1st team win

12 Feb Anstey 1 v Loughborough 3
3 – 1
1 B 139 Foreman, Brian 1 – 0 Hickman, Peter 106
2 W 117 Sandham, Mick 0 – 1 Edwards, Matthew 82
3 B 122 Vaughan, Ben 1 – 0 Gordon, Stewart 78
4 W 120 Connor, Matthew 1 – 0 Dyer, Graham 45

The first team won for the 9th time this season and given that we've already played teams once, it's time for the reverse fixtures.
We beat Loughborough away by 3.5-0.5 at their place on the first game of the season. Last night's shenanigans were much the same. The scoreline didn't necessarily reflect the boards!
I finished first after a remarkably generous opponent gave me a pawn, then a piece and then another piece and after 27 moves or so, I had been victorious - a bad day for Stewart after the game at their place was much closer.
Mick finished next and a disappointing result for him. Mick tried to complicate his position when perhaps the simplest moves would have sufficed and in the end missed a check which won a piece for his opponent. His opponent then got his Rooks to the 7th and Mick had to concede an exchange, then effectively a rook down. Mick didn't take long to resign.
Matt had looked comfortable all evening with a Knight fork leading him to being a rook up but our friend Graham did find some preventative moves that were stopping Matt making progress. Eventually though, Matt won through being two Knights up and with the threat of a pawn Queening, Graham resigned.
That left Brian who, given that we were 2-1 up, had offered a draw that was declined, went on to play an even looking endgame. All of a sudden, his opponent moved a Knight that was defending a pawn and the subsequent moves lost another pawn for Brian's opponent. With the threat of a Queening pawn, Brian's opponent resigned too.