2021 Spring Online League
The Mid Sussex League held a relatively short online competition. There were 3 divisions, 1, 2 and a separate Junior Division. Results reported through the ECF League Management System. Time control - all moves in 25 mins with a 10 sec increment and matches played on lichess.
13th Jan - Bexhill 2 vs Uckfield Result 2-2
Beauden on Board 4 unfortunately dropped a piece early on and his opponent took full advantage to win. Ian on 3 basically had the opposite, his opponent gave up a piece and Ian took home the full point convincingly. Mark on Board 2 had a winning advantage atleast twice during the game but was sadly unable to convert it, eventually succumbing to a perpetual check and a draw. Arran on Board 1 was the last to finish in a tense rook and pawn endgame. With very little time left a draw was agreed just before the game was left with only bare kings. So a draw to start. I'm not sure if that was a decent result or not. I'd forgotten how tense these matches can get, it's funny how they seem to mean more when you are part of a team. Thankyou to all who played, we look forward to the next match in February.
10th Feb - Uckfield vs Crowborough 2 Result 1-3
Well, this didn't go very well apart from Arran on Board 1 who played a very good game, complete with a couple of very nice tactical flourishes and then, when extremely short of time (10 seconds!) simplified into a comfortably winning finish. Mark on Board 2 had an advantage as white against a French Defence but with a couple of injudicious moves, blew that and then in what the compy says is completely level, blundered quite badly. Talking to David Fryer afterwards he commented that I'd spent 5 minutes on that move, but what he didn't know was that 4 minutes and 57 seconds of that was checking something in the oven. Never mind. Ian on Board 3 had a completely level rook endgame, but was drawn into moving very quickly and that was that. It's easy to go wrong, it's no surprise that there are whole books on these things. Saxon on Board 4 was mated quite early on, missing that incautiously taking an unprotected pawn had drastic consequences. So we lost 1-3.
10th March - Horsham 2 vs Uckfield Result 2 1/2 - 1 1/2
Talk about fluctuating. At various times each of us was winning, but only Saxon Archbold actually managed it, so very well played Saxon. With the wonders of the internet we discussed Arran and Saxon's games afterwards on zoom, which I think added something to the evening. Anyway, Arran was happier with his position than the computer and it was fiendishly complicated, The turning point was when his opponent allowed a grand knight fork, of Queen, Bishop and Rook. Hence Arran was an exchange up. With queens on and an exposed King there was always a chance of a perpetual check draw and that is how it finished, but there was one momentary chance to get the queens off the board which would have been a win. Short of time (as usual!) this was not spotted, so a draw was probably a fair result. Mark on 2 played (this is me speaking) a good opening as black and had a dominant, winning position. My opponent blundered a rook...and I didnt take it. This will haunt me for some time. Anyway, although nominally equal then I lost the plot afterwards. Ian on Board 3 played a fine opening and middlegame and was almost certainly winning. However, it didn't stay that way and some tactics didn't work out. Saxon was the great success of the evening, playing a fluctuating game, then spotting a mate in the corner so a very nice way to end the game. Overall a loss, but it could (and should) have gone the other way. My fault. Onwards and upwards.
7th April - Uckfield vs East Grinstead Bookshop Result 1 1/2 - 2 1/2
Alright, it was just onwards, rather than onwards and upwards. Again some fluctuating games, ultimately ending in a match loss. Arran on Board 1 had seen that his opponent played the King's gambit so wanted to avoid it. Unfortunately he missed a tactic in the opening and although at one point the compy thought he was roughly back on equal terms it wan't to be. Mark on 2 played an old foe from East Grinstead Chess Club from many years ago. On the white side of a French. I wanted to keep the queens on as it came to me that my opponent Dave liked to play endgames, combined with a pawn storm against his king this ended up a couple of moves from mate. My first win of the season. Ian had a topsy turvy game which could have gone either way, indeed he missed a mating / win of queen sequence. Never mind...and unfortunately it went the other way. Saxon, again on Board 4 played another good game which could again have gone either way. At the end in a winning position (a rook up) he stumbled into a repetition of moves, so it was a draw. I doubt if his opponent would have spotted this, especially as the repetition was not on consecutive moves and with little time on the clock, but sadly lichess pointed it out. Possibly this is a minor problem with the program. So overall another loss. Hey ho, only one more to go, a battle for the wooden spoon between us and Worthing 2.
5th May - Uckfield vs Worthing 2 Result 1 - 3
And so we won the wooden spoon. Arran played a fine game against Cassie Graham, a very strong player who made her first appearance of the season, allowing Arran to finish what has been a pretty successful campaign. I might have lost earlier in the game as my opponent did not spot a winning move, but sadly, having got into a thoroughly winning position myself, stumbled into a mate in 1. Disappointing, but encapsulated the season really. Saxon and Beauden both made an early mistake from which they never recovered, despite fighting hard.
All in all not a successful season results wise, but it worked very well and everyone who played can take something positive from it (even me). Being similar to the European Super League we cannot be relegated, indeed it might not even be repeated, though a similar summer season has been mooted. Perhaps when we get back to over the board chess then an online summer league might be a permanent addition.