Teams finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd will proceed to the national stages of the open championships.
Results
Warw
Notts
G Man
Staffs
Leicss
Warwickshire
12½-4½
8½-7½
Nottinghamshire
7½-8½
8½-7½
Gtr. Manchester
5-11
6½-9½
9-7
Staffordshire
13-3
Leicestershire
5-11
8½-7½
Results and Reports
MCCU UNDER 150 NOTTS v GTR MANCHESTER, 15 NOV 2008.
Board
Colour
Grade
Name
Result
Name
Grade
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
GTR. MANCHESTER
1
b
148
B Thompson
1-0
C Jardine
143
2
w
147
K Harvey
1-0
A Beresford
141
3
b
144
B Hayward
½-½
J Murphy
U
4
w
143
W Place
1-0
J Lonsdale
136
5
b
138
S Foster
½-½
M Burke
133
6
w
138
T lane
1-0
D Pardoe
133
7
b
135
N Graham
0-1
M Pollard
127
8
w
130
J Day
1-0
T Clements
125
9
b
128
S Cramner
1-0
N Gittens
124
10
w
127
B Taylor
½-½
D Kierman
117
11
b
126
M Radford
0-1
S Towse
113
12
w
125
K Brameld
1-0
R Sumner
113
13
b
123
J Tassi
0-1
D Connolly
107
14
w
122
N Davies
0-1
J Stirrup
96
15
b
121
M Taylor
0-1
L Moore
96
16
w
U
O Tayler
1-0
D McCarthy
105
average
133
average
120
9½-6½
Hello All,
Yesterday saw two teams do battle in the MCCU Counties qualifiers.....and it was the usual cut and thrust contest between these two sides, who always have a fair old scrap....Notts coming out `winners` 9.5 - 6.5 on this occasion...so congrats again to them. It was always close, with Notts ahead by the odd board or so throughout the match, but with chances on both sides. A particularly good effort from our lower order....and an uphill struggle for our top boards this time. As you can see from the score sheet, we were outgraded, particularly on the lower boards. I didnt see much of the play....but glances at various middle game positions seemed to indicate some close tussles. Good also to have a strong turnout from our juniors, who all played well, and might have done even better on another day. We had a number of players making their debuts in the team, who hopefully enjoyed the match and play again for us in future matches.
It was a typical grey Novembers day (right good for chess......), and the Leek Market Day was taking place outside the pub..... I`d had a slow run from Stockport on busy roads + road works delays (as usual),..so things got off to a slow start. Route Planner had it down as a 40 mins drive, ......it took me about 1.25 hours. (including parking, unloading, etc..) But maybe its worth another shot...
This event was another triumph of creative thinking/enterprise and positive effort by all concerned, in ensuring that a possibly tricky situation was turned into a reasonably successfull and enjoyable match.
When I arrived I saw a rather darkened room (not overly large), with an assortment of various sized tables and chairs scattered around.....and people milling around in some confusion. It reminded me of one of those `Slug & Lettace` places. .....to describe playing conditions as `somewhat unusual` might be an understatement. Some innovation was required.
So a big thanks to all present for getting things sorted.....including lighting, seating, refeshments (which both teams provided in a cramped bar area)...etc....and to Jon for getting our team together. The place certainly had some atmosphere.......if a tad cramped. Getting to Loos & refreshment bar was just about ok.... although I guess many players bring there own snacks, etc.....
I`ve no doubt that Notts views on the match will be available at some point (awaiting web volunteers I think)....watch this space http://www.nottschess.org/
They are always looking for news and contributions. Please send reports, information, events, games., etc to the editor... Ray Collett collett@clara.co.uk
Future GMan U150 matches........for your diaries.....
We`re keen to hear from players in our clubs/teams in the Manchester area who would like to play in our county matches. All are welcome.
We play Staffordshire U150 on Sat 10th Jan...HOME, starting 1pm ....probably at The Greyhound Pub....Councillor Lane, Cheadle Hulme ....
