Rathmines ‘B’ to appeal league’s decision

The captain of the B team for the Armstrong, Michael Kennedy, informed me last night about the league’s decision to default their top two boards in their recent match against Dublin. This turns a 5.5-2.5 victory into a 4-4 draw.

The decision was based on the rating awarded to the Rathmines second board, Abul Kalam, of 2147, which puts him over 150 points higher than our first board, Peter Cafolla, 1989. According to league rules, Rule 3.7 (a) to be precise, teams cannot play someone on a lower board if their rating exceeds that of a higher board by 150 points or more. (In this case it was judged to be 158 points more).

The ruling is: “No player is placed ahead of a team member who is 150 or more ELO rating points higher as set out in the annual rating list as published by the ICU. This rule does not apply between players with a rating of 1200 or less.”

But this decision will be appealed. First, the rating was unpublished prior to the beginning of the league season. And it still remains unpublished – there is no rating for Abul Kalam on the ICU website.

Secondly, Rathmines were acting in good faith and based Abul’s estimated strength on his performance in the recent Irish Championships, where his performance rating was around 1834 or so. If the league controller subsequently discovers a “correct” rating applying to the player, it can of course apply from that moment onwards. But to apply it retrospectively seems harsh. 

If the league are being officious in their ruling, using strict letter-of-the-law interpretations, then Rathmines can also argue that, according to the letter of the law, Abul is officially ungraded, since his rating was not published before the match date.

Armstrong Cup Report

Quite a dramatic night’s chess was had last night, Thursday 25th October. Rathmines ‘A’ were playing Elm Mount ‘A’ in the Armstrong Cup. The match hung in the balance at 3.5 to 2.5 for Elm Mount, with boards 3 and 8 going down to the wire.

Peter Lynch, playing as a last minute sub for Rathmines on board 8, was a piece down but several pawns to the good, until he reached this position, with black to move.

Peter Lynch vs. Ray Dunne

Ray, in the diagrammed position, played the colossal blunder, Bd8??, and it was game over. He completely forgot about the check along the seventh rank and after cxd8Q, it is instant checkmate. The move that might draw here is a quick e3!, although it needs some analysis.

Things were even tenser on the 3rd board, where Derek Smith was an exchange down but several pawns up to Adam Spirek. With Derek, as black, to move in the diagram below, he has to protect his queen, which would be hanging after Re8+.

So, he played Nxb5 and looks comfortable enough. The two passed pawns are more than enough compensation for the exchange and his king looks relatively safe. But then white played Rb3?? (of course, in terrible time pressure) and after …Qd1+; Qf1 Qxb3; he resigned.

In the other games, Mel agreed a draw against David Fitzsimons on board 1, Killian lost to Gerry McElligott, Tony Scannell lost to Ciaran Quinn, and a rusty Walter Stassen lost quickly to Ray O’Rourke. But Leon Fagan pulled off a very well worked-out win over Bernard Boyle, while Philip Hogarty beat Zygimantas Jakubauskas on board 2.

So the match ended 4.5 to 3.5 in Rathmines’ favour.

Heidenfeld Rnd 2 vs. Curragh

Rathmines (5.5) vs. Curragh (2.5), Played 13th October 2007

1. John Crowley    1682   1/2 – 1/2    Richard Arundell 1821
2. Peter Lynch       1630       1 – 0        Mark McLoughlin 1599
3. Pat McEvoy        1566      0 – 1        Noel Lynch 1545
4. John O’Connell   1468      1 – 0        Peter Klompers 1437
5. Niall Whelan       1449      1 – 0         Niall O’Shea 1395
6. Nicky Pierce       1456      1 – 0        Billy O’Connor 1384
7. John Maher        1443  1/2 – 1/2  Franco Rivera 1299
8. Pat Freer            1393  1/2 – 1/2  Dermot Earls 1275

O’Hanlon report

Report from Peter Bishop, Team Captain for the Rathmines O’Hanlon Team.

A weaker and lucky Rathmines drew with the Curragh on Saturday 20th October in round 2 of the O’Hanlon Cup.  The Curragh were unluckily forced to concede a board due to a family bereavement.  Rathmine’s lower boards of Johanne Lowry OReilly, Shane Hall and Marion O’Raw all went down to stronger opposition.  James Osborne, subbing on board 1, outmanovered slightly weaker opposition to win.  Person of the Match goes to Andrew McGrath playing white (unexpectedly) on board 2.  Despite losing a rook for a knight early on, he managed to hold on and win a rook for a knight.  He then proceeded to force his opponent to swop pieces, until each side had only a king and six pawns.  His opponent should have offered a draw, which would have been good for Andrew, being 350 points lower in grading.  Andrew kept his cool and won out in the game. 

A very good result for Rathmines and particularly for Andrew. All of the team send our condolences to the Curragh team member affected by the bereavement.

Rathmines A vs. Phibsboro B, Armstrong

Last night, Rathmines A played away to the second-string Phibsboro team. We won 5-3 in the end, but not without a struggle. Leon and Darren lost, while there were wins for Tony, Killian, Daire, and Derek. Substitute Trevor and Philip both drew their games. No further details yet – I am awaiting the captain’s report and official score cards!

