The first Witney Weekend Congress takes place this weekend at Cokethorpe School.

There are four sections and sizeable cash prizes in each section to give players of all standards something extra to play for. Details of the congress are to be found on the Witney club website: www.witneychess.co.uk

Witney club’s first team are of course County Champions — but, in the final match of the last season, received an unexpected reverse at the hands of City 1. The two teams met again for the first match of this season’s competition and normal service was resumed when Witney ran out 4-2 victors.

Nevertheless it was closer than Witney’s 35 points per board grading advantage would suggest and on board 2 there was a shock result when City’s Philip Hayward (rated 176) defeated Marcus Harvey (227). Now with such a rating disparity one would expect the higher rated player to win every game — but Philip is a dangerous opponent and on this occasion he played a blinder, confounding his opponent and the statisticians to boot.

White: Philip Hayward

Black: Marcus Harvey

1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 Nf6 5.Bb5+ Nbd7 6.d4?! Virtually never played in this position and, since it drops White’s extra pawn for nothing, it’s not hard to see why.

6...Nxd5 7.Nc3 Nxc3 8.bxc3 a6 9.Bd3 Qc7 10.Qb3 Nf6 11.Ba3!? Be6 12.Qa4+ Bd7 13.Qc2 Rc8 14.Ne2 Nd5 15.Rc1 Qa5 16.Qb2 g6 17.0–0 Bh6 18.c4!? A bold move, sacrificing the exchange for a strong initiative.

18...Bxc1 19.Rxc1 Nf6?! Black should play 19...Nb6 20.d5 0–0 21.Bxe7 and then bale out with the combination 21...Nxc4! 22.Bxc4 Rfe8 23.Bb4 Rxe2 24.Bxe2 Rxc1+ 25.Qxc1 Qxb4 20.d5! b5 21.Bxe7! Of course! Now Black’s king will get kicked around the board.

21...Kxe7 22.d6+! Kxd6 23.Qxf6+ Be6 24.Ng3 Qd8?! 24...Rhd8 was better.

25.Ne4+ Kc6 26.Qf3?! But why not 26.cxb5+? For instance 26...Kb6 27.Rxc8 Qxd3 (Worse is 27...Qxc8 28.Qd4+ Ka5 29.bxa6) 28.Rc6+ Kxb5 29.Rc5+ Kb6 30.Qb2+.

26...Kb6 27.Qe3+ Kb7 28.Qg3?! Much better was 28.c5 with the same idea of Nd6+

28...Rc6 29.Nc3? 29.Rb1! was difficult for Black. After Philip’s move, suddenly Black is better.

29...Bf5? Missing 29...Bxc4!

30.Be4 Bd5! 30.cxb5 axb5 31.Bxb5 Rc5 Black has a small material lead — but look at his exposed king!

32.Qf3+ Kb8 33.Rd1?! Stepping out of the pin on the c-file — but to maintain his advantage White had to find the difficult moves

33.Ba6! Qb6 34.Qf4+! Ka7 35.Bf1! threatening 36.Na4 33...Qc7? The counterattacking 33...Qa5 would have left White struggling to find a decent move.

34.Nd5 Qe5? Staying centralised is the automatic response of a good player — but here, it loses, whereas 34...Qa5 would have kept the fight going.

35.Qb3! Threatening 36.Bc6+.

35...Rxd5 36.Bc6+! Anyway!

36...Kc7 37.Qb7+ Kd6 38.Rxd5+ Qxd5 39.Bxd5 1–0