins. After 13 boards were declared, the Notts lead had been cut to 7–6, with three Gambit players left to either win or lose the match. Drag Sudar duly obliged with a win and eventually Brian Hayward, realising we led 8–6, agreed the draw to give us the match. I’m afraid I sloped off home then, convinced that Tony Wright’s game would yield nothing more than a draw, only to find that he had engineered an unlikely win to give us a 9½–6½ victory.

Another unlikely scenario awaited me at home – Leicestershire and Greater Manchester had drawn their match after Leicestershire won three of the last four games to finish. Thus Notts had not only qualified, they had also retained the Midlands title. Here are the final placings:

Team P W D L Pts Tie break
1 Nottinghamshire 4 2 1 1 5 18–14
2 Warwickshire 4 2 1 1 5 17–13
3 Leicestershire 4 2 1 1 5 13–17
4 Greater Manchester 4 0 4 0 4
5 Staffordshire 4 0 1 3 1

The quarter-finals are on 20 May – hopefully we haven’t expended all our luck in the Midland stages.

Staffordshire U150 – Nottinghamshire U150
18 March 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 Stephane Pedder 148 ½–½ Tim Lane 148
2 Martyn Harris 145 ½–½ Brian Hayward 148
3 Derek Laight 144 ½–½ Steve Hunter 140
4 Philip Porter 140 1–0 Keith Walters 140
5 Andrew Leadbetter 137 0–1 Kevin Harvey 138
6 Frank Wood 137 ½–½ John Tassi 137
7 Steve Hill 134 0–1 Tony Wright 134
8 Manoy Arora 133 0–1 Neil Graham 136
9 Diarmid Gibson 134 ½–½ Bill Ray 135
10 Alex Pready 131 ½–½ Stan Cranmer 132
11 Michael Roberts 130e 1–0 George Murfet 131
12 Robert Fell 126 0–1 Drag Sudar 131
13 Roger Grainger 125 0–1 Phil Morgan 128
14 Steve Harris 125e 1–0 Keith Roper 125
15 John Day 118 ½–½ Austen Carlton 121
16 Bob Daniels 122 0–1 Bob Taylor 124
6½–9½

National Quarter-Final: Nottinghamshire U150 – Sussex U150

Ian Kingston

Neil Graham signed off his last report with the hope that the team hadn’t used up all its luck in the Midlands stages. I’m pleased to say that there was something still left in the tank, but as always seems to happen it was a close-run thing.

On paper there was practically nothing between the teams on the top eight boards, while on the bottom eight Notts had an advantage of over 10 grading points per player. But in truly perverse fashion, the top half yielded most of the points, while the bottom half struggled. As the afternoon wore on, the early lead established by Notts looked more and more fragile and thoughts began to turn to the possibility of resorting to board count to separate the teams. Notts reached 7½ points when Tony Wright demonstrated sound technique to win a nice bishop endgame and Steve Hunter successfully withstood some unpleasant pressure to secure a draw. That left Phil Morgan and David Toms to find half a point between them, as it was now becoming clear that the board count would be in our favour.

Phil had the exchange for a couple of pawns, and under normal circumstances a win was certainly possible. Unfortunately, he was desperately short of time, and his flag fell while he was definitely not worse. Meanwhile, David had fought back from being a piece for two pawns down, constructing an apparently impenetrable fortress. Somehow this transformed itself into an unclear queen and pawn endgame, but the Sussex player manoeuvred cleverly to set up a queen exchange that gained a crucial tempo in the ensuing pawn race.

And that was when our small reservoir of luck yielded its last drop of good fortune: in a straightforward endgame with no fewer than three winning plans from which to choose, David’s opponent opted for a fourth option that led to a simple K + h-pawn vs. K draw. Much relief all round, and fitting reward for the captain’s Herculean efforts in finding players.

