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27/09/2023 SHARING A BOARD WITH DOUWE HENDRIK WESTRA. (23rd July 1934 – 2nd October 2022.) By David G. Mills.
Duko Westra was not as well known to me as his elder brother, Roelof. To the best of my knowledge, he was already a member of Hull Chess Club when I joined in 1969, but we did not meet over the board until the beginning of 1975. Our playing strengths were similar, although he was nearly twenty years my senior and more experienced in competitive events. The game, in Hull Chess Club’s Major Tournament, saw me adopting the Colle System. I had taken it up a few years earlier, following a defeat by John Lawson, and have used it on and off for over fifty years. It was agreed drawn on Duko’s proposal with my flag about to fall. Had more time been available to consider my reply, 34. Ne4 would have won the exchange. Half a point lost, but a valuable lesson learned regarding the allocation of time.
D. G. Mills - D. H. Westra [D05] Hull C. C. Major. 03.01.1975. 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nbd2 Be7 5.Bd3 b6 6.0–0 Ba6 7.Qe2 Bxd3 8.Qxd3 0–0 9.c4 dxc4 10.Nxc4 c5 11.Rd1 Nc6 12.b3 cxd4 13.exd4 Nb4 14.Qe2 Rc8 15.Bb2 b5 16.Ne3 a6 17.a3 Nbd5 18.Rac1 Qb6 19.Nxd5 Nxd5 20.b4 Qb7 21.g3 Nb6 22.Nd2 Qd5 23.Ne4 Nc4 24.Nc5 Rc6 25.f4 Bf6 26.Nb3 Rd8 27.Rd3 Nxb2 28.Qxb2 Rxc1+ 29.Qxc1 Qc4 30.Qd1 h6 31.Kf2 Rd6 32.Ke3 g5 33.Nc5 Kf8= ½–½
A few months later, inaccurate play in the early middlegame of the reverse encounter resulted in me losing a pawn. Material parity was reestablished shortly afterwards, but I failed to hold the ensuing king and pawn ending, being checkmated at move 68.
D. H. Westra - D. G. Mills [C01] Hull C. C. Major. 25.04.1975. 1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Be2 Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.h3 h6 9.a3 Be6 10.Bb5 a6 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.Ne5 c5 13.Nc6 Qd7 14.Nxe7+ Qxe7 15.Be3 cxd4 16.Bxd4 Rfd8 17.Qf3 Ne8 18.Na4 a5 19.Nc5 Nd6 20.Rfe1 Nb5 21.c3 a4 22.Re2 Nd6 23.Rae1 Re8 24.Qxd5 Bxd5 25.Rxe7 Rxe7 26.Rxe7 c6 27.Re2 Bc4 28.Rd2 Bb5 29.f3 Re8 30.Kf2 Nc4 31.Rc2 Ne5 32.Bxe5 Rxe5 33.Ne4 Bd3 34.Rd2 Bxe4 35.fxe4 Rxe4 36.Rd4 Rxd4 37.cxd4 f5 38.Ke3 Kf7 39.Kd3 Ke6 40.Kc4 Kd6 41.b3 axb3 42.Kxb3 g5 43.Kc4 h5 44.a4 h4 45.Kd3 Kc7 46.Kc4 Kd6 47.Kd3 Kc7 48.Kc4 g4 49.Kd3 Kb6 50.Ke3 Ka5 51.Kf4 gxh3 52.gxh3 Kxa4 53.Kg5 Kb4 54.Kxh4 Kc4 55.Kg5 Kxd4 56.h4 f4 57.Kxf4 c5 58.h5 c4 59.h6 c3 60.h7 c2 61.h8Q+ Kd3 62.Qh3+ Kd2 63.Qe3+ Kd1 64.Qd3+ Kc1 65.Ke3 Kb2 66.Qb5+ Kc1 67.Qb4 Kd1 68.Qd2# 1–0
The following season, I entered the 1976/77 Hull Chess Club Championship qualifying competition. It ended in a three-way tie in my section, involving Duko Westra, D. R. Steele and me. In the playoff, Duko finished top. We played out a 13 move draw.
