Match Report: Horfield C vs Cabot A (12 October): Honours even.

The first of three matches for Horfield this week. Mikey’s 100% record this season obviously spooked Cabot’s board 2 so much he wasn’t able to make the match so 1-0 by 8pm. Board 3 was the first game to finish; Piotr had equalised comfortably out of the opening into a middle game with unbalanced pawns which looked like it could be tense. However backward pawns were traded and pieces followed and both players assessed it as pretty much even and agreed a draw in 25 moves. Kana and Eddie were done next. Eddie chose the reputationally unsound Englund gambit but it worked out well for him as Kana hadn’t seen it before and get caught out by the tactics and dropped a knight in the first 10 moves, the match didn’t last a lot longer with Eddie trading up the knight advantage by winning the exchange to be a full rook ahead and securing the point.

So by 9pm the score was 1.5-1.5 with just the top board still playing. Mike was a pawn up but they were doubled a pawns and as clocks ticked down for both players a draw was agreed. 2-2 the final score. Fingers crossed it isn’t the only point for Horfield this week.