Burton & Lichfield 'A' bounce back from 'toilet break blunder' for narrow Derby 'B' win

Derbyshire Chess Association League Division 1

Burton & Lichfield 'A' bounced back from a 'toilet break blunder' to beat Derby 'B' 2.5 - 1.5 at The Guildhall in Derby Division 1. Derby are a tough, resilient side made up of experienced players who all sit in the 1800 - 1900 grading range. Our team knew we were in for a fight, and so it proved.

First to finish was Adam Routledge, playing White on Board 4 against capable Derby stand-in Dave Williams. Dave opted for his usual Black repertoire of an early g6 for a Modern Opening set-up, and Adam over-extended slightly, leaving holes in a complex middlegame position. All four Bishops were exchanged, and Dave's knights probed for weaknesses, while he switched his rooks to an open file on the queenside. At a key moment, Dave went for a bathroom break ... and Adam blundered, leaving a Rook en prise. He pressed his clock, realised immediately what he had done, and then had to wait sadly for Dave to return. The Rook was captured, and Adam resigned.

With Burton & Lichfield now on the back foot, Mircea Mesesan, playing White on Board 2, pressed forward looking to capitalise on an opening position in which Kevin Dalley's pieces were struggling to develop. Mircea had pressure against Black's pawns on the queenside, but Kevin did well to find ways to extricate himself, and the game transitioned into an opposite coloured bishop ending where Mircea's advantages were no longer meaningful. A draw was agreed.

Fortunately, Ben Nevett-Farman's position as Black on Board 1 against Skott May looked excellent from early in the game. Skott mistakenly moved his knight to the edge of the board to try and hold onto a gambit pawn, and was punished by Ben rapidly developing his pieces to give an overwhelming advantage. Skott fought on - he is a talented player who had the better of a draw with Turan last season - but Ben eventually broke through to win material and force an inevitable checkmate.

The match now tied, the result depended on Richard Anderson's game as Black on Board 3 against Justin Smith. The game evolved into an imbalanced late middlegame in which Black had more piece activity, but White had pressure against an isolated 'g' pawn. Richard, correctly, decided to abandon the pawn and chose instead to activate a Rook to the seventh rank to attack the White 'e' pawn. When Justin played the natural response, defending the pawn with his King, Richard pressed forward with his 'e' and 'f' pawns, deflecting the White King into the centre of the board. A key moment followed, where Richard had the opportunity to level the material, but the resulting position looked drawish. Instead, he took advantage of the passive position of one White Rook to harass the White King with Rook checks, driving it across the board. With the White King, other Rook, and Knight awkwardly placed, a series of checks and pin threats eventually led to the White position collapsing. The White Knight was lost, and Justin resigned, confirming a 2.5 - 1.5 win for Burton & Lichfield.

Burton & Lichfield 'A' face the very strong Derby 'A' in their next match on 24th November.

(Match played: 5th November)