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   Friendly Fixtures 2006-07

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Oxford University

Played 28th October 2006, at University College, Oxford

Report by Geoff Naldrett:

This year we managed to put out seven boards – slightly more than in recent years.  As this is the only match I’ve never played in I thought I’d better make the effort this year!

We all arrived at University College at about the same time, and the match started, more or less, on time.

The teams were fairly evenly matched, except on board 1, where Ian Calvert was outgraded by 35 points. The bottom two Oxford boards were ungraded, but of reasonable standard, as both drew.

All the games were close and hard-fought.  

Alf Bullock had knight for bishop in an end-game, and one extra pawn on the king’s side – both players had a QRP.  Alf could not make his extra pawn count, and had to agree to a draw.

David Sedgwick had looked to be in trouble, with a backward e6 pawn, but positive play secured him the draw. Martin Page’s game always looked pretty even, and it was no surprise when a draw was agreed.  

I recovered from a tricky position and a draw was agreed at the time control.  It could have been drawn earlier, as it would have taken a bad mistake for either of us to have lost. David Malcolm looked to be under some pressure on the king’s side, and eventually lost – the first positive result!

Ian Hunnable, having chosen a faulty plan out of the opening, surrendered a piece for the prospect of several pawns and counterplay in what became a very tactical and interesting game. But Black quickly reached a winning position and Ian expected to be on the early train home! However, Black then failed to find the best line and allowed Ian back into the game. This gave rise to an interesting position where White had a rook and three pawns for three minor pieces, but the black pieces were uncoordinated, and White's passed pawn on d6 cramped Black’s game.  Black, with half an hour in hand, went astray just before the time control, allowing Ian, after turning down a draw offer, to win.

In the remaining game on top board Ian Calvert might have pressed for a win against his 200 grade opponent, but decided discretion was the better part of valour (unlike Ian, that!) and took the draw by perpetual, leaving the match drawn.  Good results by both Ians and the rest of the team, as we have tended to lose at Oxford in recent years.

It appears from the archives that the first matches at Oxford and Cambridge were played on 10 November 1907 and 22 February 1908 respectively, so my successor as Match Captain might be arranging some Centenary Matches next season!  Oxford have suggested more boards next year, a grander venue and possibly a meal afterwards.

GWN

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Cambridge University

Played 20th January 2007, at Cambridge

Geoff Naldrett reports:

Martin Page sacrificed (or lost!) a pawn early on, for open play, but then resigned after about 15 moves, saying that he had blundered away a piece.

Ian Calvert’s game always looked fairly even, but in the end he sacrificed his knight for several pawns, confident that he could draw a R v R+N endgame if his extra pawns disappeared.  They mostly did, but it was his opponent who offered the draw, which seemed a fair result.

I played a young lady from Eastern Europe, who answered the exchange Ruy Lopez 5. 0-0 Bg4 6. h3 h5 – the standard line.  She then left her bishop on g4 for too long, allowing me to capture it for a pawn and withstand any possible mating attack.  She later played on after I had won Q and P for R, and I eventually had a nice checkmate when well ahead on material.

I then left with the score even at 1½-1½, with Tony Paish and David Malcolm still playing.

David later said that his opponent’s attack had run out of steam.  He had opened up the queen’s file to David’s advantage, and David won a piece, and then the game.

Tony went into a long endgame with R, B, two Ns and 6 pawns against two Rs, B and 7 pawns.  His opponent had hoped to roll forward his pawns on the king side, but Tony had better development, his minor pieces were actively positioned and his king could reach an active central square before his opponent’s.  With these advantages Tony eventually won the endgame, to give us a 3½-1½ win.

Next season should see the Centenary Match, so hopefully we can play the match over more boards.  It was a pity that County matches and Gibraltar reduced us to five boards this time.

GWN

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14th Roy Wagstaff Memorial Match

v Wanstead & Woodford

Played 21st February 2007, at 11 Belgrave Road

Report by Ian Hunnable

This was not the result we had in mind when arranging the annual friendly in memory of Roy Wagstaff. There were one or two unforseen developments with regard to personnel attending, which explains the out of grading-sequence pairing on board 8.

