Here's the decisive game from the 1990 League Congress and it's a miniature. It's littered with errors but hopefully it will serve as a lesson not to neglect development, nor to allow the opponent to make strong, practical sacrifices that give the defender lots of ways to go wrong.

The second of Graham Burgess's three games from the Val Thorens tournament and a convincing win over a young IM. Graham seems to find a TN at move three and quickly gets a good game after his opponent plays a lot of weakening moves. A tense early middlegame sees both sides missing chances to improve their positions, but by the time we get to move 19 Graham has a big initiative. The coffee-house style finish sees the Black King stranded at the White end of the board.

This is one of three games annotated by Graham Burgess that he played at the Val Thorens event in 1988. Val Thorens was the highlight of Graham's playing career. He finished equal first with several titled players and made an IM norm. This particular game is one of my all-time favourites. Graham's provocative King's Indian is met by wholesale White Pawn advances but Graham proves White's pieces aren't in the right places. When White finally castles Queenside he runs into a strong attack. In the complications Graham traps the White Queen. After that it's just a question of getting to the time control safely, which he does despite a large hiccup!

Another Graham Burgess against the Benko. This time it's Julian Hodgson on the receiving end and once again Graham gets an advantage out of the opening. A flippant move costs him most of his advantage and he settles for a draw by repetition. However, the future GM and British Champion has other ideas.

In a French Tarrasch with 5 f4 White tries to construct a big centre. Mike Handley nibbles at the Kingside, then at the Queenside, and finally bashes straight through the middle. Some interesting disagreement with the original annotator, a French expert, about who stands better early on.

An intriguing English Opening by Jerry. However, he doesn't fare well and Osborne starts to build a menacing position.An error of Black timing gets Jerry back on a even keel, then he assumes the initiative in a messy position.Enough pressure is exerted so that, in time-trouble, Osborne throws it all away with one move.

Graham Burgess's first game against a GM. Ar Keed gets a great position out of the opening but uses up a lot of clock time doing it. Graham fails to consolidate his advantage and then sadly loses all control trying to beat the clock instead.

The first of a pair of consecutive wins against then husband and wife Keith and Susan Arkell. Keith tries an odd Knight manoeuvre in a Gurgenidze Defence. However, when he retreats the other Knight to Knight two Tyson seizes his chance. A Knight sac opens the centre on to the stranded Black King. Despite the swap of Queens Tyson has a huge initiative. An Exchange sac forces a Pawn promotion regaining all the material and the opposite Bishop endgame is a simple matter of technique.

n a Ruy Lopez, Bogolyubov variation, Tyson quickly establishes an advantage. Jarrett tries to break out but leaves Tyson dominating the open lines. More forcing on Black's part leaves White with a passed Pawn on b6, and defending against this intruder leaves the Black army vulnerable to a host of Knight forks.

An intriguing Benko Gambit that features the then brand-new Nescafe Frappe Attack! The coffee-house style in which Graham conducts the game is noteworthy, but Beaumont's fatal error is remarkable.

From the last round of the 1988 League Congress, but it's a short win, not a draw. Chris Weeks misplays the opening and loses a Pawn. His attempt at recovering it allows Mike Binks to seize on a small but vital tactical nuance to win in just 13 moves.

This is the immediate sequel to my 1987 win over then IM Keith Arkell, a win over.his then-wife Susan. It's a bitter battle in a trendy French Tarrasch. Little inaccuracies hinder both the attack and defence but White is a Pawn up at the adjournment. Computers have made these redundant and we might have had a different outcome if they had been there in 1987. As it goes a simple oversight, also made by all the engines (!), tips the balance in a Rook and Pawn ending.

A lively Caro-Kann with some theoretical interest. In a Queenless middle-game both sides avoid getting into trouble until Graham overlooks a simple loss of a Pawn when short of time. He holds on for a draw in instructive fashion. Five Pawns on one file is a curious side feature.

<span class="bold">This is a classic, a best game prize-winner from the 1987 Varsity match</span>. A Franco-Indian or Keres Defence is demolished in style by Graham Burgess. Graham's Queen occupies the f4 square three times and each time Black's position gets a bit worse. Loads to look at in the analysis, yet it's only 23 moves!

A trendy King's Indian from Graham Burgess although the notes reveal he wasn't quite up to date. Nevertheless Graham sacs a Pawn for the initiative. Under pressure Koopman fails to find the right line and has to give up a piece. Can Graham then make the time-control? Some interesting KID stuff yet again from the author of several books on the opening!

An interesting Caro-Kann, Bronstein-Larsen variation that was trendy at the time. This is a good example of defence by active play. Graham,takes a few risks but is always able to hold the balance.

