Our first match of the season took place on Thursday 20th January and it pitted our A team against our B team.
Sharon had very kindly offered to host the match at her studio in the town Centre. The venue was described by all as the perfect place for a chess match. The main room was comfortably large enough to stage the match, but it also had a very cozy feel, in no small part due to the excellent art work adorning the walls.
A change to the lineup was made a few days prior to the match when Andrew had to drop out due to a positive Covid test. (I spoke to him today and after feeling quite unwell for a couple of days he is now feeling much better.)
The A team in board order was Steve Blewitt, Jānis, John and Steve Merchant. The B team in board order was Derek, myself, David Nichols and Nick.
On board 4, Nick played very well using the Slav to counter Steve’s London system and eventually found a fork that won a rook and soon after Steve resigned.
John and David had a good tight game, but John was able, with material equal, to gain a superior position and force an error from David which was followed by David resigning.
Jānis and I had a long tough game with Jānis creating a lot of pressure from his tried and trusted English opening. The match remained tight and seemed to be heading for a draw, however Jānis found a very good square for his queen, and a few moves later, I failed to find the move that would have brought a draw. A couple of moves later I resigned.
Steve and Derek’s game was a complex one with no pieces off the board for the first 17 moves. Eventually Steve’s renowned middle game proved decisive and with very little time left on his clock, Derek resigned.
So 3 to 1 in favor of the A team.
To mark the beginning of the season and the first use of the new venue, some excellent cheese and wine was enjoyed for a couple of hours.
Sharon has very kindly offered the use of her studio for the rest of the season. Club members are welcome to attend to view a match.
Our next home match is on the 10th February when the B team host Eastbourne 2.

Bill Tracey (Team captain)