We also play Warwickshire U150 on Sat 31st Jan HOME, probably as above (tbc).....
Please note and pass on to other players who may be interested & contact Jonathan Lonsdale <jon@jlonsdale.net> for more details. We need players for both these matches.
Dave P (Tel: 485-2413)
MCCU UNDER 150 GTR MANCHESTER v STAFFORDSHIRE 10 JAN 2009. (Greyhound Pub, Cheadle Hulme.)
Board
Colour
Grade
Name
Result
Name
Grade
GTR. MANCHESTER
STAFFORDSHIRE
1
b
145
J Reed
½-½
P Porter
145
2
w
137
D Knox
½-½
D Daniels
144
3
b
135
A Sainsbury
½-½
B Armstrong
144
4
w
142
G El Gehani
½-½
J Staniforth
142
5
b
142
M Roberts
½-½
S Hill
137
6
w
142
A Berisford
1-0
P Leary
136
7
b
133
M Burke
1-0
B Zitha
135
8
w
(135)
J Murphy
1-0
S Pedder
135
9
b
137
G Ball
½-½
M Groombridge
131
10
w
136
J Lonsdale
½-½
D Perks
130
11
b
131
M Connor
½-½
R Parker
130
12
w
129
D Newell
0-1
W Rea
129
13
b
128
J Nicolson
½-½
A Thomason
117
14
w
125
T Clements
½-½
M Wootton
116
15
b
117
D Kierman
½-½
G Lee
113
16
w
113
R Sumner
½-½
K Francis
110
average
133
average
130
9-7
Hello All,
Just a brief note to report that the GMan U150 team had a fine win by 9 - 7 against a very capable Staffs side. The match was a close fought contest, and after 12 games we led by 1, with 11 others having been drawn. That for me was the measure of the match....too close to call, with both teams battling hard for every point, as they approached the final hours play.
I think Andrew Sainsbury or James Murphy took some photos at the match, so I hope these might be circulated in due course.
We almost had a minor disaster prior to the match......a pitch inspection the previous day revealed that the ground staff had forgotton that the match was booked...so hurriedly had to prepare the room...... Then, on the day, we had a `flood light failure`....and had to scramble around for spare lightbulbs....!? Fortunately these gremlins were overcome and the match started, after a short delay.....one or two arrived late.....and play started about 1.20pm.
I must say at this point that we were fortunate and pleased to have had a very good response from our players, and consequently were unable to find places for some of these on this occasion. However, we are very grateful to all for the support we get.....
I missed the early stages of the match, but several draws occured during the first 2.5 hours, which set the scene for a close match. Some close games on the top 5 boards led to all 5 being drawn. None more interesting than Andrew Sainsbury`s well deserved draw with Bill Armstrong on board 3.......middle game saw both players attacking Kings on opposite wings...Rooks and Queens figuring prominantly in the action. I had fancied Andrews chances at one stage, with his strong attack on the Q-side looking to be within a whisker of a mating attack...but an honourable draw ensued after white engineered good counterplay with Q +R attack on the K-side in a see-saw battle. Good to see David Knox playing on board 2 and scoring a useful draw....not to mention John Reed, making a late appearance and also securing a good half point.Jim Nicolson sent me a note to say that it was his 13th consecutive county U150 game with the black pieces... he tells me that the odds of this are 1 in 8192.
During the later stages several interesting middle game battles were in progress, which all looked fairly unclear. Mitchell was grafting away purposefully, with a queenside struggle, where rooks and Queens on both sides were fighting for some initiative, but Mitch appeared to have the edge....this translated into a good win for him not long after, when his opponents pieces became impaled on a strong defensive pawn position. Good play.
Our other junior, Thomas Clements, also had an interesting battle...with complex middle game play on both sides......at one stage he had an extra piece, but his opponent had a R. Pawns were scattered, and his opponent had good pressure/tactics, and won back the piece. Thomas managed to steer the game to a well earned draw.
