Here are some games from another very successful trip to Leuven. This year we won no money but still enjoyed it. More text to follow but here are some games that I have picked out starting with 3 of my own. Apparently I play the Clemenz Opening but I didn't know that until I checked the database! I must look it up! Anyway, it got me a draw against an FM, even if I suspect he may have been happy to avoid a GM in round 2. But strangly it didn't stop me from getting one in round 2!? My Scandinavian wasn't quite up to the job!

Well done to everyone on the trip anyway, even if we didn't win anything there was good sportsmanship shown by and to our opponents. Appearing in Leuven 2002 were ... Steve Berry (game(s) below), Rik Thomas, John McVicar, Alistair Morton, Graham Brown (game(s) below) Ron Crooks, Baz Dennnis (game(s) below) and last but not least Mark (our leader) 3 from 7 Huba

Hopefully I may get some more games to show you, Rik had a very interesting last round game. I was just about to step in and show that Rik shouldn't have offered a draw when another spectator did it for me, luckily it turned out that Rik was right and the more offered would have put him in trouble!

Please scroll down this page and click the moves to replay the games. Please note that you can also use the forward and back arrows on your keyboard to play the moves.

1. h3 d5 2. e4 2 Nf6 3. exd5 Nxd5 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bc4 Bg7 6. O-O c5 7. Nc3 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Nc6 9. a4 O-O 10. Ba3 Qa5 11. Bb5 a6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Qe2 Qxa4 14. Bxc5 Qxc2 15. Qxe7 Qd3 16. Qc7 Re8 17. Qxc6 Be6 18. Rfe1 Rec8 19. Qd6 Qxd6 20. Bxd6 a5 A pawn down he offers a draw. It's the first round and he might want to avoid the 5 GMs! And he doesn't know that my endgame technique is terrible, I agree instantly! After all he is over 350 elo points higher than me. But it doesn't save me from getting a GM in the nextround! 1/2-1/2

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Nxd5 4. Nf3 Bf5 5. Be2 e6 6. O-O Be7 7. a3 O-O 8. c4 Nf6 9. Be3 h6 10. Nc3 c6 11. Qb3 Qc7 12. h3 Nbd7 13. Rac1 Ne4 14. Rfd1 Nxc3 15. Rxc3 Bf6 16. Rcc1 Qb6 17. Qa2 Rfd8 18. b4 Nf8 19. Bf4 Rd7 20. c5 Qd8 21. Bd6 a6 22. Ne5 Bxe5 23. dxe5 Ng6 24. Qb3 Nf4 25. Bf1 Qg5 26. Rc3 Nd5 27. Rg3 Qh5 28. Rd4 Kh8 29. Qb2 g5 30. a4 Rdd8 31. b5 axb5 32. axb5 Nf4 33. Rb3 Nd5 34. g4 Qh4 35. gxf5 Nf4 36. Rdb4 Rg8 37. Be7 Qh5 38. Bf6+ Kh7 39. fxe6 fxe6 40. bxc6 1-0

1. h3 d5 2. e4 d4 3. Bc4 e5 4. Nf3 Bd6 5. d3 Nf6 6. O-O O-O 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 Nbd7 9. Nbd2 c6 10. Nh2 Be7 11. Bg3 Qc7 12. Bb3 b5 13. a4 Nc5 14. axb5 cxb5 15. f4 exf4 16. Bxf4 Bd6 17. Bxd6 Qxd6 18. Qf3 Be6 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20. Qe2 e5 21. Rf5 Ne6 22. g3 a6 23. Raf1 Nd7 24. Ng4 Kh7 25. Nf3 g6 26. Qd2 g5 27. Nxh6 Kxh6 28. Nxg5 Kg7 29. Nf7 Rxf7 30. Rxf7+ Kg6 31. h4 Rh8 32. Qe2 Rxh4 33. gxh4 Nf4 34. R7xf4 exf4 35. Qg4+ Kh7 36. Kh1 Resigns 1-0

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. O-O Ne7 6. d3 Ng6 7. Ng5 White wants to play 8 f4 with a flexible position. Black's next stops this 7... e5 8. Qh5 So that 8 .. h6 9 Nxf7 Kxf7 10 f4 would be strong for White. 8... Qf6 9. Nxh7 I am really not certain if I would risk this move again. It takes a long time to win the trapped knight, but Black seems to possess plenty of this most valuable of all commodities. 9... Qd6 10. Nc3 Ba6 In view of what happens later, 10.. Bb7 may be an important improvement here. 11. f4 exf4 12. Ne2 O-O-O 13. Nxf4 Nxf4 14. Bxf4 Qd4+ 15. Kh1 g6 16. Qh4 Qg7 Kogan had flicked out all his moves at blitz-clip. It was only after my next that he really began to think. Too late! 17. Qe1! The threat of 18 Qa5 saves the day threatening mate and the bishop on a6. The bishop on f4 handily prevents mate on h2 17... Kb7 18. Ng5 c4 A blunder which makes White's task easier. After 19 Qa5 White has an additional threat of 19 Be5. 19. Qa5 Be7 20. Nxf7 Qxf7 21. Qc7+ Ka8 22. Be3 Rxh2+ 23. Kxh2 Qh7+ 24. Kg1 Bb7 25. Rf3 c5 26. Raf1 Qh4 Black struggles on. White was actually threatening to win on the spot with 27 Rf8! 27. Bxc5 Rc8 28. Bxe7 Qxe7 29. Qa5 This drags out the game. Simply 29 Rf7 would be quicker 29... a6 30. Rf7 Qd6 31. Qc3 cxd3 32. Qxd3 Qb6+ 33. R1f2 Bc6 34. c3 Re8 35. Qd4 Qb8 36. Rxd7 In time trouble White transposes into an easily won rook ending. Kogan drags it on to the very death, but that is his prerogative. 36... Bxd7 37. Qxd7 Qb5 38. Qxb5 axb5 39. Re2 Kb7 40. Kf2 Kc6 41. Ke3 Kc5 42. Rd2 Ra8 43. a3 Re8 44. Rd4 Rf8 45. a4 bxa4 46. Rxa4 Rf1 47. Ra5+ Kc4 48. Rg5 Rb1 49. Rxg6 Rxb2 50. g4 Rg2 51. g5 Kxc3 52. Rc6+ Kb4 53. Kf4 Kb5 54. Rc1 Kb6 55. Kf5 Rf2+ 56. Ke6 Rg2 57. Kf6 Rf2+ 58. Kg7 Re2 59. g6 Rxe4 60. Kg8 Rg4 61. g7 Rg2 62. Rh1 Kc7 63. Kh7 Rh2+ 64. Rxh2 1-0

