National Club Games

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Success in the Major Final was eased when White blundered on Board 3 at move 11.

Iulian Tuchilus (162) – Ian Hunnable (173) [C02]
National Club Major, Final v GLCC, (R4.Bd3), 02.04.2017

Notes by Ian Hunnable.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 Bd7 7.Ng5?!
I thought I had met this before, but on searching my database, in the game in question (a 1998 London League game) the knight sortie did not happen until move 10: 7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nxd4 9.Ng5 g6 Shah-Hunnable, London League 1998, 0-1 25 moves.
7…g6
I did recall that I met Ng5 on that occasion with …g6, but in this position, 7 …cxd4 is better.
8.Qf3 Nd8
If 8…Nh6 9.Qf6 is awkward, e.g. 9…Rg8 10.Nxh7 Be7 11.Qf4 Nf5=/+
9.a4 cxd4 10.a5 Qc7
Retaining the gambit pawn owing to the pin on the c-file…
11.cxd4??
…which White totally misses! A dreadful blunder.
11…Qxc1+
The knight on g5 will also go. White hid his face in his hands, then stopped the clocks.
0-1

The second win, which already secured the trophy due to the tie-break advantage, was only five moves longer than the above game, although it took quite a bit longer in terms of time.

Ian Reynolds – Nigel Blades [C45]
National Club Major, Final v GLCC, (R4.Bd2), 02.04.2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Qe2 Be6 8.Be3 Nf6 9.0-0-0 Qe7 10.f3 0-0-0 11.Bxb6 axb6 12.Qb5 d5 13.Qa4 dxe4 14.Bb5 exf3 15.Bxc6 Kb8 16.Nb5 1-0

Now a brevity from the Minor team when Andy’s Forest of Dean opponent made an unsound investment.

Tony Norris – Andy Lu [A37]
National Club, Minor, v Forest of Dean (R4.Bd1), 02.04.2017

1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 f5 6.d3 Nf6 7.h4 a6 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bd2 d6 10.Qc1 Bd7 11.h5 g5 12.Bxg5?!
An extravagance that White surely cannot afford.
12 … hxg5 13.Qxg5 Bh6 14.Qg6+
Into the lion’s mouth, but there nothing to back up White’s ‘attack’; there is an old Russian proverb: “one man in a field is not an army”.
14…Kf8 15.Nh4 Nd4
15…Ne5 is a lot more straightforward. (Ben Harte)
16.Nd5
Trapping the queen.
16…Be8 17.Nxf6 Bxg6
Or 17…exf6 and the Queen is still trapped.
18.Nxg6+ Kg7 0-1