On Febuary 3rd, Bexhill B team travelled to East Grinstead for a Mid Sussex Division 2 match. We knew we were in for a tough match as East Grinstead were the champions of division three when the leagues were last played and have a squad of six strong players.
John Kimber played on board one and opened with e4. His opponent replied by playing the Pirc. A tight game then followed and he and his opponent agreed a draw after 22 moves when neither were willing to change their plans. On board 2, Derek Cousens perhaps played a bit too defensively and his opponent gradually established a strong position and gained the win. Third to finish was Steve Merchant playing black on board 4. Steve played a very high standard game with some excellent attacking play and achieved a fine victory when his opponent resigned when down by a huge margin. Last to finish was myself. I opened with e4 and my opponent went for the Sicilian. A close game followed with my opponent having a slight edge after the opening. I managed to then gain a slight advantage but was unable to convert it to a victory and after 58 moves we agreed a draw.
So the match score ended 2 – 2. Overall a good result for the B team. We have now played 2 matches with a loss and a draw so hopefully we can gain our first win on 10th Febuary when we play Eastbourne 2.