English Chess Federation

The 2006 Roses Match: York Railway Institute v Lancaster Chess Club

Sunday 6th October 2006.

York Railway Institute

By D G Mills

The 24th annual Roses Match, in which York Railway Institute and Lancaster Chess Clubs contest the shield presented by Alan P. Borwell, was staged on 8th October 2006 at York Railway Institute. Your scribe heard of it when York and District Chess Association met Hull and District Chess Association a few weeks earlier and York captain on both occasions, Neville Pearce, was pleased for me to attend. Play was scheduled to commence at 1.30 PM so I arrived around half an hour early and chatted to members of both teams. Mr. Seery, captain of the Lancaster team, expressed interest in the possibility of a fixture in the future involving his local association and the Civil Service Chess Association.

The number of boards contested in the Roses Matches is usually determined by how many players are able to travel for the away team. On this occasion it was seven. A time control of two hours per player was in force – to my mind better than adjusting clocks after a certain number of moves. Lancaster won the coin toss and chose white on the odd numbered boards.

When team lists were exchanged York enjoyed a significant grading advantage, yet the Lancastrians offered sturdy resistance. It was not until well over three hours play had elapsed that a win on board four clinched victory for the White Rose. A creditable performance in defeat by the Red Rose team and it would be enjoyable to meet them over the board with the backing of a Civil Service team.

During the week after the match I received the sad news that Lancaster’s board 6, Mr. Standen, had been taken ill and died soon afterwards. Our condolences go out to his family and team mates.

Board 1. White : J. Lyth. Black : R. Hardy. Queen’s Gambit.
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 Bg4 5. Ne5 Bh5 6. Qb3 Qb6 7. cxd5 Qxb3 8. axb3 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 cxd5 10. Bf4 e6 11. Nd3 Nc6 12. e3 Be7 13. Be2 Bxe2 14. Kxe2 0-0 15. Rac1 ½ – ½.

Board 2. White : J. Griffith. Black : P. T. Seery. English Opening.
1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. Nc3 d6 5. d3 Be7 6. e4 0-0 7. Nge2 Bd7 8. 0-0 a6 9. h3 Rb8 10. a4 Nb4 11. f4 c6 12. f5 Ne8 13. Be3 Bg5 14. Bf2 a5 15. b3 g6 16. g4 b6 17. d4 Qe7 18. dxe5 dxe5 19. h4 Bxh4 20. Bxh4 Qxh4 21. Qxd7 Nf6 22. Qe7 Rfe8 23. Qc7 Nxg4 24. Rf3 Nc2 25. fxg6 Qh2+ 26. Kf1 Nge3+ 27. Rxe3 Nxe3+ 28. Kf2 Qxg2+ 29. Kxe3 Qg5+ 30. Kd3 Qd8+ 31. Qxd8 Rbxd8+ 32. Ke3 hxg6 33. Rf1 Kg7 34. Ng1 Rh8 35. Nf3 f6 36. Rd1 Rxd1 37. Nxd1 g5 38. Nf2 Kg6 39. Ke2 Kh5 40. Nh2 Rd8 41. Nfg4 Rd6 42. Ne3 Kg6 43. Nf5 Rd7 44. Ng4 Kf2 ½ – ½.

Board 3. White : L. Bland. Black : T. Turner. French Defence.
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6. Be2 Qb6 7. 0-0 cxd4 8. cxd4 Nge7 9. Na3 Nf5 10. Nc2 Be7 11. a3 0-0 12. Re1 f6 13. b4 fxe5 14. dxe5 Rac8 15. Bb2 Be8 16. Rac1 Bh5 17. h3 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 Bh4 19. Re2 Ng3 20. Re1 Ne4 21. Re2 Bxf2+ 22. Kh1 Ng3+ 23. Kh2 Nxe2 24. Qxe2 Bh4 25. Rf1 Qd8 26. Nd4 Nxd4 27. Bxd4 b6 28. Bg4 Qe7 29. Rf3 Rxf3 30. Qxf3 Rf8 31. Qe2 g6 32. Bf3 Qg5 33. Qd1 Bg3+ 34. Kg1 Rc8 0 – 1.

