Category: Match report

Cumnor 2 v Cowley 4 [Match Report]

Cumnor 2’s final game of the season took place on Thursday night, when we welcomed Cowley 4 to the Old School. Cowley 4 were sitting top of the table and needed a win to guaranty the title and promotion to the third division.

Susana lost her game on the bottom board while Ross who was playing his first game for the team had a close game but also lost. David got a deserving draw against a Sara who is 30 grading points higher than himself.

Marc had a good position in his game but couldn’t make use of it and made an error in the endgame. Steve tried to get a draw but couldn’t and eventually lost. Mark had an interesting game but had to settle for a draw.

Cumnor 2 fought gallantly but Cowley 4 got the win they needed.

Cumnor 2 v Cowley 4

Congratulations to Cowley 4! After the match we invited the Cowley players down to the Bear and Ragged Staff for a celebratory drink which was enjoyed by both sets of players.

Cowley 3 v Cumnor 1 [Match Report]

Cowley Chess ClubCumnor 1 played the last match of the season on Monday, away to Cowley 3. Both teams were comfortably mid-table of Division Two, with only third place up for grabs for the winners. But the match was still a competitive contest on all six boards.

The first to finish was Steve who got a draw on the bottom board. Steve has gained quite a reputation in the club for drawing – maybe we should implement the FIDE “no more draws” rule which was announced on April 1st? :)

In my game, I had a poor position coming out of the opening which I never really recovered from and eventually lost the game.

Mark looked to be doing well on board 4. Going into the endgame he had three extra pawns – but Queen and Pawn endgames are notoriously difficult to win, and he had to draw out.

Andrew meanwhile had a challenging game against Oscar – a draw was offered by Andrew but rejected by Oscar, and Oscar eventually went on to win.

Simon played a junior on the top board called Arvin Hu. I knew Arvin was going to be a hard player to beat as he slipped his strawberry milk.

Impressively, Arvin managed to win against Simon, which shows he could have a great future ahead of him (Arvin that is, not Simon) and I don’t think anyone will fancy playing him in the coming years.

Graham had a game which he was winning right up until he entered the endgame. A time scramble commenced and Graham’s position started to look a little shaky.

Cluley vs Stanley

Graham takes up the commentary:

“A little shaky? It was downright precarious. Black had two very advanced pawns which I really should have nobbled when I had the chance earlier in the game, but I was distracted by my own plans. Despite winning Black’s Queen I failed to halt the promotion of one of the pawns, and before I knew it… I was on the ropes, with only seconds remaining on the clock.”

“By now I had no time to find good moves. I was just looking for legal moves.”

“Black was seconds away from mating me – with no chance of me rescuing things. But it was obviously my lucky day. Black’s clock ran out, with mine only having 20 seconds remaining…”

“It felt a little grubby and embarrassing to claim a victory in such a situation, but hey…”

“I dedicate my game to Simon Terrington, who cajoled me into playing d4 for the first time ever in a competitive game.”

All those hours at the Bear and Ragged Staff playing Blitz must be paying off.

Cowley 3 v Cumnor 1

In the end we lost 4-2 which means Cowley 3 take third and we finish in forth. However, everything being considered we have had a good season and I will do a little write up once all the leagues have finished.

Check out the final table here.

Cumnor 1 v Didcot 2 [Match Report]

With the only two games left a few things in division two of the Oxfordshire Chess League needs to be finalized.

TrophyBicester 1 are heading back into division 1 after a two year absence, with Cumnor 1 being the only team to win against them this season. At the bottom, Didcot 2 look like they are heading for the drop but they would stay up if they win their last two remaining games. One game against Cumnor 1 and a relegation decider against City 2.

But before we get too ahead of ourselves Didcot 2 needed to beat us to have any chance heading into the City 2 game. The return fixture earlier in the season saw Didcot 2 win against Cumnor 1 but Didcot would need a monumental effort to get the wins they need to reach safety.

