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Match reports

Wolverhampton Division 1 side start season with striking win

Richard Anderson

Richard Anderson

Lichfield's Wolverhampton Division 1 side started their season with a promising 3-1 victory against a strong West Bromwich side with whom they finished joint second in the league last season. West Bromwich out-graded Lichfield on three of the four boards, but were unable to win any of the games in the match on a busy night of league and social chess at The King's Head.

Mircea Mesesan, playing White on Board 2, got Lichfield off to an emphatic start, dominating his game against his 2000+ rated opponent by pressurising with pawn advances on the queenside, then converting his advantage with a keenly spotted tactical blow.

Ben Nevett-Farman, playing Black on Board 1, had the toughest assignment of the evening against a 2100+ rated opponent. Early in the game he was under pressure, but, in typical Ben fashion, showed great resilience, potentially even missing a winning chance once the game had transitioned into the endgame. The game ended in an agreed draw.

The only Lichfield player who out-graded his opponent on the night was Richard Anderson, playing White on Board 4. He built a space advantage, although, in mistakenly allowing piece exchanges, permitted his opponent to free his position for approximate equality. The game became a battle over the open 'c' file, and it was Richard who found a way to dominate the file with a rook. The pressure on his opponent's position was ultimately decisive, as he blundered a key pawn. When the rooks were exchanged, the resulting Knight and Pawn ending was winning, and Richard's King advanced into the heart of his opponent's position, forcing the capture of a second pawn and resignation.

The match result was now decided, but Maurice Staples' tense battle, playing Black on Board 3, rumbled on into a tense ending. Following a complex middlegame in which his opponent exerted strong pressure down an open 'f' file, Maurice misplayed the endgame slightly, but managed to extract two pawns for a minor piece, the game subsiding into an agreed draw. (Match played: 14th September)