CE-ing is Believing (Well Almost)

 The C and the E team (CE - geddit?) were both in action at Banbury last night. While Banbury had four matches on, as per usual the person with the key to the venue was amongst the last to arrive. Still, at least this allowed us all to catch up with each other in the somewhat bracing air, and then in the venue while the pieces were being set up. Who needs the Pump Rooms!

As per usual we started at around 7.45. I did not see a huge amount of the E team match, but the juggernaut continues. Solomon, Patrick and Steph all won well to maintain their personal 100% records in the league this year, as the team sweeps all before them. That's now four wins from four, with a whopping 11.5 individual game points won and only a single half a point dropped. Go team!

I wish I could report on a similarly successful night for the C team, but it was not to be. Perhaps any outfit which is relying on me to bring a dash of youth to the proceedings is going to struggle! In all seriousness we never looked like replicating the D team's success against these opponents a couple of weeks ago. Forty-five minutes in, I thought Mike's game against Paul Roper and Paul's encounter with Mal Waddell both looked pretty flat and drawish. I told myself that the beauty of league chess is that it is so unpredictable and you never know what is going to happen. Except this turned out to be wrong. Both games ended in draws.

My own tussle with Nick Martin was marginally more interesting, but only marginally. We reached a late middlegame that was reasonably poised when Nick offered a draw. I couldn't face the prospect of potentially turning down two draws in a week and losing both, so I took it. When we analysed the position afterwards it soon became clear that this was the right decision.

Unfortunately, the decisive game was Bernard Rogers' battle with Francesco Poderico which looked very difficult from the outset. Francesco secured excellent looking central passed pawns and space to attack. I thought Bernard did brilliantly in making a real fight of it, finally succumbing to the pressure with just seconds left on his clock. An heroic attempt to hold the game, but just not quite enough.

By my reckoning that's Banbury's first win in four recent games against the C, D and cup team at their place. Still, maybe now they'll be keener to open their doors on time, and let the next visiting Kenilworth team in!