1998 (2nd) Newport Masters, Castle Room, Newport Leisure Centre, Kingsway, Newport, Gwent NP9 1UH, 6-10 July

1998 Newport Masters		Fed	Elo	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Simon K Williams	ENG	2310f	&;	1	½	½	1	½	½	½	1	1	6½
2	Richard A Bates	ENG	2430m	0	&;	½	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	6½
3	Colin S Crouch	ENG	2410m	½	½	&;	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	6
4	Jurij Markov	RUS	2390	½	0	0	&;	½	1	1	1	½	1	5½
5	Chris R Beaumont	ENG	2335	0	½	½	½	&;	1	½	½	½	½	4½
6	John C Saunders	WLS	2225	½	½	½	0	0	&;	½	½	½	½	3½
7	Desmond T N Tan	ENG	2110	½	0	½	0	½	½	&;	½	½	½	3½
8	Angus J Dunnington	ENG	2390m	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	&;	½	0	3
9	Arseny Kargin	RUS	2285	0	0	0	½	½	½	½	½	&;	½	3
10	Peter Varley	WLS	2210	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	1	½	&;	3

Average Elo: 2310 • Category 3 • IM norm = 6½ (achieved by Simon Williams)
Organiser: Adam Raoof
Chief Arbiter: Kevin Staveley
Assistant Arbiters : Robert Taylor, Adam Raoof
Time limit : 40 moves in 2 hours, then 1 hour each to finish.
Sponsored by the Friends of Chess, the Welsh Chess Union and the Newport Centre

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Newport FIDE Rated Tournament

1998 Newport FIDE Rated		Fed	Elo	1	2	3	4	5	6	Total
1	Leighton Williams	WLS	2240	&;	11	11	11	01	11	9
2	Adam N Raoof	ENG	2125	00	&;	½½	½½	11	11	6
3	Richard Batey	WLS	2045	00	½½	&;	½½	1½	½1	5
4	John E Richards	ENG	2045	00	½½	½½	&;	1½	01	4½
5	Richard S Jones	WLS	2045	10	00	0½	0½	&;	11	4
6	Carl A Plasa	WLS		00	00	½0	10	00	&;	1½

Commentary (from the original 4NCL website hosted by me - JS)

Round 1 - Commentary by Adam Raoof

P Varley ½-½ C Beaumont

In the pursuit of 6½ points from 9 games, this is probably one game Chris Beaumont, who already has two norms, would have preferred to play to win. But he chose the wrong opening variations and had few good ways to play the position out.

J Markov 0-1 R Bates

A comedy of errors led to both the Russian participants arriving at 1.30 on Monday morning - so they can be forgiven for slipping up as early as round one. Bates felt his opponent had a better position but drifted into a lost ending.

D Tan ½-½ J Saunders

Black, in choosing this solid defence, clearly signified his intentions! White achieved a slightly better position and may even have missed a better line than the one he chose (14 Bh4!?), overlooking the intermezzo 15...Qg5 with the threat of Qxg2 mate.

S Williams 1-0 A Kargin

As every Russian schoolboy knows, you just don't take pawns on b2! White looked at Rb1, overlooking Rc2 and dropped his queen. The ending was a simple one to play for Williams, even whilst recovering from his exertions at Glastonbury!

C Crouch ½-½ A Dunnington

Same old story. Both players were happy with a draw. Black offered a draw at move 6. White didn't hear. Result? Another six hours and fifty eight moves later they split the point. True professionals.

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Round 2 Comments by John Saunders

C Beaumont ½-½ A Dunnington

What was it that Adam was saying about true professionals?

A Kargin 0-1 C Crouch

Mr Crouch back to his best. The long gruelling game in the morning obviously sharpened his taste for the fight.

J Saunders ½-½ S Williams

A good grovel in the Saunders tradition. Simon could have used his tempi more convincingly and 27...Bc7 was a poor move which allowed White to follow through with the Ne5 plan. 27...Bb8 would have been more testing.

R Bates 1-0 D Tan

Richard Bates' choice of opening coincided with the subject of Angus Dunnington's forthcoming book, available at a shop near you soon.

P Varley 0-1 J Markov

Hair-raising stuff. Don't expect me to make sense of it, I'm off-duty now. But White's 'route-one' style looked optimistic. Fritzy preferred 19 Qxe6+ but what can you expect from a German cyber-dachshund.

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Round 3 - Commentary by John Saunders

J Markov ½-½ C Beaumont

A very interesting game between Jurij Markov and Chris Beaumont. White gave up the exchange for an attack that looked very dubious, but then Black seemed to lose his way in time trouble, giving back the exchange. White then had much the better of an ending, but Chris found a witty way of swapping off into a well-known drawn endgame.

D Tan ½-½ P Varley

A steady game for the back-markers after tough games the previous evening.

S Williams 1-0 R Bates

Simon offered a draw early on in the game. Richard played on but his own draw offer a couple of moves later was itself refused forcibly with a crushing combination. Simon's endgame play was good enough to win the Battle of Richmond and take over the lead ...

C Crouch ½-½ J Saunders

"Draw Like A Webmaster" - my new book will be available soon; sadly Tim Wall in the latest BCM got the title slightly wrong. I expect you are all waiting with bated breath for this evening's mouth-watering clash of the titans. No, not Brazil-Holland, I meant Saunders-Dunnington ...

A Dunnington ½-½ A Kargin

Adam seemed to think that Angus was losing this game, but thereagain what does he know about chess?! Sorry that was unpardonably rude of me about our beloved organiser ...

