The Jonathan Penrose Memorial Chess Challenge, held at Colchester Town Hall on 7 October, was a felicitous tribute to the ten-time British champion, who died in 2021, and would have turned 90 on that very day.
Before it was razed by Boudicca, Colchester was one of the earliest Roman settlements on these isles. More recently, it was awarded city status as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and 2023 has been deemed a ‘Year of Celebration’ for the city, with a series of cultural events. Penrose, who was born in Colchester, was honoured with a simultaneous display given by eight-time British champion Michael Adams. The event marked the opening of the Jonathan Penrose Chess Park – a collection of public chess tables located by the Roman Wall side of the city’s Mercury Theatre, whose website carries an encomium for Penrose (www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/jonathan-penrose-chess-park/). It augurs well for the popularity of future chess installations in parks and public spaces, following the announcement of government support back in August.
Penrose, a psychology lecturer, came from an extraordinary family of scholars. His older brother Oliver Penrose, a professor of mathematics, was one of Adams’s opponents on the day. Jonathan’s younger sister, Shirley Hodgson, an eminent geneticist, made the ceremonial first move for Adams in the simultaneous display. Jonathan’s other older brother, Sir Roger Penrose, was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2020, while his father, Lionel Penrose, was a psychiatrist, geneticist and mathematician as well as a prolific composer of chess problems.
The simultaneous display saw an assertive performance from Adams, who won all but two of his games. The two players who achieved a draw were Mae Catabay and Ruqayyah Rida, both promising young players from Colchester Junior Chess Club.
Michael Adams-Ruqayyah Rida
Jonathan Penrose Memorial Simul, October 2023
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O b5 6 Bb3 Bc5 7 c3 d6 8 d4 Bb6 9 Be3 O-O 10 h3 h6 10…Nxe4? 11 Bd5! is a standard trap. 11 Nbd2 Re8 12 Re1 Bb7 13 d5 Ne7 14 Bxb6 cxb6 15 a4 bxa4 16 Bxa4 b5 17 Bc2 Rc8 18 Bd3 Nd7 A good idea, preparing f7-f5 to undermine the strongpoint on d5. 19 Nb3 f5 20 Na5 Ba8 21 exf5 Nxd5 22 c4 Nf4 23 Bf1 Qf6 24 g3 (see diagram) A critical moment. The only obvious safe square for the knight is h5, but it would be poorly placed there. The counterattack 24…e4!? is hard to fathom, while the piece sacrifice 24…Qxf5 25 gxf4 Qxf4 26 Re3 Rf8 was playable. But Rida finds an inventive alternative. Ng6 The pawn on f5 is unexpectedly pinned! 25 cxb5 Qxf5 26 Nh2 26 Nc4! was stronger, whereupon 26…Qxf3 27 Qxf3 Bxf3 28 Nxd6 axb5 29 Bxb5 Ngf8 30 Nxe8 Rxe8 is complex but balanced. Rf8 27 Re2 axb5 28 Qxd6 Nc5 29 Rd1 Ne4 29…Ne6! was a better direction for the knight, preparing threats with Ne6-d4 or Ne6-g5. White would be in serious trouble. 30 Qd3 Ng5 31 Qxf5 Probably played with a sigh of relief! Adams is over the worst. Rxf5 32 Red2 Rcf8 33 Re1 Nf3+ 34 Nxf3 Bxf3 35 Re3 e4 36 Nc6 Rc5 37 Nd4 Ne5 38 Rc3 Rfc8 39 Rdc2 Rxc3 40 Rxc3 Rd8 41 Nxf3 Nxf3+ 42 Kg2 Draw agreed since a repetition of moves is just around the corner, e.g. 42…Rd1 43 Rc5 Ne1+ 44 Kg1 Nf3+ 45 Kg2 etc.
Comments