Horsham Club Championship 2017-18: Higgs – Mansson

Posted on November 19, 2017 by James Mansson

Last Tuesday I played my game against Anthony Higgs in the club championship. I was Black and managed to obtain a decent position against my opponent’s unorthodox opening. After some complications, we ended up in an endgame which turned gradually in my favour. However, I failed to make the most of my chances and the game ended up as a draw. Continue reading →

Posted in Club Championship, Games, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Vienna Game | 2 Comments

Mid-Sussex League Division 1 2017-18: Horsham 1 – Haywards Heath 1

Posted on November 11, 2017 by James Mansson

Horsham 1 bouncded back from the defeat against Hastings 1 with a 4.5-0.5 win over Haywards Heath 1. I won as White against Graham Ewans in a game where my opponent’s aggressive play in the opening ultimately left him with too many pawn weaknesses. I made a couple of innaccuracies which gave my opponent some chances to equalise, but my opponent missed his opportunities and I was able to establish a solid advantage. In time trouble, the accuracy of the play fell, but I ultimately prevailed. Continue reading →

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Horsham Club Knockout 2017-18: Mansson – Harbott

Posted on November 1, 2017 by James Mansson

I had a straightforward win in round three of the club knockout last knight. I had a bye in round two, as did many of the competitors, due to the numbers in the competition. I was paired against Peter Harbott and had the White pieces. He played the French Defence, rather than his usual Petroff, but not successfully, as he soon ended up in a passive position. He unwisely opened the a-file, which allowed me to penetrate with a rook, then play a continuation winning material. He then promptly resigned. Continue reading →

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Mid-Sussex League Division 1 2017-18: Horsham 1 – Hastings 1

Posted on October 30, 2017 by James Mansson

Horsham 1 got off to a bad start in this year’s Mid-Sussex League, with a decisive defeat away to Hastings 1. I have put a match report up here. In my game I lost against John Sugden. His early sacrifice of the exchange for a pawn gave him a promising position, which gradually went downhill for me as I struggled to find a good way to generate play. Although we did not agree a result on the night, home analysis soon convinced me that my position after move 42 was hopeless, and so I resigned. Continue reading →

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County Match (Open) 2017-18: Sussex – Surrey

Posted on October 18, 2017 by James Mansson

My game in last weekend’s county match vs. Surrey featured a bizarre episode that only came to light later when I was entering the game into my database! The game itself was an interesting encounting, quite apart from the bizarre episode (of which more later), although unfortunately in the end I lost in a blizzard of blunders. Continue reading →

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Horsham Club Championship 2017-18: Warren – Mansson

Posted on October 16, 2017 by James Mansson

After starting with a draw, I was back to winning ways in the Horsham club championship last Tuesday, with a victory over Nick Warren. It was a hard fought encounter, where both sides made mistakes and had their chances. I finally won when my opponent was unable to find a good continuation and lashed out with 35 g4, which backfired badly. Continue reading →

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Horsham Club Championship 2017-18: Mansson – Heath

Posted on October 11, 2017 by James Mansson

I started this year’s club championship with a draw against Chris Heath. Perhaps there was an element of good fortune in that he had the chance to gain a definite advantage, although given that neither player seemed to get much of a handle of what was going on in the position, perhaps a draw was a fair result! Continue reading →

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Horsham Club Knockout 2017-18: Mansson – Marshall

Posted on October 1, 2017 by James Mansson

Following on from the first rounds of the Quickplay Knockout played the previous week, last Tuesday’s club meeting saw the first round of the main Knockout. I was paired against John Marshall and was playing White. Continue reading →

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Horsham Club Quickplay Knockout 2017-18: Mansson – Comley

Posted on September 24, 2017 by James Mansson

My second round match was played on the same night as the first. I was up against Ian Comly and it was a tougher, tenser affair than the first. I managed to win 1.5-0.5, but not without some difficult moments. Continue reading →

Posted in Club Quickplay Knockout, Games, Opening Analysis, Reports, The French Defence, The Symmetrical English | Leave a comment

Horsham Club Quickplay Knockout 2017-18: Mansson – Helliwell

Posted on September 23, 2017 by James Mansson

As is customary, the third weekly meeting of the new season at Horsham Chess Club was taken up by the first couple of rounds of the Quickplay Knockout competition. My first match was against Peter Helliwell, and I managed to win both my games easily enough. In the first I was Black and my opponent soon went badly wrong; I was able to wrap things up in 22 moves. In the second I was White and we reached a well-known position via an unusual order of moves. My opponent went for a dubious sacrifice of a piece for a couple of pawns; this and some subsequent errors sealed his doom. Continue reading →

Posted in Club Quickplay Knockout, Games, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Bishop's Opening, The Ruy Lopez | Leave a comment