Checkmate Seals a Draw for Derby D
We were visited by Rolls Royce E on Tuesday for what proved to be a well-balanced and competitive match that ended in a 2–2 draw.
Their captain, Oliver Cureton, had mentioned to me on the way to a county match on Saturday that he would be playing on board 1, so we were surprised when Mike Boreham instead appeared on top board for Rolls Royce.
Board 4 – Chris Cole (1519, White) vs. Kirill Prokofjevs (1152)
Chris made a confident start and built up early pressure. However, a poor move choice followed by a blunder turned the game around, and Kirill took full advantage. Afterward, Chris reflected wryly: “The story of my chess career! At least it was only a minor piece. I am learning.”
Board 3 – Chris Sharp (1551, Black) vs. Rob Mallon (1354)
This was a steady, balanced game through the opening and middlegame. Once the minor pieces were exchanged and the centre locked, Chris’s more active queen and rook allowed him to press. Under time pressure, Rob fell into a mating net, and Chris finished with a neat forced mate in two after just under 50 moves.
Board 2 – André Cockburn (1549, White) vs. Oliver Cureton (1439)
Oliver played the Grünfeld Defence. My attempt to steer away from theory backfired, allowing Oliver’s pieces to become highly active. After a queen exchange and mass simplification, I was left with a bishop and knight against a rook, with pawns level. When Oliver’s rook reached the seventh rank, my position collapsed quickly.
Board 1 – Garry Sands (1571, Black) vs. Mike Boreham (1500)
With the match poised at 1–2, all eyes turned to the top board, where Garry was battling Mike in a tense endgame. Mike had opened with the Queen’s Gambit, which Garry declined. The position remained level until move 17, when Garry refused a queen exchange — a decision which, according to Lichess, handed Mike a +1.4 advantage that grew to +1.8 by move 23.
However, Mike couldn’t quite convert his edge, and by move 31 the game was back in balance. A positional slip on move 37 gave Garry a chance to seize control, though a hasty move on 47 saw the game return to equality once again. With both players in severe time trouble, the tension rose — but Mike’s final blunder allowed Garry to deliver checkmate and secure the crucial point to level the match.
A fittingly dramatic conclusion to an evenly contested evening of chess, decided only in the final minutes of the final game.
| Derby D | 2 - 2 | Rolls Royce E | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sands, Garry | 1571 | 1 - 0 | Boreham, Michael D | 1500 |
| 2 | Cockburn, Andre | 1549 | 0 - 1 | Cureton, Oliver | 1439 |
| 3 | Sharp, Chris | 1551 | 1 - 0 | Mallon, Robert | 1354 |
| 4 | Cole, Chris | 1519 | 0 - 1 | Prokofjevs, Kirill | 1152 |
Andre Cockburn 30/10/25