NSDCA – Crewe I vs Meir

This was the last game of the season for Crewe I. We secured a 3-0 victory which puts us in the 4th position of the league table, although we might soon become 5th

This is because at the moment Newcastle B is only am inch behind us and still have 3 games to play. With the prospect of a likely victory on at least two of those matches, they will likely climb ahead, leaving us just an inch behind them. Time will tell.

The end of the season also marks the completion of my very first experience as team captain, which has been very rewarding. Several of our matches have been against players who were each rating 150 and even 200 higher than us. With that in mind, getting where we are now is quite an achievement.

Well done everyone!

Kidsgrove vs Crewe I

Yesterday, Crewe I played its last away game of the league season. This match was originally scheduled some time ago but was postponed due to the refurbishment of the Kidsgrove Chess Club… and what a good job we did! The renovation has transformed the club into a place of beauty and comfort never seen before.

This is no trivial detail because, when you have to endure defeat, doing so while sitting on a massive pinewood chair at a grand wooden table next to a lit fireplace makes it far less unpleasant. I mean, we lost 3½ – ½, but boy, what an absolutely stunning setting!

Well, what else can I say? Each of us once again faced an opponent rated about 200 points higher… it was always going to be an uphill battle.

As for me, I managed to make my opponent sweat—really sweat—but, unfortunately, not quite enough to secure a victory. As usual, I published the game on our website. The time pressure got the better of me in the end, I blundered, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Newcastle B vs Crewe I

The Italian term obliterato normally refers to a bus ticket that has been validated. You know how it works: you get on the bus or train, show your ticket, and the controller stamps it with the punch machine…

Last night, I learnt the English meaning of the term when Crewe I was obliterated by Newcastle B. Man, and what a punch machine they were! Peter was the only one to secure a draw, while the rest of us… well, let’s just say the scorecard looked like the three of us just played a long castling: 0-0-0

What can we say? This was the third time in a row in which our opponent were rating not 100, not 200 but some 250 points more than us!!!
At least I can say that I gave my opponent a very hard time. I didn’t just go down quietly without a fight.

As usual, my game is published on the database page of our website.

2024 WC Cup: all games published!

Our database now includes all the games played during the 2024 WC Cup. It took quite a while to add them all because they were only available in handwritten paper form, which made it very difficult (and sometimes impossible) to decipher… Nonetheless I managed to reconstruct nearly all of them. You’ll find them under the menu Useful Links > Game Database

Crewe I vs. Cheddleton D

Quite a busy night at the club yesterday… so busy that late arrivals struggled to find a parking spot. Among the many matches, Crewe I lost against Cheddleton D.

That said, Gerald keeps defeating his opponents with incredible speed. Despite the game consisting of 60 moves, they were all done so quickly that I sometimes wonder if board 4 is in Blitz-mode.

I found myself once again facing an opponent rated about 100 points higher than me and, in keeping with the ongoing trend, I made him sweat as much as I could… this time, even managing to secure a draw. Initially, I refused the offer, but shortly after I accepted it, fully aware that time pressure would have caused me to lose (and a draw is always better than a loss).

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Hallen, David1472
Scarpa, Mario1354
2024/2025 League Season NSDCA Division 4
January 22, 2025 – Crewe Chess Club
1.e4e52.Bc4Nf63.d3h64.Nf3Nc65.c3d56.exd5Nxd5Black tests the waters and checks is White is prone to exchange or not...7.O-OBg4Black is hoping in 8. ... h3 9. Bh5 g4 as it would disrupt White's castling formation.8.h3Bh59.Nbd2a610.a3b511.Ba2Nf412.Ne4Nxd313.Ng3Bg614.Qe2Nxc115.Raxc1Bd616.Rcd1O-O17.Bd5Qd718.Rfe1Rad8Black disingage from Bishop's pinning19.Ne4Na5The Bishop cannot move from d6, lest Bxf7+ and subsequent Rxd7. Therefore, Black tries to get the to get Nc4 hoping to exchange it for the Bishop, which is being annoyingly dangerous20.Nxd6cxd621.Be4Nc4If White exchanges Bishops, fxg6 frees the f-file for the Rook. Besides, White's attitude to exchange was already tested on move 6, which could imply that White exchanges now only unwillingly and only because he feels forced to (which would imply he's not leading the game).22.Bd5As predicted...22…Qc823.Nh4Kh824.Bxc4bxc425.Nxg6+fxg626.Qe4White offers to draw but Black refuses26…Qc5Black combines pressure on f2 hoping that White's greed makes him move Qxg6. The plan is to get to Rxf2 and then discovery check.27.Rf1Rf5White doesn't blunder and Black plans to double the Rooks on the f-file to increase the pressure on f228.Qe2Rdf829.Rd2g530.Qe4R5f631.Qd5Black realises he has 15 minutes left while White still has 40. Black offers to draw fearing that the time pressure might make him blunder and White accepts.½–½

NSDCA – Alsager E vs Crewe I

Last night we had our first game of the year. Unfortunately, we lost 21/2 – 11/2 and that would be all there is to say… or would it?

