Round 4 9th September 2006
Bd  WHITE                      Result  BLACK                          PIN
  1 GALEGO,Luis           (2½)  ½ - ½  SHORT,Nigel           (3)     8   1
  2 PERT,Nicholas         (2½)  0 - 1  MCSHANE,Luke J        (2½)   14   3
  3 WILLIAMS,Simon K      (2½)  1 - 0  DGEBUADZE,Alexandre   (2½)   17   9
  4 GORDON,Stephen        (2½)  0 - 1  GORMALLY,Daniel       (2½)   19  13
  5 DEVEREAUX,Maxim L     (2)   1 - 0  MEIJERS,Viesturs      (2½)   29  15
  6 GYIMESI,Zoltan        (2)   ½ - ½  CARLETON,John         (2)     2  34
  7 LUTHER,Thomas         (2)   1 - 0  LUND,Brett            (2)     4  39
  8 QUILLAN,Gary          (2)   ½ - ½  CONQUEST,Stuart       (2)    31   5
  9 RUDD,Jack             (2)   0 - 1  HEBDEN,Mark           (2)    33   7
 10 MIEZIS,Normunds       (2)   1 - 0  LITTLEWOOD,John       (2)    10  40

 11 SULSKIS,Sarunas       (2)   1 - 0  WHITE,Michael JR      (2)    12  43
 12 PRITCHETT,Craig       (2)   ½ - ½  MCNAB,Colin           (2)    35  21
 13 KARTTUNEN,Mika        (2)   ½ - ½  TEBB,David            (2)    23  45
 14 JONES,Gawain C        (2)   1 - 0  BLACKBURN,Jonathan L. (2)    25  47
 15 SARAKAUSKIENE,Zivite  (2)   0 - 1  SARAKAUSKAS,Gediminas (2)    50  26
 16 BRANDENBURG,Daan      (2)   1 - 0  SURTEES,Mike          (2)    27  49
 17 PEACOCK,Malcolm       (2)   0 - 1  RADOVANOVIC,Jovica    (2)    58  30
 18 SWINKELS,Robin        (1½)  1 - 0  TAYLOR,Martin R       (2)    37  32
 19 BISCHOFF,Klaus        (1½)  1 - 0  GRANT,Jonathan        (1½)    6  38
 20 WALLACE,Paul          (1½)  0 - 1  MEDVEGY,Zoltan        (1)    42  11

 21 SHAW,John K.          (1½)  ½ - ½  EGGLESTON,David J     (1½)   16  44
 22 VAN DER WEIDE,Karel   (1½)  ½ - ½  JACKSON,Oliver        (1½)   18  46
 23 CIUKSYTE,Dagne        (1½)  ½ - ½  LAUTERBACH,Ingrid     (1½)   20  53
 24 HASLINGER,Stewart G   (1½)  1 - 0  ARMSTRONG,Malcolm     (1½)   22  55
 25 KNOTT,Simon J B       (1½)  1 - 0  Bye                          28 BYE
 26 SAVORY,Richard        (1)   ½ - ½  BRITTON,Richard       (1½)   56  36
 27 HULLIGAN,Steve        (1)   0 - 1  HANLEY,Craig          (1)    72  24
 28 TREVELYAN,John        (1)   1 - 0  ARMSTRONG,William G   (1)    41  63
 29 BOUMPHREY,Luke        (1)   ½ - ½  WILLIAMSON,Roger      (1)    67  51
 30 HARDMAN,Michael       (1)   1 - 0  LEGGE,Andrew          (1)    52  73

 31 TAYLOR,Edward H.      (1)   ½ - ½  WILSON,Alexandra      (1)    79  57
 32 BROWN,Martin          (1)   1 - 0  DUKE,Michael          (1)    68  87
 33 MCGRANE,Stephen       (1)   1 - 0  ROBERTSON,David       (1)    83  75
 34 KENT,Paul             (1)   0 - 1  GRASSIE,Duncan        (1)    82  59
 35 VAN KEMENADE,Rudy     (1)   0 - 1  REDMOND,John          (1)    60  74
 36 SOLOMON,Graeme        (1)   0 - 1  HAWKINS,Nicholas      (1)    77  61
 37 GANDOLFI,Gianfranco   (1)   ½ - ½  LEE,Steven            (1)    64  85
 38 CAMPBELL,Ian          (1)   ½ - ½  GORMAN,John           (½)    62  70
 39 BENNETT,Patrick       (½)   1 - 0  TANNER,Frank          (½)    54  80
 40 HUGHES,Robert         (½)   ½ - ½  MACGILCHRIST,Siegrun  (½)    71  65

 41 EWART,Brian R         (½)   0 - 1  SOIKKELI,Raino        (½)    86  76
 42 COCKERILL,Martin      (0)   0 - 1  WEIDMAN,Mark          (0)    69  81
 43 DUNN,Andrew           (1½)    -    Bye                          48 BYE

English quartet pulls the strings on Last Night of the Proms

FM Steve Giddins reports on round 4 of the EU Championships in Liverpool

Report from the official site: http://www.liverpoolchessinternational.co.uk

The last remaining 100% score disappeared today, as Short was held to a draw by Luis Galego of Portugal. The latter was determined not to die of over-ambition, and essayed the Exchange Lopez. Short equalized pretty comfortably, but never looked like doing any more than that, and a quiet game ended in a draw on move 22.

