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KINGS HEAD started last season in the 4NCL with two wins (one against a team which was eventually promoted). Since then it's been unrelieved gloom. I calculate that we had made the princely total of four points from a possible twenty six in our last thirteen matches, and we only avoided relegation last season by the skin of our teeth. If things had continued in this way, we were due for a well-deserved drop into the nether regions of Division Three. No doubt at all on that question. And this weekend we had to play the leaders of Division Two who had won every match and inflicted a record 8-0 defeat on one of their hapless opponents.
Steve Berry analyses his Sunday game But first it was Slough 2 on Saturday. We outgraded them and for once the issue was scarcely in doubt. Joachim won a pawn for nothing with a well-known trap. 1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 g3 g6 4 Bg2 Bg7 5 d3 d6 6 Be3 e6 7 Qd2 Rb8 8 Nf3 Nd4? 9 Bxd4 cd 10 Nb5. If now 10 ... Qb6 11 Qb4 Ke7 12 e5! wins, so Black has to give up the d-pawn for little or nothing. Surprisingly, Black generated enough counterplay to draw but it didn't matter. By this time Rick M. and Felix had both won with absurd ease. Felix's opponent seemed to have forgotten that chess pieces can move forwards as well as backwards and that not everyone can be a Steinitz. Colin's victory was equally smooth, but took a little longer, whilst I won a double-edged game against Houska on board one which finally turned in my favour during the time scramble. The most amusing game occurred on the bottom board where Alexis went into an ending with bishop and knight against bishop and knight, but with the drawing tendency of opposite coloured bishops. She then proceeded to calmly stalemate her opponent's pieces so that they could not move without being lost! All in all, a comfortable and very welcome 6-2 victory. Sunday's game was against Precepton Youth, the division's leader. This was a tough match indeed. Both Felix and Rick T. lost long hard games where the draw was tantalisingly close. Alex drew against an opponent who was graded 300 points higher than her, whilst Conor and Colin had both to draw positions which were inferior. I was quite lost from moves 30 to 40, but somehow survived the time scramble, only then to miss a strong move immediately after the time control. Another draw. But Andy won a very smooth game without having to resort to his usual time trouble heroics, and the match was decided by Rick M. in a delicate rook and pawn ending which will bear further study by students of the game. A hard fought 4-4 draw and the league leaders had lost their first point of the season. Kings Head are now out of the relegation zone and have two of the weaker teams to face in the next matches in March. God forbid that we should be free from relegation worries before the final weekend in May! The big event of the weekend was the match between the two Division One leading teams, Beeson Gregory and Wood Green. Correction -- the big event of the weekend was the appearance of a 70 year old Grandmaster by the name of Victor Korchnoy who turned out to play for Beeson Gregory on board one. He duly beat his more highly rated opponent, Bologan, in a tricky rook ending, helped his team to win a very close match and probably decided the future of the 4NCL Division One title. Not bad work for an old age pensioner. Steve Berry |