Daniel’s game was interesting for two reasons, the first being it only lasted 13 moves and less than 30 minutes, while most of us have barely sat down Daniel was getting up with a victory. This isn’t too unusual, Daniel is known to play quickly and is often the first to finish but I think this could be a new record! Secondly, the win takes his percentage score to 93.75% (with 7 wins and a draw from his 8 games) which is not only the highest in the club but the highest in the league! The Bernard C Wyatt Memorial trophy is awarded to the player who scores the highest percentage in the league who has played more than half the games and it looks like it has Daniels name on it this season.

Gareth was the next to finish, with a victory on board 4. I was playing on board one against Roger Thetford, our game was close, I did have some play against his Kingside and a past pawn however Roger closed it off and I had to accept a draw.

Andrew had an exciting game with many tactics yet had to settle for a draw. This meant Didcot’s faint hopes on staying up where ended. Mark picked up a win on board 6 and Zoe completed the rout with a clinical triumph in a Rook endgame.

Cumnor 1 v Didcot 2

The result means Cumnor 1 have reached 13 points which is a record for us in the second division and we still have a game in hand which is away to Cowley on Monday. Cumnor 1 will finish 3rd in the table (again a record) unless Cowley beat us 4-2 or better on Monday evening.

Check out the table here.

Cumnor 2 v Witney 5 and City 4 (Abingdon Sch)

Junior Chess is well supported in Oxfordshire. Clubs with a strong Junior section include Cowley, Witney and ourselves along with the two School teams, Magdalen College School and Abingdon School.

Whenever we have a match in Division Four between Cowley or Witney, we give the juniors a chance to pit themselves against each other.

Thursday night presented one of these opportunities when we welcomed Witney 5 to Cumnor. The teams contained nine juniors out of the 12 players.

It was an unsuccessful evening for the Cumnor team, however it was a closer match than the 0.5-5.5 scoreline suggested.

Cumnor 2 v Witney 5

Monday evening saw Cumnor 2 head to Abingdon School who are currently in pole position at the top of the table. Cumnor 2 suffered a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Abingdon Boys, with Mark’s win on Board 1 the sole highlight of an otherwise disappointing evening.

Cumnor 2 v City 4

Old-Abingdonian Richard was particularly disappointed with his loss playing for Cumnor on board six. Not only was he playing Black for the 12th (!) match in a row, but he also found himself taken down an unfamiliar variation of the Alekhine defence which saw him sent to an early bath.

Cumnor 2 play their final game of the season at home to Cowley 4 in April – a game that the boys from Abingdon would probably like us to win, as it will help them make the jump to Division 3.

Wantage 1 v Cumnor 1 [Match Report]

Wantage is a market town in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about 8 miles south-west of Abingdon, a similar distance west of Didcot and 14 miles south-west of Oxford. It is notable as the birthplace of King Alfred the Great in 849 and for having a pretty good Chess Club.

Happy St. Patrick's Day
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
Cumnor 1 had the honor of heading over to Wantage on Tuesday evening (St. Patrick’s Day) for a match. Earlier in the season Cumnor won the reverse fixture, in a match which will be talked about for many years to come, the match report can be found here. This time would the luck of the Irish rub off on us or would we be left looking for answers at the bottom of a pint of Guinness?

Before I start, special thanks go out to David, Steve and Richard who came into the team after a couple of our regulars couldn’t make it, as well as Andrew and Mark who moved up the boards.

Steve was the first to finish on the night, a very early draw which was accomplished by forcing Nicolas in to repeating moves or losing. Mark won his game on board 3, with a lovely tactic which won a Knight and swapped off the remaining pieces into a clearly won endgame but Stephen resigned before it got to that point.

White has just played 42.Nxe7 there is no way Black can take either Knight safely, so Black will be at least a piece down
White has just played 42.Nxe7 there is no way Black can take either Knight safely, Black will also lose the d6 pawn
Andrew lost his game on board 2 leaving the match tried after 3 games 1.5 each. My game was the next to finish, which I won. We had reached an equal-ish position as the Rooks came off but I managed to activate my Knights. The position (right) shows the problematic situation Peter was in. David had a decent game but the rating difference took it’s toll and David lost. He did point out that if he had played that game for Cumnor 2 he would have won on time as they only play 75 minutes instead of the 90 played in division 2.

