The 5th EU Youth Chess Championships

1-9 August 2007, Mureck, Austria

Round 5

It is definitely Sunday. Morning has broken, the morning sunlight streams in through the open shutters which I left open having forgotten to shut them. Outside there is much activity – as trailed yesterday by the Newbie RAP {was she any good, am I to be usurped?} it is the end of the Austrian holiday season and the Fabianis are hosting a B-B-Q and awards ceremony for all the campers here at Rocksee outside Mureck. Awards are being handed out for longevity: campers who have been here for 10, 15, 20 and 25 years (obviously going home in the off season, not living here all year round… duh!). This is the 5th EU Youth Chess Championships and England have attended every one so there is a rumour that the Fabianis will be stretching the definition of longevity to include Mr Chips, Gill and the 5 years of England chess team visits!

So, as I said: preparations had begun (to celebrate her birthday with a ball…) [? – ed.] {Grandad’ll get it}. Trestle tables and benches take over the parking area outside the Fabianis. A massive B-B-Q is set up and the European coal mountain is applied to generate sufficient heat to feed the 5000. A superb local brass band arrives and sets up under the covered walkway – but tuning up disturbs the large bat that no one knew was asleep in the same place, it screams down the walkway narrowly missing the ping pong ball and several startled Players before soaring up into the blue sky and disappearing into another dark, cool place to resume its dreams.

The first guests start arriving by 10am, just after coaching starts. Even the most hardened RAPs watch in astonishment as drinks are ordered. That yard-arm’s so low its gotta be underground! But the coaching continues – although today with a twist as David and Alex have been drawn against each other and both are coached by Neil, so Tom will take a 5th person today (David) and Neil gets a break where he would have coaching David. Complicated? Not to these guys. What is complicated is Mr Chips having to give a short thank you speech in German, even tho’ it has been written out for him phonetically he is a bundle of nerves…

There is much ompah-ing and cheering, Hungarian soup and massive BBQ steaks, then the awards begin. Mr Chips get increasingly nervous, pacing up and down the coaching room, swigging from a bottle of water “just to whet my whistle” he says. He pops off to the loo. Again.

And finally the microphone comes out. The Mayor {Burger Meister?} of Mureck takes charge of calling forward the families for their floral awards. The England party are waiting, gathered in the wings – England flags and balloons at the ready. “It is soon,” Mr Chips gulps, “I can feel it in my water.” He pops off to the loo again. And then it is our turn – the entire playing squad, coaches and siblings follow Mr Chips and Gill out until, realising that Mr Chips is actually on the way to the loo again, they all divert towards the bandstand. And there the ceremony takes place, with pride of the show being the presentation of a painting (by Mr Marino Fabiani himself no less!) to Mr Chips, followed by the latter’s halting but warmly applauded response in German.

The band plays through until their own lunch at just before 2pm. By then the Players have resorted to normal operating procedure (table tennis, badminton, some desultory review of chess openings) and the RAPs are potentially slightly worse for wear. But it is a glorious day, there will probably be lots of swimming after the chess itself – and then Neil dramatically announces that he has re-considered his definition of success (if you recall from yesterday’s report, he felt that 96%, meaning 24 out of 25 kids safely returned to parents, would constitute a pretty successful chess trip). “Perhaps”, he wonders, “success should be if all the kids come back a little damaged, rather than 24 kids ok and one not at all?” {I’m thinking the Caro-Kahn, I don’t know why…}

And now the Chess bit:

Four rounds are over already and today’s games will take us past the half-way point. Each round is taking on greater and greater significance. And everyone is still rooting for Megan, hopefully today will be the day she gets off the mark, it would be a travesty if she lost again. But then again chess is a harsh game: victory is yours alone, but when things do not go so well there’s no one else to share the blame. And even if you only just lose, after a brilliant game against a much higher rated opponent, you still get just the zero points. It seems harsh after playing a game that could take 3, 4 or more hours, but them’s the rules.

Talking of rules, let me catch you up on the “time control”. This is the amount of time the Players are allowed to complete their games: for this tournament the time control is “90 mins plus 30 secs per move”. This means that all the players have 90 minutes each as standard, and then for every move they make they get an extra 30 seconds. A 60 move game therefore could take up to 90 + 90 + 60 = 240 minutes (4 hours). The time is controlled by a rather clever gadget: the (digital) chess clock. The Chess Clock is actually two clocks in one housing, with a rocker switch on top so that when pressed one way one of the clocks is counting down, and when pressed the other way the first clock stops counting down and instead the second clock starts counting down. In this way, by pressing the rocker after each turn, the Player stops their own clock counting down and simultaneously starts their opponent’s clock. Backwards and forwards the countdown goes, with the clocks set to 90 minutes at the start of the game and the electronic wizardry that is the chess clock also adds 30 seconds to the player’s time remaining when they press the rocker to signify that they have made their move.