Initially, the match was thought to be a seven board affair and Ian Calvert was declared on board 1. Then two players turned up, one on each side, who had not been expected. The Wanstead player was Philip Stanliland, graded 138, who would at least bolster the middle order, but the Insurance player to make an unexpected appearance was Julian Farrand. Wanstead were already lacking several of their top boards, and this turn of events now placed the Insurance side in a clear ascendency. With the rest of the match being ready to start and to cause the least disruption to the declared pairings, Julian Farrand replaced Ian Calvert on board 1, the latter being re-paired with the new Wanstead arrival as a makeshift board 8 pairing.

Thereafter, everything went Insurance's way including the top two boards where the grading disparity was minimal.

IDH

Oxford U | Cambridge U | Wanstead | Hastings | Commercial RP | Civil Service | Combined Services | Top

Hastings

Played 31st March 2007, at 2 Cornwallis Terrace, Hastings

Report by Geoff Naldrett

So, Hastings won 8-4 which, their captain said, was the same result as last season.

We would have had 13 boards, but Ian Calvert had another engagement, so pulled out.  We could have done with him to bolster the top order, finding ourselves well outgraded on the top five boards!  We were, in fact, outgraded on all except board 7.

Cyril Dennis and David Shipp always like to play in this match, and this year John Langford made a welcome return and played his first game for us for some time.

As the top six boards were played on the ground floor, and the bottom six upstairs, and as I had a difficult game, which was the last but one to finish, I didn’t see much of the other games, particularly those downstairs.

John Langford lost two pawns, then a third, but managed to construct a mating net with queen, rook and bishop that his opponent had not seen coming, so won.  At about the same time Mick Reddie beat their captain downstairs, so we were 2-0 up!

Our fortunes then took a turn for the worse.  Brian Atkinson had an even position for a long time, but was suddenly the exchange down in an endgame.  Brian had chances with a pawn majority on the queen side, whereas his opponent Marc Bryant had created a passed pawn on the other side.  Marc then sacrificed back the exchange to queen a pawn, whereas he could prevent Brian queening on the other side. Dave Shipp and Cyril Dennis also lost, Cyril admitting that his opponent, with whom he had drawn years earlier, was too strong for him.

News from downstairs was that Ian Hunnable, David Sedgwick and David Malcolm had all lost, but that Martin Page, though well outgraded, had managed to draw.  His opponent, Tim Spanton, who usually plays against us for Sussex U175, is a Hastings “Country Member”, and wanted to play in this match, as the Sussex U175 match had had to be cancelled.  As a “Country Member” Tim pays lower entry-fees to the Hastings tournament, so membership of the Hastings club is financially worthwhile.

Alf Bullock eventually drew against Omar Namouk, which was a good result. Omar has beaten me and drawn with me in recent Hastings matches. 

I had been under pressure against Hastings old hand John Felton, against whom I had played in the Hastings tournament some years ago.  He is still a redoubtable opponent!  It looked as if I would lose a central pawn, but I held onto it by advancing it.  In an Exchange Ruy Lopez his two bishops were becoming threatening.  Later I forked his bishop and rook with a pawn, and he gave up the bishop for some pressure on the queen side.  My pawn then took his a6 pawn, and it appeared I would lose this pawn, as his rook was behind it, but I managed to save it by getting my rook to a8.  I later played a7, then moved the rook to attack his g7 pawn.  When he moved his king to defend it I played a8=Q, after which he resigned. 

The match had already been lost, although Tony Paish was still playing downstairs.  In a very complicated game he won his opponent’s queen for a rook, but his shortage of time eventually cost him the game, which he should have won.  He lost on time in a winning position!  Tony’s first loss for ICC this season, I think!

Next season’s match has already been arranged for Saturday, 29 March, 2.30 start!

