County Match (Open) 2018-19: Sussex – Greater Manchester

Posted on May 16, 2019 by James Mansson

This year, Sussex qualified for the National Stages of the County Championship. We were drawn against Greater Manchester, and the match was played at Tyseley & District Working Mens Club in Birmingham. Even though the match was reduced to twelve boards, we were still only able to raise a team of ten, which meant that we defaulted on two of them. This handicap meant that we were up against it from that start, and in the end we were unable to overcome the deficit. Continue reading →

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Horsham Club Knockout 2018-19: Bennet-Stevens – Mansson

Posted on May 15, 2019 by James Mansson

My game against Lucy Bennet-Stevens, one of our best juniors, in the club championship ended in a steady win for me. A balanced hedgehog position arose out of the opening. My opponent then failed to prevent me from playing …b5, with a comfortable game. After I started to build up pressure on the queenside, she tried to break through in the centre, but this did not work well, especially as she blundered almost immediately. I was able to convert my advantage easily enough. Continue reading →

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Mid-Sussex League Division 1 2018-19: Horsham 1 – Brighton 1

Posted on May 13, 2019 by James Mansson

Horsham 1 finished the season with a good win against Brighton 1. On a personal note, it was disappointing to finish with a loss. However, Luke Rutherford is a formidible opponent, and at least this time I made more of a game of it. Continue reading →

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Horsham Club Championship 2018-19: Stimpson – Mansson

Posted on May 9, 2019 by James Mansson

My game against Phil Stimpson in the Horsham Club Championship was a frustrating draw for two reasons. First, I missed a tactical shot that would have won on consecutive moves. Second, I managed to obtain a winning position later, but then frittered it away. The draw leaves Phil in pole position in the competition. Continue reading →

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Mid-Sussex League Division 1 2018-19: Horsham 1 – Hastings 1

Posted on May 6, 2019 by James Mansson

Just under a month ago, Horsham 1 faced Hastings 1 at home in a crucial league match. Unfortunately, Horsham were not at full strength, with two of the first choice five missing, while Hastings had their strongest team; it was therefore not surprising that Hastings won comfortably in the end. Continue reading →

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Mid-Sussex League Division 1 2018-19: Horsham 1 – Lewes 1

Posted on April 22, 2019 by James Mansson

Horsham 1 registered a comfortable 3.5-1.5 win away against Lewes 1 at the start of April. My game was the last to finish; I agreed a draw as I was very short of time and was unsure of the position, although subsequent analysis suggested that there was a strong continuation available to me. Continue reading →

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Horsham Club Championship 2018-19: Mansson – Richardson

Posted on April 21, 2019 by James Mansson

I scored a quick as White against Paul Richardson in the club championship. My opponent made the mistake of both not casting, and then creating a weakness that I could exploit to open the position decisively. Continue reading →

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County Match (Open) 2018-19: Sussex – Surrey

Posted on April 13, 2019 by James Mansson

Sussex went into their match against Surrey at the start of March hoping to boost their chances with a win, but in the end Surrey ran out comfortable 9.5-6.5 winners. I drew against Marcus Osbourne in a game that went into an endgame fairly early on; despite some lively play, neither player could get the better of things. Continue reading →

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McArthur Cup 2018-19: Horsham – Brighton

Posted on April 3, 2019 by James Mansson

Back in February, Horsham crashed out of the McArthur Cup, after losing 1.5-4.5 to Brighton. My individual game was a disasterous loss against Luke Rutherford. Continue reading →

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Mid-Sussex League Division 1 2018-19: Horsham 1 – Hastings 2

Posted on March 31, 2019 by James Mansson

Back in mid-February, Horsham 1 suffered an unexpected defeat away against Hastings 2. We lost on the top two boards, while drawing the other three games. On top board, Gavin suddenly collapsed in a good position when short of time, while I suffered a massive reversal in my game against Howard Tebb. Continue reading →

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