17 February 2016
Limewood beat Alwoodley D in their Division 3 League match by 3 points to 2, almost (but not quite) reversing the scoreline of their defeat by that team back in October. Admittedly we were helped by Alwoodley being unable to field a full team but we won 2 of the 4 games actually played, which was an improvement over the October result.
Paul May set the ball rolling with a clear win at Board 1 – the first game to finish, by a long way. His opponent had made a threatening sacrifice, clearly hoping to achieve a quick finish. But his manoeuvre backfired spectacularly. The game did indeed end quickly – but with Paul as the winner. The game is now displayed on our Games pages: Game: PAUL MAY v Peter Saunders
In contrast the other team members were dug in for the long haul. At Board 4 Gareth’s game eventually arrived at a king-and-pawn finish but his opponent was more experienced at the technique needed for such endings and gained the vital edge.
At Board 3, Andy (YCA running grade 91), unbeaten in his first five games for the club, maintained that record by a fine victory over Dave Aldous (126). Aided by some less than brilliant play by his opponent he gained first a minor piece (move 22) and converted that to a rook advantage at move 30, later adding a bishop to his haul. The end of the game consisted of pursuing the enemy king around the board until the inevitable mate. That game sealed Limewood’s victory in the match. Andy’s game, together with his own commentary on it, is now on display: Game: ANDREW POLLARD v Dave Aldous.
It was Board 2 that kept the party going till the clocks had almost run out. After a promisingly lively start the game entered a sort of wilderness – a land of not much happening. Faced with a strong opponent Philip had decided at an early stage that his best chance lay in stonewalling. Which he did to great effect. The game ground on (and on) that way for a long time and only started to perk up a bit as time trouble loomed. This time it was Philip who, short of time, conceded that he could not prevent his opponent from queening. An arduous game – and not just for the players.
This win keeps Limewood high in the league table – very satisfying and very encouraging.