[Event "Drop-out Tournament - R1, Game 23"]
[Site "SchemingMind.com"]
[Date "2004.01.26"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Harold"]
[Black "leroipere"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E10c"]
[WhiteCountry "GBR"]
[BlackCountry "FRA"]
[WhiteElo "1504"]
[WhiteRD "82"]
[BlackElo "1712"]
[BlackRD "166"]
[GameID "898"]

1. d4
{
Harold: Hi there - lets see how this thingy works
}
1... Nf6
{
leroipere: Hi, pleased to meet you, good luck !
}
2. Nf3
{
Harold: Pleased to meet you too.  Is that St Maurice in Savoie?
}
2... e6
{
leroipere: No, it's in the 94 department, "Val de Marne) south east of Paris. And you? Where do you live? I was born in Croydon.
}
3. c4
{
Harold: I live in N. Yorkshire - Thirsk.  I was born in Harlow, Essex, where I lived for 10 yrs.  We used to go to Clacton a lot
}
3... Be7 4. Bg5
{
Harold: How long were you in Croydon?
}
4... Ne4
{
leroipere: I was born in Croydon and lived there until I was 22. We moved close to Reigate then when I was 29, I moved to France and got married to a French girl, none of the English ones wanted me :)
}
5. Bxe7
{
Harold: And how are you liking France?
}
5... Qxe7
{
leroipere: It's just like home! When I'm in England, I'm the Englishman I always was, when I'm in France, I'm the Frenchman I always wanted to be!
}
6. Nbd2
{
Harold: Its funny isn't it, we are always having a go at the French as a nation, but we get on rather well as a rule 
}
6... Nf6
{
leroipere: Your quite right, One could that we are the best of enemies! The 100 years war has been going on for 100's of years :)
}
7. e3
{
Harold: And i'm sure we can keep it going just a while longer
}
7... O-O
{
leroipere: We would both be lost without each other!
}
8. Bd3
{
Harold: I havn't been to France for over a year, but we sometimes go down to the French Alps, and indulge in a little wine buying on the way back
}
8... c5
{
leroipere: The french wine is the best, so you can't go wrong. Although the last time I was in England, I tried some wine from Chili, not bad at all!
}
9. Nb3
{
Harold: There are good wines from all over now - even some from England!  or so I have heard.  The English wine tends to be expensive as yields are lower, but I understand the quality is quite good.
}
9... b6
{
leroipere: So they say although I do admit I haven't tried any English wine yet, I prefer the beer in England, a nice pint of Best Bitter is my favourite, We have many English and Irish pubs in Paris.
}
10. Qc2
{
Harold: I think it is a shame you can't get local brews like you used to - wherever you go now it is the same mass produced stuff.  Still quite nice, but not the same atmosphere
}
10... h6
{
leroipere: Been lucky today (Sunday) as we have had the English League Cup Final live on TV between Bolton & Middlesborough. A nice game but bad some bad refereeing. I prefer English football to French but don't see enough of it here. I used to be a big Crystal Palace fan, no ones perfect:)
}
11. a4
{
Harold: We don't get much coverage of the French league - more of Italy and Spain, especially Real Madrid now Beckham plays there
}
11... Nc6
{
leroipere: The French league is not very interesting, there are few really good teams that are good to watch. I'll be looking forward though to France / England in the 6 nations rugby championship this month. I have some English friends coming over and with luck they may have a ticket for me.
}
12. O-O
{
Harold: That one should be the decider, if things go to form.  Should be exciting, and anybodies guess for the result, especially as it in France.
}
12... Nb4
{
leroipere: Quite right but it still will be difficult to beat England even though they aren't at home.
}
13. Qc3
{
Harold: I suppose it is the first big test since the world cup
}
13... d6
{
leroipere: For the English yes, the French played so badly that they have nothing to defend!
}
14. a5 Bb7
{
leroipere: Bad result for England this weekend!
}
15. Nfd2
{
Harold: Yes, after all the hype about Fortress Twickenham!  It looks as though the Paris match will be to try and stop a French grand slam, and possible to win the competition on points difference - all assuming there are no upsets 
}
15... Rac8 16. axb6
{
Harold: Good result for England in the cricket
}
16... axb6
{
leroipere: Afraid we don't get any cricket here, a shame as I love the game.