Nottinghamshire U150 – Sussex U150
20 May 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 Tim Lane 148 0–1 Jim Graham 148
2 Ian Kingston 144 1–0 Ray Williams 145
3 Keith Brameld 142 0–1 John Cannon 142
4 Steve Hunter 140 ½–½ Anthony Higgs 140
5 Kevin Harvey 138 1–0 Alan Palmer 138
6 Dave Flynn 137 1–0 Jerry Stone 137
7 John Tassi 137 ½–½ Keith Davies 135
8 Tony Wright 134 1–0 Peter Rayment 132
9 Neil Graham 136 ½–½ Brian Izzard 130
10 Drag Sudar 131 ½–½ Tim Woods 123
11 George Murfet 131 0–1 John Scholey 121
12 David Toms 131 ½–½ Jamie Wilson 121
13 Phil Morgan 128 0–1 Graham Thomas 120
14 Shane Bhayat 127 0–1 Mick Plumb 113
15 Keith Roper 125 ½–½ Paul Taylor 111
16 Marcel Taylor 126 1–0 Daniel Hirsch 110
8–8
Board count 37–42

National Semi-Final: Nottinghamshire U150 – Cambridgeshire U150

Neil Graham

Notts lost in the Under 150 semi-finals to Cambridgeshire by 9–7 at Northborough, Peterborough. Whilst this was a disappointing result, it underlines Notts competitiveness at this level:

2002–03 Midlands Champions National Semi-finals
2003–04 Midlands Runners-up National Semi-finals
2004–05 Midlands Champions National Champions
2005–06 Midlands Champions National Semi-finals

Unfortunately, several key team members – notably Keith Brameld, Tony Wright, Dave Flynn and Keith Roper – were unavailable for this vital match. Whilst other squad members were back, I normally look to the above four players for full points. In addition, I found myself two players short on the morning of the match, one player dropping out after an unexpected death in his close family on Saturday night. I am indebted to Ian Nicholson and Ray Sayer who stood in at the last minute.

We faced Cambridgeshire at the same stage two years ago and then were comprehensively beaten 10–6 as the East Anglian side went on to win the final. Last year we had three strong juniors in the squad, but this time round we had to depend on pensioner power to pull us through. Unfortunately, although we were stronger on the upper boards, the last six boards yielded only two draws. The score was 6–6 after 12 games but towards the end the positions slipped away, with Tim Lane’s top board win a mere consolation. If one board had gone the other way we would have again romped home on board count, but as Ian Kingston remarked last time, the luck reservoir had clearly run dry after our last two matches.

Ian Kingston adds:

There was always a sense that we were in trouble in this match – at no stage did we ever take the lead, although we were never, until close to the end, more than a point behind. We were also giving away an average of three grading points per board, but Ray Sayer showed how little that can mean with his draw on bottom board.

With three games remaining we trailed by a point and needed to find two points to secure a win on board count, but we were obviously losing on two boards, with only Tim Lane having serious winning prospects. As it turned out, Tim displayed excellent technique to win a rook and pawn endgame, but the other games had already been lost.

Nottinghamshire U150 – Cambridgeshire U150
11 June 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 Tim Lane 148 1–0 John Bell 146
2 Brian Hayward 148 0–1 Nigel Holroyd 145
3 Ian Kingston 144 1–0 Richard Donaghay 144
4 Steve Hunter 140 1–0 John Daugman 144
5 Kevin Harvey 138 ½–½ Stephen Pride 143
6 John Tassi 137 ½–½ Colin Byrne 141
7 Keith Walters 142 ½–½ Peter Wagner 141
8 Neil Graham 136 0–1 Patrick Ribbands 141
9 Richard Edwards 135 1–0 Bernard Duff 140
10 Stan Cranmer 132 ½–½ Richard Newman 140
11 Ian Nicholson 132 0–1 Mike Bradley 132
12 David Toms 131 0–1 Phil Turp 135
13 George Murfet 131 0–1 Stephen Hart 132
14 Phil Morgan 128 0–1 Peter Barkas 129
15 Marcel Taylor 126 ½–½ Glyn Ward 127
16 Ray Sayer 109 ½–½ Patrick Heneghan 126
7–9

Under 125

Nottinghamshire U125 B – Nottinghamshire U125 A

Derek Cronshaw

Goose Fair traffic delayed the start of this chess battle, where 13 junior talents were on display.

A very closely contested match resulted in a 7½–7½ draw. With two games to go, Notts B needed two wins to level the match, which they proceeded to do.

The junior players scored a total of 7 wins, 5 against very experienced adults, and demonstrated skill, knowledge and enthusiasm. It was a real pleasure to see the tigerish attacking skills of Eric Williamson; the methodical endgame technique of Amarjit Mann; and the mastery of strategy and tactics of Toby Thurgood. Our two ladies (girls) battled it out on Board 4, Anjai Lakhani proving the winner on this occasion.

