Manningtree Chess Club Match Results.

A-Team

B-Team

Divisional Rapidplay

U1800

Tables

Manningtree B 25/05/22 Ipswich C 1 Stephens, Robert W 1773 1 - 0 Riley, Simon 1698 2 McAllister, John WF 1751 0 - 1 Dolewka, Piotr 1546 3 Webber, Simon 1625 1 - 0 Lunn, Ken 1523 4 Sanderson, Adrian 1506 1 - 0 Wilson, Adam 1475 1 Stephens, Robert W 1773 1 - 0 Riley, Simon 1698 2 McAllister, John WF 1751 0 - 1 Dolewka, Piotr 1546 3 Webber, Simon 1625 ½ - ½ Lunn, Ken 1523 4 Sanderson, Adrian 1506 1 - 0 Wilson, Adam 1475       5½ - 2½

We did it, and add a third trophy to the Manningtree haul for this season. This means Manningtree have taken three of the eight trophies available, and considering we didn't enter three of those eight, that's not bad going.   It was a tight fit getting this fixture in before the end of May, but Ipswich managed to round up four of the best available players, even though Ken was sunning himself in the Canaries just two days before. Bob was on top form tonight and in the process gave a fine display of how to win a game with two bishops and a pawn against one bishop and three pawns. John´s form was not so good, although he should have won the first game, going a pawn up, but when faced with the choice of accepting a perpetual check from his opponent, or a risky exchange of queens to escape it, he chose the latter. His Marshall attack in the second game simply went horribly wrong.   Simon had an excellent first game, reaching a good bishop v bad knight ending with a pawn to spare. He carefully advanced his pair of queenside pawns, supported by his king, and there was nothing his opponent could do to stop them. In his second game he blundered a knight, but soldiered on regardless. Facing an unstoppable pawn from queening, he managed to find a perpetual check and salvage half a point, which at the time, sealed the match (without having to rely on board elimination that is).   Adrian was also on top form tonight, comfortably winning his first game, and maintaining a slight edge in the second. However, in a materially equal rook and pawn ending, the second game looked destined for a draw. Perhaps his opponent was trying too hard, but after the exchange of rooks, Adrian gave a good display of how to win a pawn ending, and thus sealed the match with a three point difference.

Saxmundham B 17/05/22 Manningtree B 1 Usher, Michael E 1809 0 - 1 Stephens, Robert W 1773 2 Gaffney, Samuel 1550 0 - 1 McAllister, John WF 1751 3 Brown, Hugo E 1333 0 - 1 Webber, Simon 1625 4 Lawes-Wickwar, Matthew 1300 1 - 0 Sanderson, Adrian 1506 1 Usher, Michael E 1809 0 - 1 Stephens, Robert W 1773 2 Gaffney, Samuel 1550 1 - 0 McAllister, John WF 1751 3 Brown, Hugo E 1333 0 - 1 Webber, Simon 1625 4 Lawes-Wickwar, Matthew 1300 0 - 1 Sanderson, Adrian 1506       2 - 6

We started the evening with a minor hitch as a trespasser on the line outside Manningtree station caused Simon´s train to stand idle while the rest of the team gathered at his home. The team were forced to leave without him and leave fate to decide if Simon would make it on time. Fortunately he was freed shortly after and made it to Saxmundham with two or three minutes to spare.   We were expecting a close match tonight, especially after we nearly slipped up in our last league encounter, and we were without our nominated board one. But after the first round with Bob and Simon on top form, along with John´s luck, we only needed one point from the top three boards in the second round to go through to the final.   As the second round progressed, and with Bob and Simon maintaining their form, it was clear we would get more than just one point. In fact we would have got all three had John not left his queen en-prise, but when Adrian reversed his first round defeat with a convincing win, the team repeated their 3-1 win of the first round.   Coming away with a 6-2 score line was a lot more than we expected, but it puts us in good stead for the final against Ipswich C, who were one of only two teams to beat us in the league this season.

Manningtree B 20/04/22 Felixstowe B 1 Stephens, Robert W 1773 1 - 0 Robertson, David 1426 2 McAllister, John WF 1751 1 - 0 Wright, Trevor 1316 3 Webber, Simon 1625 1 - 0 May, Henry 1299 4 Default 0 - 1 Ross, Bernard 1491 1 Stephens, Robert W 1773 1 - 0 Robertson, David 1426 2 McAllister, John WF 1751 1 - 0 Wright, Trevor 1316 3 Webber, Simon 1625 1 - 0 May, Henry 1299 4 Default 0 - 1 Ross, Bernard 1491       6 - 2

The final score of this match does not reflect the activities over the boards tonight. If truth be told, the final score should have been four-all with Manningtree B scraping through on bottom board elimination.   In the first round John and Simon had comfortable wins, but Bob should have lost. Having lost the exchange, then getting it back, he played a queen sacrifice thinking he had a back rank mate. He´s lucky his opponent thought the same or he would have faced a queen and pawn ending without a queen.   In the second round Simon had another comfortable win, and Bob followed suit without any mishaps this time. John however came out of a Scotch game very much the worse for wear, two pawns down and with nothing to show for it. His opponent however failed to capitalise on it and John was very lucky to reverse the imbalance. This puts us through to the semi-final against Saxmundham B, where we are unlikely to be so lucky.

Felixstowe A 12/04/22 Manningtree A 1 Hopkins, Phil 2207 ½ - ½ Lewis, Andrew P 2249 2 Gemmell, Peter A 2202 1 - 0 Hutchings, Philip J 1900 3 Simons, Conrad 1938 0 - 1 Kerr, Rowland 1833 4 Kirkham, Ed 1634 0 - 1 McAllister, John WF 1751 1 Hopkins, Phil 2207 0 - 1 Lewis, Andrew P 2249 2 Gemmell, Peter A 2202 1 - 0 Hutchings, Philip J 1900 3 Simons, Conrad 1938 1 - 0 Kerr, Rowland 1833 4 Kirkham, Ed 1634 1 - 0 McAllister, John WF 1751       4½ - 3½

We started off reasonably OK, especially after Rowland had wrapped up his game before the rest of us were barely out of the opening. Our luck seemed to be in after John lost a piece in an opening oversight, but his opponent went on to lose the game. And while Andy was held to a draw, and Phil wasn´t, we ended the first round in the lead.   The boards finished in the same order in the second round, but the results took a turn for the worse. Rowland´s opponent was ready for him this time and turned the tables. John had a much better opening, and was looking good for at least half a point if not the win, but he underestimated his opponent's resources and had to surrender the exchange and not long after that he got mated. Phil was again under the cosh and things got very complicated before his position unravelled. Our Cup hopes were now over, but Andy ploughed on in a very tricky ending. With a clear advantage on the board, although not the clock, he turned down a draw offer and eventually secured a second queen. With just a single queen, his opponent was close to a perpetual, and offered another draw, but Andy manoeuvred his king across the board where the checks ran out.   Being out of the Cup is a bit of a shame, but it does mean we can now concentrate on the League (as they say in football circles).