Games played by club members in the 2024-25 season

There follows (published or Game of the Season submitted) games played by Bedford Chess Club members between October 2024 and June 2025. Clicking on the links (if they exist) in the heading of each game accesses the source post for context. A GOTS shortlist will be drawn up from games on this page.

Dominic Bartram v Mike Botteley

  [Event "Bedfdord B v MKA A, board 1"] [Date "2024.10.03"] [White "Dominic Bartram"] [Black "Mike Botteley"] [Result "*"] [ECO "A04"] [Annotator "Bodily,Richard"] [PlyCount "119"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.10.08"]     Nf3 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. d3 Be7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. e4 d5 7. e5 Nfd7 8. h4 Nb6 9. Ne2 c5 10. c3 Nc6 11. Nf4 Qc7 12. Qe2 Bd7 13. Bd2 a5 14. a3 a4 15. d4 cxd4 16. cxd4 Nc4 17. Bc3 N6a5 18. Ng5 Bxg5 19. hxg5 g6 20. g4 {White's advantage is now minimal, computer likes Bxd5 but this looks speculative} Rae8   gxf5 Rxf5 22. Qg4 Bc8 23. Qh4 Qg7 {It might be an improvement to play Nb3 24 Rd1 Nxa3} 24. Rd1 Ref8 25. Nd3 Nb3 26. Bh3 R5f7 27. Bg4 Bd7 28. Rh2 Rc8 29. Rh3 Nxa3 {Black is now clearly better} 30. Nc5 Nxc5 31. dxc5 Rxc5 {Nb5 with a decisive edge for black but the move chosen loses a piece and the game} 32. bxa3 Rf4 33. Re3 Rcc4 34. f3 Qf7 35. Qh3 Bc8 36. Bb4 b6 37. Rc3 b5 38. Rxc4 bxc4 39. Bc3 Qd7 40. Rd4 Rf8 41. Bb4 Re8 42. Qf1 Qc7 43. Qe2 Qb6 44. Qd2 Qc7   f4 Ba6 46. Qc3 Qf7 47. Kf2 Bb5 48. Bd1 Qf5 49. Kg3 Kg7 50. Bg4 Qb1 51. Rd1 Qb3 52. Rc1 Kf7 53. Bd1 Qxc3+ 54. Bxc3 Rc8 (54… Kf8 55. Rb1 Bc6 56. Rb6 Bd7   Rb7 Ke7 58. Bb4+ Kd8 59. Rxd7+ Kxd7 60. Bxa4+ Kd8 61. Bxe8 Kxe8 62. Bc3 Ke7 ) 55. Rb1 Bc6 56. Rb6 Bd7 57. Rb7 Ke7 58. Bb4+ Kd8 59. Rxd7+ Kxd7 60. Bxa4+ *

Julian Hudson V Steve Ledger

1. e4 c5 2. c3   {I've tried various lines against the c3 sicilian over the years and I'm sure I looked at something new last season but couldn't, for the life of me, remember what is was !  so I decided to revert to a line I've played a few times over the years with mixed results ...}   d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 cxd4 5. cxd4 Nc6 6. Nf3 e5 !?   7. dxe5  ({Eek !, can't remember the last time someone took the pawn. Games usually seem to go} 7.Nc3 Bb4  8.Bd2  Bxc3  9.Bxc3  e4{ .....  guess my plan now is to get me bits out, win the pawn back and have an edge whilst white untangles ?? })   Qxd1+ 8. Kxd1 Bg4 9. Bf4 O-O-O+ 10. Kc1   {Not sure about this, I was expecting Nbd2, getting another bit out, though breaking the pin on the N might be the idea.}   Nge7 11. Nbd2 Ng6 12. Bg3 Bb4 13. h3 Bf5 14. Nc4 Rhe8 15. a3 Na5 !?  {I quite liked this move, swapping off W's only active piece  ( axb4  Nb3 mate 🙂- of course )   I reckon maybe W should just have gone Nd6+ to get a B pair. I'll win the pawn back but it takes a while and W can finish developing whilst I do. }   16. Nxa5 Bxa5 17. b4 Bc7 18. Bb5 Re7 19. Nh4  {( STOP HERE AND DECIDE WHAT YOU WOULD PLAY BEFORE READING FURTHER!  -Ed)      I'd been trotting along so far thinking I was doing quite nicely but now I think if W played 19 Re1 followed by Kb2 then I think he is fine. In the bar afterwards we concluded that I probably go a6, and b5 if necessary, followed by Re8 and all the bits come off on e5 and we agree a draw !    However, Nh4 does look tempting and I, initially, settled down to think where to move my Bishop  .... Then inspiration struck !    }   Nxh4 ! 20. Bxh4 f6 !!     21. f4 ( 21.exf6  Bf4+ {and the 2B's and 2R's will soon overwhelm the white K}) Bb6 22. Re1 { sadly, for white, this only counters the treat of Be3+ but another deadly threat is lurking }    Rc7+ 23. Kb2 Rd2+ 24. Kb3 Bc2+ 25. Ka2 Ba4+ *    0-1

Nick Collacott V Michael Joseph

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. h3 Nbd7 7. Bg5 h6 8. Be3 a5 9. Be2 e5 10. d5 Ne8 11. g4 Kh7 12. Nd2 Rh8 13. h4 c6 14. Qc2 Nc7 15. O-O-O Na6 16. Nf1 Qc7 17. Ng3 Rd8 18. Kb1 Nf8 19. Qd2 Bd7 20. Rdg1 f6 21. g5 h5 22. gxf6 Bxf6 23. Bxh5 Be8 24. Bg4 Bd7 25. Bxd7 Rxd7 26. h5 Kg8 27. hxg6 Nxg6 28. Nf5 Rg7 29. Bh6 Kf7 30. Bxg7 *       1-0