RESULTS

Thu 18 Oct 07 
Home Phibsboro B
Away Rathmines A

1 O’Brien, John 1706 0  –  1 McMahon, Daire 2160 
2 Knudsen, Martin ½  –  ½ Hogarty, Philip 2069 
3 Jurkiewicz, Stawomir 1762 0  –  1 Delaney, Killian 1999 
4 Kwiatek, Lukasz 1761* 0  –  1 Smith, Derek 2007 (*Note: the official site says Tony won this game, which is a mistake.) 
5 Brown, Thomas 1708 1  –  0 Mc Cabe, Darren 1857 
6 Tecklenborg, Georg 0  –  1 Scannell, Tony 1786 
7 Delaney, Michael C. 1717 1  –  0 Fagan, Leon 1731 
8 Fitzpatrick, Tom 1617 ½  –  ½ Rufli, Trevor 1737

Rathmines B team beats Dublin in Armstrong

Michael Kennedy, captain of the B team has sent in his report of the great result for the Armstrong B team. At this rate, the A team will need to defend their title against the B team…And I can only say, well done!

(ps: the Rathmines A team play Phibsboro B team tomorrow)

“Last night, 16-Oct-07, Rathmines B scored an unlikely 5.5 – 2.5 win over local rivals Dublin. We may have expected to lose by the same score considering we were far out-rated on nearly every board.
 Rathmines B vs. Dublin
Bd        Player          Rating           Result               Player                Rating
1     Peter Cafolla     1989           0.5/0.5          Jonathan O’Connor 2156
2     Abul Kalam      N/A              1 / 0              David Moya   2089
3     David Goggins 1834             1 / 0              Martin Schmidt 1984
4     John Aherne     1803            0 / 1              Eddie O’Connor 1881
5     Michael Kennedy 1777         1 / 0              Paulo Baroza   1906
6     John Burns      1763            0.5/0.5           Mark Collins 1818
7     Jack Killane 1716                0.5/0.5           Colm Egan 1793
8     Ken Moore 1716                  1 / 0               Shannon Clements 1653
  Score 5.5 / 2.5

What follows is a cursory impression of the games on the night, open to contradiction!

1. Game of the round had to be the murky encounter between J. O’Connor and Peter on top board. White appeared to gain the initiative out of the opening, but Peter clawed his way back until a draw was accepted in the time scramble. Both agreed it was a fair result.
2. Abul was first to finish on the night as he showed his class in converting an early plus into the full point.
3. David remains the team’s star performer in winning his second game in succession against much higher rated opposition.
4. John Aherne showed signs of rust as he lost out to E. O’Connor after a long summer layoff. That said; surely anyone else on the team would be in for a difficult time against such a wily competitor.
5. Michael’s win was no classic. The comic conclusion came when Michael blundered an exchange, only to realise that his opponent had actually fallen into a cunning trap. Thus, the outcome was decided much in the manner Inspector Clouseau solved crimes – by pure luck in spite of gross incompetence!
6. John Burns was relentless in killing every glimmer of his opponent’s counterplay from the get-go. Unfortunately, the slight advantage he seemed to nurse all evening proved insufficient to win.
7. Jack’s draw against Colm Egan was so quick I’m not sure if anyone saw them come in or go out.
8. Ken was brave in sacrificing material intuitively for an attack on the king where nothing appeared concrete or forcing. The finish was a spectacular mate in the middle of the board with a lone knight.”

Round 7 Games

Download the files here: rathmines-round7.txt 

You can play through the games by cutting and pasting the pgn from the text file above, and then going to http://www.lutanho.net/pgn/pgnviewer.html. Click Open, then paste the pgn into the bottom-right hand panel, and then click OK.  

Ebeling, Mika vs. Killane, Jack
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 d3 4. Bxd3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. h3 Nf6 7. Bf4 Be7 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. O-O Nd7 10. Nc4 Bf6 11. Bc2 Nde5 12. Ne3 Nxf3+ 13. Qxf3 Ne5 14. Qe2 Be6 15. Bg3 c6 16. f4 1-0

Hentunen, Asko vs. Delaney, Killian
1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nc6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nc3 d6 5. Rb1 a5 6. a3 Bg7 7. b4 axb4 8. axb4 Rb8 9. Nf3 f5 10. O-O Nf6 11. d3 O-O 12. Qb3 h6 13. c5+ Kh7 14. cxd6 cxd6 15. b5 Nd4 16. Nxd4 exd4 17. Na4 Re8 18. Bb2 Be6 19. Qb4 Bd5 20. Bxd4 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Rxe2 22. Rbe1 Rxe1 23. Rxe1 Ne8 24. Nb6 Bxd4 25. Qxd4 Qf6 26. Qxf6 Nxf6 27. Re7+ Kg8 28. Re6 Rf8 29. Rxd6 Kf7 30. Rxf6+ Kxf6 31. Nd7+ Ke7 32. Nxf8 Kxf8 33. Kf3 Ke7 1-0

Maki-Uuro, Miikka vs. Ersahin, Bulent
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. g4 b6 5. g5 Ng8 6. Qb3 Na6 7. a3 Be7 8. Rg1 Bb7 9. d4 h6 10. h4 hxg5 11. hxg5 c5 12. d5 f6 13. Qc2 f5 14. Bf4 d6 15. dxe6 g6 16. O-O-O Nc7 17. Nb5 Nxb5 18. cxb5 Bxf3 19. exf3 d5 20. Kb1 Rh4 21. Be5 Bxg5 22. f4 Bxf4 23. Rxg6 Ne7 24. Bf6 Rh6 25. Bxe7 Kxe7 26. Rg7+ Kxe6 1/2-1/2

McCabe, Darren vs. Kivisto, Mikko
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 a6 5. g3 Nc6 6. Nge2 Bg4 7. Bg2 O-O-O 8. Be3 e5 9. dxe5 Qxe5 10. Qc1 Bb4 11. O-O Nf6 12. a3 Bxc3 13. Nxc3 Rhe8 14. Bf4 Qh5 15. Be3 Ne5 16. f4 Nf3+ 17. Bxf3 Bxf3 18. h4 Bc6 19. a4 Qg4 20. Kh2 Bd7 0-1

