Match Result
| Season | 09/10 |
| Date | Thu 15 Apr 2010 |
| Competition: | Thames Valley League Division 2 |
| Fixture |
Ealing 'B' v Surbiton 'B'
|
| Result | W: 4.5-2.5 |
Scorecard
| Board | Grade | Ealing 'B' | v | Surbiton 'B' | Grade |
| 1 |
|
Tony Wells |
1-0 |
Durrant, Paul |
164 |
| 2 |
|
Chris Greenshields |
1-0 |
Harrison, Rob |
156 |
| 3 |
|
Nevenko Grozdanic |
0.5-0.5 |
Browne, G Robin |
153 |
| 4 |
|
Simon Healeas |
1-0 |
Durrant, Martin |
150 |
| 5 |
|
John Harvey |
0-1 |
Hogarth, Mark J |
144 |
| 6 |
|
Dale Gibbons |
0.5-0.5 |
Moss, Stephen |
137 |
| 7 |
|
Alastair Johnstone |
0.5-0.5 |
Morant, David J |
129 |
| Total | | | 4.5-2.5 | | |
Captains Comment
It's a cliche I know, but this truly was a match of two halves and was ultimately only decided after extra extra time, when Chris Greenshields won his adjourned game to secure the team win.
After the first half of the contest, such an outcome looked extremely unlikely, with Ealing finishing 1-2 down and facing uphill challenges on two of the four remaining boards. Your captain was grim-faced as he left the Harvester that night, contemplating the drop into the nether regions of the Thames Valley League.
Surbiton certainly appreciated the importance of the fixture and turned up with their strongest available line-up and jaws set in determined resistance. Ealing meanwhile were forced into a late change of line-up when Milinko was stranded in Belgrade by the ash-cloud spewing out of Eyjafjallajokull.
Unsatisfactorily, only three matches were resolved on the first night's play - thirty moves and a two and a half hour playing session is rarely going to be enough to achieve a decisive outcome. Nevenko and Dale delivered draws, while John lost. Nevenko was at one stage the exchange up, but it wasn't enough to press home for a win. Dale was also unable to penetrate some solid resistance from his opponent. John refused a draw offer but then went on to drop a couple of pawns with predictable consequences.
On the four remaining boards, Tony and Chris were able to adjourn in some comfort, but both Simon and Alastair stood worse. Having skillfully exchanged down to a position with a massive material plus, Tony's game was objectively already won, but in the hope of finding a perpetual and in deference to the importance of the match, resignation was deferred until it became clear that the position truly was hopeless.
The news that Tony's game had been conceded awaited Simon and I when we arrived at Surbiton for the renewal of hostilities, levelling the score at 2-2, but, as I have said, neither Simon or I were sanguine about our prospects.
My game had started well, with a promising middlegame position, but had subsequently gone from better to level to worse (something that's happened far too often this season). Left with an excruciatingly difficult decision on which move to seal, my adjournment analysis suggested I had made the wrong choice. Anguished, I spent a ridiculous amount of time looking for ways to save the game with the move I had chosen, just about convincing myself that I could survive with best play. So, after an hour and forty minutes drive from North London and some ten hours of adjournment analysis we resumed play. Some five minutes later and the draw had been agreed!! I'm not convinced he was right, but my opponent believed I had sealed the best move and that it led to a forced draw. Needless to say, I was more than happy to accept the draw offer.
So attention turned to Simon's game where his young opponent enjoyed the advantage of two minor pieces for a rook, an open position and a fast-moving passed pawn. The prognostications of both Fritz and David were dire, but,where there's life there's hope, so Simon fought on. Having finished my own match so early, I didn't see the culmination of events. But at around midnight I received a mail from Simon, titled 'The cruelty of chess'. My heart sank, I assumed that Simon had finally succumbed after long defiance. I opended the mail and read: "After playing in total for over four and half hours, my young opponent blundered badly in time trouble and lost."
So, somehow, from 1-2 down we had recovered to 3.5-2.5 and Chris was able to take us over the line when his game resumed on May 4th. Even after this win however, the relegation battle looks like going down to the wire. Our final fixture is away to champions elect Harrow, while Surbiton entertain Wimbledon C. Board Difference could still have a say in the final outcome.