Notts is very fortunate to have such talent. They are so calm and confident! They might be young but they are mature chess players.

Nottinghamshire U125 B – Nottinghamshire U125 A
8 October 2005
Notts A White on odd-numbered boards
Board Grade Grade
1 Bob Taylor 124 0–1 Mike Nailard 121
2 Dominic Heining 120 0–1 Phil Burley 115
3 Alan Robinson 114 0–1 M. N. Nguyen –
4 Anjali Lakhani 101 1–0 Lateefah Messam-Sparks 107
5 Ray Sayer 109 ½–½ Mick Harper 107
6 Alan Morrey 108 0–1 Dave Griffiths 106
7 Derek Padvis 104 0–1 Toby Thurgood 105
8 Amar Mann – 1–0 Daniel Lin 104
9 Graham Gibson 99 1–0 Ben Hobson 104
10 Jonathan Day 99 1–0 Ian Fillingham 103
11 Chris Heining 94 1–0 Oliver Exton 98
12 Edwin Justice 76 1–0 David Dunne 99
13 Hamzah Ali 75 0–1 Len Darby 97
14 Teodor Peytcher – 0–1 Eric Williamson 96
15 Terry Norris-Hunt 71 1–0 Ashton Alfred –
10½–5½

Derbyshire U125 – Nottinghamshire U125 B

Neil Graham

Derbyshire had begun the Under 125 zonal matches by playing with only 14 players against Leicestershire and being comprehensively beaten. Against Nottinghamshire B, the home side were one player over-subscribed but were still outgraded throughout. Nottinghamshire were eventually all present, including one player who had forgotten but was, fortunately, local, and an extra player who turned up at Syston!

However, the vagaries of the grading system were, as usual, highlighted in that Notts had a last-gasp victory. The match started well enough with a quick win for Jonathan Day, and soon Notts had established a 3½–½ lead. Then the results began to change – top board Bob Taylor capitulated and Ian Harris, who had been a piece down for a considerable time, also lost, and by the time 12 boards were declared, Derbyshire had taken a 6½–5½ lead after several prospective extra half points looked to have been lost by the visitors. However, both Graham Gibson and Richard Myers converted their advantages to wins and then Colin Tribe drew in a game of fluctuating fortunes to give Notts an 8–7 lead.

The final game to finish involved Alan Robinson and Roger Walker. Alan’s clock management had just about seen him through the first time control, but resulted in the loss of a piece immediately afterwards. With two advancing central connected passed pawns, the Ashfield player managed to create enough threats to force his opponent to repeat moves with only seconds left on the Nottinghamshire clock. A more mercenary opponent could well have played on secure in the knowledge that there was insufficient time for Alan to have done anything other than lose on time. So a win for Notts B, with Leicestershire to play in a qualifying decider.

Finally, the player from Syston, Hamzah Ali, did arrive at the venue and played a graded game with Derbyshire’s extra player, which the Nottinghamshire junior won. The mix-up was entirely due to a communication problem between the captain and the player’s parents and my inability to remember the difference between Leicestershire and Derbyshire.

Derbyshire U125 – Nottinghamshire U125 B
29 October 2005
Derbys White on odd-numbered boards
Board Grade Grade
1 David Hoddy 124 1–0 Bob Taylor 124
2 Paul O’Flanagan 114 ½–½ Colin Tribe 124
3 Barry Archer 112 1–0 Ian Harris 122
4 Doug Bramley 101 ½–½ Benny Lim 120
5 Roger Walker 97 ½–½ Alan Robinson 114
6 Ron Harrison 97 ½–½ Ray Sayer 109
7 Sally McIntosh 96 0–1 Alan Morrey 108
8 Graham Pace 96 0–1 Richard Myers 107
9 P. Sheldon 89 0–1 Norman Davies 104
10 Howard Bradbury 88 0–1 Graham Gibson 99
11 Nigel Marshall 88 ½–½ Amar Mann 95
12 Nigel Wright 87 0–1 Jonathan Day 99
13 Phil Smith 78 ½–½ Anthony Rourke 98
14 M. J. Orridge 84 1–0 Matthew Moore 88
15 John Waller 72 ½–½ Paul Todd 85
16 Steve Watson – 1–0 Edwin Justice 76
7½–8½

Leicestershire U125 – Nottinghamshire U125 A

Derek Cronshaw

Two closely matched sides played out an appropriately close contest at Syston on 29 October. All games were keenly contested; our top boards did us proud by scoring 4½ points out of a possible 7.

