Sussex Young Masters June 1999

Charlie Linford has won the first Sussex Young Masters tournament at a play-off during the training event at Cuckfield on Saturday 19th June.

Charlie, and Nicholas Campion the other finalist, had each won one long play game in the final, and the winner had to be decided in a series of rapid play games.

Charlie has written an account of the event:-

"The semi-final against Theo Penty was incredibly tense. The two of us had never played before, and were both nervous as to what the result would be. The first game (Theo had white) was a hard fought battle, eventually ending up in a 55 move draw. In a London System Queen Pawn, Theo appeared happy to sit back and let me direct the pace. However, despite a few strong positions, I could not break through. On move 20, Theo offered a draw, a fair reflection on his slightly inferior position. After declining this, my position got worse as I tried to force my way through to Theo's king. However, a series of inferior moves up to move 23 left me offering the draw after a Queen exchange.

Theo, however, correctly gauged that his position was now better and refused. He won a pawn on move 27 and things looked bleak. After the time control I was forced to give up the exchange for a pawn to release the pressure. By move 38 my position was looking more hopeful, with a bishop and pawn for the rook. On move 49 it even looked like I might win, but an impressive pawn sacrifice by Theo (who was in mild time trouble, I might add) gave him an easy draw.

The stage was set for the return match. In a Caro-Kann, I chose a lesser known side-line. The suprise caught out Theo, and I snatched a hot pawn on move 9. To keep the pawn, I would have to face Theo's Queen-Side onslaught. After a magnificent attempt by Theo, he was unlucky to reach the double rook ending a pawn down. However, the saying "Rook endings a pawn up are drawn, rook endings a pawn down are lost" was telling, and after recouping the pawn on move 38, the game was drawn.

There was now the confusion of the rapidplays. After phoning Jonathan Tuck, we decided to play 15 minute rapids, with the time being reduced by two minutes every two games. Then came mayhem. The initiative swung back and forth, material was tossed about like juggling balls and no-one capitalised until game three. There, instead of replying to 1.e4 with 1...c6, Theo varied to 1...e5. I received an opening I knew inside out and won a rook. Still the drama continued. In a confusion of where Theo's bishop was, I placed my rook en prise. However, at lightning speed Theo missed it. Eventually, I converted my advantage into a winning endgame. Theo, the unlucky but gallant loser, resigned. I, in the most dramatic of circumstances, was through to meet Nick Campion in the final.

Playing Nick Campion was a very different experience. Whereas Theo and I had never played each other, Nick and I had met in the group stages. There, Nick had beaten me after a bad game on my part. The final was going to be played solely at my house. Had it been the World Championship, Nick would surely have complained on grounds of a home advantage...

Any game between Nick and myself so far has been decided by cheap tricks or tactics. The final game in which Nick was white was no exception. In an Nimzo-Indian (with 4.Bd2 if anyone is interested), I made a horrendous blunder on move 10, forcing me to give up my queen for two minor pieces. Just as I was thinking of my excuses, I realised that Nick was unlikely to shed material to reach a better position. He was more likely to adopt the "monkey have, monkey hold" approach. So, on this basis I decided to stake everything on a do or die attack. I made annoying threats and by move 16 his king was stranded, with the rooks defending insignificant pawns.

By move 21, I was revitalised by the winning of a pawn and the attacking positions of my pieces. With rooks on the central open files, a bishop on the a1-h8 diagonal and a knight on the 7th rank, I decided the time was right for the attack. By move 25, Nick's king had ended up on g5, unable to retreat or advance. After making a last ditch attempt to save his queen, the other half of the monarchy was executed by a bishop switchback to c8. A 28 move victory, and once again in unusual circumstances.

With white for the next game, the outlook was good. In theory, all I needed was a draw and the title was mine. Of course, in practice, Nick was still an excellent player. In a Scotch Game, my position was easily good enough for a draw. However, lax thinking in an attempt to simplify an endgame further fell to a painful pin. Suddenly, I was a bishop down, and Nick's excellent technique did the rest.

The rapidplays, as most people already know, were played at Warden Park School. The first game (with Nick as white) was a Nimzo-Indian as before, but this time I had done my homework. In the middlegame, I won the exchange with a crude knight fork and drove home the advantage in an ending.

The second rapid was a Scotch Game again, but here sloppy play led me to lose two pawns and eventually Nick reached an ending with rook and two pawns against rook. Here though, the most sickening thing happened to Nick. He glanced at his clock and saw he had just under five minutes left. For the ending we were in, it was plenty of time. That's the theory. In practice, though, we all know that the majority of chess players (myself included) panic when their flag starts to rise. A cheap trap set by myself led Nick into quick play and missing a skewer on his king and rook. In absolute disgust, Nick resigned. Once again, cheap tactics carried the day.

Both Theo and Nick were excellent sportsmen and accepted their defeats with grace. I am sure they will have better luck next year.

Charlie Linford."