Played last night at Braunstone:
Robinson, John 181 Drawn 173 Morley, Andy
Bingham, Jim 158 1-0 160 Watkinson, Phil
Sandrovitch, David 159 Drawn 154 Dodds, Iain
Hogan, Pat 159 1-0 143 Pike, Andrew
Salisbury, Mike 158 1-0 139 Turland, Pete
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calculated score 4 - 1
Our first match with the new grades, which allowed Braunstone to field a team of a Board 1 plus 4 Board 2s. This meant we were signficantly weaker than them, especially on the bottom two boards.
Andy had a good game against John Robinson; a complicated Spanish in which Andy was eventually able to win a pawn. My game on board 2 also went well, winning an isolated queen's pawn, until a manoeuvre which will, no doubt, become to be known as the "watkinson pin", and my shock to find out that it was anything but, blundered my queen.
Just like Ed a couple of weeks back in the final round of the Wylie Cup, Andrew on board 3 found that Pat Hogan is a sharp player and well deserved of his improved grade. At the start of the middlegame, he had a reasonable position, but by the end of the middlegame had lost his queen for a rook.
Peter, on Board 5, took his very strong opponent to the wire. An impessive and close game, with Peter, at one point, just one move short of a winning position. It took Mike's full powers to turn the game round to his favour.
The next match will be a lot easier - we are playing Wigston 1 - the league champions.
Regards,
Phil.
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