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World School Chess Championships - Round 1

Matt Hunt Reports:

It is 14:30 on Tuesday afternoon (12:30 UK time) and the final pairings for Round 1 are out. Frantic searching of databases for opponents and their previous games ensues, but in the brilliant sunshine no one can see anything on the laptop screens so it is pretty futile. So The Players take on their new South African friends in some psychologically baffling Exchange Chess.

Meanwhile, logistically, the afternoon’s events are becoming clearer. The chess itself will begin with welcome speeches at 16:30 at the Athos Palace Hotel, a mere 2 minute walk from the Macedonian Sun Hotel. Unfortunately we are staying at the Pallini Beach Hotel, though fortunately for us this is even closer: a 45 second walk. The team are told to congregate for photos and pep talk at 16:00…

Later the same day…

Everyone gathers, a little hyper, a little tense, a little nervous – but The Players are all relaxed and looking forward to the chess finally starting. Eleven out of twelve England players are up against opponents from Greece or the Republic of South Africa. Sharan Soni is the exception, up against a rated Russian. The Powers That Be decree that the photo be taken and 0.6 (recurring) coaches also participate – surprisingly “camera-shy” is present so it is Adam Hunt (no relation) who is not there.

The Powers That Be explain the time control for the games, and how to ask to go to the loo mid-game, before issuing their final instructions to the England players: “Don’t kiss any chickens!”. We then set off on the foot march to The Athos Palace…

And now the bit about chess:

Welcome speeches were informative but mercifully short, and play got underway just 20 minutes after the scheduled start time – excellent! Polly Lambert is out in 15 minutes having despatched (dispatched? is there a difference?) her opponent with ease. Next out, well over an hour later, are Joe Quinn (won) and Patrick Stevens who put up a tough fight in his first international match but eventually lost. Record of the round appears to be going to Harry “Potter” Streeter: over 2 hours played and not a single pawn or piece off the board yet!

George O’Toole wins well, as does Samuel Franklin. Sharan finally succumbs to the graded Russian, and Harry secures a draw albeit neither player has lost a pawn or a piece! Ed V-R follows with another draw, leaving Callum Kilpatrick, Ben Wetherfield and Daniel Hunt still playing as the 3 hour mark approaches. They come out in that order: Callum wins, then Ben wins an epic… and last but not least, proudly maintaining his International record of always being last England player out in the first round, is Daniel Hunt after a marathon 3 hours and 40 minutes – with a final win for England! A superb start with 9 out of a possible 12 points scored by The Players. The Responsible Adults are visibly relieved and just manage to change into long trousers before dashing up to dinner.

The results are as follows:

Game of the Round:

X(6) Franklin, Samuel - Von Vollenhoven, Andrew [A25]

1.c4 g6 2.g3 Bg7 3.Bg2 e5 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Rb1 f5 6.e3 d6 7.Nge2 Nf6 8.d3 0–0 9.0–0 h6 10.b4 a6 11.a4 e4?! this attempt to sharpen the game backfires [11...g5 was a better move, followed by the transfer of the knight to the kingside; 11...Be6 12.b5 axb5 13.axb5 Na5 is also possible] 12.dxe4 Nxe4 13.Nxe4 fxe4 14.Bxe4 Bf5 15.Bxf5 Rxf5 16.e4 Rf3 17.Nf4 Rc3 18.Ne6! Qd7 19.Nxg7 Rxc4 [19...Qxg7 20.Bb2] 20.Qd5+ Qf7 21.Bxh6 Qxd5 22.exd5 Nd4 Sam converts his advantage smoothly in the ending 23.Ne6 Nf3+ 24.Kg2 Ne5 25.Rfc1 Rc8 26.Rxc4 Nxc4 27.Rc1 b5 28.axb5 axb5 29.Nd4 Nb6 30.Nxb5 Nxd5 31.Bd2 Kf7

32. Nxd6+! cxd6 33.Rxc8 Ke6 34.Re8+ Kd7 35.Rg8 Ne7 36.Rg7 Kd8 37.Bg5 d5 38.Rxe7 d4 39.Re4+ Kc7 40.Rxd4 Kb6 41.Rd6+ Kb5 42.Rxg6 Kxb4 43.Rc6 Kb5 44.Rc3 Kb4 45.Bf6 Kb5 46.Be7 Ka4 47.Kf3 Kb5 48.Ke4 Ka4 49.Kd5 Kb5 50.Rb3+ Ka4 51.Kc4 Ka5 52.Bb4+ Ka6 53.Ra3+ Kb7 54.Kd5 Kc7 55.Ra7+ Kd8 56.Ke6 Kc8 57.Bd6 Kd8 58.Ra8# 1-0

The schedule for the remaining rounds is as follows:

The organisers have promised the pairings within one hour of the final game ending - we wait with bated breath, meanwhile Arsenal take on Villa Real in the real match of the day…