Steve Ledger v Mike Botteley

  [Event "Bedford A v Bedford B"] [Date "07/11/2024"] [White "Steve Ledger"] [Black "Mike Botteley"] [Result "*"]     b3 c5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bb2 Nc6 4. Nf3 g6 {I was considering BXf6 here, followed by c4 (played 14 times by an average of 2410 apparently), but eventually decided against conceding a B pair so early.} 5. c4 Bg7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Be2 d5 {White should go Nxd5 now, I reckon, followed by Bxg7 as swapping dark squared B's when Black has fianchettoed and castled often turns out to be desirable. My 8. d3 alternative is pretty feeble.} 8. d3 d4 9. exd4 cxd4 10. Nb5 Ne8 {In the following passage of play Black seems determined never to play a6 and kick my N ….. I think Na3 to c2 then b4 etc was the concern.} 11. O-O Nc7 12. Qd2 Re8 13. a4 a5 14. Ng5 {Now the key few moves of the post-opening tussle. Black has an obvious plan of pushing his e & f pawns whilst White would rather his B's were on a3 and f3 ….. There is also a trap lurking ( 14. …… h6 then 15. Nxf7 with Qf4+ and picking up c7 to follow ) this move also allows me to get in f4 and disrupt B's pawn pushing plans.} 14… f5 15. f4 e5 16. Bf3 {If I'd been annotating purely from my recollections and analysis then I'd give this a ? and chastise myself for lazy analysis in missing Black's reply. However, much to my surprise, it is the computer's choice of move as it is quite happy with what follows ( !) I have to give up the N otherwise I get swamped in the centre.} 16… e4 17. dxe4 h6 18. exf5 hxg5 19. fxg6 {So I have 3 pawns for a piece and ideas of a Kingside pawn roller but wasn't really very happy at the time as I'd thought Black can play Bf5 sometime, to complete development and probably win the g6 pawn. It's not so easy though.} 19… Nxb5 20. axb5 Nb4 21. fxg5 Qb6 {Pretty double edged now. The Black N has no squares for now and White still has the pawn roller idea whilst Black is still not developed.} 22. h4 d3+ 23. Kh1 Qxg6 {In the bar afterwards, we weren't convinced by d3+ as Qxg6 then Qd3 or Qc2 trying to swap Q's off seems preferable. It also allows White to swap off Black's only defender in a minute. +1.81 for White I'm told.} 24. h5 Qd6 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. Rae1 Bd7 {finally the B gets to move (still think it should have gone to f5 at some point to provide some defensive cover) but it's too late as Black is getting crushed now.} 27. Qc3+ Kg8 28. Be4 Rf8 29. h6 Rxf1+ 30. Rxf1 {1-0 As one of h7 ++ or Qg7 ++ are imminent.} *

Richard Bodily v John Sharp

  [Event "LBA V Bedford B, board 1"] [Date "2024.11.12"] [White "Richard Bodily"] [Black "John Sharp"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C11"] [Annotator "Bodily,Richard"] [PlyCount "66"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.11.13"]     e4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. d4 c5 6. Bg5 Qb6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Na4 Bxf2+ 10. Qxf2 Qb4+ 11. c3 Qxa4 12. Be2 h6 13. Bh4 Qa5 14. O-O Qb6 15. Nd4 {Having played a line which involved a pawn sacrifice I thought that giving up a second one was the best way to obtain play. Black is simply better here.} Ndxe5 16. Bh5 O-O 17. Rae1 Bd7 18. Kh1 Nxd4 19. cxd4 Nd3 { An error, after Ng6 white has very little} 20. Qg3 f6 {Not Nxe1 as Bf6 turns the tables} 21. Qxd3 {Bxf6 was better with a small advantage} (21. Bxf6 Rxf6   Rxf6 Nxe1 23. Bf7+ {I'd overlooked this possibility and thought white was lost if i went into this variation} Kh8 24. Qe5) 21… Bb5 22. Qe3 Bxf1 23. Rxf1 e5 24. Qf3 e4 25. Qf2 Rac8 26. b3 Rc3 27. Bg4 Rd3 28. Qf4 Qxd4 29. Be6+ Kh8 30. Qd6 Ra8 31. h3 e3 32. Bg3 {Bg4 which I considered, is given as equal by the engines but feels easier to play for black?! I do have the threat of Rxf6 I had little time left here} e2 33. Rf3 Rd1+ 0-1

Steve Ledger v Peter Hansen

  [Event "Bedfordshire v Buckinghamshire (Fleming Trophy), board 1"] [Date "2024.11.30"] [White "Steve Ledger"] [Black "Hans-Peter Hansen"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2169"] [BlackUrl ""] [BlackCountry "DE"] [BlackTitle ""] [WhiteElo "2125"] [Link "https://www.chess.com/a/2spJpQ4tN27Jyt?tab=analysis"]     d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 d5 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. Bxe4 dxe4 7. d5 e5 8. Bg3 Ne7 9. c4 Ng6 10. Nc3 f5 11. Qh5 Bd6 12. f3 O-O 13. Nh3 Rf6 14. O-O exf3 15. Ng5 Nf8 16. Qxf3 h6 17. Nh3 g5 18. Ne4 Rf7 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20. Nf2 Qe7 21. Nd1 Bd7 22. Nc3 Re8 23. e4 f4 24. Bf2 g4 25. Qd3 Qd6 26. a3 Ng6 27. b4 b6 28. bxc5 bxc5 29. Rab1 g3 30. hxg3 fxg3 31. Bxg3 Rg7 32. Nb5 Qe7 33. Nc7 Rc8 34. d6 Qg5 35. Rb2 Kh7 36. Nd5 Nf4 37. Bxf4 exf4 38. Nxf4 Qe5 39. Rbf2 Rcg8 40. Qd5 Rg5 41. Qxe5 Rxe5 42. Nd3 Rxe4 43. Nxc5 1-0

James Gardner v John Sharp

  [Event "Bedford A v Leighton Buzzard A, board 2"] [Date "2024.12.05"] [White "James Gardner"] [Black "John Sharp"] [Result "1-0"]     b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 a6 4. g3 f5 5. Bg2 d6 6. Ne2 Nf6 7. d3 Bd7 8. Nd2 g6   a3 Bg7 10. c4 Qe7 11. Qc2 h6 12. b4 O-O 13. O-O Nd8 14. h3 Rb8 15. Rae1 Nf7   f4 Kh7 17. Kh2 Rg8 18. e4 c6 19. d4 Rbe8 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. dxe5 Nxe5 22. exf5 Neg4+ 23. hxg4 Nxg4+ 24. Kh1 Qg5 25. fxg6+ Kh8 26. Nf4 Ne3 27. Rxe3 Rxe3   Ne4 Qe7 29. Nh5 Be6 30. Qd2 *