The Notts captain scored an early win after offering a pawn for a ferocious attack and other wins were scored by Mick Harper, Len Darby and Darran Ince, until, with two games to go, we needed 1 point to secure the match. Dave Dunne did for his opponent (pun intended) and it was left to our young Vietnamese star, Gavin, to demonstrate his exemplary endgame technique in a same-colour bishop ending.

Leicestershire U125 – Nottinghamshire U125 A
29 October 2005
Board Grade Grade
1 P. Harrison 124 ½–½ M. Nailard 121
2 L. Turner 124 0–1 M. N. Nguyen –
3 T. Lee 122 ½–½ A. Carlton 121
4 C. Johnson 119 0–1 D. Ince 119
5 A. Robinson 117 1–0 R. Willoughby 111
6 S. Smith 117 0–1 M. Harper 107
7 R. Toon 110 ½–½ D. Griffiths 106
8 D. Ward 109 1–0 I. Fillingham 103
9 R. Stone 103 1–0 Default
10 P. Cresswell 105 0–1 D. Cronshaw 105
11 T. Pinckard 107 1–0 D. Lin 104
12 B. Radesk 101 0–1 D. Dunne 99
13 G. Hewitt 100 ½–½ O. Exton 98
14 T. Clay 96 0–1 L. Darby 97
15 R. King 88 1–0 E. Williamson 96
16 S. Preocanin 78 ½–½ P. Smith 87
7½–8½

Nottinghamshire U125 A – Derbyshire U125

Derek Cronshaw

The U125 A team moved smoothly into the semi-final of the MCCU championship, beating a Derbyshire team which had struggled for players 11–5, losing only two games. Notts’ bottom 9 boards amassed 8½ points and the top boards more than held their own. Well done everybody!

The semi-final will be on 28 Jan vs. Staffordshire. Please reserve the date.

Nottinghamshire U125 A – Derbyshire U125
3 December 2005
Board Grade Grade
1 M. Nailard 121 ½–½ D. Hoddy 124
2 A. Carlton 121 ½–½ R. Woods 110
3 D. Ince 119 ½–½ P. O'Flanagan 114
4 P. Burley 115 ½–½ J. Kelsall 110
5 M. Harper 107 1–0 L. Alldread 104
6 D. Griffiths 106 0–1 R. Harrison 97
7 L. Bowen 106 ½–½ G. Pace 96
8 T. Thurgood 105 1–0 P. Sheldon 89
9 I. Fillingham 103 0–1 H. Bradbury 88
10 D. Cronshaw 105 1–0 H. Loomes 87
11 J. Yang 104 1–0 P. Ellis 85
12 D. Lin 104 1–0 M. Orridge 84
13 L. Darby 97 1–0 P. Smith 78
14 P. Smith 87 1–0 H. Ratner 76
15 D. Blampied 66 1–0 D. Jeffrey –
16 A. Alfred – ½–½ J. Morrell –
11–5

Nottinghamshire U125 B – Leicestershire U125

Neil Graham

Notts B lost to Leicestershire by 10 boards to 6 on Saturday. Despite being outgraded throughout Notts held their local rivals on the top ten boards but could only score one point in the lower order. Leicestershire took an early 5–2 lead and although the score was pegged back to 5–4, Leicester then made a match-winning surge. This means that Notts B, who had to win the match, are eliminated.

Final scores:

  P W D L Pts
Notts A 3 2 1 0 5
Leics 3 2 0 1 4
Notts B 3 1 1 1 3
Derbys 3 0 0 3 0

The B team introduced a number of younger players who performed exceptionally in addition to plenty of experienced players. No games were defaulted at all.

The East Midlands matches were affected by the inclusion of a player who clearly was ineligible for this competition; his strength was unknown before the season and it is unfortunate that his results were instrumental in deciding the matches in which he played. The results of the two Nottinghamshire sides has shown that the county can compete at this level and it is hoped that the A team can now progress into the national stages.

