Agony Column #6
This week's two lively games are by Carl Portman who plays for the Banbury chess club in the Oxford League. This includes two clubs from Oxford University: Pieces and Pawns; and four decades ago when I studied maths I used to play for Pawns while John Nunn led Pieces.
Mr Portman, who is married and in his early fifties, served for 30 years in the Ministry of Defence and is editor of the Combined Services Chess Magazine Open File. He's done a great deal of chess organising, much of it charity work, including fostering the development of “Chess in Prisons” for which he received an award from the English Chess Federation as you can see in this photograph.

He's currently rated 152 which translates to just over 1800 though has been considerable higher.
His "Agony" is strictly speaking hardly that since he finishes the annotations with the comment "What a fascinating game." But it is a battle he lost after a very hard fight.
1.e4 | 1,170,319 | 54% | 2421 | --- |
1.d4 | 949,867 | 55% | 2434 | --- |
1.Nf3 | 282,628 | 56% | 2440 | --- |
1.c4 | 182,731 | 56% | 2442 | --- |
1.g3 | 19,745 | 56% | 2427 | --- |
1.b3 | 14,347 | 54% | 2427 | --- |
1.f4 | 5,917 | 48% | 2377 | --- |
1.Nc3 | 3,816 | 51% | 2384 | --- |
1.b4 | 1,759 | 48% | 2379 | --- |
1.a3 | 1,222 | 54% | 2404 | --- |
1.e3 | 1,073 | 49% | 2409 | --- |
1.d3 | 955 | 50% | 2378 | --- |
1.g4 | 666 | 46% | 2361 | --- |
1.h4 | 449 | 53% | 2374 | --- |
1.c3 | 435 | 51% | 2426 | --- |
1.h3 | 283 | 56% | 2419 | --- |
1.a4 | 114 | 60% | 2465 | --- |
1.f3 | 93 | 46% | 2435 | --- |
1.Nh3 | 90 | 66% | 2505 | --- |
1.Na3 | 42 | 62% | 2482 | --- |
Please, wait...
1.b3 Nf6 2.Bb2 d6 3.f4 e5!? 4.fxe5 4.e3 exf4 5.exf4 Be7 4...dxe5 5.Bxe5 Ng4 6.Bg3 6.Bc3 Bd6 7.Nf3 Bxh2 7...Nxh2 8.d3 Bg3+ 9.Kd2 Ng4 10.Bxg7 Rg8 11.Bd4 8.Rxh2 Nxh2 9.d3 Nxf3+ 10.gxf3 Qh4+ 11.Kd2 6...Qf6 7.Nc3 7.c3 Bd6 8.Nh3 8.Nf3 Bxg3+ 9.hxg3 Qd6 10.Rh3 Nf6 8...Nxh2 9.Bxd6 9.Bxh2 Bxh2 10.Rxh2 Qh4+ 11.g3 Qxg3+ 12.Rf2 Bxh3 9...Qxd6 10.Nf2 7...Ne3! 8.dxe3 Bb4? 8...Qxc3+ 9.Kf2 Bc5 10.Qc1 10.Bf4 Qf6! 10...Nd7 11.Nf3 Nf6 12.Bf4 Ne4+ 9.Nf3 Bxc3+ 10.Kf2 Bxa1 11.Bh4 Qd6 12.Qxa1 0-0 13.g4 13.Qd4 Qc6 14.c4 Nd7 15.g4 Nc5 13...f6 14.Bg2 Nc6 15.Rd1 Qe7 16.Nd4 16.h3 16...Ne5 17.h3 17...c6?! 17...Bxg4! 18.Bxb7 18.hxg4 Nxg4+ 19.Kg3 Nxe3 20.Rd3 20.Bxb7 Rad8 20...c5 18...Rad8 19.Bg2 c5 20.Nf3 18.Qc3 Bd7 19.Kg1 Rae8 20.e4 g6 21.Bf2 c5 22.Nf3 b6 23.Nxe5 fxe5 24.Bg3 Bc6 25.b4!? 25.Bf3 Qc7 26.Kg2 Rf7 27.Qc4 Kg7 28.Rd3! Rd7 29.a4 a5 30.Qc3 25...Bb5? 25...Rd8! 26.Rd3 Bb5! 27.Rxd8 27.Rd5 Rxd5 28.exd5 cxb4 27.bxc5 Bxd3 28.exd3 Qxc5+ 29.Qxc5 bxc5 30.Bxe5 27.Bxe5 Bxd3 28.cxd3 cxb4 29.Qb2 Qc5+ 30.Kh2 Rf2 31.Bg3 Qc3 27...Rxd8 28.bxc5 28.Bxe5 28...Qxc5+ 29.Qxc5 bxc5 26.Qb3+? 