Brian Valentine v Paul Habershon

   [Event "Bedford A v Leighton Buzzard A, board 5"]   [Date "2024.12.05"]   [Date "2024.12.05"]   [Round "?"]   [White "Valentine, Brian"]   [Black "Habershon, Paul"]   [Result "0-1"]   [ECO "B08"]   [PlyCount "56"]   [WhiteTeam "Leighton Buzzard A"]   [BlackTeam "Bedford A"]   1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be2 c6 6. a4 O-O 7. O-O Na6 8. h3   Nc7 9. a5 Nd7 10. Bg5 c5 11. d5 Ne5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. Bh6 Bg7 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15.   f4 Bd7 16. Qd2 b5 17. axb6 axb6 18. Rad1 b5 19. e5 b4 20. Ne4 Nb5 21. Bc4 Qb6   22. Ng3 Nd4 23. c3 Nf5 24. Ne4 bxc3 25. bxc3 Rfb8 26. g4 Ra4 27. Bd3 $4 (27.   gxf5 Rxc4 28. f6+ {better for White}) 27... c4+ 28. Qf2 cxd3 0-1

Steve Pike v Fred Dorn

[Event "Bedford B v Leighton Buzzard B, board 4"]  [Date "2024.12.05"] [White "Steve Pike"] [Black "Fred Dorn"] [Result "1-0"]     e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 4. d4 {I don't really know this but luckily, I don't think many Black players do either $1} 4… Nxd4 5. Nxd4 exd4 6. Qxd4 c6 7. Bd3 fxe4 8. Qxe4+ Qe7 9. Bg5 Qxe4+ 10. Bxe4 d5 11. Bd3 Be6 12. O-O h6 13. Bh4 g5   Bg3 Bg7 15. c3 (15. Nd2 {+0.60} 15… Bxb2 16. Rab1 Bc3 17. Rxb7 Bxd2 18. Be5 Bc8 19. Rfb1 {apparently $1}) 15… Kd7 16. Nd2 Ne7 17. Nf3 Nf5 18. Be5 Bxe5   Nxe5+ Kc7 (19… Kd6 20. Bxf5 Kxe5 21. Bxe6 Kxe6 22. Rae1+ Kd6 23. f4 {looks dead to me}) 20. Rae1 Rae8 21. f4 Nd6 22. f5 {getting over-ambitious} (22. Bg6 {+1.41}) 22… Bc8 23. f6 {ditto} (23. g4 {+0.70}) 23… Rhf8 24. Bg6 Re6 25. f7 {now what $5} 25… Ne4 26. Bxe4 Rxe5 27. Bg6 Re6 28. Rxe6 Bxe6 29. Rf6 Kd7 30. Bh5 {I was happy I was getting some sort of edge out of this but missed Black's alternative here} 30… Ke7 $2 (30… d4 {with equality $2}) 31. Rxh6 Bxf7 32. Bxf7 {I preferred the rook ending but maybe the pawn ending just wins $2} (32. Rh7 Ke6   Bxf7+ Rxf7 34. Rxf7 Kxf7 35. Kf2) 32… Rxf7 33. Rg6 c5 (33… Rf5 {giving the b pawn is better}) 34. Rxg5 Ke6 35. c4 dxc4 36. Rxc5 Rf4 37. h3 b6 38. Rc7 Rd4 39. Rxa7 Rd1+ 40. Kh2 Rd2 41. Rc7 $2 (41. Ra4 Kd5 42. Rb4 Kc5 43. a3 b5 {+3.41} 44. h4 {+4.19} 44… Rd5 {+4.27}) 41… b5 42. b3 Rxa2 43. bxc4 b4 $2 (43… Kd6 {much better}) 44. Rb7 Rb2 45. h4 b3 46. Kh3 Rb1 47. Kg4 b2 48. g3 Kd6 49. h5 Kc6 50. Rb8 Kc5 51. h6 Kxc4 52. h7 Rh1 53. Rxb2 Rxh7 54. Rd2 Rh1 55. Kg5 Kc3 56. Rd7 Rf1 57. g4 {is enough to win - rather unconvincing technique $1} *

Graham Smith v Nick Collacott

   [Event "Beds. League Div 1"]   [Site "?"]   [Date "2024.12.12"]   [Round "?"]   [White "Smith, Graham"]   [Black "Collacott, Nick"]   [Result "0-1"]   [PlyCount "32"]   [WhiteTeam "Milton Keynes A"]   [BlackTeam "Bedford A"]   1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. b3 Bg4 5. h3 Bxf3 6. gxf3 e5 7. Bb2 Nbd7 8. Nc3   Bd6 9. d4 O-O 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. f4 Ng6 (11... d4 $1) 12. Qd2 Bb4 13. f3 $4 {   followed by much head shaking by White (his own, fortunately)} Qe7 14. Be2 Rad8   15. Kf2 dxc4 16. Qc2 Qxe3+ $1 0-1

Paul Habershon v Rob Whiteside

   [Event "Beds. League Div 1"]   [Site "?"]   [Date "2024.12.12"]   [Round "?"]   [White "Habershon, Paul"]   [Black "Whiteside, Rob"]   [Result "1-0"]   [ECO "B30"]   [PlyCount "83"]   [WhiteTeam "Bedford A"]   [BlackTeam "Milton Keynes A"]   1. e4 e6 2. d3 c5 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. Nf3 Be7 6. O-O d6 7. Nbd2 b5 $2 {   Played very quickly but disregarding the danger of White's fianchettoed bishop   trained on the unprotected c6 knight and a8 rook. In fact Black played at a   fast tempo throughout, at one point being an hour ahead on the clock. When   White was down to the increment Black would have been better advised to slow   right down, thus finding stronger moves and making White squirm. Even so   towards the end White let a +6 evaluation slip down to +1.30.} 8. e5 Nd5 9. c4   Nc7 10. exd6 Qxd6 11. cxb5 Nb4 12. Nc4 Qxd3 13. Qxd3 Nxd3 14. Be3 Rb8 15. Rfd1   Nb4 16. Bf4 Bd8 17. Nfe5 Ncd5 18. Nd6+ Ke7 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Ndxf7 Be6 21. Nxh8   Rxb5 22. a3 Nc2 23. Rac1 Nd4 24. Bg5+ Ke8 25. Rxd4 Bxg5 26. f4 cxd4 27. fxg5   Rxb2 28. g6 hxg6 29. Nhxg6 Bh3 30. Nf4 Bf5 31. Nxd5 d3 32. Nc4 Rc2 33. Re1+ Kd8   34. Nce3 d2 35. Nxc2 Bxc2 36. Rf1 d1=Q 37. Rxd1 Bxd1 38. Kf2 Kd7 39. Ke3 Kd6   40. Nc3 Bb3 41. Nb5+ Kc6 $2 {A final blunder though White is winning anyway.   This makes it completely resignable.} 42. Nd4+ 1-0