Board 4. White : P. Thurston. Black : A. Barker. King’s Gambit.
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d5 4. exd5 Nf6 5. Bb5+ c6 6. Qe2+ Qe7 7. Qxe7+ Bxe7 8. dxc6 bxc6 9. Bc4 0-0 10. 0-0 Bd6 11. d4 Ba6 12. Bxa6 Nxa6 13. c3 c5 14. Nbd2 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Rac8 16. N2b3 Nd5 17. Nf5 Bc7 18. Bd2 g6 19. Nfd4 Rfe8 20. Rae1 Be5 21. Nb5 Bb8 22. h3 Kf8 23. N3d4 Nc5 24. Rxe8 Rxe8 25. Nc6 Ne4 26. Bc1 Ng3 27. Rd1 Ne2+ 28. Kf2 Nf6 29. Re1 f3 30. Bh6+ Kg8 31. Nxb8 Rxb8 32. Kxf3 Rxb5 33. Rxe2 Rf5+ 34. Kg3 Rh5 35. Bc1 Kg7 36. c4 Rf5 37. b3 Rf1 38. Bb2 g5 39. Bxf6+ Kxf6 40. Rc2 Ke5 41. c5 Rd1 42. c6 Rd8 43. b4 Rc8 44. a4 a6 45. b5 Kd6 46. Kg4 Kc7 47. Kxg5 axb5 48. axb5 Rd8 49. Kf6 Rd5 50. b6+ Kc8 51. Ra2 1 – 0.

Board 5. White : P. Horman. Black : O. Robson. Queen Pawn.
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. c4 g6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. e3 0-0 7. Be2 d6 8. 0-0 Bd7 9. a3 Nc6 10. b4 Rc8 11. f4 Nxd4 12. exd4 Be6 13. c5 dxc5 14. dxc5 Ne4 15. Nxe4 Bxa1 16. Be3 Qxd1 17. Rxd1 Bb2 18. Bc1 Bxc1 19. Rxc1 Rfd8 20. g3 Rd4 21. Ng5 Rd2 22. Nxe6 Rxe2 23. Nd4 Rd2 24. Nb5 a6 25. Nc3 Rcd8 26. a4 Rb2 27. b5 Rdd2 28. c6 bxc6 29. bxc6 Rbc2 30. Rxc2 Rxc2 31. Nd5 e6 32. Nb4 Rc1+ 33. Kf2 a5 34. Nd3 Rxc6 35. Ne5 Rc2+ 36. Kg1 Ra2 0 – 1.

Board 6. White : N. R. Pearce. Black : B. Standen. Alekhine’s Defence.
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. Bc4 e6 4. Nf3 Nb6 5. Bb3 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. c3 d6 8. d4 Nc6 9. Bf4 dxe5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Bxe5 Nd7 12. Bg3 Nf6 13. Nd2 b6 14. Qe2 Bb7 15. Rad1 Bd6 16. f4 Qe8 17. Bc2 c5 18. dxc5 Bxc5+ 19. Bf2 Qc6 20. Bxc5 Qxc5+ 21. Kh1 Qc6 22. Nf3 Rad8 23. Ne5 Qc7 24. h3 g6 25. Kh2 Rxd1 26. Rxd1 Rd8 27. Rxd8+ ½ – ½.

Board 7. White : B. Speight. Black : I. Robson. Sicilian Defence.
1. e4 c5 2. d3 d6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Be2 h6 5. 0-0 g5 6. Nfd2 h5 7. f4 g4 8. f5 Nc6 9. Nb3 Qb6 10. c4 Bd7 11. Nc3 Ne5 12. Bf4 Bh6 13. Qd2 Bxf4 14. Qxf4 0-0-0 15. Qd2 g3 16. h3 h4 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. cxd5 c4+ 19. Kh1 cxb3 20. axb3 Bb5 21. Rfe1 Nd7 22. Bg4 f6 23. Be2 Ne5 24. Rac1+ Kb8 25. Rc3 Rc8 26. Rec1 Nd7 27. Qc2 Rxc3 28. Qxc3 Nc5 29. b4 Nxe4 30. dxe4 Bxe2 31. Qd2 Bb5 32. Qc3 Be2 33. Qd2 Qa6 34. Qc3 Bc4 35. Qxc4 Qxc4 36. Rxc4 Re8 37. b3 b6 38. Kg1 Kb7 39. Kf1 Rg8 40. Ke2 b5 41. Rc6 Ra8 42. Kf3 a5 43. bxa5 Rxa5 44. Rc2 Ra8 45. b4 Rg8 ½ – ½.