Smith, Derek vs. Lehtivaara, Petri
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Qe2 b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. c3 O-O 8. O-O d6 9. a4 Na5 10. Bc2 Be6 11. b4 Nb3 12. Bxb3 Bxb3 13. a5 Nd7 14. d3 Be6 15. Rd1 f5 16. exf5 Bxf5 17. Nbd2 Qe8 18. Nf1 Bg4 19. Ne3 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Qh5 21. Ng4 Qh3 22. d4 Rxf3 23. Ne3 Bh4 24. Rf1 Raf8 25. Nd1 R8f6 26. Be3 Qg4+ 0-1

Whelan, Niall vs. Salimaki, Janne
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Qd1 g6 6. e4 Bg7 7. Nf3 d6 8. Be2 O-O 9. h3 Bd7 10. Rb1 Rc8 11. O-O a6 12. Bf4 Na5 13. b3 b5 14. Nd2 Be6 15. Nd5 bxc4 16. bxc4 Re8 17. Be3 Nd7 18. Qa4 Nc5 19. Qa3 Nc6 20. Bxc5 dxc5 21. Nb3 Nd4 22. Nxd4 Bxd4 23. Rb7 Bxd5 24. exd5 Qd6 25. Rfb1 Rb8 26. R1b6 Qxb6 27. Rxb6 Rxb6 28. h4 h5 29. Qg3 Rb2 30. Qf3 Rxa2 31. Kh2 0-1

Euro Club Cup – Rathmines Review

Rathmines preparing prior to Round 4. Left to right: Jack Killane, Derek Smith, Killian Delaney, Niall Whelan, and Darren McCabe.

Seeded 52nd, our eventual finish was 55th from 56 teams. (We peaked at board 17 in round 4).

Results, match by match:

1. Herzliya Chess Club 0-6
2. Schackklub De Sprénger Echternach 1-5
3. “Apollonia” Chess Club Fier 3.5-2.5
4. C.R.E. Liège E.L. 0-6
5. Aarhus Skakklub / Skolerne 1-5
6. Kilkenny Chess Club 1-5
7. Matinkylan Shakkekerho Espoo 0.5 – 5.5

Total match points: 2

Total game points: 7

Best individual performances:

1. Bulent Ersahin 1/4 and a 2200 rating performance
2. Darren McCabe 3/7 and a 2063 performance
3. Killian Delaney 1.5/7 and a 1951 performance

All the games are here in one handy download (pgn format, plain text file): rathmines-european-club-cup-games.txt

Rathmines vs. Kilkenny, round 6 games

rathmines-round6.txt

The following notes are rather impressionistic. I have the benefit of hindsight, which always makes the annotator look smarter than the players, but in reality I don’t understand most of the games! We lost 5-1 in the end, but Derek, in particular, had a great game, and Niall might have snatched a draw in the end.

Baburin, Alexander vs. Stuart, Robert
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 The Budapest Gambit against a grandmaster. I take my hat off to Robert! 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Nf3 Bc5 5. e3 Nc6 6. Be2 O-O 7. O-O Re8 8. Nc3 a5 9. b3 Ngxe5 10. Bb2 d6 Black looks pretty Ok here, the opening has worked out fine for him. 11. Nd4 Qh4?? A pseudo-attacking move. He leaves c7 unprotected and threatens nothing. 12. Nd5! Bb6 13. Nxb6 cxb6 14. Nxc6 Now white wins the d and c pawns, with a comfortable position. 1-0

Smith, Derek vs. Quinn, Mark
A huge fight from Derek, for which he deserved better.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d3 e6 4. g3 d5 5. Nbd2 Bd6 6. Bg2 Nge7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nh4 Bc7 9. f4 f5 10. exf5 Nxf5 11. Nxf5 Rxf5 12. Bh3 Rf6 13. Nf3 Qf8 14. Re1 h6 15. Ne5 Bxe5 16. fxe5 Rf7 17. c3 Bd7 18. Bd2 g5 19. Qe2 Qg7 20. Rad1 Raf8 21. Bc1 a6 22. d4 cxd4 23. cxd4 Ne7 24. b3 After the opening phase, which is a King’s Indian Attack, we see a pawn structure that looks like a French defence, with black pawns on e6 and d5, and white ones on e5 and d4. Technically, black has a bad bishop. The differences to a French position are that white also has a bad bishop here, he lacks a knight, and the black rooks already dominate the f-file. So black is quite equal. Bb5 25. Qd2 g4 26. Bg2 Nf5 27. a4 Bc6 28. Ba3 Rc8 29. Rf1 h5 30. Rf4 Qg5 31. Qe2 Rg7 32. Rdf1 Rf7 33. R1f2 Qg6 34. Bf1 Be8 35. Qe1 Rc6 36. Bd3 But now, it looks like white is in control. Derek has won the f-file, both his bishops are in good squares, and black’s c-file rook has nothing to do on the file. Bd7 37. Bxf5 exf5 38. Re2 Be6 Now black’s bishop at least has something to do – namely, blockade the passer. 39. Qb4 h4 40. a5 Qh6 41. Qe1 hxg3 42. Qxg3 Rh7 43. Rg2 Kh8 44. Qf2 Qg5 45. Rg3 Rh6 46. Bc5 Rc7 47. b4 Rch7 48. Rg2 Rh3 49. Rgxg4?? Unfortunately, this combination just doesn’t work. Black was gradually outplaying white, but it still looks even. fxg4 50. Rf8+ Kg7 51. Rg8+ Bxg8 0-1

