Division 3n, Weekend 5, Wychwood Park, Crewe, 30 Apr-2 May 2016 by Andy Mort

 

 
 
 
   

Writing informed reports on two matches has been more difficult this year, especially when, as this weekend, the teams have been playing in separate rooms. Consequently, this final report is of a more general nature – helpfully, perhaps, as it might draw a veil over an undistinguished weekend chess-wise. Socially, the weekend has been as enjoyable as ever, both at the venue, where we have forged strong social links over the years with players from Bradford, Cheddleton and Jorvik in particular, and in the chosen restaurants, of which more later.

 

Achieving Division 1 status for our A Team, however, may have induced a euphoria which has led to an Icarus-like outcome. We seem to have used more different players in our squad than has any other team, the result of which is that, whilst the B Team has consistently fielded 6 players strong enough to hold its own, the C Team line-up has often not been finalised until a few days before the weekend, and there has been little continuity.

 

The B Team will be disappointed by its final position in the Promotion table, the result of too many drawn matches and narrow losses. In this final weekend, the defeat of Broadland, based on a strong performance on the bottom boards, gave us a promising start. We were not disgraced by a narrow defeat to 3Cs on the Sunday in a match in which 5 games were drawn, the key game being the last to finish, that of David Phillips. David battled for nearly 6 hours (eat your heart out, Mike Johnson) to convert a won ending and level the match, only to have his last pawn needlessly eliminated in a momentary lapse in concentration.

 

 

B & C (Rounds 9-11, 30 Apr-2 May)

 

On Monday, we were simply ‘battered’ by Cheddleton, a 5-1 loss being easily the heaviest of the season. Tom was very much the pick of our generally off-form players, scoring 2/3 by playing energetically and achieving active positions as he has done all season.

 

 
   

The C Team lost all 3 matches, to Bradford B and C and Manx Ravens, the pattern of game results being typical of the season: we could not hold the top boards or generate enough wins lower down the order – though John came close to winning on Board 1 with a bold and convincing-looking piece sacrifice in the last round. We won on just two boards all weekend, and only Keith will be satisfied by his return of 2/3. Having said that our lowly position in the table was disappointing, with hindsight our original seeding ultimately proved pretty accurate.

 

An army marches on its stomach, they say, and no-one could criticise our determination to seek alimentary fuel. On Saturday we returned to The Hand and Trumpet, a real gastronomic ‘find’, with excellent real ale, wine, food and service; a pity that Crewe will not feature as a venue next year. Saturday was more disappointing, the curry house we had chosen living up to its reputation for slow service more accurately than its reputation for good food, which was generally judged to be average. Graham, newly press-ganged, made a welcome addition to the group, and the ‘craic’ was, as ever, enjoyed by all, though I may be biased, as I was fortunate enough to be seated at one end of the table, the optimum distance from some Bacardi-fuelled verbal hooliganism from our resident Crewe representative, rashly let out without driving responsibilities by his wife.

 

Our thanks are due to those volunteer drivers who during the season have provided the flexibility necessary to enable eating arrangements to run smoothly, especially John. A general policy re-think for next season may now be in order, particularly if there is an impact on personnel following our brave A Team’s narrow relegation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreground: Bd1 Rokas Valantinas v Paul Wallace and Bd2 David Roberston v Alex Richardson

Photo by Lara Barnes | More here

 

 

Final Division 3nc Table

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 GP Pts
1 Alba   2-4 3½-2 4½-1½ 5-1 4½-1½ 4-2 4½-1½ 28 12
2 Bradford DCA Knights A 4-2   4-2 4½-1½ 4-2 3-3 3-3 4½-1½ 27 12
3 Cheddleton 2 2-3½ 2-4   4-2 3-3 5-1 2½-3½ 4-2 22½ 7
4 Manchester Manticores 1 1½-4½ 1½-4½ 2-4   3-3 3½-2½ 4-2 4½-1½ 20 7
5 Broadland Bitterns 1-5 2-4 3-3 3-3   2½-3½ 4-2 3½-2½ 19 6
6 Spirit of Atticus B 1½-4½ 3-3 1-5 2½-3½ 3½-2½   2½-3½ 4½-1½ 18½ 5
7 3Cs 2 2-4 3-3 3½-2½ 2-4 2-4 3½-2½   2½-3½ 18½ 5
8 Manchester Manticores 2 1½-4½ 1½-4½ 2-4 1½-4½ 2½-3½ 1½-4½ 3½-2½   14 2
 

     

 

Final Division 3nd Table

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 GP Pts
1 Bradford DCA Knights B   4½-1½ 6-0 4-2 4-2 3-3 4½-1½ 4-2 30 13
2 Manchester Manticores 3 1½-4½   3½-2½ 3-3 2-4 3½-2½ 3½-1½ 4½-1½ 21½ 9
3 Manx Ravens 0-6 2½-3½   4-2 3½-2½ 2-4 3½-2½ 3½-2½ 19 8
4 Bradford DCA Knights C 2-4 3-3 2-4   2-3½ 4-2 3½-2½ 5-1 21½ 7
5 Holmes Chapel 2-4 4-2 2½-3½ 3½-2   2-4 3-3 4½-1½ 21½ 7
6 Jorvik 3-3 2½-3½ 4-2 2-4 4-2   3-3 2½-2½ 21 7
7 Spirit of Atticus C 1½-4½ 1½-3½ 2½-3½ 2½-3½ 3-3 3-3   6--1 20 4
8 Cheddleton 3 2-4 1½-4½ 2½-3½ 1-5 1½-4½ 2½-2½ -1-6   10 1
 

     

 

Team B | Rd9 results | Rd10 results | Rd11 results | All Division 3n games in PGN |

Team C

| Rd9 results | Rd10 results | Rd11 results |

© 4NCL | Steve Connor

 


© 4NCL

Four Nations Chess League

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