Haven’t we just played you?
Two weeks after our first encounter we faced Clay Cross A again.
John got a squeeze on the black side of a reversed Benoni structure, prompting his opponent to lash out with a pawn sacrifice for activity. After finding a key tactic to swap off white’s long-ranged white bishop on g2, he kept the position under control and cashed in for victory - the first result of the night - when his opponent blundered in time trouble.
Steve slowly built a promising position with a clear space advantage against a cramped Old Indian Defence. He won a pawn as a result of the pressure but then Black broke out with some active counterplay. Black was slightly better at the end with only 2 minutes left on the clock, so he offered a draw which Steve accepted.
Both Kevin and I entered endgames with both Clay Cross players in time trouble. Kevin went on to win but I misplayed the race to promotion and had to agree a draw.
| Derby A | 3 - 1 | Clay Cross A | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tompson, John C | 2071 | 1 - 0 | Natt, Anthony L | 1918 |
| 2 | Retout, Steve P | 1872 | ½ - ½ | Williams, Paul | 1660 |
| 3 | Dalley, Kevin J | 1835 | 1 - 0 | Redhead, Kieran | 1643 |
| 4 | Williams, David | 1836 | ½ - ½ | Lever, Brian | 1532 |
Dave Williams 27/03/25