Longbridge Chess Club continued their Division Four campaign with a hard-fought 3–2 victory away against South Birmingham 4A, with wins for Robert Davies and David Cleak helping secure the match.
Longbridge 4 travelled to face South Birmingham 4A on Thursday evening in another Birmingham & District Chess League Division Four fixture.
With both teams fielding competitive line-ups, the match proved to be a closely fought affair, eventually going Longbridge’s way by 3–2.
A Strong Start for Longbridge
Longbridge made the perfect start on the top board, with Robert Davies producing an impressive performance against Alan T Woollaston.
Rob eventually found himself a piece up and with a powerful attacking position, allowing him to take control of the game. The attack became too much for his opponent to withstand and Rob secured an important win for Longbridge.
Robs ability during this game was so impressive, Matt Clarke, who was spectating the game gasped in amazement when he saw the dominant position the star player Rob had secured. All players in the club briefly stopped their games to witness the epicness of Rob’s superior abilities! Everyone clapped, and one lady in the corner of the room even fainted!
Peter Lawrence also contributed a valuable half point on Board 2, drawing with Luke Lambert.
More Points on the Lower Boards
On Board 3, Tom Sherwood was also playing very well and reached a winning position against Sean Doherty. However, with the clock becoming a concern, Tom had to make a practical decision.
Rather than risk throwing away a winning position by running out of time, Tom offered a draw. His opponent accepted, giving Longbridge another half point and keeping the team in a strong position.
Meanwhile, David Cleak produced another important win for Longbridge on Board 5, defeating Javinu Ranasinghe. With the match being decided by such a narrow margin, David’s full point proved crucial to the final result.
There was one unfortunate loss on Board 4, where Arnold Kirkland was unable to overcome Paul Heeney, giving South Birmingham their only win of the evening.
Longbridge Take the Match 3-2
With the results added together, Longbridge came away with a 3-2 victory.
The match was a good example of the importance of every board in team chess. Rob’s attacking win and David’s victory provided the two full points, while the draws from Tom and Peter supplied the extra point needed to secure the match.
Tom’s decision to take the draw was also a good example of the practical decisions players sometimes have to make in team chess. Having reached a winning position but facing serious time pressure, securing the half point rather than risking a loss on time helped Longbridge maintain control of the match.
Final score: South Birmingham 2–3 Longbridge
Another useful result for Longbridge as the Division Four campaign continues.