Malcolm managed to secure a draw, thus granting us the extra half point that prevents the match from being classified as a crushing defeat—it sounds much better than 3-0, doesn’t it? Gerald won straight away before I even finished my first pint of Coke. Nowadays, he seems to dispose of his opponents very rapidly, unlike myself, who linger in the struggle until the very (and in this case, bitter) end. I played on board 1 against someone rated some 200 points higher than me. Considering that, I’m quite satisfied that, despite my loss, I made him sweat to exhaustion and gave him some good headaches… time pressure did, however, get the best of me in the end, as one blunder leads to another…

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Scarpa, Mario1345
Marshall, James1543
2024/2025 League Season NSDCA Division 41.1.1
January 14, 2025 – Alsager Chess Club
1.e4d52.exd5Qxd53.Nc3Qa54.Nf3Bg45.Be2Nf66.d4Ne47.Bd2Nxd28.Qxd2e69.Ne5Bxe210.Qxe2White forced the exchanges planning to eventually gain a better by moving Qf2, which threathens both f7 (protected by the Knight) and b7.10…c6Black realises the danger.11.O-OBe712.Ne4O-O13.c3White intends to unbridle his two horses but first the pawn in d4 must protected. Also, c3 renders Black's Bishop nearly useless.13…Qc714.Qh5Nd715.Nf3Nf616.Nxf6+Bxf617.Ng5White is hoping to force an exchange.17…h618.Ne4Kh7Exchanging at this point would disrupt the pawn's formation but also free the g-file for the rook to eventually attack g2 in combination with the queen19.f4Be720.Ng5+Hoping for another exchange that wouldn't backfire20…Kg821.Ne4Rad822.Qg4??Running out of time often implies blunders.22…f523.Qg6fxe424.Qxe6+Rf725.Qxe4Rdf826.g3Bf627.Rae1Re728.Qg6Qd629.Qc2Rfe830.Rd1Re231.Qb3+Qe632.Qxb7??With this blunder, White signs his death warrant32…Qe3+33.Kh1Qe4+34.Kg1Qg2#0–1

Fenton B vs. Crewe I

Last night, Crewe I played an away match at the Fenton Chess Club, which, for those who haven’t yet seen it, makes quite a first impression. The chess club shares its premises with a snooker club, which you have to walk through to reach the chess room. I was already intrigued by the atmosphere, wondering whether I was heading to a chess match or stepping into the setting of an exciting crime movie (a genre I rather like). Before even reaching the chessboard, I found myself pondering whether to use the Loan Sharking Gambit or the Money Laundering Defence… but given the nature of the situation, I decided to stick with the Italian Opening – it fits both narratives quite well.

…Little did I know my opponent would respond with the French Defence (Franco-Benoni variation). You can see the entire game below.

As a team, we lost by the narrowest of margins: three boards ended in draws, while one was lost, resulting in a final score of 2½ – 1½. Yet, achieving such a result against opponents rated around 100 points higher than us feels like a triumph. In total, their team had a combined rating 348 points higher than ours! Here is the breakdown of the ratings:

Board 1: 1469 – 1329 = 140
Board 2: 1401 – 1326 = 75
Board 3: 1340 – 1250 = 90
Board 4: 1236 – 1193 = 43

Not bad at all!

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Scarpa, Mario1351
Whitehurst, Derek1453
2024/2025 League Season NSDCA Division 41.1.1
December 3, 2024 – Longton Snooker & Pool Club
1.e4e62.d4c53.Be3cxd44.Bxd4Nc65.Nf3Nge76.Bd3Ng67.Be3Be78.Nbd2O-O9.O-OBf610.c3d511.exd5exd512.Bxg6White's thinking is now positional. With the previous exchange, Black already isolated the central pawn. By exchanging material now White intends to weaken Black's position by forceing him to double the pawns on the g-file.12…fxg613.h3d414.Nxd4Nxd415.Bxd4Bxd416.cxd4Qxd417.Qb3+Kh818.Rad1More positional thinking. White's idea is to protect the Knight and eventually develop it while attacking the Queen at the same time, thus forcing Black to yield the d-file to the white Rook.18…b619.Nf3Qf620.Rfe1No risk, no fun. The aim is to gain control of yet another central file but the risk is weakening the defence of f2, which is risky considering that Black has Rook and Queen in the same file...20…Bxh321.Re3Taking the Bishop would have been a mistake, because it would have isolated two pawns and force the Exchange of Queens, which White did not want.21…Bg422.Rde1h523.Qc2Rac824.Qa4Rc725.Re8Bd7Black offers a draw, and White accepts because, although the positions were fairly even, time was running out, and the risk of blundering into disaster was only a move away.½–½

A glorious victory for Crewe I

Some say that there is no greater pleasure than coming home and being welcomed by the smell of freshly baked bread. Yesterday, I programmed the bread maker so that it would be ready by the time I returned from the match and… my goodness… yes, there is indeed a greater pleasure: being welcomed by the smell of bread after having crushed the enemy team with a glorious 31/21/2.

