Williamson Shield

The Williamson Shield was first presented in 1904 by an expatriate Ulsterman, H.B. Williamson, while home for an extended visit from his adopted country New Zealand. The first actual competition for the Shield had to wait until 1912 and only two further championships took place before the Great War intervened.

A second series started in 1923 but ended in 1929 with the demise of Strandtown Chess Club, the club to whom the Shield had been presented. Competition for the Shield resumed in 1945, now under the auspices of the Ulster Chess Union and has continued for a further 70 years.

The story of the early years is told in our feature article Williamson Shield 1904-1914.

I have also listed all the winners of the Williamson Shield in our Competition Record

Missed opportunity at the Ulster Masters

The live coverage of the Ulster Championship Congress proved a great success. The Ulster Chess Union has brought out all the technology again for the Ulster Masters this weekend. After technical problems defeated coverage of Round 1 on Saturday morning, normal service was restored in the afternoon with six games online, plus webcam and results.

One of the pleasures of watching the live games is to put the moves into an engine and bask in "your" superiority to those playing the games by seeing something they missed!

[Event "Ulster Masters 2015"] [Site "Belfast"] [Date "2015.10.18"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Lavery, Robert"] [Black "Leitch, Calum"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B00"] [Annotator "McAlister"] [PlyCount "24"] [EventDate "2015.10.17"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "NIR"] [WhiteClock "1:12:12"] [BlackClock "0:51:11"] 1. e4 a6 {Looks like a beginner's move, but better than its appearance.} 2. d4 d5 ({The most common continuation here is} 2... b5 {as in the sensational win by the English No.1 over the World Champion at the 1980 European Team Championship:} 3. Nf3 Bb7 4. Bd3 Nf6 5. Qe2 e6 6. a4 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Nbd2 b4 9. e5 Nd5 10. Ne4 Be7 11. O-O Nc6 12. Bd2 Qc7 13. c4 bxc3 14. Nxc3 Nxc3 15. Bxc3 Nb4 16. Bxb4 Bxb4 17. Rac1 Qb6 18. Be4 O-O 19. Ng5 h6 20. Bh7+ Kh8 21. Bb1 Be7 22. Ne4 Rac8 23. Qd3 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Qxb2 25. Re1 Qxe5 26. Qxd7 Bb4 27. Re3 Qd5 28. Qxd5 Bxd5 29. Nc3 Rc8 30. Ne2 g5 31. h4 Kg7 32. hxg5 hxg5 33. Bd3 a5 34. Rg3 Kf6 35. Rg4 Bd6 36. Kf1 Be5 37. Ke1 Rh8 38. f4 gxf4 39. Nxf4 Bc6 40. Ne2 Rh1+ 41. Kd2 Rh2 42. g3 Bf3 43. Rg8 Rg2 44. Ke1 Bxe2 45. Bxe2 Rxg3 46. Ra8 Bc7 {0-1 Karpov,A-Miles,A: Skara 1980}) ({If you're looking for something really provocative, then try} 2... h6 {which another top English GM (and ironically a noted opening theoretician) tried out on his return to chess after retiring to an ordinary work-life:} 3. Bd3 c5 4. dxc5 e6 5. Be3 Qc7 6. b4 Nc6 7. c3 d6 8. cxd6 Bxd6 9. Nf3 Nf6 10. h3 g5 11. a3 g4 12. Nd4 Ne5 13. Be2 Nxe4 14. hxg4 Bd7 15. g5 O-O-O 16. gxh6 Bc6 17. Nxc6 Qxc6 18. Qb3 Bc7 19. a4 Ng3 20. fxg3 Qxg2 21. Rf1 Nd3+ 22. Bxd3 Rxd3 {0-1 Van Oosterom,C-Sadler,M: Haarlem 2010}) 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. f3 exf3 5. Qxf3 ({Sacrificing not one but two pawns. I would have expected} 5. Nxf3 {which would be similar to a reasonably respectable gambit against the Caro-Kann: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.f3 exf3 5.Nf3}) 5... Qxd4 6. Be3 Qb4 7. O-O-O Bg4 {Oops! Looks like White is going to lose the exchange, but in fact Black's move should lose.} 8. a3 ({The players had been moving quickly up to here and in so doing missed a tactical shot. Counter-attacking the opposing queen is the right idea, but this is the wrong method. Correct was} 8. Nd5 $1 {threatening both Nc7 checkmate and the Black queen - plus Qxg4 winning the bishop if he loses the protection from his queen. The best try is} e6 {but then} 9. Nxc7+ Ke7 10. Qf2 $1 {(threatening Bc5+ forking king and queen)} Nd7 {and now} 11. Rd4 $1 {allowing White to capture the a8-rook.}) 8... Bxf3 9. axb4 Bxd1 10. Nd5 Kd7 11. Kxd1 e6 12. Nf4 Bxb4 { Black is the exchange and three pawns up and he went on to win without any further alarms.} 0-1

John Moles 1949-2015

The Irish Chess Union website has reported the sudden passing of John Moles, one of the greats of Ulster and Irish chess. He won the Irish Championship in 1966 at the tender age of 16 and came first in just about every tournament of note in Ireland before retiring from competitive chess in the late 1970s.

I have put together a "Player Profile" of Moles, containing a photograph of him at the 1966 Irish championship, a list of his major achievements and 12 significant games.

