Chess News

30th August 2025

Dear Banbury Chess Members, Non-Members, Enthusiasts,

Our 2025/2026 participation in the Leamington & District and Oxfordshire & District chess leagues start soon.

If you are an existing member please make sure you pay membership for the new season (£50 for Adults, £25 for Juniors & Students).

For new members wishing to join, secure your Banbury Chess Club membership now with a new member’s 50% discount; please email to info@banburychessclub.co.uk

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1st September 2025

Match Summary – Rugby A vs Banbury B (Leamington & District Chess League – Division 2)

By Paul Rowan

A tough first match.

I was first to finish against Patrick Reid. Previously I have good results against him. Including last season 2 draws against his b3 system. This time he changed his move order and I managed to only equalise where previously I had done better. In a sharp middle game he outplayed me with his knights dominating.

The 2nd match to finish was Sam who was facing a Rossolimo Sicilian that transposed into a Moscow. White avoided the critical lines of bishop takes knight but still got control of the centre with his knights. Slowly Sam managed to defend and then created a number of nasty pins on whites Queen and bishop. The liquidation of pieces gave him a material advantage which he converted precisely.

Nathan played a caro and went into the advance variation along the lines of a famous Nimzo vs Capablanca game. Where Capa won. But Capa wasn’t facing Nathan! It was a complex game with both sides having activity. Blacks queenside castling enabled Nathan to dominate the kingside and get a pawn up. Nathan understood the idea in knight and rook endgames is to liquidate the last rooks and with a knight each, the extra pawn tends to win. His opponent even helped by trading the rooks and allowing two connected passed pawns. Despite being low on time, it was very straightforward for Nathan to convert.

Last to finish was Carl. Carl played a g3 system which generally aims at undermining the centre. So I was a bit surprised when his opponent did just that and built up a classical position with d5 and e5. But he did so with confidence and accuracy. I wasn’t quite sure how Carl was going to engineer a break but he did get space of the queenside. Some very patient build up left opposite coloured bishops and 2 rooks and a lot of pawns. Normally a recipe for a draw. But black had doubled rooks and managed to get Carl to have double isolated pawns. Carl seemed to do everything right. Trying to liquidate the rooks and exchange pawns. With opposite coloured bishops being notoriously hard to win with. His opponent seemed to be allowing it too. However the Ukrainian had seen that his path to victory was to open the centre for his bishop and was able to execute a masterful endgame exhibition of how to convert an ending many of us would have drawn.