We had a good start last week and we had a strong line-up this week to try and push things forward. Unfortunately, it was a night of missed opportunities and potential puzzles for the reader.
** Downend 1 1.5 - 2.5 Trelawny's Army**
Thompson, Robert vs Kneebone, Robin
Rob was back and set about ruining black's pawn structure. The game looked fairly level from start to finish and once the endgame was reached, the pawns had largely tidied themselves up for both sides. A draw was agreed before the final pieces could be exchanged.
Menadue, Jeremy vs Meadows, Michael
I was under the cosh immediately, but white struggled to find a breakthrough. I missed my one chance by not analysing a puzzle-esque tactic deeply enough after 22.Qb4?!. White got into time trouble and had to take a draw by repetition after missing the winning lines.
Saunders, Aron vs Retallick, Lloyd
I'll say that watching Aron's opening meant I didn't pay enough attention to my own, because it was wild. Apparently it's theory and I think we've even seen it before on our own site, but it's always a treat to see it playing out. It led quickly to an endgame that Aron was on the winning side of, until suddenly, he wasn't. I'll say he was too busy looking at how my game should've been easily won by my opponent. For the puzzle-inclined, the key move is after 33...Ke5?.
Hassall, Mark vs Williams, Stephen
Like me, Steve was on the defensive for much of his game, but he was considerably more proactive about it. White took an extra pawn but was unable to make any progress with it, particularly when Steve got the king trapped in a mating net that required a rook to defend against. Rather than take any risks, the two split the point.
** Downend 2 1 - 3 Wessex Some Stars E**
Morris, Mark vs Coburn, Joseph
Mark was quick to claim space on the board, and from that came two protected passed pawns that required blockading by black. The next step was to crack the position open in order to make the most of the advantages. This in turn gave black two passed pawns but crucially they weren't as fearsome. From there, it was a precise play to march the pawns up the board to either promote or mate the king. In any case, Mark scored our only win of the night.
Leeson, Chris vs Meadows, James
James (possible relation) had a similar night to me in that he was somewhat on the defensive after white's aggressive start. Though white was able to open the position, it wasn't clear that black was actually any worse for it. The hammer blow came when the king stepped up to help defend a pinned knight and a deadly fork ended the game. I'm starting to think it's worth investigating the connection.
Thomas built a nice binding position with plenty of space in the opening. What was missed was that the fianchettoed bishop was overloaded defending a pawn on h3 and the f3-square (I find spotting an overloaded piece tricky, let alone when it's not even defending another piece!). White fought on looking for tactics but on the night it was black that found the knockout tactic. While not a missed opportunity, the position after 28.Re1 makes an excellent puzzle for black.
Pittman, Frank vs Bleeg, Elliott
Unstoppable Elliott wasted no time claiming an exchange advantage early on in his game. The pawns were somewhat locked so it wasn't obvious how the rook was better than the bishop, but a few open files later and black was coasting. So much so, in fact, that black was less aware that one of the rooks was in a tight space and needed to be freed. I would say resignation came a little too early for my optimistic-swindler taste; after an ...a6 the remaining exchanges leave white a pawn ahead in a king and pawn ending, but it's not immediately obvious how white can claim the full point.
While this week was tough, it may have been the calm before the storm as both teams face Guildford next week; Downend 1 taking on Guildford Young Guns and Downend 2 facing the tough Guildford Castles 2.