Clear blue water: varsity chess match 2025 | thearticle

Cambridge have narrowly won the 2025 Varsity match against Oxford, the world’s longest running chess competition, which began in 1873 and now spans three centuries. This result gives

Cambridge a clear two-match lead in this venerable series. Here are the precise scores: 2025 VARSITY CHESS MATCH Oxford moved into an early lead, but late errors by Oxford allowed the light

blues a sequence of victories which permitted Cambridge to sweep into the lead by just one point. I chaired the committee of three Grandmasters, including Jon Speelman and David Howell,

which determined the prizes for Most Brilliant Game, the Best Game, and a special award to Oxford’s Tom O’Gorman for scoring an unprecedented 5/5 over his five years of combat. A book prize

was awarded to Natasha Regan for her indefatigable efforts in commenting publicly at the venue and online for the full six hours of the match. The best game prize was awarded to the

following tough endgame with opposite coloured bishops: SACHA BROZEL (Magdelene) VS. JEM GURNER (Magdalen) 143rd Varsity Match, RAC London, 2025, board six 1.D4 NF6 2. C4 G6 3. NF3 BG7 4. G3

D5 5. BG2 DXC4 6. QA4+ NFD7 7. QXC4 NB6 8. QC5 NA6 9. QG5!? TN With the text move, White departs from the root game, Minasian-Nikolic, Kusadasi, 2006,  which continues 9. Qa3. The engine

favours 9. Qa5! 9… H6 10. QD2 O-O 11. B3 C5 12. BB2 RE8?! This inaccuracy endows an advantage upon White. Better is 12… Qc7 or …Qd6. 13.O-O CXD4 14. NXD4 NC5?! Black does better with 14…

Nc7! or …e5! 15.RD1 A6 16. NC3?! More precise was 16. Qc2, when White’s control of the c-file pays dividends. 16… E5 17. NC2 QXD2 18. RXD2 BE6 19. RAD1 BF8 20. NE3 RAB8 21. G4 BE7 22. NCD5

NXD5 23. NXD5 BXD5 24. RXD5 F6?! More accurate is to withdraw the e5-pawn from attack, than to defend it. After, 24… e4 25. h4 a5 26. h5 Rbd8 27. Bc3 b6 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Rxd8+ Bxd8, Black

is effectively level. 25.E3 KF7 26. KF1 B6 27. KE2 RBC8 28. R5D2 A5 29. BD5+ KF8 30. H4 RED8 31. H5 G5 32. F4 EXF4 33. EXF4 RE8? Tense manoeuvring has stabilised the middle game, but the

text suddenly ends any such tranquillity. Black is able to maintain his position of near equality after 33… gxf4 34. Kf3 Kg7 35. Kxf4 Bd6+ 36. Kf3 Be5 37. Bc1 Rc7 38. Bc4 Rxd2 39. Bxd2.

34.KF3!? The move realises an advantage for White, yet there was a far stronger move available: 34. fxg5 Kg7 35. g6 Red8 36. Bc4 Rxd2+ 37. Rxd2 Rc7 38. Bb5 Ne4 39. Rd7 Rxd7 40. Bxd7. The

raking power of the white bishops precludes any recapture on g5 after, 34 fxg5 fxg5 35 Rf1+ or, 34…hxg5 35 h6. 34… BD6 35. F5? This move relinquishes any residual advantage White had left.

The correct way to proceed is with, 35. Bc6 Rxc6 36. Rxd6 Re6 37. Rd8+ Re8 38. R1d6 Rxd8 39. Rxc6. 35… BE5 36. BA3 KG7 37. BXC5 RXC5 38. BC4 RE7?? Black errs approaching time control when he

could retain equality with either 38… Kf8 or …Rc7. Over the next eight moves, White delivers increasingly telling blows until a terminal conclusion is ultimately produced. 39.RD8 B5 40.

RG8+ KH7 41. BE6 RC3+ 42. KE4 BC7 43. RG6 RG3 44. RXF6 RXG4+ 45. KD5 RH4 46. RE1 BB6 47. BG8+ Black resigns 1-0 The brilliancy prize was awarded to the following complex game: ASHVIN

SIVAKUMAR (Harris Manchester) VS. CAMERON GOH (Emmanuel) 143rd Varsity Match, RAC London, 2025, board three 1.D4 NF6 2. C4 E6 3. NC3 BB4 4. F3 C5 5. D5 B5 6. E4 D6 7. BD2 A6 8. A4 BXC4 9.