Heidenfeld, Mark vs. Delaney, Killian
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. g3 Qd5 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. Bg2 Qc4 9. h3 Bh5 10. c3 Bd6 11. Be3 O-O 12. Nd2 Qb5 13. g4 Bg6 14. Qb3 Qa6 15. Ne4 Bxe4 16. Bxe4 Re8 17. Qc2 c5? Loses at least a pawn. He was relying on an optimistic combination. Where have we seen that before? 18. dxc5 Bxc5? 19. Bxc5 Qc6? Hoping to win back one of the bishops. But after… 20. O-O-O Taking on e4 loses to the back rank mate, while Qxc5 loses the rook in the corner. Ouch. 1-0

McCabe, Darren vs. Griffiths, Ryan Rhys
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. d4 Ngf6 5. O-O a6 6. Bxd7+ Nxd7 7. Nc3 g6 8. dxc5 Nxc5 9. Be3 Nd7 10. Qd4 e5 11. Qd2 Nf6 12. Rad1 Bg4 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. Qxd5 Qd7?? Let’s Darren uncork a game-winning combination. 15. Nxe5! Well-spotted. dxe5 16. Qxe5+ Qe7 17. Qxh8 Bxd1 18. Rxd1 Qxe4 19. Bh6? Hard to criticise, because this wins too, but Bc5! wins instantly…now it enters an endgame instead. Qe7 20. Kf1 Qc5 21. Qxf8+ Qxf8 22. Bxf8 Kxf8 23. Rd7 Rc8 24. c3 b5 25. Ke2 b4 26. cxb4 Rc2+ 27. Rd2 Rc4 28. a3 Ke7 29. h3 h5 30. Kd3 Rf4 31. Kc3 h4 32. Kb3 g5 33. Ka4 Rf5 34. f3 Re5 35. Rc2 f5 36. Rd2 Ke8 37. Kb3 Ke7 38. a4 Ke8 39. Kc4 Ke7 40. b5 axb5+ 41. axb5 Re6 42. Kb4 g4 43. hxg4 fxg4 44. fxg4 Re4+ 45. Ka5 Rxg4 46. b6 h3 47. gxh3 1-0

Keogh, Eamon vs. Killane, Jack
1. f4 e5 2. e4 A King’s Gambit. The romance never ends when Jack plays! d5 3. exd5 e4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bc4 c6 6. dxc6 Nxc6 7. Nge2 Bc5 8. Na4 Bb6 9. Nxb6 Qxb6 10. h3 O-O 11. b3 Rd8 12. Bb2 Nd5 13. Bxd5 Rxd5 14. Nc3 Rd8 15. Na4 1-0 I think the score is incomplete, because Jack has no reason to resign here at all.

Whelan, Niall vs. Bradley, Sean
Niall gets outplayed for much of the game but manages to emerge into an endgame the exchange up and with 2 pawns vs. 4 pawns. But the pawns prove too powerful. He is to be commended for fighting to the end. 1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e4 d6 5. Bg5 O-O 6. Be2 Nbd7 7. Nf3 c5 8. d5 a6 9. Rb1 Qc7 10. O-O Re8 11. Nd2 e6 12. h4 exd5 13. exd5 h6 14. Bf4 Ne5 15. Bxe5 Rxe5 16. Bd3 Bd7 17. Nf3 Bg4 18. Qc2 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Rae8 20. Ne4 Nxe4 21. Bxe4 Rh5 22. Kg2 Rxh4 23. Rh1 Qe7 24. Qd2 Rxe4 25. fxe4 Qxe4+ 26. f3 Qxc4 27. Rhe1 Rxe1 28. Rxe1 Qxa2 29. Re8+ Kh7 30. Re7 Qxb2 31. Qxb2 Bxb2 32. Rxf7+ Kg8 33. Rxb7 Be5 34. Ra7 g5 35. Rxa6 Kf7 36. Ra4 Kf6 37. Re4 Kf5 38. Re1 c4 39. Re2 c3 40. Kf1 h5 0-1

Round 7 results

Rathmines are 5-0 down at the moment…with only board one to finish. With just 1 point over the last three matches, it has been a hugely disappointing end to the European Club Cup for Rathmines. In fairness, our initial ranking (52nd of 56 teams) always suggested we’d struggle.

On the positive side, there was a great match win over an Albanian side and a good individual performance from Darren, some very interesting games from Killian, and hard luck stories all round. With some luck in the last two round’s pairings, we might have had a better chance. But today, up against a team that vastly outranked us on every board, it was always going to be tough.

7.27 34 Matinkylan Shakkekerho Espoo  FED – 52 Rathmines  FED
1 IM Maki-Uuro Miikka 2399 FIN :  Ersahin Bulent 2129 TUR
2 FM Lehtivaara Petri 2376 FIN 1-0  Smith Derek 2131 IRL
3 FM Hentunen Asko 2352 FIN 1-0  Delaney Killian 2023 IRL
4 FM Kivisto Mikko 2311 FIN 1-0  McCabe Darren 0 IRL
5 FM Ebeling Mika 2354 FIN 1-0  Killane Jack 2116 IRL
6  Salimaki Janne 2181 FIN 1-0  Whelan Niall 0 IRL

At this stage, Kilkenny – with four games over – are leading 3-1 and heading for a great win over Namur. This will be a fine result for them if they win the match, so congratulations to them!

