The Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) gets under way next weekend. Oxford 2 and 3 will try to lay down markers for the season in the third division.

Oxford 2 in particular have a strong enough team to have a realistic chance of promotion and indeed only narrowly missed out last season. It was to be division 2 for Oxford 1 after a disastrous final weekend last season.

However, the surprise withdrawal of champions Pride and Prejudice has meant a last-minute reprise and — happily for most of the team — it’s tough, division 1 chess for Oxford 1 again. Their first two matches will be played in Staverton — a venue just three miles south of the division 3 venue in Daventry.

Oxford and Cowley’s top board David Zakarian played superbly last year; but contracted chicken pox just before the final 4NCL weekend and so missed a deserved International Master norm.

The following game was played on board 1 of last month’s Oxfordshire-Berkshire Chiltern Cup match, and shows David is still a formidable adversary.

White: James Adair Black: David Zakarian 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 The so-called Kalashnikov Variation — a close relative of the Sveshnikov and a favourite of Mr Zakarian.

5.Nb5 The only way to try for an advantage.

5...d6 The Lowenthal Variation runs 5...a6 6.Nd6+ Bxd6 7.Qxd6 Qf6. This can get complicated — but a simple solution is to play 8.Qxf6 Nxf6 9.Nc3 with a very slight advantage.

6.c4 Be7 7.Be2 Nf6 8.N1c3 a6 9.Na3 0–0 10.0–0 Be6 11.b3 Rc8 12.Bb2 Nd4!? 13.Bd3 Bg4!? 14.Qe1 Qd7 15.f3 Be6 16.f4!? Very aggressive. The alternative 16.Nd5 looks natural.

16...Qd8 If 16...exf4 then 17.Nd5 should give White some advantage.

17.Kh1 John Nunn is want to call such moves ‘lazy’. 17.Nd5 still looks like the way to go.

17...exf4! 18.Nd5 At last!

18...Nc6 19.Rxf4 Threatening to wreck Black’s pawn structure by taking twice on f6.

19...Ne5 20.Rd1 Nh5!? 21.Nxe7+ Wisely taking the bishop before it can come to life - but White must also think about spending some time rehabilitating his knight on a3.

21...Qxe7 22.Rf2 Qh4 23.Rfd2 Qg5 24.Bxe5?! A panicky reaction in the face of Black’s kingside build-up — after which Black is clearly better. The calm 24.Be2 Nf4 25.Bf3 would leave the onus on Black to prove something.

24...dxe5 25.Be2 Nf6 Black targets White’s weak e4-pawn.

26.Bf3 Qf4 27.Qg3? Another panicky reaction — heading for an endgame in which he is clearly worse. Instead, with control of the d-file, White has little to fear after something like: 27.Qe2 Ng4 28.g3 Qg5 29.Nc2.

27...Qxg3 28.hxg3 g5! 29.Re1 Rcd8 30.Rf2? Missing a chance for a long overdue knight rerouting with 30.Nb1 30...Kg7 31.Kh2 Rd7 32.Nb1 Rd3 33.Ref1 There’s really very little White can do as Black slowly improves his position.

33...Re3 34.Rd1? g4 35.Re2 gxf3! 36.Rxe3 Ng4+ 0–1