BXC4 NBD7 10. NGE2?! The usual sequence has been with, 10. dxe6 which, on balance, seems a preferable choice. 10… NE5!? TN An interesting introduction of a new continuation; in a recent

game, 10… O-O was played in Deac-Moiseenko, chess.com INT, 2022. 10… NE5 11. B3 EXD5 12. NXD5?! This is inaccurate. White should instead play 12. Bxd5 with equality. After the text, Black is

granted an opportunity to take the initiative. 12… NXD5?! Missing the chance White’s previous offered. Black’s potential is realised after, 12… Nxc4 13. Nxf6+ Qxf6 14. Bxb4 cxb4 15. bxc4

Qe5 16. f4 Qc5 17. Qd5 Ra7 18. Qxc5 dxc5 19. O-O-O Be6, with a tangible initiative. 13.BXD5 ND3+ 14. KF1 RB8 15. BC6+ KF8 16. BE3 NE5 17. BD5 QF6 18. NF4 A5 19. KG1?! It was slightly more

advantageous to play, 19. Rc1 or Bc4, to close off the c-file. But even after the text, White is no worse than equal. 19… H5 20. H4 BA6?! 20… Bc3 was more accurate. 21.RC1 BA3?! Black seems

to have slightly lost his way with the last two moves. Better advised are either, 21… Kg8 or …g6. White now enjoys a slight advantage. 22.RC2 QE7 23. QE1 BB4?! Gifting White a tempo to

achieve what he probably intended, and a pleasant advantage. 24.QG3 G6 25. KH2 KG7 26. RD1 KH7?? A blunder by Black. Best is either 26… Rbc8 or …Rb6, which at least do no further harm.

27BC1? White misses the devastating 27. Bxf7!! which leads to and enforces a game termination with the proverbial extreme prejudice, after either: * a) 27… Qf6 28. Bxg6+ Nxg6 29. Nxg6 Qxg6

30. Qxg6+ Kxg6 31. Rxd6+ Kf7 32. Rxa6 Rhc8 33. Bf4 Ra8 34. Rb6 Rd8 35. Rc1; or * b) 27… Qxf7 28. Rxd6 c4 29. Rxa6 Rhe8 30. bxc4 Ra8 31. Rxa8 Rxa8 32. Nd5 Qg7 33. c5 Rf8 34. Bg5 Qh8 35. Bf6.

27… RHC8 28. BB2 C4 29. BXC4 BXC4 30. BXC4 RXC4?! Apparently natural but too routine. There is no rush for the recapture and Black can benefit from preparation, as he is already at a

considerable disadvantage. The engine ventures that both 30… Bc5 and …Rc5 at least maintain the status quo. 31.RXC4 NXC4 32. ND5 QE6 33. NF6+ KG7 34. NXH5+ KF8 35. BG7+ KE7? A final misstep

by Black, floundering in a hopelessly lost position. Instead, 35… Kg8 makes a subtle but substantial difference in leaving the e7-square available for the queen. 36.NF4 QC8 37. QG5+?! A good

move but there is a much stronger one awaiting discovery: 37. Nd5+!! brings another piece to bear in what is now a king hunt. For example, after 37… Kd7 38. Qg4+ Ke8 39. Qg5 Qd8 40. Bf6 Qc8

41. h5 Nb6 42. Nxb4 axb4 43. Rxd6 Nc4 44. Rd8+ Qxd8 45. hxg6! is a simple win. 37… KD7 38. QD5 QG8? Less accurate than 38… Ke8 or …Ke7. 39.BD4? White unconsciously throws Black a lifeline.

The killer move is 39. Bf6 Ne3 40. Qd4 Qc8 ( 40… Nxd1?  Qa7+!) 41. Qxe3 Qc2 42. Qa7+ Qc7 43. Qxc7+ Kxc7 44. Nd5+ Kd7 45. Rb1 Ke6 46. Kh3 Rf8 47. Bd4 Rb8 48. Bc3 Rc8 49. Nf4+ Ke7 50. Bxb4

axb4 51. Rxb4, and wins. 39… F5 40. QXG8 RXG8 41. EXF5 BD2 42. NXG6 RB8 43. H5 RB3 44. RXD2 NXD2 45. H6 Black resigns 1-0 RAY’S 206TH BOOK, “  CHESS IN THE YEAR OF THE KING  ”, WRITTEN IN

COLLABORATION WITH ADAM BLACK, AND HIS 207TH, “  NAPOLEON AND GOETHE: THE TOUCHSTONE OF GENIUS  ” (WHICH DISCUSSES THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHESS) CAN BE ORDERED FROM BOTH AMAZON AND

BLACKWELLS. HIS 208TH, THE WORLD RECORD FOR CHESS BOOKS, WRITTEN JOINTLY WITH CHESS PLAYING ARTIST BARRY MARTIN,  CHESS THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS _, _ IS ALSO NOW_ _AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON.  A

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