GWN

Oxford U | Cambridge U | Wanstead | Hastings | Commercial RP | Civil Service | Combined Services | Top

London Commercial Chess League

Rapidplay Match

Played 11th April 2007, at 11 Belgrave Road

Comments by the Webmaster

This was a new venture, having been talked about for a couple of seasons: a double round rapid play match against our Bronowski Trophy friends in the London Commercial League. "Friendly" would certainly be the term applied to the welcolme we gave to Commercial! We managed only one win in each round.

WM

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Civil Service

Played 21st April 2007, at 11 Belgrave Road

Report by Geoff Naldrett

Alf Bullock had to cry off on the morning of the match, as he had been in hospital in Wales following a tournament the previous week, had only just got home, and could not get a train to London to arrive before the match started.  He has, however, now made a full recovery!

The Civil Service arrived with more players than us, but loaned us J Cattermole to play on bottom board.  Their captain David Mills, who had not intended to play, did play, again against the other Match Captain, and with the usual result!

This was the last match to be played at 11 Belgrave Road, and again had to be played on the ground and sixth floors.

The match was over 11 boards. Civil Service won the toss, so chose white on odds.

It was nice for us to be able to welcome an old friend, Gerry Dowlen, back to our ranks, for his first competitive game in 30 years!  As we were short of numbers I drafted in Paul Carlucci, a friend, and he turned out to be our only winner!  Unfortunately he does not work in the insurance industry!

As I had a difficult game I could not see what was happening upstairs, but later learnt that Julian Farrand and Ian Hunnable had lost (from a position of clear advantage), but that Ian Calvert, David Sedgwick, David Malcolm and Martin Page had all drawn.

Downstairs Mr Cattermole lost, Brian Atkinson drew, Paul Carlucci won and Gerry Dowlen’s opponent got on top in the ending after a well-fought game, eventually winning. 

I never really got going against 1 e4 e5; 2 Bc4, and was well beaten in something like 20 moves, getting mated in a hopeless position.  I don’t recall whether David had his ear-plugs in this time but, even if he hadn’t, I was never in a position to be able to offer a draw, which he might or might not have heard! 

So we lost 3½–7½ in what had looked at the beginning to be an evenly matched contest, losing the top two boards and the bottom three.

GWN

Oxford U | Cambridge U | Wanstead | Hastings | Commercial RP | Civil Service | Combined Services | Top

07-08

Combined Services

Played 2nd June 2007, at The Carpenters Arms

Report by Geoff Naldrett

Combined Services turned up with only seven players at this, our first match at The Carpenters Arms.  As we had ten players I agreed not to play and Alf Bullock, an old soldier, agreed to play for Combined Services against Jerry Dowlen, making it an eight board match.

Either Ian Calvert or Ian Hunnable would be playing Andy Hammond on board 1, and Ian Calvert volunteered!

Andy Hammond won the toss, and chose white on odds.

David Sedgwick was the first casualty, overlooking a back-rank mate, and Jerry Dowlen then drew with Alf Bullock after a hard-fought encounter in which neither side ever seemed to have any real advantage.

Martin Page then won, to even up the scores, and Brian Atkinson drew a bishops and pawns endgame in which his opponent had an extra, passed, pawn.  Brian admits that, in his opponent’s position, he would have carried on playing!  Ian Calvert achieved a very creditable draw, with the black pieces, against Andy Hammond.  Ian’s offer of a draw was declined, but he was glad to accept Andy’s offer a few moves later!  A good result with black against a player graded 205, 40 points above him!

Ray Hamilton never really got going in his game, only developing his QB late in the game, and never managing to develop his QN or QR!  He always looked to be under pressure, with no counter-play, and resigned to save being mated.

This left us one down with two quickplay games to finish.  Fortunately our two Wanstead & Woodford stalwarts saved the day, both winning.  Ian Hunnable turned down three draw offers before outplaying his opponent and John Philpott outplayed his opponent, turning an exchange advantage into a win.

As Jerry Dowlen said, our footballers couldn’t win their first match at their new home, but ICC could!

Messrs Hunnable, Page and Philpott share the lead in the race for next season’s Tooke!

Nice to finish my career as Match Captain with a win, although I didn’t contribute towards it!

GWN