This allowed three players to join Short in the lead, appropriately enough, all of them English. Gormally cashed in on a blunder by Stephen Gordon, whilst Williams beat Dgebuadze in the game given below. They in turn were joined by McShane, who won a long game against Nick Pert. McShane’s exchange sacrifice netted a pawn and the two bishops, and he gradually ground his opponent down. At the end, a clearly disappointed Pert gave the late afternoon spectators a revision lesson in basic rook and pawn endings, as he allowed/forced his opponent to demonstrate his Lucenian bridge-building skills.

The leaders are followed by a group of 10 players on 3 points. Max Devereaux has been in fine form in recent months, making an IM norm at the British Championships, and he continued his good start here by crushing Latvia’s Viesturs Meijers in short order. The latter produced the novelty 8...Nd5 in the Catalan, but was soon in the toils. Once his king was trapped in the centre by the energetic breakthrough 17 d5! the writing was on the wall, and Devereaux finished him off neatly in 25 moves. Luther recovered from his round one loss to win his third game in a row, but only after a long, hard battle with Brett Lund. Amongst the other 3-pointers, Mark Hebden won easily against Rudd, who impaled himself rather horribly, whilst Miezis beat John Littlewood and Sarakauskas showed no marital mercy to his wife, Zivite Sarakauskine.

One of the day’s best battles was the board 4 encounter between Gyimesi and local player John Carleton. The former emerged from the opening with a clear advantage, and his interesting exchange sacrifice should have brought more dividends. However, he missed the very strong 32 Bb3!, which would have preserved a pair of mobile central pawns. His chosen line also looked promising, but Carleton defended heroically and eventually held the draw in a fascinating ending.

Williams,Simon (2473) - Dgebuadze,Alexandre (2527) [E14]
EU Championship (4), 09.09.2006

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Bb4+ 4 Nbd2 b6 5 e3

5 a3 is more popular here, but the solid text should also suffice for a small edge.

5...Bb7 6 Bd3 0-0 7 0-0 d5 8 a3 Bxd2 9 Bxd2 c5 10 dxc5 bxc5 11 Qc2 dxc4 12 Bxc4 Be4

After 12...Bxf3 13 gxf3, White’s additional central control and whole bishop pair would outweigh his weakened kingside. After the text, White has very little advantage, although the bishop pair gives him some hope of a long-term edge.

13 Qc1 Qc7 14 Ng5!

The start of an effective plan. White intends to place his pawns on f3 and e4, blunting the black bishop’s long diagonal, and seizing controil of some additional central squares.

14...Bb7 15 f3 h6 16 Nh3 Nc6 17 Qc2 Ne5 18 Be2 Rfd8 19 Rac1 Rac8 20 Nf2 Rd7 21 Rfd1 Qb8 22 e4 Nc6 23 Be3 Nd4 24 Bxd4 cxd4 25 Qd2 Rxc1 26 Rxc1 e5 27 Qa5

Black has defended in natural enough fashion, but still has some problems, His e5-and a7 pawns are weak, White has chances of penetrating down the c-file, and the knight at f2 will soon take up an effective blockading post on d3.

27...Rd8 28 Nd3

28...Nd7?

28...Re8 29 Rc7 Ba6 was a better try, although White retains some pressure.

29 Rc7

Now a pawn is lost, since Black cannot meet the threats of both 30 Nxe5 and 30 Rxb7.

29...Nb6 30 Qxe5 Ba6 31 Qe7 Rf8 32 b4 Bc4 33 Bf1 Re8 34 Qc5 Rd8 35 a4 Bxd3 36 Bxd3 Nd7 37 Qa5 Nf8

Dgebuadze fights on ingeniously, but to no avail. White has only to exercise due care to avoid any cheapos.

38 g3 Rc8 39 Rxa7 Ne6 40 e5 g6 41 Be4 d3 42 Bxd3 Kg7 43 Rd7 Rc3 44 Kg2 Rb3 45 f4 Rxb4 46 Qa7 Rb2+ 47 Kh3 Qb3 48 Rxf7+ Kg8 49 Bxg6 Qd5 50 Rd7

The computer’s 50 Bh7+ Kh8 51 Bc2 is also winning, but Williams has seen that the white king can march safely to f6.

50...Ng5+ 51 Kg4 Qf3+ 52 Kf5 Qe4+ 53 Kf6 Rb6+ 54 Qxb6 1-0

Malcolm Pein Annotates

S Gordon – D Gormally
EU Ch. Liverpool (4) Gruenfeld Defence

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Ne4 5.Bh4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.e3 c5 8.cxd5 cxd4 9.cxd4 Qxd5 10.Nf3 Nc6 11.Qa4 Bd7 12.Qb5 Qd6 13.Bg3 Qa3 14.Qd3 Qb2 15.Rb1 Qxa2 16.Rxb7 Qa5+ 17.Nd2 Rc8 18.Qa6?

n

18...Nxd4! 19.Bc7 (19.Qxa5 Rc1 mate or 19.exd4 Rc1+ 20.Ke2 Qxa6+) 19... Qc3 20.exd4 Rxc7 21.Bc4 Rxb7 22.Qxb7 0-0 23.Qxd7 Qc1+ 0-1