BATTERSEA 1^ST TEAM

 

London League – Division 2

 

 

Dulwich prove far from dull

 

“Aren’t there any pretty girls on your team, then?” enquired Bill’s opponent rather optimistically at the start of the match –a strange question since you only have to play chess for a short while to realise it’s not an activity likely to bring much contact with beautiful women. Or any kind of women, come to that. But I digress.

 

Board	Dulwich 1	Grade			Battersea 1	Grade
1	Ryan Randall	185	0.5	0.5	Tony Ashby	183
2	Andrew Pridding	177	Adj	Adj	Ray Morris-Hill	176
3	Yary Voropayev	173	Adj	Adj	Richards Edwards	175
4	Chris Tandy	176	0	1	Robin Huq	173
5	Peter Andrews	170	1	0	Dan Staples	162
6	Matthew Dodsley	155	1	0	Paul Stokes	162
7	Bartosz Jedrzejewski	146	0	1	Joe Skielnik	162
8	Marlon Seton	145	Adj	Adj	Tim Wells	154
9	Peter Marsh	139	0	1	Bill Drennan	140
10	Martin Wooster	136	0	1	Andres Recalde	130
Interim score			2.5	4.5

.

 

This was a closer match than I expected. Dulwich were fielding a stronger side than last year and in terms of average grade we had only a 2 point advantage, so it’s unsurprising that the result of the match will end up being a close call. Despite our needing just one point from 3 adjourned games, this is more problematic than it appears.

 

It’s perhaps only fair to give first mention to Andres who chalked up our first point of the season, an 11 move dismemberment with the black side of a Samisch King’s Indian, a result that further cements his position as the fastest-improving player in the club. On board one, Tony enjoyed rather more space for the early part of the game, but the solid nature of both positions meant a draw was always likely. Ray adjourned in an admittedly difficult, but not hopeless position, after earlier standing rather better to my eyes. I survived my customary 10-moves-in-a-minute time-pressure to adjourn with a solid advantage that I’m confident of converting on resumption. Robin, continuing his loyal trips down from Birmingham, put in his usual sterling performance to win with a fine attack in a queenless middlegame. Dan and Paul had difficult games, particularly Paul who found his Caro-Kann on the receiving end of a kingside assault, and both went down. Joe’s welcome return to Battersea was commemorated with a subtle white-side King’s Indian exchange variation victory. Tim faced the unconventional Bb2 against his Sicilian, and although appeared somewhat better in the opening, adjourned the exchange down, and Bill converted his spatial advantage against the French into active queenside play, a passed pawn, and ultimately a point.

 

Thanks to everyone for turning out. A sound start since we’re probably all a little rusty.

 

Next match – Thursday 15^th October 7pm Golden Lane vs Mushrooms.

 

I am in the US over the next month, during which I’ll be playing in the Western States Open, in Reno, Nevada –so we need a volunteer(s) to captain for both the 15^th October (above) and 29^th October vs Metropolitan.

 

Regards,

 

Richard Edwards

1^st October 2009