7.22 38 Namur  FED – 45 Kilkenny Chess Club  FED
1 IM Zaragatski Ilja 2471 GER 0-1 GM Baburin Alexander 2545 IRL
2 IM Jens Jelmer 2409 NED 1/2-1/2 IM Quinn Mark 2391 IRL
3 FM Geenen Marc 2293 BEL 1/2-1/2 IM Heidenfeld Mark 2349 IRL
4  Gengler Pierre 2195 LUX 0-1  Griffiths Ryan Rhys 2051 IRL
5  Lanneau Bertrand 2167 BEL :  Keogh Eamon 2095 IRL
6  Degembe Pierre 2084 BEL :  Bradley Sean 0 IRL

Round 5 Games

rathmines-round5.txt

Ersahin, Bulent vs. Jelling, Erik
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe2 Nbd7 10. e4 Bg6 11. Bd3 Qa5 12. Bd2 Rad8 13. Rfd1 c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Bc2 a6 16. h3 Rfe8 17. Ne5 Nb3 18. Nc4 Nd4 19. Nxa5 Nxe2+ 20. Nxe2 Rxd2 21. Rxd2 Bxd2 22. Nxb7 Bxe4 23. Bxe4 Nxe4 24. Rd1 Rb8 25. Ng3 Rxb7 26. Nxe4 Ba5 27. Rd6 Rxb2 28. Rxa6 Rb1+ 29. Kh2 Bc7+ 30. g3 h6 31. Ra8+ Kh7 32. a5 f5 33. Nc5 Rb5 34. Nxe6 Bxa5 1/2-1/2

Boe, Mads vs. Stuart, Robert
1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 e5 5. dxe5 Qxe5+ 6. Be2 Nf6 7. Nf3 Qc7 8. Na3 Be7 9. Nb5! Puts pressure on black on c7 and d6. Qb6 10. Bf4 Na6 11. Nd6+ Bxd6 12. Qxd6 Be6 13. O-O-O Qxd6 14. Bxd6 O-O-O 15. Bxa6 bxa6 Black’s queenside pawns are fatally weak now. 16. Bxc5 Bxa2 17. Rxd8+ Kxd8 If instead, Rxd8, then Be7 doubles the f-pawns and the endgame is lost. 18. Rd1+ Kc7 19. Bxa7 Bb3 20. Re1 Re8 21. Bd4 Rxe1+ 22. Nxe1 Ne8 A pawn up, white must still prove his win. 23. Nd3 Bd5 24. f3 f6 25. Bc5 Kd7 26. Kc2 Nc7 27. b3 Ne6 28. c4 Bb7 29. Be3 g5 30. Kc3 h5 31. Kb4 f5 32. Ka5 f4 33. Bf2 g4 34. Bc5 Bc6? The final mistake. After Ne5+ the a pawn cannot be saved and white wins easily. 35. Ne5+ 1-0

Smith, Derek vs. Hagen, Andreas Skytte
1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 Bc5 5. d4 I’m always dubious of these double d-pawn moves, but here it gains time against the bishop so is justified Be7 6. e5 Nfd7 7. Bd3 c5 8. c3 Nc6 9. Nf1? I think this creates difficulties for white that he never solves cxd4 10. cxd4 Qb6 11. Bb1 Bb4+ 12. Ke2 White is positionally busted now. The right move might have been Bd2 or Nd2, with a pawn sacrifice but some compensation. f6 13. exf6 Nxf6 14. Ng3 O-O 15. Bg5 Bd6 16. b3 e5 Now the position is blasted open and white’s king is completely exposed. 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Bxf6 Rxf6 19. Qxd5+ Be6 20. Qe4 g6 21. Nd4 Bc5 22. Nxe6 Rxf2+ 0-1

Pedersen, Finn vs. Delaney, Killian
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qc8 8. Nd2 e6 9. h3 Bh5 10. Ngf3 Bg6 11. Bxg6 hxg6 12. O-O Be7 13. Ne5 O-O 14. Rae1 b5?! Typical robust move from Killian, who always looks for tactical combinations and open lines. Jack once morosely muttered to me that Killian was “too optimistic”. How true! 15. Qxb5 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Nd7 17. Bg3 a6 18. Qd3 Qc6 19. Nf3 Qa4 20. Ra1 Rac8 21. Ne5 Nxe5 22. Bxe5 Qb5 23. Qc2 g5 24. Qb3 Qc6 25. a4 f6 26. Bg3 Bd6 27. Bxd6 Qxd6 28. Qc2 Kf7 29. Rfe1 Rb8 30. Re2 Qb6 31. Rae1 Qb3 I don’t know why black wants to get rid of the queens so readily, because the endgame is just totally lost with them off. 32. Qxb3 Rxb3 33. Rxe6 Rxb2 34. Re7+ 1-0 After Kg6, Rd7 is very hard to meet.

McCabe, Darren vs. Rendboe, John
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. c3 e5 6. d3 Nge7 7. Be3 d6 8. a4 O-O 9. h3 h6 10. d4 cxd4 11. cxd4 a6 12. Bxc6 Nxc6 13. Nc3 Kh7 14. dxe5 dxe5 15. Bc5 Rg8 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 1/2-1/2 Apparently, this was a good bit of preparation on Darren’s part, to reach this drawn position. Hard word does pay off.

