The day of reckoning is coming.
Rounds five and six of the SNCL are due to be played at the Glen Pavillions in Dunfermline. A couple of the Central League teams look safe. The main battles are for Forth Valley 2 who might secure promotion from Div 4 and the Kingdom Kings and Knights who face relegation from Divs 1 and 2 respectively.
I expect the Kings to survive, just, but it looks like the end of the world will not come in time to save the Knights. Looks like we will have to pray for a miracle instead, especially as in round 6 we have to face a very strong Edinburgh 1 team.
Whatever the result, I am sure that we will get a good lesson in chess from the Edinburgh 1 team and it will be a enjoyable day. See you there.
P.S. I am sad to hear of the demise of the East of Scotland Championships at Grangemouth. I understand the good reasons for not running it and thanks to Donald and Jim who have run it for years. I do feel however, that the Glenrothes tournament would have been a better fit to pick up the championship than Edinburgh, who are big enough to draw lots of non Scottish players. Glenrothes could really have done with this boost and I just hope that they can get the championship in the future.
Unofficial news about chess in Dunfermline and the happenings in the Central League!
Saturday, 11 February 2012
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Dunfermline Minnows V Grangemouth Tigers 8-8 draw - 01/02/2012
This was not the boring match draw like 8-8 suggests, it could have been won and lost many times over. Events just seemed to keep balancing themselves out.
Very tense and close match all the way through, which relied on key players doing their bit. In the first game I missed several good moves and played myself into a losing position, only for Dougie to miss something and I salvaged a key draw. The next game against Ian Mason, I agreed a draw in a winning position. It was just too hard to see with a minute left each, a key draw for them. My games against Bill and Hugh were more straightforward, although I had to fight against a difficult opposite coloured pawn endgame against Bill.
After two rounds we were tied and Ian and I thought that we had to win our two remaining matches to secure at least a draw. Ian was cruising to this, until he blew an easy win against Dougie in the last round. I can see in my head now how he could have won it and I am sure he can too. Hope he slept well later, it would have kept me awake. Luckily for us Terry pulled off a surprise draw with Ian Mason, to draw the match.
A drawn match suits the Minnows more than the Tigers, as the Minnows have a 3 point board score advantage going into the last match. Both have to play a Stirling team, although the Tigers have to play the more difficult Bruce team. While the Minnows have to play the Wallace team who are yet to win a match this season.
Captains log:
"Looked like this had slipped away from Minnows when Ian R failed to convert a crushing position against Dougie in the last round but we were saved by Terry who snatched a perpetual when he was the exchange down against Ian M. All to play for in the last rounds v the Stirling sides."
Minnows | 8-8 | Tigers |
Ian Robertson 2215 | 1-0 | Ian Mason 1714 |
John McBride 1748 | Draw | Dougie Will 1862 |
George Webb 1530 | 1-0 | Hugh Hanlon 1339 |
Terry Doherty 1307 | 0-1 | Bill Gray 1494 |
2.5-1.5 | ||
Ian Robertson | 1-0 | Bill Gray |
John McBride | Draw | Ian Mason |
George Webb | 0-1 | Dougie Will |
Terry Doherty | 0-1 | Hugh Hanlon |
1.5-2.5 | ||
Ian Robertson | 1-0 | Hugh Hanlon |
John McBride | 1-0 | Bill Gray |
George Webb | 0-1 | Ian Mason |
Terry Doherty | 0-1 | Dougie Will |
2-2 | ||
Ian Robertson | Draw | Dougie Will |
John McBride | 1-0 | Hugh Hanlon |
George Webb | 0-1 | Bill Gray |
Terry Doherty | Draw | Ian Mason |
2-2 | ||
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