Longbridge Chess Club faced a very tough challenge on Wednesday evening as they travelled to take on Central Birmingham in Division One.
The final score was 6–0 to Central Birmingham, but the result doesn’t tell the whole story. Longbridge went into the match significantly out-rated on every board, with Central Birmingham fielding an exceptionally strong line-up.
The difference was particularly noticeable at the top of the order. Central Birmingham’s first four boards were all rated above 2000, while none of the Longbridge players reached that mark. Across the six boards, Central Birmingham had a combined rating of 12,110, compared with 11,101 for Longbridge.
A Huge Challenge
On Board 1, Peter Kitson rated 1997 faced Tom Junde He, rated 2271. This was a rating gap over over 250! Meanwhile Gavin Cartwright (1930) took on Matthew Harborne (2103), on Board 2. A rating gap of over 150!
Carmelo Tirado Simarro faced Jason Garcia on Board 3, with Stephen Woodhouse taking on Pranav Mathur on Board 4. On the lower boards, Marvin Wallace and Phil Maddocks also faced opponents with higher ratings.
It was therefore always going to be an uphill battle for Longbridge, with Central Birmingham able to put six very strong players on the boards.
Despite the rating differences, the Longbridge team turned up ready to compete and give their opponents a game. Unfortunately, on this occasion, Central Birmingham proved too strong and eventually took all six points.
One to Put Behind Us
There is no shame in losing to a team packed with 2000+ rated players, particularly when Longbridge were out-rated on every single board.
The result moves on quickly, and the focus will now be on the next Division One fixture. Longbridge have already shown throughout the season that they can compete strongly across a number of competitions, and there will be plenty more opportunities to put points on the board.
Final Score: Central Birmingham 6–0 Longbridge
Sometimes chess gives you a night where everything seems to go against you. This was one of those nights. But against opposition of this strength, it was always going to be a huge test.
Well played to Central Birmingham, and onwards for Longbridge!