...brings Hendon's top team to 50% - ok, with 12 matches still to go... there were fine performances, especially by Vivian Cohen making a welcome return to the team and winning a smooth game. The rest of the games could have gone either way, but when the dust cleared - we had won 6-2!

You might think from the table below that it was a smooth win, but nothing could be further from the truth - it was a nail-biting evening's chess. Liviu Enciu (pictured) is having a good start to his season, and is unlucky not to be on 2/2 already.

I append my own masterpiece as a good example of why we were fortunate; I was better, I was lost, it was even, we went to two minutes each, I won. At one point my queen was en prise to all his pieces. Throughout I did not really understand what I was up to. Typical evening's chess.

The return match against Metropolitan, however, will be much tougher - last night they had two other matches on the go and fielded a weakened side. Furthermore they start earlier and their venue is always tricky to find!

ANR (178, Hendon I) - Nick Noden (177 Metropolitan I)
A41 Hendon, 16th November 2007
1.d4 d6 2.h3 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.Bf4 Nd7 5.e3 e5 6.Bh2 Ne7 7.c4 0-0 8.Nc3 f5 9.Be2 h6 10.b4 g5 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Qb3 Ng6 13.Rd1 Kh8 14.g4!?

with the idea of playing against Black's white square weaknesses 14...c6 15.gxf5 Rxf5 16.Nd2 16.Rd6 Qe8 didn't look that promising 16...Nh4 17.Bg4 Rf8 18.Nde4 Qe7 after 18...Nf3+ I intended 19.Ke2 Nxh2 20.Rxh2 19.Nd6 but here I knew that black could play 19...Nf3+ 20.Ke2 (20.Bxf3 Rxf3 21.Bg3) 20...Nd4+! 21.exd4 Qxd6 and was worried that this might be good for Black; luckily my opponent played his reply instantly as I was in time trouble and he wanted to harass me!

19...Nb6!? 20.Nxc8 Nxc8 21.Rd7 Qe8 22.Rxb7 h5 23.Be2 Now my rook is in danger of being trapped. 23.Bd1 Nd6 24.Rxg7 Kxg7 is suggested by the computer programme Fritz but I really don't have enough developed pieces to start sacrificing the ones I have in play 23...Nd6 24.Rc7 24.Rxg7 does not work 24...Ng2+ 25.Kf1 Nxe3+ 26.Kg1 Nef5 27.c5 27.Qd1 Qd8 28.Rxc6 Nd4 29.Rc5 27...Nd4 28.Qd1 Nxe2+ 29.Qxe2 Nf5 30.Ne4 Nd4 31.Qe3 Qg6 32.Kg2!

(SEE DIAGRAM BELOW - click to enlarge) Black is better, but this is a sneaky move, hoping for Black's next - a mistake!

32... Rf3? 33.Qxg5! (now 33...Qxe4 loses to 34 Qxg7 mate!) 33...Rxf2+ 34.Kxf2 Rf8+ 35.Ke3 Bh6 36.Bxe5+ Kg8 37.Rg1!?

a crowd-pleaser, but 37.Rg7+! wins easily - thanks to Gary Senior for pointing that out...37...Qxg7 38.Bxg7 Bxg5+ 39.Kxd4 Kxg7 40.Rg1 but I didn't see it ;-( 37...Ne6 38.Rxc6! Rf5 39.Rxe6! Rxg5 40.Rxg6+ 1-0