In a QGD, Chigorin variation Black makes a poor choice at move 4. Graham ends up well ahead in development and a denouement is not long in coming. Some amusing lines in the notes.

An Old Indian where Black gets into serious difficulty very quickly. Graham is allowed a classic buil-up on both sides of the board. When Smith plays ...h7-h6 followed by ...g7-g5 Graham crashes through with wonderful efficiency.

A typical opposite-wing attack in a King's Indian Defence. Alex is trying to win positionally on the Queenside while Mike is after the White King. White is doing well for a long time but misses his chance to safely win material. After that he is still okay until the disconnection of the Rooks allows Mike in for a kill. Plenty to learn here if you're a KID devotee.

In the rare Alatortsev variation of the Queen's Gambit Graham works up a winning position very quickly. Unfortunately he fails to find the easy kill and his position starts to fade. Eventually he misses a draw but the finish by Martin Davies is one to remember.

A clear example of the consequences of not playing a standard plan. In a Sicilian Defence Tyson fails to apply pressure on e6 with the usual f4-f5. An oversight obliges him to weaken his King position which costs him all his advantage. On move 27 a poor Knight to Knight two tips the balance in Collier's favour. The Clifton player regroups efficiently to seal the win and his only Bristol Individual Championship.

Graham Burgess plays the Caro-Kann, and quite procatively too, White sacs a piece attempting to expose the Black King, and Graham promptly gives back an Exchange to nullify some threats. White then drifts, Graham takes the initiative and then finishes in style.

Sean takes on an expert in the Sicilian Taimanov. He gets a Knight stranded on a4 but a big Kingside initiative, As the Knight perishes the initiative grows to serious proportions. In serious time-trouble Black is unable to find anything to prolong the game and is overwhelmed.

This was the closest that Graham ever got to playing Anatoly Karpov. Black goes wrong in a King's Indian Defence and Graham establishes a clear advantage. Rather than wait to be squeezed Karp tries to break out. At move 22 though he misses his best chance. Graham winds up with a crisp finish. Lots to analyse here.

A real curiosity here. Sean Elliott faces a rare line in the Sicilian Dragon but goes wrong and gets outplayed. However, the bulk of the interest lies in the notes to Black's 24th move. He opts out of the critical line and the game drifts to a draw. Much to look at in the notes though.

Another game featuring a loss for our player, but after his (White's) 34th move Bob probably thought he was winning! The opening is a Sicilian Defence, Wing Gambit. Black was winning easily, but a bit of carelessness means he has to play on a wing and a prayer in the face of an imminent mate.

A sharp theoretical line from a Catalan Opening. Ultimately Black wins the White Queen for two Rooks and the players agree a draw in a finely balanced position.

et another Richard Palmer win from the National Club Competition. It's a King's Knight Opening but it pays to develop your other pieces too. Black fails to do so, Richard makes a nice piece sac and then his g-Pawn almost single-handedly munches its way through Black's depleted defences

According to the original annotator this is a Benko Gambit Rejected! This sets the scene as Black soon embarks on a faulty plan. Mike Handley soon drives him backwards, wins one Pawn and then another. Resignation is none too soon.

Graham Burgess faces the dreaded Four Pawns Attack against his King's Indian. At first White has an advantage, but then things go wrong and he is swept away by Graham's Queen and Knights when they get in all the holes.

Another Terry Marke Stonewall. In a good position Terry sacs a Knight for two Pawns. His opponent doesn't crack but Terry continues to improve his position. He then sacs a Rook for Bishop and Pawn, and the net outcome is three central Pawns for a Rook. As the Pawns advance the pressure increases and Black finally does crack. Terry finishes in style. Loads to investigate here, and you can have fun doing it!

One of a pair played within a week of each other. The Welsh IM ventures 5...gxf6 in the Caro-Kann. Opposite-wing castling ensures a sharp game. Remarkably both players strip away all the defensive Pawns in front of the opposing Kings without losing any of their attacking Pawns! They each have 4-0 Pawn majorities and all the heavy pieces are still on the board! Tyson misses an instructive draw. Loads to study here.

The other half of a remarkable pair of games. Tyson is gifted a Pawn out of the opening, an open Sicilian, but a tense Queenless middle-game follows. Williams is gradually outplayed and at the end Tyson finds a combination which features the same (winning) move that would have drawn against Howard Williams the week before!

A King's Indian, Simagin Variation, featuring 9 g3 to prevent ...Nf4. In a break that reprises Bennett-Mordue above Tyson breaks on the Queenside to create the chance to take that g3 Pawn. The result is a huge Knight outpost on f4 with attacking chances and White quickly cracks.

