ECF U19 NATIONAL SCHOOLS

CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2014-15

Sponsored by Winchester College

National School Chess Champions 2014-15, Haberdashers’ Aske’s Ravi Haria, Roman Mitra, Lawrence Lee, Vincent Lee, David Xu and Tarun Malhotra,

with Jon Barnes (Teacher i/c chess)

The finals of the National School Chess Championships took place at Uppingham School on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd July 2015. In the semi-finals champions Reading School overwhelmed Nottingham High School, who were missing two of their top players; whilst Haberdashers’ Aske’s (Habs) similarly triumphed against Hampton School. In both cases the final score was 5½ - ½. The final therefore pitted two exceedingly strong school teams, with an average grade in the match of over 175. The match started disasterously for Habs, with their board 5 losing in just 12 moves. When this was followed by another win for Reading on board 6 and a draw on board 2 it looked as if the champions were likely to retain their title. However, Habs then fought back with a win on board 4. When a draw was agreed on board 1 that left Reading 3 - 2 up, but requiring a draw on board 3 to win the match. After almost 4 hours play the game was still in the balance with each player just having a few minutes left on their clock.

ECF U19 National Schools Chess Championship 2014-15; Sponsored by Winchester College

The Habs player, with the white pieces, managed to force through a central pawn and won on time (in a won position) with a few seconds left on his clock. Thus Haberdashers’ Aske’s won the National School Chess Championships for the first time, having previously been losing finalists on three occasions.

Haberdashers' Aske's 3.7.15 Reading School 1 2 3 4 5 6

Ravi Haria 226 (W) Tarun Malhotra 189 Roman Mitra 178 Lawrence Lee 154 Vincent Lee 151 David Xu 150

½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1

3 3

Matthew Wadsworth 218 Roy Zhang 204 Anthony Zhang 196 Alex Vanlint 164 Ryan Wong 159 Peter Isaksen 140

Haberdashers' win on board count Board 5 Game: White: Vincent Lee 151 Black: Ryan Wong 159 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. a3 f5 4. exf5 e4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. f6 Nxf6 7. Ng5 d5 8. h4 Nd4 9. Qd1 Bg4 10. f3 exf3+ 11. Ne4 f2+ 12. Kxf2 Nxe4+ 1 - 0

ECF U19 National Schools Chess Championship 2014-15; Sponsored by Winchester College

Board 1 Game: Ravi Haria –Matthew Wadsworth

Analysis by Matthew Wadsworth

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.c4 dxc4 5.0–0

Nbd7 6.Qc2 Nb6 7.a4 a5 8.Na3 g6 9.Nxc4

Nxc4 10.Qxc4 Bg7 11.e4 0–0 12.Re1 [12.d3 is

the main move]

12...Be6 13.Qc2 Ng4! [planning Ne5, gaining

control of the d4 square]

[13...Bg4 is also good 14.d3 Nd7 15.Be3 c5

16.Ng5 h6 17.h3 hxg5 18.hxg4 e5= ½–½ (38)

Schebler,G (2465)-Buhmann,R (2546) Werther

2006 CBM 111 ext [Gutman,L]]

14.d4!? [an interesting pawn sacrifice]

[14.e5 Bd5 15.d4 f6=; 14.d3 Ne5 15.Nxe5 Bxe5

is the idea]

14...Bxd4 15.Nxd4 Qxd4 16.h3 Ne5 [Black is

clearly better due to the extra pawn and more

active pieces]

17.Ra3 Rfd8 18.Be3 Qb4 19.Rc3 Nc4 20.Bf4

Nxb2 21.Be5 [missing a strong reply]

[21.Rb1 Rd1+! 22.Rxd1 Nxd1 was my idea.

However, white can win a piece in the following

line 23.Rd3 Nb2 24.Bd2 Qc4 25.Rc3 Qa2

26.Bc1 Nxa4 27.Qxa2 Bxa2 28.Ra3 Bc4

29.Rxa4 b5 =+ black retains a small advantage]

21...Nd3? [21...Nxa4 is far better and simpler

22.Rb1 Nxc3 23.Rxb4 axb4 24.Bxc3 bxc3

25.Qxc3 Rd1+ 26.Kh2 Ra2–+; 21...f6 is also

better 22.Rb1 Rd1+ 23.Rxd1 Nxd1 24.Qxd1

fxe5–+]

22.Rb1 Nxe5 23.Rxb4 axb4 24.Re3 Nc4

25.Re2 Ra5?! [25...c5 26.f4 Rd4 keeps

everything under control]

