2022 Christmas Quiz

 Finally (I meant to post it last night, but forgot!) the world is ready for the 2022 KCC Christmas Quiz. And because I've completely run out of alternative ideas, it is - once again - exactly that. A plain and simple Quiz. Except this year its bigger than ever. (You'll notice I didn't include the words "and better" in that last sentence!)

So, thinking caps on; search engines powered up; large pot of coffee at the ready (to stop you going to sleep from boredom, of course) and off we go. 60 questions; 200 answers; no prizes. Sounds like the perfect combination (chess related reference!) for Christmas Day. Good Luck. Because, once again, I defy anyone to get 100%, whatever external assistance you may call upon!

1	Name the players in the following World Championship Matches:- a) Havana 1889 b) New York 1890-91 c) Moscow 1896-97 d) Berlin 1910  (1 pt each - 8 pts total)
2	Since 1992 Peter Svidler has famously won the Russian Championship 8 times. Name the 4 other players who have managed to win the title more than once in the same period.  (1 pt each - 4 pts total)
3	Who is the only man to win the World Junior Championship title twice? (1 pt)
4	Who is the only English player ever to have beaten Tigran Petrosian (World Champion, 1963-69)?  Where, and in what year, did this occur?  And how many moves did the game last? (within 5 either way)  (I pt each – 4 pts total)
5	Karpov and Kasparov played 5 World Championship matches.  a) Name the 6 cities in which the matches were played. (1 pt each)  b) What was the points difference between the players over these 5 matches (144 games in total!) (1 pt)  (7 pts total)
6	a) Who preceded Yuri Averbakh as the world’s oldest Grand Master until his death in 2010, at the age of 99 yrs and 3 days?  b) How old was Averbakh’s opponent in his last ever published game, played in 2017 when he was 96?  c) And who succeeded Averbakh, after his demise in 2022, as the world’s oldest GM?  (1 pt each – 3 pts total)
7	What was the FIDE Budget for 2022? Any figure within 1 million Euros either way gets a point! (1 pt)
8	What did the relatively unknown John Keynes and Samuel Meredith each do 8 times, that GMs/future GMs Luke McShane, Michael Stean and Daniel Fernandez only managed 3 times each? (1 pt)
9	a) Which GM, infamous for two major cheating controversies at the board, served 9 months in prison for vehicular manslaughter?  b) Against which player did he retract a losing move at the 1967 Sousse Interzonal, in an incident which generated a less than flattering nickname?  c) And who was the opponent when he was accused of throwing a game for $400 at the 1970 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal?  (1 pt each – 3 pts total)
10	Which two Grand Masters had a street brawl in St Louis in 2018?  (1 pt each - 2 pts total)
11	Since 2010 Magnus Carlsen has only twice failed to win against opponents rated under 2500. Name the 2 players who have held him to a draw.  (1 pt each – 2 pts total)
12	Character played by Oscar Homolka: “Do you play chess?” Character played by Michael Caine: “Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating.” In which 1966 film did this exchange occur, and who wrote the novel on which it was based?  (1 pt each – 2 pts total)
13	a) Who was the first person to not win a single game in an official World Championship Match? (1 pt) b) And how many classical games has Magnus Carlsen won and lost (1 pt each) in his 5 World Championship Matches? (3 pts total)
14	Between 2009-22, the 14 US Championships have been shared between just 5 players. Name them.  (1 pt each – 5 pts total)
15	Name the Norwegian player (peak rating 2264), arbiter and organiser who has written 5 crime novels in which Inspector Kolbjorn Kristiansen (K2) and the wheelchair bound Patricia Borchmann are the leading protagonists. (And very good the books are, too!) (1 pt)
16	Which eminent critic and man of letters (1819-1900) was a Vice-President of the British Chess Association, and in regular correspondence with Henry Bird? Clue: his 6 year marriage to Effie Gray was famously never consummated. (1 pt)
17	Who was the only non-GM to play in a Grand Chess Tour event in 2022? (1 pt)
18	Which GM played 1 e4 c5 2 Qg4 against SP Sethuraman, a 2600+ GM, in an important play-off game at the 2021 Sunway Sitges Open? (1 pt)
19	a) Which World Champion had a cat called Chess?  b) Which super-GM (the best chess commentator in the world!) has a chihuahua called Chessy?(Spelling uncertain!)  c) Which GM’s daughter is this super-GM married to?  d) And which super-GM (possibly the second best chess commentator in the world) has a dog that is usually referred to on air as Doggo?  (1 pt each – 4 pts total)
