Four Nations

The Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) enjoyed a captivating finale over the early May bank holiday. As the final round commenced, three teams remained in close contention to win the title, each with nine wins out of ten matches, and each entering their final match as strong favourite. That meant the league would likely be decided on board points, so every half-point would count.

The surprise contenders were the Sharks, who had fielded consistently strong squads but with only a couple of grandmasters. Beating Cheddleton by 5-3 in the final round was another good result, but not the big one they needed. Manx Liberty, who won the event last year, had the strongest lineup on paper, led by the veteran elite grandmaster Alexei Shirov. But he suffered a tactical mishap against England’s Gawain Jones.

Alexei Shirov (Manx Liberty)-Gawain Jones (Chessable White Rose 1)

4NCL final round, May 2024 (see left diagram)

With two knights against rook and pawn, the chances would be roughly balanced after a cautious move such as 32 Bd2-c3. Instead: 32 Nh3? Bg2+! 33 Kxg2 Re2+ 34 Kf3 Rxd2 The upshot of the skirmish is that the White queenside pawns are both about to drop. 35 b3 Rxa2 36 Nc6 Ra3 changes nothing. 35 Nf4 Rxb2 36 Nc6 Ke8 37 Ng6 Rxa2 There is no reasonable way to counter the advance of the a6 pawn, so White resigns

Manx Liberty still won by a 5.5-2.5 margin, which put them half a board point ahead of the Sharks in the final standings. But that left the door open for Wood Green, who pulled off a huge 6.5-1.5 victory against Blackthorne, thereby snatching the title. It was the narrowest of margins: Wood Green on 61 board points, Manx Liberty on 60.5 and the Sharks on 60.

Jon Speelman was one of the top contributors to that board count, with a 9/11 score over the season.