Northumberland takes junior challenge

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 28 February 2025)

It’s been a few years since Northumberland entered the Pennine Cup, the premier annual competition for the strongest Under 18 teams in the Northern Counties. This year, Gosforth organiser Mick Riding took two Northumberland teams of six players each for the event in Swinton, Manchester, on Sunday February 23.


After six matches, both Northumberland teams finished fifth equal, with 7 points out of 12 – a very creditable result, given the strength of the event. On the day, Merseyside A dominated with a total of 30.5 game points out of 36.

Full results:
1 Merseyside A 12;
2 Wirral A 9;
3-4 Merseyside B & Lancashire 8;
5-9 Oldham A, Northumberland A, Northumberland B, Manchester A,
Manchester C 7;
10 Oldham B 6;
11-14 Oldham B, Cumbria A, Wirral B, Manchester B, Manchester D 5;
15 Merseyside C 4;
16-17 Cumbria B, Oldham C 3;
18 Wirral C 0.

Northumberland teams comprised 10 juniors from Gosforth Chess Club and two juniors from Newcastle Chess Club. Here are the Northumberland individual scores in board order:

Northumberland A (20.5/36 game points) – Kai Harkensee 1/6; Daniel Sewart 3.5; Lev Drobiazko 3; Joey Pramana 5.5; Gautham Satishkumar 4; James Phillips 3.5.

Northumberland B (21.5/36 game points) – Aaron Cheung 3/6; Ethan Ross 5; Sanjay Satishkumar 3; Alistair Howell 4; Maximus Scott 3; Viaan Gokul Nath 3.5.

In the Northumbria League, Division 1 leaders Gosforth Empire suffered a shock 3-1 defeat this week at the hands of Newcastle University A. This creates a three-horse race for the championship. Gosforth Empire (14/18) are still ahead, but Newcastle University A (13/18) and Newcastle Dragons (11/16) are now breathing hard on their necks.

In Division 2, Gosforth Regents (12/16) are in the lead, ahead of South Shields Arbeians (11/16) and Morpeth A (9/16).

Leam Lane Bullets (11/16) enjoy a narrow lead in Division 3, just ahead of Gateshead (10/14) and Forest Hall Titans (8/14).

Division 4 is being led by Newcastle Jesters (12/16), ahead of Tynedale (11/16) and Newcastle University B (9/18).

The Division 5 leaders are Jesmond Knights (16/18), but South Shields Sand-dancers (13/16) are still within striking distance.

Gosforth Siths are the runaway leaders of Division 6 with 16/18, having beaten second-placed Newcastle Cavaliers (13/18) in their match last week.

Several North East players took part in the Doncaster Congress (21-23 February), with Tim Wall (Newcastle) the joint winner of the Open on 4/5 and Martin Beardsley (Gosforth) third equal in the Intermediate on 4/5.

PUZZLES

This week’s puzzles are from ‘The Complete Chess Swindler’ by David Smerdon.

Puzzle A: Furman-Smejkal. White to move & draw.

Puzzle B: Liu-Wohl. White to move & draw.

Puzzle C: Smerdon (Black) to move & win.

Puzzle D: Smerdon-Tan. White to move & draw.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Nc1! a1Q stalemate, or 1…a1N 2 Nb3 Nxb3 stalemate.
B: 1 Rxc3 Rxc3 2 g6 b2 3 gxf7 Ke7 4 f8Q+ Kxf8 stalemate.
C: 1…Rf3+! 2 gxf3 Bf1 mate.
D: 1 Rg6+! fxg6 stalemate, or 1…Kf8 2 Rg8+ Ke7 3 Re8+ Kxe8 stalemate.

Scotsman Burnett leads Zollner

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 21 February 2025)

These days, chess comes in all shapes, sizes and time controls. In Blitz players make all their moves in under 10 minutes. In Rapid players take between 10 minutes and an hour. And in Classical, players have over an hour.


In the Northumberland Individual Championships, players have 75 minutes, plus a bonus of 10 seconds per move. The whole competition takes place over seven months. With one game per month, the competitors prepare intensively for their opponents, trying to spring opening surprises.

With just over two rounds left to go in the 2024-25 Northumberland Open Championship, Andy Burnett, a Scottish international who plays for Newcastle in the Northumbria League, has taken the lead. It would be Burnett’s first time winning the Zollner Trophy, first awarded in 1930. The silver trophy, portraying Viking King Rollo with sword in hand, has been valued on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow at £25,000.

Burnett has 4/5, ahead of Gustavo Leon Cazares (Gosforth) on 3.5, while there are five players on 3 points: Husain Nakara (Newcastle University), Tim Wall (Newcastle), David Armbruster & Jack Erskine-Pereira (Gosforth) and Chris Izod (Jesmond). Paul Dargan (Tynemouth) and Andy Trevelyan (Jesmond) are on 2.5, John Boyd (South Shields) and Nathan Ekanem (Newcastle) are on 2, Gary Murphy (Jesmond) is on 1.5, and Dalil Benchebra (Leam Lane) is on 1.

