Gary’s strong finish led 3B to draw with Rushall

Cannock League Division 3

When skipper John Fryer loked at board one it all seemed very level. Next time he looked Gary Monks was wrapping it up very efficiently. John Fryer himself followed with a second win on board two. His opponent provided him with space and a pawn but the position changed as quick play produced a dangerous Kingside attack that was tricky to defend.

Then one or two positional errors, possibly due to playing too quickly, provided John with a counterplay and then came a disastrous miscalculation. He could either block a check with his Queen, forcing an exchange or move his King out of check. He chose the swap off and quickly lost the end game.

Stephen Shields, on three looked to have a draw but ht his opponent knew he had to win to save the match. Throwing caution to the winds paid off with a pawn on the seventh rank. Conclusive. Connor Whetnall can play some strong chess but may need to slow down to achieve league success. He lost quickly on board four. (Match played 1st December).