20	Which GM is an elected member of the Dutch Senate?  And which GM played professional football for 9 seasons, and made 8 appearances for his country, scoring one goal?  (1 pt each – 2 pts total)
21	Who literally fell off his chair at the 2021 World Blitz Championship after blundering into mate against Tigran Petrosian (no, not the famous one!)? And which player (and chess author) collapsed at the end of the 1954 British Championship, after losing a last round game that would have given him a tie for 1st place? (1 pt each – 2 pts total)
22	Identify these GMs from their online usernames:- a) Atomrod b) DrNykterstein c) Chefshouse d) Lordillidan  (1 pt each - 4 pts total)
23	How many times were the following World Champions married:-  Capablanca Alekhine Spassky  (I pt each - 3 pts total)
24	a) Unknown new GM: “Good-day, Grand Master Korchnoi. We are now colleagues.” Korchnoi: “ You are no colleague of mine.  You are a colleague of …..” Which Yugoslav GM did Korchnoi reputedly now disparagingly name?  b) Korchnoi (in winning position): Do you speak English? Unknown opponent (possibly GM Al Modiahki): Yes What did Korchnoi now say? (1 pt each – 2 pts total)
25	a) Who once famously claimed: “There is a God and he is not Bulgarian!”  b) Where did he say it?  c) And who had he just beaten to prompt this remark?  (1 pt each – 3 pts total)
26	When Captain Kirk played Mister Spock at 3D Chess, who won? (1 pt)
27	Identify the 3 most recent holders of the record for the longest unbeaten streak at elite level:- a)       95 games from 1973-74 b)      100 games from Aug 2017 - Nov 2018 c)       125 games from Aug 2018 - Oct 2020  (1      pt each - 3 pts total)
28	a) What chess World Championship took place (partially) at the Sibree Hall in Coventry? b) Where was the rest of the event played? c) Who won? d) And which English player came second?  (1 pt each – 4 pts total )
29	Which 2022 Grand Chess Tour participant responded to the question, “What are you goals for this event?” with the answer, “To eat all the sandwiches!” (1 pt)
30	Of which IM & Honorary GM compatriot, a national champion and 12 times Olympiad player, did Jan Hein Donner write: “He hasn’t got a clue. He is the worst player in the whole wide world…… It is a sad thing that a player of his level must rate officially as the strongest in Holland…… Ugh!” (1 pt)
31	The BCF Laws and Regulations sub-committee of 1950 had four members (JT Boyd, W Ritson Morry, W Winter and AF Stammwitz), supported  by the BCF Hon Sec, Frank Chetwynd. What, ironically in the circumstances, linked 4 of these 5 names? And who was the odd man out?  (1 pt each - 2 pts total)
32	In which 3 countries has Anish Giri lived for at least 5 years?  (1 pt each – 3 pts total)
33	Name any 10 of the 26 Russian Grand Masters who signed the Open Letter to Putin demanding an end to the war with Ukraine.  (1 pt each – 10 pts total)
34	Identify the following chess legends:-  a) Born Wroclaw, Poland 1862; died Munich, Germany 1934 b) Born Somerville, USA 1872; died Philadelphia, USA 1906 c) Born Rostov, Russia 1887; died Paris, France 1956 d) Born Odessa, USSR, 1925; died Peredelkino, Russia 1998  ( 1 pt each – 4 pts total)
35	Which two Chinese GMs played a 3 game match in 2022 that sounded like they were crying?  (1 pt each – 2 pts total)
36	a) Name the 6 members of the Hungarian team that broke the long standing (excluding the boycotted 1976 Olympiad in Haifa) USSR monopoly on the Olympiad when triumphing in Buenos Aires in 1978.  b) And a bonus question – which of the 6 got mated by the Kenilworth Chess Club Organiser in a 1979 simultaneous display in Coventry?  (1 pt each – 7 pts total)
37	And name the 6 members of the USSR team that “only” won the silver medal from that same Olympiad.  ( 1 pt each – 6 pts total)
38	Which future super-GM lost first place on tiebreak in consecutive years in the World U-10 and World U-12 Championships? (1 pt)
39	a) When Karjakin was suspended for 6 months by the FIDE Ethics Committee in March 2022, which other Russian GM was found not guilty of a similar disrepute charge? b) Which super-GM said that Karjakin would be “a very interesting subject for a scientist”? c) And which super-GM said of Karjakin, “I think he has lost his mind in the last couple of months”? (1 pt each – 3 pts total)
40	Who was the first English born person to be awarded a Grand Master title by FIDE? Clue: it wasn’t Tony Miles! (1 pt)
