The good times roll

Onto the 4NCL then, and a reunion with my Downend teammates who did so well in Division 2 last year, and are currently first and second in the Bristol League. As usual, I was playing just the one game - I like a glacial pace, and one of our players is a teacher so prefers a day at home. This meant that I was only there to take on the CSC first team! Last season I lost to my employers, which I really wanted to make up for.

For added spice, I was playing one of the charity's best (and strongest) tutors, Roman Ismailov (185/2065), on the unheard-of heights of board seven. Though grades were slightly in our favour (219-199, 209-183, 201-206, 186-193, 176-179, 170-181, 167-185, 165-137), ratings were not, which was all my team-mates could see. And I couldn't even see that: I got a lift from an IM and we again demonstrated that chess ability doesn't extend to anything else, getting bogged down on the motorway and then lost after leaving it. We'd planned to arrive well in time but actually got to Wokefield Park 15 minutes late. Thankfully I'd done some preparation, including for Ismailov, on the morning - and it worked a treat:

And so the Downend train rolled on, as we managed a surprisingly comfortable 5½-2½ win (WDDLWWWD). Unfortunately we lost by the same scoreline today, but still a satisfactory weekend for the team, and for me. The only question is whether my desk will have been cleared when I get into the office tomorrow...

I have to admit that my explanation of what happened at Gatwick is starting to look a bit flimsy, but once again I benefited from some luck with my preparation (I could even recycle old notes!) and an off-form opponent. My late arrival may have contributed to that, but I'm not going to make a habit of it. By the time I had to think for myself I already had a position that Black can win prosaically, but it was all a bit too straightforward; he didn't cope well with being put on the defensive so early. That's why you have to take the fight to opening systems like this! He's effectively playing the black side of a QGD by move three.

This game brings me back up to date for another week. I return to the board next Monday for this month's CCF Superleague fixture.