Chess
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Your support makes all the difference.AFTER THEIR 1-3 drubbing in round two of the European Team Championship in Batumi at the hands of the young, star-less Russian team, England's men recovered on Wednesday to beat Slovakia 3-1. Nigel Short beat Igor Stohl, Lubomir Ftacnik drew with your correspondent, John Emms drew with Tomas Balogh and Mikulas Manik lost to Murray Chandler.
Leader board: Armenia 9.5 (from 12); Hungary 8.5; Bulgaria 8.0; Belarus, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Ukraine 7.5; England, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland 7.0; Croatia 6.5; Azerbaijan, Georgia, Israel 6.0; Scotland 3.5; Ireland 2.0 (36 teams).
England's women's team has beaten Scotland and drawn with Greece and Bosnia/ Herzegovina. Standings are: Yugoslavia 5.0 (from six games); Bulgaria, Georgia, Georgia II, Poland 4.5; Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Ukraine 4; England, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Russia, Armenia, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain 3.5; Scotland 2.0 (also 36 teams).
Leaders in the Onyx Grand Prix are: Grand Prix: Julian Hodgson 200.0, Keith Arkell 194.7, Mark Hebden 193.7, Bogdan Lalic 190.7, Jim Plaskett 189.3, Aaron Summerscale 188.8, Danny Gormally 181.7. Prixette: Jovanka Houska 78.5, Heather Richards 60.5, Jessie Gilbert 57.6, Harriet Hunt 57.2. Junior: Simon Williams 82.0, Jovanka Houska 78.5, Nicholas Pert 77.9. The climax will coincide with the Islington congress, 18-19 December. Det- ails: A. Duncan, 0171-226 5976.
In my third-round game with the little-charted ...b6 defence to the English 7 ...f5 could be met with 8 exf5 Nxf5 9 Be4. Interesting alternatives are 9 a3 Bxc3 10 dxc3, 14 h4 and 17 ...Qa4. 22 ...f5, though it concedes that the e4 square is the only active plan. 27 g4!? Bh7 28 Bxe7 Qxe7 29 g5! hxg5 29 Rg2 would have needed careful handling.
White: Lubomir Ftacnik
Black: Jonathan Speelman
English ...b6
1 c4 b6
2 Nc3 Bb7
3 e4 e6
4 Nf3 Bb4
5 Bd3 Ne7
6 0-0 0-0
7 Re1 Ng6
8 Bc2 Nc6
9 d4 Na5
10 Bd3 Ba6
11 Qe2 c5
12 d5 Bxc3
13 bxc3 e5
14 Bg5 f6
15 Be3 d6
16 g3 Qd7
17 Nd2 Rad8
18 a4 Bc8
19 f3 Qe7
20 Rf1 Bh3!?
21 Rf2 Qd7
See diagram
22 Kh1 f5!?
23 exf5 Bxf5
24 Ne4 Kh8
25 Bc2 Ne7
26 Bg5!? h6
27 Bd2 Bh7
28 Raf1 Ng8
29 g4 Nf6
30 g5 hxg5
31 Bxg5 Nxe4
32 fxe4 Rxf2
33 Rxf2 Ra8
34 Qh5! Kg8
35 Bd3 Qxa4!?
36 Qf7+ Kh8
37 Bh6 Qd1+
38 Rf1 Qg4
39 Rg1 Bxe4+
40 Bxe4 Qxe4+
41 Rg2 Qe1 1/2-1/2
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