The 4 NCL Division one season comes to a climax at the weekend with the final three rounds to be played at the West Bromwich Moat House Hotel. The leaders Wood Green I and Guildford ADC I are neck and neck going into the final weekend. Both teams have won all eight matches and Wood Green I have a tiny advantage on board points.

The decisive match will be held on Monday and both sides have been adding to their squads by registering new players. Wood Green I captain Brian Smith may now call on Russian international Alexey Dreev while Guildford ADC sponsor IM Nigel Povah includes French GMs Joel Lautier and Laurent Fressinet.

It seems quite likely that Guildford ADC's second team will also be stronger this weekend because on Saturday they face Wood Green I and any board points they can snatch in that fixture may well prove decisive should the final match between the first teams end in a 4-4 draw.

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Wood Green I and Guildford ADC I headed into their decisive eleventh round battle at the head of Division one with 20/20 match points each after winning their tenth round ties at the final 4 NCL weekend held at the West Bromwich Moat House Hotel.

The big guns were out for both sides with Guildford ADC bringing in Emil Sutovsky of Israel, Zahar Efimenko of Ukraine and the Canadian Pascal Charbonneau. Each team has to have one female player under league rules and Guildford ADC moved Susan Lalic to the second team and played the American Irina Krush in their first team.

Wood Green captain Brian Smith had two of the world's top twenty in his side and played Michael Adams on board one and Alexey Shirov on board two. Wood Green needed a strong squad to overcome Guildford ADC II who fielded six Grandmasters in an attempt to derail Wood Green I's title challenge. Wood Green I clinched the match with victories from Shirov and Danny Gormally.

Wood Green I's lead on board points means they need just a 4-4 draw against Guioldford ADC I in the last round but Guildford captain IM Nigel Povah is determined to retain the title and added world number ten Peter Svidler of Russia for the last round. Brian Smith brought in Viktor Bologan, Peter Heine Nielsen and Ivan Sokolov for what was one of the strongest matches in the history of British chess with nine of the sixteen players ranked in the world's top 100.

There was a wild game on top board in the tenth round match between Betsson and Northwest Eagles. The early kingside attack does not work and the white king ends up the more exposed.

a) 11.exd5 is certainly more suited to limiting Black's counterplay then if 11...f5 12.Nh3 intending Nf4 and h4-h5; 12.Qd2 is also possible but 12...f4!? 13.Bxf4 Nb4 idea Rxf4 gives Black some play for the pawn.

b) 18.Nb5 was the fatal error although the White position was probably beyond salvation. 18.Bxc5 might have created some more confusion after 18.Bxc5 Nd3+ 19.Bxd3 exd3 20.f4 Nd7 ( 20...b6!? ) 21.Nd5

c) 22...exd3 was also good 22...exd3 23.Rxg7+ Kh8 24.Re7+ Qf6 25.Bxf6+ Rxf6 26.Bf3 Nxe7 27.dxe7 Re8

d) 23.Nxc7 exd3 24.Nxe6 Bxe6 25.Bxg7 Kxg7 wins

e) 26.Qa4 Rac8 27.0-0 Nf3+ 28.Kg2 Rf4 29.d7 Rg4+ 30.Kh3 Rg1 mate

The Czech WGM Jana Jackova played a fine game to defeat Adam Hunt who seemed taken aback by 15...Nxe4 or else he would surely have tried 16.Qh5 Ng5 ( 16...Nd6 17.Ng4) 17.Ng4 when the pawn is regained and Black must play accurately for example 17...d5 18.Nxe5 g6? (18...Qf6) 19.Nhxg6 fxg6 20.Qxg6+ Bg7 21.Ng4; White creates a few threats but they are efficiently dealt with and the bold 24...Qxf5! was rewarded; 24...Qc6 was safer but after 25.Qxc6 Nxc6 26.Ne3 regains the pawn and White is slightly worse but not 25.Qg4 g6) Jackova then exploits the misplaced Rg3 and two more brave moves 27...g5! and 28...f5 lead to a rout.

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Fourteen-year-old David Howell obtained his first grandmaster norm at the 4NCL with a round to spare. Here is one of his wins, annotated by GM Nigel Short.

/ Weekly columns by IM Malcolm Pein from The Telegraph /