Before the match, I had hopes that the LB A match on the same evening might reduce the strength of their B team – that was soon shown to be optimistic! They fielded the strongest team we’ve played this year, with an average grade of 152, versus our average of 121. The result was depressing, as most of the games followed a similar pattern of a reasonably decent opening into middle game, followed by a slow decline to a loss. The beacon of light was Peter, who managed the game well and reached a creditable draw, as our one success. My own game was frustrating, as I turned down an early attempt at a draw by repetition from my opponent, got a strong and possibly winning position, only to opt inexplicably for a win of a pawn instead of creating two linked passed pawns on the 5th rank. It was won according to Komodo, but it wouldn’t have changed the match result, just given me some personal satisfaction. Not a good start to the new year!
best wishes
Gerry
Gerry Nolan
GFN Consulting Ltd
Phone: 01525 864913 Mobile: 07595 172571
