With the winter leagues all finished, the focus for many chess players now is the British Championship in Scarborough in July and August and the weekend congresses that abound during the summer.

One of these is Middlesbrough on July 6 to 8 (tel 01642 515604 for entries). At last year's event local player John Cawston came second in the major section and included the following game that he has annotated for us.

Cawston v Widrascu (Middlesbrough U150, July 2000)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 d6 5. Nf3 0-0 6. 0-0 c5 (this move rather than 6...e5) introduces the Yugoslav line) 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. dxc5 (white responds with the exchange variation. Theory holds that white maintains a small plus with little risk of losing) 8... dxc5 9. Be3 Qa5 10. Qa4 (an interesting move with 10...Qxa4 11. Nxa4 b6 12. Ng5 Bb7 in mind) 11. Qxa5 Nxa5 12. Bxc5 Bxc4 13. Bxe7 Rfe8 14. Bb4 Nc6 15. Ba3 Bxe2 16. Nxe2 Rxe2 17. Rad1 (with the idea of playing 18. Rd2 or Rfe1, depending on black's reply. The position now has equal material but white has a slight advantage due to his bishop pair in an open position) 17... Bf8 (black would have been better to keep his Bishop and maintain pressure against b2) 18. Bxf8 Kxf8 19. Rd2 Rae8 h3 (to take g4 away from the black knight prior to playing Rfd1 and hence reduce pressure on f2) 20... R8e7 21. Rfd1 Rxd2 22. Rxd2 Ne4 23. Rd3 Nb4 24. Rd8+ Kg7 25. a3 Nc6 26. Rd5 b6 27. Bf1 Na5 28. B4 Nf6 29. Re5 Nc6 (the exchange of rooks increases whites advantage due to his Bishop and light square pressure) 30. Rxe7 Nxe7 31. Nd4 (a paralysing centralisation 31... Nfd5 32. Nb5 Nc6 Bc4 Nde7 34. Nd6 f5 35. f4 Nd4 36. Bd3 (to stop 36...Nc2) 36... Kf6 37. Kf2 Ke6 38. Nc4 Nd5 39. Ne5 g5 (a losing and unnecessary move that weakens black's position) 40. Nf3 Nxf3 41. Kxf3 gxf4 42. gxf4 Kf6 43. Bc4 Nc3 (the knight heads the wrong way. 43... Ne7 was better) 44. Ke3 Ne4 45. Kd4 Nd2 46. Bd5 (the knight can't now come back to e4 or c4) 46... h6 47. a4 Nf1 48. a5 Ng3 49. axb6 axb6 50. Bf3 (denying e2 to the knight) 50... Ke6 51. Ke3 h5 52 .h4 Kd6 53. Kf2 (the minor piece exchange is now forced and white has pawn and king ending) 53... Ne4+ 54. Bxe4 fxe4 55. Ke3 Kd5 b5 (the winning move. Black is in zugzwang and must lose his e4 pawn 56... Kc5 57. f5 Kd5 (white does not capture e4 immediately. If black captures b5 the f pawn will queen) 58. f6 Ke6 59. Kxe4 Kxf6 60. Kf4 (white's king assumes the opposition and the win is secure) 60... Kg6 61. Ke5 Kg7 62. Kf5 Kh6 63. Kf6 Kh7 64. Kg5 Kg7 65. Kxh5 Kh7 66. Kg5 1-0.

Updated: 12:08 Thursday, May 31, 2001