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Home » White Rose are UKs top performers in the European Club Cup

Malcolm Pein reports on the European Club Cup and looks at a quick win for Peter Horspool of e2e4.

White Rose were the top performing British team at European Club Cup just completed in Slovenia. The British teams were all amateur and White Rose's 50% score was a creditable performance. Michael Adams played on top board for Baden Baden and was having a good tournament until he lost to Teimour Radjabov with white in the last round. Adams drew with Boris Gelfand and Peter Svidler with black.

Radjabov was playing for top seeds SOCAR of Baku who suffered a surprising loss to Bosna Sarajevo which cost them dearly. Svidler's St Petersburg were the only unbeaten team and took top honours. There were plenty of miniatures including one won by Peter Horspool of e2e4 who played the English players' favourite Grand Prix Attack.

P Horspool - M Pleshkov

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bb5 Nd4 6.0-0 Nxb5 7.Nxb5 Nf6 8.Nc3 d6 9.d3 0-0

(9...Bg4)

10.Qe1 a6 11.f5! gxf5 12.Qh4 b5 13.Bh6 Bxh6 14.Qxh6 Bb7?

(14...Ng4 15.Qh5 Nf6 16.Qh4 Kg7)

15.Ng5 Qd7 16.Rxf5 Rfe8

(Of course Rxf6 wins as well now)

17.Ne6 1-0

It is rare to see such a highly rated GM defeated in 18 moves but he was surprised by a strong novelty in a sharp line. See if you can find the winning move.

PH Nielsen (2687) - A Volokitin (2686)

Gruenfeld Defence

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bf4 Bg7 5.e3 c5 6.dxc5 Qa5 7.Rc1 dxc4 8.Bxc4 0-0 9.Nf3 Qxc5 10.Bb3 Nc6 11.0-0 Qa5 12.h3 Qa6 13.e4 Rd8 14.Qe1 Nb4 15.Ng5!

(15.Qe3 Be6=; 15.Ne5 Be6 Kramnik-Ivanchuk Blitz 2008)

15...e6

(15...Nd3 16.Qd2 e6 17.Rcd1 is an annoying pin)

16.Rd1 Rxd1 17.Qxd1 Nd3?

Answer:

18.Bc2! 1-0

18.Bc2 Nxf4 19.Qd8+ Bf8 20.Qxf6 Qxf7+ is an unstoppable threat and leads to mate.

Black is clearly worse when he blunders. In the final position, one knight on b5 is pinned to the other on c6 and material loss is inevitable.

V Teterev - G Sagalchik

Chigorin Defence

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nc6 3.d4 Bg4 4.Bg2 Qd7 5.c4 e6 6.0-0 Nge7 7.Nc3 dxc4 8.Qa4 Nf5 9.e3 Bxf3 10.Bxf3 Nd6 11.Rb1 Rb8 12.b3 b5

(12...cxb3 13.Rxb3 (Threat Bxc6 and Rxb7) 13...Nd8 14.Qxa7 Qc8 15.d5 exd5 16.Nxd5 Ne6 17.Qa5 is good for White)

13.Nxb5 Nxb5 1-0

(13...Rxb5 14.bxc4 is good for White after Nxd4 15.exd4 After 13...Nxb5 14.bxc4 Bd6 15.cxb5 Nd8 16.Bc6 Nxc6 17.bxc6 Qd8 18.Rb7 wins two pawns or16.Bd2 0-0 17.Qxa7 Rxb5 18.Qa4 c6 19.Bxc6