41	What is particularly significant about the game Francisco De Castellvi – Narcisco Vinoles? (1 pt)
42	a) Who is the youngest player ever to achieve a rating of 2700? b) At what age did he do this? c) And talking of ratings, which player has a lifetime live rating peak of 2799.6? So near, yet so far away! (1 pt each – 3 pts total)
43	Tony Miles famously beat Karpov at the 1980 European team Championships, but which other English player also won (against Lev Polugaevsky) with Black in the 4-4 draw between England and the USSR? (1 pt)
44	These people have all given their names to opening variations. What nationality were they? a) Caro b) Kann c) McCutcheon d) Winawer e) Richter f) Trompowsky g) Grob h) Morra i) Breyer j) Colle (1 pt each – 10 pts total)
45	In which US states are the following, all locations of famous 20th century tournaments?  a) Cambridge Springs (1904) b) Lake Hopatcong (1926) c) Lone Pine (1971-81) And name the winners of (a) and (b), and the two players who won (c) more than once (each had one outright win and one tie for 1st):-  (1 pt each – 7 pts total)
46	Name the only two English players to have won the Wijk aan Zee tournament. And how many times did each win? And which player has won the tournament the most times – and how many?  (1 pt each - 6 pts total)
47	a) Who, in May 2022, scored his final 2 GM Norms (in classical chess) in less than 24 hours? b) And which fellow national was awarded the GM title in 2022, 11 years after her first norm? (1 pt each – 2 pts total)
48	Name 5 pairs of siblings, both of whom hold the full GM title. (Clue: There are 3 pairs of sisters, and 6 pairs of brothers to choose from.) (1 pt per pair - 5 pts total)
49	The USSR beat Britain 18.5-1.5 in a double round match at Caxton Hall, London in 1954 (winning 10-0 in Rd 1!). Which three British players managed to get a draw? (1 pt each – 3 pts total)
50	Name the 6 teams in the Open Section at the 2022 Chennai Olympiad that did not have a single FIDE rated player in their 5 person squad. (1 pt each) And which European country had two female players on the top three boards in the Open Section of the 2022 Olympiad? (1 pt) (7 pts total)
51	Which former World Blitz Champion lost 8 blitz games in a row in a 2022 international tournament? And where did it happen? And which GM did this former Blitz World Champion beat later in the year in classical chess in just 10 moves at their national championship? (1 pt each – 3 pts total)
52	Which British company unsuccessfully tried to sponsor a 2 game match between Bobby Fischer and an English player in 1973? And which English player was to be Fischer’s opponent?  (1 pt each – 2 pts total)
53	Which English GM shares a name with a character (now deceased) in The Archers? And the surname of which (titled) competitor at the 2022 US Championships contained two famous motor manufacturers? (1 pt each – 2 pts total)
54	Which World Champion lost a game at the 2003 European Team Championships when his mobile phone went off – and what was particularly ironic about this? (1 pt each – 2 pts total)
55	a) Which super-GM is a brand ambassador for Lenovo computers? b) Which young GM signed a sponsorship deal in 2022 with a Singapore company, worth a reported $1.5 million over 5 years? c) Which female IM is a brand ambassador for Ford cars? d) And which two sporting mega stars were pictured playing chess against each other in a 2022 advert for Louis Vuitton? (1 pt each – 5 pts total)
56	Which GM resigned after 1 move against Magnus Carlsen in a 2022 online game? And what was Carlsen’s first move (as Black), to which he took such extreme exception? (1 pt each – 2 pts total)
57	a) Which French GM was subsequently banned for cheating at the 2010 Chess Olympiad? b) Who was the non-playing French Team Captain (a GM) who was also banned? c) And who was the French IM who was also banned for transmitting computer suggested moves to the Captain? (1 pt each – 3 pts total)
58	a) The first 4 women to be awarded the full GM title came from just 2 countries. Name the 2 countries. b) Of the 40 women to be full GMs, only 4 are still under the age of 30. Name them. (1 pt each – 6 pts in total)
59	Name the 5 players in the England team that won the World U-26 Team Championships, ahead of the USSR, in 1976 in Mexico City. (1 pt each – 5 pts total)
60	Name the 5 players in the England team that won the World U-26 Team Championships in 1986 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. And which English player won the World U-12 title at the same venue/time? (He also won the World U-16 title in 1991.) (1 pt each - 6 pts total)

