Division 2

Woodpushers v Hastings & St.Leonards 3

Fabulous result last night as Hastings 3, pre-season favourites for relegation, defied the odds to overturn a stronger Woodpushers side 3-2 and go top of the table after 2 matches.

Henry Cove on board 1 navigated a very tricky Benko Gambit by his opponent who eventually relinquished the threats and offered a draw before entering the end game which Henry coolly took time to evaluate the match standings then accepted.

Practice in skittles chess paid off for Jim on board 2 who had a lot of practice facing Larsens opening/the little Orangutan when presented to him. It’s very easy to come unstuck in the unusual tactics this rarely seen opening but Jim was unfazed, kept his nerve and brought home the win.

Trying to work out what opening Marc played on board 3 was like sifting through an Eton Mess for little bits of fruit. Was that a strawberry or a little bit of raspberry? A Grob or the bishops game? Who knows it’s all covered in meringue & cream and we can’t make head nor tail out of this. Suffice it to say his opponent, ate it all up leaving little but crumbs after move 10 for Marc.

Board 4 saw the power of the position over material when Mason led for all the game by either two or one points physically but the computer showed his opponent +2 up due to the superior position and more active pieces. This even went up as high a +60 (stockfish) at one point but a missed move gave Mason the opportunity to force a draw after hearing the result from board 5 which secured the match.

Board 5 Omer Namouk played a great game and could have surprised his opponent with a aptly named Halloween Gambit in a four knights defence but opted for a respectable Ruy Lopez set up instead. Some good play by both players but eventually the game reduced to a minor piece + a few pawns each ending which Omer’s nicely positioned pawns were always going to win the day.

An all round great performance by all, which will take off so much pressure from the team for the rest of the season.