David Newell had an interesting game, which I initially thought was leading to a decent endgame position. He had R for B...with pawns across the board for both players....but his opponent managed to create threats on the Q-side with advanced pawns, which eventually proved decisive. This brought the match back to within a point, with three boards remaining.
Alan Beresford produced a well worked win, eventually promoting a passed Q-side pawn, as both sides battled with B+R apiece...blacks K having been locked in a corner on KR1, unable to assist.
Others in the lower regions came out with useful draws, to give a very respectable performance all round.
So, an excellent match came to a close, and 2 valuable points put GMan on coarse to challenge for a place in the Qualifiers stage......should we pick up further points in our remaining two matches.
Talking of which, can I remind players that our next match is against Warwickshire, again at the Greyhound, Cheadle Hulme, on Sat 31st Jan. If you can play, please let Jon Lonsdale know...ASAP. Jonathan Lonsdale <jon@jlonsdale.net> Please pass this on to others who might be interested.
Dave P
MCCU UNDER 150 GTR MANCHESTER v WARWICKSHIRE 31 JAN 2009. (Greyhound Pub, Cheadle Hulme.)
Board
Colour
Grade
Name
Result
Name
Grade
GTR. MANCHESTER
WARWICKSHIRE
1
b
136
A Sainsbury
1-0
A Draper
149
2
w
142
M Roberts
½-½
M Cundy
147
3
b
137
D Knox
½-½
T Robinson
144
4
w
142
A Beresford
½-½
R Reynolds
143
5
b
133
M Burke
0-1
M Doran
141
6
w
U
J Murphy
1-0
D Lee
140
7
b
137
G Ball
0-1
G Hope
139
8
w
136
J Lonsdale
½-½
M Maher
139
9
b
133
D Pardoe
0-1
P Bull
139
10
w
129
D Newell
0-1
R Wallman
137
11
b
129
K Lockett
0-1
S Smith
137
12
w
128
J Nicolson
½-½
J Fahy
136
13
b
U
D Benchebra
0-1
T Holt
134
14
w
117
R Nurse
0-1
A Burnet
131
15
b
107
D Connolly
0-1
J Turner
129
16
w
96
J Stirrup
½-½
J Asbury
123
average
average
5-11
Hi all
We got started on time, after losing the toss (Warks played white on odd boards)......players were sat in there places before the team lists were read out.....keen to get started..!! Dave K patched up the lighting, to ensure conditions were satisfactory......before going off to watch City v Stoke on Sky......no prizes for guessing which was the better match...but I hear City were a tad unlucky. Unfortunately Grand Master KaKa was not available!!
It`s always a bit hectic at the start of these matches, getting everything set up, room readied, sets, boards, clocks, refreshments, scoresheets, etc....in place, so apologies if I appeared to ignore anyone. All help in that department is always appreciated..... before and after the match.
The final score was 11 v 5 to Warks, but underlying this were many interesting and close games. This ensures that Warks again qualify for the Finals Stages, so well done to them..
Warwickshire should take the U150 title, I believe.....unless Notts win in the final match between them...interesting...!!
Our top order held there own with a sound and very creditable performance, but lower down, the grading differencials were generally higher (between 10 and 25 pts), and it was a sterner task...but, non the less, a creditable effort from all. Jade Stirrup again scored a meritable draw on board 16, and Andrew Sainsbury & James Murphy from Chorlton club got two noteworthy wins on boards 1 & 6 respectively.
On this occasion 6 players from Chorlton turned out....good stuff. And DK`s presence (although poorly), ensured we had strength in reserve, which is always handy. Good support from our other clubs too, and we`re always looking for new players to add to the squad..... Incidentally, 9 of our players also play for teams in the Stockport league, so its good to have representation across our local leagues.