Nottinghamshire U125 B – Leicestershire U125
3 December 2005
Board Grade Grade
1 Bob Taylor 124 0–1 Steve Wylie 123
2 Benny Lim 120 0–1 Peter Harrison 124
3 Alan Robinson 114 ½–½ Lewis Turner 124
4 Anjali Lakhani 101 0–1 John Manger 124
5 Ray Sayer 109 1–0 Cyril Johnson 119
6 Alan Morrey 108 ½–½ Chris Graves 119
7 Richard Myers 107 1–0 Anthony Robinson 117
8 Norman Davies 104 1–0 Stephen Smith 117
9 Patrick Allen 102 ½–½ Roy Toon 110
10 Graham Gibson 99 ½–½ David Ward 109
11 Amar Mann 95 0–1 Lea Adlard 107
12 Barry Redburn 95 0–1 Tom Pinckard 107
13 Chris Heining 94 0–1 Andy Johnson 101
14 Paul Todd 85 0–1 Graham Hewitt 100
15 Hamzah Ali 75 1–0 Robert Stone 103
16 Edwin Justice 76 0–1 Paul Clark 90
6–10

Nottinghamshire U125 A – Staffordshire U125

Derek Cronshaw

The Notts U125 A team won their semi-final match against Staffs by 9–7 at Spondon on 28 January and will play Warwickshire in the Midlands final.

Outgraded on all but two boards, the performance of the top four boards and of the juniors was noteworthy. Rob Willoughby made a welcome return to form, defeating Staffs’ highest graded player, whilst his fellow club member, Phillip Burley, used the Morra Gambit to good effect against a very defensively minded player. Mike Nailard’s was the first game to finish: a kingside attack winning the exchange and leaving two rooks dominant on the 7th. The ever-reliable Austin Carlton turned in a solid draw – three and a half points out of four!

More than a quarter of the team is made up of juniors: I am very proud of them and so is Notts. Toby Thurgood played an English Opening with great positional insight and was coolness itself under mate-in-one threats. Oliver Exton won a sharp dynamic tactical battle and Ted Pynegar made his opponent fight every inch of a long battle, only to be defeated by the clock in the end. Daniel Lin was the first to post a win, his opponent having locked his keys in his car and failing to make the venue. Daniel’s smile said it all, and was a great morale booster. Eric Williamson played a difficult minor piece ending that was admired and praised by the senior players of both teams for its maturity and skill. Well done lads!

Please note the date of the final: Saturday 25 February.

Nottinghamshire U125 A – Staffordshire U125
28 January 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 M. Nailard 121 1–0 J. Day 118
2 A. Carlton 121 ½–½ S. Harris 120
3 P. Burley 115 1–0 K. Francis 116
4 R. Willoughby 111 1–0 R. Daniels 122
5 M. Harper 107 0–1 P. Leary 118
6 L. Bowen 106 0–1 D. Daniels 115
7 T. Thurgood 105 ½–½ M. Wotton 113
8 D. Cronshaw 105 1–0 G. Rosser 113
9 D. Lin 104 1–0 Default –
10 I. Fillingham 103 0–1 A. Stott 110
11 D. Dunne 99 ½–½ A. Dobson 104
12 O. Exton 98 1–0 P. Broomhall 104
13 L. Darby 97 ½–½ J. Montague 104
14 E. Pynegar 96 0–1 K. Jones 100
15 E. Williamson 96 1–0 S. Cooksey 100
16 P. Smith 87 0–1 P. Shaw 98
9–7

MCCU U125 final: Nottinghamshire U125 A – Warwickshire U125

Nottinghamshire fell at the final hurdle in their bid to capture the U125 title, but nevertheless reached the national stage of the competition.