James Gardner v Michael Harris

   [Event "Bedfordshire v Norfolk"] [Date "2025.01.05"] [White "James Gardner (2103)"] [Black "Michael Harris (2253)"] [Result "1/2-1/2"]   1. b3 d5 2. Bb2 Nf6 3. e3 g6 4. g3 Nc6 5. Bg2 e5 6. d3 h5 7. h3 Bg7 8. Ne2 Bf5 9. Nd2 O-O 10. O-O Qd7 11. Kh2 Rad8 12. a3 Rfe8 13. b4 Nh7 14. Nb3 Ng5 15. Nc5 Qc8 16. h4 Nh7 17. b5 b6 18. e4 dxe4 19. Nxe4 Ne7 20. Qc1 Be6 21. Ng1 Bd5 22. Nh3 Nf5 23. Nhg5 Nf8 24. Bh3 f6 25. Nf3 Qa8 26. Bg2 Ne6 27. Re1 Nd6 28. c4 Bb7 29. Qe3 Bxe4 30. dxe4 Nxc4 31. Qb3 Nxb2 32. Qxb2 Nc5 33. Nd2 Kh7 34. Re2 Rd3 35. Nb1 Qd8 36. Nc3 f5 37. f3 Qd7 38. Rf1 fxe4 39. Nxe4 Nxe4 40. Rxe4 c6 41. bxc6 Qxc6 42. g4 hxg4 43. fxg4 Qc3 44. Qb5 Re7 45. h5 Bh6 46. hxg6+ Kxg6 47. Rc4 Qd2 48. Kh1 Kg7 49. Rc7 Rxc7 50. Qxe5+ Kg8 51. Qe8+ Kg7 52. Qf8+ Kg6 53. Qf5+ Kg7 54. Qf6+ Kg8 55. Qe6+ Kh8 56. Qe8+ Kg7 57. Qf8+ Kg6 58. Qf6+ {draw offered by White, low on time, accepted by Black!}  ({alternatively, } 58. Qf6+ Kh7 59. Be4+ 59… Kg8  60. Qg6+ 60… Kh8 61. Qe8+ 61… Kg7 62. Qf8# { looks pretty good!}) *

Dairi Mahmoud v David Cox

[Event "Bedford Div 3"] [Date "2025.01.16"] [White "Dairi, Mahmoud"] [Black "Cox, David"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B21"] [PlyCount "68"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.31"]   e4 c5 2. Be2 Nc6 3. d3 d5 4. f4 dxe4 5. dxe4 Qxd1+ 6. Bxd1 b6 7. Nc3 Bb7 8. Nf3 g6 9. O-O Bg7 10. Nd5 O-O-O 11. c4 {This move perhaps leaves some weaknesses on d3 and d4 for black to exploit if the d file opens up.} e6 12. Nc3 Nge7 13. a3 Nd4 14. e5 {Blocks in the bishop, but leaving some holes.} Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Nf5 16. b4 Rd3 {Now white is attacking on the flanks, but black controls the centre.} 17. Bxb7+ Kxb7 18. Ne4 Rd4 19. Re1 Kc6 20. bxc5 (20. b5+ Kc7 21. g4 {This seemed to be white's only real chance in the whole game. Closing down the whole board might allow white to make use of their massive spatial advantage.} Nh4 22. Kf2 {Kg3 is treatened, trapping the knight, and Nd6 is also now on the cards.}) 20… bxc5 21. Be3 Rxe4 22. Bd2 Rxc4 (22… Rxe1+ {Seems more staightforward to me, but clearly black is a ruthlessly accurate grandmaster.}) 23. a4 Rd8 24. Ba5 Rdd4 25. g3 Rxa4 26. Kf2 Rxa1 27. Rxa1 Rd7 28. Rc1 Kb5 29. Be1 f6 {Freeing the blocked-in bishop.} 30. Rb1+ Kc6 31. Bc3 fxe5 32. fxe5 Nd4 33. Re1 Kd5 34. Bxd4 cxd4 (34… Kxd4 35. Rd1+ {It would be a shame to fall for this one at this stage.}) 0-1

Mike Botteley v Steve Ledger

[Event "Bedford A v Bedford B"] [Date "2025.02.06"] [White "Mike Botteley"] [Black "Steve Ledger"] [Result "0-1"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. e3 d6 6. Nge2 f5 7. O-O Nf6 8. d4 O-O {So far, pretty standard stuff. We're basically playing a closed sicilian in reverse. Normally, W would go Rb1 then b4 .. b5 whilst I figured that, as W has played g3 & e3 then preparing Black to play an f4 push seems like a plan} 9. a3 h6 10. b4 g5 11. b5 Ne7 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. a4 {With hindsight, my idea of h6 & g5 is perhaps a bit slow. As it's a reverse opening then W has an extra move, I guess, and Mike has used same to his advantage. I'd overlooked how strong a4, with Ba3 and Nd5 to follow, was and I'd never get to my plan of Ng6 or Qe8 to Qh5.  } Qe8 14. Ba3 Rb8 {A bit feeble. I was tempted to accept I was doing badly and go Be6 and if Bxb7 then Rd8 to give up a pawn just to complete development.} 15. Nd5 Nfxd5 16. cxd5 f4 17. d6 cxd6 18. Qxd6 f3 {The critical moment of the game. After cxd5 then I decided things weren't going well and I better try and mix it up with f4. After 18 .... f3 then W should just play Bxf3 whereupon I have to accept being a pawn down and go Bh3 just to untangle my pieces. The line Mike chose seems like more fun but goes from decent W advantage to B advantage  ..... Though Stockfish doesn't think it's turned as much as I did.} 19. Qxb8 fxg2 20. Rfe1 Qf7 21. f4 exf4 {told you W should have gone Rb1 earlier to get off the black bishop diagonal 🙂_ } 22. Bxe7 Qxe7 {Desperation from W to get the Q off the f file but now we are +11 to B apparently. } 23. Nd4 fxe3 24. Qxa7 Qf6 25. Kxg2 Qxd4 26. Qxd4 Bxd4 27. Ra2 Be6 28. Rc2 g4 29. Rce2 Bd5+ 30. Kg1 Bf3 *   0 - 1 {Definitely got out of jail there !}