}
17. e4
{
Harold: We beat the windies by 10 wickets (approximately) in the first test.  Second test now underway and we seem to have the advantage
}
17... e5
{
leroipere: I'm not a TV maniac so I haven't got cable TV here, If I had I would be able to see much more. Looking forward to the rugby this weekend though, any pronostics?
}
18. dxe5
{
Harold: The way the play has been so far, probably France.  England need to win by 8 points, I think, to take it, so it is possible if they can get back to form.  Are you going?
}
18... Qxe5
{
leroipere: No I don't think so. I've have some mates coming over, there is a match the day before with their children who are playing a french team, the english internationals are going to be there to support them, might see them there but the international match I'll watch on TV
}
19. Qxe5
{
Harold: That was looking a bit dangerous there.  Good luck for the children on Saturday
}
19... dxe5
{
leroipere: I've just been watching a brilliant euro match between Real Madrid and Monaco, the spaniards won 4-2 but the return at Monaco should be interesting.
}
20. Ra7
{
Harold: Bad result for England at the weekend.  I shall look out for the Monaco second part
}
20... Nxd3
{
leroipere: Both teams played brilliantly, France in the first half and England in the second. If Rugby was 45 mins each half instead of 40, the result might have been different. England were closing the gap but had left it too late.
}
21. Rxb7
{
Harold: I only cought the last bit, and England looked quite good, as though they might just catch them.
}
21... Rb8
{
leroipere: Quite right, England were better in the second half but France got that extra lead in the first, revenge is sweet ;)
}
22. Rxb8
{
Harold: The number of pieces is diminishing fast
}
22... Rxb8
{
leroipere: yep! the boards getting lighter and lighter.
Looking forward to the first F1 Grand Prix in Bahrain this weekend.
}
{
Harold: I am away for a week (although you may not notice much difference in my move rate!)  i will try to catch up on my return.
}
23. Rb1
{
Harold: Better cover that pawn, I suppose, but i have a nagging suspicion I have missed something.  A bit of a surprise in the Monaco game, if not in the F1.  I bet you could have got good odds on Chelsea playing Monaco in the next round at half time.
}
23... Ra8
{
leroipere: Well the F1 was no surprise which is why I didn’t watch it in the end! It’s getting more and more monotonous. A great match for Monaco against Zidane & Co. I shall really look forward to the Chelsea / Monaco first game and in a way I can’t really loose. I am an old Crystal Palace fan but have always had a soft spot for Chelsea, but this time I’m supporting Monaco, 30 years in France has taken it’s toll :)
}
{
spoke: Hi Harold, have seen that you logged in today (April 22). Can you please move in this game with priority? Most players have already begun with their games in round 2 (and 1 game in round 2 is already complete :)  Thanks, spoke
}
24. Ra1
{
Harold: Move made at last!  I shouldn't think this will take too much longer.  Bad resultfor your Chelsea side, but good for your Monaco bit
}
24... Rxa1+
{
leroipere: Watched the match, I wasn't very impressed by Chelsea. Monaco played well against Real Madrid in the match before and was brilliant against Chelsea. Shame about the stupid play from Desailly and Makelele who at their level should know better.
}
25. Nxa1
{
Harold: Our commentator should have known better than to make his comments as well - did you hear about that?
}
25... Nxb2
{
leroipere: Yes I did and I consider his remarks indecent. As far as I can gather, he has been sacked, is that right? Some info. I will be away from this Thursday 29th intil next Wednesday 5th. I don't have many days left to answer moves, I hope this will be alright. I'll try and catch up on my return.
}
26. Nab3
{
Harold: one pawn down!  You could use a holiday block from your My Details menu - this will add 5 days to your clock - but I don't think you will time out anyway
}
{
Austin Lockwood: Hi Harold and leroipere... good game to watch (and interesting commentary too!) - the holiday thingy will add seven days to your clock, but it would be great if you could try and get this one finished before 29th because some players are waiting to start round 2.  No problem if you can't though - they'll just have to wait a bit longer ;-) cheers, Austin
}
26... Ne8
{
leroipere: I don't have many days an as I'm away for at least a week, I'm going to ask for a holiday block just before leaving. Sorry about the others who are waiting.