Answers will be published .......... when I can get around to it, so probably sometime before the New Year.

Down Memory Lane

Those who have ventured to The Ale Rooms in recent weeks will know that we have been very pleased to welcome back former KCC member/player, Chris Gunter, after many years away from the game - and from the club. As well as bringing a single minded dedication to go after the opposition king, Chris has also produced a very interesting cutting from the May 7th 1982 edition of the Kenilworth Weekly News (RIP). This not only records news of a tremendous KCC performance - winning the KO Cup and both Divisions 1 and 2 of the Leamington League - but also provides a terrific photo of club members from those times.

"Strong counterplay" by Bernard Rogers helps secure the Division 1 title for Kenilworth, after a "safe draw" from top board, Ed Goodwin!

Thankfully, Bernard just about has enough marbles left to be able to identify the handsome bunch you see below. There are no less than 5 current KCC members pictured in this 40 year old snapshot. See how many you can identify before looking at the caption. You won't be able to identify less than  me, as I scored zero!

Standing, left to right: David Tilley, Roger Bray, Geoff Temple, Ed Goodwin, Miles Dunn, Mike Foley, Rod Wardlow
Seated, left to right: Bernard Rogers (it was the hair that fooled me!), Bruce Holland, Chris Aldridge, Chris Gunter

Definitely a valuable contribution to the Club archive. And good to see that our demographic has slightly diversified over the last 40 years, albeit that we still have a way to go!

No real need for a song, but sometimes I just can't stop myself. Must be the cumulative effect of all those times Bernard has told me how he used to be a strong player in the old days!

Take it away, Bruce.

Christmas Comes Early

The A team's final pre-Xmas match saw Leamington A visit the Abbey Club. Or at least 75% of Leamington A visited, the other 25% defaulting, which was a shame for Andy B who was making one of his periodic appearances. And I felt bad about it too, as I had promoted him to Board 2 above me so that he could have White, only for him to end up playing just the one move, while I got a proper game on Board 3. There was actually a strange parallel to Andy's "game", which went 1 g3 1-0, as at the Sunway Sitges Open, on the very same day, the "game" between Natanel Levi (2179) and Amin Tabatabaei (2660) went 1 g4 1-0. Joshua would no doubt claim that the Grob is so strong that it was quite sensible of Tabatabaei to resign instantly upon seeing the move, but I suspect that the sudden end may have more to do with the nationalities of the players (Israeli and Iranian if you hadn't guessed).

