A Night to Remember: Derby E Claim Their First Competitive Victory
On Wednesday (26/11/25),Derby E travelled to face Belper E in what turned out to be the E team’s maiden Derby League victory – a hard-fought and richly deserved 2½–1½ win. I arrived at 7:25 to find the whole team already there and ready, which is always a good sign. We also welcomed a new Board 1 for the evening: Paul, returning to competitive chess after a long break. In fact, we used to play together for Long Eaton some 30 years ago, so it was especially pleasing to see him back over the board.
From a captain’s viewpoint, this was a difficult match to watch. The positions swung back and forth, and if you’d asked me halfway through how it would end, I’d probably have predicted the exact opposite of what actually happened. There was even a slightly unusual moment in Duncan’s game when his opponent made an illegal move, calling for a quick bit of arbiter thinking and some button-pressing know-how to add two minutes on an older digital clock. All part of the learning curve – for everyone involved.
On Board 1, Paul’s return to league chess saw him face a Slav Defence where he managed to win the b7 pawn with his queen after a delayed exchange. He built a solid position, but a miscalculation in the middlegame cost him a pawn and allowed a fork on his rook. Despite still having attacking chances, time became a major factor, and he wasn’t able to find a way back before the position slipped away. A tough start, but very understandable for someone shaking off the rust after such a long break from serious play.
Board 2 produced one of the stories of the night. Duncan described his own move 6 as “particularly stupid” after it lost a whole bishop with no compensation, and things looked bleak early on. But instead of folding, he set about making life as uncomfortable as possible for his opponent – chasing the queen with developing moves, seizing central space, and creating pressure down open files. His position gradually transformed from busted to dangerous: two strong central pawns, more active pieces, and eventually a passed pawn. Under this continued pressure, his opponent was forced to give material back to neutralise the threats. By the late middlegame, with bishops of the same colour and Duncan’s rook against a knight, the balance had tipped in Derby’s favour – and with a healthy time advantage on the clock, Duncan kept things complicated until his opponent finally lost on time. From disaster to victory: a fine example of resilience.
Chris was the first to finish, securing a point on Board 4. The game featured a fairly early queen exchange and a mostly even swap of pieces, but the key moment came when Chris spotted a knight move that simultaneously attacked his opponent’s rook and king. The tactic only worked because his rook was pinning a bishop, preventing it from capturing the attacking knight – a detail his opponent thankfully overlooked. The resulting material advantage was enough, and Chris converted confidently. He was, in his own words, “over the moon” to earn his first league win and to play a part in the team’s first match victory.
That left Board 3 as the final game to finish, with all eyes on Josh. The match felt close throughout, and Josh’s main edge lay on the clock rather than the board. As the time pressure grew, his opponent finally cracked and blundered – but, in the tension of the moment, Josh missed a tactic that could have forked and won a rook. Even so, he held his nerve and a draw was agreed. Josh felt it was “a fair reflection of the game overall”, and that half-point proved crucial – it pushed the team over the line to secure the 2½–1½ win. He left with one clear item on his personal improvement list: developing greater composure in endgames!
The team concentarting hard in the early stages of their games
Overall, this was a fantastic result and a significant milestone for the E team. It had everything: sharp tactics, swings in fortune, an illegal move drama, first wins for players in their debut season, and the satisfaction of seeing hard-earned experience start to turn into match points. The Chess Forge idea – learning, support, and growth through real games – is clearly beginning to bear fruit.
| Belper E | 1½ - 2½ | Derby E | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acons, Kenelm | 1557 | 1 - 0 | Burrows, Paul | 1813 |
| 2 | Oakley, Michael | 1381 | 0 - 1 | Meikle, Duncan | 1430 |
| 3 | Marshall, Nigel D | 1428 | ½ - ½ | Gahonia, Josh | 1419 |
| 4 | Garratt, Lee | 1335 | 0 - 1 | Lacey, Chris | 1335 |
Kevin Dalley 28/11/25
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