The evening didn't begin well. We arrived just in time in the evening with the club sets and clocks, only to find the playing room G225 locked and both teams waiting outside. A hunt for security, another dash back downstairs for scoresheets,before the match finally got under way a quarter of an hour late. Apologies to Bedford B. At least the weather was kind. Not long after the clocks started, St Mary's Church, directly next to the University of Bedfordshire, launched into full peal of bells. I climbed onto a chair to close the windows, managed to cut the noise, and cut my hand in the process. At Luton, chess is a contact sport now.
Board 3, Paul Habershon (1957) vs Samir Vora (!856) finished first. After neutralising the usual Grand Prix attack ideas, I built a strong pawn centre and collected three pawns along the way. Apart from one inaccurate middlegame move to give my opponent a brief opportunity to have an edge which he didn't take, it all held together and I converted. 0-1
Before going further, a disclaimer: I wasn’t paying especially close attention to the other boards, so some of these impressions may be a little superficial.
Board 4, Alexander Juhasz (1623) vs Jack Hale (1750) saw Luton B team captain Aleks up against a young and rapidly improving opponent. A complicated middlegame left him two pawns down, and despite resistance the endgame wasn’t saveable. 0-1
Board 5, Steve Pike (1863) vs Mannan Handa (1536) was a very balanced game. In the late middlegame and endgame both players were laying traps and carefully avoiding each other’s. A draw was fair, and it’s another solid result for Mannan, who continues to show he’s more than capable at this level. 0.5-0.5
Board 2, Marek Gladysz (1751) vs Richard Bodily (1968) was equal on material for a long time, but more difficult positionally for White. Towards the end, Marek looked like he was close to reaching a perpetual, but the line wasn’t quite there, and the opponent won after the checks ran out with mate inevitable. 0-1
Board 1, Michael Botteley (1994) vs Michael Joseph (1725) was the last to finish. From what I saw of the battle of the Michaels, our Michael had the edge at various moments, but a late pawn fork by their Michael turned the game around in a single move. A harsh way to lose after a promising position. 1-0
Final Score: Luton B 1.5 – Bedford B 3.5. All in all, a competitive and eventful match.
Bedfordshire Chess League Luton B v Bedford B
Samir Vora