Congratulations to Stephen Gordon of Oldham whose fine performance in the 2008-9 4NCL was good enough for his third Grandmaster result and the award of the Grandmaster title. His first two results were achieved at the 2006 EU Championships in Liverpool and the 2006-7 4NCL. In the following game Gordon manages to exploit some slight congestion in enemy lines as the knight on d1 never finds its way to the kingside and gets in the way of the rooks.

G Jones - S Gordon

4NCL Div 1a Hinckley Island (3)

Closed Sicilian

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d3 Nc6 4.g3 g6 5.Bg5 Qc7 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Qd2 a6 8.Bg2 b5 9.0-0 Bb7 10.a4 b4 11.Nd1 Nge7 12.c3

(If 12.Bh6 0-0 13.Nh4 Nd4 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.f4 f6)

12...bxc3 13.bxc3 0-0 14.d4 d6 15.Rb1

(15.Bh6 cxd4 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.cxd4 Qa5 18.Qf4 d5 19.e5 or 15.Bh6 Na5 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Qf4 was sharper)

15...Na5 16.Re1 Rab8

(The knight on d1 is a slight problem for white as Ne3 allows Bxe4)

17.dxc5

(17.Bh6 Bc6 18.Rxb8 Rxb8 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.Qf4 Bxa4 21.Ne3 with reasonable attacking chances for the pawn is perhaps a better try and the knight enters the game)

17...dxc5 18.e5 Nc4 19.Qf4 Bxf3 20.Rxb8 Rxb8 21.Qxc4

(21.Qxf3 Nxe5)

21...Bxg2 22.Kxg2 Nd5 23.Qe4

(23.Qxa6 Bxe5 targets c3 and if 24.c4 Nb4 traps the queen)

23...c4 24.h4 Qc6 25.Bf6

(25.Ne3 Nf4+!)

25...Rb1 26.Kh2 Qb6 27.Qxc4?

27...Bxf6?

(27...Rxd1 28.Rxd1 Qxf2+ 29.Kh3 Qf5+ 30.Qg4 Qxg4+ 31.Kxg4 Ne3+ wins)

28.exf6 Nxf6 29.Qe2 h5 30.Kg1 Ng4 31.Qd2 a5

(White has had one life but his position is still difficult)

32.c4

(32.Ne3 Nxe3 33.fxe3 Rb2)

32...Qb3 33.c5 Qxa4 34.Nc3 Rxe1+ 35.Qxe1 Qb4 36.c6 Qc5

(By forcing the white queen to defend f2 Black wins a second pawn and the game)

37.Ne4 Qxc6 38.f3 Qb6+ 39.Kh1 Qe3 40.Qd1 Nf2+ 41.Nxf2 Qxf2 42.f4 Qxg3 0-1

White miscalculates a long sequence, perhaps he thought it was mate on the back rank but the black rook on e2 can go backwards.

V Tomescu - S Gordon

Porto San Giorgio 2008

Nimzo Indian

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd2 0-0 5.e3 b6 6.Nge2 Bb7 7.a3 Be7 8.Nf4 d5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.b4 c5 11.bxc5 bxc5 12.Rb1 Bc6 13.dxc5 Bxc5 14.Bb5 d4 15.exd4 Re8+ 16.Nce2 Qxd4 17.0-0 Qd6 18.Bb4

(18.Bc3)

18...Qxd1 19.Rfxd1 Bxb5 20.Bxc5 Bxe2 21.Nxe2 Rxe2 22.Bxa7 Rxa7 23.Rxb8+ Re8 24.Rxe8+ Nxe8 0-1