1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. Nc3 g6 5. e3 Bg7 6. Nge2 O-O 7. d4 d6 8. O-O

Searching through Bigbase 2003, I found that this position has been reached hundreds of times. So rich in possibilities is it that two distinguished Grandmasters, Spraggett and Akopian, decided to go and do something more useful at Cannes in 1993. Five years later in Vrnjacka Banja two Yugoslav Grandmasters, Arsovic and Ristic, also reached a peaceful conclusion at this point. In all those hundreds of games, no-one had thought to play the move now ventured by Lavery.

8... h5!? 9. d5 Ne5 10. b3 h4 11. Bb2 Nh5 12. Nf4 hxg3 13. Nxh5?

Recapturing the pawn with 13. hxg3 should have been played.

13... gxh2+ 14. Kxh2 Bg4

Perhaps White had expected 14... gxh5 15. Qxh5 when playing his 13th move

14... Ng4+ 15. Kg1 gxh5 regains the piece, with a pawn more

after the move actually played by the bold Bangor Board 2, namely 14... Bg4 when Black will also come out a pawn ahead, a draw was agreed. Well, what would you do if you won a pawn against a player nearly 400 points higher than you and there's still a lot of material on the board? Did I hear someone say, "Play on. " Quiet at the back, Cunningham.

1/2-1/2 [McAlister]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Be7 4. Nc3 Bh4+ 5. Ke2

Now you're thinking, poor Lavery has got carried away after his 1st round draw. But this variation has been played by no less players than the 10th World Champion, Boris Spassky and a former Challenger for the title, Nigel Short.

5... f5

5... c6 6. d4 d5 7. Bxf4 Bg4 8. Qd3 Ne7 9. Kd2 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 Ng6 11. Be3 dxe4 12. Qxe4+ Qe7 13. g3 Qxe4 14. Nxe4 Be7 15. Re1 Nd7 16. h4 Rd8 17. Bd3 Ngf8 18. c4 Nf6 19. Nxf6+ Bxf6 20. d5 Be7 21. Bc5 Rd7 22. d6 Ne6 23. Rxe6 fxe6 24. dxe7 b6 25. Bb4 c5 26. Bc3 Kxe7 27. Ke3 h6 28. Bxg7 Rg8 29. Be5 Rgd8 30. Be2 Rd2 31. Rf1 1-0 Spassky,B-Hermann,M, Bundesliga 1985

5... d5 6. Nxd5 Nf6 7. Nxf6+ Qxf6 8. d4 Bg4 9. Qd2 Nc6 10. c3 O-O-O 11. Qxf4 Qe6 12. Ke3 g5 13. Nxg5 Bxg5 14. Qxg5 f5 15. h3 Nxd4 16. cxd4 Rxd4 17. hxg4 Rxe4+ 18. Kf2 fxg4 19. Rh6 Rf8+ 20. Kg1 Rxf1+ 21. Kxf1 Re1+ 22. Kf2 Qe2+ 23. Kg3 Qd3+ 24. Kxg4 1-0 Short,N-Piket,J,Madrid 1997

6. e5 Nc6 7. d4 d6 8. Bxf4 g5 9. Nxh4 gxf4 10. Nf3 Nh6 11. Qd2 dxe5 12. d5

Much sharper than 12. dxe5 Qxd2+ 13. Kxd2

12... Nd4+ 13. Nxd4 exd4 14. Qxd4 O-O 15. Qxf4 Ng4 16. Kd2 c6 17. Rd1 cxd5 18. Kc1

Well, that's one way to castle queenside. Having got his King to safety, White now has a clear advantage

18... Be6 19. Nxd5 Rc8 20. h3 Bxd5 21. hxg4 Be4?

Probably based on a miscalculation.

21... fxg4 leads to checkmate after 22. Qxg4+ Kh8 (22... Kf7 also leads to mate e.g. 23. Rxh7+ Kf6 24. Rh6+ Kf7 25. Qg6+ Ke7 26. Re1+ Kd7 27. Qd6#) 23. Rxh7+ Kxh7 24. Bd3+ Kh8 25. Rh1+

22. Rxd8 Rxc2+ 23. Kb1 Rc7+

Black was probably relying on 23... Rf2+ and then capturing the Queen, but 24. Qxe4 cuts across that idea.

24. Bd3 Bxd3+ 25. Rxd3 1-0 [McAlister]