It was another unfortunate clash as the A-team were busy tonight, but with a few of our new signings and the online return of Rob, we had plenty of players.
** Downend 1 0.5 - 3.5 Wessex Some Stars A**
Thompson, Robert vs Lock, Gavin
Rob was back, possibly with a baby on his lap, and black took a lot of the centre early on but it was short-lived, and so was the game. An early draw agreed after neither side could make progress.
Bezuidenhout, Roland vs Meadows, Michael
I was already a touch worse when I underestimated the amount of play I was allowing with a dubious attack. After that, everything was pinned and from there it only got worse.
Williams, Stephen vs Wilson, Jaimie
Black went much too hard (in my opinion) by grabbing a pawn and allowing Steve to conjure up a lot of play. The attack was wild and impossible to calculate, particularly given how little time was left. Unfortunately for us, black survived though perhaps more by luck than judgement.
Thomas gained a slight edge very quickly and black handled the position well. Eventually there was a rook vs bishop pair endgame which is never as fun for the rook as you would guess at first. Worse, there was a white passed pawn that made the task even trickier
** Colchester JFF A 3 - 1 Downend 2**
Rida, Ruqayyah vs Morris, Mark
Mark joined us for his first 4NCLO game, and it was certainly one for the spectators. Mark chucked two pawns for a vicious attack and at its peak there was doubtless a win, but it wasn't meant to be as the king wriggled away and the pawns started to matter.
Brown, Keanu vs Catabay, Mae Katelyn Rose
(Our 3000th game on the site!) Keanu was comfortable all the way through the game, which was at worst level the whole time. It only took one ambitious slip to give black the chance needed to launch in and hunt down the white king.