British Chess Championships

David Graham vs Greek Bloke. White to play and win. Not too tricky if you know there is a winning move to be found!

Why on earth would this post get two thumbs down? This is an ideal post for the forum.

Chess players are a funny lot.

Originally posted by Paul Leggett
Why on earth would this post get two thumbs down? This is an ideal post for the forum.

Chess players are a funny lot.

Thanks DF, I've given you a 7th thumbs-up.

Originally posted by Paul Leggett
Why on earth would this post get two thumbs down? This is an ideal post for the forum.

Chess players are a funny lot.

I suspect the 'down-thumbers' are those who could not solve it. 🙂

Howell v Gormally contained a very difficult missed win that featured
checks and pawn promotions for the losing side and non-checking
quite pawn moves for the side that could have won.

Toss in time trouble and you have the makings of a missed brilliancy.

David Howell -Daniel Gormally, British Championships 2015

I don't care a row of buttons for thumbs up or thumbs down, chess alone is beattful (*).

Edit: I've just spent half an hour creating a post of the Howell vs Gormally game and then when I entered it I found that Greenpawn had beaten me too it. How I hate him.

Greenpawn - can you give the lovely mate which happens after 10.Ke1 in the line you posted.

(*) Not a spelling mistake. Can anyone name the character who spelt "beautiful" this way in Geoffrey Willans' wonderful "How to Be Topp" book?

Edit: I've just spent half an hour creating a post of the Howell vs Gormally game and then when I entered it I found that Greenpawn had beaten me too it. How I hate him.

Greenpawn - can you give the lovely mate which happens after 10.Ke1 in the line you posted.

A brutal end to this one between Chris Rice (White) and Sabrina Chevannes. An excellent example of the dangers of pinching pawns at the expense of developing your pieces in the opening. White resigned after Black's 16th move. I've added the extra moves to show the mate.

Mark Hebden is playing very well in these Championships, winning four of his first five games and losing the other. His effort today was fun to watch (Hebden White, Marcus Osborne Black):

There are, I think, three women taking part in the Championships. My favourite for the women's title is Akshaya Kalaiyalahan, who stomped on Charlie Storey today. I think she's only about 16 years old. Her 34th move (Akshaya was White) showed a real killer instinct - when your opponent is short of time, lay a cheap trap for him to walk into!

I wihs I had 4 hands to give Datafly 4 thumbs up.

Hi Datafly,

A ''cheap trap', that one would have been game number one in my collection of Best Games!

Did you catch the 'Battle of Blind Swine' between:

As old Uncurious George so eloquently put it: "Fool me once, shame on ... shame on you. Fool me ... ... you can't get fooled again"

Here in this last round game from the British Championships between Nicholas Evans (White) and Dave Graham, White, who is already in trouble, walks straight into a "removing the defender" tactic when he protects a pinned piece with an easily shifted rook. He then allows exactly the same thing two moves later!