"Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you." - Arnold Palmer

Thursday 1 March 2012

Nottinghamshire League, Division 1: Grantham-1 vs Gambit-1 2:3

 Another sad day for Grantham-1 on the way to defend League Champion title. This time without Paul Cumbers and Nick Payne Grantham-1 faced to Gambit-1.

Grantham-1
2:3
Gambit-1
Birtwistle N
182
0:1
Barnes M
203
Mangione C
193
½:½
Mercs P
180
Dilley J
179
½:½
Swain J
174
McCarthy K
168
½:½
Hayward B
159
David I
172
½:½
Roper K
145

Match was decided in the game on the top board where Nigel Birtwistle tried to do wonders. In wild position, in time trouble and exchange down Nigel tried to full point, however in this situation was very difficult to bamboozle player like Michael Barns. Nigel finally decided to call it a day.
On the bottom board Ivan David had the chance to win complicated opposite-coloured Bishop ending, however, in move 35 (time control) he was not able to calculate winning line and refused to take a pawn seeing some ghosts.

The position after Black's move 34 looked like that:

Roper K - David I; White to move
In his last move Black played

34...h5

which was perhaps too fast.
What he might have played was 34...Kd5 35.Bc1 Bd7 36.Ka3 Bf5 37.Kxa4 Kc4 38.Ka5 d5 39.Ba3 Bxc2 and Black wins. However, after 34...h5 the position is still not equal.
White decided to complicate game by

35.g4?

which is mistake giving up a pawn for nothing. Better was to play 35.Ka3 Kd5 but Black is still better. Black played

35...Kd5??

Terrible mistake which meant waste of half a point for Grantham team. Obviously correct move was to take the pawn 35...hxg4 36.f5 gxf5 and Black must be just careful not to let h-pawn go. Black under the time pressure had seen some ghosts perhaps!

36.f5!

Equalizer! After this very good defensive move Black has no chance to get full point. 

36...gxf5 37.gxh5 Be8 38.h6 Bg6 39.Bf4 Ke6 40.c4 d5 41.cxd5+ Kxd5 42.Ka3 Kd4 43.Bd6 c4 44.Kxa4 Kd3 45.Kb4 c3 46.Bf4 Bh7 47.Bg5 Kc2 48.Bf6 f4 49.Bxc3 
½-½

Well, this is rather sad story isn't it?


The table of Division 1 before this match looked like that:

    

Team  P  W  D  L   F   A  Df Pn Pts
1 Grantham 1   10   8  1  1 35 15  20  0 17
2 Gambit 1  10   6  0  4 27.5 22.5   5  0 12
3 West Bridgford 1   9   4  3  2 25 20   5  0 11
4 Mansfield 1  10   4  3  3 26.5 23.5   3  0 11
5 Ashfield 1   8   4  1  3 21.5 18.5   3  0  9
6 West Nottingham 1  10   2  3  5 22 28  -6  0  7
7 University 1   8   2  0  6 15 25 -10  0  4
8 Ashfield 2   9   1  1  7 12.5 32.5 -20  0  3


Despite that Grantham lost there is still chance to defend the league champion's title.

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