And as it happens, it turns out to be a real nail-biter for a number of RAPs, myself included. The early results are mixed but start well when James comes out with a win in 8 moves! Brother Robert followed some time later but he had lost. A long gap then followed before Polly emerged with a draw. But then Peter comes out – a long game for him but unfortunately not in his favour. Meanwhile, it appears that Megan is gaining the upper hand, as is George O, whilst Danny goes the exchange down against the top seed in the U12s. Megan goes further ahead. So much so that her coach for the tournament, Neil, is willing to eat his hat if she does not win. Megan’s RAP doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry and everyone waiting is on the edge of their seats: imagine getting to see Neil eat a hat! Then Neil is topped as Mr Chips throws his car keys into the ring: “You can have the car if she loses!” For the other RAPs, this is getting more exciting than the chess. And then? Yes, Megan wins! Neil breathes a huge sigh of relief, Megan and RAP head off to celebrate at the swimming pool and the other RAPs return to their own matters-in-hand. My own being Danny, exchange down and facing multiple threats. “It’s over,” I think. “Unless I pray to the God of Blunders for his opponent to let him back into the game…” But no one seems to know the God’s name so I am left just chewing my fingernails. In the meantime, quite suddenly the Eng-vs-Eng game is over: it’s a draw between Alex and David in the U14s. A tight game, three hours long, no “pre-arranged draw” there!

At this stage, half the Players have finished and the total is 3½, exactly half points. Given that this includes the one Eng-vs-Eng pairing, where you cannot get a full point, its looking good for at least a 50% score overall…

There is then another long-ish break. In the games that are visible from the sidelines, George O retains his pawn advantage, Brandon has gone the exchange up, and after a sudden swathe of swapping off (his opponent trying to “simplify the game”) Danny could be back in with a chance even though he is the exchange down. Or that’s what his body language says, I am not able to read the game. And his coach is no help: when he checks on Danny’s progress all he gives is a grimace or at best a raised eyebrow. In the meantime I’ve already txt’d those-who-remained-at-home to say it doesn’t look good – but what do I do now? Raise hopes unnecessarily? Or is it my own hopes that have been raised unnecessarily? I postpone the decision by pretending I am watching, then walking out to spend 15 seconds chatting with other RAPs before going back in to watch again. Like a goldfish or perhaps more like a rabbit in the headlights. What strikes me is that the Players who are still at the boards are all coping better than the RAPs, some even get up to stretch their legs between moves…

Suddenly we get the next finishes. George G wins, but Patrick loses. Then Joseph comes out – he’s lost too. That leaves a quartet still playing: Brandon remains the exchange up but everyone (especially his RAP) would like him to just finish it! Danny has offered the draw but it is not accepted. With his Queen very active, he’s looking to rescue a draw. Charlie hides his game with his body so no one knows how that’s going. And George O, in his inimitable steady fashion seems to be turning the screws with his 1 pawn advantage…

Finally Brandon is out – he’s won! Relief all round. Meanwhile George O and his opponent are now both down to less than 5 minutes, more fingernails are being chewed but not by George {By George!} or his RAP, who can now see the light at the end of the tunnel! Amazingly, because the time control gives the players 30 seconds for each move they make, George is actually going to have over 15 minutes on the clock by the end… but let’s not get ahead of ourselves! There are only a few boards still playing, when suddenly the Crazy Frog ring tone sounds from one of the lower boards in the U12s. No one has ever seen the arbiters move so swiftly – the culprit is identified and immediately forfeits the game – it’s the law. So after more than 3 hours of play, it can all be lost due to a phone call from, for example, your mum! This gives me an idea and I commandeer Mr Stevens’ Apple Mac to search the internet for the mobile number of Danny’s opponent. Imagine calling him now, and asking to speak to Danny! Wow, that would be fun… but of course I wake from my daydream and instead return to the playing hall to see what is happening.

Then Charlie finishes. With no one having been able to see his board there is some confusion. “He’s lost” said his RAP, before accompanying Charlie out to the analysis room. Seconds later he’s back: “No, I got it wrong, he got a draw!” And that’s probably both the first and the last time you’ll hear a lawyer admitting he’s got something wrong. Smiles all round!

And then Danny’s game finished. And I missed it, having looked away at George O’s game at the crucial moment, only to turn back to see Danny and opponent resetting the clock. “It’s a draw,” advise two RAPs who had joined me in my vigil – what a show of solidarity! “Really? He’s got a draw?” Can I believe it? But then my Player looks up and makes an “X” with his index fingers, the sign-language for a draw. Phew! What relief and what joy! Where’s the nearest bar…?

