Hastings

[Jonathan Rogers]

Oh, I see. it's funny to think that there is no one else in modern times who has only ever won the two events in separate years, though.

[Keith Arkell]

O dear- I just spoiled a good game(and tournament) by playing the awful 53 f4?? I can't explain why i didn't put the pawns on f3 and e4,in which case it's obviously a simple win.

[Carl Hibbard]

A slight problem with the alternative server has now been fixed with two games not actually completed!

Thanks Wilf!

[Phil Makepeace]

I'm tipping Ezra Kirk to get close to 50% and perform to at least +2 on FIDE. Watch out Hastings!

I wasn't too far off. Nothing spectacular but not bad for a 13 year old. His win over Gavin Lock seems to have spurred Lock himself onto top form.

[Peter Rhodes]

Although a little belated, I wanted to thank the Arbiting team at Hastings. It was a good tournament and I enjoyed it.

Also, congrats to Peter Williams for excellent performance (2317 TPR).

[Keith Arkell]

Ok,just for a bit of fun can anybody spot the winning plan,which I failed to find,at the end of my last round game,after I had already made it unnecessarily tricky?
It's more a concept than a precise sequence of moves.

The position after 67 moves is W: Kg4,Rh4,ps f4,e5
B Kg6,Re2,ph2

White to play.

[benedgell]

If you get a position with w:pf4 pe5 Rh4 Kh2 b:Ra3 Kf5 I'm guessing it's drawn? So playing the rook up to h8, meeting Kf5 with Rh5+ first then taking on h2? That's my guess.

[Richard Bates]

Ok,just for a bit of fun can anybody spot the winning plan,which I failed to find,at the end of my last round game,after I had already made it unnecessarily tricky?
It's more a concept than a precise sequence of moves.

The position after 67 moves is W: Kg4,Rh4,ps f4,e5
B Kg6,Re2,ph2

White to play.

On basis that position W: Kh2 Rh4 Pf4,e5 B: Kf5, Ra3 is a draw

is it 1. Rh3! with threat of 2. Kg3 when Black cannot force white to take on h2 with his K AND get the King to f5?

[Keith Arkell]

Hi Ben,
the trouble is that with my K on g4 I'm not yet attcking h2 twice.68 Rh8 Kg7 just forces my Rook back.But to which square?

Nice one Richard -68 Rh3! is indeed the key square for the Rook.It means that when I play Kg3,either ...re3+ Kh2 gains a tempo on the Rook giving me time to get the K back to g3 again and win normally;or if he puts the K immediatly to f5 then I kick it with Rh5+ before taking on h2,again gaining the winning g4 square for my Rook.
I think you are both right in assuming that if he sets up the blocked position then it's a draw,even though White is 2 connected passed pawns up.

The winning sequences go more or less like this:

68 Rh3!(your Rh8 Kg7 and then 69 Rh3 also does the trick Ben) Rg2+ 69 Kf3 Ra2 70 Kg3 and now

70...Kf5 71 Rh5+ Ke4 72 Rxh2 Ra3+ 73 Kg4 and slowly but surely White will win,and if instead 70...Ra3+ 71 Kxh2 Ra1 72 Kg3 Kf5 then again Kg4 will inch by inch get the job done.

Congrats to Mark and David,and thanks to the organisers,the control team,Steve Giddins,Paul Buswell,Simon William, etc etc...for making my return to Hastings after an absense of 7 years a fun one