Leighton Buzzard B 1-4 Bedford B (report added)

The B Team faced Leighton Buzzard B on Tuesday knowing that a draw would remove any mathematical possibility of relegation.

The early stages of the match were tight.  Ravi managed to get his bishop trapped on the kingside, however in return his opponent’s kings was slightly loose.  Ravi was able to exploit this and won comfortably in the end.  Richard (making a guest appearance) was under pressure for much of his game.  Fortunately for him, his opponent overlooked a “cheapo” – Richard’s words! – and this led to a win from a position which was probably drawn.

On board one Alex was in a slugfest with Peter Hunt.  After winning a pawn out of the opening, things looked good, but an incautious move meant that the tables turned quickly and it looked pretty grim.  Peter offered a draw in a good position, which was gratefully accepted.

Boards 2 and 5 were following a similar pattern of position games with Marc and Steve pushing to make breakthroughs.  Marc had simplified his position to a rook and opposite coloured bishop ending but with the advantage of a 2 v 1 pawn majority on the queenside.  Pressure duly told and he was able to convert this into a win.  Steve had also managed to win a pawn following pressure down the queenside, but this was not enough to be able to convert it to a win.

A 4-1 victory for the team was a good solid victory.