9th May, 2003

"IT'LL never work." That was the usual advice Chris Dunworth was given
when in 1993 he embarked on creating a UK-wide professional chess league
based on the model of the successful German Bundesliga.

Now, some ten years on, the 4 Nations Chess League (4NCL) has become
Britain's premier team competition. As ever, the highlight of the 4NCL
season is the 'Finals Weekend', played over the May Bank Holiday at the
West Bromwich Moat House Hotel.

In previous years, Wood Green have been regarded as the perennial
bridesmaids of the tournament, having been strong contenders in the past
four seasons only to be pipped to the post by the likes of big-spending
teams such as Slough and Index IT. However, as the opposition lost many
of their star players through financial difficulties, Wood Green held on
to their super-club status thanks to the unstinting support from club
stalwarts Peter Sowray, IM Paul Littlewood and club captain Brian Smith.

With a star-studded line-up for the finals weekend that included the
likes of Michael Adams, Nigel Short, Jon Speelman, Alexander Baburin and
Bogdan Lalic, Wood Green took no chances going into the final three
rounds of the weekend, and were odds-on to win their first 4NCL Div.1
title with a 100% score on 16 points out of 16 and a 2-point lead over
their nearest rivals, Guildford and Barbican.

Easily outrating the opposition, Wood Green took no prisoners in the
first two rounds of the final weekend with emphatic 7-1 and 8-0
victories, respectively, over Betsson.com and Perceptron Youth. On
firepower alone, the only opposition they had came in the final game of
the season, when they played Guildford. Despite being held to a 4-4
draw - a result that deprived them of being the only team in the history
of the competition to win the title with a 100% score - at long last
assured Wood Green of the title.

Final standings, Div.1: 1 Wood Green 1 21/22; 2 Guildford-ADC 1 19; 3
Barbican 4NCL 1 18; 4 Betsson.com 15; 5 Wood Green 2 12; 6 Richmond 11;
7 The ADs 1 10; 8 Slough 9; 9 Barbican 4NCL 2 6; Relegated - 10
Perceptron Youth 6; 11 S Wales Dragons 3; 12 Bristol 1 2.

A Baburin - R Pert
4NCL, (9.4)
Grunfeld Defence
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nf3 Bg7 4 g3 d5 5 cxd5 Nxd5 6 Bg2 Nb6 7 Nc3 Nc6 8 e3
0-0 9 0-0 Re8 10 d5 Na5 11 Nd4 Bd7 12 e4 c6 13 Bf4 cxd5 14 exd5 Rc8 15
Rc1 Nac4 16 b3 Nd6 17 Qd2 Rc5 18 Rfe1 Nbc8 19 Be3 Rc7 20 Nce2 Nf5 21
Nxf5 Bxf5 22 Nd4 Bd7 23 h4 h5 24 Nf3 Bg4 25 Ng5 Rd7 26 Qb4 Nb6 27 Qf4
Bf6 28 Bd4 Kg7 29 Rc5 Qb8 30 Be5 Qd8 31 Re3 Bf5 32 d6 Bxe5 33 Qxe5+ f6
34 Qxf5 gxf5 35 Ne6+ Kf7 36 Nxd8+ Rdxd8 37 dxe7 Rd1+ 38 Kh2 f4 39 gxf4
Rxe7 40 Rxe7+ Kxe7 41 Rxh5 Rd2 42 Rh7+ Ke6 43 Rxb7 Rxf2 44 Rxa7 Rxf4 45
Kg3 Rd4 46 h5 Rd3+ 47 Kf4 1-0

JOHN B HENDERSON