It's tough at the top: Derby Division 1 'B' Team soundly beaten by Rolls Royce

Derbyshire Chess Association Division 1

Newly-promoted Burton & Lichfield 'B' were well beaten 3.5 - 0.5 when they travelled to Rolls Royce in Derby for their second fixture of the season. Last season it was Rolls Royce who faced the struggle of supporting two teams in the top division, and they took the decision to divide their playing strength between their 'A' and 'B' sides. Following the relegation of Rolls Royce 'B', they can now combine the strongest players from those teams into a single 'A' team, giving them a side with four players at or above 1900 strength. The Burton & Lichfield team of Vinod Fernando, John Hoddy, Anushka Ramawickrama and Phil Goater thus faced a tough challenge, and the match ultimately went as ratings would predict.

John, playing Black on Board 2 against Andrew Stevens, reflected after the game that both he and his opponent had mis-calculated the consequences of a White knight sacrifice in a losing effort. Anushka, playing White vs. Alex Diug on Board 3, played an early gambit line, but found that his knowledge of the follow-ups wasn't up to scratch, and made a serious mistake to lose convincingly. Phil, stepping in as a last-minute substitute for his first taste of Division 1 chess, fought hard in his game against the experienced Daniel Blumenow, but was also defeated.

The only bright spot for Burton & Lichfield was on Board 1, where Vinod Fernando, playing White, and his opponent, the talented junior Frank Richmond, played out a high-quality, long and complex game which concluded in a drawn ending with B, B and N vs. R and B.

It's all great chess experience for the Burton & Lichfield players, but doesn't get any easier for them now ... their next match is against last year's league champions, Belper 'A'. (Match played: 17th September)