Horsham Club Championship 2010-11: Mansson – Taylor

Posted on June 15, 2011 by James Mansson

Last night I scored an extremely lucky win against Paul Taylor in the Horsham Chess Club Championship. Although early on I had the opportunity to secure a slight advantage, I passed this by, and instead developed my position very ineffectively. My opponent was able to build up a very strong attacking formation. However, although he retained the better chances until very near the end of the game, he was never quite able to put me away. Finally, he slipped up in a most unusual endgame position, and I was able to snatch victory at the death. Continue reading →

Posted in Club Championship, Games, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Dutch Defence | Leave a comment

1 Nf3 repertoire: The Ultra Symmetrical English

Posted on June 12, 2011 by James Mansson

One question in a range of openings is what happens if Black simply copies White’s move? Sometimes, of course, this is not especially good, e.g. 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c5 3 cxd5, but sometimes it is (arguably) the strongest approach, e.g. 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 – a formidable drawing weapon at super GM level. Continue reading →

Visit the Bibliography for recommended reading relating to the 1 Nf3 Repertoire.
Posted in 1 Nf3 Repertoire, Opening Analysis, The Symmetrical English | 2 Comments

Horsham Club Quickplay Knockout 2010-11: Mansson – Taylor

Posted on June 1, 2011 by James Mansson

Following my brief encounter against John Cannon, I took the chance to play my Quickplay Knockout match against Paul Taylor. A couple of complex games saw me progress further. Continue reading →

Posted in Club Quickplay Knockout, Games, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Caro-Kann Defence, The Scotch Game | Leave a comment

Horsham Club Championship 2010-11: Cannon – Mansson

Posted on June 1, 2011 by James Mansson

My club championship game against John Cannon last Tuesday was a low key affair, ending in a draw after 23 moves. I had some early chances to put the pressure on White, but didn’t take them. In fact, when the draw was agreed, I rather liked White’s position. Continue reading →

Posted in Club Championship, Games, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Sicilian Defence | 1 Comment

Horsham Club Championship 2010-11: Mansson – Higgs

Posted on May 25, 2011 by James Mansson

As mentioned in my previous post, I played my club championship game against Anthony Higgs on Tuesday, after first playing off our match in the Quickplay Knockout. As was usual for our games, it was a complicated affair. This time one of Anthony’s unorthodox openings didn’t quite come off, and I built up a strong position out of the opening. There were inaccuracies on both sides in what followed, but the position was always (to my mind) that bit easier for White to play. Continue reading →

Posted in Club Championship, Games, Miscellaneous King's Pawn, Opening Analysis, Reports | Leave a comment

Horsham Club Quickplay Knockout 2010-11: Mansson – Higgs

Posted on May 25, 2011 by James Mansson

Last night I played a double header against Anthony Higgs, combining our Quickplay Knockout match and Horsham Club Championship game. Continue reading →

Posted in Club Quickplay Knockout, Games, Opening Analysis, Philidor's Defence, Reports, The Sicilian Defence, The Vienna Game | 1 Comment

Mid-Sussex League Knockout 2010-11: Horsham 1 – St Francis & Haywards Heath

Posted on May 18, 2011 by James Mansson

Horsham have won the Mid-Sussex League Knockout once again! The two teams turned out to be pretty evenly matched on grading, so 3.5 was the winning margin for both sides. After Horsham went 2-0 up, the match always looked to be going their way, and so it proved. There was a little bit of controversy in Anthony’s game, as there was a dispute as to whether he had lost on time just before reaching the time control. This was finally resolved by the two players agreeing a draw. The final score was 4.5-1.5 in Horsham’s favour, so fortunately this dispute didn’t have an impact on the overall result. Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Mid-Sussex League, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Sicilian Defence | Leave a comment

Update – Mid-Sussex League Division 1 2010-11: Horsham 1 – Brighton 2

Posted on May 12, 2011 by James Mansson

Brighton 2 resigned on board 3, while board 4 was agreed draw. Horsham 1 therefore won the match 3.5-1.5.

Posted in Mid-Sussex League, Reports | Leave a comment

Horsham Club Championship 2010-11: Kington – Mansson

Posted on May 11, 2011 by James Mansson

I’m gradually playing off my outstanding games in the Horsham Club Championship, and last night I played another, against Paul Kington. He chose the unambitious Exchange Variation against my Slav Defence, and, reacting passively to my “Russian Counterattack”, ended up with a (to my mind) slight inferior position out of the opening. However, I was unable to do anything with my position, although I gave it a good go, and the game eventually ended in a draw. Continue reading →

Posted in Club Championship, Games, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Slav Defence | Leave a comment

4NCL Division 3 2010-11: e2e4.org.uk 2 – Spirit of Atticus

Posted on May 4, 2011 by James Mansson

Round 11 saw the e2e4.org.uk second team fell agonisingly short of promotion, as we were only able to draw with Spirit of Atticus. There were only two decisive games in the match; James Jackson won for e2e4.org.uk, but I lost as Black on board two against Sheila Jackson. Although we outgraded Atticus on the bottom four boards, the actual strength of these players is much higher. This is shown by the fact that Atticus finished second on tiebreak in the Third Division, and had gained promotion with a round to spare. Continue reading →

Posted in 4NCL, Games, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Sicilian Defence | 1 Comment