Angela Eagle games

[JustinHorton]

Definitely. Should we take 129 as her highwater mark? Are earlier grades available in paper form?

[David Tebb]

I played both Eagle sisters on the same day in the Major section of the Liverpool Chess Congress in September 1978.

I played Angela in round 3 on Saturday afternoon, managing a draw. Then I had to play against Maria in the evening!

The Major section was for grades up to 150. I think the Eagles were graded in the 130's. We would all have been around 17 years old.

Both games are quite interesting to play through. I got good positions out of the opening, but both sisters defended very well, finding strong resources that I had overlooked.

Angela sacrificed a rook on move 35 to force perpetual check. My engine points out that 35..cxd3 was even stronger. E.g. 36. Qxa7 d2 37. Rd1 bxc3. The two connected passed pawns are worth more than a rook.

Here are the games:

[Event "Liverpool Chess Congress Major Section"] [Site "?"] [Date "1978.09.30"] [Round "3"] [White "Tebb, David"] [Black "Eagle, Angela"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C90"] [PlyCount "74"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. d3 O-O 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 Na5 13. Bc2 c6 14. Nbd2 Nh7 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. b4 Nb7 17. Bb3 Kh8 18. d4 Rad8 19. g4 Bg6 20. Nf1 Ng5 21. Nxg5 Qxg5 22. Ng3 Rd7 23. dxe5 Qxe5 24. Qd2 Rfd8 25. f4 Qe7 26. Rad1 c5 27. Bd5 c4 28. Bxb7 Rxb7 29. e5 Bd3 30. Ne4 dxe5 31. Nc5 Ra7 32. Rxe5 Qd6 33. Rde1 a5 34. Qe3 axb4 35. Nxd3 Qxd3 36. Qxa7 Qg3+ 37. Kf1 Qxh3+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Liverpool Chess Congress Major Section"] [Site "?"] [Date "1978.09.30"] [Round "4"] [White "Eagle, Maria"] [Black "Tebb, David"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D05"] [PlyCount "107"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 e6 3. Bd3 b6 4. Nf3 Bb7 5. O-O c5 6. c3 d5 7. Nbd2 Nbd7 8. Qe2 Ne4 9. Bc2 Bd6 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Nd2 f5 12. f3 Qh4 13. g3 exf3 14. Nxf3 Qg4 15. Bd3 h5 16. Nh4 g5 17. Qxg4 hxg4 18. Ng2 Rh3 19. e4 O-O-O 20. Bxg5 Rdh8 21. Bh4 f4 22. Nxf4 Bxf4 23. Rxf4 R8xh4 24. gxh4 Rxd3 25. Rxg4 Nf6 26. Rg3 Rd2 27. Rg2 Rd3 28. Rf1 Nxe4 29. Rf8+ Kc7 30. Rg7+ Kc6 31. Rff7 Rd1+ 32. Rf1 Rd2 33. Re1 Nd6 34. Rxe6 Rd1+ 35. Kf2 Kd5 36. Rxd6+ Kxd6 37. Rxb7 Rd2+ 38. Kg3 cxd4 39. cxd4 Rxb2 40. Rxa7 Rd2 41. Ra4 b5 42. Rb4 Kc6 43. a4 bxa4 44. Rxa4 Kb5 45. Ra7 Rxd4 46. h5 Kb6 47. Rf7 Kc6 48. Rf4 Rd6 49. Kg4 Rd1 50. Kg5 Kd7 51. h6 Rh1 52. h4 Rg1+ 53. Kf6 Rg8 54. Kf7 1-0

[Stewart Reuben]

Also see Media comments on chess about Angela.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Very interesting games, David Tebb, many thanks for posting those. Is there any chance that you are in touch with, or know the names of your contemporaries at the time, that might have played them and still have game scores? Would anyone still have the records of the whole tournaments from the 1970s that they played in (unlikely, but not impossible)?

[MikeTasker]

I have 3 games against Maria,but none against Angela.

The 1st game I gave away a knight for no reason, not very interesting.

