Twas the Night Before Christmas Eve (E Team Edition)
On Tuesday 23rd December 2025, the E team hosted Rolls Royce F. With apologies I provide the following match report (with a bit of help from Chat GPT!).
’Twas the night before Christmas Eve, and all through the club,
The E team turned out while festivities tugged.
Mince pies were laid out, the clocks set with care,
Though holiday plans were all paused to be there.
Josh came in late, a reserve at short call,
As one festive no-show had vanished from all.
The boards were arranged, the pieces all set,
With Christmas plans bravely postponed just yet.
On Board One, Leonid wasted no time,
A piece fell early — the position sublime.
His debut was smooth, calm, clean, and precise,
The sort that suggests he won’t linger here twice.
Poor Chris on Board Three had a battle so stern,
Against junior-forged talent that gave little return.
Though he fought to the end with resolve and with grace,
At last he succumbed in a hard-fought embrace.
On Board Four stood Pav, with a look slightly unsure,
“I’m not match-ready yet,” he said, “that’s for sure.”
But safe moves prevailed, the position held tight,
Till a queen met a trap — vanished clean from his sight!
The blunder was fatal, the shock rather grim,
His foe fled the scene, leaving heads in a spin.
Confusion at Rolls Royce — what was the score?
Had they won it already… or needed one more?
Two boards still were playing, though one looked quite done,
For Leonid’s endgame was surely a won one.
But Board Two brought the twist, the moment supreme,
The part you could only invent in a dream.
They thought they’d won Boards Three and Four — what a treat!
So a draw was proposed to Josh in his seat.
He snapped up the offer, no pause, no delay,
And suddenly Derby had stolen the day.
For that half point swung it — the sums now made sense,
A festive miscount with decisive expense.
Derby E stood victorious, two-and-a-half,
While Rolls Royce looked puzzled… and maybe just laughed.
So raise up a mince pie, a mug, or a cheer,
For Chess Forge progress is growing quite clear.
From debuts to blunders, from draws to delight,
Derby E triumphed that pre-Christmas night.
| Derby E | 2½ - 1½ | Rolls Royce F | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Siedielnikov, Leonid | 0000 | 1 - 0 | Boreham, Michael D | 1516 |
| 2 | Gahonia, Josh | 1417 | ½ - ½ | Moorcroft, George | 1352 |
| 3 | Lacey, Chris | 1426 | 0 - 1 | Prokofjevs, Kirill | 1296 |
| 4 | Singh, Pavneet | 0000 | 1 - 0 | Dickinson, Hugo | 1219 |
Kevin Dalley 01/01/26
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