Since the demise of the University Congress three years ago, the Kidlington Congress has been the only annual weekend congress held in the county — but this year another event is born to rival Kidlington.

The first Witney Weekend Congress will be held at Cokethorpe School, Witney over the weekend of October 19 and 20 and with such stalwarts of the local chess scene as Mike Truran and Gerard O’Reilly involved, it’s sure to be a success.

Success for once evaded Witney star Marcus Harvey at this year’s Cowley Summer Blitz. Instead, the University player Jan-Peter Schmidt took first place in this fun five-minute-chess tournament. In the longer game, Jan-Peter has been a vital part of Oxford’s success in the Four Nations Chess League this season — but his studies at Oxford are coming to an end and this affable German has played his last game for Oxford for a while. There follows his fine win from the important match against Wessex. Victory in this match by 5-3 was key to Oxford’s ultimately successful promotion bid.

White: Nick Rutter

Black: Jan-Peter Schmidt

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Jan's opening choice, the Pirc Defence, is dynamic, tricky and flexible. It has a fair number of adherents — but not nearly so many as, say, the Sicilian — and really deserves to be more popular than it is.

4...Bg7 5.Nf3 0–0 The other move here is 5...c5 when 6.dxc5 Qa5 doesn't offer White too much - so play usually continues 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.e5 with a complex position.

6.Be3 Together with 4.f4, this represents the most aggressive response to Black's opening choice. 6...b6 7.Qd2 Bb7 8.e5 White continues in the most aggressive fashion.

8...Ng4 9.0–0–0 c5 10.dxc5 bxc5 11.Bxc5 Nd7!? More usual here is 11...Qa5 12.Ba3 dxe5 when Black has plenty of play and I can't help thinking Black would be pretty happy with the result of his opening if he’d played the Sicilian and reached this position.

12.Bd4? An illogical move and much better was the immediate 12.Bg1!

12...dxe5 13.Bg1 After 13.Nxe5 Ndxe5! 14.h3 Black has the fantastic resource 14...Nf3! and then after the further moves 15.gxf3 Bxf3 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 White has to defend his rook on h1 and has no time to take the black knight.

13...Nb6 14.Qe1 Qb8 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.fxe5 Qxe5 17.Qxe5 Bxe5 18.Bd4 Bf4+! 19.Kb1 Rfd8 20.h4?! e5 21.Bxb6?! axb6 In the last few moves Black has played simply and logically whereas White's play has been artificial. Naturally, Black will now push his passer at ever opportunity, supported by his two bishops which dominate. Though the material is equal, White could already resign.

22.Rh3 Rxd1+ 23.Nxd1 Rd8 24.Nc3 Rd2 25.a4 e4 26.Bc4 e3 27.Rh1 Bxg2 28.Rg1 Bf3 29.Rf1 Rf2 30.Rxf2 exf2 31.Bf1 f6 32.b4 Bd6 33.b5 g5 34.Ne2 g4 35.Nd4 Be4 36.Ne2 f5 37.Kc1 f4 38.Nc3 Bf3 1–0

A reminder that grandmaster Daniel King will be giving a 20-board simultaneous exhibition — that is, playing 20 local players simultaneously on 20 boards — from 2pm this Sunday at Hanwell Village Hall in Hanwell near Banbury.