English Chess Forum

3C's not all home grown for a change either mind - and a very solid looking line up as a result. That's definitely been a dangerous weekend for Manx, passed through nicely.

The bigger question maybe whether they're going to reinforce even further when it gets really serious. The theoretical ability is there.

Game of the weekend in Div 1? A big shout out for...

Laura Stoeri v. Syringa Camp

Laura is the highly-rated Swiss player. Syringa's main role (chess-wise anyway) is to drive Imogen, her talented daughter, to chess matches. Yet, this weekend, Syringa found herself pitched into Div 1 for Blackthorne Russia. Syringa is no mug at the game. We played a league match before Christmas, and I didn't have it all my own way. Nevertheless, I doubt she was expecting too much from the weekend, at least personally.

Then, Sunday morning, we get this little gem (scroll to last game)

Well done, Scamp! Never let a gap of 450 Elo points intimidate you.

Here's the whole game. You cannot help feeling that White got absolutely nothing from the opening and didn't even manage to create a middle game where it was easy for Black to go wrong. So Black had the Bishop pair and more space.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5 Nd7 4. O-O a6 5. Bxd7 Bxd7 6. c3 g6 7. d4 Bg7 8. dxc5 dxc5 9. Qb3 Qc7 10. Bg5 c4 11. Qc2 Nf6 12. Nbd2 O-O 13. Rfe1 e5 14. Rad1 Be6 15. h3 h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nf1 Rad8 18. Ne3 Bg7 19. Qe2 b5 20. Nh2 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Rd8 22. Nhf1 f5 23. Re1 Rd3 24. a4 Qb7 25. axb5 axb5 26. Nc2 f4 27. Nb4 Rd6 28. Nh2 Qd7 29. Nf3 g5 30. Ra1 g4 31. hxg4 Bxg4 32. Nd5 h5 33. Ra8 Kh7 34. Kf1 h4 35. Ke1 Bh5 36. Nxe5 Bxe2 37. Nxd7 f3 38. gxf3 Bxf3 39. Ra7 h3 40. N7f6 Kg6 41. Ne8 h2 42. Rxg7 Kh6

So, if there is anyone else following first division 4NCL but not actually present - and the domestic media coverage would suggest probably not - they would know that this is the day when Manx Liberty's title credentials are really tested, by Cheddleton. Or, if you prefer, number two seed against number three seed, each currently on 100%, fighting to determine which of them Guildford 1 should be more concerned about (Guildford 2 has already played both of them I might add).

For the competition, ideally it would be a fighting draw. And the closeness of the ratings gives cause for hope.

In case you are wondering, not a single Manx player is British.

Meanwhile Guildford 1 still have the strongest team of all. Adams is not playing this one but McShane is now appearing for them and, like Adams himself, this is his first 4NCL appearance since he played for Wood Green in May 2014. This means that of our undoubted top six players, only one has no current affiliation, though his last one was with Guildford (Short); and only one other plays for a team other than Guildford (Howell, on board two for Cheddleton today, behind Nils Grandelius).

Maybe Richard Bates was right a while ago - Guildford are doing a passable impression of stocking up on top resident GMs as an insurance against the effects of Brexit on the final weekend!

Jonathan Rogers wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 09, 2019 1:51 pm

So, if there is anyone else following first division 4NCL but not actually present

Yes, I am - as well as the rugby, cricket and football. Keaton Jennings ( ) 'out' twice in one over, and now out properly (for 8 )

I wonder what caused two Oxford defaults v. WR1

Well... at least we didn't get the lowest score of the day.

David Robertson wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 09, 2019 3:31 pm

Jonathan Rogers wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 09, 2019 1:51 pm

So, if there is anyone else following first division 4NCL but not actually present

Yes, I am - as well as the rugby, cricket and football. Keaton Jennings ( ) 'out' twice in one over, and now out properly (for 8 )

Keaton trying to ensure his availability for Lancs this summer

Jonathan Rogers wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 09, 2019 1:51 pm

In case you are wondering, not a single Manx player is British.

No, but we are three team-members, including the captain, who have been living on the Isle of Man for a combined thirty years.

Not sure what the purpose of your statement is, to be honest. Are any rules broken?

Cheers,
Baard

No rules broken and I and my team have always welcomed the opportunity to play strong GMs in the League, wherever they come from.

But if you think that people aren't looking at your team lists and making the same observation, then think again! And I should imagine that many are also saying to themselves "ok, in football as well, the winners of national leagues often consist of basically all foreign players, but can we think of any other country where this would happen in chess?" Sorry but it is an obvious talking point.

Jonathan Rogers wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 10, 2019 10:23 am

but can we think of any other country where this would happen in chess?"

Many European leagues surely, the German league in particular. It's only during the European team that players have to declare a unique national identity for team purposes. Football players aren't allowed to flip from one league to several others and back again in the course of a season.

A report on the 2018 Bundesliga first place play-off where Baden-Baden defeated Solingen in a star-studded match:

https://www.chess.com/news/view/star-st ... bundesliga

from which note this sentence:

You might have noticed that the German league doesn't have restrictions related to the nationalities of players—this playoff did not include a single German player!

The case rests.....

ok but who is going to look up France?

Incidentally i am only saying this is an obvious talking point, also because this is the first such team in "our" mational league.

Jonathan Rogers wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 10, 2019 11:28 am

ok but who is going to look up France?

The Monaco team had no French players in it in Round 11. https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tourn ... teams-2018

Alex Holowczak wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 10, 2019 11:34 am

Jonathan Rogers wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 10, 2019 11:28 am

ok but who is going to look up France?

The Monaco team had no French players in it in Round 11. https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tourn ... teams-2018

True, but that is rather like saying that a Celtic Tigers team contained no English players. Six of the eight players were qualified to represent Monaco internationally.

David Sedgwick wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 10, 2019 12:27 pm

Alex Holowczak wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 10, 2019 11:34 am

Jonathan Rogers wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 10, 2019 11:28 am

ok but who is going to look up France?

The Monaco team had no French players in it in Round 11. https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tourn ... teams-2018

True, but that is rather like saying that a Celtic Tigers team contained no English players. Six of the eight players were qualified to represent Monaco internationally.

I think Jonathan's point was that a team in the French League didn't have French players. Monaco doesn't.

The Manx Liberty team have lots of players who would be eligible to play for the Isle of Man, if they were able to field teams internationally.

I realise one is a sovereign country and one isn't, but on a level it's a very similar case.