Normally I'd not have waited some 10 days or so to report on a League winning victory for one of our teams, but these were not normal times, as I flew off to Dubai the day after our A team clinched the title with a 3.5-0.5 win over Stratford A. And even I am not so sad that I was willing to spend my exotic holiday slaving over a hot blog!
But all good things are worth waiting for, so now the full story can be told. I decided to leave myself out of the team (a) because I thought I would be too excited to play on the eve of my trip to the Middle East; (b) because I'm not playing very well; and (c) because Billy was available, and it was the first time he and Jude had played together in the A team - an historic occasion! With a 20-something in the shape of Javier also in the team, it was left to Bruce to play on the Oldie board, as the team's average age came in at around 28. Not exactly in keeping with the KCC demographic of recent years!
I adjourned to the bar to chat to Billy's Dad and Jude's Mum, but before you could say Jack Robinson, two games were finished. First Javier drew with Black on Board 1 against Ben Larkin. Both players bashed out a lot of theory; Javi got the move order wrong; Ben didn't notice; and it was a draw by perpetual. Al most immediately Richard McNally gave up a piece for a couple of pawns against Jude on Board 2, but followed up by then getting his queen trapped, and so it was 1.5-0.5 to us and we just needed another half point to clinch the title.
But it wasn't exactly plain sailing. Both the remaining games were very complicated and it wasn't clear to me who - if anyone - was better. Especially when Bruce didn't quite manage to trap a White knight that had got itself stranded on g7. But I shouldn't have worried, as Sam Cotterill got into serious time trouble and couldn't hold the position together once Bruce's rooks got motoring. So the Division 1 title was ours - for the fourth consecutive time - and only Billy's game against Richard Dobedoe was still in play. I wasn't entirely convinced that his earlier attack had been entirely sound, and as material reduced I became even more concerned. I re-entered the room while Billy was thinking in the following position. (Actually it may not be the exact position, but its as close as I can recall. All the key pieces are certainly on the right squares.)
It wasn't at all obvious to me how he was going to continue, but when he played Rf5!! it all became clear. I had to leave the room in case my excitement gave the game away, but by the time I returned it was indeed all over as Billy had been given the chance to finish things with a beautiful queen sacrifice.
There are still 2 league matches to go for the A team, but we are now unassailable in first place, as the B team has finished its fixtures - and is guaranteed to finish second for what is - I very much suspect - an unprecedented 1-2 for the club. And maybe for any club. I shall have to do a bit of digging to see if this is correct.
No music this week, because there's something much better available - a recording of my horse Diligent Harry (and when I say my horse, I really mean my 7% share of my horse) running a stormer in Dubai last Saturday to finish third in a Group 1 race on Dubai World Cup day. As he was named well before our own diligent C team Captain Harry joined KCC, I can confirm that any similarity is purely coincidental. And I'm sure you'll all approve of this change from music to horse racing, if only because the video is much shorter than normal!
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