Good draws from Mark Roberts, Alan Beresford, David Knox, and (of course Jim Nicolson...), who broke his run of 13 consecutive blacks, rounded off our scoring.
Incidentally, the other draw for us was scored by Jon Lonsdale on board 8.... I glimpsed briefly at that game, and it appeared to be another interesting middle game tussle, with active peice play on both sides contesting space across the board...well supported by good pawn positions on both flanks.
Deciding board order is sometimes a tad tricky...but thanks to Jon & David Kierman for some guidance on `form`/preferances, etc..... As I said to Jon, there were several permutations that might have been possible...some players want to play slightly higher, some slightly lower...so please dont feel miffed if you think I`ve got you in the wrong slot.....
Thanks again to Jon for getting the team together, also.. many thanks to all who offered to play......our aim is to try to give all who are interested a fairly regular match.
I got engrossed in my own game, which finished last, after a hard struggle, where I felt I had chances of at least a draw. Alas, it was not to be...some inaccuracies, and a tricky combination, when I hit time trouble, cost me dear. It was one of those rather frustrating games that just seemed to slip out of reach, yet promised more..... Jim tells me it was a Trompovsky, whatever that is.... which my opponent played with some umph, playing accurately to exploit space advantage, making the most of his initiative...the flag fell on move 55, by which time his material advantage was clear...despite my menacing Q in open play.
As the match progressed those who`d finished early gathered round the other boards, watching the games with interest..... trying to second guess the outcomes. Meanwhile others analysed outside on a spare board, or took some air on the open balcony.....it being a fine but chilly day.
I saw little of the other matches, and would appreciate any comments on the games, and the match in general. It was again pleasing to welcome two new players to the team...... Karl Lockett (from Altrincham), and Dalil Benchebra (Chorlton..)....
I hope you enjoyed the match and found the refreshments ok...... No `staff` on the tea rota/bar, so it was `self service`..., and presumably most players brought something.
Coming soon......we play Leicestershire on Sat 7th March, probably at Newcastle U Lyme Bridge Club (waiting confirmation from Leicestershire.)... Please note in your diaries, and let Jon know if you can play... Jonathan Lonsdale <jon@jlonsdale.net> ....and pass on or email/ask fellow club players who might be interested in playing.... My contact number is 485-2413
....if we can finish ahead of Staffordshire, we`ll claim the M3 place...in the National Finals stages, I think! So keep practicing.....!?! ..and fortunately Leicestershire perhaps aren`t quite as strong as Warwickshire....but nevertheless, can be tricky customers!!
Dave P
PS Here`s John Fahys report on the match, which I think gives a good perspective... he`s the Warks captain......
Thanks for hosting the game today - a good venue, we thought - much better than the previous year.
I attach the match sheet - with our team listed - so you can "cut & paste" - can you send me your players list - so i can do the same.
The final result was wider then had been thought possible after the first 9 boards had completed (level match) - it appeared we were ahead in one and two others looked as though they could go one each way but still much play left - all the others were pretty even (including your own).
However things change dramatically our way towards the end - and we duly won the one that looked good and the one we hoped would go our way - but then surprisingly won the one, we thought would go your way - after that we won two where we had previously offered a draw in one and were thinking of agreeing a draw in another - so maybe a bit fortunate, as i say with the final score.
It was a closer match than the score ended - good luck for the rest of the year.
Cheers
John *******************************************************************************************
I`ve enclosed a game score from one of the games played on board 14, which typifies a close fought match. In this game, black appears to focus on `attack by stealth`...with pawns gradually creeping forward, trying to close out space..... however, towards the end, white possibly misjudged slightly, I think (maybe time trouble..), and swapped Queens. Had these remained on the board a draw might well have resulted.....but have a look at the game.
Incidentally, I did notice one tactic employed by Warks, that might be of use......before offering/accepting any draws, there players consulted the captain (ie, had discussions as to whether to accept, etc..), and about the state of the match.....interesting.