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Nh4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qb6 8. h3 Bh5 9. g4 Bg6 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. Be2 Nbd7 12. Bd2 Be7 13. cxd5 exd5 14. f3 O-O-O 15. Qc2 Qc7 16. O-O-O Rhe8 17. Kb1 Nf8 18. a3 Ne6 19. Ka2 Bd6 20. h4 Re7 21. Rc1 Kb8 22. b4 a6 23. Qb2 Qb6 24. Bd3 Nc7 25. Na4 Qa7 26. Nc5 Rde8 27. Rc3 Nd7 28. Rb3 Nxc5 29. bxc5 Bg3 30. Rb1 Ne6 31. Ba5 Nd8 32. Bb6 Qa8 33. e4 Kc8 34. h5 g5 35. e5 Ne6 36. Bf5 Bf4 37. Ba5 Rh8 38. Bb6 g6 39. hxg6 Rh2 40. gxf7 1-0

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 Bd6 4. Bd3 f5 5. Nbd2 Nd7 6. c4 c6 7. Rb1 Ngf6 8. b4 a6 9. a4 Ne4 10. Qb3 O-O 11. O-O Rf6 12. b5 Rh6 13. Ba3 Bxh2+ 14. Nxh2 Qh4 15. Ndf3 Qh5 16. Qc2 Ng5 17. Bd6 e5 18. Rfe1 Nxf3+ 19. gxf3 Qxh2+ 20. Kf1 Qh3+ 21. Ke2 e4 22. fxe4 fxe4 23. Bxe4 dxe4 24. Bg3 Nf6 25. bxc6 bxc6 26. Rb6 Qh5+ 27. Kd2 Qa5+ 28. Kc1 Qxb6 29. Rg1 Bf5 30. Bf4 Rh5 31. Be5 Rf8 32. Qe2 g6 33. Qa2 Rf7 34. d5 cxd5 35. cxd5 Qc5+ 36. Kb2 Nxd5 37. Rc1 Qb4+ 38. Ka1 Be6 39. Rb1 Qe7 40. Qb2 Rxe5 41. Qxe5 Qa3# 0-1

C44: Ponziani Opening and Scotch Gambit

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 d6 4. d4 Qe7 5. d5 Nb8 6. Bg5 Nf6 7. Bd3 h6 8. Bh4 g6 9. c4 Bg7 10. Nc3 O-O 10... Na6 11. Rb1 11. O-O Nbd7 12. b4 12. Nd2 g5 13. Bg3 c5 12... g5 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. Ne2 14. Nd2 Nxg3 15. fxg3 Nf6 14... Nf4 15. Bc2 a5 16. b5 White wins space 16... Nf6 17. Nd2 h5 18. f3 Secures g4 18... h4 Black gets more space 19. Be1 19. Bf2 Nd7 19... N6h5 19... h3 20. g3 Ng2 20. g3??

gives the opponent new chances 20. Nc3!? should be investigated more closely 20... Nh3+?? forfeits the advantage 20... Nxe2+ a shame that Black overlooked this excellent chance 21. Qxe2 Bh3 21. Kg2 g4 21... hxg3 22. hxg3 g4 23. Rh1 22. Ng1 22. gxh4!? is interesting 22... f5 23. exf5 gxf3+ 24. Nxf3 (24. Kxh3?? the knight mustn't be touched 24... e4 25. Bxe4 Rxf5 26. Rxf3 Rg5+ 27. Bf5 Rxf5) (24. Rxf3?! N5f4+ 25. Kh1 Bxf5 26. Bxf5 Rxf5) 24... Bxf5 25. Bxf5 N5f4+ 26. Nxf4 Nxf4+ 27. Kh1 Rxf5 28. Ng5 22... hxg3 23. fxg4? 23. hxg3

would allow White to play on 23... Ng5 24. Qe2 23... N3f4+ 24. Kf3?? terrible, but what else could White do to save the game? 24. Rxf4 Nxf4+ 25. Kxg3 24... gxh2 25. Ne2 Qg5 26. gxh5 Bg4+ 0-1