Ramsey Dairi v Ravi Arulnandhy

[Event "Bedford A v Bedford B"] [Date "2025.02.06"] [White "Ramsey Dairi"] [Black "Ravi Arulnandhy"] [Result "1-0"]   1.e4 e6 2. d4 c5 3. Nf3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bf4 e5 8. Bg5 a6 9. Na3 b5 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 $2 (10… gxf6 {is probably necessary}) 11. Nd5 $1 Qd8 12.Bxb5 $1 axb5 13. Nxb5 Qa5+ (13… Rb8 14. Nbc7+ Kd7 15. Qg4+ f5 16. Qxf5#) 14. c3 Rb8 $2 (14… Ra7) 15. b4 $3 Qxb5 16. Nc7+  Kd7 17. Nxb5 Rxb5 18. a4 Rb8 19. Qd5 Nd8 20. O-O Ne6 21. f3 Be7 22. Rfb1 Bb7 23. Qb5+ Bc6 24. Qf1 Rhc8 25. b5 Ba8 26. a5 Rxc3 27. b6 $6 Bd8 $2 28. b7 $2 (28. Rc1) 28… Rxb7 $1 29. Rxb7+ Bxb7 30. a6 Bc6 $2 (30… Bb6+ 31. Kh1 Ba8 {is equal according to the engine}) 31. Qb1 Rc5 $2 (31… Bg5 32. Qb8 Be3+ 33. Kh1 Bd4 {is a more active defence}) 32. Qb8 Rb5 $6 33. a7 $1 Nc7 {Note - Ramsey stopped recording here so moves are "as recalled"} 34. Rb1 $6 (34. Rc1) 34… Rxb1+ 35. Qxb1 g6 36. Qb3 d5  37. exd5 Ba8 $6 38. Qa4+ Kd6 39. Qb4+ Kxd5  40. Qb8 1-0

Richard Bodily v John Sharp

[Event "Bedford B v Leighton Buzzard A"] [Date "2025.02.13"] [White "RTB"] [Black "J Sharp"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C00"] [Annotator "Bodily,Richard"] [PlyCount "41"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.02.15"]   1.e4 e6 2. b3 d5 3. Bb2 Nf6 4. e5 Ng8 5. d4 c5 6. c3 Bd7 7. Nf3 Qb6 8. Be2 Bb5 9. O-O h5 {To re-route the knight but this is a bit slow} 10. Bxb5+ Qxb5 11. c4 dxc4 12. Na3 Qd7 13. Nxc4 Nh6 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Qe2 Nf5 16. Rfd1 Qb5 {An error, allowing white's next removing black's best piece} 17. Nh4 a6 18. Nxf5 exf5 19. Qf3 {e6 may be better} Nd7 20. Rac1 {Preventing 0-0-0 when black has chances} Nf8 21. a4 {Black resigns as he is losing at least a piece and remains under attack 1-0} 1-0

Kevin Williamson v Steve Ledger

   [Event "Bedford A v Leighton Buzzard B"] [Date "2025.02.13"] [White "Kevin Williamson"] [Black "Steve Ledger"] [Result "1-0"]   1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bf4 c6 4. e3 g6 5. h4 Bg7    {I assumed the idea was Be2 here when, presumably, I'd go h5 but Kevin had been reading a book by 'Ginger GM' Simon Williams and so, as anyone who knows Simon and his games will appreciate, the full Caveman hack it is !  .... So ..}   6. h5 Nxh5 7. Rxh5 gxh5 8. Qxh5 Nd7 9. Bd3    {Not sure I really believe this, for white, but I'm a bit cramped and white has a series of natural developing moves. Stockfish and most of the games on Chessbase    Now go 9..... Nf6 for black but the 3 games that go Nf8 was played by an average of 2666 so I feel vindicated 🙂}   Nf8 10. Nf3 Be6 11. O-O-O Ng6 12. Ne2   {I thought this was a bit slow and that white had to try and do something quickly ... Ng5 or prepare e4 maybe .... Before I could go Qd7 and 0-0-0}    Qd7 13. Rh1 Bg4 14. Qh2 O-O-O    {And black must be fine now, though I have to keep an eye on the 2 (potentially) raking bishops ..... Kevin and I had both noticed ideas of Bb8 followed by Bxa7 and Qb8 mate !! ... But it never quite seemed on. Black's position just gradually improves now and white's declines and declines.}   15. Bg3 h5 16. Nh4 Nxh4 17. Bxh4 Rde8 18. f3 Bf5 19. Bxf5 Qxf5 20. Bg3 e5 21. dxe5 Bxe5 22. f4 Bg7 23. Bf2 Qg4 24. Qh3 d4    {I was quite pleased with this move as it sprays W pawns all over the place for me to pick off }   25. Nxd4 Bxd4 26. exd4 Rhg8 27. Qxg4+ Rxg4 28. g3 Rh8 29. Kd2 h4 30. Rxh4 Rhxh4 31. gxh4 Rxf4 32. Ke3 Rf5    {And I shall claim to be just the exchange up that I was given on move 7. I stopped recording around now but the rest is pretty simple.}   33. c4 Kd7 34. b4 Ke6 35. a4 a6 36. a5 Rf6 37. Be1 Kf5 38. c5 Ke6 *     {0-1      .... White did play on for a while more but I don't remember the exact order of the moves 🙁}

Brian Valentine v Nick Collacott

   [Event "Bedford A v Leighton Buzzard B"] [Date "2025.02.13"] [White "Brian Valentine"] [Black "Nick Collacott"]   [FEN "2kr3r/pp4b1/2p1npp1/P2pPp2/1P1P1P1p/2N1B2P/2P2RPK/R7 b - - 0 22"]   {Not much to report in the first half of my game. It came down to a double cockup here}   22… g5 23. fxg5 fxe5 24. Ne2 exd4 25. Bd2 d3 26. Nc3 d4 27. Na4 dxc2 28. Rxf5 Rhf8 29. Raf1 Rxf5 30. Rxf5 Rf8 {as per usual I immediately noticed that 23.exf6 was much to be preferred ->22…fxe5 wasn't what I had in mind but just blows up the centre after 23…f4. Fortunately for me he bashed out 23.fxg5 immediately. The time management in the game was pretty dire from both of us.}

