(1) Lane,Gary - Pascoe,John [D02]
Rooty Hill Simul Davistown, 16.02.2011
[Pascoe,John]

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c6 3.e3 Nd7 4.Bd3 Qc7 5.Nbd2 Ngf6 6.b3 e5 7.dxe5 Nxe5 8.Nxe5 Qxe5 9.Rb1 Qg5 10.Kf1 My Q was out in dangerous territory, so 10...Qh5 Diagram

11.Qxh5 Nxh5 12.c4 Be6 13.cxd5 Bxd5 14.Bb2 Be7 Intending Bf6 and a swap of bishops which I can still do even if he biffs the Knight 15.e4 Be6 16.g3 Nf6 Now Bf6 e5 didn't look so good. But with the knight there he won't push the P as it would give me e5 for the knight 17.f3 0-0-0 Diagram

A forcing move which also frees e8 for the knight after I get the rooks active 18.Ke2 Rd7 19.Nc4 Had to think long and hard, realised I wouldn't be able to keep the rooks doubled but c7 was an OK square. 19...Rhd8 20.Ne5 Rc7 Played so quickly he played his next before moving on. 21.Bc3 Ne8 Diagram

Preparing to biff the Knight and redouble the rooks. 22.Rbc1 Here he actuall y played the hR, took it back and played the text, looked up at me and said "You're a tricky customer" 22...f6 23.Nc4 Bxc4 The N had to go (Ba5 b6 Nxb6+ axb Bxb6 and he gets two pawns, the exchange and a passed pawn for the B & N. 24.Bxc4 and now I can't double the rooks. My best plan here would be g6 and Ng7 and then double and even if he forces an exchange I could still get my lone rook onto the open file. Instead I go for action on the K side. 24...b6 25.Rcd1 Rxd1 I'm not getting the R's doubled, so simplify. 26.Rxd1 Bd6 Nd6 would ha ve 'forced' Be6+ which would have pushed my K to the b file (Kd8 e5 cxd Bxd5 and I drop a piece) 27.f4 Re7 28.Kf3 a5 29.h4 b5 30.Bg8 b4 31.Bd4 c5 32.Be3 h6 33.Bh7 Kc7 34.Bg6 Kc6 Silently praying that he doesn't play Bxe8 because the N is the only thing I've got that can get "in amongst 'em" 35.Bf2 Phew! 35...Nc7 36.g4 Nb5 37.Rd3 Nc3 ? After his reply it has nothing but a dubious sacrifice and if exchanged off a vital P would go with it. 38.a4 Bc7 39.Be1 Rd7 ?? 40.Be8 The rest is anticlimax. 40...Bd6 41.Bxd7+ Kxd7 42.e5 fxe5 43.fxe5 Nxa4 44.Rxd6+ Kc7 45.bxa4 c4 46.Rd4 c3 47.Bxc3 bxc3 48.Rc4+ 1-0

(2) Lane,Gary - Farrell,Keith [C70]
Rooty Hill Simul, 16.02.2011
[notes by Keith]

1.e4 Gary played against 33 - lost won and drew 4 (one was his tiny tot of a son and another was to the youngster's assistant (and uncle) 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 b5 [4...Nf6 5.0-0 (5.Bxc6 dxc6 fear of this is why I nearly always charge up with the b-pawn) 5...Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 I never could quite get straight why this was the preferred route] 5.Bb3 Nf6 6.Ng5 d5 7.exd5 Nd4 8.0-0 Nxb3 9.axb3 Qxd5? Diagram

a bit of greed never hurt anyone - did it ? - did it ? 10.Nc3 Qc6 11.Re1 Bd6 12.d4 e4 13.Ngxe4 Nxe4 14.Rxe4+ Be7 15.d5 Qd6 16.Bf4 Qd7 17.Qe2 0-0 not a quite a 'spite check' - but I was certainly gonna CASTLE ! 18.Rxe7 black resigns 1-0

(3) Russell,Gary - Farrell,Keith [C45]
Summer Swiss, 01.03.2011
[notes by Gary and Fritz 8 (30s)]

