The 25th Frome Congress finished on Sunday evening and attracted 145 players. The main winners were as follows (all scores out of 5):
Open Section: 1st Paul Byway (Hertford) 4½. 2nd= Carl Bicknell (Horfield) & Barry Morris (Bath) 3½. The British Championship Place went to Byway. Grading prizes U-181: Theo Slade (Barnstaple). U-170: Stephen Appleby (Gillingham).
Major (U-170): 1st Tim Woodward (Trowbridge) 4½. 2nd= Paul Jackson (Coulsdon); Karl Biswas (Oxford); Mark Littleton (Wimborne) & Ivor Annetts (Tiverton) all 3½. Grading prizes U-156 Alan Papier (Bristol & Clifton); Paul Tew (S. Wales); Roger Knight (Yeovil); Mark Leonard (Trowbridge) all 3. U-145 Tim Chinnick (Hanham).
Intermediate (U-140): 1st Jamie Macdonald (Wimborne) 5. 2nd= Thomas Cooper (Trowbridge); Max French (Frome) & Keith Bateman (Salisbury). Grading Prize U-131: Greg Willett (Bath). U-120 Joe Clapp (Norton Radstock) both 3½.
Minor (U-115): 1st= Stephen Crockett (Redditch); Matthew Hutt (Wilts) & Frank Cheeseman (Kent). Grading Prize U-106: Gary Woods (Norton Radstock). U-90: Keith Sherlock (Yeovil).
The trophies for the highest placed Somerset players in each section were awarded as follows: Bonner Cup (Open) B. Morris. Leon York Cup (Major) T. Woodward. Roy Hossell Cup (Intermediate) T. Cooper. Cyril Chapman Cup (Minor) I. Stringer (Yeovil). Jean Mackereth Cup: Ungraded player in the Minor. M. Maber (Taunton).
The team competition was won by Bath, comprising Peter Cusick, John Leon, Greg Willett & Barry Morris).
Cornwall were the surprise package in this year’s Inter-county Championship, and here is one of their wins against Gloucestershire. Others can be found on their website cornwallchess.org.uk.
White: Grant Healey (165). Black: Phil Denison (158).
1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nf6 5.c3 Nc6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.exd4 Bd6 8.Bg5 0–0 9.0–0 e5 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Bxe5 12.Nd2 h6 13.Bh4 Qd6 14.h3 g5 15.Bg3 Bxg3 16.fxg3 Qxg3 17.Rxf6 Qxd3 18.Rxh6 g4 19.Rh5 Qg6 20.Rxd5 gxh3 threatening mate on g2. 21.Qf3 Qxg2+?? leading to a swift end. Black needed to develop his queenside pieces without delay with either 21…Be6 22.Rd6 Rad8 23.Rxd8 Rxd8 24.Qf2 Bd5 25.Nf3 etc. Or; 21…Bg4 22.Qf4 f6 23.Rd4 Be6 etc. 22.Qxg2+ hxg2 23.Rg5+! Kh7 24.Kxg2 and mate on h1 cannot be avoided. 1–0
Last week’s position ended with 1.QxR+! and if 1…RxQ Black will get mated on the back rank.
How does Black win significant material in this position which arose from a top game earlier this year?
Black to play and win significant material.