}
27. g3
{
Harold: The more I look at it, the more I look to be up the creek without the proverbial paddle - this may not take so long after all
}
27... Nd6
{
leroipere: Hi, back from my short while away so here's my next move. Sorry about Chelsea, let's face it though, they didn't deserve to win although their two goals were brilliant.
}
28. f4
{
Harold: With Newcastle failing last night, that is the end of our interest in Europe - clearly only in a football sense.  Good luck to Monaco.  The French are doing rather better than usual this year, aren't they?
}
{
Harold: Did you have a good trip?
}
28... Ndxc4
{
leroipere: I wasn’t able to see the match Marseille vs Newcastle, but from the write ups Marseille merited the win. Effectively we are having some interesting football in France at the moment with a fight between Lyon and Paris Saint Germain for the championship title. I will be looking forward to the following finals and then of course we have the Euro Nations Cup and then the Olympics, (we hope!)
}
29. f5
{
Harold: The Greeks will have to do well to pull it off as well as Sydney - it doesn't look too good at the moment 
}
29... Nxd2
{
leroipere: They sure are going to have to work hard at it, i've heard that there won't even be rehersals for the opening ceremony!
}
30. Nxd2
{
Harold: I think this game slipped away from me a few moves ago
}
30... c4
{
leroipere: It's true that your position with two pawns down is perhaps delicate, but it's not over yet :)
}
31. Kf2 b5 32. g4 Kf8 33. Ke3 Ke7 34. Nf3
{
Harold: Sorry havn't moved for a while - this game dropped back onto page 2 of my list, and I havn't looked there for a while.
}
34... Kd6
{
leroipere: No problem, I was just about to send a message to you when I saw your move.
}
35. Kd2 Na4 36. Kc2 f6 37. h4 b4 38. Kc1
{
Harold: Bad result for Monaco last night - I didn't see the game apart from the last few minutes.  Was the result deserved?
}
38... Nc3
{
leroipere: Totally deserved, both teams played extremly well but Porto was better although I think Monaco were unlucky to have lost their captain Guily which must have had an effect on their strategy, especially after Porto's first goal. For the moment I'm watching the French tennis open. Agassi was beaten in the first round, it's time he retired I think and leave room for the younger champions!
}
39. Nd2
{
Harold: You are thinking of Henman, of course
}
39... Kc5
{
leroipere: You mean Hennin perhaps, although I found the Italian Starace very good against the Frenchman Grosjean today beating him in three sets. He'll be up with the seeds in afew years time.
}
40. g5
{
Harold: Wimbledon coming up soon - so we can expect lots of rain, and Henman losing a semi final
}
40... Kd4
{
leroipere: Right at this moment i'm watching Amelie Mauresmo make Paella of the Spanish girl Parra Santonja.
}
41. Kc2
{
Harold: I think I am getting in a pickle here
}
41... Nxe4
{
leroipere: Well, I'm not very good with end games, I tend to do stupid things so perhaps you've still got your chances.
}
{
Harold: I think this has definately slipped beyond my grasp - 6 to 3 on pawns with 3 passed would be hard to lose from.  However, it seems I was a little early to scoff at our Tims chances in the tennis - he seems to be playing well, but today may be a different story
}
42. Nf3+
{
Harold: sorrry - thought I had made a move with the last comment
}
42... Ke3
{
leroipere: Not seen much tennis today, technical problems with the car so I've not been around to watch. No french men or women left, Mauresmo is just not in the league.
}
43. gxf6
{
Harold: Tim plays tomorrow, and if he looses, it is an all argentine final
}
43... gxf6
{
leroipere: I have been away for three days so I haven't seen much of the tennis finals. On getting home last night, I did see the finish of the men's, it seemed very tight. Now for next Sunday!!!