The game between Dargan and Wall was due to be played on Thursday. A win for Wall would see him keep pace with Burnett, but any other result would leave Burnett as the clear favourite.

In the other two sections, Alex Blake (Gosforth) leads the Sell (Under 2000), while Denise Mosse (Gateshead) is in poll position in the Gilroy (Under 1700).

Sell scores: Blake 4.5/5, Stuart Skelsey (Forest Hall) 4; John Awesome (Newcastle) and Morgan French (Forest Hall) 3; Raj Mohindra (Forest Hall), Paul Bielby (South Shields), Jounaid El-Archi (Newcastle) and Mick Riding (Gosforth) 2.5; Andrew Robinson (Gosforth) 2; Ian Chester & Mark McKay (Gosforth), Michael Allen (Newcastle University), Jeremy Revell (Newcastle) 1.5; Reese Wright (Forest Hall) and Alan Green (Gosforth) 1; Stamen Kolev 0 (Newcastle).

Gilroy scores: Mosse 4.5/5; Jonny Kearney (Tynedale) 4; Ian Rook (Forest Hall), David Simm (Morpeth), Michael Owen (Gosforth) 3.5; Darren McCarthy and Andrew Hardy (Alnwick), James Phillips (Newcastle), Alex Piercy (Gosforth) 3; Tom Krause, Jonathan Rooney, Brandon Russell and Alykhan Bandali (Gosforth), Kevin Cox (Gateshead), James Flint and Thomas Cameron (Newcastle University), Dave Peardon (South Shields) and Martin Brookes, 2.5; Alfie McMonagle (Newcastle University), Joey Pramana, Antonio Stipanovic and Felix Glover (Gosforth), Ethan Tatters (Forest Hall) 2; Alan Smith (South Shields), Bob Heyman, Gautham Satishkumar, Sanjay Satishkumar, Ethan Ross, Vishnu Sriram and Viaan Gokul Nath (Gosforth), Jonathan Solomon (Forest Hall), Viktorija Bezganovic (Newcastle University), Daniel Atcheson (Newcastle) 1.5; Simon Horrocks, Aaron Cheung (Gosforth) 1; Steve Armstrong (Gosforth) 0.5.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: White to move.

Puzzle B: White to move.

Puzzle C: White to move.

Puzzle D: White to move.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Qg8+! Rxg8 2 Nf7 mate.
B: 1 Qxh8+! Kxh8 2 Bf6+ Kg8 3 Re8 mate.
C: 1 Rxb7+! Kxb7 2 Ra7+ Kc8 3 Rc7 mate.
D: 1 Qc7+! Nxc7 2 Nb6 mate.

Northumbria League leaders stumble

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 14 February 2025)

The Northumbria League is heating up, with leading teams losing key matches and allowing their nearest rivals to catch up.


Division 1 leaders Gosforth Empire are on 14 points from eight matches after conceding a 2-2 draw against Tynemouth A on Tuesday. Either Newcastle Dragons or Newcastle University (10 points from seven matches) can now catch them.

Tynemouth A v Gosforth Empire was a thrilling affair: Gosforth’s Gustavo Leon Cazares beat Paul Dargan on Board 1 and Tynemouth’s Tommaso Penna scored a shock win against Roger Coathup on Board 2. On Board 3, Gosforth’s David Armbruster moved to 7.5/8 by beating David Henderson, while Tynemouth’s Gary Cornwall defeated Stefan Hartmann on Board 4.

Div. 1 Standings:
1 Gosforth Empire 14;
2-3 Newcastle Dragons & Newcastle University A 10;
4-5 Tynemouth A & Jesmond Monarchs 7;
6 Gosforth Salters 2;
7 Leam Lane Aces 0.

Division 2 leaders Gosforth Regents have also slipped up, losing 1.5-2.5 against their clubmates, last-placed Gosforth Centurions. The Regents are three points ahead of Morpeth A and South Shields Arbeians, but both chasing teams have a match in hand.

    Div. 2 Standings:
    1 Gosforth Regents 12;
    2-3 Morpeth A & South Shields Arbeians 9;
    4-5 Tynemouth B & Forest Hall Dragons 6;
    6-7 Alnwick A & Gosforth Centurions 4.

    Division 3 is a two-horse race between Leam Lane Bullets and Gateshead.

    Div. 3 Standings:
    1 Leam Lane Bullets 11;
    2 Gateshead 8;
    3-4 Gosforth Ivy & Gosforth Hawthorns 7;
    5 Forest Hall Titans 6;
    6 Morpeth B 4;
    7 Gosforth Woodbines 3.

    Tynedale unexpectedly lost 4-0 to Tynemouth C in Division 4, allowing Newcastle Jesters to catch up.

    Div. 4 Standings:
    1-2 Newcastle Jesters & Tynedale 10;
    3 Forest Hall Phoenixes 9;
    4 Newcastle University B 8;
    5 Tynemouth C 6;
    6 Gosforth Jedis 5;
    7 Alnwick B 2.

    Division 5 is very close, with Jesmond Knights just a point ahead of South Shields Sand-dancers.

