Match Report: Downend A vs Horfield A (26 January): Out-graded, out-gunned

Downend A are very strong this year and consistently strong on all six boards. So what came to pass wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Before the match there was a degree of amusement that Downend had decided on a board order to avoid Nigel and Oli playing Peter and Matias. Half right.

So in board order: On board one Derek and Steve had a wild game with white sacrificing the exchange to ruin blacks kingside pawns and create real opportunities; however it is always much easier to see the continuations after the game on the computer and in the end black held on to earn a half point. On board two Peter and Nigel were meeting for the seventh time (W0, L0, D6). There was a blocked centre with black attacking on the kingside and white on the queenside. It seemed level but after a queen exchange led to Nigel abandoning the one open file the advantage swung to Peter who won the h pawn with the unusual Rf8-a8-a1-h1 then xh3 and secured the win.

Elsewhere not so good. On three Mike was making his first appearance of the season but Oli had an edge out of the opening which turning into a pawn advantage and the game. On four Phil felt he was equal for most of the game but got the passive side of a queen and rook endgame. James looked to have had a reasonable amount of play but in the end the unstoppable Aron continued to be unstoppable. And finally on six Mikey fell to his first loss of the season against Aldrin as everything ended up pointing at his king and that wasn’t easy to defend.

Well done to Downend, they look like the team most likely to stop the University this season.