And talking of Joshua, he delivered our second point of the evening, when capitalising on about 4 extra pawns against Jon Griffiths in a rook ending. It was quite amusing from my viewpoint alongside him, to see him spend three or four moves setting up a knight sac on e6 (which just won 2 pawns instantly) while Jon steadfastly refused to make any of several moves which could have completely disarmed the tactic. Less amusing, though, was when they both went into Blitz mode at the end, while some of us (and yes I do mean me) were trying to play a serious game right next to them.

I wrapped up the win by beating Andy Collins on Board 3. He sacked an exchange to try and escape a rather nasty pin, but although the engine said he had some compensation, it could hardly have been enough. And it was all academic anyway, as he almost immediately blundered a counter exchange sac which won a whole piece and a pawn to boot.

Jude then rounded the evening off with another win, after playing a much better line against Tom Darling's Morra Gambit than he had adopted against Francis Sagyaman a couple of weeks earlier! Which meant we had won 4-0, and reached the near half way point of the League (near, as both our matches v Solihull will be after Xmas) without suffering a single individual defeat, and averaging 3.5-0.5 in our six matches to date. Surprisingly, this has only been enough to get us a 1 point advantage over Stratford A, plus a game in hand. We do, however, have a 7 points better game points difference as an added buffer.

But enough of numbers and points and everyday stuff like that. Let's finish on a seasonal note. "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby? I hear you ask. Don't be silly - it's Bruce, of course!!

Reverse Ferret

No sooner do I go and praise Jude to the hills for his Leamington League win over Alan Lloyd last week, than he goes and plays an absolute stinker in the Coventry League on Tuesday night against Francis Sagyaman. If the Morra Gambit could be guaranteed to work this well every time, the Sicilian Defence would basically be busted, but I suspect that Black's play could have been improved on a move or two. Or three. As it was, Francis hit Jude with a series of sledgehammer blows which swept him off the board in no time at all.  Ouch!

Which meant we were a point down to Coventry A from a very early stage, and it stayed that way for a couple of hours until an aged, and oft unsung, hero came to the rescue of the team at the eleventh hour. Because by that time Mike had drawn against Jonathan Fowler on Board 3 after pressing for most of the game, and Phil - bravely deputising for the otherwise engaged Ben and Bernard R - had endured a tough night against Ed Goodwin on Board 4 but held on for another valuable draw.

Which meant it all came down to the top board encounter - the legendary/perennial Page-Pink match up. Having said which, this was only our 8th standard play otb encounter, and just the 7th in the red-hot cauldron of the Coventry League. I am pleased to report that by the close of play, the score between us stood at 5-0 to me, with 3 draws! Just saying. Joshua was virtually lost from the opening, as I got a massive grip on the position, but in his typically inventive way he somehow managed to break the bind by forcing the exchange of my wonderful light squared bishop for a seemingly dead knight. We both thought that the position had actually turned in his favour (it hadn't, but it was close to equal) but as Phase 2 of the game began, I was able to regain some control mainly thanks to Josh's dodgy king and my wonderfully centralised queen. We both had bad bishops, but it soon became clear his was badder than mine! I missed a two move combo that would have won on the spot, but after it came down to a pure bishop of the same colours ending, the position was just winning for me. My own bishop got trapped, but meanwhile I had hoovered up 3 pawns, and with passers on both the h and c files and my king totally dominant, Josh couldn't prevent one of my pawns queening. Phew! 2-2, and match saved.

Which, of course, is why I am on Board 1 and Jude only on Board 2. Age can still show youth a thing or two. Reverse ferret! Disregard everything I wrote in the last article! At least until the next match.

A ferret just about to go into reverse. Or possibly bite our revered Chairman. Who can tell?

And let's end with a truly beautiful and majestic hymn to the oldies. The western stars can indeed still shine bright ...... now and again.