    Div. 5 Standings:
    1 Jesmond Knights 14;
    2 South Shields Sand-dancers 13;
    3 Tynemouth D 9;
    4-5 Gosforth Otterburns & Forest Hall Griffins 8;
    6 Forest Hall Centaurs 4;
    7-8 Alnwick C & Morpeth C.

    Junior team Gosforth Siths are three points ahead in Division 6, despite losing 2.5-1.5 to Newcastle University C.

    Div. 6 Standings:
    1 Gosforth Siths 14;
    2-3 Forest Hall Wizards & Newcastle Cavaliers 11;
    4 Newcastle University C 8;
    5 South Shields Custodians 6;
    6-7 Cramlington Royals & Morpeth D 3;
    8 Newcastle University Women 2.

    PUZZLES

    Puzzle A: White to move.

    Puzzle B: White to move.

    Puzzle C: White to move.

    Puzzle D: Black to move.

    ANSWERS:

    A: 1 Qh3+! Kxh3 (1…Kg5 2 Qxd7) 2 Nf2 mate.
    B: 1 b5+! Cxb5 2 Kb4 f5 3 e5 f4 4 e6 f3 5 e7 f2 6 e8N! f1Q 7 Nc7 mate.
    C: 1 Qc7+! Nxc7 2 Nb6+! axb6 3 Rd8 mate.
    D: 1…g4! 2 Qf4 Qf1+! 3 Kxf1 (3 Rxf1 Ne2 mate) Rh1 mate.

    Northumberland leads chess revival

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    (Newcastle Chronicle, 7 February 2025)

    Chess across the North of England is undergoing a serious revival, thanks in large part to the efforts of players and organisers from Northumberland, Tyneside and County Durham.


    The Northumberland Chess Association, which covers the area from Berwick to South Shields, has been one of the key movers in getting northern chess back on the map, introducing new competitions and expanding the number of counties affiliated to the Northern Counties Chess Union (NCCU).

    The Northumbria Masters, organised by Tim Wall, will run its seventh international congress at Darlington’s Dolphin Centre this summer, from August 20-25, providing opportunities for players to gain International Master and Grandmaster norms, and for aspiring young players to get their first international ratings. For information about this year’s Northumbria Masters Congress, go to: https://northumbriamasters.com.

    The Durham County Congress, also at the Dolphin Centre from May 9-11, and the Northumberland Congress, at the Parks Leisure Centre, North Shields, from 26-28 September, both attract many players to the North East and provide local players with opportunities.

    Since 2020, Northumberland, through its presidency of the NCCU, has been instrumental in reviving the Northern Counties Championships, bringing Greater Manchester into the NCCU and encouraging Cheshire and Cleveland to take an active part in the Northern Counties.

    Last weekend, Northumberland organised the NCCU Open Teams Championship, against Greater Manchester and Yorkshire. The event was held at the Bradford Latvian Club, with the honours going to Manchester, who fielded a strong team.

    Results were:
    Greater Manchester 7.5/12,
    Yorkshire 6,
    Northumberland 4.5.

    In their mini-matches, Northumberland drew 3-3 with Yorkshire but lost 1.5-4.5 to Greater Manchester.

    Northumberland’s individual scores were:
    1 Tim Wall (Newcastle) 0.5;
    2 Husain Nakara (Newcastle University) 0;
    3 Thomas Eggleston 1;
    4 Andy Burnett (Newcastle) 1;
    5 Graeme Oswald (Leam Lane) 0;
    6 Zheming Zhang (Newcastle) 0.5;
    7 David Armbruster (Gosforth) 1;
    8 Nathan Ekanem (Newcastle) 0;
    9 John Awesome (Newcastle) 0;
    10 Raj Mohindra (Forest Hall) 0;
    11 Krithik Shai (Newcastle) 0.5;
    12 Daniel Sewart (Newcastle) 0.

    Greater Manchester and Yorkshire go through to the national stages of the Counties Championships, while Northumberland will have to wait until 2025-26 for their next chance.

    The next major northern chess competition will be the Pennine Cup, for teams of juniors under the age of 18. This takes place in Swinton, Manchester, and Northumberland will be entering two teams of six players.

    Northern chess will receive another boost this summer, with the British Championships coming to Liverpool from July 31 – August 10. For more information about how to qualify and enter the British, go to: www.britishchesschampionships.co.uk.

    PUZZLES

    Puzzle A: Miaoyi-Yakubboev, 2025. Black to move.

    Puzzle B: Finn-Murawski, 2024. White to move.

    Puzzle C: Kovalskyi-Sowray, 2024. White to move.

    Puzzle D: O’Donnell-Baunaure, 2024. Black to move.

    ANSWERS:

    A: 1…Ra5! wins. If 2 Qxa5 Qg1+ mates.
    B: 1 Rf6+! gxf6 2 Nf4 mate.
    C: 1 Qf8+! Bxf8 (or 1…Rxf8) 2 Ng7 mate.
    D: 1…Nf4+! 2 gxf4 (or 2 Kg4 h5 mate) 2…Qxh4 mate.