Bexhill 1– 2-4 — Hastings & St Leonards
McArthur Cup Fri 30th Jan 2026 19:30 Winner: Away
Result From Sussex County Chess Association LMS
| Board | Rating | Bexhill 1 | V | Hastings & St Leonards | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2079 | Tebbs, Howard LB | 0 – 1 | G Lowe, Daniel | 2139 |
| 2 | 2031 | Nguyen, AnhG | 0 – 1 | G Rayner, Francis | 2078 |
| 3 | 2075 | Chapman, LukeG | 1 – 0 | G Sugden, John N | 2019 |
| 4 | 1958 | Hubbard, MichaelG | ½ – ½ | G Hoxey, Terry | 1924 |
| 5 | 1899 | Lumsden, JamesG | ½ – ½ | G Cove, Henry | 1894 |
| 6 | 1768 | Kimber, John DN | 0 – 1 | G Wheeler, James M | 1832 |
| Total | 11810 | 2 – 4 | 11886 |
It was an exceptionally busy Friday as we hosted Hastings in the McArthur Cup. Despite close contention- -the ratings were comparable – our hopes were dashed.
I missed the games on Boards 5 and 6, which resulted early in the evening – being otherwise employed in the Division 4 match adjacent!
When I could , I found Andy suffering as Black in this position I think :
The N is overloaded wanting to block the b-pawn as well as masking the e7 pawn from the White R , while the White Q+B battery exploits the weak white-coloured squares. The Black Q is overloaded defending against Qf7+ so cannot harass the R away. The finish ( with 2 minutes on the clock) went like this :
1….Rd8 ( If ..Nb6, then Qe6 . If 1…Qd8 then 2. Qc6, Nb8 3.Be6 and black doesn’t have a good move. Or 2…Nf8, 3.b6)
2.Qe6, Kh6 3. b6,Nxb6 4.Rxe7, Qf8 5.Rf7, Qh8 6.Qg4, g5 7.Be2, Kg6 8. Qh5#
Howard, White on Board 1 suffered from a “pesky knight” in this position, I think, despite pushing a serious passed pawn.
Howard played 1.Rd3, which continued 1..Qxd2 2. R3 x d2, Nc4 3.Bb7? Rb8 4. Rd3, Rxb7 0-1
Mreanwhile, Luke achieved a fine, fluent win, with 2 connected passed pawns advancing to b6 and a7 while containing Black’s passers in the centre.
Michael, with Black on Board 4 was a pawn down for some time in an open middle-game position, where his 2 bishops v B+ N were his compensation. In the endgame Michael gained material advantage in pawns, in return for White gaining the exchange. Michael eventually pressed with 2 passed ( but isolated) Q- side pawns. The White R had to fall as a pawn promoted. Michael had K,B,P v K+ P,P. Whilst Michael could force the capture of the 2 White pawns, the Black h pawn would not be able to promote as White’s K would cover the promotion square which was out of reach by Michael’s black-squared bishop. It would be a stalemate. Although there was a dispute as White had stopped writing the game score in time-trouble, and the game could have been forfeited, there was no formal claim for a win by Black and a draw was agreed.
It was a disappointing match outcome for us, but we congratulate Hastings for their deserved victory.