Burton & Lichfield 'B' outplay Clay Cross for first win of Division 1 season

Derbyshire Chess Association League Division 1

While Burton & Lichfield 'B' have greatly enjoyed taking on the strength of the likes of Belper 'A', Rolls Royce 'A' and Breadsall over recent weeks in Derby Division 1, their match on Monday against Clay Cross 'A' was their first realistic opportunity to secure a match win. They seized their chance with a comfortable 3-1 win.

After an "uneventful" draw for John Hoddy as White on Board 2, B&L 'B' took the lead when new recruit Simon Gibson, also White on Board 4, swept aside his opponent to win. In countering one threat, Simon's opponent, Kieran Redhead, fell victim to another when his Knight and Bishop were forked by a pawn advance. Simon forced an exchange of Queens to reinforce his material advantage, and despite some later complications, developed a mating attack to win.

It was Anushka Ramawickramam, Black on Board 3, who secured the match win by defeating Paul Williams. Facing The English Opening, Anushka built a positional advantage with a knight outpost on g4, and his better strategic understanding paid off, with his opponent ultimately forced to resign.

With the match won for Burton & Lichfield, the tight Board 1 battle between Vinod Fernando and Tony Natt was also agreed drawn, allowing Clay Cross to begin their long journey home, and B&L 'B' to quietly celebrate their first points of the season.

(Match played: 9th November)