Grand, Hans-Henrik vs. Killane, Jack
1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nc6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. d3 Nf6 6. e4 O-O 7. Nge2 d6 8. O-O Be6 9. f4 Qd7 10. Nd5 Bxd5 11. cxd5 Ne7 12. f5 Ne8 13. g4 f6 14. h4 White can only move his pawns on the kingside because the centre is locked. In classic middlegame theory, the best response to this kingside advance would be a counter attack in the centre, but Jack cannot generate enough activity there quickly enough. c6 15. dxc6 bxc6 16. Ng3 d5 17. Qe2 Rd8 18. Be3 d4?! Positionally, this just loses, for the reasons above. I think black has to try dxe4 come what may. 19. Bd2 Rc8 20. b3 Nd6 21. Bh3 Kh8 22. Kh2 gxf5 23. gxf5 c5 24. Nh5 Nc6 25. Rg1 Rg8 26. Rg2 Rcf8 27. Rag1 Ne8 28. Bg4 Qe7 29. Ng3 Nb4 30. Nh5 1-0

Rathmines suffer 5-1 defeat to Kilkenny

Well, my worst fears were realised, despite my earlier optimism, in that Rathmines were drubbed comprehensively by a superior Kilkenny side. Rathmines have defied chess logic over the last two years by winning the Armstrong cup, beating, among others, Kilkenny, including most of this Kilkenny team today. But with a much reduced team and only 6 boards, it proved insurmountable odds. Well done to Kilkenny, but I am sure the lads are disappointed. (If it’s any consolation, at least an Irish team are doing well!).

On a more positive note, Darren won his game and now stands on a very good 3/6 points. That is an excellent result so far, which follows on from his excellent Irish Championship result too. He should expect a FIDE rating of around 2080 to 2100 or thereabouts. Well done to Darren!

6.25 45 Kilkenny Chess Club  FED 5 – 1 52 Rathmines  FED
1 GM Baburin Alexander 2545 IRL 1 : 0  Stuart Robert 0 IRL
2 IM Quinn Mark 2391 IRL 1 : 0  Smith Derek 2131 IRL
3 IM Heidenfeld Mark 2349 IRL 1 : 0  Delaney Killian 2023 IRL
4  Griffiths Ryan Rhys 2051 IRL 0 : 1  McCabe Darren 0 IRL
5  Keogh Eamon 2095 IRL 1 : 0  Killane Jack 2116 IRL
6  Bradley Sean 0 IRL 1 : 0  Whelan Niall 0 IRL

Rathmines don’t even have the prospect of a last round comeback: they face 34th seeds Matinkylan Shakkekerho Espoo, a Finnish side with several IMs. This is their team from yesterday:

Matinkylan Shakkekerho Espoo
IM Maki-Uuro Miikka 2399 FIN
FM Lehtivaara Petri 2376 FIN
FM Hentunen Asko 2352 FIN
FM Kivisto Mikko 2311 SIN
FM Ebeling Mika 2354 FIN
Salimaki Janne 2181 FIN

Ironically, Kilkenny face Namur, only the 38th seeds! They stand a good chance of beating them and finishing above their initial seeding of 45th.

Round 4 games

Here is the pgn of round 4 (still no sign of round 5 yet.)

rathmines-round4.txt

Ersahin, Bulent vs. Sebag, Marie
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O a6 7. d3 h6 8. a3 O-O 9. b4 Ba7 10. Rb1 Be6 11. Nd2 d5 12. a4 Ne7 13. b5 axb5 14. Rxb5 Qd7 15. Rxb7 Bb6 16. Ba3 Rfe8 17. Qb3 Bh3 18. Bxe7 Rxe7 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. Bxd5 Bxf1 21. Nxf1 Rxa4 22. Rb8+ Kh7 23. Kg2 Ra1 24. Ne3 Bxe3 25. fxe3 c6 26. Bf3 e4 27. Bxe4+ Rxe4 28. dxe4 Qd2 29. Qd3 Qe1 30. e5+ g6 31. Kh3 Qf1+ 32. Kg4 Rd1 33. Qc2 Rd2 34. Qe4 Qxe2+ 35. Qf3 h5+ 36. Kf4 g5+ 0-1

Cekro, Ekrem vs. Stuart, Robert
1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 e6 5. a3 Nc6 6. Rb1 a5 7. e4 Nge7 8. Nge2  O-O 9. O-O b6 10. d3 d6 11. Be3 e5 12. Qd2 Be6 13. f4 Qd7 14. Rf2 Rab8 15. Rbf1 f5 16. Nd5 Nd4 17. Nec3 Bxd5 18. exd5 exf4 19. Rxf4 b5 20. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 21. Rxd4 cxd4 22. Nxb5 Rxb5 23. cxb5 Qxb5 24. Qe2 Rf7 25. Rc1 f4 26. g4 Kg7 27. Rc4 Nxd5 28. a4 Qb7 29. Qf3 Qxb2 30. Qxd5 1-0

Smith, Derek vs. Manca, Federico
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d3 Nc6 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O e5 7. a4 Nge7 8. Nbd2 h6 9. h4 Be6 10. Re1 O-O 11. Nc4 f5 12. Nh2 fxe4 13. Ng4 h5 14. Nh6+ Kh7 15. Bxe4 d5 16. Nf7 Bxf7 17. Qxh5+ 0-1

Foisor, Cristina Adela vs. Delaney, Killian
1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nc6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nc3 d6 5. d3 Bg7 6. e4 h5 7. h3 Be6 8. Nge2 Qd7 9. Nd5 f5 10. exf5 gxf5 11. Qa4 Bxd5 12. Bxd5 Nge7 13. Bg2 h4 14. Bd2 hxg3 15. fxg3 e4 16. dxe4 fxe4 17. O-O-O Ne5 18. Qxd7+ Kxd7 19. Bxe4 Nxc4 20. Bc3 Bxc3 21. Nxc3 c6 22. g4 Raf8 23. h4 Rf2 24. g5 Nxb2 25. Rdg1 d5 26. Bc2 Nc4 27. h5 Na3 28. Bd3 Rf3 29. Kd2 Nc4+ 30. Bxc4 1-0