Well, not for the first time this season Richard was the last to finish and the result of the match was going to be decide on this game. Richard had reached a great position but didn’t have much time left. However, with a little work Richard finished George off and got the win for Cumnor. What makes this such an impressive result is that George is 36 Grading points higher than Richard. In fact Cumnor was out-graded (or equal too) on every board!

Wantage 1 v Cumnor 1

It was an remarkable result especially as we where down a number of first team regulars.

Cumnor 2 v Cowley 5 and Wantage 2 v Cumnor 2 [Match report]

It has been a tough week for Cumnor 2’s chess team as they took on both Cowley 5 and Wantage 2 in the space of five days.

Match night Cumnor 2 vs Cowley 5

They took on Cowley 5 last Thursday, it was a close game however Cowley 5 ran out 4-2 winners.

Cumnor 2 vs Cowley 5

Congratulations to Richard and Alan who both won their games. It was Alan’s first win for the team, but it was Richard’s game on board 1 that we can take a look at below.

Another closely fought match was played the following Tuesday at Wantage vs their 2nd team. Richard won his second game along with Steve, and Robert picked up half a point on board 5 against Ray Cordon.

Nevertheless, Wantage won on the other three boards and won the match 3.5-2.5.

Wantage 2 v Cumnor 2

Cumnor 1 v Oxford City 2 [Match Report]

Three weeks ago Cumnor 1 took on Oxford City 1 in the Frank Wood Shield; sadly we couldn’t perform the same heroics of our first round tie against Witney 1 and bowed out at the second round.

The game was a close match and it left a bitter taste in the mouth.

However, we had the chance for revenge on Thursday as Oxford City 2 came to Cumnor in the league. Again the match was close, but Cumnor had just enough to cross the line and won the match 3.5-2.5.

Cumnor 1 v City 2

Simon was the first to finish with a draw on the top board and Daniel continued his great run of form on the league with another win board two. Daniel now has 6.5 points from 7 games, a current league best of 92.86% (not counting players who have played two games or less). Down on board 5, Andrew lost his game to Simon King the result levelled the scores with 1.5 points each.

Liam's endgame - Two Rooks each, should be a draw?
Liam’s endgame – Two Rooks each, should be a draw?
Gareth won his game against Malcolm, the game was a little crazy and Gareth did well to steer it into a winning endgame. Mark had a tough match on board 6 but got the draw in an interesting position, 2 Knights v Bishop and Rook.

With at least a draw in the bag, Cumnor had 3 points to City’s 2, I had to only draw to get the win for the team. It took a little work, Rook and Pawn endgames are notoriously draw-ish but John had the more active pieces and an extra pawn. I had to battle hard to create some counter play while not getting mated. But with only a few minutes left on the clocks a draw was offered by John and (quickly) accepted by myself.

The match finished 3.5-2.5 and pushed us back in to the mid table. We have only 3 games left and while not fighting at either end of the table we look to pick up some more points starting with a visit to Wantage on St. Patrick’s day.

Cumnor 1 v Oxford City 1 FWS [Match Report]

The draw for the 2014/15 Frank Wood Shield (FWS) was not particularly kind for Cumnor 1. Our first game was against Witney 1, currently the Champions of the Oxfordshire Leagues and winners of the Sheild twice in the last 3 years. However, we took them on and won! Well, technically it was a draw but the FWS is a handicap competition and we only needed to “lose” 2.5-3.5 to get into the next round. It was a spectacular result and for the match report please click here.

Simon. Zoe and Liam playing on the top three boards while Daniel and Mark look on.
Simon. Zoe and Liam playing on the top three boards while Daniel and Mark look on.
At least it couldn’t get any harder we said, how wrong we could be. The next round was against Oxford City 1, they are second in the top division with an arguably stronger set of players than Witney 1 to call from! The best analogy I have, is getting Chelsea in the first round of the FA cup beating them only to be “rewarded” in the next round by playing Manchester City and sadly we don’t get the TV money.

