29/4/18
With several strong players unavailable, Malvern suffered a second close defeat as their W&D match programme closed. On board 1 Geoff made use of his spacial advantage to attack on the queen’s wing and in the centre. Black then made a tactical oversight. Board 2 saw a game carefully played by both sides. White gained the slight advantage of 2B v B+N, but an agreed draw as the time-trouble phase approached was probably a fair result. Matthew opened the centre with f3 and e4 in the approved fashion on board 3. However a tactical error led to the loss of material. Michael came under pressure on the queen side and lost a pawn on board 4. He counter-attacked on the king-side but his opponent found a decisive move in reply.
10/4/18
23/3/18
On board 1 Lee developed a strong initiative but lost the advantage during the second time control and the game was agreed drawn. Geoff equalised easily on board 2 and then pressed for a win in the endgame. He won a pawn but the small number of pawns prevented a decisive result. Ian had slight queen side pressure after the opening on board 3 but tried to force the issue and the game petered out into a draw. John was under pressure throughout the game on board 4. Glen took control of the centre and won material in the endgame.
24/2/18
On board 1 Dominic soon established a strong position, and won the exchange. He penetrated white’s back rank with his queen and rook, forcing Joe’s king into the open. Board 2 saw a quiet game with only one pair of pieces exchanged before the draw was agreed. On board 3 Matthew relieved his rather cramped position by advancing his centre pawns. White’s king became exposed, and he lost a piece to a fork. Miroslav made a good start, winning the exchange, but an inaccuracy at a critical stage allowed Black to stage an effective queen-side counter-attack against the White king.
28/2/18
6/2/18
16/2/18
25/1/18
30/1/18
On boards 1 and 3 the Malvern players were unable to secure significant advantages with the white pieces, and soon settled for draws. On board 2 White set up a strong pawn centre against Leigh’s elastic defence. As the pawns moved forward the position became increasingly complex, and a draw was agreed with both players in time-trouble. Matthew played a strong positional game on board 4, gaining control of the weakened d4 square. He won a pawn and reached a queen ending where he was able to capture a second, ensuring a straightforward win.
Brian reached a somewhat disadvantageous ending of rook and knight v rook and bishop. After some inaccuracies by both players in time-trouble, the game was adjourned with black having a two pawn advantage. The opening on Board 2 recalled the ‘good old days’, with White gambiting a pawn on the king’s wing in return for a strong pawn centre. Geoff managed to restrain the pawns and make some progress on the king’s wing. In the time-trouble phase a draw was agreed. A draw was agreed at a fairly early stage on Board 3 after a quiet opening. On board 4 white managed to exert some pressure in the middle game, owing to his strong d-pawn. Geoff held the position and secured a draw through a three-fold repetition. Leigh obtained some pressure from the opening, but black, with the two bishops, was able to hold the position. John used his knowledge of the opening to free his centre position. After further exchanges on the d file a drawn endgame was reached.
12/1/18
6/1/18
Wheatley Cup
Geoffrey Herbert and Geoff Marchant both gained material early in their games and won quickly. Lee Davis won a pawn early in the game and eventually reached a won ending against tough resistance. Leigh also won material, trapping his opponent's bishop, but had to defend carefully against his opponent's attack. These two games were the last to finish. Ian Clarke's opponent played well and had the advantage until a finger slip cost him the game, Brian Turner's attacking attempts were refuted by a classic central counter attack.
15/12/17
Brian played an unusual defence to the Four Knights on board 1 and the centre became blocked. Pawns and pieces were exchanged on the queen side and a drawn ending with opposite coloured bishops was reached. Geoff played an attacking line on board 2 against the Najdorf and obtained pressure in the centre and on the king’s wing. Jim did not manage to obtain adequate counter-play and eventually White gained material. John played the …Bf5 line for the third time against an old opponent on board 3. In this game he managed to reach a favourable knight ending, but was unable to force a win against accurate defence. The opening gave Matthew attacking possibilities on board 4. Unfortunately Rob made an oversight, losing a piece.
