Hard Battling Keeps C-Team on Promotion Track
On Tuesday (8/4/25) Derby C played the first of their three “play-off” matches. Currently sitting second in the table, the pressure was on to close out the season in one of the top two promotion places. Amber Valley (third in the table) were the opposition.
Carl was playing on top board. He unfortunately lost his bishop yet somehow he fought back to secure a draw.
I was playing board two and was in a tight fight. It looked I was gaining a small advantage, but then my opponent blundered his rook. I was able to secure the game quickly afterwards.
Andre had a tough time on board three, losing his rook. But like Carl, he was able to fight back and he actually converted the game into a win!
Sam was offered a draw by his opponent which he turned down - to then blunder his bishop next move. He struggled valiantly, but unfortunately there was too much to do and unlike his team-mates he wasn’t able to pull the game back.
A good result for the team (especially given the individual game positions halfway through!) and keeps us on track for promotion!
Matt 8/4/25
| Derby C | 2½ - 1½ | Amber Valley | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weighill, Carl | 1640 | ½ - ½ | Hartley, Dean M | 1848 |
| 2 | Caswell, Matthew | 1618 | 1 - 0 | Kelman, Paul | 1588 |
| 3 | Cockburn, Andre | 1542 | 1 - 0 | Heath, George K | 1464 |
| 4 | Samra, Mohinderpal | 1470 | 0 - 1 | Smith, Graham | 1472 |