Chessable White Rose 4NCL

Excited to announce @chessable as our new sponsor! Thank you for supporting the UK chess community, and here's to bigger and greater things ahead! chessable.com/blog/2020/01/1…

The British Championships featured four 2600+ players at the top end. @chessable White Rose’s Gawain Jones @GMGawain emerged victorious, beating David Howell in playoffs after both finished on 7/9. Honourable mentions to 6th= @GMPeteWells, Yichen Han and @richardpalliser on 6/9.

Our new course 64 Chess Concepts You Should Really Know has just been published by @chessable! Presented by @Jonathan_Rowson and written by @richardpalliser and @JonathanArnott, currently a bargain price: just £19.99 (£59.98 inc video). Suitable up to 1800 chessable.com/64-chess-conce…

We’re excited for the course release - and what a superb performance by @GMGawain this weekend! To score 3/3 when the opposition faced includes Shirov and Adams is no mean feat.

Many Congratulations 🎈🎈for norms during the 4NCL season: (Name, Fed, Norm): Hamish Olson, SCO, IM; Zoe Varney @Zoe_chess , ENG, WIM; Samuel Chow, AUS, IM; William Claridge-Hansen, ENG, IM; John Richardson, ENG, IM; Martin Taylor, ENG, IM

@CelticTigersCC @Oxford4NCL No, you really don’t want to do that.

But seriously @Oxford4NCL congrats today. I guess you want us to do you a favour and try to beat @WhiteRoseChess 2? 😅

Ffs Oxford….

Great individual news for Sam Chow, who (we believe) has just secured an IM norm with his draw against Rasmus Svane.

Wouldn’t be a final @4NCL weekend without some huge matchups, and it doesn’t come much bigger than a clash between two of England’s finest: @chessable White Rose’s Gawain Jones @gmgawain against Wood Green’s Michael Adams @MickeyAdamsGM. Playing right now: lichess.org/broadcast/4ncl…

The Sheffield International Open and Masters will take place April 10-14. All welcome in the Open. Space for 1-2 final players for the Masters: average FIDE c.2335+ for a 6/9 norm event or c.2160+ for a 6.5/9 norm event. Contact for norm seekers: sheffieldchessinternational.uk

We may not have had the best of weekends at the last @4NCL team event, but at least the top two names on this list - @GMPeteWells and Paul Townsend - have something in common…

Superb comprehensive win for Sam Chow on top board for the second team against the talented Scottish junior Frederick Waldhausen Gordon, putting WR2 1-0 up against Alba. lichess.org/broadcast/4ncl…

Some tough matchups today in the @4NCL. Important matches for both teams.

Harry Li holds a draw with Black for @chessable White Rose 2 against IM Tom Rendle. Two draws in the WR1-Oxford match, still nothing decisive so far but we're heading towards the time control.

Black played 15...Kf8 in the end, presumably in view of 15...Bd7 16.Bxe5! - White would get too much for the queen if 16...Bxa4? Instead 16...Bxe5 17.Qxd7+ Qxd7 18.Nxd7 Kxd7 19.Rxf7+ Ke8, and the opposite-coloured bishops ending is unpleasant for Black.

Interesting position here in the game between @GMPeteWells and David Zakarian: if Black plays 15...Bd7, how should White respond?

Sam Chow’s 24…Qe2 (theory runs deep these days) looks like it might be a prepared novelty? Into the endgame after just 20 minutes against Harry Grieve. White captured on c3. lichess.org/broadcast/4ncl…

1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Ne5!? is a very safe White approach against the Caro Kann, aiming for a minuscule edge with zero risk. @GMJohnEmms has responded 4…Nc6. All games live: lichess.org/broadcast/4ncl…

Despite various transport issues, logistics all resolved just in time and we’re underway in Division 1 of the @4NCL. Best of luck to Oxford and @GSharks4NCL for, hopefully, some hard-fought games ahead.

Pairings up. For WR1, Daniel Alsina Leal and @GMJohnEmms come into the team, whilst WR2 strengthen with Adam Ashton, Paul Townsend and Lisa Kisteneva. The @GSharks4NCL team look daunting, though missing Kamila. Tough match ahead!

Pairings up soon for this weekend’s @4NCL fixtures. The @chessable White Rose first team faces Oxford, whilst the second team has a tough task against a strong Sharks side.

Another hard-fought match, but another win to keep up the third team's 100% record in @4NCL Division 3 Bishops. Only going to get tougher from here for WR3...we'll be underdogs in February! Now on to the Division 1 matches for WR1/WR2 Jan 13th/14th.