Denton 2.5 - 3.5 ECB

On Wednesday night we made the trip to a cold Denton and managed to record our 4th win on the run.  Brief highlights below........

Dave N finished first.  I didn't see anything of his game but he appeared comfortable and got us off to a good start.  Tudor finished next and felt as though he had been high jacked by a player who performed well above his grade on the night.  I was a pawn up in my game but things were still tight until my opponent went for a tactic which went wrong for him and gained a rook for me.

Keven's version of his game:

"An unusual Trompowsky with Black volunteering for a broken pawn structure, in return for play along the open g-file. In a tricky game I managed to neutralise his king-side threats and break through in the centre to deliver mate."

So, we were 3 - 1 up on the night and looking good on the 2 remaining boards.  Jim was a pawn up and cruising and looked like nothing could go wrong.  Unfortunately it did.  He walked into a knight fork which lost his queen.  A pity for Jim who's been in great form recently.

Everything now was hanging on David T's game.  He had 5 minutes left and his opponent was down to a minute in an exciting double edged game.  Ever the team player, David asked what the match score was.  I told him that he just needed a draw.  He immediately offered a draw which was quickly accepted and meant we collected the points on the night.

0 - 1  David Campbell (139) v Dave N
1/2    David Boulden (144) v David T
0 - 1  Phil Boyd (130) v Keven
1 - 0  Vasileiros Pasialis (125) v Tudor
1 - 0  Ivan Urwin (122) v Jim
0 - 1  Julio Calcina (114) v Paul
2.5 - 3.5

Chorlton B 2 - 4 ECB

ECB's good form continued last night with the 3rd win on the bounce.  Stand in Capt David T reports on the escapades below followed by Tudor's version of his game!:

"After instructing the team to ensure they had circulation all the way down to their toes, and deafened by the sound of a table-top heater beside the next climber below me, I embarked on a “Fort Knox” defense of the French variety, which proved to be unsound against a titanic avalanche on the left hand side, with rooks and queen and bishop tearing at my grip on the ice-wall.  Alas, my best efforts failing, when all the powerful pieces had exchanged, a mere snowball of an h-pawn swept past my king and knight.

 

This gave me time, fallen to earth, to watch the other climbers.  Of particular note was Steve, who allowing his rook to be skewered (do climbers use skewers?) I gave up as lost, only to find him triumphantly scaling the peak of Mt Mate, disdaining to fork K and Q, but trapping his opposed king between h- and g-pawn pairs and impaling him mercilessly with a Q disguised as an ice-axe.

 

And so to Jim...... what can I say?  His assault on the peak of “King in Castle” having failed, and to my despair allowing a predictable discovered check to set up a family fork of K Q and R, he fearlessly struggled on, virtually ropeless (- hopeless), until as light failed and the awful darkness of the venue closed in upon him, his well clad opponent slipped and dropped his flag, losing on time.

 

And Dave B  - the backup man?  He sailed to the top behind a barrier of advancing sherpa pawns, as if to say “What’s the problem?”

 

Of course, we did outgrade them!"

 

Tudor's game - explained as only he can.... 

 

"The team assembled to check their puffa jackets at paraffin lamps. All in good order. The assault on the South face of Mount Chorlton was underway.

Dave Newell led us into battle, with Dave Taylor as captain and ropes man on board two.

Jim and I made up the next wave of attackers. We were stuck in a crevasse with an additional mobile heater which gave comfort if restricting our movements. I could only barely see the icy surface of the shelf. Beneath us I could make out the figures of Steve and Dave, the silent assassins.

I played an Alekhine defense and found a remarkable way of squeezing an advantage of a great bishop on the h8 a1 diagonal against a knight with less control over its footing than a weary climber. 

Some moves later I had marginal gains and hopes before blundering a pawn. Even then there were hopes of an endgame squeeze if I switched  into full complications mode. My king was advancing fearlessly, intent on mopping up a  queenside majority. Then horror, I had trapped my king, and was about to be mated by the two knights, the pawns I was attacking, and the cowering white king.

Time pressure for my opponent and I did not resign. He played a move which forced me to escape the mate at the expense of my beautiful bishop, now on  a shorter diagonal.

I was three pawns down, admittedly all on his crashed queenside, and with my king still active.  Much scrambling and huffing and puffing before we ended with two kings and me with my a pawn and a few seconds on the clock.

I accepted the draw offered about fifteen moves earlier.

I plead ice-sickness for my irresponsible play.

Fortunately the exemplary efforts of the others meant that the expedition was a success, with. 4-2 result."

 

CHORLTON B                       EAST CHESHIRE B

A Beresford (132)  0.5            D Newell  (160)      0.5

H Eskadari (124)    1                D R Taylor  (134)  0

P Horwell (130)      0                J McKie       (129) 1

H Hughes (123)        0.5            T Rickards  (139)  0.5

P Bennett (121)        0             S McCall     (130)   1

D Otto  (120)            0            D Broadbent (139)  1

 

Chorlton B:   2                East Cheshire B:  4