26.Rd5! Rc8 27.Rxe5 Qf7 28.Bf3 26...Qf7 27.bxc5 Bxe2 28.Qxf7+ Rxf7 29.Rd2 Bc4 30.cxb6 axb6 31.Bf2 b5 32.a3 Rc7 33.Bb6 Rc6 34.Ba5 g5 35.Bb4 Rf6 36.Bc5 Ree6 37.Be3 h6 38.Bf2?? 38.Bc5! 38...Rd6! 39.Be3 Rxd2 40.Bxd2 Kf7 41.Bc3 Ke6 42.Bb4 Rf7 43.Bc5 Kf6 44.Bb4 Rd7 45.Bf3 Ba2 46.Be2 Bc4 47.Bf3 Rc7 48.Kf2 Ba2! 49.c3 49.Bd1 Bb1 49...Bc4 50.Bf8 Rc8 51.Bd6 Rd8 52.Bc5 Rd2+ 53.Kg1 Rd3 54.Be2 Rxc3 55.Bxc4 Rxc4 56.Bb4 Rxe4 57.Kf2 Rc4 58.Kg3 e4 0–1 - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Portman,C | 168 | Hempson,P | 188 | 0–1 | 2012 | A01 | British Chess Ch'ships 2012 | 2 |
Please, wait...
Mr Portman's "Ecstasy" is a nice crisp win against an opponent who tried for too much in the opening and paid the price.
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ndf3 Qb6 8.Ne2 Be7 9.g4? 9.g3 0-0 10.Bh3 cxd4 11.cxd4 f6 12.Bxe6+ Kh8 13.exf6 Nxf6 9.a3 a5 10.f5 9.h4 cxd4 10.cxd4 f6 11.a3 0-0 12.Rh3 fxe5 12...Na5 13.fxe5 Ndxe5 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.Nxe5 Qf2+ 16.Kd2 Qxf1 17.Qxf1 Rxf1 9...f6 10.Ng3 cxd4 11.Nxd4 11.cxd4 fxe5 12.fxe5 0-0 13.a3 Rxf3 14.Qxf3 Nxd4 15.Qd1 Nxe5 11...Nxd4 12.Qxd4?! 12.cxd4 fxe5 13.fxe5 0-0 14.Qd3 Nb8! 15.Bd2 Qxb2 16.Qc3 12.exf6 Bxf6 13.g5! Nc6 14.gxf6 Nxf6 12...Bc5 13.Qd2 fxe5 14.f5 14...Nf6 14...0-0 15.b4 Be7 16.Be2 Qc7 17.0-0 Nb6 14...e4 15.b4 Be7 16.fxe6 Qxe6 17.Nf5 Bf6 18.Be2 0-0 15.Qg5?! exf5 15...Bf2+! 16.Ke2 0-0 17.Bg2 Bd7 16.Nxf5 Bxf5 17.gxf5 Bf2+ 18.Ke2 0-0-0 18...0-0 19.Bg2 e4 20.Qf4 Bc5 19.Bg2 h6 20.Qg6 Rd6 20...d4 21.Kxf2 dxc3+ 22.Be3 Rd2+ 23.Kf3 e4+ 24.Kf4 Qd6# 21.Rf1 21...Bh4?! 21...Qb5+ 22.Kxf2 Ne4+ 21...Ne4 22.Kd3?! Qb5+ 23.Kc2 Qe2+ 24.Bd2 Ne4 25.Bxe4 Qxe4+ 0–1 - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Lawson,T | 146 | Portman,C | 151 | 0–1 | 2014 | C11 | Daventry v Banbury | |
Please, wait...
About the author
Jon was born in 1956 and became a professional player in 1977 after graduating from Worcester College Oxford where he read mathematics. He became an IM in 1977 a GM in 1980 and was a member of the English Olympic team from 1980-2006. Three times British Champion he played twice in the Candidates reaching the semi-final (of what was then a knockout series of matches) in 1989 when he lost 4.5 - 3.5 to Jan Timman. He's twice been a second at the world championship for Nigel Short and then Viswanathan Anand against Garry Kasparov in London 1993 and New York 1995. He's written for the Observer (weekly) since 1993 and The Independent since 1998. With its closure (going online, but without Jon on board) he's expanding online activity and is also now offering online tuition. He likes puzzles especially (cryptic) crosswords and killer sudokus. If you'd like to contact Jon, then please write to jonathan@speelman.demon.co.uk |

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