The Changing of the Guard

Another win for the A team last week, but this time "only" by 3-1 against Olton A, which spoilt our run of 4 consecutive matches where we had dropped just half a point in each. But still no individual losses for the team yet, which is a splendid record after 5 matches.

In fact, things could easily have gone pear shaped, as Joshua e-mailed me around 5.30 on the evening of the match to say that he was stranded in London with no trains for at least 2 hours, so he wasn't going to make it back to Kenilworth in time. I don't like to say it, in case he gets a bit of an inflated ego, but this was a bit of a blow, as he has resumed his role of points machine (4/4) this season. More to the point it left us with only 3 players, but thankfully Bernard C agreed at very short notice to ride to our rescue and bring us back up to full strength.

This was our first encounter with Olton since the tragic passing of both Phil Holt and Richard Smith, so the mood was obviously a bit sombre as play began. And we could certainly have done without Richard Liszewski's phone making some beeping noises a few moves into the match. The Leamington League rules are quite explicit that this results in instant loss of the game, but for the second season running we were simply too nice to our perennial rivals and play carried on as though nothing had happened.

And this time there was a happy ending, as Bernard proceeded to build up a very big kingside attack and eventually won the black queen with consecutive moves of his knights to f5 to give us an early match lead. I was getting nowhere against Mark Cundy on Board 2 and decided to offer a draw before I did anything really stupid. Thankfully this was accepted.

But then came the evening's truly historic moment as Jude, with the Black pieces, beat Alan Lloyd on Board 1. So at the age of 12 he has already achieved something which I have failed to do in 15 years of trying over 10 attempts - 5 of which I have ended up losing! It's now official, in case it wasn't already, that Jude is better than me. Which is why he is playing on Board 1, of course! Anyway, big congrats to Jude on taking one of the biggest scalps in the League, and in the process wrapping up the match victory for us.

One game remained, and this went right down to the wire, as Mike put Rob Reynolds under considerable pressure in a pawn up rook and knight ending. Eventually it became a two pawns up rook ending, but with both players frequently down close to the 10 seconds increment, Rob defended very tenaciously and his active king and rook were able to secure the draw. This was the second consecutive game where Mike couldn't make his extra material tell in the end. Let's hope this is not one of those sequences which come in threes.

It takes a Nobel Prize Winner for Literature to do justice to the historical significance of this match. And it's also the only song I know with "Changing of the Guard" in the lyrics/title. So there wasn't much alternative really, was there?! Anyway, it's a hell of a song, and if anyone has the slightest clue what on earth it's all about, please do let me know.

Not ITMA but ITSA!

Though I imagine that anyone under the age of around 60 will not know what either of these acronyms stand for. Well, this will explain ITMA (It's That Man Again) to those not in the know.

But ITSA is my own invention - It's That Score Again! Because, yes, for the fourth time in four matches, Kenilworth A won by 3.5-0.5 in our latest Division 1 encounter last night. This time it was a good Shirley A team that was on the receiving end of a very strong KCC performance, which took us to the top of the table, a point ahead of Stratford A with a game in hand. And still no games lost yet by any A team player.

Jude finished first, after a relatively uneventful and carefully played top board draw against Phil Purcell, but thereafter the Kenilworth wins steadily mounted. Joshua was the first to gain the full point, beating Darren Whitmore in a rather strange game. It looked very even, until Darren voluntarily swapped off into a king and pawn ending that looked - and was - just lost for him. Win number two came courtesy of yours truly, as I took Marcus Walsh's gambit pawn, weathered a bit of a storm (when both players missed some good moves) and then rounded up a second pawn. Marcus threw the towel in rather early, but when you play a gambit, I don't imagine you are in the right frame of mind to just prolong the game when two pawns down and losing in an ending. As so often happens, the player who had been most obviously winning from the earliest moment was the last to finish. The seldom seen Andy B, on a rare outing, just marched into Dave Thomas's queenside and took two pawns for virtually nothing. Dave organised a little bit of counterplay but Andy quickly snuffed this out and then won a third pawn for good measure. Even opposite bishops couldn't have saved Dave in this ending, but there was still a pair of rooks on as well, and Dave managed to fall into a mating net which duly brought matters to a conclusion.

