Worthing 3 – 2-2 – Bexhill 5

Division 4 Mon 19th Jan 2026 00:00 Winner: Draw   

Result From Sussex Chess LMS

Board	Rating	Worthing 3	V	Bexhill 5	Rating
1	1848	Skinner, Nicholas HG	1 – 0	B Carthew, Jo	1680
2	1711	O’Brien, Paul WG	0 – 1	G Luxton, William H	1660
3	1710	Chirgwin, DavidB	1 – 0	G Rhodes, Lawrence	1626
4	1557	Glyn-Jones, BenB	0 – 1	G Tracey, William F	1596
Average	1707		2 – 2		1641

This was the position, I think, in Bill Luxton’s game just before 40.Rg5?!. Bill had played a white-square blockade in a Pirc defence. against an Austrian Attack ( White pawns on d4,e4, f4 – a K-side pawn roller.) He had come under pressure from a heavy piece battery on a weak pawn on h7. Bill had made a sensible decision to liquidate the pawn by advancing it to h6, to make room for a counter battery on the ( now White!) h6 pawn with his own rooks on h7, h8. Bill’s bishop had squares it could cover on the K-side, whereas White’s ‘bad’ bishop was hemmed in. White offered the exchange on g5, to connect the passed pawns. 40.Rg5, Bxg5 41.fxg5, Qb6. Bill not only blocked the pawns but shortly gave a discovered check, with …f4. The King had to hide on h1 and the pawn structure had ( you will notice) created a back row mating net because the bishop could no longer save a mate threat with Bc1. Bill was able to exchange Qs and a pair of rooks, during which time the bishop had been deflected from c1 and Bill’s rook gave a back rank mate.

Bilk Tracey had a good game with Black against a London system opening, progressively winning more material.

Lawry lost after gaining ground in the centre but overlooking some resources his opponent had more carefully thought through.

Jo had a tough opponent who gave nothing away against Jo’s careful flank opening and I didn’t see how the game swung in Black’s favour.