| Board | Rating | Bedford A | V | Bedford B | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2098 | Gardner, James | ½ – ½ | Dairi, Ramsey | 2013 |
| 2 | 2097 | Ledger, Stephen C | 1 – 0 | Botteley, Michael T | 2003 |
| 3 | 2057 | Arulnandhy, Ravi | 0 – 1 | Bodily, Richard T | 1987 |
| 4 | 1750 | Hale, Jack | ½ – ½ | Habershon, Paul F | 1945 |
| 5 | 2011 | Collacott, Nick | 1 – 0 | Pike, Steve C | 1840 |
| Total | 10013 | 3 – 2 | 9788 |
Bedford B almost upset the A Team but it wasn’t to be despite a fine performance from Richard Bodily.
Steve Pike on Board 5 was the first to fall after a spirited gambit against Nick’s Scandinavian Defence took an early wrong turn (Paul is very kind, I messed up – Ed).
Richard then levelled things after being allowed a K side demolition.
Ramsey Dairi on Board 1 entered an endgame with a considerable advantage but that dissolved into a draw.
I didn’t see how Steve Ledger beat Mike Botteley on Board 2 but I was left playing a lost ending with the B Team 1.5-2.5 down. Jack Hale should have put me away much earlier (+4 evaluation at one point) but I survived to an endgame a pawn down. We were both close to playing on the increment and the last few moves are lost to history. My draw offer was unselfishly accepted by Jack as it gave his team the 3-2 win.
Paul Habershon, 4th October 2026