HM
Bedford D 3.5 - 1.5 Luton A. Captains Log 14th December 2023
Well don't be fooled by this young Bedford "D" side". Tommy was getting a run for his money on board 1 from a strong young player, and only I let the team down out of the gate by losing in 20 moves against an opponent who felt the need to bring an energy drink after a "hard few days". Annoyingly, I played an opening that I know has some weaknesses, but also some fun traps, playing b7 on move 2 against e4:e6 d4:d6. The threat was that I might take the rook on g1, but I delayed one move too many according to the computer, effectively losing on move 7 by snatching a pawn instead of taking a rook while I could.
The others battled on, during a foggy December evening. From what I could tell, 90 minutes in, only Julian had a clear material advantage. The rest of the games looked close.
Then I blinked and Aleks was a rook down :( but Julian had won. Still it looked as if Daman and Tommy would both have to overcome tight games if we were to prevail.
Two hours in and still three boards in play. My guess was a draw for Daman, a win for Tommy if he could nurse a pawn advantage and I was amazed Aleks was still fighting. But my word, Daman and Tommy were in battles.
The the skittles fell... Tommy conceded a draw at 9:50 pm. Daman was under time pressure and Aleks still fighting a rearguard action. Aleks fought until 10:20 pm and well before then, Daman knew he had to win, so pushed perhaps too hard.
The match ended Bedford D 3.5 - 1.5 Luton A. Valiantly played team.
Dixon Jones