The Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) season concluded last month in a resounding victory for Chess.com Manx Liberty. The team from the Isle of Man won all eleven matches, thanks to narrow 4.5-3.5 victories against both of their closest rivals, Chessable White Rose 1 and Cheddleton. On the final weekend, the Manx squad was boosted by the inclusion of veteran elite grandmaster Alexei Shirov, who won the only decisive game in the match against White Rose. Shirov conjured a firestorm of tactics against Jose Camacho Collados, the 2022 Welsh champion who is a lecturer in computer science at Cardiff University.

Alexei Shirov (Chess.com Manx Liberty) – Jose Camacho Collados (Chessable White Rose 1) Four Nations Chess League, April 2023

1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 e6 3 Nge2 Nc6 4 g3 d5 5 exd5 exd5 6 d4 Nf6 7 Bg2 h6 7…cxd4 8 Nxd4 Bg4 9 Qd3 Bc5 looks stronger, developing with tempo. 8 O-O Be6 9 Re1 g5 The straightforward alternative 9…Be7 runs into 10 dxc5 Bxc5 11 Nf4, winning a pawn on e6 or d5. But Black’s centre is not stable enough to support this kingside extravagance. Shirov finds an effective way to open up the game. 10 Na4 c4 10…b6 runs into 11 c4! 11 b3 cxb3 12 axb3 b6 (see left diagram)

Another prophylactic pawn move is too slow. The damage limitation option was 12…Bg7, when 13 Nc5 O-O loses only the pawn on b7. But a player with Shirov’s imagination might well have investigated 13 Ba3 b5 14 Nc5 b4 and here the magnificent 15 Nc3! gives Black no respite: 15…bxa3 16 Nxe6 fxe6 17 Rxe6+ Ne7 18 Qe2 Kf7 19 Nb5 with a tremendous attack. 13 h4! gxh4 14 Nf4 hxg3 15 fxg3 Rc8 16 c4 At the cost of a pawn, Black’s centre is facing demolition. Bb4 17 Nxe6 fxe6 18 Rxe6+ Kf7 19 cxd5 Nxd5 20 Rxc6 Rxc6 21 Qh5+ Kg7 22 Bxd5 Rg6 23 Qe5+ Qf6 24 Nc5 A lovely flourish, since 24…bxc5 25 Rxa7+ wins. a5 25 Qc7+ Black resigns

A spectacular finish from earlier in the season:

Tim Wall (Chessable White Rose 2) – Jon Speelman (Wood Green) Four Nations Chess League, January 2023 (see right diagram)

Black has just played 32…f7-f5. White’s next, a capture ‘en passant’, is fully playable, despite opening a diagonal for Bc7xf4. 33 exf6 33 Rxf5 leads to a draw by perpetual check: exf5 34 Qxf5+ Qe6 35 Qh7+ with the next check on h8 or e4. Rxb3 34 Qh7+ Tempting, but 34 Qxb3 was essential. Then Bxf4 35 Bxf4 e5! 36 Bxe5 Ke6 37 Bf4 Kxf6 and Black’s draughty king makes it hard to exploit the material advantage. Kc8 35 f7 Raxa3! 36 f8=Q+ Kb7 The extra queen turns out to be ineffective. 37 Qhg8 Ra1+ 38 Kh2 Rh3+ 39 gxh3 Rh1+ 40 Kg3 Rxh3# 37 f3 g3 38 Kf1 Ra1+ 39 Ke2 Rb2+ White resigns