In order to keep my lockdown as busy as possible, the juniors, separate to the junior team in the 4NCL, entered themselves in the J4NCL under the more manageable name of Downend Upstarts. After discovering this would break the code for our website, I stopped crying and got on with it. In the J4NCL two games are played per pairing, one of each colour, with a time limit more familiar to the online player; 10 minutes with a 5 second increment.

Auchi, Nadhmi vs Saunders, Aron: Game 1, Game 2

Aron was under pressure right from the off, with white eschewing rules of development and jumping the queen all over the board. The threats worked and won an exchange though Aron gave it a tenacious go at defending. The second was one of those exciting French Exchanges we're all hearing about. With a big centre white looked good going into the ending but black invaded menacingly and Aron held the draw masterfully.

Esiri, Jack vs Carter, Thomas: Game 1, Game 2

Tom's centre was liquidated in the Advance French, but it allowed a long tactical series of exchanges that won white a piece. I'm still not sure where. Despite black's bishop pair, white held their nerve to win an ominous 7th rank pawn for a little material and converted to a trivial endgame. The second game went a little quicker, as black played something like a Deferred Damiano? Apparently this is really good for black and white was mated on b1 before more 20.

McBrinn, Conall vs Ahmed, Bilal: Game 1, Game 2

Bilal had a tough opening in his first game, but after white had their fun, the King's Indian pawn steamroller got going and broke open the white defences. Winning a queen for a rook and some pawns looked good, but white managed to swindle a defence against the black king and save half a point. The time control was unforgiving in the second game and an early dropped piece proved too difficult to come back from.

Aserkoff, Daniel vs Goodhew, Finn: Game 1, Game 2

Another star loan from North Bristol, Finn managed to complicate the queenside structure, which gave him the play required to convert for a win in the first game. In the second, he was subject to a less "Aron"-like French Exchange and with locked pawns a draw was agreed.

Chess in Schools 0 vs 8 Gonzaga College SJ A

Kan, Toby vs FM Li, Henry: Game 1, Game 2

Over on board 1 for Chess in Schools, Toby was really up against it, playing an FM. Game 1 was a solid opening and only in the confusion of some tactics and time control did a piece drop off. The second game was very sharp right from the off. An invasion down the centre was a ruthless attacking nightmare and eventually Toby threw in the towel. An tough learning experience but a useful one if we're to have our own FM Kan.

Now stop playing so much chess!