Caissa Smiles Again as Derby A Scramble to Victory
Bluffs and blunders were aplenty as the chess gods once again gave the A team (and myself especially) a huge slice of Lady Luck, taking us to the top of the table with a third Methodist Church home win in as many games.
The night started impressively when Kevin blitzed out 3.Nf3 by accident against the Caro–Kann, leaving his e4 pawn hanging in the process. His opponent, perhaps dazzled by the move speed and technology on display, must have assumed it was some sort of mystical gambit—and didn’t take the gift. Play continued with his opponent enjoying good play and thematic ideas in a reversed Queen’s Gambit Declined. Members, keep Steve R busy by asking him for a detailed breakdown of common plans in this structure. ;-) Kevin kept things solid and, once he was able to rid himself of a backward pawn on c3, a draw was agreed.
Dave, meanwhile, missed a chance to claim a big advantage out of the opening but held firm in response to a kingside pawn storm—exactly what you’d love as a London System player, right?! An exchange sacrifice from his rival spiced things up, but with time trouble on his radar, he offered a draw.
George, having gained a solid position, had been swatting away draw offers like flies—but then came his moment of “genius” (Georgenius…?!). Seeing the events on board one, he decided to make a move and offer the draw his opponent had been clamouring for. One problem: the move was a colossal blunder. Enter divine intervention: first, his opponent didn’t check his own game and assess; second, he saw (or maybe didn’t realise) his teammate was a piece down on top board, yet still accepted the draw.
So, once again, that left me with the closing finale, helped enormously by the squeaky match-room door that appeared to reach usage and decibel levels akin to East Midlands Airport.
Comfortable out of the opening, my opponent blundered but, correctly, winning the piece left me with a slightly exposed king. The engine laughs—but my opponent kept asking questions and began to mount his major pieces closer to my king. Eventually I unravelled and then, with both of us very low on time, I reached a position where I saw a winning (but not optimal) combination. I saw ghosts, however, and reverted to a “safe move.” Logical—if your safe move doesn’t leave a knight available to be captured for free. But with a turnaround win gifted on a plate, my opponent didn’t spot the blunder and, down to seconds, resigned despite being in an objectively winning position.
So yeah… never in doubt (!). All we have to do now is beat two of the league’s strongest teams on paper, away from home. Easy.
John Tompson 19/11/25
| Derby A | 2½ - 1½ | Rolls Royce A | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tompson, John C | 2084 | 1 - 0 | Stevens, Andrew | 1977 |
| 2 | Dalley, Kevin J | 1847 | ½ - ½ | Blumenow, Daniel | 1844 |
| 3 | Burdell, George | 1805 | ½ - ½ | Nath, Ranjit | 1744 |
| 4 | Williams, David | 1842 | ½ - ½ | Hill, Maurice J | 1684 |
Full games are available here:
https://lichess.org/broadcast/derbyshire-division-1-derby-a-v-rolls-royce-a/match/UrNRjf88