McCabe, Darren vs. Goossens, Etienne
1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 c5 3. Bg5 Qb6 4. e3 Qxb2 5. Nbd2 cxd4 6. exd4 Nf6 7. Bd3 Be7 8. O-O Qb6 9. c4 d6 10. Re1 Nbd7 11. Rb1 Qc7 12. Qe2 O-O 13. Ne4 Re8 14. h4 Rb8 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Qe4 g6 18. Ng5 Bg7 19. h5 f5 20. Qh4 h6 21. hxg6 hxg5 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Bxf5 Re7 24. Bh3 Bxd4 25. Qh6+ Bg7 26. Qh7 e5 27. Rb3 Bxh3 28. Rf3+ Ke8 29. gxh3 Qxc4 30. Qh5 0-1

Dal Borgo, Albin vs. Killane, Jack
1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. Nge2 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. a3 Bd6 9. Ng3 Be6 10. Nce2 Qc7 11. f4 Bg4 12. h3 Bxe2 13. Qxe2 Re8 14. Qf3 Nbd7 15. Nf5 Bf8 16. g4 Ne4 17. g5 g6 18. Ne3 f5 19. gxf6 Ndxf6 20. Ng4 Nxg4 21. hxg4 Bg7 22. c3 Qe7 23. Kg2 Rf8 24. Be3 Rae8 25. Rae1 Bf6 26. Bc1 Rf7 27. Qh3 Qd7 28. Re3 Rfe7 29. f5 Ng5 30. Qg3 Rxe3 31. Bxe3 Qe7 32. fxg6 Qxe3 33. gxh7+ Kh8 34. Rxf6 Qxg3+ 35. Kxg3 1-0

Magnus Carlsen loses to Niall Whelan!

In a shock result at the European Club Cup, world number 17, the Mozart of chess, the wonder kid from Norway, Magnus Carlsen, rated 2714 on the latest FIDE listings, has dramatically lost to Niall Whelan, rated 1449, of Rathmines Chess Club. The result was certainly close, until Niall potted that last black….

That’s right. It was pool, not chess. What did you think I was talking about?!

Left to right: Derek Smith, Darren McCabe, Penteala Harikrishna, Killian Delaney, Niall Whelan, and Magnus Carlsen

Robert sent on this short report for Round 5:

“Instead of describing the negatives, we’ll just mention the three positive outcomes from today:

1. Our Turkish reserve player, Bulent Ersahin drew on board one.
2. With the assistance of good preparation Darren achieved a comfortable game and drew with a much higher rated opponent.
3. Niall impressed some good young players with pool skills that they agreed to have there picture taken with us.”

Round 3 Games

What follows are the games from Rathmines win in Round 3 against the Albanian team, with some quick notes of my own. Download the games here: Round 3 Games for Rathmines

Zarkaj, Artur vs. Stuart, Robert
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bf5 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bd2 c6 8. O-O Bb4 9. a3 Bxc3 10. Bxc3 Qc7 11. Re1 Nbd7 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. Rxe5 Ng4 14. d5?! White gives up the exchange for a passed pawn on d6. Nxe5 15. d6 Qd7 16. Bxe5 f6 17. Bg3 e5 18. Qd2 Be6 19. Be2 O-O 20. Rd1 Rfd8 21. c4 b6 22. b3 c5 23. a4 Rac8 24. f4 e4 25. Qe3 Bf5 26. b4 Rc6 27. bxc5 bxc5 28. Rd5 Be6 29. Rxc5 Rxc5 30. Qxc5 Qxd6 31. Qxa7 Qd2 32. Qb6 Re8 33. Qb5 Bd7 34. Qd5+ Qxd5 35. cxd5 Bxa4 Black is up the exchange and has a passed pawn on e4, supported by the rook. If he can stop white’s pawn on d5, then the game should be won. It seems to me that instead of wasting time collecting the harmless f-pawn, he should immediately chase down the d-pawn. 36. f5 Bd7 Can he try the following?: 36. …e3 37 Bc7 Bd1! 38. Bxd1 e2 39. Bxe2 Rxe2 40. d6 Rd2 and the pawn is safely blocked. Can black win from this position? It is still very difficult because the rook is tied down to guarding the d-pawn. 37. Bc7 Bxf5 38. Bb5 Rc8 39. d6 Rxc7 40. dxc7 Bc8 41. Kf2 Kf7 42. Ke3 Ke6 43. Kxe4 1/2-1/2

Smith, Derek vs. Bajraktari, Hajredin
1. e4 d6 2. d4 c5 3. Nf3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 Nf6 7. a4 Nc6 8. O-O e6 9. Be3 Be7 10. f4 O-O 11. f5 d5 12. Bf3 dxe4 13. Nxe4 exf5 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. Bxc6 Bxd4 16. Bxd4 Qxc6 17. c3 Be6 18. Rf3 f6 19. Qd2 Rf7 20. a5 Rd8 21. Rg3 Bd5 22. h4 Qd6 23. Qf2 Be4 24. h5 Qc6 25. h6 g5 26. Re1 Qd5 27. Qf4 Kf8 28. Qf2 Rc8 29. Rge3 g4 30. b4 Rc6 31. Qf4 Rc8 32. Kh2 Qc6 33. Bc5+ Kg8 34. Bd4 Qc7 35. Qxc7 Rcxc7 36. Kg3 Rf8 37. R3e2 Kf7 38. Rh1 Kg6 39. Kf4 Re8 40. Re3 Re6 41. Rb1 Kxh6 42. Rb2 Kg6 43. b5 axb5 44. Rxb5 Rce7 45. g3?? Leads to mate Bc6 46. Rxf5 Re4+ 0-1

