Although, of course, no records have been kept on this subject, but I'm sticking to my belief that this represents the highest average rating of a KCC 5 board team - ever! I do recall a very strong team being fielded over 4 boards against Solihull A in a league match in 2016, where we (Paul, Andy B, Andrew P and myself) averaged 193 in old money - equivalent to 2144 in decimal - but even that failed to match the team we were able to field in the KO Cup Semi Final against Solihull this week. For those who want to be sticklers for detail, I should say that I have used Javier's ELO rating of 2210, rather than his provisional ECF of 2107, in calculating the average rating. But which ever way you slice it, the fact remains that everyone in the team was rated over 2100, which I'm sure is unprecedented for our club. The team was so strong, that there was no room for serial Player of the Year and renowned Leamington League points machine Joshua. Mind you, the average could have been even higher if the spectating Paul had instead been in the team!
But, of course, we all know about lies, damned lies and statistics, and any unknowing observer would, for much of the evening, have had a hard job working out that the match was so lopsided ratings-wise. (Just an average 289 points advantage per board to us.) But eventually statistical probability re-asserted itself, and at the end of the evening we had secured a 4-1 win and a place in the KO Cup Final against Shirley on May 16th. But it was far from being a comfy ride.
Jude was in desperate straits against Neil Clarke on Board 1 for much of the evening, and was about 1 good move by Neil away from disaster. But when he was given just one brief opportunity he conjured up a lethal passed pawn that completely turned the tables and won the game. Phew!
And Andrew P, unbelievably languishing on Board 5 when he has more usually occupied Board 1 in his time with KCC, was under severe pressure from Tony Sadler out of the opening and must have breathed a huge sigh of relief when Tony castled kingside and gave up a powerful attack down the h file. Andrew subsequently began to get on top, but maybe out of relief or exhaustion the game - the last to finish - ended up as a draw. And a draw it was as well on Board 4, where Andy B couldn't crack open Julian Summerfield's solid defence, despite mustering a large army of pieces to threaten Black's king. Andy eventually ran out of ideas as to how to increase the pressure any further and so the point was halved.
My game against Paul Roper should have ended the same way. I was within a whisker of establishing a winning position in a queen-less middlegame, but faltered very near the end when I mistakenly gave up my 2 bishops' advantage to win a pawn. But the resultant bishops of the same colour ending should have been drawn, as my extra pawn was blockaded and I couldn't get my king in. But Paul had a rush of blood to the head and inexplicably swapped the bishops off allowing me to create a second passed pawn which immediately forced resignation.
But finally I can mention a game where the KCC player bossed events from start to finish. On Board 2 Javier produced an excellent, controlled attack against Ray Carpenter's Sicilian Defence, despite not moving his bishop from f1 until the game was virtually over! The game featured a delightful moment - which I unfortunately failed to witness live - when Javier played pawn from g7 to g8 = knight, check. I don't know, all our match sets have spare queens which I religiously put by each board before the matches start, and then our man has to go and under-promote to a knight! Never mind, this was clearly the game of the evening and the only convincing win that we managed against very tough and determined opposition.
Rather surprisingly, I have been unable to locate any songs titled 2158 to accompany this article, but it did remind me of a one-hit wonder from 1969 that will have to serve as the next best thing. Who remembers Zager and Evans and "In the Year 2525"? Now that really would be some average rating - a whole team of current British Champion Harry Grieves!!
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