BELFAST SOUTH CHESS CLUB: THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO A BEGGING LETTER

Thursday, 11 April 2013

THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO A BEGGING LETTER

The following report is in response to a begging email I received earlier in the week. It relates to the recent E2E4 tournament in Dublin.

...........................................................................................................................................
THE "JOYCE"OF SPRING

At Easter in Dublin, Martin Kelly(Belfast South) followed up his 4/6 in the Gonzaga Under-1800s with 5/6 in the e2e4 Under-1750 Major.
He was unbeaten in the 9 round event.After a first round travelling bye, Kelly was full of the "joyce"of spring after a difficult draw with
Stephen Joyce.After a win and draw in the next two rounds,he was able to "waltz"past Cathal Walsh in Round Five in the game below:

E2E4:5', DUBLIN
Kelly, Martin (1295) vs. Walsh, C. (1388)


8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

0

(white to move)

1.	e4	c5
2.	Nf3	d6
3.	d4	cxd4
4.	Nxd4	Nf6
5.	Nc3	a6
6.	a4	e5
7.	Nb3	Be7
8.	Be2	Be6
9.	Bg5	Nbd7
10.	f4	h6
11.	Bxf6	Nxf6
12.	f5	Bd7
13.	O-O	Rc8
14.	Kh1	Rxc3
15.	bxc3	Nxe4
16.	Qd3	Nf6
17.	Bf3	Qc7
18.	Nd2	O-O
19.	Ne4	Nxe4
20.	Bxe4	f6
21.	Qd5+	Kh8
22.	Qxb7	Qxb7
23.	Bxb7	a5
24.	c4	Rb8
25.	Ba6	Rb2
26.	Bb5	Bxb5
27.	axb5	Rxc2
28.	Rxa5	Rxc4
29.	b6	Kh7
30.	Ra7	Bd8
31.	b7	Bc7
32.	Rfa1	h5
33.	Ra8	Kh6
34.	Rc8	Kg5
35.	Rxc7	Rxc7
36.	b8=Q	Rc4
37.	Qxd6	Kxf5

In Round Six on Board Two,joint leader Ronan Murphy was "groanin' " after losing to Kelly in a swashbuckling,sacrificial game, not for the fainthearted.

The final round saw Kelly on Board One face last year's winner,Bulgarian Atanis Kouthev, nicknamed "Attack"or "Attila the Hun",who was a half point clear and needed only a draw to win.

Kelly remembered losing on Board Two in the last round at Gonzaga but knew a win this time would get him a first prize of 400 Euros. Instead,he chickened out with a Grandmaster draw to finish second.

What would you have done in the position below?

Answers on a postcard to……………………….ROOKIE.

E2E4, DUBLIN
Kelly, Martin (1295) vs. Kouthev, A. (1361)