Flowerpot Men to the Rescue!

No sooner has an errant spider had a starring role in a KCC match report, than a fondly remembered (by me, at least) duo of TV puppets from the 1950s and 60s also make an appearance on our unpredictable website! Who knows what's coming next?

Bill and Ben, The Flowerpot Men, with Little Weed

Last Monday the Flowerpot Men played a decisive role in the A team's narrow win over Olton A. With Mike drawing against Gary Hope on Board 3 after getting an initially promising early middle game position and Joshua going down in flames against Mark Cundy's Sveshnikov Sicilian on Board 2 (even Javier got nowhere against him in this variation a year or two back), we needed rescuing from the brink of disaster. Step forward the Flowerpot Men - Bill(y) and Ben!

Hopefully some of you remember the key question that was asked in every episode of the Flowerpot Men, after they'd got up to some mischief - "Was it Bill or was it Ben?"

Well, in this case it was both of them!

Billy - fresh from playing 5 on-line blitz games against Hikaru Nakamura! - had already kicked off proceedings by delivering a powerful attack, crowned by a rook sac and a checkmating finish, against Alan Lloyd on Board 1. For much of the game Alan, playing White, had a knight on a1 and he then tripled his heavy pieces on the b file aiming at Billy's pawn on b6, Meanwhile Billy had levered open the White king's position, and the sad monarch was quite alone and defenceless when a rook sac on f3 was followed by Qh3+ and Qe3+ with mate to follow. A very vigorous display!

Which meant it all came down to Ben's game on Board 4 against Richard Liszewski. I was slightly nervous when he ended up with two knights against two bishops, but pretty soon after he won a pawn, swapped off one pair of minor pieces and all the heavy pieces, and establsihed a passed pawn on f7 which completely tied down the Black king. Result! Ben's king was then free to wander over to the queenside and pick off another pawn while the Black bishop watched on helplessly. In the final position Ben had 3 pawns against none and Richard had no choice but to resign. Phew! Excellent technique by Ben, except for the fleeting suspicion that he might have allowed a threefold repetition at one point! But it wasn't claimed - and it may not have happened anyway - so we can't be worrying about that!

Many thanks to the Flowerpot Men, then, while there's little doubt as to which team member took on the role of Little Weed in this match! 

Music time. And its a classic!

That's it from me, but the final word (in their gibberish language, Oddle-Poddle) can go to the Flowerpot Men. Flobalob! I think we can agree, it makes as much sense as most of the stuff I write.