U1800
NCA Division 1 25 March 2026
White: Nick London (1738, Radcliffe and Bingham I) Black: Arjen Pallen (1672, University I)
Nick’s comments : “The “Librarian’s” most satisfying game of the league season, which took place in the bleak surroundings of a badly furnished room in the traditional students’ hideout at Nottingham University. I was guesting for the talent strapped RB first team on bottom board and little was expected of me by my stressed-out team captain Stuart, or myself. But the team needed wins at all costs so I gave it my best shot….
1.d4 c5 2.Nf3 cxd4 3.Nxd4 e5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Nc3
According to the Lichess database 5.Nxe5?? is what most people do – and regret it when they lose a
piece to …Qa5+
5… Nc6 6.Bg5 Bb4 7.e4
The only way to make something of the weak square on d5 – otherwise Black is about to take over the centre himself with …d5.
7… h6 8.Bxf6 Qxf6 9.Qd3 Nd4
Not as aggressive as it looks. Black still has some trouble completing his development so he should not be moving his Knight again so early. 9…d6 or…O-O is the sensible plan.
10.O-O-O Bxc3 11.Qxc3 Nxf3 12.gxf3
After some thought I decided to keep the queens on board. Broken pawns matter less when you have more piece activity. The computer says this is equality but it clearly hasn’t noticed the unmoveable Black bishop and the extra open file for my rooks.
12… O-O 13. Bb5 Qe6??
This gets the Stockfish blunder sneer because White could have exploited the previously noted open file with 14.f4 d6 15.Rhg1 Kh7 16.Bc4 Qe7 17.Qg3 Rg8 18.f5 and I would be +2.0 – and the Black bishop is still doing nothing!
14. Bc4 Qc6 15. Rd5
See what I mean about the open files and the weakness on d5? Black tries a tactic on the next move to exploit my B & Q setup but it only slows White down a bit – and anyway I could have gone with 16.Rg1 b5? 17.Qxe5 f6? 18.Rxd7+ etc.
15… a6 16.Qd3 b5 17.Bb3 Re8 18.Rd6 Qc5 19.Rg1
Stockfish thinks this move isn’t as good as Qd2, but it’s my favourite move of the (league) year! I’d
worked out the serious threats I could make if Black takes the f-pawn. Computers assume both sides play the best moves but humans have different ideas and I just knew Black would go for the pawn.
19…Qxf2 20. Rdg6 Qxh2
The best move here for Black was 20…Kh8 21.Rxg7 Qd4 22.Qxd4 exd4, but my opponent reasoned that he needed to keep an active queen on the board since nothing else in his army was even awake. 21. Rxg7+ Kh8 22.Qd5
22.Qd6 is apparently checkmate in 8 moves but that was beyond my calculating abilities. So I went for threats against the idle rook on a8 instead.
22… Qf4+ 23.Kb1 Rb8 24.Qd6 Bb7
Freedom at last!
25. R7g4
This ruins my shot at a mate in 6 and leaves me only with a measly mate in 9. I was actually hoping for the win of the queen since it can’t very well move from its current square, guarding against Qf6+ or Qxh6#. Surprisingly the best move for Black is 25…Rg8 which exploits the back rank weakness (26.Rxf4 Rxg1 and mates). So White goes 26.Bxf7 Bxe4 27.Rxg8+ Rxg8 28.Rxg8+ Kh7 29.Qxd7 etc. None of which anyone saw at the time.
25… Qe3 26.Qf6+ and Black resigned before getting mated
The only win for RB1 in the match.