In the top division of the Chiltern League last Saturday, Oxfordshire overcame a narrow rating disadvantage to defeat Hampshire by 10.5 to 9.5.

At the halfway point in the season Oxfordshire are second in the table to Buckinghamshire to whom they suffered an away defeat in November — but Oxfordshire have a chance of taking the title by beating Buckinghamshire in February’s home fixture.


Less than a month ago popular grandmaster Simon Williams was losing badly to Oxford’s Marcus Harvey in a Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) match.


True to style, Simon threw everything at Marcus, but the Oxford star held firm and won convincingly.
Simon’s gung-ho style doesn’t always work at longer time limits — such as the 4NCL — but at rapid-play, it’s deadly.


At the London Super Rapid-play Open last weekend where many of the best players in the world were contesting a large prize-fund with jobbing grandmasters and amateurs alike, Simon outshone many of the world’s chess superstars to finish equal third behind Hikaru Nakamura and Anish Giri.
Here is his superb final round defeat of an elite grandmaster.


White: Simon Williams
Black: Loek Van Wely


1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 Bb4 6.Bxc4!? A very dangerous gambit. More usual is  6.Bg5 and after 6...c5 7.Bxc4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Qa5 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.Bxf6 gxf6 (11...Qxc3+? 12.Kf1!) 12.Qb3 White has a slight edge.


6...Nxe4 7.0–0 In for a penny, in for a pound, White gambits another pawn.


7...Bxc3!? After 7...Nxc3 8.bxc3 Bxc3 9.Rb1 White has a dangerous-looking lead in development — but nothing is clear.


8.bxc3 0–0 9.Qd3 Nf6 The computers prefer the alternative retreat 9...Nd6 — but after 10.Bb3 Nc6 11.Bc2 g6 12.Bh6 Re8 13.Rfe1 White’s attack looks well on course.


10.Bg5 Nbd7 11.Rfe1 b6 12.Ne5 Nxe5!? 13.Rxe5 c5?! Black should probably get in the move 13...h6 before taking twice on h6 is an option. After 14.Bh4 Bb7 15.Bb3 c5 16.Bc2 Re8 Black’s king can run to e7 if necessary.


14.Qh3! Abandoning another pawn — but dare Black take it?


14...cxd4?! Van Wely does dare — but  14...h5!? was a better choice.


15.Bd3 h5!? 16.Bh7+!! A great shot and Williams must have been excited when he spotted this one.


16...Kxh7 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 18.Rxh5+ Qh6 19.Rxh6+ gxh6 20.Qd3+ Kg8 21.Qxd4! Much better than taking with the pawn because it’s important not to allow Black’s bishop to settle on d5.


21...Ba6 22.Rd1 Rac8 23.Qf6! The attack continues. Black has nearly enough for the queen — but his king’s position is fatally weak.


23...Be2 24.Rd2 Bh5 25.Qxh6 Bg6 26.h4 Solving his back rank issues and molesting the bishop.


26...Rxc3 27.h5 Bf5 28.Qf6! Not walking in to  28.g4? Bxg4 29.Qg5+ Kh7 30.Qxg4? Rg8 when it’s Black who wins.


28...Rc4 29.f3 Missing the prettier finish  29.h6! Rg4 30.Rd4 Rg6 31.h7+


29...Kh7 30.Rd7 Rc1+ 31.Kh2 Rc2 32.h6 1–0.