An arbiter's lot is not a happy one

FM Steve Giddins reports on round 5 of the Blackpool Open

After a desperately hard-fought final round, it was GM Alexandre Dgebuadze who emerged as clear winner of the Blackpool Open, with 4.5 / 5. Sadly, I am unable to report that  he clinched first place with a stirring last-round battle to the death; as so often nowadays, it was a puny 16-move grandmaster draw against Rausis, that secured the honours. Fortunately, those on the neighbouring top boards were made of sterner stuff. On board 2, Mason and Eggleston fought down to the last seconds of the playing session, with the latter eventually triumphing in the Q+P ending.

Blackpool Open (5.2), 09.03.2008

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qc7 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.Be2 Nc6 10.Nb3 Qb6 11.Qd2 Bd7 12.Bh5 Na5 13.Nxa5 Qxa5 14.f5 exf5 15.0–0 fxe4 16.Nxe4 Qxd2 17.Nxd2 Ke7 18.Ne4 Be6 19.Rae1 Bg7 20.Ng3 Kd7 21.Nf5 Bf8 22.Ne3 Rc8 23.Rxf6 Bg7 24.Rf2 Rhf8 25.c3 Bxa2 26.Nf5 Be5 27.Nh6 f6 28.Nf5 Rg8 29.Nd4 Bd5 30.Bf3 Bxd4 31.cxd4 Bxf3 32.Rxf3 Rc2 33.Rf2 Rxf2 34.Kxf2 Rc8 35.Re2 Rc4 36.Ke3 f5 37.Kd3 Rc8 38.Rf2 Ke6 39.Re2+ Kf6 40.d5 f4

41.Re6+ Kf5 42.Rxd6 Rg8 43.Rh6 Rxg2 44.d6 Rg7 45.Kd4 Rf7 46.h4 Kg4 47.Kd5 f3 48.Ke6 Rf8 49.Ke7 f2 50.Kxf8 f1Q+ 51.Ke7 Qe1+ 52.Re6 Qb4 53.Ke8 Kf5 54.d7 Kxe6 55.d8Q Qb5+ 56.Kf8 Qf5+ 57.Kg8 Qf7+ 58.Kh8 h5 59.Qc8+ Ke5 60.Qc3+ Kf4 61.Qd2+ Kg3 62.Qg5+ Kh3 63.b4 Qf8+ 64.Kh7 Qxb4 65.Qe3+ Kxh4 66.Qf2+ Kg4 67.Qg2+ Kf5 68.Qd5+ Kf6 69.Qxh5 Qe4+ 70.Kh8 Qe5 0–1

I commented in the round 4 report on Nigel Davies' expertise with the Modern Defence. As if to emphasise the point, he switched sides in this round and gave a perfect demonstration of the merits of the black position. The customary wing manoeuvres brought Black a comfortable game, and after the mistaken 16.f4?, he pounced tactically, with a typical combination to destroy the white centre:

Blackpool Open (5.3), 09.03.2008

1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Be3 a6 5.Nf3 Nd7 6.Qd2 b5 7.Bd3 c5 8.0–0 Bb7 9.a4 b4 10.Ne2 Rb8 11.c3 bxc3 12.bxc3 Qc7 13.Ng3 h5 14.Nh4 Ngf6 15.h3 Qa5 16.f4 cxd4 17.cxd4 Qxd2 18.Bxd2

18...Nxe4 19.Nxe4 Bxd4+ 20.Kh2 Bxa1 21.Rxa1 0–0 22.Ng5 Nc5 23.Bc4 e6 24.Bb4 Rfc8 25.f5 gxf5 26.Be2 Bd5 27.Bxc5 Rxc5 28.Bxh5 Kg7 29.Nxf7 Rb4 30.Nf3 Bxf3 31.gxf3 Rh4 32.Nd8 Rc2+ 33.Kg3 Rxh5 34.Nxe6+ Kf6 35.Re1 Rc4 36.Nd8 Rg5+ 37.Kf2 Rc2+ 38.Ke3 Rc8 0–1

Before I finish, I should say a word of thanks to all the arbiters and organisers, who enable the tournament to happen. For the modern-day arbiter, the required skill set seems to be expanding all the time. In addition to the patience of Job, the wisdom of Solomon and the diplomatic skills of Kofi Annan, the 21st-century arbiter also needs a degree in advanced electronics. This is necessary merely to set and operate the digital clocks, but as this afternoon's play showed, these skills are also needed in other areas. One unfortunate arbiter was given a player's mobile phone to look after. Sadly, the phone was still switched on, and went off whilst in the arbiter's possession. His first attempt to switch it off failed, and the wretched thing rung again ten minutes later. The arbiter's next attempt to switch it off ended with him having to mouth profuse apologies down the line, after he accidentally rung the emergency services. To complete a thoroughly miserable afternoon, he was later responsible for the silence of the playing room being shattered for a third time, this time by a squeal of pain from a blind player's guide dog, on whose foot the arbiter had accidentally trodden! And to think that soccer referees like Graham Poll think they have a hard time...