Nottinghamshire U125 A – Warwickshire U125
25 February 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 A. Carlton 121 0–1 C. Pitt 124
2 M. Nailard 121 0–1 P. Bull 123
3 D. Ince 119 ½–½ M. Walker 121
4 P. Burley 115 0–1 A. Draper 119
5 R. Willoughby 111 1–0 J. Asbury 117
6 M. Harper 107 0–1 D. Lee 117
7 L. Messam-Sparks 107 0–1 L. Rawson 115
8 D. Griffiths 106 ½–½ J. Murray 110
9 L. Bowen 105 0–1 D. Seale –
10 D. Lin 104 ½–½ J. Llewellyn 109
11 I. Fillingham 103 0–1 K. Warren 106
12 E. Williamson 96 1–0 R. Anderton 103
13 J. Day 95 1–0 C. Lee 97
14 L. Morrell 89 ½–½ A. Jones 98
15 P. Smith 87 0–1 K. Gilbert 94
16 J. Buttery 84 1–0 D. McCarthy 87
6–10

National U125 preliminary round: Nottinghamshire U125 A – Sussex U125

Derek Cronshaw

Without eight of the players who taken the team to the Midlands final, Notts A were seriously handicapped in their match against Sussex, on 29 April. The win on board count therefore, against stronger opposition, was a real achievement for all the players involved. Games were evenly contested throughout, but of particular importance were the late draws from Ken Heath and Darran Ince, and a fine win in a complex game by Rob Willoughby. Well done everybody!

Nottinghamshire U125 A – Sussex U125
29 April 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 A. Carlton 121 ½–½ D. Hirsch 110
2 D. Ince 119 ½–½ J. Wilson 121
3 P. Burley 115 ½–½ G. Thomas 120
4 R. Willoughby 111 1–0 R. Jones 112
5 T. Thurgood 105 0–1 R. Fisher 121
6 D. Lin 104 1–0 M. Plumb 113
7 J. Yang 104 1–0 R. Waddingham 104
8 B. Hobson 104 ½–½ R. Hunt 112
9 D. Cronshaw 105 1–0 N. Carter 100
10 I. Fillingham 103 1–0 C. Linnett 105
11 D. Dunne 99 0–1 D. Grant 103
12 Ed Pynegar 96 ½–½ E. Hillier 106
13 L. Morrell 89 0–1 R. Cumming 98
14 P. Smith 86 0–1 H. Gold 102
15 D. Blampied 66 0–1 D. Wallis 99
16 K. Heath 64 ½–½ N. Mansfield 77
8–8

National Quarter-Final: Nottinghamshire U125 – Bedfordshire U125

Derek Cronshaw

Neil Graham and Mike Barnes worked wonders to produce 3 teams for Saturday 20 May. It seemed that everyone who could push a pawn was pressed into service, from baby-faced assassins to grizzled veterans. In the U125 match, Henry Pynegar and Michael Zhang, who don’t yet play regular league chess, got us off to a flying start and for a time it looked as though we might pull off the impossible. However the odds proved too great and we eventually lost, 9–7.

Ah, well; it will have to be the World Cup...

Nottinghamshire U125 A – Bedfordshire U125
20 May 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 Mike Nailard 121 ½–½ John Harbour 120
2 Rob Willoughby 111 ½–½ George Ward 123
3 Mick Harper 107 ½–½ Mark Atlay 120
4 Toby Thurgood 105 0–1 Pierre Casaubeith 105
5 Daniel Lin 104 0–1 Mike Botteley 112e
6 Ben Hobson 104 1–0 Les Mabb 112
7 Jixin Yang 104 0–1 Nigel Staddon 112
8 Derek Cronshaw 105 1–0 Chuck Robbins 111
9 Oliver Exton 98 1–0 Barry McLoughlin 109
10 David Dunne 99 ½–½ Jon Bilsberry 109
11 Len Morell 89 0–1 Colin Solloway 107
12 Peter Smith 87 0–1 Kevin Bryant 107
13 Ebrahim Fredricks 80 0–1 Mark Puffett 102
14 Henry Pynegar 75 1–0 Turner Suvek 100e
15 John Buttery 84 0–1 Jack Tattersall 97
16 Michael Zhang – 1–0 Peter Housden 89
7–9

