Board 1: Ben Hague v Kieran Smallbone
1.d2-d4, d7-d5 2. Ng1-f3, Ng8-f6 3. c2-c4, c7-c6 4. c4xd5, c6xd5 5. Nb1-c3, Nb8-c6 6. Bc1-f4, e7-e6 7. e2-e3, Nf6-h5 8. Nf3-e5, Nh5xf4 9. e3xf4, Nc6xe5 10. f4xe5, a7-a6 11. Bf1-d3, Qd8-b6 12. 0-0, Bc8-d7 13. Nc3-e2, Bf8-e7 14. a2-a4, 0-0 15. f2-f4, f7-f6 16. a4-a5, Qb6-b4 17. Ra1-a3, f6xe5 18. Ra3-b3, Qb4xa5 19. Rb3xb7, Ra8-d8 20. f4xe5, Rf8xf1+ 21. Kg1xf1, Be7-g5 22. b2-b4, Qa5-a3 23. Qd1-b1, Rd8-f8+ 24. Kf1-g1??, (Better was 24 Kf1 – e1 to avoid the following forcing sequence by black). 24 _____Bg5-e3e3+ .25 Kg1-h1 25 _______ Qa3xd3 Identifying white’s weak back rank and concluding the game with an attractive looking queen sacrifice on a common theme. 26 Resigns (0 – 1)

Board 2: G. Morris v M.Abbott
(0-1)

Board 3: M. Searles v I. Pendlebury
Final position (1 – 0)

Board 4: P. Wheldon v P. Armstrong
1. e2-e4, c7-c5 2. Ng1-f3, d7-d6 3. Bf1-b5+, Bc8-d7 4. Bb5xd7+, Qd8xd7 5. 0-0, Nb8-c6 6. c2-c3, e7-e6 7. d2-d4, c5xd4 8. c3xd4, Ng8-f6 9. d4-d5, Nc6-e5 10. Nb1-c3, e6xd5 11. e4xd5, Ne5-g6 12. Bc1-g5, Bf8-e7 13. Bg5xf6, g7xf6?? (Better 13 ___ Be7 – f6 and avoiding a weak pawn structure). 14. Nf3-d4, Ke8-f8 15. Qd1-h5, h7-h6 16. f2-f4, Ra8-c8 17. Ra1-e1, Be7-d8 18. Kg1-h1, Bd8-a5 19. Nd4-e6+, Kf8-g8 20. Nc3-e4, Ba5-d8 21. Rf1-f3, Qd7-a4 22. Ne4-c3, Rc8xc3 23. Rf3xc3, Qa4-d7 24. Rc3-g3, Kg8-h7 25. f4-f5
25 _____ Resigns (1 – 0) A well controlled positional game by P. Wheldon taking full advantage of one weak looking opening move by black. White from move 14 onwards demonstrates how to win against an opponent who damages his position permanently by one bad move.

Board 5: R. Gallagher v J. Hill (Notes to game by J. Hill 18/01/2009)
1. e2-e4, c7-c5 2. d2-d3, e7-e6 3. g2-g3, d7-d5 4. Nb1-d2, Ng8-f6 5. c2-c3, Nb8-c6 6. Bf1-g2, Bf8-e7 7. Ng1-h3, b7-b5 8. 0-0, Bc8-b7 9. f2-f4, Qd8-b6 10. e4-e5, Nf6-d7 11. Qd1-e2, 0-0-0 12. Nd2-f3, h7-h6 13. Kg1-h1, Kc8-b8 14. Bc1-e3, d5-d4 15. Be3-d2, Rd8-c8 16. Rf1-b1, Rh8-d8 17. Nh3-f2, Nd7-f8 18. b2-b4? Better 18 a2 - a4..., d4xc3 19. b4xc5, Be7xc5 20. Bd2-e1, Nc6-d4 21. Nf3xd4, Bb7xg2+ 22. Kh1xg2, Bc5xd4 23. Qe2-c2, Qb6-c6+ (Better 23 ____ g7 - g5 is better breaking up white's chain and exposing the white king, moving the queen off the b- file loses black's option of b5 - b4 in reply to a2 - a4). 24. Kg2-f1, Kb8-a8 25. a2-a4, Rc8-b8 26. a4xb5, Rb8xb5 27. Nf2-e4, Rb5xb1 28. Ra1xb1, Nf8-g6 29. Rb1-b3, Ng6-e7 30. Be1-f2! , Ne7-f5 31. Bf2xd4, Nf5xd4 32. Qc2xc3, Qc6xc3 33. Rb3xc3 (White gets his pawn back leading to an equal endgame) 33 ____Nd4-b5 34. Rc3-b3, Rd8-d5 35. Kf1-f2, a7-a5 36. Kf2-e3, Ka8-a7 37. Ne4-d2, Ka7-a6 38. h2-h3?! (Unnecessary weakening 38 Nd2 - c4 is better)38 ____a5-a4 39. Rb3-b1 (Better 39 Rb3 - b4) 39 ____Nb5-d4 40. Nd2-c4, Nd4-f5+ 41. Ke3-d2, Nf5xg3 42. Kd2-c2?! (Better is 42 Rb1 - b6+ Ka6 - a7, 43 Rb6 - b4) 41 ____Ng3-e2, (42 _____ Rd5 - b5 is better, also helps to simplify in time trouble) 43. Rb1-a1? (Better again is 43 Rb1 - b6 see previous note). 43 ____ Ka6-b5 44. Nc4-d6+, Kb5-b4 45. Ra1-b1+, Kb4-a5? (Wrong way better 45 ____ Kb4 - c5! Only a couple of minutes left on the clock) 46. Rb1-a1 (46 Nd6 - c4+ is better). 46 _____Rd5-d4 (Better just grab the pawn with 46 _____ Ne2 - f4) 47. Nd6-e4, Ka5-b5 (47 ____ Ne2 - f4 better and black lost on time a few moves later).

