The Hawkes Files
My connection with the SCCA all
began with Alan Borwell, your now
Honorary President. In 1975 I was
working for British Rail in their civil
engineering department, trackwork
specifically. I took a transfer from
the Southern to the Scottish region
— and found myself in Perth. I soon
located the chess club, in a very
spacious room in Princes Street.
Maybe it still is? I had played against
Alan once, a few years before in a
British CC Championship Final, and
now we met in person.
I was soon playing both otb and
correspondence for the Perth club,
and Alan also got me involved in
some of the early numbers of the
SCCA Bulletin, where I contributed
the Winning Continuations feature
and did a stint as Members’ Games
editor. Christmas 1985 came along
and I left Scotland for far sunnier
climes in the south of France. I was
living a new life in Marseille,
teaching and playing chess and
posing as an English prof in the
University, when Alan phoned and
asked me to annotate a selection of
games played in the Scottish
Centenary International Tournament
(now available in this magazine’s
archives).
I immediately thought it highly
appropriate to commence this new
column with that early 70’s
correspondence game of ours — but
I hadn’t got the score! Luckily Alan
had it carefully preserved amongst
his thousands of others.
My column will evolve in somewhat
potpourri fashion as I sift through the
CC material I have collected and
somehow hung onto ever since my
writing debut with the breakaway
BCCS in the early 60’s. Most of it
never made its way into my various
contributions to CC journals and
columns: BCM and BCCS with Reg
Gillman, the Italian CCYB, the
French Gambisco and the Chess
Theory website. I am rediscovering
some fine games of the age before
Fritz and Internet. How much easier
is the work of an analyst and
SCCA Magazine 133
journalist these days! I am delighted
to have this invitation to return to
writing on CC again and wish all
SCCA members and their friends
around the world pleasant reading.
John E. Hawkes, Le Boulou, France
1 April 2016
White: Borwell, Alan P
Black: Hawkes, John E
British CC Championship 1971–72,
Alekhine Defence, Exchange
Variation [B03]
[Notes by John Hawkes]
1.e4
Nf6
2.e5
Nd5
3.d4
d6
4.c4
Nb6
5.exd6
cxd6
6.Nc3
g6
7.Bd3
Bg7
8.Nge2
Nc6
9.Be3
0–0
10.b3
10.0–0 e5 Was known from a couple
of Fischer-Berliner OTB games in
the 60's.
10...
d5
11.c5
Nd7
With two threats: Nxc5 and Nxd4.
12.0–0
12.Bb5 e5 13.0–0 Nxc5! 14.dxe5 d4
15.Nxd4 Nxe5 16.h3 Ne6 17.Nxe6
Bxe6 18.f4? Qa5! was Minic Fischer, Palma de Majorca 1970.
12...
e5
13.dxe5
Ndxe5
14.Bb5
d4
15.Nxd4
15...
By John E. Hawkes
I don't know where I got that from,
or whether I invented it. Bagirov's
Russian monograph came out much
later in 1987 and didn't mention it,
but Batsford's "Complete Alekhine"
may well have? 15...Nxd4 16.Bxd4
Qxd4 17.Qxd4 Nf3+ 18.gxf3 Bxd4
19.Rac1 Bxc5 20.Ne4 Bb6=
16.Bxc6
Qc7
17.g3
Nxe3
18.fxe3
bxc6
19.Ne4
Qe5
20.Qf3
f5
21.Nd2
Re8
22.Rfe1
Be6
22...Qxc5 23.Rac1 and then Rxc6
obviously didn't appeal to me.
23.Qxc6
Bd5
23...Rac8 24.Qa6 Rxc5 (24...Qxc5??
25.Nxe6) 25.N2f3 Qd5 26.Qxa7±
24.Qd6
Qxd6
25.cxd6
Rxe3!
25...Rad8 was less flashy; 26.Nc4
Bxc4 27.bxc4 Rxd6 28.c5 Ra6
29.Kf1 Kf7=
26.Nb5
26.Rxe3 Bxd4 27.Rae1 Rd8 28.Kf1
Bxe3 29.Rxe3 Rxd6=
26...
Rxe1+
27.Rxe1
Rd8
28.Re7
a6
29.d7
29.Nc7 Bf7 30.Nc4 Bf6 and the dpawn will fall.
29...Bc6
¹29...Bf8 30.Re5 Rxd7 31.Nc3 Bf7µ
The bishops are pointed in the right
direction.
30.Re8+
Rxe8
31.dxe8Q+
Bxe8
32.Nc7
Bd4+
33.Kf1
Bd7
34.Nc4
Ng4
12
Spring 2016