Another King's Indian, Classical varaition. Young Mike Handley's opponent makes a positional howler on move 17 and gets swept off the board.

Yet another Bristol League Congress game. Mark Hannon tries to turn a Queen's Gambit into a Pillsbury Attack far too quickly. Mike Binks has some nice targets and demolishes his opponent.

Yet another Terry Marke Stonewall in the National Club. Black quickly blunders two Pawns and, suffering from shock, allows his King to get mated shortly afterwards.

A reversed Grunfeld. Black's Pawn structure come under pressure and then Mike Binks takes complete control with a surprise positional Exchange sac.

A sharp c3 Sicilian where small mistakes count for a lot. Graham punches all across the board and the 1983 Bristol champion cracks in time pressure.

A King's Indian produces a Queenless middle-game. Despite that Graham has a lot of pressure and it's a steady squeeze to produce the full point.

Two of our Versus annotators clash in a critical 4th round game from the 1986 Bristol League Congress. In another Sicilian Scheveningen Graham wrests the initiative. He has the chance to go several Pawns up with a simple combination but plays for mate instead. Tyson's own out-of-the-blue combination forced mate in four moves!

A win from the Yeovil Open which was Tyson's first tournament win outside Bristol. In a Sicilian Scheveningen he builds steady pressure against Alan Ashby's King. There are some useful insights by Graham Burgess in the notes. At the end Black misses one chance to cling on, then gets crushed by the local superiority of the White army.

A prize-winning game from the Clifton club championship. Unfortunately our player is on the receiving end, but it's a classic refutation of playing too many Kingside Pawn moves against a Modern Benoni.

Yet another Bristol League Congress game. This could have been the upset of the event. After a strong opening Tyson dissipates his initiative and then blunders a piece! However, the consequence is that Tarrant's Kingside is shattered and White gets a big Pawn on f6, a real bone in the throat. Tarrant's extra Knight canters into the White Queenside and is unexpectedly trapped. Black misses his best line and Tyson gets to keep his f6 Pawn. Adjournment analysis shows Tyson the best way forward and when Tarrant, instead of staying passive, tries to go active he is executed immediately with a tidy finish. Another game well worth the study.

Another Bristol League Congress game. Osborne plays too many Pawn moves in a Sicilian Defence. A Knight sac on f7 gives Tyson a huge initiative, and Black crumbles under a heavy onslaught.

A classic King's Indian, Fianchetto Variation where White mistakenly gives up his dark-squared Bishop. Black's 25th creates a chain reaction that shows up dark square weaknesses right across the board.

A tip of the hat to the then BCT editor. In the National Club Richard plays a model Sicilian Najdorf aided by his opponent optimistically giving up a Pawn just out of the opening. White fails to resign on time but don't let that spoil your enjoyment of a well-executed Queenside breakthrough.

Another Burgess Bashes the Benoni game. Opening analysis can take you far, both career-wise and into the game. Black has one chance to steady his ship and is then sunk without trace.

A nice Sean Elliott win from the Lloyd's Bank Masters. Sean cashes in on an early pair of Black errors that compound each other. His interest switches to the Kingside and Black is held to account for his lack of fluidity in defence.

Sean Elliott does a bit of Dragon slaying and the victim is a future GM and British Champion. It's all book up to move 19, then Sean comes up with a move that seems to improve on known theory. He picks up two Rooks for Queen and two Pawns. The Rooks go active whilst the Queen goes passive. The key piece is Sean's own dark-squared Bishop which helps out in a tidy finish.

A remarkable opening by Sean Elliott, another strong junior than we picked up from Hanham. At the time of the game this was the height of theory. James, an experienced Welsh international picks his way to equality.

One for the tacticians. In yet another Pirc Defence Tyson is probably already winning at move 29 when he begins a deep combination. In the ensuing melee all of Black's pieces magically disappear.

The third of three Queen sacrifice games in Issue 8. In a game of Queenside pressure versus Kingside attack Tyson is already well-placed when he is allowed an immediate win. His only previous Queen sac had been declined (!) but this one led straight to mate.

A positional Queen sacrifice by Arthur Hicks. White reacts too straightforwardly and gets tied in knots. The second of three Queen sacs in one issue!

Another Bristol League thriller from Mike Wood. An original opening, uncompromising middle-game play, and a time-scramble to behold.

In the same line that CC GM Richardson played against Tyson earlier, a Pirc Defence, Austrian Attack, Lawton improves to a playable middle-game. However, he can't find a plan, makes an oversight and then accelerates the end by misplacing his King's Bishop and allowing Tyson to storm in on the dark squares.