Post date: 05-Nov-2013 08:39:15
Cowley 4 faced new team Witney 5 in our first match of the season. Possibly due to arriving late and rushing through the opening, Cowley debutantes Martin Abrams and Gefei Wang both lost substantial material early on and rapidly succumbed. However, newcomer Simon Taylor soon bagged a rook and coasted along uneventfully to victory.
Priscilla Morris played an equal game before finally dropping a piece and losing to Tim Partridge. Meanwhile, John Burgess played solidly in the opening, deploying his pieces rather more sensibly than his young opponent. As he entered the middlegame with a slight edge, he unaccountably decided to force a draw by perpetual check, which his opponent was (also unaccountably) initially reluctant to acknowledge!
Jasmine Burgess quickly entered a long and tactically rich endgame requiring considerable care. She was aided by her opponent leaving one of his rooks home in bed throughout most of the game. No sooner had it awakened and belatedly joined the fray than its brother fell to a fork. Jasmine showed excellent technique in swapping down, promoting a pawn and checkmating.
Witney emerged victorious, 3.5-2.5.