After a poor start to the season, rounds three and four of the Four Nations Chess League last weekend provided Oxford 1 with a chance to make amends and the team took the opportunity in magnificent style.

Saturday’s 4.5 - 3.5 victory against the highly rated Wood Green HK 2 was only bettered by Sunday’s 6.2 defeat of arch rivals King’s Head 1.

New signings Justin Tan and Neil Dickenson played a vital part and it’s Neil’s fine round 4 game against a difficult opponent which makes my game of the week selection.

White: Feliks Kwiatkowski

Black: Neil Dickenson

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.d3 White avoids the sharpest lines of the Schliemann by playing this move rather than

4.Nc3. 4...fxe4 5.dxe4 Nf6 6.Qd3 This is probably an inaccuracy here because of Neil's next move. Instead 6.0–0 is usually played as there 's no need to fear 6...Nxe4 which can be met with 7.Qe2.

6...Bb4+!? Setting White a problem. If 7.c3 then 7...Bd6!? looks OK for Black; whereas; 7.Nc3 is simply met with 7...Bxc3+ and White must wreck his pawn structure or enter murky complications: 8.Qxc3 Nxe4 9.Qe3 d5 10.Nxe5 0–0

7.Nbd2 Qe7 8.c3 Bc5 9.Nc4?! Ambitious – but it’s not clear that the knight belongs on this square. On the other hand White has to castle soon – so may as well do it now and await developments.

9...0–0?! Missing 9...d5! – but he gets another chance.

10.b4 d5! Hitting the random button – but with his king safe, Black is well placed to deal with the complications.

11.Bxc6?! The computers like 11.Ncd2 but most human players would balk at this backward step.

11...bxc6 12.Ncxe5 Bd6?! Much stronger was 12...Bxf2+! 13.Kxf2 dxe4. Black probably rejected this after seeing 14.Nxc6 – but with 14...Qe8! he still gets his piece back and emerges with a fine position.

13.Nxc6 Qe8 14.Nfd4 dxe4?! 14...Nxe4 was better to be followed by ...Bd7.

15.Qc4+ Kh8 16.h3! Rightly fearing the Greek Gift sacrifice: 16.0–0 Bxh2+!. 16...Qg6 17.g4 e3!? Black is a pawn behind and he bravely offers another to open lines.

18.Bxe3 Ne4 19.Rf1?! White begins to lose his way. His king has to leave the centre and the queenside looks marginally safer than the kingside. However the position after 19.0–0–0 Nxf2 20.Rhf1!? Bxg4 is by no means easy to evaluate.

19...a5! Black wants to develop his bishop to a6 – but of course this gifts White pawn number three!

20.Nxa5?! c5! 21.Nf5? Understandably White wants to swap material – but much more resilient was 21.Ne2

21...Bxf5 22.gxf5 Qxf5 23.Nb7? Be5 24.Rc1 Nxc3! With his king still in the middle White has no hope of survival and the rest is carnage.

25.Rxc3?! Bxc3+ 26.Qxc3 Qb1+ 27.Bc1 Rfe8+ 28.Kd1 cxb4 29.Qb3 Qe4 30.Nc5 Qe2 and that’s checkmate. 0–1