"Magnus Connor" wins again, but Lichfield still lose

Cannock & District League Division 4

Lichfield got off to a fantastic start against Norton Canes in their Cannock Division 4 away fixture, but then succumbed to a disappointing 3-1 defeat.

First to finish was Connor Whetnall, whose stellar season just keeps getting better and better. Faced with the tricky challenge of playing Mike Hoare on Board 1, Connor, playing White, launched a dangerous attack on the kingside. When Mike didn't spot the best defensive ideas, he was quickly swept aside as Connor's attack crashed through to snare the Black King. His win made it 12 league wins for Connor this season so far; any jeopardy in the League Ladder is fading quickly as it turns into a procession.

Unfortunately, all three of the other games went the wrong way for Lichfield. Stuart Andrews, playing White on Board 3, blundered a Rook and was forced to resign. On Board 4, young Matvii Sudenko made his league debut for Lichfield. Since first attending the club this summer, 10-year-old Matvii has greatly impressed members with both his tactical acumen and strong ambition to improve. In his debut game, Matvii was defeated as Black, but it was a valuable learning experience; congratulations to him for stepping up to playing league chess so quickly.

In the last game of the night, captain Maurizio Baravalle, also playing Black on Board 2, lost a pawn. His opponent engineered piece exchanges to head towards an endgame. When further pawns were also captured the game slipped beyond hope.

As Maurizio commented, it was a "sad night for everyone except Magnus Connor". Lichfield now sit in mid-table in Division 4, with a record of one win, one draw and one defeat in their matches so far.

(Match played: 27th October)