Mahmoud Dairi v Sergiu-Ovidiu Pop

{Mahmoud Dairi vs Sergiu-Ovidiu Pop}   1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. f4 Qa5 5. Bd3 e5 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. Be3 Nbd7 8. O-O   Be7 9. Qe1 Qc7 10. Qg3 g6 11. fxe5 dxe5 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Rxf3 Nh5 14. Qf2 f6 15.   Qd2 O-O-O 16. d5 Nc5 17. b4 Nxd3 18. cxd3 Bxb4 19. Rc1 Kb8 20. Qb2 Bxc3 21. Rxc3   Rd6 22. Rf1 Ka8 23. dxc6 Rxc6 24. Rfc1 Rb8 25. Qa3 a6 26. Rxc6 bxc6 27. Qxa6+   Qa7 28. Qxa7# 1-0

Alex Potts vs Richard McMorran

{Alex Potts vs Richard McMorran}   1. e4 c5 2. c3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. cxd4 a6 5. Bc4 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. O-O Nf6 8. e5   dxe5 9. dxe5 Qxd1 10. Rxd1 Nfd7 11. Bf4 b5 12. Be2 O-O 13. Nc3 Bb7 14. Rac1 Nb6   15. Nd2 N8d7 16. Nce4 Nd5 17. Bg3 Rac8 18. Nd6 Bxd6 19. exd6 f5 20. Bf3 N7b6 21.   Bxd5 Nxd5 22. Nb3 Rcd8 23. Na5 Ba8 24. Nc6 Bxc6 25. Rxc6 Rd7 26. Rxa6 h6 27. Be5   g5 28. Rc1 f4 29. g4 fxg3 30. hxg3 Rf5 31. Ra8+ Kf7 32. Rh8 Kg6 33. Bd4 Nb4 34.   Rcc8 Rxd6 35. Rcg8+ Kh5 36. Bg7 e5 37. Bf8 Rd1+ 38. Kg2 Nd3 39. Rxh6+ Kg4 40.   Rh4# 1-0

Steve Pike v Stephen Law

 [White "Steve Pike"] [Black "Stephen Law"] [Result "1-0"]     e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f3 Bg7 5. Be3 O-O 6. Qd2 a6 7. h4 {{yeah I know it isn't subtle but Black still has to defend}} 7… Nc6 8. O-O-O b5 9. Bh6 e5 10.Bxg7 Kxg7 11. Nce2 $2 {this was a bit rubbish really - I was worried about} (11. Nge2 b4 {but} 12. Nd5 {is still great}) 11… exd4 $2 (11… h5 {equalises}) 12.Nxd4 Ne5 13. h5 Bb7 $2 {see comment on move 7} 14. hxg6 hxg6 $4 (14… fxg6 $4 15.Ne6+) (14… Kh8 15. g7+ Kxg7 16. Qh6+ {and}) (14… Nxg6 15. Qh6+ {both look very hard to defend but we're still playing}) 15. Qh6+ Kg8 16. Qh8# 1-0

Nick Collacott v Gary Kenworthy

[White "Nick Collacott"] [Black "Gary Kenworthy"] [Result "1-0"]   1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. e4 d6 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Nge2 e5 7. d5 Ne7 8. f3 O-O 9. Qd2 c5 10. g4 a6 11. Ng3 Bd7 12. h4 b5 13. h5 bxc4 14. Bh6 Rb8 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Nf5+ Nxf5 17. exf5 gxf5 18. g5 Ng8 19. Bxc4 f6 20. Rg1 fxg5 21. Rxg5+ Kh8 22. O-O-O Qf6 23. Rdg1 { Equal, says the metal monster, but } Nh6 ?? 24. Rg6  !!   1-0

Mahmoud Dairi v Mark Heffer

   1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. Qb3 Qe7 8. O-O Nf6 9. Ba3 d6 10. e5 Nd7 11. exd6 cxd6 12. Re1 Nde5 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. Nd2 Bxc3 15. f4 Qf6 16. fxe5 dxe5 17. Rf1 Qb6 18. Bb5+ Kd8 19. Qd5+ Kc7 20. Qxe5+ Kd8 21. Qe7#

Paul Habershon v Eric Meichel

[Event "Beds. League Div 1"]   [Site "?"]   [Date "2025.03.13"]   [Round "?"]   [White "Habershon, Paul"]   [Black "Meichel, Eric"]   [Result "1/2-1/2"]   [PlyCount "86"]   [WhiteTeam "Bedford A"]   [BlackTeam "Milton Keynes A"]   1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8.   c4 Ba6 9. Nd2 g6 10. b3 Bg7 11. Bb2 O-O 12. O-O-O Nb6 13. Kb1 Rfe8 14. f4 d5   15. Qf3 Bc8 16. Bd3 a5 17. Rhe1 a4 18. g4 axb3 19. axb3 dxc4 20. Nxc4 Qh4 21.   h3 Be6 22. Nxb6 cxb6 23. Be4 Bd5 24. Bxd5 cxd5 25. Re3 Qe7 26. Red3 $2 {   Engine much prefers grabbing the pawn:} (26. Qxd5 Qa7 27. b4 Qe7 28. Qd6) 26...   Qa7 27. Rc3 Bf8 28. Kc2 Bb4 29. Ra1 Qb7 30. Rxa8 Rxa8 31. Rd3 (31. Rc4 $1)   31... Rc8+ ({Better is} 31... Qc7+ 32. Bc3 Ra2+ 33. Kd1 Qc5 34. Bxb4 Qxb4 35.   Rxd5 Rb2) 32. Kb1 Qc6 33. Qd1 (33. Qxd5 $1 Qc2+ 34. Ka1) 33... Rd8 34. f5 Bf8   35. Qc2 Qb7 36. Rc3 $2 (36. Qd2 {keeps White's slight advantage}) 36... d4 {   Now Black is slightly better} 37. Rd3 Qh1+ 38. Rd1 Qxh3 39. e6 fxe6 40. fxg6 $2   {A much worse move than I thought it was.} (40. Qe4 $11) 40... Qh6 {but Black   fails to take advantage.} ({Apparently Black would now be clearly better with}   40... Bg7 $1) 41. gxh7+ Qxh7 42. Qxh7+ Kxh7 43. Rxd4 Rxd4 1/2-1/2

