Lichfield 'B' edged out by Tamworth at The King's Head

Cannock & District League Division 3

Lichfield's 'B' side in Cannock Division 3 were defeated 3-1 by Tamworth in their match at The King's Head on Monday.

The first game to finish was on Board 3, where Ben Adams as Black had a fairly solid position with chances to break open White's position, but in the midst of exchanges he missed a tempo with the knight, allowing his opponent to win a piece for some pawns. His opponent then broke the position wide open and tried to steer toward an easy-to-convert endgame. Ben eventually resigned.

Next was Board 4, where Isaac Adams had a solid position and directed his pawn structure toward a queenside attack. His opponent quickly met this by diverting all his pieces to the queenside to stop the initiative. Isaac used a fork and slowly pressed his edge to win the game.

Third to finish was David Fone on Board 2, who misplaced the match in his calendar and arrived with 47 minutes left on his clock! This did not stop David, as he pushed for an aggressive game. The opposite castle proved that both sides were racing for an edge. David seemed to have the initiative, but his opponent's skilful defence allowed him to build an attack of his own slowly. Time, along with the new initiative, proved decisive, as David Fone resigned in a position overrun by his opponent's pieces.

Last to finish was Mick Horrigan on Board 1, who did not let his opponent's offbeat moves get to him, playing a solid and stable system. At first, it looked as though a central knight blockade blunted White's edge. However, an oversight allowed his opponent to create some play and forced Mick to defend. His tenuous position proved too difficult to solve as Mick ran out of time, to give Tamworth the match win.

Lichfield 'B' find themselves at the bottom of the league table in the early part of the season, but with plenty of opportunities for improvement lying ahead. (Match played: 12th October).