Gosforth’s Moreby wins at Northumbria Masters

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 30 August 2024)

The Northumbria Masters Congress in Darlington concluded this Bank Holiday Monday with a striking success for Gosforth’s James Moreby, who won the International Master tournament. His IM result, called a norm, means he needs just one more such success to qualify for the title.

Moreby, a former student at Newcastle Royal Grammar School, scored 7/9, winning his tournament a point and a half clear of International Masters Peter Large (England) and Gavin Wall (Ireland) on 5.5.

The congress, which took place at the Dolphin Leisure Centre over five days, attracted 148 players in five sections, including a Grandmaster tournament, which was won by Eldar Gasanov (Ukraine) on 6.5/9. Czech player Ondrej Svanda scored 5.5, making his third and final International Master norm, thus securing the title.

The Masters Open tournament was won jointly by Grandmasters Frode Urkedal (Norway) and Oleg Korneev (Spain) and International Master Jung Min Seo (Sweden), who all scored 6.5/9. In equal fourth place were three young English players: IM Matthew Wadsworth, Jacob Yoon and Avy Dasgupta, on 6.

The Challengers tournament, for players rated under 2000, was won by Lewis Turner (Leicester) on 8/9, followed by Gosforth duo David Armbruster on 7 and Jack Erskine-Pereira on 6.5.

The Major (Under 1700) tournament was won jointly by John Awesome (Newcastle) and Alfie McMonagle (Newcastle University) on 7.5/9.

A total of nine Grandmasters and 11 International Masters played in the congress, the strongest annual event in the North of England. It was supported by the English Chess Federation, the Chess Trust, The Friends of Chess, Durham County Chess Association, Northumberland Chess Association and Northumbria Junior Chess Association. Next year’s event is planned for 21-25 August, 2025 at the same venue.

With the resumption of league chess after the summer break, North East clubs are looking forward to the new season. Teams wishing to enter the Northumbria League, which runs six divisions for clubs in and around Northumberland and Tyneside, should contact Andy Trevelyan: andytrev@gmail.com.

The next tournament coming up is the Newcastle Chess Club Grand Prix Blitz on Tuesday 3rd September at The Old George Inn, just off the Bigg Market. There are seven rounds, and players from any club are welcome to take part. Entry is £5 on the door, and play starts at 7:15pm.

The region’s longest running congress is also coming up at the end of September. The 60th Northumberland Weekend Congress runs at the Parks Leisure Centre, Howdon Road, North Shields, North Tyneside, NE29 6TL from September 27-29. Tournaments Include the Open, Major, Minor and Foundation, and £2,200 in prizes are at stake. To enter, go to: https://northumberlandchess.wixsite.com/congress.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Acs-Belezky, 2011. White to play.

Puzzle B: Armas-Illescas, 1987. Black to play.

Puzzle C: Costa-Judit Polgar, 1987. Black to play.

Puzzle D: Judit Polgar-Mamedyarov, 2002.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Qb4+ Ke6 2 Bc4+! Qxc4 3 Qd6 checkmate.
B: 1…Bxc3 2 Qxc3 Rxe4+ 3 Kd2 Qf4+ 4 Kd1 Bg4+ 5 Kc2 Rc4 0-1.
C: 1…Qf3+ 0-1. If 2 Kc1 Nb3 checkmate.
D: 1 Be7+! Nxe7 (or 1…Kd5 2 Qf3+) 2 Rxe5 Kxe5 3 Re1+ Kd6 4 Qxe6 checkmate.

Leading masters battle it out in Darlington

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 23 August 2024)

The Northumbria Masters Congress is in full swing this Bank Holiday weekend, with a total of nine Grandmasters and 11 International Masters playing nine games each at the Dolphin Centre, Darlington. The congress, with 150 players in total, is the North of England’s top annual international event.

In the Masters Open tournament, six GMs are playing, including England’s Mark Hebden, Scotland’s Matthew Turner, Belgium’s Alex Dgebuadze, Norway’s Frode Urkedal, Ukraine’s Yury Shkuro and Oleg Korneev (Spain).

In the GM Round Robin, aimed at producing GM norms for up-and-coming players, Northumberland’s GM Danny Gormally will be taking on GMs Eldar Gasanov (Ukraine) and Keti Arakhamia (Scotland), plus Sohum Lohia, Alex Golding and Jonah Willow (England), Conor Murphy (Ireland), Nikolas Wachinger (Germany), Elliot Papadiamandis (France) and Ondrej Svanda (Czech Republic). The GM norm will be 7/9.