Jack Hale V Dixon Jones

{Jack Hale V Dixon Jones}   1 d4 d6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 b6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. e4 Bb7 6. Bd3 e5 7. d5 Be7 8. h3 c6 9. Be3 Nc5 10. b4 Nxd3+ 11. Qxd3 O-O 12. O-O h6 13. Rfd1 c5 14. Rab1 Qd7 15. bxc5 bxc5 16. Rb3 Nh5 17. Rdb1 Bc8 18. Qe2 Nf4 19. Bxf4 exf4 20. e5 Ba6 21. Nb5 Rfe8 22. Qe4 Bf6 23. e6 fxe6 24. dxe6 Qe7 25. Re1 Bxb5 26. Rxb5 Bc3 27. Re2 Bb4 28. Qxf4 Qc7 29. Qe4 Rac8 30. Rb7 Qa5 31. Qf5 Rc7 32. Qf7+  *     1 - 0

Damanjeet Singh v Alex Potts

 [White "Damanjeet Singh"][Black "Alex Potts"]1. Nf3 d5 2. b3 Nf6 3. Bb2 Nc6 4. e3 Bg4 5. Be2 Bxf3   {it's tempting for black to get two central pawns, but the bishop pair is stronger overall}   6. Bxf3 e5 7. d3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Nd2 Qd7 10. c4 d4 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Nf3 Bc5   {a questionable move - my opponent afterwards said he thought he was getting counterplay on the a7-g1 diagonal, having overlooked 14 exd4}   13. Nxe5 Qd6 14. exd4 Bxd4 15. Bxd4 Qxd4 16. Nf3   {I should have taken the pawn here, but I was worried that my knight might get trapped, and figured it was better to be solidly one pawn up than two pawns up with some risk}   Qb6 17. d4 Rfe8 18. Qd3 c5 19. d5 c6 20. d6   {I understand that black is trying to undouble his pawns, but he should have maintained the tension, this passed pawn is very strong and really restricts black's pieces}   Rad8 21. Rae1 Rxe1 22. Rxe1 Qb8 23. Rd1 Nd7 24. Qe4 Qc8 25. Qf4 Re8 26. Ng5 Nf6 27. h3   {I have a tactical idea which is foiled by my own back-rank, so this renews the threat - but black has time to blockade}   Qd7 28. Rd3   {suboptimal but I didn't get punished for it}   h6 29. Nf3 Re6 30. Ne5 Qe8 31. d7 Qd8 32. Rg3 Kf8   {getting out of the pin but setting up a hidden weakness which will hurt black later}   33. Qf5 Qe7 34. Qxe6!   {there are lots of winning moves here, but this is the winningest - a cute double-deflection of either the queen from d8 or the pawn from g6}   fxe6   {Mahmoud wandered over at this exact moment and thought I was losing}   35. Ng6+ Kf7 36. Nxe7 Kxe7 37. Rxg7+ Kd8 38. Kh2 Nxd7 39. Kg3 a5 40. Kf4 a4 41. Rxd7+   {just so I don't have to worry about hanging a knight fork!}   Kxd7 42. bxa4 1-0

Julian Hudson v Richard Bodily

[Date "2025.04.03"] [White "Hudson, Julian"] [Black "Bodily, Richar d"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B22"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 4.0 (14s)"] [PlyCount "68"] [TimeControl "240+2"]   e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bf5 6. dxc5 Qxd1+ {Giving up a pawn for the initiative and more space} 7. Kxd1 O-O-O+ 8. Ke1 e5 9. Be3 Nf6 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 10. b4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nd5 11. Bc4 f6 12. Ke2 a5 13. a3 g5 14. Bxd5 Rxd5 15. Rd1 Rxd1 16. Kxd1 Bg7 17. b5 Ne7 18. c4 Be6 19. Nfd2 Rd8 20. Kc2 Nf5 21. Nc3 Nd4+ 22. Bxd4 Rxd4 23. Na4 f5 24. Nb6+ Kc7 25. Nb3 {Nf3 is preferred by the computer, the move played turns the scrap into a straight race between white queen side plus and 2 knights v black central pawn push and 2 bishops. Game is very balanced} Rf4 26. Rd1 {If f3 then Bf8} Rxf2+ 27. Rd2 Rxd2+ 28. Kxd2 a4 29. Na5 e4 {Bf8 is still equal according to the engine, white now has an edge although it is very double edged} 30. Nxa4 f4 31. Nb6 {Now the advantage is with black. In the bar afterwards Mike Botteley suggested b6+ Kb8 and c6 with threats of pushing the pawns and Nc5. This is then winning for white.} e3+ 32. Kd3 Bf5+ 33. Ke2 Bg4+ 34. Kf1 {Kd3 would have forced me to find Bd4, not sure that I would have} e2+ {White resigns, a fortunate outcome in an awkward ending} 0-1

Jack Hale v Richard McMorran

[Event "Bedford Divison 2"] [Date "2025-04-17"] [White "Jack Hale"] [Black "Richard McMorran"] [Result "0-1"]     1.d4 f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bg5 e6 4. Nbd2 Be7 5. e3 d6 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. c3 e5 8. Bb5 e4 9. Ng1 O-O 10. Ne2 a6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Nf4 d5 13. O-O Qe8 14. c4 Bd6 15. Rc1 Bxf4 16. Bxf4 dxc4 17. Bxc7 Nd5 18. Bd6 Rf6 19. Nxc4 f4 20. Bxf4 Nxf4 21. exf4 Rxf4 22. Nd6 (22. Ne5 {looks more secure})Qg6 23. Nxc8 Rxc8 24. Qb3+ Kh8 25. Rc3 Qd6 26. d5 c5 27. Rg3 Qf6 28. Qc3 Qd4 {great move, White is still winning but Black has snatched the initiative and now has good practical chances} 29. b4 Rcf8 30. Qxc5?? {a blunder waiting to happen!} Rxf2 31. Qxf8+ Rxf8+ *

Ramsey Dairi v Eric Meichel

  [White "Dairi, Ramsey"]   [Black "Meichel, Eric"]     e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nd5 Nxd5 7. exd5 Qa5+ 8. Bd2 Qxd5 9. Nb5 Kd8 10. Ba5+

