Hull – a Place Where Even the Lord Mayor Plays Chess!

by Keith Arkell

Mark Collinson - Jim Burnett
British 65+ Championship 2024, Hull

‘I don't play chess, but I do play draughts’ explained many a mayor during their British Championship opening speeches down the years. At Hull this year, however, the Lord Mayor not only played chess, but did so very capably. In this game Councillor Mark Collinson, Lord Mayor of Hull, played a splendid attacking game in the first round of the 65+ Championship to down a seasoned player often graded around 200 in old money.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c6 4.g3 Nf6 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.Nc3 Nbd7

8.Nd2 Moves such as 8 b3 or 8 Qd3 are seen more often, but this is a perfectly acceptable method of supporting the e4-break.

8...b6 Perhaps a little too compliant, whereas 8...Qb6 or the more direct 8...b5! would have asked more questions of White.

9.e4 Bb7 10.e5 Ne8 11.cxd5 cxd5

12.f4 I might have begun mobilising my pieces on the kingside with 12 Nf3, but there is also something to be said for this direct pawn assault.

 12…Nc7 13.Nf3 b5 14.Be3 Nb6 15.b3 b4 16.Ne2 a5 17.g4 Qd7

Understandably played to cover the f5-square.

18.f5!? But Mark ploughs on regardless! They say Caissa,  the goddess of chess, favours the bold, and this attacking pawn sacrifice is not  so easy to handle.

18...exf5 19.gxf5

19…f6? This is a far from ideal reaction to the sacrifice. Grabbing the pawn looks a bit scary, but Black should be fine after 19...Qxf5 20 Nh4 Qd7 21 Nf5 Ne6.

20.e6 Qb5 21.Nf4 a4 Jim is probably  not yet losing, but it's hard to find a long term solution to his  uncomfortable king's position.

22.Rb1 axb3 23.axb3 Nc8 24.Nh4 Nd6

25.Qg4

Aiming at g7.

25...Ne4? The last chance was to bring all hands on deck with 25...  Rfd8, in order to defend g7 with ...Bf8 and ...Ne8.

26.Bxe4 dxe4 27.Nh5 Ne8 28.Bh6

1–0