Sheffield Woodseats Chess Club

...And so to the Bridge Inn in Rotherham, formerly known as Nellie Dean's...A struggle to get a team but in the end there were some noble volunteers and we arrived with eight players against a team that have fought well this season but with scant reward.  We could not afford any upsets!  The first result in was Steve Moon who had to defend with Black against the London system.  It looks innocuous but can creep up and take you unawares.  Unfortunately lt this was what happened to our man but it was a difficult game to play.  I'm not sure about the order of the next results but Messrs Fletcher and Trafford took a total of 41 moves to win between them which must be some sort of record.  From where I was sitting, I saw Allan play BxP+, followed by a Queen check and the win of a Rook on a8.  That soon ended in our favour. Dave Cook won a good game in which he played sensibly and solidly and brought home the whole point.  That leaves Stuart, Shane and me.  Stuart was Black, won the exchange, and in spite of lengthy resistance on the part of his opponent, Andy Baxter, scored a good win.  I was winning for most of the game, tried to rush my opponent in his time trouble, turned down a draw, got a lost game, proposed a draw myself, was understandably turned down, produced a couple of ridiculous maoves that obviously did nothing for my opponent's blood pressure (or mine!), was offered another draw, said something about making a another move (I think), accepted a draw after he made a move that allowed mate in about eight moves! Oh woe!  While this pantomime was playing out, Shane was battling bravely and only just lost a game which fluctuated all the way through.  So 5.5 - 2.5 to us.  All ends happily and we return home to play Nomads A on Monday at home.