Excellent result in the last match of the season which leaves the B team in contention for a promotion place.  Andy with White had a ferocious kingside attack against his opponent's Sicilian Najdorf but it was very difficult for him to make progress against a solid defensive position and a draw was agreed.  Ken had a slight spatial advantage in the middlegame which he managed to convert for the full point.  I thought Paul was definitely winning with White in a King's Indian Defence - his opponent's king was exposed with Paul's rooks, knight queen and bishop all bearing down on  the kingside but the result was a draw and post-match analysis showed that it was difficult to find a winning line.  Bill's position looked very difficult after 15 or so moves with his opponent bearing down on Bill's inadequately defended King but he managed to find some counterplay and in the endgame was pawns to the good - a draw was agreed.  I made the mistake of developing my Queen too early and it became a target chased around the board - at one point I was even forced to sacrafice a knight to save it.  I managed to hang on, and in the endgame regained the piece to earn a draw.  Stuart, playing his favourite French Defence as Black, advanced his queenside pawns and castled on the same side and the strategy forced his opponent into serious time trouble - Stuart eventually won on time.

Phil Ford

A very close match that ended all square.  Ken lost fairly quickly as White - when I saw the position in the middlegame it looked fairly even so I'm not sure what happened.  Ray as Black sacrificed a piece for three pawns in a Ruy Lopez - he then exploited his dominance on the open e-file to force checkmate - 1-1.  Andy was under some pressure on the queenside against his opponent's French Defence but he managed to launch a counter attack on the kingside against his opponent's uncastled King to gain the full point.  I thought Ian stood better in a Ruy Lopez with the White pieces and his sacrifice on h6 of two pawns for a knight looked sound but within a few moves he appears to have been mated?  I stood better after 20 moves as Black in a Sicilian Dragon having the advantage of the bishop pair but unfortunately I let the position slip and desperately short of time I was forced to resign with my opponent's King bearing down on my last pawn - 3-2 to SASCA.  So it was all down to Stuart's game.  He was playing his favourite French Defence and his opponent entered the very sharp Winawer variation where the White Queen takes a pawn on g7.  Stuart established a firm defence and then launched a queenside attack which eventually forced a resignation to tie the match.

A satisfactory night for the B team that puts the promotion show back on the road.  Andy's opponent on Board 1 chose Black and played a Sicilian with an early a6 that gave Andy plenty to think about - in an unbalanced position Andy was glad of the offer of a draw.  I had a strong advantage in the opening against my opponent's passive English and in the endgame I was able to win a piece and then the full point.  Stuart sacrificed a pawn in the opening and then a piece in the middlegame and his experienced opponent was able to force an early resignation to tie the match at 1½-1½.  Ray uncharacteristically played a Sicilian Defence with the Black pieces and managed to win a piece early on; although his King was stuck in the middle of the board, he was able to create two passed pawns in the endgame to win the full point.  Ken had a material advantage and he played out an excellent endgame to put us further ahead and Ian rounded off an excellent night by converting his spatial advantage against his opponent's Alekhine's Defence.  Overall a 4½-1½ victory.

Phil Ford 

In the eagerly awaited top of the table clash Nomads came off a distinct second best.  First to fall was Kev - I glanced over at his board after about 30 mins and his opponent had Queen and Rook on his 7th rank - it was soon all over.  Andy played cautiously in the Centre Counter as White but found a nice tactical line to win some material - his opponent then blundered away a piece - 1-1.  I was under the cosh as Black with my opponent having a strong knight on e5 backed up with the Bishop pair but I managed to find some counterplay, winning a pawn and then a piece - 2-1.  At this point we looked to be on course for another victory but how quickly the tables turned.  Graham ran into time trouble and missed a Bishop skewer which won his Rook, leaving him with Bishop and pawns v his opponent's rook and pawns - in the ending his opponent created three passed pawns on the kingside and it was all over - 2-2.  Stuart had a good attack against his opponent's exposed King but he missed a pawn move which trapped his Bishop.  He fought on but his opponent had both time and material on his side and in the end Stuart was forced to resign.  I thought Ken stood better with Queen and Rook on the open a-file threatening to get behind Black's defence but he fell to a cheeky  pawn move - c4 - which to everyone's surprise was checkmate.

Phil Ford  

Stuart, as White, faced the sharp Latvian Gambit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvian_Gambit and after about 20 moves looked fine with his Queen on h8 and a bishop on h6 and Black having to defend - but the next time I looked Black had found some counterplay and at the time control it was White who was on the defensive - Stuart welcomed the offer of a draw especially as post-match analysis showed that Black stood better. Ken's game against the English opening was close throughout with Ken having a slight edge on time  - the rook and pawn endgame was eventually drawn.  Andy continued his good form for the B team with an impessive win against the Sicilian Taimanov - his knight on d6 was too strong and his opponent was forced to resign when Andy broke through on the kingside. I thought Ray was in a superior position with Black in the Dutch Defence but his opponent defended stoutly and a draw looked about right. I had a nice position against the Sicilian Najdorf where my opponent elected to have a backward pawn on d6 - I targetted this and once it fell I was able to make inroads with Queen and both rooks on the file forcing a resignation. Paul's game ended up with a dispute over whether 30 moves had been made - eventually a draw was agreed to give us a 4-2 win overall.

The B team steamroller gathers pace.

Phil Ford

An exciting match which went right down to the last game where Ken eventually won on time to make it 5 wins out of 6 for the B team.  Andy again dominated with the Black pieces in a Sicilian to win our first point.  Ray was three pieces up before his opponent resigned to make it 2-0.  Bill with White had a promising position in a King's Gambit but he made a mistake in the middle game which allowed his opponent to win a pawn and eventually prevail 2-1.  My game was very close and with my opponent threatening to queen a pawn I managed to find a perpetual check with my Queen to earn a draw 2.5-1.5.  Anup, playing his last game before he returns to India, put up a good fight with Black in a Petrov but when his opponent promoted a pawn to queen it was soon all over 2.5-2.5.  Which meant the last game was decisive.  Ken with White was a pawn up in a Dutch.  In a time scramble both players promoted a pawn to Queen but Ken found a series of checks which allowed him to win on time.

A good win for the B team with only one loss on the night.  I finished first when my opponent resigned after he lost a second pawn.  Ray's game was very close with Ray having two rooks and a pawn v. rook, bishop and 4 pawns - Ray managed to find a perpetual check to earn a well fought half-point.  On his debut, Andy won comfortably with Black in a Sicilian Najdorf.  Ken's position was so strong that he won his opponent's queen and forced a resignation.  Kev played out the endgame with a lot of skill (Are you sure about this?) to win the full point.  Stuart's position was very constricted as Black in a Budapest and when his opponent brought his rook to the seventh rank it was all over.   Well done everyone again.

A comfortable victory for the B team.  Stuart's game was pretty much drawn from early doors - lines of blocked pawns and little room for manoeuvre for the pieces.  Ray castled queenside as White against a Pirc and then launched an unstoppable kingside pawn storm against very little resistance.  I won a piece in the middlegame and exchanged out to win another full point.  Anup was an exchange down and he then walked into a mate.  Ken's positional advantage was far superior in the middlegame and he forced a resignation when his opponent lost a piece.  Graham's game was very close and in a complicated position a draw was agreed.

Well done everybody.

Phil Ford