Poole B V Wimborne B

Match Report

Well. What's this? There is this funny checkered board in front of me with some wooden pieces on it... Oh, I remember. This is that game I used to play where I try hard and get beaten too often. How we dreamed of playing OTB. And now it is here again. Poole were down two first team players as both Sergiu and Dragi had family appointments, but the two teams seemed well matched. Richie, David, Simon, Tim vs Steve, Peter, Nathaniel (new young guy - watch him!) Graham. Playing conditions were socially distanced and it seemed that everyone was completely sick of wearing masks. Enjoy it while it lasts. I certainly felt a bit rusty, but would you believe it, Peter and I were thrown together for the next installment of the long series of games over the years. Having done virtually no studying over the past two years, as White, a Grand Prix appeared in no time. One Board 1, Steve and Richie were bashing out some e4 e5 boring stuff (playing themselves into the season I expect). The game seemed to be well controlled on both sides resulting in a shared point. No dramas it seemed to me. One Board 4, Tim and Graham were rekindling old friendships/rivalries across the board. A Classical Dutch setup resulted in a double-edged position with two rooks, opposite coloured bishops and lots of pawns. Despite some aggressive posturing from Graham, progress was not possible and another half was agreed. One Board 3, Simon, playing up from our C Team, was playing a nice young chap called Nathaniel. When I say nice, it is fair to say that Nathaniel had some fairly nasty plans for Simon on the board. An exchange sac and a bunch of pieces around Simon's King threatened, but some careful defense consolidated the position, nullified the threats and secured the point for Simon. It was great chatting with Nathaniel at the post mortem; a welcome addition to the BDCL clan. Best of luck for the rest of the season (except against us)! Back to my favourite subject... me... Peter noted that I missed a very strong continuation midgame. He was right. I saw it but saw something even better. Ha. The game became a bit stodgy and the bar was calling us. A draw was agreed. Poole B 2.5 - 1.5 Wimborne B A match that could have gone either way. Nathaniel unlucky. Everyone else starting off without a loss on the first game. Beer afterwards (thanks Peter and Simon). And I was reminded why I like playing chess with you lot... its a social thing, and I have bloody missed it! DF

David M Fuller