Jamie Brotheridge faced Rob Loveband who adopted the Scandinavian once again. Black played a sharp Gambit variation, sacrificing a pawn for rapid development. He was soon in trouble as White won a piece and set about consolidating his advantage. Black regained the piece and a pawn with a clever tactical trick late in the game and a draw was agreed.

Patrick Cook met his old rival Kevin Perrin in a Slav Defence. A quiet positional game ensued until White won the exchange, only to find himself under attack! Black couldn’t quite land the decisive blow and after declining White’s draw offer became the latest victim of “Patrick’s curse” when he suddenly found himself in a lost endgame after Queen’s were exchanged.

Michael Schreenan, fresh from his triumph in round 3, took on Liu Yu. The game was a French Defence via a circuitous route in which Black won a pawn early. He soon lost control of the game however, allowing White to seize the initiative and gain a decisive piece plus pawn edge. He converted his advantage without incident.

John Abson versus Chris Segrave was another Scandinavian, this time a main line. The players castled on opposite wings, resulting in a sharp attacking game. Black sacrificed a piece to get at the White King, but his opponent held on grimly in a precarious position, before turning the tables to score a neat mate.

Zhang Hao had the bye.