| Board | Home | Leighton Buzzard A | Bedford B | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (B) | 2230 | B Tukpetov, Evgeny | 1 – 0 | B Taylor, Alex | 1967 |
| 2 (W) | 2110 | B Law, Stephen | ½ – ½ | B Bodily, Richard T | 1952 |
| 3 (B) | 1998 | S Hunt, Peter | ½ – ½ | B Collacott, Nick | 1971 |
| 4 (W) | 1951 | G Tinker, Andy | 0 – 1 | S Walker, Robert S | 1767 |
| 5 (B) | 1881 | G Williamson, Kevin J | ½ – ½ | G McMorran, Richard | 1688 |
| Total | 10170 | 2½ – 2½ | Total | 9345 |
The B Team headed to face the daunting challenge of Leighton Buzzard A, who had won all their games so far this season.
My game against Evgeny was not one to stick long in the memory. I was gradually squeezed, tied up in in knots and then dispatched very clinically! All predictable but a bit dispiriting.
On Board 2 Richard B looked to have a solid position against Stephen from a Sicilian opening. Stephen perhaps had a little bit of an edge, but there was nothing really clear and a draw was agreed.
Richard M had a good battle with Kevin. With kings castled on opposite sides of the board it looked that both sides had attacking chances, and if anything Richard had the better of the game. Again, there was nothing really clear-cut and a draw was agreed.
Ramsey was unavailable, and the ever-youthful Nick stood in on board 3 against Peter. Queens came of the board early in the game and in the endgame Nick had more active pieces and the use of the open file for his rook, but again there was no real advantage. Nick tried his best to create something, but Peter defended and simplified and a draw was agreed.
Rob’s game against Andy was a real struggle. Kings were castled on opposite sides of the board, which gave both sides chances, but it seemed that Andy’s attack was stronger and more likely to succeed. At one point Rob was a piece and a pawn down but crucially had gained control of the f file and Andy’s pieces were uncoordinated. A speculative attack allowed Rob to win back the material plus some extra and he neatly turned the tables for a fantastic win.
The final score was 2.5 -2.5, which is fantastic considering we were giving away 200 rating point on every board except Board 3.
Next up is the final derby of the season against the A Team on 29 February.
Alex Taylor, 21st February 2024