Under 100

Nottinghamshire U100 – Warwickshire U100


Nottinghamshire U100 – Warwickshire U100
19 November 2005
Board Grade Grade
1 Graham Gibson 99 0–1 Adrian Hussain 97
2 David Dunne 99 0–1 Lennie Johnson 95
3 Len Morrell 89 1–0 Kim Gilbert 94
4 Matthew Moore 88 1–0 Graham Gee 92
5 Peter Smith 87 ½–½ Ken Wise 87
6 Paul Todd 85 1–0 John Burke 86
7 John Buttery 84 0–1 John Pakenham 82
8 Ebrahim Fredricks 80 ½–½ Doug Cooper 75
9 Dorothy Blampied 66 1–0 Peter Hodkinson 74
10 Terry Norris-Hunt 71 ½–½ Bram Garner 69
11 Tracey Clegg 49 0–1 Steven Bower –
12 Ken Heath 64 0–1 Adam Parkinson –
5½–6½

Leicestershire U100 B – Nottinghamshire U100


Leicestershire U100 B – Nottinghamshire U100
26 November 2005
Board Grade Grade
1 Frank S. Hilford 97 0–1 David Dunne 99
2 Tom Lester 81 0–1 Graham Gibson 99 
3 Alan Butler 80 0–1 Eric Williamson 96
4 Stephen Tatlow 39 0–1 Len Darby 97
5 Stan Parsons 75 0–1 Amar Mann 95
6 Edris Kibalama – 1–0 Len Morrell 89
7 Richard Davis 73 1–0 Matthew Moore 88
8 Peter Wood 66 ½–½ Peter Smith 87
9 Don Lockton 63 0–1 John Buttery 84
10 Default – 0–1 Hamzah Ali E75
11 Keval Rughani 50 0–1 Terry Norris-Hunt 71
12 Peter Poolan – 1–0 Tracy Clegg 49
3½–8½

Leicestershire U100 A – Nottinghamshire U100


Leicestershire U100 A – Nottinghamshire U100
14 January 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 Jeff Toon 98 0–1 Jonathan Day 99
2 Mike Thornton 96 0–1 Graham Gibson 99
3 Darren Poulacheris 92 0–1 David Dunne 99
4 Howard Walden – ½–½ Oliver Exton 98
5 Richard Smith 98 0–1 Len Darby 97
6 Terry Clay 96 1–0 Eric Williamson 96
7 John Leonard – 0–1 Ted Pynegar 96
8 Stewart Hollingworth – ½–½ Len Morrell 89
9 Ray Walker 91 ½–½ Peter G. Smith 87
10 George Winterton 85 0–1 Paul Todd 85
11 Stevan Preocanin 78 1–0 John Buttery 84
12 John Creasey 86 1–0 Hamzah Ali E75
4½–7½

Worcestershire U100 A – Nottinghamshire U100

Len Darby

A good win by Notts with a slightly weakened team, but again the juniors played very well. Hamzah Ali finished first, closely followed by Oliver Exton. Then, after that what seemed a lifetime, Eric Williamson and Len Morrell both won pawn endings. Jonathan Day and Ted Pynegar both won well and the match was ours. It is always nice to be a winning captain (acting), but why doesn’t every team play in grade order like Notts?

PS from Michael Barnes: Thanks to Len, Peter Smith and Len Morrell for driving and Len for assistance before and on the day.

Worcestershire U100 A – Nottinghamshire U100
11 February 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 John Loynes 93 0–1 Jonathan Day 99
2 Ian Ellis 98 0–1 Graham Gibson 99
3 Terry Pountney 96 1–0 David Dunne 99
4 Michelle Clark 95 0–1 Oliver Exton 98
5 Maureen Clark 94 ½–½ Len Darby 97
6 Derek Digger 98 0–1 Eric Williamson 96
7 Bert Foord 95 0–1 Ted Pynegar 96
8 Penny Wood 94 0–1 Len Morrell 89
9 William Pugh 85 1–0 Matthew Moore 88
10 Fred Freshwater 90 ½–½ Peter G. Smith 87
11 Ashley Davis – 0–1 Hamzah Ali 75
12 Martin Boreley 84 1–0 Ashton Alfred E60
4–8

MCCU U100 Final: Shropshire U100 – Nottinghamshire U100

Michael Barnes

Two evenly matched teams met in the MCCU final. This was shown by the closely fought games, with the result only decided just before the first time control.

Ted Pynegar won first with his usual steady play. This cancelled out a couple of games which were going against us. Ken Heath, who stepped in at 10:30 due to illness (thanks again Ken), fought back well to win. Paul Todd’s opponent played better than any 82 I’ve seen. Len and Oliver both drew a pawn down. Once the match was decided, Peter Smith gave his opponent a draw.

