Division 1 relegation decided, championship still in the balance

On a tense night for Division 1, three of the remaining four games were contested.

Richard and Steve L were first to finish, to my untutored eye it looked even throughout and a draw was agreed a few hours in.  This takes Steve a point clear at the top.  The TC would need to confirm but it looks as though Marc could catch him both in points and s-b if he wins his final game against Richard.

Alex, needing a win to avoid relegation, was up against the out of form Mike.  As so often happens on these occasions, past performance is no guide and Mike’s kingside attack broke through to win the full point.

Nick now needed at least a draw against Steve P to avoid the drop.  Nick was in must-win mode from the get-go and looked the most likely to win.  After 65 moves and most of 3 hours to reach a K, B and wrong colour RP against K, he took the draw.  This condemned Mike to Division 2.

Ben won his final (?) Division 3 game.  Depending on how the unfinished games are decided, it is still quite unclear …?