}
44. Ng1
{
Harold: England v France again, this time football.  Should have us on the edge of our seats.  I think I will haver to resign soon on this one, to allow you to move on to the other rounds
}
44... b3+
{
leroipere: France / England will probably be the toughest match for both teams in this competition, although England has all it's chances of winning, last night I watched the friendly between France / Ukraine, France spent 90% of the game in front of the Ukranian goal and was only able to put the ball in once!!!
}
{
Austin Lockwood: I'm going to assume now the this game has been won (something that may eventually return to haunt me!).  Leroipere, you will find two new games in your list for R2 of the tourney.  No reason why this can't be finished at your leisure now if you don't want to resign Harold.
}
45. Kb2
{
Harold: Sounds fine to me - we should have thought of that earlier.  We managed to hammer Iceland, but I don't know if that tells us much about our chances against France.  It is a tough one to start.  Ok for you, as you can cheer both sides
}
45... Kd3
{
leroipere: Ok, thanks Austin. A nice game Harold, if you want to continue it's up to you.
Regarding the match France / England, it's true that in a way I can't lose, but I'm afraid for my English pals that I'll be cheering for France, been living here too long now ;)
}
46. Nh3
{
Harold: Might as well play it through - you never know, you may make a huge blunder.  Interestingly, although I did not get past the frist round, time wise I stayed in the dropout comp for ages
}
46... c3+
{
leroipere: As I said, I'm not very good at end games, so anything is possible. Hope we see a good match on Sunday!
}
47. Kxb3
{
Harold: Actually, I think I see the end coming quite quickly.  It was a good game, but a little disapointing for us at the end.  Some very silly mistakes.  The foul was not necessary, and the back pass awful!
}
47... c2
{
leroipere: The bad luck started for England started when Beckham missed the penalty or perhaps it was just a brilliant save from his old club mate Barthez! Anyway, I enjoyed the game as France & England are probably the best in the world at the moment. And who knows, another match for the final is not impossible...
}
{
Harold: I am away until 23rd June
}
48. Kb2
{
Harold: I think the penalty was a combination - hit hard, but in a saveable place.  Those two must have had a lot of practice with eachother.  I am down your way , in Eurodisney, for a few days now.  i will have to find a friendly bar with telly to watch the other games
}
48... Kd2
{
leroipere: You are really not far from us, Eurodisney is about 30 miles away. Give Mick a hug!
}
49. Kb3
{
Harold: Gave Mickey a hug.  Had a nice time - the people in the local bar were very friendly, but not much chance of seeing the England Croatia game.  Good results for England and France though.  And Tim Henman managed to get through the forst round of Wimbledon
}
49... c1=Q
{
leroipere: Glad you had a good time at Mick's place, the weather could have been better probably, no? All sad tonight, England bundled it and after scoring the first goal, wore themselves out trying to stop Portugal scoring which had to happen at sometime or another. Yet again they forgot that one goal is just not enough!
}
50. h5
{
Harold: Yes, as soon as England scored the first goal, you somehow knew they would loose - we need to go a goal down to get the team playing properly.  Beckham was also off the boil.  Good luck against Greece - I am for France now.  Everyone in the French bar cheered when England scored against the Swiss, but I don't know if that means they don't like the Swiss, or like England.
}
50... Qc5
{
leroipere: Nice of you to support France although you didn't have to do for very long. They played so badly I'm beginning to think the 1998's World Cup was chance luck and the Euro afterwards just coincidence! There's going to be many changes in the team... I'm for the Tcheque Republic now.
}
51. Ng1
{
Harold: Changing my aliegance to France was the kiss of death to them, I'm afraid.  The checks look the most exciting of those remaining, so thats them out next!
}
51... Qb5+
{
leroipere: What ever, it's going to be a nice final, I'm looking forward to Sunday.
}
52. Ka3
{
Harold: Couldn't tempt you into taking the knight then?
}
52... Kc2
{
leroipere: Nope, cos my move after this one is "check mate" ;-)
}
53. Ne2
{
Harold: Well done - I enjoyed the game, though it was clear for a while what the result was going to be.  I got my knights into bad positions.  Good luck in the rest of the tournament
}
53... Qb3#
{
leroipere: Thanks to you also, it was nice playing chess with you and chatting. I hope that we might meet again over a chess board.
}
0-1