Aleksandar Juhasz v James Goodman

[White "Juhasz A"] [Black "Goodman J"]1.e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. Be2 Ngf6 9. b3 e6 10. O-O Qc7 11. Bd3 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Bd6 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qe1 O-O-O 16. c4 Rdg8 17. c5 Be7 18. Qe5 Nd5 19. Qxc7+ Kxc7 20. Ne5 f6 21. Ng6 Rh7 22. Re1 e5 23. f4 Kd8 24. fxe5 fxe5 25. Nxe5 Bxh4 26. Rf1 g5 27. Bd2 Bg3 28. Rf7? Bxe5 29. Rxh7 Bxd4+ 30. Kh1 Bxa1 31. Rxb7 Rg6 32. Rxa7 Bd4 33. Ba5+ Kc8 34. b4 Re6 35. Ra8+ Kb7 36. Rd8 Re1+ 37. Kh2 Be5+ 38. Kh3 Bc7 39. Bxc7 Kxc7 40. Rd6 Nxb4 41. a3 Na6 42. Rxh6? Rh1+ {*}

Jack Hale v Eric Meichel

  [Event "Beds County Champs Rd 2"] [Date "2025.02.18"] [White "Jack Hale"] [Black "Eric Meichel"] [Result "1-0"] [Link "https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/2Bmybw1pbY?tab=analysis"]     d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 Nc6 6. Nc3 a6 7. e3 Bf5 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 e6 10. h3 Bd6 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. O-O O-O 13. Rac1 Rac8 14. Na4 Ne4   Nc5 Nxc5 16. Rxc5 b6 17. Rc3 Nb4 18. Qd2 a5 19. a3 Rxc3 20. Qxc3 Na6 21. Rc1 f6 22. Qc6 Rd8 23. Qb7 Nb8 24. Rc7 Nd7 25. Rc6 Qe7 26. Qc7 Kf8 27. Rxe6 Qxe6 28. Qxd8+ Kf7 29. Qc7 g5 30. b4 axb4 31. axb4 Kg6 32. b5 h5 33. Qc6 Nf8 34. Ne1 Qxc6   bxc6 Ne6 36. Nd3 Nc7 37. f3 f5 38. Nb4 Kf6 39. Kf2 Ke6 40. Ke2 Kd6 41. Kd3 Ne6 42. g4 hxg4 43. hxg4 fxg4 44. fxg4 Nc7 45. e4 dxe4+ 46. Kxe4 Ke6 47. d5+ Kd6   Kf5 {nicely judged} Kc5 49. Kxg5 Kxb4 50. d6 1-0

Ian Mutton v Jack Hale

[Event "St. Albans Major round 2"] [Date "2025.04.04"] [White "Ian Mutton"] [Black "Jack Hale"] [Result "0-1"]     e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 11. c3 f5 12. Bd3 Ne7 13. Nxe7 Qxe7 14. Qf3 $2 {White starts to lose his way now, upon which Black efficiently capitalises} 14… d5 $1   Qg3 Rg8 16. Qh3 $2 fxe4 17. Qxh7 Kf8 18. Bxe4 Rh8 19. Qxh8+ Bxh8 20. Bxd5 Bb7   Bxb7 Qxb7 22. O-O Rd8 23. Rad1 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Ke7 25. Nc2 e4 26. Ne3 Be5 27. Nd5+ Ke6 28. Ne3 b4 29. cxb4 Qxb4 30. b3 Qa5 31. a4 Qc3 32. Rb1 Bd4 33. Nc4 Bxf2+ 34. Kf1 Qd3+ 0-1

James Goodman v Jack Hale

[Event "Bedford Div 2"] [Date "2025.05.01"] [White "James Goodman"] [Black "Jack Hale"] [Result "0-1"] [Link "https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/4BPbWb7P6e?tab=analysis"]     d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 O-O 5. Bg5 c5 6. d5 h6 7. Bd2 exd5 8. cxd5 d6 9. e4 Bxc3 10. bxc3 Nxe4 11. Be2 Re8 12. O-O Nd7 13. Re1 Ne5 14. Nxe5 Rxe5   Bf3 Nxd2 16. Qxd2 f6 17. Rxe5 fxe5 18. Bh5 Bf5 19. Qe3 Qh4 20. Be2 Rf8 21. Qg3 Qa4 22. Bd3 Bxd3 23. Qxd3 Qa3 24. Qc2 b5 25. Rb1 Qa5 26. a4 Qxa4 27. Qxa4 bxa4 28. Ra1 Rf4 29. g3 Rc4 30. Ra3 Kf7 31. Kg2 e4 32. f3 exf3+ 33. Kxf3 Kf6 34. Ke3 Ke5 35. Kd3 Kxd5 36. Ra1 Re4 37. Ra2 Rg4 38. Ra3 h5 39. Ke3 Ke5 40. Kf3 Rc4   Ke3 d5 42. Kd3 Rg4 43. Ke3 d4+ 44. cxd4+ Rxd4 45. Ke2 h4 46. gxh4 Rxh4 47. Re3+ Re4 0-1

Kapustynski, Krzysztof v Cox, David

[Event "Bedford Division 3"] [Date "2025-05-29"] [White "Kapustynski, Krzysztof"] [Black "Cox, David"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A85"] [Annotator "TC"] [PlyCount "62"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.06.15"] [Link "https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/442BFfq7CS?tab=analysis"]     1.d4 e6 2. c4 f5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 b6 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 Bb7 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2 a5   O-O-O Nc6 10. a3 Qe8 (10… Nb4 11. axb4 axb4 12. Na4 Ne4 {The computer evaluates this position as about even despite white being up a piece. The black pieces are well-placed to attack the white queenside through their dominance of the centre, with lines open in front of the white king.}) 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Rhg1 Rc8 13. Qe2 Na7 14. e4 fxe4 15. Bxe4 Ba6 {d5 would be a very nice move if black is allowed to play it.} 16. Bd3 Bb7 17. Be4 Bxe4 18. Qxe4 c6 {Setting up possible pawn breaks on both d5 and b5.} 19. Kb1 b5 20. cxb5 {This move seems like a mistake. White is opening up too many lines in front of their king.} 20… cxb5 21. Qb7 b4 {More lines are opening on the queenside.} 22. axb4 axb4   Ne4 Nc6 24. Nxf6+ Rxf6 25. Rd3 Rf8 {This move seems a bit silly at first - the rook has moved back to where it was two moves ago, but it frees up the queen to come to g6 while the c8 rook remains defended.} 26. Ne5 Nxe5 27. dxe5 Rb8 28. Qxd7 Qg6 {Now black reaps the reward of opening up the lines to the white king.} 29.Kc1 Rfc8+ 30. Kd2 Qg5+ 31. Ke2 Rc2+ {White ran out of time here. Nonetheless, most moves allow black to win the game immediately. Even with perfect play, black can force the win of material very soon.} 0-1