In the IM Round Robin, IMs Peter Large (England), Gavin Wall (Ireland) and Angus Dunnington (Scotland) face Gosforth’s James Moreby and Jude Shearsby (England), Newcastle’s Andy Burnett (Scotland), Petr Hollan (Czech Republic), Zala Urh (Slovenia), Santhosh Abhyuday (India) and Moritz Collin (Switzerland). The IM norm is 7/9.

The final results will be in on Monday, when the Grandmaster, International Master, Open, Challengers and Major tournaments finish. Players compete for £6,000 in prizes and also aim to complete Grandmaster and International Master norms. Spectators are welcome from Friday 23 to Monday 26, with rounds running 10am-2pm and 3pm-7pm. The top games can be followed online at: https://lichess.org/broadcast and https://chess.com/events.

Sponsors for the congress include the English Chess Federation, the Chess Trust, the Friends of Chess, Durham County Chess Association, Northumberland Chess Association and the Northumbria Junior Chess Association.

The next major regional event coming up is the 60th Northumberland Weekend Congress, organised by Gosforth Chess Club, which takes place at the Parks Leisure Centre, Howdon Road, North Shields, North Tyneside, NE29 6TL from September 27-29. Tournaments include the Open, Major, Minor and Foundation, and a total of £2,200 in prizes is at stake. To enter online, go to: https://northumberlandchess.wixsite.com/congress. Queries should be addressed to: davidarmbruster51@googlemail.com.

As the North East’s players and clubs gear up for the new season this September, entries are also invited for the 2024-25 Northumberland Individual Championships, which run with one game per month. Entry is free for members of the English Chess Federation, and there are three competitions (Zollner Open, Sell Under 2000 and Gilroy Under 1700). Competitors should write to: championships@northumberlandchess.com. Entries close on Sunday 22nd September 2024.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Reti-Bogoljubow, 1924. White to play.

Puzzle B: Thompson-Wells, 2024. Black to play.

Puzzle C: Rapport-Carlsen, 2024. White to play.

Puzzle D: Nepomniachtchi-Ding, 2024. White to play.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Be8! 1-0.
B: 1…Qd5! 0-1.
C: 1 Rxd2! 1-0. If 1…Rxd2 2 Be3+.
D: 1 Nfg5! 1-0. If 1…Qd7 2 Rxh5 gxh5 3 Nf6+, or 1…Qe7 2 Qa8+ Kg7 3 Qxc6.

Local entries welcome for Northumbria Masters

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 16 August 2024)

North East players are welcome to enter the 7th Northumbria Masters Congress at Darlington’s Dolphin Centre, which takes place over the Bank Holiday weekend, from Thursday 22 to Monday 26 August. Entries are being accepted online until August 21 to give players the chance to play in the North of England’s premier international chess festival.

It’s easy to enter, just register at: https://northumbriamasters.com. Organisers expect a total of about 150 participants, including entries from Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland, as it gives local players the chance to gain an international (FIDE) rating and to play against titled players.

Participants play a total of nine games each at the Dolphin Centre, with a total of over £6,000 in prizes at stake. Spectators are welcome at the Dolphin Centre from 10am-2pm and 3pm-7pm (Thursday to Sunday), while final round takes place on Bank Holiday Monday from 10am-2pm.

The Grandmaster and International Master tournaments will also be broadcast live on lichess.org.

The congress will welcome a total of nine Grandmasters (GMs) and 11 International Masters (IMs), who are coming thanks to generous support from various sponsors, including the English Chess Federation and the Chess Trust. In the Masters Open, six GMs are expected to play, including England’s Mark Hebden, Scotland’s Matthew Turner, Belgium’s Alex Dgebuadze and Norway’s Frode Urkedal.

In the GM Round Robin, aimed at producing GM norms for up-and-coming players, Northumberland’s GM Danny Gormally will be taking on GMs Eldar Gasanov (Ukraine) and Keti Arakhamia (Scotland), plus Sohum Lohia, Alex Golding and Jonah Willow (England), Conor Murphy (Ireland), Nikolas Wachinger (Germany), Elliot Papadiamandis (France) and Ondrej Svanda (Czech Republic). The GM norm will be 7/9.

In the IM Round Robin, IMs Peter Large (England), Gavin Wall (Ireland) and Angus Dunnington (Scotland) face Gosforth’s James Moreby and Jude Shearsby (England), Newcastle’s Andy Burnett (Scotland), Petr Hollan (Czech Republic), Zala Urh (Slovenia), Santhosh Abhyuday (India) and Moritz Collin (Switzerland). The IM norm is 7/9.

