| Board | Rating | Bedford A | V | Bedford B | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2119 | Ledger, Stephen CG | ½ – ½ | GBotteley, Michael T | 1994 |
| 2 | 2117 | Gardner, JamesB | 1 – 0 | BBodily, Richard T | 1968 |
| 3 | 2046 | Arulnandhy, RaviB | 1 – 0 | GHabershon, Paul F | 1947 |
| 4 | 2035 | Collacott, NickB | 0 – 1 | GHale, Jack | 1750 |
| 5 | 2043 | Dairi, RamseyG | 1 – 0 | BPike, Steve C | 1863 |
| Total | 10360 | 3½ – 1½ | 9522 |
All games were close fought affairs, and there were no quick results.
First to finish was board 2. Richard seemed to get himself rather tied
up, and it was no surprise when James finally broke through (see game below).
On board 5, Steve decided to try to disconcert Ramsey with an off-beat
opening. His first three moves were b4, Bb2 and b5. This seemed to give
Ramsey something to think about, and he used up a lot of time sorting
things out. However, Steve’s position was not very sound, and his pieces
were somewhat disconnected. Ramsey won a pawn, and reduced the position
to a straightforward wining pawn ending.
Board 4 between Nick and Jack was a bizarre game. Jack’s Queen-side was
completely open, with a lack of piece development, and it looked as
though Nick would drive a passed pawn through the centre. However, Jack
managed to regroup and win the pawn. Fortunes swung wildly, and both
players ran short of time. Jack played several unexpected moves, and
Nick lost on time. It then emerged that the clocks were not adding
increments correctly, but neither player had noticed, so the result
stood.
On board 3, both Paul and Ravi had King-side attacks, and it was Ravi
who eventually emerged victorious with a neat finish (see game below).
Last to finish was top board. To my inexpert eye, there appeared to be
little in it, with a slight advantage to Steve, and they eventually
agreed to a draw.”
James Gardner V Richard Bodily
Paul Habershon V Ravi Arulnandhy ( Comments from Paul )
Rob Walker, 30th October 2025