19/12/17
1/12/17
On board 1 Lee made a tactical mistake against a very strong opponent and lost early on. Brian played a solid defence to a fianchetto line on board 2 and secured a comfortable draw. Board 3 opened 1. e4 g6, but transposed to a position that might have arisen from the Dragon variation. After the usual cut-and-thrust play Geoff entered the ending with one pawn for the exchange, and numerous isolated pawns make the adjourned position difficult to evaluate. Geoff resigned without resumption. Geoffrey Herbert played a solid defence on board 4 but his opponent found a neat combination which fatally exposed the black king. John’s opponent played a gambit line and pressed for a win throughout the game on baord 5. White lost material as the time control approached. On Board 6 White opened quietly but then established a knight on e5, aiming at a king-side attack. Matthew found the right defensive formation and also counter-attacked on the c file, establishing a level position.
7/12/17
10/11/17
Lee Davis established a better development and strong central control against Peter Kitson. The advance of his centre pawns decided the game. Boards two and three saw some strange symmetries with two Petroff defences. On board 3, Geoff Marchant played a line he had previously played against Brian Turner (Malvern’s board 2) in the Club Championship. He established a strong grip on the queens’s side and refuted his opponent’s attempts to break through. On board 2, in the last game to finish, Brian avoided this line, lost a pawn, but found sufficient counterplay to draw. Ian Clarke lost a pawn, but a blockade with opposite-coloured bishops left no winning chances for either side on board 4. On board 5 Leigh Canham won a pawn, but had no real prospect of exploiting it. Geoffrey Herbert escaped from a bind on board 6 but then succumbed to tactics.
22/11/17
On board 1 Dominic appeared to have just a slight disadvantage of an isolated d pawn as the endgame approached. However an oversight led to the loss of material. Lee Davis gained an opening advantage and transposed into an ending with a strong passed d pawn and a rook on the 7th rank on board 2. This led to a quick win. Brian played his favourite defence to the Queens Gambit on board 3. He found himself in a slightly tricky position but used his tactical skills to equalize. Board 4 saw a complex theoretical line. Geoff made a small sacrifice of material and was eventually able to reach an ending with two bishops against a rook. Despite there being only two pawns on each side, Geoff was able to force a win. Ian had to face a strong attack from a closed formation against the Sicilian. He lost material but won it back during a hectic time-scramble. Having reached an advantageous ending with queens and bishops of opposite colour, Ian forced a neat checkmate.
On board 1 Lee built up pressure on his opponent’s queen side and won material after all the minor pieces were exchanged. Ian was able to play …d5 early on and had a comfortable game with Bishop against Knight on board 2. White defended carefully to draw. After a quiet opening John built up pressure against his opponent’s centre on board 3. He entered the endgame a pawn ahead and offered a draw to ensure victory in the match. Board 4 saw one of the older variations of the Dragon. As usual, there were attacks on opposite wings, but on this occasion the defences proved stronger and after various exchanges a draw was agreed.
13/10/17
20/10/17
On board 1 Dominic pressed for a win after a quiet opening, attacking on the queen side and than sacrificing the exchange in the endgame. He had a bishop and 4 pawns against a rook and 2 pawns in a position which was adjudicated a draw. Lee Davis appeared to have unpromising position after the opening on board 2. He astutely took play into an ending where his young opponent was unable to cope completely with some tricky problems. Geoff Marchant pressed hard for a win in the endgame after a quiet opening on board 3. He was a pawn up at adjournment but the game was agreed drawn without resumption. Ian Clarke pressed hard for a win after a quiet opening on board 4. He had some compensation after blundering the exchange but did not make any progress until a tactical error by his opponent allowed transposition into a won rook ending. Geoff Herbert secured a comfortable opening and was soon a piece ahead for two pawns on board 5. A king-side attack completed the win. John Knee had a straightforward win against a young opponent who promises much for the future on board 6.
On board 1 Geoff Marchant won a pawn early on but lost it back as the endgame approached. After further exchanges the players decided to agree a draw as both were short of time after some very rapid moves. Board 2 appeared to be a quiet game, but both players contrived to get into time trouble twice, so there was plenty beneath the surface. On Board 3 the advantage swung backwards and forwards, with both John and Glenn appearing to have big advantages at different stages. Eventually a level ending was reached as the second time control approached. On board 4 Matthew lost the exchange but had compensation in two passed pawns on the queen side. A draw was agreed.