Author: Mario Scarpa

This was a closely fought match against Alsager C. Douglas drew first blood with a win on board 3. Nev followed shortly afterwards with a draw on board 1.

I held a clear advantage on board 4 until a blunder turned the game around and led to my defeat. That left the score at 1½– 1½, with everything depending on Pawel’s game on board 2.

Pawel had built a very solid position with plenty of trumps up his sleeve, but he was desperately short of time. When his clock dropped below 30 seconds, he found some excellent moves to improve his position still further. His opponent, feeling completely stuck, offered a draw, which Pawel accepted (with just 1 second remaining on his clock!).

This hard-earned draw saved us from defeat and secured a 2 – 2 team result. Overall, a tense but satisfying draw against strong opposition.

They say that nothing lasts forever… but, boy, let’s celebrate it while it lasts!
Crewe G is in pole position!

I know, I know. It will change as soon as the other teams complete their game, but still, our position doesn’t look bad at all.

Last week we’ve beaten Holmes Chapel B. Yes, you read correctly: the same Holmes Chapel B that won every single game of the season… until last week. Their combined rating was 600 points higher than ours and yet we delivered a surprisingly solid victory. And the most surprised of all was me, managing (God knows how) to beat an opponent rating 1600 with my 1350!
I was runnig out of time and ideas, then I remembered reading somewhere that Bobby Fischer sacrificed a rook and another major piece to gain positional advantage that led him to victory… so I thought “if it worked for him there was no reason why it shouldn’t work for me”. How very humble of me… but it did work beautifully indeed: I gave away my rook but I could use my bishops to pin all other pieces like a voodoo doll. You can see the game here.

Tonight we played against Gables A and delivered another victory. Thanks to Nev, who took all their fire power on himself in board 1, leaving the rest of us with manageable opponents. In our previous game against them, we lost 2^1/2 – 1^1/2 and today the match had the very same score, but this time we were the winning team. Do they call it Karma?

Yesterday, Crewe G had a triumphant night, beating Crewe H 4-0! In fairness, as a team we were rated some 400 points higher, which is very unusual considering we are normally rated at least 200 points lower than our opponents…

I was concentrating on my game on board 4 and glanced every now and then at board 3. The game seemed even, with the queens chasing each other around an island of pawns, but next time I watched , I saw that both queens were still on the board… but they were both white! Board 1 had already secured a victory before anyone could realise it and my game was also a success (of course, it was: I have the unbeatable pen!).

Only board 2 remained in play… it was the last game to finish, not only in this match but in the whole club, which would not have been unusual had it not been for the most curious way of playing it. Both players had around 5 minutes left on the clock and all the pieces were still on the chessboard, save for two knights. A quick look at the notation revealed that they had only made 18 moves! I am renowned for running out of time, but board 2 took it to the next level.

Midnight was approaching and, all of a sudden, both players started to move the pieces quickly, as if the knights were about to be turned into mice and the chessboard into a pumpkin… nearly all pieces were exchanged and the game ended when White realised that Black’s pawn promotion was inevitable. The curious thing about this game is that it took hours to get to move 18 and only 5 minutes from move 19 to the final move 63!

What a night!

Yesterday we confronted the strongest team of the league. So far Holmes Chapel B never lost a game and yesterday was no exception. Rating 600 higher than us, it was nearly inevitable. I was running out of time and managed to force a draw instead of losing, which seemed good at the time, but analysing the game the next morning revealed that I missed a mate in 4 moves, trading a crushing victory for a mere draw. What a shame! Have a look at the game here.

Worthy of note was Tommy’s excellent victory on board 1! He delivered a masterful performance against a stronger opponent, showcasing composure and skill. In a fixture against the league’s pre-eminent unbeaten side, Tommy’s triumph stood out as a real inspiration for the team.

Well played, Tommy—what a performance!

Playing against Alsager should never be taken lightly, as it is not wise to lower your guard when confronting a strong opponent.
Last Tuesday we lived up to this principle and secured three draws and one win, which resulted in a team victory. At first sight, this might sound just average, but once you realise that the opponent team’s rating was 400 points higher than ours, a draw counts as a victory and, in this case, it did so literally.
As for myself, I seem to be regaining some wisdom in managing time… or, to say it in a different way, this season, when time is running out, it happens when I am in a stronger negotiating position than my opponent, which is an encouraging improvement from last season… this is the ultimate proof that Martin was right to suggest a purple ink on my lucky pen.