Internal chess politics, and conflict in East Yorkshire during the early 1990s, gave rise to a schism and formation of the Humber Chess League. Some teams and players ceased to participate in Hull and District Chess Association activities in favour of a 5 and after one year, 4 board league, which included Barton-on-Humber and Goole Chess Clubs. I was one of those instrumental in the breakaway and, as a consequence, did not face Duko again until 2004, by which time progress had been made. A return to normality was near. I was playing for Hull Civil Service Chess Club and adopted an aggressive, off beat line, which paid dividends.
D. G. Mills - D. H. Westra [C00] R. P. Ross Division 2, 30.03.2004. Hull Civil Service v Hull ‘L’. 1.d4 d5 2.e4 e6 3.Be3 dxe4 4.Nd2 Nf6 5.f3 Nd5 6.Qe2 Nxe3 7.Qxe3 exf3 8.Ngxf3 Be7 9.Bd3 Nc6 10.c3 Bf6 11.0–0 Qe7 12.Rae1 Bd7 13.Nc4 0–0–0 14.b4 Nb8 15.Nce5 h6 16.b5 b6 17.a4 Rhf8 18.a5 c6 19.axb6 axb6 20.bxc6 Bxc6 21.Rb1 Qc7 22.Nc4 Nd7 23.Nfe5 Bxe5 24.dxe5 Kb8 25.Nxb6 Nxb6 26.Rxb6+ Kc8 27.Ba6+ Kd7 28.Qc5 Bd5 29.Rd6+ 1–0
A few weeks later, I had black in the 2003/2004 Hull and District Chess Association Handicap Knock Out. The rules of the competition meant that the stronger player had to win to progress to the next round. My grade was slightly higher than that of Duko, forcing my hand. I opted for the Modern Defence, but made limited progress and a draw was agreed at move 33 with me very short of time.
D. H. Westra - D. G. Mills [B06] H.D.C.A. Handicap K.O. 2003/04, 26.04.2004. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Bf4 c6 4.Nc3 d6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Be2 Nd7 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Bxf3 e5 9.Be3 Qc7 10.d5 c5 11.Bg4 h5 12.Be2 Bh6 13.Qd2 Bxe3 14.fxe3 Ne7 15.Nb5 Qb8 16.c4 a6 17.Nc3 Qc7 18.0–0 f5 19.Rf2 0–0–0 20.Raf1 Rdf8 21.Bd3 fxe4 22.Bxe4 Qd8 23.Qc2 Rxf2 24.Rxf2 Qe8 25.Bd3 Rf8 26.Ne4 Kc7 27.Ng5 Rxf2 28.Qxf2 Kc8 29.Ne6 Qg8 30.Qh4 Qe8= 31.Qe1 Nf8 32.Ng5 Nd7 33.Ne6= ½–½
Subsequent games in 2009 and 2013 were agreed drawn in 25 and 17 moves respectively, both of us being aware of team responsibilities.
D. G. Mills - D. H. Westra [B51] H.D.C.A. Division 1, 25.02.2009. Beverley ‘A’ v Hull ‘C’. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.0–0 Bd7 5.Re1 a6 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 g6 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Qd4 e5 11.Qd3 Qc7 12.c4 Bg7 13.Nc3 Ne7 14.Be3 c5 15.Rad1 Rd8 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.Qxd5 Bf6 18.Bc1 0–0 19.Rd3 Be7 20.Red1 Rb8 21.Bh6 Rfd8 22.Rf3 Bf8 23.Bg5 Rd7 24.Bc1 Qb7 25.Qd3= ½–½
D. H. Westra v D. G. Mills H.D.C.A. Division 1. 17.04.2013. Hull ‘C’ v Beverley ‘A’ 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bf4 Bd6 5.Bg3 Ne7 6.Bd3 c6 7.Nf3 Bf5 8.c3 0–0 9.0–0 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Bxg3 11.fxg3 Nd7 12.Nbd2 Ng6 13.Rae1 Qc7 14.Re2 Rae8 15.Rfe1 Rxe2 16.Rxe2 Nf6 17.Ne5= ½–½
A lifetime score of one win, five draws and one defeat each seems a fair representation of our play against each other.
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