Shirley C 1.5 - 2.5 Leamington A

22 September 2014

Despite one of Shirley's A Teamers filling in on board one, we had a massive grading advantage and might have expected to win easily, but our route to victory was rather more difficult ...

  • Long, Matthew (175) 0 - 1 Aldridge, Dan (181)
  • Gilbert, Kim T (112) 1 - 0 Darling, Tom (151)
  • Donovan, John P (108) 0.5 - 0.5 Collins, Andrew (145)
  • Knee, Barry (99) 0 - 1 Olaleye, Oladejo (143)

    • While my own game was actually the last to finish, it was all but over in the early stages, as I got into a tangle and allowed a pawn fork on two minor pieces. My opponent had some trouble finding the killer move, so I was able to get past move 60 before he finally finished it off.

    Fortunately, Ola didn't follow his captain's example, taking the initiative straight away and clinching the win in double quick time.

    Andy, in the meantime, had gone a pawn down, but a well placed rook helped him get the draw quite comfortably.

    All this meant that the result hang on what happened on board one. Dan took an early risk, sacrificing a minor piece to draw his opponent's king out into the open. The mounting complications which ensued left both players struggling to make the time control. As move 35 approached, Dan had a slight edge, with a queen and several pawns against two rooks and a bishop. Disaster seemed to have struck when the queen fell to a discovered attack, but a few seconds later Black's clock went, saving the win for us.

    Nerve jangling, but a win is a win!