Peter and Gerald were the quickest to win on boards 3 and 4, Mike secured an excellent draw on board 2, and, unbelievable as it sounds, I won on time! Yes, there is no typo: I won. Time is normally a factor I lose on, so it is refreshing to have turned things around for a change. My game was roughly even until my opponent fell into a couple of traps I set, which gave me a positional advantage.

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Scarpa, Mario1356
Dragan, Cristian-Gabriel1406
2024/2025 League Season NSDCA Division 41.1.1
November 25, 2024 – The Gables Public House
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bb5a64.Bxc6dxc65.h3Bd66.d4Qe77.Nc3f68.O-OBd79.a3O-O-O10.Be3c511.Nd5Qf712.dxe5White's idea is to force Black to eventually recapture with the pawn, thus isolating it.12…fxe513.c4This prevents the pawn on c5 from advancing, thus obstructing the Bishop.13…Nf614.Nc3Bc615.Ng5Qg816.Rc1h617.Nf3Nxe418.Nxe4Bxe419.Nxe5Black thinks Nxe5 is a blunder and falls straight into the trap.19…Bxe520.Qg4+Kb821.Qxe4Re822.Qf3White is hoping in 22... Bxb2 23. Rb2, at which point Black would lose the Bishop, as checkmate with Qxb7 is unavoidable while the Rook is guarding the b-file.22…Bd623.b3Qf824.Qg4h525.Qg6Qf626.Qxf6White accepts the exchange because it will result in Black having two isolated pawns.26…gxf627.h4f528.Bg5Be729.f4If 29... Bxg5 then 30.fxg5 frees the f-file for the Rook to attack the pawn on f5.29…Rhg830.Rce1Bd631.g3Kc832.Kg2Kd733.a4Rg634.Rd1Rge635.Rd5Re2+36.Rf2Rxf2+37.Kxf2White offers a draw but Black refuses.37…Ke638.Bh6c639.Rd3b540.axb5axb541.Bg7Bf842.Be5Be743.Re3White pretends to leave the d-file at Black's disposal, but it's a trap...43…Rd844.Bc7+...in which Black falls badly.44…Kd745.Bxd8Bxd846.Re5Bf647.Rxf5bxc448.bxc4The temptation of Rxf6 is strong, but the fear of the black pawn getting promoted was stronger.48…Bd4+49.Kf3Ke650.Rxh5Kd751.Rf5Kc752.g4Kb653.h5Ka554.Rf7Kb455.Rc7Kxc456.Rxc6Kd557.Ra6c458.Ra2c359.Rc2Bh860.h6At this point the annotation stops, as both players have less than 5 minutes left. Eventually Black loses on time, although it would have not been particularly bright even with enough time...1–0

NSDCA – Crewe H vs Crewe I

Last night Crewe H vs Crewe I resulted in 2.5 – 1.5, which is consistent with last week game. Simply put, Crewe H has far stronger players than we have, which is why the results, though unpleasant, did not come as a surprise. Looking at the combined ELO of the teams, we had a 105 points disadvantage last week, while yesterday we were down by 385!
This is worth remembering, because it makes the predictable defeats not as crushing as they could have been, which is rather encouraging.
Another predictable thing was that I would run out of time… which I did. I was about to lose anyway, since Finn was a few pawns up on their way to promotion but, technically, I lost on time.

Nonetheless I am proud of my 26th move (Qd6). While not spectacular, at least it gives a hint of elegance of the game.

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Scarpa, Mario1356
Charbonneau, Finlay1551
2024/2025 League Season NSDCA Division 41.1.1
November 19, 2024 – Crewe Chess Club
1.e4c62.d4d53.e5c54.Bb5+Bd75.Nc3Bxb56.Nxb5e67.Nf3a68.Nc3Nc69.Be3cxd410.Bxd4Nge711.O-ONf512.Ne2Qc713.c3Be714.b4O-O15.a4Nfxd416.Nexd4Nxe517.Nxe5Qxe518.Re1Qc719.Rc1Rac820.Qh5Bf621.g3Qd722.Qg4Rc423.a5Bxd424.cxd4Rxb425.Qf4Rc826.Qd6Qxd627.Rxc8+Qf828.Rxf8+Kxf829.Rd1Ra430.Rb1Rxa531.Rxb7Ra1+32.Kg2a533.h4a434.h5a335.Kf3a236.Ra7h637.g4Kg838.Kf4Kh739.f3e5+40.dxe5d441.Rxf7Re142.Ra7a1=Q43.Rxa1Rxa144.Ke4Rd145.f4d346.e6Kg847.f5Kf848.Kd5Re1White loses on time0–1