There are two more tournaments aimed at giving local players the chance to gain international experience and improve their ratings. The Challengers (Under 2000 FIDE) and Major (Under 1700 FIDE) run alongside the Masters Open, GM and IM tournaments in the Dolphin Centre’s historic Victorian Central Hall, so that all participants will be able to watch the grandmasters in play.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Kools-Fernandez, Zeeland 2024. Black to play.

Puzzle B: Carlsen-Rapport, Astana 2024. Black to play.

Puzzle C: L’Ami-Syrev, Zeeland 2024. White to play.

Puzzle D: Collin-Waldhausen Gordon. Dortmund 2024. Black to play.

ANSWERS:

A: 1…exf3 2 Nxf3 (or 2 Bxf3 Nxf3+ 3 Nxf3 Ne4) 2…Ne4 0-1.
B: 1…Rxe3+! wins. If 2 fxe3 Rxe3+ 3 Re2 (or 3 Kd1 Qb1 checkmate) 3…Bg3+ 4 Kd1 Rd3+ 5 Rd2 Qxd2 checkmate) 3…Qb1 checkmate.
C: 1 Rc7+! Qxc7 2 Qxf6+ Kg8 3 Qf8 checkmate.
D: 1…Bc4! 2 hxg4 Rxd1+ 3 Rxd1 Qf2 checkmate. If 2 Qxc4 Rxd1+ 3 Ke2 (3 Rxd1 Qf2 checkmate) 3…Qf2+ 4 Kd1 Ne3 checkmate.

Grandmasters flock to Northumbria Masters

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 2 August 2024)

Seven Grandmasters and 10 International Masters are expected to play in the North East’s premier chess congress, the Northumbria Masters, which runs over the Bank Holiday weekend (22-26 August) at the Dolphin Leisure Centre in Darlington.

The congress, which has been run annually since 2018, has a prize fund of over £6,500 and includes three nine-round Swiss tournaments: a Masters Open, Challengers (for players rated under 2000 FIDE) and Major (for players under 1700 FIDE). There are also two all-play-all tournaments, aimed at enabling competitors to score Grandmaster and International Master norms.

Over 150 players are expected to attend, including most of the North East’s top players. The event is being sponsored by the English Chess Federation, the Chess Trust, the Friends of Chess, Northumberland and Durham Chess Associations and Northumbria Junior Chess Association.

The Dolphin Centre, which includes the 200-player capacity Victorian Central Hall, plus a café and overflow rooms for games analysis and a chess bookstall, is hosting the congress for the first time. The location is ideal for visiting players, as it is just off the busy Horse Market Square, with several hotels nearby. The centre is just half a mile from Darlington station on the East Coast Main Line and six miles from Durham Tees Valley Airport.

The Masters Open will also serve as the 2024 Northern Counties Individual Championship, and the highest placed player from Northumberland, Durham, Cleveland, Yorkshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire will qualify for the 2025 British Championship.

Last year, a total of seven title norms were scored at the Northumbria masters. The 2023 Masters Open was won jointly by Grandmasters Daniel Gormally (Alnwick) and Gudmundur Kjartansson. The GM norm tournament was won by 16-year-old Rajat Makkar (France), and the IM tournament was won by 15-year-old Krzysztof Raczek (Poland).

Among the Grandmasters confirmed as playing this year are Gormally and Mark Hebden (England), Yury Shkuro and Eldar Gasanov (Ukraine) and Alexandre Dgebuadze (Belgium).

To enter the congress online, go to: https://northumbriamasters.com. Enquiries about place sin the GM and IM invitational tournaments should be sent to: info@northumbriamasters.com.

A number of free entries for English players under 21 are available, thanks to the John Robinson Trust. To apply, please write to the tournament director, Tim Wall, at: timpeterwall@gmail.com.

PUZZLES

This week’s puzzles are from the 2024 British Championship currently taking place in Hull.

Puzzle A: Grieve-Golding. Black to play and win.

Puzzle B: Rudd-Willow. White to play and win.

Puzzle C: Gasanov-Hebden. White to play and win.

Puzzle D: Banarjee-Rudd. White to play and win.

ANSWERS:

A: 1…g5+! 0-1. If 2 fxg6 Qh6 checkmate.
B: 1 Nh5+! 1-0. If 1…Nxh5 2 d7.
C: 1 Nd7+! 1-0. If 1…Rxd7 2 Qe8+ Kg7 3 f8(Q) checkmate.
D: 1 Nd6+ 1-0. After 1…Kxd8 2 Nxf7+.