Combined ‘A’ team end season with heavy defeat

Derby League Division 1

It was a disappointing end to the season for the combined Burton and Lichfield ‘A’ team as they lost 4-0 in an away match against Derby ‘A’.

Playing White on Board 3, John Hoddy’s game was very even as the game simplified into a Knight vs. Bishop ending with equal pawns on each side. Unfortunately, several mistakes in quick succession then allowed his opponent’s King to infiltrate into his position, and, faced with the loss of multiple pawns, John resigned.

David Pickering, playing Black on Board 4, was making good use of his strategic knowledge and experience as he took advantage of positional mistakes from his opponent to build a significant advantage, eventually winning a Knight. Sadly, however, with the game effectively won, he blundered (“the worst blunder I’ve ever made”) to allow his opponent a mate in 3.

Playing Black on Board 2, Adam Routledge found himself facing a gambit line, and his opponent generated strong threats against Adam’s king for the price of a pawn. The position was tensely balanced, but a mistake from Adam allowed the attack to crash through, and following a number of precise moves from his opponent, the Black position collapsed.

Mircea Mesesan had the toughest assignment of the night, playing White on Board 1 against 2100+ graded John Tompson. The game was balanced until Mircea mistakenly offered a Queen exchange. John gratefully accepted the offer, and developed a powerful attack along the f file with his rooks. A second mistake from Mircea in a worse position allowed Black to break through to force a mate.

The match defeat means Burton and Lichfield ‘A’ finish mid-table in Division 1. Belper ‘A’ and Derby ‘A’ finished on the same points total at the top of the table, but with Belper ‘A’ crowned champions on the basis of a better points difference. (Match played: 28th April).