On Tuesday (20/10/26), Derby F hosted Spondon B in only their second league match of the season, and the evening ended 2–2. Two wins, two losses and a good deal of learning on both sides of the ledger: exactly what the Chess Forge is for.
The F team had quite a new look this time, as we apply our usual policy of giving as many players as possible the opportunity to play league chess. Getting the team together took a little effort, with some last-minute illnesses in both the E and F teams. After a bit of running around, Oye turned up as our reserve and I was able to slot him in at the last minute. Crisis avoided!
On board one, Alan had Black against Graham Pace. He was holding his own in the opening, but left a bishop en prise. As Alan told me: "I had seen I needed to move it but decided to move my rook. I put it down to a tough day at work!" I suspect most of us have been there. It is a lesson the Forge teaches again and again: before every move, ask what your opponent is threatening, and check that the move you are about to play actually deals with it. Seeing the danger is half the job; the other half is making sure your hand does what your head intended.
The F team in the middle of their contest
Board two was the highlight of the evening for me. Oye had White against George Noone and went for the Giuoco Pianissimo. The game was balanced until move 19, when George miscalculated while trying to open up the centre with pawn breaks and Oye won a pawn. As Oye put it, "when it starts to rain, it pours": a few more inaccuracies followed, including a knight fork of the rooks, and Oye finished the job with a back-rank rook checkmate on move 49. He told me afterwards: "You're elated when you win, but surprisingly this time, what I felt was relief." That is a very honest reaction, and a very good result for a player who only found out he was playing at the last minute.
On board three, Bill had Black against Douglas Bramley and, in his words, "a strong opening and middle game". Then came the endgame, and the heartbreak: "when I was one move away from check mate, a series of checking moves from white produced a fork between my king and queen which I did not spot and my queen was taken. After that serious blunder the game was lost when I really should have won." It is a painful way to lose, and Bill felt it keenly; he admitted it cost him some sleep that night, which says a lot about how much he cares. There is a positive in there, though. He did all the hard work and got himself a winning position against a decent opponent. The thing to practise now is the habit of checking every check, capture and threat, especially when the opponent has a run of forcing moves. In a winning endgame, it pays to stop and look for forks before each reply, and a game like this one, while hard to take, tends to stick in the memory for exactly the right reasons.
That left board four, where Asher had White against Martin Gibson. I have not had an update from Asher, but it appeared to be a smooth victory. He was the last to finish and sealed the draw for the team, which is always a good job to have done.
A 2–2 draw is a fair reflection of an evening where the F team could easily have taken more, but also did well to take something. Thanks to Alan, Oye, Bill and Asher for playing, and to everyone who helped to get a team on the boards. The F team's next match is away at Belper E on Wednesday 28 October.
| Derby F | 2 - 2 | Spondon B | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kennedy, Alan | 1627 | 0 - 1 | Pace, Graham J | 1473 |
| 2 | Oyedotun, Oyeleye | 1532 | 1 - 0 | Noone, George | 1235 |
| 3 | Wilsden, William | 1546 | 0 - 1 | Bramley, Douglas | 1179 |
| 4 | Wastie, Asher | 1349 | 1 - 0 | Gibson, J Martin | 1090 |
(Match played on Tue 20 Oct 26)
Kevin 27/10/26