C45: Scotch Game 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nxd4 5.Qxd4 last book move 5...c5 6.Qc4 [6.Qe5+ Qe7 7.Qxe7+ Bxe7+/-] 6...Nf6 7.Nc3 d6 8.Bf4 Be7 9.Be2 0-0 10.0-0 Be6 11.Qd3 [11.Qb5 Qc7+/-] 11...Qb6 [11...d5 12.e5 Ne8 13.Bf3+/=] 12.b3 a6 Controls b5 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Bd7 15.c4 Rfe8 16.Bd2 [16.Rae1 Bf6+/=] 16...Bf6 17.Rae1 Re7 18.Bh5 Rae8 19.Rxe7 Rxe7 20.Re1 Qd8 21.h3 Consolidates g4 21...g6 22.Bg4 Bxg4 23.hxg4 Bd4 Menacing [23...Rxe1+ 24.Bxe1 Qe7 25.Kf1=] 24.Rxe7 Qxe7 25.g5 Qd7 26.Qe4 Diagram

26...b5 Nimzovich: attack the chain at its base 27.Be3 [27.Bf4!?+/=] 27...Bxe3= 28.fxe3 Qd8 29.Qf4 bxc4 30.bxc4 Qb8 31.Kh2 Qc7 32.Qf6 Qd7 33.Kg3 Qc7 34.e4 Keith adds : after this move I was fairly sure I could draw with checks against the exposed King - so may as well try for a win (a goal I hadn't made any progress towards so far) - as long as I avoided Gary's option to force a draw - where his 'ownership' of f6 seemed pretty unasailable - unless I can lure the White Queen away 34...Qa5 35.Qxd6 Qe1+ 36.Kh2 Qh4+ 37.Kg1 Qxg5 38.Qxc5 Qc1+ 39.Kh2 Qf4+ 40.Kh1 Qxe4 41.d6 Keith adds : where I spent a bit of thought as to whether I could allow d7, win it 'somehow' and perform 'miracles' with my kingside pawns 41...Qe1+ 42.Kh2 Qh4+ 43.Kg1 Qe1+ 1/2-1/2

(4) Curtis,John - Russell,Paul [C77]
Summer Swiss 2011 (5), 22.02.2011
[notes by Paul and Fritz 8 (30s)]

C77: Ruy Lopez: 3...a6 4 Ba4 Nf6, unusual lines 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Qe2 Bc5 6.c3 0-0 7.0-0 b5 8.Bb3 d6 9.d3 Bg4 10.Bg5 Re8 11.Bd5 Diagram

11...Qd7 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.b4 Bb6 14.a4 bxa4 15.Nbd2 Rab8 16.h3 Be6 17.Nh4 a5 18.b5 Na7 19.c4 c6 20.bxc6 Nxc6 21.Nf5 Bxf5 22.exf5 Nd4 Diagram

A beautiful square! 23.Qh5 Rf8 [23...Kh8!? 24.g4 Rg8=] 24.Ne4 Bd8 25.Qh6 [25.g4 Ne2+ 26.Kh2+/-] 25...Ne2+?? Black is ruining his position [>=25...Qxf5 would allow Black to play on 26.Nc5 Theme: Clearance for d5-e4 26...Ne2+ (26...dxc5? 27.Be4+-) 27.Kh1 Qg6 (27...dxc5? is seductive, but 28.Be4 Qg6 29.Bxg6 hxg6 30.Rxa4+-) 28.Qxg6+ hxg6=/+] 26.Kh1+/- Nf4? [26...Qxf5 27.Rfe1 (27.Nxd6?! Qg5 28.Bxf7+ Rxf7 29.Nxf7 Kxf7 30.Qxh7+ Kf8=) 27...Rb2 28.Rxe2 Rxe2 29.Ng3 Qxd3 30.Nxe2+-] 27.Nxf6+?? Diagram

White loses the upper hand [27.g4 Rb3 28.Rad1+-] 27...Bxf6+/- 28.Qxf6 Nxd3 [>=28...Nxd5!? 29.cxd5 Rb4+/-] 29.f4 Nxf4?? the pressure is too much, Black crumbles [>=29...Rb3 30.fxe5 dxe5+-] 30.Rf3 [>=30.Ra3 keeps an even firmer grip 30...Rb3 31.Rf3 Rxa3 32.Rxa3+-] 30...Rb2 [30...Rb3 desperation 31.Ra3 Rxa3 32.Rxa3 Ne2+-] 31.Rg3+ Ng6 32.fxg6 hxg6 [32...Qxh3+ does not improve anything 33.Rxh3 Rb1+ 34.Rxb1 h5 35.gxf7+ Rxf7 36.Qxf7+ Kh8 37.Rxh5#] 33.Qxg6+ Kh8 34.Qh6# 1-0