Prifti, Viktor vs. Delaney, Killian
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 d6 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 Nc6 7. O-O e5 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. Bg5 Be6 10. b3 h6 11. Bd2 Qe8 12. Qc1 Kh7 13. Re1?? White just loses a piece. e4 14. Nh4 g5 15. Nf3 exf3 16. exf3 Rd8 17. f4 Qd7 18. Rd1 gxf4 19. Bxf4 Qc8 20. Re1 Nb4 21. Re3 Bf5 22. Re7 Nd3 23. Qe3?! Black wins another piece, but white generates some counterplay, but it is hopeless Ng4 24. Qd2 Nxf4 25. Qxf4 Bxc3 26. Bxb7!? Clever, but not enough Qxb7 27. Qxf5+ Kh8 28. Rc1 Ne5! Using the back rank threats to save the bishop 29. Qf6+ Kg8 30. Qxh6 Nf3+ 31. Kf1 Bd2 32. Qh5 Bxc1 33. h4 Rd1+ 34. Kg2 Nxh4+ 35. Kh3 Rh1+ 0-1 Killian crushed his opponent, who looked very weak. But you can only beat what’s in front of you!

McCabe, Darren vs. Begaj, Agron
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 Bd7 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. O-O Qc7 9. b4 Bb6 10. Qe2 Nge7 11. Na3 a6 12. Bd2 Ng6 13. Rae1 Nce7 14. c4 Qb8 15. c5 Ba7 16. Rc1 O-O 17. h4 Rc8 18. h5 Nf8 19. Bg5 Nc6 20. b5 axb5 21. Nxb5 Nb4 22. Be7 Nxd3 23. Qxd3 Bxb5 24. Qxb5 Re8 25. Bd6 Qc8 26. Rb1 Bb8 27. Qxb7 Bxd6 28. exd6 Qxc5 29. Ne5 Ra7 30. Qb5 Qxb5 31. Rxb5 f6 32. Nc6 Ra6 33. Rc1 Rxa2 34. Rb7 h6 35. Ne7+ Kh7 36. Rcc7 e5 37. Nc6 Ne6 38. Re7 Raa8 39. Rxe8 Rxe8 40. Re7 Rxe7 41. Nxe7 Nd8 42. Kf1 d4 43. Ke2 Ne6 44. d7 Nd8 45. Kd3 Kh8 46. Ke4 Kh7 47. f4 Ne6 48. fxe5 d3 49. Kxd3 fxe5 50. Kc4 e4 51. Nc6 g6 White now cashes in his pawn for a piece and emerges with a won ending, but one he has to be very clever with. 52. d8=Q Nxd8 53. Nxd8 gxh5 54. Kd4 Kg6 55. Kxe4 Kg5 56. Kf3 h4 57. Ne6+ Kf6 58. Nf4 Kf5 59. Nh3 h5 60. Nf2 Ke5 61. Nh3 Kf5 62. Nf4 Kg5 63. Nh3+ Kf5 64. Nf2 Kg5 65. Nd1 Kf5 66. Nc3 Ke5 67. Nb5 Kf5 68. Nd6+ Ke5 69. Ne4 Kf5 70. Nd6+ Ke5 71. Ne4 Kf5 72. Nf2 Ke5 73. Nh3 Kd4 74. Nf2 1-0

Frasheri, Petrit vs. Killane, Jack
1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. Nxc6 Bxc6 9. Bd3 Qd7 10. Bg5 O-O-O 11. Qf3 Kb8 The g-pawn is poisoned, but white snatches it. 12. Bxf6? gxf6 13. Qxf6 Rhg8 14. Ne2 Rg6 15. Qh4 Rdg8 And black’s rooks look formidable. From here on, black pursues his attack down the g-file relentlessly. 16. Ng3 h6 17. Kh1 Bd4 18. c3 Bf6 19. Qh3 Qd8 20. f4 Bd7 The bishops join the attack and gain time on the queen. White is forced to loosen his pawn structure. 21. f5 Rg4 22. Ne2 Rh4 23. Qf3 Be5 24. g3 Black is creating weaknesses all over the white position, forcing another pawn to move. Rhg4 25. Rg1 Bc6 26. h3 R4g5 27. Rad1 Qf6 28. Kh2 h5 Now the h-pawn joins in and the g-file will be blasted open. 29. Nd4 h4 30. Nxc6+ bxc6 31. Kh1 Rxg3 32. Rxg3 Rxg3 33. Qf1 Qg5 34. Be2 0-1 A very well-executed attack from Jack.

Whelan, Niall vs. Sherifaj, Pasho
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 g6 4. e4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 Bg7 6. Bf4 Nc6 7. Qd2 d6 8. Be2 a6 9. Nf3 O-O 10. O-O Bg4 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Rc8 13. Rab1 Qa5 14. b3 e5 15. Bg5 Nd4 16. Qd3 Rfe8 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Bg4 Rb8 19. Nd5 Bg7 20. a4 Qd8 21. g3 f5 22. Bd1 Rf8 23. Rb2 f4 24. Bf3 h5 25. Kg2 Rf7 26. g4 Qh4 27. Rh1 Bf6 28. Rh2 Kg7 29. Rb1 b5 30. cxb5 axb5 31. axb5 Rxb5 32. b4 Ra7 33. Bd1 Ra2 34. Kg1 Bd8 35. Nc3 Ra3 36. gxh5 gxh5 37. Rg2+ Kh6 38. Qc4 Rb7 39. Qg8 Bg5 40. Qf8+ Kh7 White is generating good counterplay: the best option in this game. 41. Nd5 Rg7 42. Nf6+ Bxf6 43. Rxg7+ Bxg7 44. Qf7 Rxh3 45. Qxh5+ Qxh5 46. Bxh5 Rxh5 47. b5 f3 0-1