Congratulations to Shropshire.

Notts U100 will now play the winners of the SCCU on 20 May in the National quarter-final. Opponents and venue to be decided.

Shropshire U100 – Nottinghamshire U100
18 March 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 R. Brown 94 1–0 Jonathan Day 99
2 C. Lewis 97 1–0 Graham Gibson 99
3 D. Oguhside 99 0–1 David Dunne 99
4 K. Grice 95 ½–½ Oliver Exton 98
5 Ian Davies 92 ½–½ Len Darby 97
6 D. Powell 92 0–1 Ted Pynegar 96
7 G. Hampson 85 ½–½ Len Morrell 89
8 A. Pickles 86 ½–½ Peter G. Smith 87
9 S. Davies 82 1–0 Paul Todd 85
10 A. Taylor 83 1–0 John Buttery 84
11 I. Fenton 82 1–0 Hamzah Ali 75
12 H. Graham – 0–1 Ken Heath 64
7–5

National Quarter-Final: Essex U100 – Nottinghamshire U100

Michael Barnes

Firstly thank you to all who played for both the U125 and U100 teams, often at short notice.

The clash with the U125 match meant that eight players under 100 were not available. Also, the time of year meant that several people were on holiday or playing cricket. So a much weakened team were playing against a team with a lowest grade of 87. We were outgraded by an average of 16 points a board.

All players fought right to the end and made it as difficult as possible for their opponents, which is great for the whole team. First to finish was Andrew Garside, who won well against a 92 grade who several times told me he couldn’t believe how good he is. Ashton only lost to a one move blunder after being about equal after 25 moves. Ken on bottom board played steadily and got what turned out to be a crucial half point. Graham Gibson played one of the best five games of his life to destroy his opponent. Clifford won after being a piece down.

When the dust settled we needed one point from the last two games. Edwin Justice defended really well in a difficult position for about two hours when his phone rang after it had switched itself on in his pocket, resulting in an automatic default. Really unfortunate. Jonathan Day was a pawn up in a rook ending, but with split pawns. He lost one but outplayed his opponent in superb fashion to win.

So the semi-final is on Sunday 11 June vs. Norfolk (probably) at 1 p.m. at Peterborough (to avoid the England World Cup match on Saturday). This will be the same venue as the U150 match vs. Cambridgeshire.

I now face the problem of who to leave out, as many regular players who played for the U125 team are now available. I thank all who played and apologise if anyone is offended.

Essex U100 – Nottinghamshire U100
20 May 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 J. MacWain 94 0–1 Jonathan Day 99
2 C. Phillips 98 0–1 Graham Gibson 99
3 D. Lewis 99 ½–½ Barry Redburn 95
4 S. Burns 95 1–0 Matthew Moore 88
5 G. Gooding 95 0–1 Clifford Potter 87
6 A. Haydon 95 1–0 Edwin Justice 76
7 V. Chtym 94 0–1 Hamzah Ali 75
8 G. Lane 92 0–1 Andrew Garside 57
9 R. Prickett 91 1–0 Ashton Alfred 37
10 M. Crane 87 1–0 Mike Falgate 72
11 L. Whittaker 89 1–0 Terry Norris-Hunt 71
12 W. De Jong 89 ½–½ Ken Heath 64
6–6

National Semi-Final: Norfolk U100 – Nottinghamshire U100


Norfolk U100 – Nottinghamshire U100
11 June 2006
Board Grade Grade
1 Crompton Clarke 99 ½–½ Graham Gibson 99
2 Victor Morris 99 0–1 David Dunne 99
3 Robert Rickard 98 ½–½ Oliver Exton 98
4 Nicholas Slater 96 ½–½ Ted Pynegar 96
5 Gabriel Barr 93 1–0 Eric Williamson 96
6 Mark Collins 83 1–0 Barry Redburn 95
7 Steve Crane 81 1–0 Amar Mann 95
8 Mark Lavine 78 1–0 Len Morrell 89
9 Christopher Bartram 64 0–1 Peter G. Smith 88
10 Ben Slater 57 ½–½ Hamzah Ali 75
11 Colin Goodchild 80 1–0 Ebrahim Fredericks 80
12 Richie Downie 64 1–0 Dorothy Blampied 66
8–4