A well-fought match which could have gone either way, with lots of good ideas shown by the players. I think in most games the advantage changed hands a couple of times – exciting stuff!
I’ve added the PGN file so you can play through the games and variations on your own computer.
Exeter Juniors 1-3 Exeter School 22nd May 2015
default 0-1 Leif HAFSTAD
Ethan HWANG 1-0 Henry COLEMAN
Felix WATTS 0-1 Redmond COLEMAN
Ned RICHARDS 0-1 Nick ARMSTRONG
In a close match, where many of the players relied for support on a
mysterious brown elixir, the visiting team had an early boost when the
home team top board didn’t arrive.
It looked as though the home team was going to score a rapid equaliser
when a mate-in-one appeared on board 3, but the opportunity passed by.
The material balance wobbled several times before Redmond found a
back-rank mate later in the game.
Some excellent aggressive play from both sides on board 4 was also
brought to a close when Nick spotted a snap mate.
In the best game of the match, Henry tripled down the e-file, pinning
down all of Black’s pieces. Ethan then sent his Queen off in search of
counterplay, but it became cut off from the e-file, whence White could
have delivered the fatal blow. But the Queen proved distracting
enough, and gradually Black unhooked the pin and exchanged off
into a Rook endgame. White then allowed a Rook exchange when Black had
a distant passed pawn, and the home team finally scored a point.
Games to follow.
Could I gently remind you to pay for the season if you haven’t already?
Puzzle of the week: mate in one move — reckoned to be one of the hardest!
Hints (click-drag-select to view):
Another close match which could have gone either way.
Some homework study may be required!
{Some simple tactics decided this game. In fact, they are the tactics most
often missed in junior games: discovered check, outnumbered, undermining.}
{WARNING: This next game contains uncut scenes of graphic chess violence. The part of Ming
the Merciless was played by Taylor Finch.}
{A great fightback after losing your way in an unfamiliar opening.}
{In a line you hadn’t faced before, you struggled to find a way to complete
development and be able to keep going forward. In the end, the squares you
lost on the board were less important than the minutes you lost on the clock.}
This agreeable annual match is always a friendly and well-contested occasion. As usual, most of the games, and therefore the match, could
have had a very different result! Well played all.
Board 1. After missing a chance to win a piece in the opening, White fell into a
wicked trap.
Board 2. After a murky opening, White lost the exchange. In trying to force a win,
Black gave back the exchange, but missed a win or two in the endgame.
Board 3. After some scrappy play, Black emerged a piece ahead, but allowed his Knight
to get sidetracked and his King exposed. All credit to White for making
trouble!
Board 4. Rather a slow start by both players; a quick break in the centre might have
upset Black. The game was decided by an amazing double blunder on move 30.
I was unsure whether to put in a team this year, but the squad put up an excellent fight last week to lose a close match to the visitors. The return fixture is in February.
I have the scores of two games:
Our first win! Even without the point from ‘super-sub’ Ray Shepherd, we had a draw in the bank, and that would have been a good result too.
So, well done all round. In both other games there was a big chance for our side early on – so make sure you think right from the start, don’t ‘warm up’ during the game!
{A bit of a tired performance by White: Black picked up pawns every few moves
and went into an endgame four pawns ahead. There were a couple of chances to
hit back, and the one on move 8 might have given a very different result.
Look at every check and every capture, every move!}
3. d4 is the move most likely to cause problems. Have a look at this page:
http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/content/lessons-philidors-defence
{Black never really got going and eventually forgot about a threatened piece;
White actually had a chance to win a piece on move 6!}