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Round 4 - Commentary by John Saunders

C Beaumont ½-½ A Kargin

A quickish draw for the 3rd-norm seeker. Not too much chance of a norm left now.

J Saunders ½-½ A Dunnington

Saunders-Dunnington was the thrill-a-minute encounter expected (not), but actually lasted to the very minute that [the 1998 FIFA World Cup semi-final] Brazil-Holland was about to start. Alright for Angus, but I've still got to enter this lot into my lap-top... [I was tournament webmaster - JS]

R Bates ½-½ C Crouch

Just 13 minutes this one; Richard was disinclined to play after his trauma of the morning.

P Varley 0-1 S Williams

Now we come to the good stuff. Or goodish. A major blunder on move 16 cost Peter Varley a pawn. Simon then ground away efficiently, though he did try an unnecessary combination which could have risked the win. But it worked reasonably well. Simon is thus well on target for a norm.

J Markov 1-0 D Tan

More clever tactics from Jurij Markov which tied Desmond Tan in knots. Jurij likes sacrificing the exchange - we're going to have to watch him closely ...

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Round 5 - Commentary by John Saunders

D Tan ½-½ C Beaumont

The norm seems to be receding into obscurity - Chris needs 4/4 now.

S Williams ½-½ J Markov

A lucky escape for Williams, say the experts. Another very entertaining game by the Russian. Simon is still well set for a norm.

C Crouch 1-0 P Varley

A very convincing win for IM Crouch against Peter Varley's Grunfeld.

A Dunnington 0-1 R Bates

A surprisingly quick loss for Angus Dunnington; some weaknesses in his king-side were ruthlessly exploited by his opponent.

A Kargin ½-½ J Saunders

A fifth consecutive draw for the Webmaster, but far too interesting for my bland taste. I should really have won but allowed a 'drawing' combination - though Fritz cruelly pointed out that it didn't actually draw at all.

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Round 6 - Commentary by John Saunders

C Beaumont 1-0 J Saunders

The game between the two drawmasters ended ... in a definite result! This was bad news for me. After my early peace entreaty was spurned, I blundered a pawn in a level position after which my valiant attempts to complicate came to nothing. 18...Nc7 would have been level.

R Bates 1-0 A Kargin

Richard Bates' monster k-side attack netted a piece but his opponent got a few pawns and some play for it. But a neat manoeuvre around the time control won him the game and put him into the three-way leadership.

P Varley 1-0 A Dunnington

An epic struggle ends with a second defeat in the day for Angus. And he missed the Croatia-France match too.

J Markov 0-1 C Crouch

Markov spurned a draw offer and then chanced his arm once too often. 32 f3 was a major blunder after which Black had no further problems.

D Tan ½-½ S Williams

The morning's leader lost his way utterly to allow Desmond Tan an easy draw.

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Round 7 - Commentary by John Saunders

S Williams 1-0 C Beaumont

An important win for norm-hunter Simon Williams against Chris Beaumont, whose own slim norm chance was thus extinguished. Chris seemed to be doing OK for much of the game but he let Simon's queen sneak in behind his defences which allowed a pawn winning combination. Simon needs 1 point from his last two games to secure his final IM norm.

C Crouch ½-½ D Tan

Desmond Tan was significantly better when he agreed a draw against overnight joint leader Colin Crouch. But perhaps discretion was the better part of valour.

A Dunnington 0-1 J Markov

Another disaster for Angus who has now lost three in a row and is in joint last place.

A Kargin ½-½ P Varley

The longest game of the round looked like being a victory for Wales over Russia, but once again the wily Russian found a way out.

J Saunders ½-½ R Bates

Another early draw agreed by an overnight leader. Richard had received some GM advice that Nf5 was the way to play for a win in this variation, but in the position in the game, it looked like Black's pieces were on the point of getting into a tangle. After yesterday's blip, the Web/Drawmaster is back to his turgid best again. No doubt the 'hate-mail' from a well-known South London IM will continue ...

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Round 8 - Commentary by John Saunders

C Beaumont ½-½ R Bates

The crowd thought White could have played on in this game. The players think otherwise.

P Varley ½-½ J Saunders

A fine piece of grovelling by the Drawmaster, after an absolutely abysmal opening.

J Markov ½-½ A Kargin

The all-Russian clash ends with a perpetual.

D Tan ½-½ A Dunnington

Angus ran out of time trying to win his first game of the tournament. There's always tomorrow.

S Williams ½-½ C Crouch

Williams-Crouch was exceedingly brief and may have had something to do with Mr Williams' IM ambitions.

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Round 9 - Commentary by John Saunders

C Crouch ½-½ C Beaumont

Steady last-round draw between Crouch and Beaumont.

A Dunnington ½-½ S Williams

Angus frightened Simon by turning down his draw offer on move 11 - but Simon knew that Angus' coach was leaving at 12.15pm. So it was to be Simon's 3rd and final IM norm. Now he just needs the rating.

A Kargin ½-½ D Tan

Kargin-Tan featured a dubious exchange sacrifice but the Russian held on.

J Saunders 0-1 J Markov

The Drawmaster tried hard but could not manage to grovel his way to an 8th draw. 27 Nxg6 would have been interesting.

R Bates 1-0 P Varley

"Triumph for a one-stage plan" (quote the winner). Richard wins to share first place with Simon.

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File Updated

Date	Notes
14 July 1998	First posted here as a zipped PGN of 45+30 games.
29 September 2026	Reloaded in the current standard format, with viewer, crosstables and original round-by-round reports.