I give the game below with some brief notes.

I give my game below with some brief notes.

I give my game below with some notes. It is a good example of the accumulation of advantages. Black doesn’t do anything dramatic, but manages to prevail in the end.

Phil Stimpson played out a solid draw against Vivian Cole on board four in the first game to finish. Next, I was able to score a convincing win with Black against Thomas Fitzgerald on board two. Peter Harbott gained an early advantage over J.P.Rix, and although he gave him chances later on, was able to consolidate it and reach the time control, when his opponent prompty resigned. Dix Roberts looked to be in trouble against Jeffrey Boardman, but his opponent blundered a piece and Dix was able to hang on.

The unfinished game is the one between Gavin Lox and Feliks Kwiatkowski. With Gavin as White, it developed into a sharp Modern Benoni, where both players (as usual for them) got into big time trouble. The final position looks level, although Gavin’s pawn structure does look slightly weaker.

I give my game against Thomas Fitzgerald below with some notes:

The first game of our match (two games of 10 minutes each, then sudden death) was a typically dramatic Sicilian. Following an unusual choice of sub-variation, Brian managed to get the upper hand, but as both players ran short of time, mutual blunders ensued, before he allowed me to deliver a snap mate.

The second game was something of a damp squib. Following an innocuous opening, Brian blundered badly, then resigned in reply to my response.

I am due to play Peter Harbott in the semi-final, which should prove an exciting match.

I give the games below with some notes.

The match started badly for Horsham, with Peter Harbott going down in flames on bottom board. Phil Stimpson’s position gradually deteriorated, until he was finally forced to concede. Things then took a turn for the better, as Gavin Lock secured a win on board one against John Bryant, and my game concluded in my favour in dramatic circumstances, as I forced mate with 2 seconds left on my clock!

Dix Roberts stands better against Mike Nicholas but it is not clear whether he can demonstrate a win, so the match could well end up drawn, which would put a real dent in Horsham’s title hope this season.

My game is given below with notes. My opponent was comfortably ahead on the clock until move 30, but then rapidly caught me up as his position came under pressure. I thought for two long in rejecting 20…b5 and 21…d5, and rapidly became short of time after that. However, although I missed some stronger moves, I did avoid making any obvious blunders, and the pressure told as my opponent fell into a snap mate.

The first game to finish was Peter Harbott’s game against Paul Carpenter. As I can vouch from playing him myself a few years ago, Paul is a dangerous player, and Peter suffered the consequences of underestimating his attack.

Both Gavin Lock’s game and my game were decided in time scrambles, although in quite different ways. Gavin managed to finally overcome Peter Fleming as the latter hallucinated and played an unsound knight sacrifice. He resigned promptly after Gavin’s reply.

In my game against Adrian Pickersgill, I managed to get much the better of the position, and was pressing for a win. However, I was down to about three minutes for fourteen moves, in a position that didn’t seem entirely clear. My opponent played his 29th move and offered a draw. Unable to see anything clear, I accepted the offer. He then pointed out that after playing the move, he realised that it was a blunder. Unfortunately for me, I had not seen the correct reply!

In the unfinished games, Dix Roberts is worse against Oliver Froom, while Anthony Higgs is better against Mike Roberts. However, in both cases the side with the advantage does not seem to have anything clear.

The match started with Horsham coming under pressure on boards 4 and 6. Peter Harbott on bottom board was fortunate that his opponent first overlooked a simple means of winning a pawn early on, then agreed a draw in what looked like much the superior position. Dix Roberts was struggling on board 4 against John Henshaw, but his opponent too offered a draw when he was on top. Combined with a solid draw by Mike Forster on board 2 against Brian Denman, this left Horsham with a solid position in the match.

In the meanwhile, Gavin Lock was gradually building a powerful attack on top board against Luke Rutherford, while I had plenty of pressure on Geoff James’ position on board 3. However, Phil Stimpson emerged from the opening a pawn down and was definitely struggling against Paul Batchelor.

I allowed my advantage to slip, and then decided on a dangerous piece sacrifice for two pawns, leading to a very double-edged endgame. The match was now very much in the balance. Should Gavin prevail on board 1, and I gain at least a draw, then the result of Phil’s game would become irrelevant, as even if he lost, as was looking increasingly likely, we would win on board count.

Then things swung against Horsham as Gavin was unable to push home his attack, and was forced to take a draw by perpetual check. Phil was now definitely losing and indeed soon conceded. It was all down to my game.

I managed to win the piece back for my two pawns, and ended up with a superior bishop vs. knight endgame. However, I was unable to squeeze a decisive error out of my opponent, and forced a draw with second to spare. This left Brighton with a narrow 3.5-2.5 win, and Horsham fell at the first hurdle.

I give my game below with some notes.