Pleased as everyone is for Danny, all attention quickly turns to George O. His opponent is down to 7 seconds on one move but George is looking relaxed. He has increased the pawn advantage to a three pawn advantage and then almost casually starts to force the pace, increasing his remaining time whilst picking off his opponent’s pieces. It ends up a crushing victory, a real master-class in turning a small pawn advantage into complete domination…

The points total therefore is 7½, over the 50% target. The squad is back on track…

The full results of Round 5 are as follows:

The draw for Round 6:

The Players’ results to date:

Game of the Round:

Clarke, Brandon [ENG] - Gelip, Ioana [ROM]
European Union Youth Championships – Mureck, Austria 2007 Under 12 Rd 5
[Annotated by Tom Eckersley-Waites]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Be3 Nc6 7.f3 e6 8.Qd2 Be7 9.g4 d5!? a rare, and probably slightly premature continuation. 10.0–0–0 [10.g5 Nh5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Be2 is a fairly standard-looking position, that may or may not yield any advantage.] 10...dxe4 11.Qf2 [11.g5 is again thematic, after which 11...Nd5 12.Nxd5 (12.Nxe4 Nxe3 13.Qxe3 is not going to yield enough activity.) 12...exd5 13.fxe4 dxe4 is interesting, with some initiative for the pawn.] 11...Qc7

12.Be2?! [12.g5 has to be played here. 12...Nd5 13.Nxd5 exd5 14.fxe4 dxe4 15.Nf5!? (15.Bc4 Ne5 has been played before, but doesn't look as though it offers white much for the pawn.) 15...Bxf5 16.Qxf5 is my suggestion, when white is very active with a lot of options.] 12...Ne5 13.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.fxe4 and the position is certainly no better for white. 14...0-0 is this necessary now? Perhaps …b5 is better first. 15.h4 Nc4 16.Bxc4 Qxc4 17.Kb1 b5 18.b3!? a double-edged move; it pushes the black queen back but it burns positional bridges. [18.Nf3!? is another idea, after which 18...Qxe4 19.Rd4 Qc6 20.Rhd1 f6 21.Qg3 probably isn't enough for the pawn.] 18...Qc7 19.e5!? Bb7 [19...Qxe5? 20.Nc6 Qc7 21.Nxe7+ Qxe7 22.Bc5 wins for white] 20.Rhe1 maybe f1 is a better square. [20.Nf3 is again possible, although provided black avoids 20...Bxf3 (20...f5! is a good move that fritz found) 21.Qxf3 Qxe5 22.Rd7 Rae8 23.Bd4 Qb8 when white is very active, there may be no problems.] 20...Qxe5 21.Bf4 [21.Bg5 Qc7 22.Bxe7 Qxe7 is maybe more sensible.] 21...Qc5 22.h5 Bf6 [22...a5 looks quite scary, when black's attack will almost certainly hit first.] 23.Be3 Qe7 [23...Rfc8 is a possibility.] 24.h6? g6? [24...Bh4! is winning for black.] 25.Ne2 Bg5 [25...Rfd8 Still looks pretty solid for black.] 26.Bc5 Bh4 27.Qd4 Qf6 28.Qxf6 Bxf6 29.Bxf8 Rxf8 30.Rf1 Bg5 31.Rd7 Bc6 32.Ra7 b4 33.Nd4 Be4 34.Rxa6 Be3 35.Re1 Bb7 36.Rb6 Bxd4 37.Rxb7 Bc3

Some care is required now – one of the drawbacks of 18.b3! Despite Brandon’s material advantage, which is enough to win, he’s got to be careful due to the fantastic bishop on c3 that allows mating threats and the advance of the e-pawn. 38.Rd1 e5 39.g5 Kh8? [a pointless move; 39…Re8 at least forces Brandon to find 40.Re7! [40.Rdd7?! e4 41.Rxf7?? is natural but insufficient; 41…e3 42.Rfe7 Kf8 looks good enough to hold. Again, that monster bishop is pretty useful! 40.Rf1 Kg8 41.Re7 now it’s easy. Bd4 42.Rf3 Bc3 43.a4 Rd8 44.Rd3 Ra8 45.Rdd7 Rf8 46.a5 Bd4 47.a6 Bc3 48.a7 Bd4 49.Rb7 Bc3 50.Rxf7 1–0

And here, as a special treat, is a little something extra:

Bowler, James [ENG] - Hammer, Elias [AUT]
European Union Youth Championships – Mureck, Austria 2007 Under 10 Rd 5
[Annotated by IM Adam Hunt]

James' opponent was so baffled by his new move 3, that he accepted the famous 'poisoned pawn! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nc6?! Black generally needs to play c5 in the French to challenge the central d4 pawn. The knight on c6 does nothing to help this. 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Bd3 Nxd4? This is bad...... 7.Nxd4 Qxd4?? But this is worse!

8.Bb5+ wins the queen. Oops! 1-0

And finally…

Brain teaser 4 – Now for the London Underground. A tube station (one word) which has only one vowel in the first 9 letters. Answer is ‘Knightsbridge’.

Brain teaser 5 – Underground again. A tube station, 11 letters, only one vowel.