Nevertheless the team was in a confident mood for the match which took place at Cumnor on Thursday evening. Again like the first round, we only needed to “lose” 2.5-3.5 to get through or another way of putting it was we only need a draw and 2 wins out of the 6 boards (or better).

The first game to finish was Daniel’s game. An early kingside attack by Sean Terry put Daniel’s King under some pressure and he had to resign. Gareth went an exchange down but his Knight was well placed when entering the endgame meaning Philip Hayward did not have enough to win and the draw was agreed. Phillip even said he thought Gareth was better!

Mark pulled off the first shock of the night as he set up astonishing Queen sac which Lief Dixon missed. Mark never got to sac the Queen as Leif resigned once he spotted it. The pressure was all of a sudden on Cumnor, 1 more point from the remaining 3 games would take us over the finish line and into the next round.

Could you win this position with only 24 seconds left?
Could you win this position with only 24 seconds left?
My (Liams) opponent spent a large chunk of his time in the early midgame, the result was by move 25, with much more of the game remaining than had past and just as Marks game finished, Christian only had 5 minutes left while I had 45 minutes. The seconds lapsed by and I had to decide whether I could play well enough to make him slip up in time trouble or keep him at bay until his clock fell. As the seconds ticked by he opened the game, promoted his Pawns into Queens and checkmated me with only 7 seconds left. It was something like out of a James Bond film!

I will be honest I was concentrating on my game so much I did not see much of Simon’s and Zoe’s but both made their opponents work exceptionally hard so beat them.

CCC1 v City 1

The tie finished 1.5-4.5, a commendable result against such a strong team but sadly not enough to get us into the next round. Congratulations to City 1 as they are head into the next round with a game against Cowley 2 and I would not be surprised if the Sheild has City 1’s name on it come May.

As Simon summed it up best “Ahh well, that’s what makes sport great – there is no script. An interesting night and I learned a lot.”

A thanks goes to Sean Terry who took the pictures.

Cumnor 2 v St Claires [Match Report]

Cumnor 2 took on the Studious Scholars from St Claire’s College on Thursday evening. It finished with a 3-3 draw, the result was a knock for Cumnor 2’s promotion push and it shows how far St Claire’s have come in their short time in the Oxfordshire League.

It is interesting that White won on all 6 boards!

St Claires

MCS/B1 v Cumnor 1 [Match Report]

“Tick Tock goes the clock and what now shall we play?”

I think this nursery rhyme sums up last Wednesday’s game vs Magdalen College School.

But let’s start at the beginning of the evening, MCS/B1 had a very strong team. I am guessing they had seen our recent results against Witney 1 and Bicester 1. As normal, I order this on how we finished but 2 hours 35 minutes into a 3 hour game, no one had finished.

I was the first to finish after 2 hours and 38 minutes played. I got a little lucky, I was a pawn down and had to lose a second just to try and get some counter play. Nigel looked like he played a smart move, pinning my Knight but he did not look far enough ahead and I won his Knight.

Gareth was down a pawn for most the game but ended up holding the position in the endgame. Gareth got it down to Bishops and a wrong rook pawn, click here for explanation.

Zoe was on top board after her rapid grade rise, the position was too complicated for me to analyse and Zoe did lose. Richard played very well against John who is 60 grading points above him. However, John had more active pieces against Richard’s King and delivered a checkmate.

I did not see much of Daniel’s game as I was notating Andrews game, as he was down to less than 5 minutes. But in the endgame Daniel got a pawn promoted and had many threats against Robin’s King which was more than enough to win.

With the match level at 2.5-2.5 it all went down to the last game. Andrew made a great effort to get to the match and both players had only minutes left while still in the midgame. A time scramble ensured but Andrew’s clock ran out of time first. The final score was 2.5-3.5, a close match but a loss for Cumnor.

“Tick Tock goes the clock and Cumnor lost this one”

MCS/B1 v Cumnor 1