In our return match against Ealing B last Monday evening, we faced a team who outgraded us on all boards. Ealing C played well and only lost the match by 1.5 – 2.5.
On board 1 Alex Lushpa as white played Simon Healeas. Alex reported ‘I played a Fantasy variation (3.f3) against Simon’s Caro-Kann defence. I missed a typical tactics Bxf7+ which could have given me an immediate advantage. I deliberately gave away 2 pawns to gain an initiative which proved to be a good plan as I managed to regain material later in the game. It was still a very sharp position and although Simon recovered to make the time control white had a dangerous passed pawn on the g file. However it was now quite late and with the position unclear I offered a draw, which Simon accepted’.
On board 2 Jerry Scott reported ‘Jerry was playing black against Harry Symeonidis. White opened with the Queen’s Pawn, which is one of Jerry’s preferred openings when he is playing White, so he knew it well. Black played a slightly more unusual sequence, which seemed to give him a slight advantage, such that on move 13 he was able to go a pawn up, capturing a backward pawn on the c-file. Following some further manoeuvring, and using the threat of a back rank mate to force an exchange of rooks, Black was able to go a further pawn up on move 26. At this point Black’s position looked very strong. Unfortunately, there then followed a series of less than optimal moves by Black, with White putting up a very strong attack, including playing the White Knight/Bishop combo to good advantage to put pressure on the pawns surrounding the Black king, and managing to go a Knight up. It was essentially game over at this point. White continued to play well, and Black eventually resigned, being unable to prevent White queening a pawn.’
On board 3 Geoff Richards played a queen’s pawn opening as white and Trevor Bates played c5, the Benoni defence. The game proceeded evenly with both players castling on the king side. With the pieces being manoeuvred in the centre, Geoff overlooked his bishop was left ‘en prix’ and resigned when it was taken.
On board 4 Andrew Glass as black played the Budapest Gambit, Adler variation (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4. Nf3 Bc5) against George Masefield’s queen pawn opening, giving black the initiative for a temporary pawn sacrifice. Both players castled kingside and white was soon down a queenside pawn. Black’s active pieces combined with white’s dwindling time led to black being up three pawns. Seeing white’s time running down, black tried to force the endgame by exchanging pieces but pinned his rook to his king, losing the exchange bishop for rook. As white made the time control, the result was an equal endgame with white’s rook and two pawns against black’s bishop and four pawns. White was able to capture black’s passed pawn on the queenside, However in trying to halt black’s passed pawn on the h file, George left his rook ‘en prix’. With two passed pawns on the kingside and a bishop Andrew was able to convert a passed pawn, at which point white resigned.
Well done to Alex for a draw and Andrew for winning against stronger opponents.
David Housego, Ealing C Captain
Jerry’ game: Played Black, lost ; opening : Queen’s Gambit Declined: Queen’s Knight Variation (ECO D38)
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