Rather improbably, after our heavy defeat in the first game of the season, Kenilworth made it to the top of the Coventry League Division 1 table (just!) on Tuesday, after a 3-1 win over previous leaders Nuneaton A. The match odds were certainly tilted in our favour as Nuneaton were missing two first choice players, while we were able to welcome new member Bruce Baer into our side giving us a very meaty looking line up. Even though I was still on Board 1!
Mike was in total control from the very beginning on Board 4 against Thomas Glenn, and after winning an exchange he mopped up easily to put us ahead early on. There was quite a wait for the next result, but when it arrived it was more good news for us as Jude won a very interesting game against Tony Green on Board 2. After Tony's trademark Philidor had featured the standard Nxe4 and d5 combo to simplify the position in the centre, the game went into a queenless middlegame featuring two rooks and two bishops each. White had a pawn on e5 and Black a pawn on e4 - I don't think they hopped over each other but how else could that position have arisen?! White's pawn went to e6 and Black's to e3, each protected by a bishop - and neither got taken. Black then captured a rook on d7 bringing that e pawn closer still to queening, and though Tony was able to round it up, it cost him an exchange in the process. I wasn't at all sure who was better, as Black had at least 2 pawns for the exchange, and a pair of bishops can be a formidable force. But Jude got his rook working brilliantly and it managed to capture quite a few pawns to almost level things up, and when a pair of bishops came off, he had rook and 2 against bishop and 3 - all on the kingside. But White's king was able to move in on the light squares to force the win. Exciting stuff - but was it sound? I have no idea!!
Bruce had initially been pressing against Colin Green on Board 3, but couldn't quite turn the initiative into anything decisive, and after some middle game manoeuvring the players reached a queen ending where Colin briefly had an extra pawn but his king was wide open for a perpetual and a draw soon resulted, which gave us a match winning 2.5 points. I finished shortly afterwards, with another draw against Phil Briggs. I was much better in the middlegame but missed a couple of ways to turn the screw and Phil defended to reach a near equal ending, where my bishop pair against his bishop and knight was balanced by his extra 3 minutes on the clock. So 3-1 to us and first place in the table by a miniscule game point advantage.
For those of you wondering why there was no report of our previous week's KO Cup match against Nuneaton C, I can categorically state that it wasn't because I couldn't be bothered to write one. Rather, it was because Nuneaton couldn't be bothered to travel, having been unable to raise a full team. So we advanced to a quarter-final against Coventry University (a new opponent!!) without having to make any moves.
Did everyone notice that it was very cold on Tuesday night? I had to scrape my car windscreen on the way to the match, and on the way home, which was chilly work in sub-zero temperatures. But a small price to pay for an excuse to include this old classic. Little Feat and Bonnie Raitt. A match made in heaven!
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