44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

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David Sedgwick
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by David Sedgwick » Mon Oct 22, 2018 5:43 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Mon Oct 22, 2018 1:33 pm
Live games should work.
Roger de Coverly wrote:
Mon Oct 22, 2018 3:57 pm
It appears that Korneev has threaded his way through the opening complexities and can now grind to victory with his extra pawn.
Sedgwick-Korneev


Apparently if instead of 13. .. h6, Black castles, then 14. Nxh7 draws after accurate play, a line first seen in an Estrin game in the 1940s. Engines think Black is a little better, which means they assess compensation for the pawn, but not enough. 14. Qe2 is the most popular idea against 13. .. h6, sacrificing on g5, but regaining the piece using the pin on the e file.

The live games didn't actually work for about half an hour, when arbiter Geert Bailleul got them going with the aid of a crib sheet which had been sent to me.

In return for my help, I asked him to show me the games, one in particular, on a site where engine analysis was available :twisted:. He refused :(.

So I only saw Roger's lines in the post mortem or just now.

20 Bb1 saves a crucial tempo on 20 Bc2 and 22 Bf5 is simply losing. The game ended 25 Rd1, Re8; 26 Qd3, Qxb2; 27 Rb1, Qxa2; 28 Rxb7, Nxd5; 0-1

John Moore
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by John Moore » Mon Oct 22, 2018 5:56 pm

14 Qe2 hg5 15 Rae1 Be6 16 de6 f6 was played a bit in the eighties and I spent ages then trying to make it work for White. But it doesn't really.

Tim Harding
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by Tim Harding » Mon Oct 22, 2018 6:53 pm

14 Bb5+ Bd7 15 Qe2 is White's most dangerous try.
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LawrenceCooper
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by LawrenceCooper » Tue Oct 23, 2018 5:56 pm

Havenaar-Hillarp Persson was a somewhat unusual opening :?

Roger de Coverly
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Oct 23, 2018 6:08 pm

LawrenceCooper wrote:
Tue Oct 23, 2018 5:56 pm
Havenaar-Hillarp Persson was a somewhat unusual opening :?


Havenaar has played that opening before at Guernsey, although previously he preferred 3. e4

On move 2, Basman, as one might have expected, played 2. .. h6.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Oct 23, 2018 8:16 pm

Jan Havenaar does play unusual openings at times... For anyone looking at the live games, J-P Le Roux won. As it was the last game to finish, they started analysing at the board, before recording the result!

Nick Grey
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by Nick Grey » Wed Oct 24, 2018 10:20 pm

Sedgwick game - as Tim Harding 14 Bb5+ Bd7 15 Qe2 is best in my view.
lots of wins by me as an up & coming player mainly at Surrey Congresses. Nice to be at home preparing for Surrey!
Arbiter K Thurlow. That is before taking up the Max Lange as a more dangerous option via Keene but using Tim's better analysis.
Also some top Battersea players.
Now looking for the old score books, sheets, & hand written notes on my chess books!

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Oct 24, 2018 11:54 pm

Encouraging Surrey news is that Nigel Povah beat GM Korneev and now plays GM Hillarp-Persson (who beat GM Le Roux today) on board 1. Board 2 is Korneev vs Ian Heppell, and Board 3 is Le Roux vs David Sedgwick...

David Sedgwick
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by David Sedgwick » Thu Oct 25, 2018 12:24 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Wed Oct 24, 2018 11:54 pm
Encouraging Surrey news is that Nigel Povah beat GM Korneev and now plays GM Hillarp-Persson (who beat GM Le Roux today) on board 1. Board 2 is Korneev vs Ian Heppell, and Board 3 is Le Roux vs David Sedgwick...
Surrey players are certainly featuring prominently in Guernsey, despite the decision of Surrey Chess Congress to revive their event on dates which clashed.

In the quiz last night, Surrey Is The Hardest Word (Dan Rosen [Captain], Nigel Povah, Colin Purdon, David Sedgwick, Kevin Thurlow, Mark Taylor) tied for first with The Remainers (Nigel Dennis, Barry Foran, Denis O'Connell, John Wager, Mrs Wager). With my long standing antipathy to unnecessary tiebreaks, I proposed a truce which they accepted.

Before the start of the tournament, I hoped that I might play one grandmaster. I never imagined that I would get to play two.

Kevin has modestly refrained from mentioning the game on Board 8, also a live board. Havenaar - Thurlow features the two living players with the most appearances - 83 between them in the 44 Festivals.
John Moore (in another thread) wrote:
Sat Oct 20, 2018 11:02 am
The Harlem Masters starts today and is obviously overshadowed (like all other events this week) by the Isle of Man event .
In Guernsey we are endeavouring to ensure that that is not the case.
Last edited by David Sedgwick on Sun Oct 28, 2018 7:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

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John Saunders
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by John Saunders » Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:22 pm

David Sedgwick wrote:
Thu Oct 25, 2018 12:24 pm
John Moore (in another thread) wrote:
Sat Oct 20, 2018 11:02 am
The Harlem Masters starts today and is obviously overshadowed (like all other events this week) by the Isle of Man event .
In Guernsey we are endeavouring to ensure that that is not the case.
Good luck with that, David. If you can organise a speed boat to get me from the Isle of Man to Guernsey in the next day or so, I can promise to take lots of photos and provide blanket coverage on social media. There is still time.
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Kevin Thurlow
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Thu Oct 25, 2018 6:33 pm

The GMs scored 3-0. Top two boards were both Stonewall Dutch variations, where white played h3 and g4. Havenaar - Thurlow was a draw, which wasn't as dull as it looked. Despite 280 opportunities, it's only the fifth time we have played. Jon Cornelisse has twice been the last player to finish and he is aiming to do the same again.

One player was bemoaning the fact the Guardian is not available in Guernsey. Happily, today's Times has perhaps exceeded its junior rival in the misprint field by managing to print the entire front and back page of an issue first published a month ago. Jersey got the blame.

Nick Grey
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by Nick Grey » Fri Oct 26, 2018 1:03 pm

It is good to see the Legends of Surrey Chess going so well. Some really interesting chess by all of you.
It has been good to watch - one unexpected benefit of the southwestern railstrike.
Still some more legends today and this weekend playing in Kingston with SCCU stalwart support too.
Also expecting the juniors playing to triumph over their coaches or former coaches.

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John Upham
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by John Upham » Fri Oct 26, 2018 5:35 pm

Can someone explain the reason for Black losing in Heppell-Rowe, today ?

The final position looks to be dead level.

Did Black lose on time ?
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Kevin Thurlow
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Fri Oct 26, 2018 8:43 pm

They must have put kings in the wrong place - it was drawn.

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John Upham
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Re: 44th Guernsey International Chess Festival

Post by John Upham » Fri Oct 26, 2018 9:04 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Fri Oct 26, 2018 8:43 pm
They must have put kings in the wrong place - it was drawn.
Thanks Kevin. I hoped it was something like that.
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