He was a notable expert on the French Defence and authored the seminal work "French Defence Main Line Winawer" (Batsford, 1975). Below is a game (with Moles' own annotations) where he played the white side of the French against another legendary Irish champion.

[Event "Ballyclare Open"] [Site "Ballyclare/Belfast"] [Date "1968.09.02"] [Round "7"] [White "Moles, John"] [Black "Heidenfeld, Wolfgang"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C11"] [Annotator "Moles"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "1968.08.30"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "IRL"] [Source "David McAlister"] [SourceDate "2009.01.05"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Nf3 {A simple line recommended by Tarrasch. White aims to control the centre with his pieces, not his pawns} c5 6. dxc5 Nc6 7. Bf4 Bxc5 8. Bd3 f6 ({Not} 8... Qb6 9. O-O Qxb2 $2 10. Nb5 $1) ({ nor} 8... O-O 9. Bxh7+) 9. exf6 Qxf6 $2 ({Bad. Black leaves his central black squares unprotected. Better is} 9... Nxf6 {though after} 10. O-O O-O 11. Qe2 { White has the easier game}) 10. Bg3 ({Superficial would be} 10. Bg5 Qf7 {and Black stands well}) 10... Bb4 ({Black feared a possible Nb5. Playable was} 10... a6) ({If} 10... O-O 11. Bh4 {is awkward} ({or White can continue quietly with} 11. O-O {followed by Qe2 and Rae1 meeting ..Nb6 and ..Bd7 with Ne5 and a positional bind}) 11... Qf7 $2 12. Bxh7+) 11. O-O Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nce5 (12... Qxc3 13. Qe2 {did not appeal}) ({Nor} 12... e5 13. c4 ({or} 13. Bb5)) ({Best was} 12... O-O {when} 13. c4 {retains White's advantage}) 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. Qh5+ Nf7 ({If} 14... Ng6 15. Be5 Qf7 16. Bxg6 Qxg6 17. Qxg6+ hxg6 18. Bxg7 Rh7 19. Be5 {with excellent chances - Black's pawns are weak, his bishop is very bad}) 15. Rfe1 Kf8 $1 {This would also be Black's reply to 15.Bb5+} 16. c4 g6 17. Qe2 Bd7 18. Rab1 b6 19. Qd2 Kg7 20. Re3 Rhf8 21. Rf3 Qd4 {Black must not allow White control of the diagonal a1-h8} 22. Rf4 Qc5 23. Rh4 {Resourceful defence has enabled Black to hold his position, but White's advantage - the two bishops, attacking chances based on Be5+, more space - still persists} d4 24. Re1 Rac8 ({[24.Re1 -] Preventing} 24... e5 {because of} 25. Bxe5+ Nxe5 26. Qh6+ Kf6 27. Rf4+ Ke6 28. Rfe4) 25. h3 {A waiting move, giving his king a bolt-hole, just in case} Rc6 $2 {Preparing ..e5 but this is a bad blunder} 26. Be5+ ({(?) Obviously good was} 26. Be4 Rcc8 27. Bb7 Rcd8 28. Rxd4 {- White was running short of time}) 26... Nxe5 27. Qh6+ Kf7 28. Rf4+ Ke8 $2 ({After} 28... Kg8 29. Rxe5 Qe7 {Black has survived. White can try} 30. Rxd4 ({or} 30. Rxf8+ Qxf8 31. Qg5 {with an attack (h4-h5 is hard to meet)}) ({or} 30. Rh4 { threatening 31.Bxg6})) 29. Rxe5 Qe7 30. Rxf8+ Qxf8 31. Qxh7 Qf6 32. Qxg6+ Qxg6 33. Bxg6+ Ke7 34. Bd3 Kd6 35. f4 Rc8 36. Kf2 Rf8 37. Kf3 {(?)} Bc6+ 38. Be4 { (?)} Rc8 39. Bxc6 Rxc6 40. g4 Rxc4 {The smoke has cleared. Thanks to White's time pressure inaccuracies, the result of the rook ending is not altogether certain} 41. Re2 Rc3+ 42. Kg2 Ra3 43. g5 ({Better was} 43. h4 {- this allows the black king to get over}) 43... Ra5 ({Much stronger was} 43... Rxa2 { threatening ..d3. After} 44. Kf2 ({or} 44. Kf3) {Black can still try} 44... d3 {which gives White some anxious moments e.g.} 45. cxd3 Rxe2+ 46. Kxe2 Ke7 47. h4 Kf7 48. h5 a5 49. Kd2 b5 50. Kc3 a4 51. d4 Kg7 {and if White tries to force matters by} 52. d5 exd5 53. f5 a3 54. Kb3 b4 55. h6+ {Black wins by} Kh7 $1 { Thus the king ending would appear to be drawn}) 44. h4 Ke7 45. Kf3 Kf7 46. h5 Rxa2 47. Ke4 Ra4 48. Kd3 a5 49. Rh2 Ra3+ {Black must get his Rook over but it's too late now} 50. Kxd4 Rg3 51. h6 Kg8 52. h7+ Kh8 53. Ke5 Rg4 54. Kf6 Rxf4+ 55. Kg6 Rd4 56. Rf2 Rd8 57. Kh6 {An interesting, but imperfect game.} 1-0

My thanks to Brian McComb for access to his copy of the 1968 Ballyclare tournament bulletin containing the Moles-Heidenfeld game and notes