Yesterday, Crewe I played its last away game of the league season. This match was originally scheduled some time ago but was postponed due to the refurbishment of the Kidsgrove Chess Club… and what a good job we did! The renovation has transformed the club into a place of beauty and comfort never seen before.
This is no trivial detail because, when you have to endure defeat, doing so while sitting on a massive pinewood chair at a grand wooden table next to a lit fireplace makes it far less unpleasant. I mean, we lost 3½ – ½, but boy, what an absolutely stunning setting!
Well, what else can I say? Each of us once again faced an opponent rated about 200 points higher… it was always going to be an uphill battle.
As for me, I managed to make my opponent sweat—really sweat—but, unfortunately, not quite enough to secure a victory. As usual, I published the game on our website. The time pressure got the better of me in the end, I blundered, and the rest, as they say, is history.