On 27 February we travelled to the Cumberland Lawn Tennis Club to play Hendon in a Middlesex first division match. In terms of ratings, we held a slight edge.
Reflecting on his game, Tony writes: “As Black I faced what I now know is called the ‘Rapport-Jobova system’. I emerged perfectly ok out of the opening, but a couple of subsequent oversights and one blunder saw me a pawn down with a bad position. After some complications, I had managed to bring it back to a +2 advantage, with two knights and two pawns against a rook and a pawn. The key is here to not lose either pawn as a draw can then be forced with a rook sac. I sent my king to help the pawn that had the best prospect of queening, but in doing so, lost the other pawn. A draw was then agreed.”
On board three, it was good to see John return to winning ways. He states: “As White, my opponent played a slow system with c3, before d4, against my Sicilian. I played the opening passively, reaching a solid but slightly cramped position. The centre became blocked so I did not castle and ventured a g5 advance. My opponent won the bishop pair and stood somewhat better before playing a hasty h4, trying to punish me for the earlier g5. This allowed counterplay and after further mistakes I was clearly better with lots of holes in White’s position for my knights to jump into plus his king was rather exposed. With both of us low on time, the attack proved easier to play than the defence. Faced with overwhelming material loss and just two seconds left on his clock, my opponent resigned.”
Alan also enjoyed victory, commenting: “I declined the Benko Gambit by playing 4.Nf3. All the action was on the queenside and he pushed his c-pawn to c4 to try to achieve some activity for his knight. I was able to win this unprotected pawn but I didn’t do so in the best way. On move 33 I was running short of time and the exploitation of my material advantage seemed lengthy and difficult, so I offered a draw. Luckily for me he declined and shortly afterwards he blundered allowing a liquidation to a rook and minor piece ending which was an elementary win for me. I had a passed a and d-pawn which I advanced. There was no defence to my threats to queen one of them.”
On board one, Andrew notes: “In a French Winawer 7 Qg4 0-0 line, I mistakenly allowed my opponent a sound Bxh6 sacrifice. He emerged with a rook and two pawns for two knights, bizarrely the same material imbalance as in my Monday game against Gasanov. I should have given up another pawn to block out his rooks, when I would have still had chances, but instead his rooks invaded and his h-pawn queened.”
Jonathan played his trademark Bird’s Opening. In his own words: “The opening yielded a solid advantage in the middle game, and as the queens came off I entered a favourable endgame, albeit with an odd formation based on doubled pawns held together by a bishop. If I’d stuck to my plan I should have been able to convert for the win. But the general oddity of my position started to unnerve me, and I began to wonder if I’d overestimated it. As the clocks started to run down I decided a draw would be a decent result. Perhaps a slight lack of vigour on my part.”
My game was the last to finish. For the most part, my opponent had either an equal or slightly better position but erred in time trouble, allowing me a double attack in which a rook, and the game, was won.
To win a match away at Hendon is both pleasing and unusual. It gives us encouragement and hope as we approach the business end of the season.
| Hendon 1 | Rating | Result | Ealing 1 | Rating |
| Lion Lebedev | 2158 | 1-0 | FM Andrew Harley | 2167 |
| Ethan Sanitt | 2135 | 0-1 | Alan Perkins | 2140 |
| Gary Senior | 2087 | 0-1 | John Quinn | 2073 |
| Eric Eedle | 2038 | 0.5-0.5 | Jonathan White | 2026 |
| David Amior | 1955 | 0.5-0.5 | Tony Wells | 2015 |
| Andrew Medworth | 1725 | 0-1 | Simon Healeas | 1826 |
| 2-4 |