The 2nd a sensible Colle
[Event "Liverpool junior congress"] [Date "1978.3.??"] [Round "5"] [White "Eagle M"] [Black "Tasker M"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 e6 3. Bd3 b6 4. Nf3 Bb7 5. O-O Be7 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. c3 d6 8. e4 c5 9. b3 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nc6 11. a3 d5 12. e5 Ne8 13. Bb2 Rc8 14. Re1 g6 15. Qe2 Ng7 16. Nf1 Na5 17. N3d2 Rc7 18. b4 Nc6 19. Rec1 Qd7 20. Rc2 f5 21. Rac1 Rfc8 22. Ng3 1/2-1/2

The 3rd I tried a prepared Anti Colle 'idea',which seemed to throw her.
Event "Liverpool chess congress"] [Date "1978.9.29"] [Round "1"] [White "Eagle M"] [Black "Tasker M"] [Result "0-1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 g5!? 3. Be2 d6 4. g4 Bg7 5. h3 Nbd7 6. Nf3 h6 7. Nbd2 b6 8. Rg1 Bb7 9. Nh2 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Ndf3 Ne4 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. f4? gxf4 14. Nf3 fxe3 15. c3 Nxc3 16. Qd3 Bxf3 17. Qxe3 Bxe2 18. bxc3 Ba6 19. Qf3 Bb7 20. Qd3 Qe7 21. Kd1 O-O-O 22. g5 hxg5 23. Bxg5 f6 24. Bd2 Qd7 0-1

I have her down as graded 129 for the first and 143 for the second,but I'd have to dig out the
old grading lists to confirm. I would think some of the older members of Merseyside teams would
have some games if they're reading.

[MikeTasker]

The second game is from the same tournament (and section!) as Davids games,1978 Liverpool Congress Major btw.

[JustinHorton]

I have her down as graded 129 for the first and 143 for the second,but I'd have to dig out the
old grading lists to confirm.

Would be great if you could do that. Thanks ever so much for the games.

[David Tebb]

Very interesting games, David Tebb, many thanks for posting those. Is there any chance that you are in touch with, or know the names of your contemporaries at the time, that might have played them and still have game scores? Would anyone still have the records of the whole tournaments from the 1970s that they played in (unlikely, but not impossible)?

Sorry, it was a long time ago and I hardly knew them. I think those games at Liverpool were the only ones I had against either sister.

I did bump into them a few years later, whilst walking to the venue of the British Championships in Morecambe. I was in the Under 21 section. They were probably in a different section, such as the Major Open.

So anyone who played at Morecambe in 1981 might have played them, or at least remembered seeing them there.

[Stewart Reuben]

According to the BCF YearBook of 1981-2, both Eagle twins scored 2.5/5 in the 5-day Week 2 Afternoon in Morecambe.

I doubt either ever played in the British Ladies Championship. They were aghast to find out in 2008 that was still its name. From 2009 it has been the British Women's Chess Championship. Thus I was able to please two senior members of the then government with one word change.

[David Williams]

Is it just me, or does this somehow become a bit odd after a while?

I know Andre Eagle, and could no doubt ask him if he's got any scorebooks around the house, but it just seems intrusive.

[Stewart Reuben]

Ray Cannon has pointed out to me I was wrong. Both twins played in the 1980 British Ladies Championship won by Sheila Jackson with 9.5/11. Maria scored 6/11 and came 6th. Angela scored 4/11 and came 15th.
Angela played in the 1983 British 5 day Week 2 am Section B and scored 2/5.
Neither played in 1984 and I looked no further.

[John McKenna]

Definitely. Should we take 129 as her highwater mark? Are earlier grades available in paper form?

I saw her at Hayes CC when playing in tbe Kent League in the 1990s.

BCF GRADING LIST 1996-97

132314D REEVES RACHEL J HAYES (KENT) & 4NCL N.W. EAGLES 17 D125 (125)

BCF GRADING LIST 1997-98

132314D REEVES RACHEL J HAYES (KENT) & 4NCL N.W. EAGLES C128 (125)

(The grade of 129 given for 1997 on the ECF grading site is probably just rounded up.)

In July 1996 her junior (17) D125 grade was based on 15 or more games in 1996/7, 1995/6 & 1994/5, of which at least 5 were in 1996/7.

Had it been an A or B 125 she would have been included in - THE TOP TWENTY GIRLS UNDER 18 LIST in 18th or 19th place.

[raycollett]

Sorry! I see that this game's already noted.

Leonard Barden in his 16 July 2016 chess column for The Guardian used a position from the game Tebb-Eagle, Liverpool, 1978.