An excellent win for the team, and it was pretty happy car load of campers who returned home afterwards. But while winning is nice, let's not forget that there are three possible results to a chess game/match. And here's a song to remind you of that fact!

On a Roll

Two strong team performances in the Leamington and Coventry Leagues this week, as we powered to consecutive 3.5-0.5 Division 1 wins.

First up it was a home match against current LDCL leaders Stratford. Coming into the match they were unbeaten and we had a 100% record. Happily, it was our record that remained intact. Joshua was first to finish, and even by his standards this was a brutal performance! Checkmate on the board in about 17 moves. With the Black pieces. David Gardiner probably didn't know quite what hit him. I couldn't keep pace with that, but I was next to finish when Richard McNally ran out of threats and I was a rook up. It was a strange game, as Richard simply gave me a piece in a completely equal position, and then felt obliged to give me an exchange to try and keep some play going.  Apart from one check, though, there wasn't any play and so it was 2-0 to us. Mike then took us to victory with a highly original win against Sam Cotterill. All Mike's queenside pawns disappeared, while Sam had connected a, b and c pawns. Mike had a central majority, but even so this seemed a bit radical to me and I was rather worried. But the next time I looked, Sam's queen had ventured out to a rather unfortunate square and could only be saved by giving up a whole rook. Resignation would have been the best move, but around 20 more were made before we inevitably went up 3-0. Jude had been in a spot of bother against Ben Larkin on Board 1 and went a pawn down. But then he switched on the turbo drive and steadily outplayed his opponent. It looked as though he was going to win with a lone h pawn and a fantastic light squared bishop against a  knight and three connected passed queenside pawns. But Ben found an excellent defence and in time trouble Jude was unable to prevent White from also queening and drawing with a perpetual. So, 3.5-0.5 to us, and while Stratford are still top, we have closed up to 1 point behind with 2 matches in hand.

Since our opening Coventry League match loss to Nuneaton A, we had chalked up back to back wins against Warwick University's A and B teams, and on Tuesday we took on their C team, aiming for a clean sweep and three in a row. In a rather packed room (5 matches were going on!) this aim was duly achieved as we ran out easy 3.5-0.5 winners - already the fifth time this season I've been on the good side of that score-line. Jude was in no mood to hang around (much to his Dad's delight!) and won effortlessly with the Black pieces on Board 2. Connected passed pawns on b2 and a3 in the middle game were rather difficult to fight against! For the second night running I got gifted a piece in an otherwise equal position. I found a cunning knight retreat which should have netted me a pawn, but my opponent overlooked a pin and the pawn turned into a full piece. I simply had to avoid a one move threat of checkmate later on and the win was very easy. At one point I wasn't so sure that Ben would be joining me and Jude in the winner's club, as nothing much seemed to be happening, but when I next looked, a hurricane had blown through the White position and Ben was on the verge of delivering mate. That didn't quite happen, but in staving off mate, White had to shed too much material. And it seemed certain to become 4-0, as Mike was up a piece for 2 pawns on Board 3. However, this didn't go as smoothly as we might have hoped. First there was a long delay when Mike's opponent claimed a threefold repetition. But (a) he claimed it (very!) incorrectly and (b) Mike was adamant there had only been a twofold. So, the game continued and came down to an ending of knight and 2 against 4 pawns. But the 4 pawns could yield two passed pawns on the c and h files and in order to stop them both, Mike had to let his last pawn go and accept it was a draw. I suspect there was a win somewhere along the line, but it was not at all obvious how White should best deploy his king and knight to restrain the Black pawns and hold onto his own last foot soldier. Which meant we missed out on a 4-0 win at the death for a second night running.

Now sit back and enjoy this week's musical offering while you roll right through the night! The available live versions didn't quite fit the bill, but you can never go far wrong with the original version of a classic like this.