Once again I wasn't needed, so I continued pursuing the search for games better than chess. This time, we were recreating all the "fun" of the Cold War playing cards like the Suez Crisis and forming the Warsaw Pact. Fortunately, Rob had time to clarify some rules for us before his game.
Much like an American Government, you can always play The China Card.
As will become clear from Downend 1's games, I think we'll need the distraction of some more film quiz photos.
Enough of the Cold War, we have to go back to the present.
Back to the Future
**
Catford Cosmonauts 1 2 - 2 Downend 1**
Sedykh, Mikhail vs Martin, Lewis
Things went a little bit wrong as black grabbed the pawn and queenside space in the Slav. Black got their light-squared bishop out as is the dream, but it got stuck and was eventually exchanged for two pawns (as is the nightmare). In the end it was a rook sacrifice that managed to free the queen to save the draw.
Savory, Richard vs Orlovska, Madara
Richard's quick draw by repetition took as many moves as this sentence has words.
Vidruska, Renate vs Thompson, Robert
Rob's game was a rollercoaster too; after the queens came off, the audience had the thrill of asking, "What pieces will be exchanged next!?". The answer came soon enough - all of them, and a draw was agreed.
Conterno, Dominique vs Roberts, Mike
There were fireworks at the start, but with symmetrical pawn structures and all the last bits coming off, a rook and pawn ending was on its way (at best) and a draw was also agreed.
Clearly everyone took the blue M&M that day.
The Matrix
** The Rook1Es 2.5 - 1.5 Stroud The Young**
Hosdurga, Chirag vs Dicks, Duncan
White took a material advantage with a great tactic against the uncastled black king, but it did come with a development sacrifice with the pieces getting uncoordinated on the queenside. Black was able to take advantage as white set up a mating net and popped in with one of their own first.
Francis, Joel vs Stubbs, Oliver
The one thing you can be sure of if you play a French Exchange as white is that you won't get mated quickly. Unfortunately for white, Oli didn't know that. Both sides completed their development only for black to immediately crash through with a temporary sacrifice and immediately end the game.
Gao, Ian vs Southcott-Moyers, Indy
Grading advantages really started to make themselves felt as white maintained and increased their edge throughout the game for an endgame that required very little thought.
Aron started grabbing material and looked to be cruising to a won endgame, but white was able to sneak their queen and cause some havoc. Even though the endgame saw black holding a rook for a bishop, some extra pawns helped white squeak away with the draw.
If you don't know it, it's hard to believe this could be a film at all.
Mad Max: Fury Road
**
White was able to shatter the kingside and with most of the black pieces otherwise engaged on the queenside, there was a race to see whether attack or defence could land first. Though there was the hint of a repetition, white changed approach and managed to snag a queen for two minor pieces. More exchanges to clarify the position resulted in an endgame of two rooks vs knight and bishop which ended quickly.
Shearsby, Jude vs Williams, Stephen
A cheeky Barry Attack Nb5 attack won two pawns for white but black's development gave a tremendous amount of compensation. Two rooks and two knights against a rook and queen middle occurred after some uncastled king tricks by black. While Stephen held the advantage the position must have been easier to play as white and the point was eventually lost.
Pickup, Ian vs Chen, Daniel Xingyu
It started like a normal Dragon and while it had a lot of themes of a Dragon; exchange sacrifices for white's dark-squared bishop, mad attacks aimed at each other's kings, white giving up the kingside pawns, etc., there was nothing ordinary in this one. Snatching a rook and then racing back to defend, white was able offer an endgame with a piece for a pawn and black decided to end it there.
Sandhu, Manvith vs Benkhoucha, Samy
Samy appeared to be laughing at the prospect of thinking about pawn structure until suddenly it was one giant behemoth of pawns in the endgame. They proceeded to make mincemeat of white's position and the point was won.
** CSC 3 2 - 2 Shropshire 2**
Toby's opponent fell foul of the classic early f3 trap in the Accelerated Dragon. To compensate, white then fell foul of another tempting looking trap. Middlegames with the "dynamic" imbalance of two pieces for two pawns don't last long in Toby's hands and the white king ultimately found itself trapped at the side of the board.
As a promise of no more film quiz questions, for now, let me end with the most horrendous one of the set.
Apologies.
American Beauty