Another Sensational Debut!

It would seem I have been appointed Roy's personal website serf, as yet again I have been entrusted with the task of posting his report of the latest D team match. But never mind that, as once again I have excellent news to impart, as three KCC juniors (plus the young at heart Harry) put on another terrific show to hold Division 3 league leaders Shirley C - a very experienced team - to a 2-2 draw.

So over to Roy for a blow by blow account:-

Zac, on board three, was first in with a result. He was black, playing league veteran Frank Jiminez, with an opening I could not follow. Zac won a knight for pawn but had a terrible structure - double isolated pawns and an all over the place position. Sadly, buoyed up with youthful enthusiasm, Zac failed to consolidate and went on to lose.Next in came NINE year old Lionel. Yes NINE! As White he played on bottom board against the vastly experienced John Asbury, deploying a French to devastating effect. Noticing weaknesses in his opponents kingside Lionel was like a rat up a drainpipe in their exploitation. As John confirmed after the match, this was a case not so much of John losing but of Lionel winning!  Paul, spectating the latest league debut of one of his CCA students, was able to draw a very interesting parallel with his own junior chess experience on the CCA Facebook page.

On board two, White, in what I  was informed was a 'Fried Liver', I thought (almost certainly wrongly) that Katya was outplaying her opponent, Chris Pitt. In the end, Katya had to settle for a draw.  Finally, playing Black on top board, Harry was confronted by the King's Gambit - against Fred Dickson. Struggle, struggle, struggle. Very tight it seemed to me. I think Harry got a slight edge but not enough for more than a draw, and so the match was drawn. Vastly out experienced and significantly out graded - yet again!

Without wishing to down play the rest of the team, once again it was a VERY junior, in this case Lionel, who put in the star performance of the evening on his first outing in adult league chess. Watch this space!

I can only echo Roy's words. Coming so soon after Gregory's winning debut for KCC, Lionel's win was another landmark for the club. I will have to check the record books to see how old Jude and Billy were when they won their first games for Kenilworth. So, my work here is done ....... except that I have to choose this week's song, of course. Taking the word young as my inspiration, the obvious choice would have been Mott The Hoople's "All the Young Dudes. But I don't like it. Then I thought of "Young Hearts Run Free" by Candi Staton, but it's a bit off topic. And then it came to me. Let's take our inspiration from all these tremendous young players we have at KCC. Let's try to stay "Forever Young"!

(BTW, in another breakthrough for KCC, I believe this may well have been the first post ever written by someone with Covid. But that's KCC for you- always going the extra mile!)