Irish Senior Championship 2004 - Round 4

The young Kilkennyman does it again ! I'm afraid I don't have the game yet, maybe tomorrow, but what a start for Karl Mc Phillips.

Please note that the result of Quinn-Healy game has been corrected and the standings adjusted accordingly.

Round 4 Results

 1 JOHN A. JOYCE    [2.5]    0:1    KARL Mc PHILLIPS [3]  
 2 GAWAIN JONES FM  [2]      1:0    PHILIP SHORT FM  [2]  
 3 MARK ORR IM      [2]      1/2    JOSEF MUDRAK FM  [2]  
 4 STEPHEN BRADY FM [2]      0:1    JOE RYAN FM      [2]  
 5 EDMUND SOH       [1.5]    0:1    STEPHEN JESSEL   [1.5]
 6 ANTHONY FOX      [1.5]    1/2    PAUL WALLACE     [1.5]
 7 GORDON FREEMAN   [1]      1/2    KEVIN WHITE      [1.5]
 8 PAUL WALSH       [1]      1/2    EAMON KEOGH      [1]  
 9 RORY QUINN       [.5]     1:0    TOM HEALY        [1]  
10 RAY BYRNE        [0]      1/2    ALAN BEVERIDGE   [.5]

Standings after Round 4

Place Name             Rtg  Score M-Buch.

  1   KARL Mc PHILLIPS 2172  4.0  4.5
 2-3  GAWAIN JONES     2453  3.0  4.5
      JOE RYAN         2294  3.0  3.5
 4-7  MARK ORR         2338  2.5  5.0
      JOHN JOYCE       2271  2.5  5.0
      JOSEF MUDRAK     2391  2.5  4.0
      STEPHEN JESSEL   2238  2.5  4.0
8-12  STEPHEN BRADY    2365  2.0  5.0
      PHILIP SHORT     2298  2.0  4.5
      ANTHONY FOX      2123  2.0  4.0
      PAUL WALLACE     2171  2.0  3.5
      KEVIN WHITE      2062  2.0  3.5
13-17 GORDON FREEMAN   2066  1.5  4.5
      EDMUND SOH       2049  1.5  4.5
      PAUL WALSH       2012  1.5  4.0
      EAMON KEOGH      2122  1.5  2.5
      RORY QUINN       2047  1.5  2.5
18-19 TOM HEALY        1902  1.0  3.5
      ALLAN BEVERIDGE  2138  1.0  3.0
 20   RAY BYRNE        1941  0.5  3.0

Philip Short went down to Gawain Jones, an uncharacteristic one move blunder when swapping into a complex ending was the killer. While Mark Orr was sharing the point with our visitor from the Czech Republic, Joe Ryan was inflicting a second consecutive defeat on the defending champion. This was an impressive looking game but Stephen was far below his best.

(30) Brady,S - Ryan,J [C06]
Irish Championship (4), 2004
[ Gerry Graham and Fritz 8 on a very powerful computer ! ]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.c3 c5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Ne2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 Nxf6 10.Nf3 Bd6 11.0-0 Qc7 12.g3 0-0 13.Bf4 Ng4 14.Rc1 Bxf4 15.Nxf4 15...Rxf4! Fritz 8 also likes this move, a sure sign that it's tactically sound. 16.gxf4 Qxf4 17.Be2








This is not the first time Joe has had this position, as White in this position, GM Bogdan Lalic sensed the danger and offered Joe a draw at the Monarch Assurance in 2001. 17...Bd7 18.Qd2 Rf8 19.Qxf4 Rxf4 20.Rfd1 Nh6! Heading for the weak d4 pawn. 21.Kg2 [Fritz prefers 21.Rc3 and expects 21...Nf5 22.Bb5 and now Joe's second exchange sac is not as good, i.e. 22...Rxf3 23.Bxc6!] 21...Nf5 22.Bb5??








The decisive mistake which allows the sac to which I've already mentioned. Again using Fritz, we discover a better path, i.e. [22.Bd3 Nfxd4 23.Nxd4 Rxd4 (23...Nxd4 24.Rc7!=) 24.Rxc6!=] 22...Rxf3! After this, White is in serious trouble. 23.Kxf3 [23.Bxc6 is no help, 23...Nh4+! 24.Kf1 Bxc6µ] 23...Nfxd4+ 24.Rxd4?! After this, Joe finishes Stephen off with surgical precision. [Fritz would have tried 24.Ke3 Nxb5 25.f4 leaving a very unusual material balance but Black is surely still winning here.] 24...Nxd4+ 25.Kf4 Bxb5 26.Rc7 Bc6 27.Ke5 Nf3+ 28.Kxe6 h6 29.b4 d4 30.Rc8+ Kh7 31.Rd8 Be4 32.Kd6 d3 33.Kc7 Nxh2 34.Rd4 Nf3 0-1