26.f4 Na3 [26...Rd4 is better]

27.Qb2 c5 28.f5 [black has almost completely

lost his winning advantage at the start of this

endgame]

28...Bc4 29.Rd2 Raa8 30.e5 gxf5 31.a5 Ba6

[31...Be6! 32.a6 Nc4 33.Rxd8+ Rxd8 34.Qc1

bxa6 35.Qg5+ Kh8 36.Qxe7 Rd1+ 37.Kf2 h6

with good winning chances as black has excaped

the perpetual]

32.Qc1= [now white can force a perpetual]

32...c4 33.Rxd8+ Rxd8 34.Qg5+ Kf8 35.Qh6+

Ke8

36.Bc6+! bxc6 37.Qxc6+ Kf8 38.Qxa6 c3 39.Qh6+ Kg8 40.Qg5+ Kf8 41.Qh6+ Kg8 42.Qg5+ Kf8 ½–½

ECF U19 National Schools Chess Championship 2014-15; Sponsored by Winchester College

The third place playoff match between Nottingham High School and Hampton was even closer. In this case the 3 -3 draw also had equal board count, which was resolved in Nottingham’s favour by bottom board elimination. Hampton School 3.7.15 Nottingham High School

1 2 3 4 5 6

Jake Liang 199 (W) Koby Kalavannan 186 Max Wood-Robinson 156 Theo Dias 148 Alfie Onslow 152 Max Elliott 138

½ ½ 1 0 0 1

½ ½ 0 1 1 0

3 3

Harry Croasdale 156 Hari Solomonides 160 Taylor Pearson 153 Karam Sangha 139 Saaran Mehan 125 Russell O'Brien 123

Nottingham High School win on bottom board elimination

Board 3 of this match featured exciting sacrificial attacks by both players, with black’s being the more devastating: White: Max Wood-Robinson 156 Black: Taylor Pearson 153 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bg5 Bg7 7. Qd2 Nc6 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Bd3 Kg8 10. f4 Qb6 11. Rb1 c5 12 Bxf6 exf6 13 Nd5 Qb7 14. c4 Be6 15 Ne3 Rfe8 16. Kg1 Bh6 17. Rf3 Bd7 18. Nd5 Bg7 19. f5 gxf5 20. Rg3 Kh8 21. exf5 Re5

22. Nxf6 Bxf6 23. Qh6 Rxf5 24. Rh3 Bd4+ 25. Kh1

25 .. Qxg2+ 26. Kxg2 Rg8+ 27. Rg3 Rf2+ 28. Kh1 Bc6+ 29. Kg1 Rf4#

ECF U19 National Schools Chess Championship 2014-15; Sponsored by Winchester College

Semi-final: Reading School vs Nottingham High School In the plate competition the final was between two schools who had not previously appeared at the finals, Eltham College and The King’s School, Chester. Eltham were victorious 4 - 2 to win the plate.

Eltham College 3.7.15 The King’s School, Chester 1 2 3 4 5 6

Conor Murphy 202 (W) Arul Gupta 194 Gautham Reddiar 158 Alexander Selway 134 Tom Morton 85 Arrien Gajdamowicz 47r

1 0 ½ ½ 1 0 1 0

½ ½ 0 1

4 2

Daniel Savidge 162 Rohan Yesudian 144 Riyaan Yesudian 142 Arjun Balasubramian 100 Danny Rajapandian 92 Abhijay Chawda 81

Board 3 White: Gautham Reddiar 158 Black: Riyaan Yesudian 142 White 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Be2 cxd4 7. cxd4 Nh6 8. Nc3 Nf5 9. Na4 Qc7 10. O-O Be7 11. Bf4 O-O 12. Rc1 Bd7 13. Nc5 Rfd8 14. Nxd7 Rxd7 15. Bb5 Qb6 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. g4 Nh4 18. Nxh4 Bxh4 19. g5 f6 20. Qg4 fxg5 21. Qxe6+ Rf7 22. Be3 Qxb2 23. Qxc6 Rd8 24. Rc2 Qa3 25. Qe6 Qa5 26. Rfc1 Rdf8 27. Rc8 g4 28. R1c7 Bd8 29. Rd7 Qa4 30. Rxf7 Bf6 31. Rfxf8#

ECF U19 National Schools Chess Championship 2014-15; Sponsored by Winchester College

The National School Chess Championship Trophy, presented by the Sunday Times in 1957.