(1 - 0)
J. Hill, “White played the endgame quite inaccurately , but he played his moves much faster. Clock management is something black needs to definitely improve on in this format”.

Board 6: Dennis Owen v Fred Butterworth
1. e2-e4, g7-g6 2. d2-d4, Bf8-g7 3. c2-c4, d7-d6 4. Nb1-c3, Ng8-f6 5. f2-f3, Nb8-c6 6. Bc1-e3, e7-e6 7. Qd1-d2, a7-a5 8. Ng1-e2, Nc6-e7 9. Be3-h6, 0-0 10. Bh6xg7 (Kieran Smallbone felt that a better plan was playing 10 h4, 11g4 and 12 h5 first before capturing the bishop on g7) 10 _____Kg8xg7 11. g2-g4, e6-e5 12. d4-d5, c7-c6 13. Ne2-g3, c6xd5 14. c4xd5, b7-b6 15. h2-h4, Nf6-g8 16. h4-h5, h7-h6 17. g4-g5, h6xg5 18. Qd2xg5, f7-f6 19. Qg5-h4, g6-g5 20. h5-h6+, Kg7-h7 21. Qh4-h5, Qd8-c7 with a draw offer. 22. Bf1-d3, Ne7-g6 23. Nc3-e2, Ng8-e7, 24. Ra1-c1
24 _____ Draw Agreed (0.5 – 0.5) In the final position the only potential play is the pawn on “h6” but black intends to just hide behind it with no attempt to capture it. White could see no way through and felt with the recent draw offer by black to draw the game now.

Board 7: N. Jerzynek v D. Horton, Centre Counter Game.
1 e2-e4, d7-d5 2. e4xd5, Ng8-f6 3. d2-d4, Nf6xd5 4. c2-c4, Nd5-f6 5. Nb1-c3, c7-c6 6. Ng1-f3, g7-g6 7. Bc1-e3, Bf8-g7 8. Bf1-e2, 0-0 9. Qd1-d2, Rf8-e8 10. 0-0, Bc8-f5 11. Ra1-d1, Nf6-e4 12. Nc3xe4, Bf5xe4 13. Nf3-g5, Be4-f5 14. g2-g4, Bf5-c8 15. f2-f4, Nb8-d7 16. f4-f5, Nd7-f6 17. f5xg6, h7xg6 18. Ng5xf7 ... Very pretty move!..., Kg8xf7 19. g4-g5, Bc8-f5 20. g5xf6, e7xf6 21. Rf1xf5 ... Another nice move by move!!..., g6xf5 22. Be2-h5+, Kf7-g8 23. Bh5xe8, Qd8xe8
24. Qd2-d3 ... This plan is too quick by white after previous good play. Better 24 Rd1 - f1 and then transfer the king slowly over to the queenside out of harms way then start attacking black's weak double "f" pawns. 24 _____ Qe8-e4! Applying Aron Nimzowitsch’s centralisation theory with a gain of tempo. Suddenly black has counter play aided particularly by the white queen being on "d3" and also hoping for an exchange of queens or good play with the queens still on...., 25. Qd3xe4?? f5xe4 26. d4-d5, f6-f5 27. b2-b3, Bg7-e5 28. d5xc6, b7xc6 29. Rd1-f1, Ra8-f8 30. Be3-c5 ... White should have taken on a7 with the bishop to reduce the number of black pawns and create a passed pawn to counter black's connected passed pawns...., Rf8-f7 31. Rf1-e1, Rf7-g7+ 32. Kg1-h1, Rg7-h7 33. Re1-e2, a7-a6 34. Re2-g2+, Kg8-f7 35. Kh1-g1, Rh7-h3 36. Bc5-f2, e4-e3 37. Bf2-e1, f5-f4 38. Rg2-e2, f4-f3 39. Re2xe3, Be5-d4 40. Be1-f2, Bd4xe3 41. Bf2xe3, Kf7-e6 42. Be3-f4, Ke6-f5 43. Bf4-g3, Kf5-e4 44. Kg1-f2, Rh3-h7 45. Kf2-f1, Rh7-d7 46. Kf1-e1, Ke4-e3 47. Bg3-f2+, Ke3-f4 48. Bf2-g1, Rd7-e7+ 49. Ke1-d1, Re7-e2 and play continued for two or three more moves before white resigned. (0 – 1)