Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Saved by the bell

An incident from the last 4NCL weekend:

White has built up a promising position and is closing in on the Black king, no doubt confident of impending victory.

Black, the higher-rated player, realises the danger and using the old adage, a wing attack should be countered by play in the centre, plays:

16. ... f6??   This is a fatal weakening, better to wait it out and try to swap further material with 16. ... Ba6.   17.   h5!   Threatening 18.   Ng6+   hxg6   19.   hxg6+   Kg8   20.   Rh8+!   Kxh8   21.   Qh3+   Kg8   22.   Qh7 mate.

17. ... Qf7   The best Black can expect is to emerge the exchange down.   18.   Ng6+   Kg8   19.   Nxf8   Nxf8   20.   h6

White has a significant advantage now and is patiently waiting to see how Black intends to continue the struggle...

However, White is suddenly lost 0-1.

How did that happen?

Black was saved by the bell, White's phone to be precise; it rang and White lost!

We all know we have to turn off phones before a match; the tournament controller may even remind everyone of this.   However that doesn't guarantee that it will happen.   Fortunately it didn’t affect the result of the match.   White’s team won convincingly without his help.



5 comments:

  1. Anonymous8 April 2014 at 21:57

    and that is why you shouldn't have your phone in an important match like the 4NCL. It should have been kept in somewhere like a suitcase in your or someone's car or at reception!

    Chris D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous10 April 2014 at 22:43

    His captain should have warned him!
    ;-P
    TL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bob Jones11 April 2014 at 20:28

      Wonder who his captain was...??

      Delete
    2. David Green12 April 2014 at 19:31

      Hi All,

      It is not the captain's job to tell his players to follow the rules of chess although a general reminder to silence mobile telephones should be given to all players before the start of play.

      I cannot understand why some people are so addicted to their mobile telephones that they cannot turn them off for the short period of a 4NCL match.

      The penalty is well known having been applied at Grandmaster level.

      If need be it takes just a few seconds to remove the battery from a mobile phone and then there is no chance of it making any form of noise whatever.

      So the player had a won game and then threw it away by his own disregard for good chess ettiuette
      .
      I hope his captain gave him a good slice of tongue pie!.

      David Green

      Delete
    3. Bob Jones12 April 2014 at 22:13

      He was the captain...

      Delete
    Reply
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