The final match of the 4NCL weekend, and indeed of the season, for the e2e4.org.uk second team was against Spirit of Atticus A. We needed at least a draw against our higher rated opponents to achieve promotion. However, we struggled from the start, and ended up losing on the top two boards, although we achieved draws on the bottom four. The final score of 4-2 was a fair reflection of our opponent’s superiority.
My game saw me worse out of the opening, despite having the White pieces, but I managed to dig in and the game gradually turned round as my opponent dissipated his advantage with a couple of inferior moves. The game then turned in my favour as I managed to organise the advance of my e-pawn, to which my opponent did not react well. I soon established a winning position, but some inaccuracies of my own saw me throw away my advantage. Indeed, towards the end, I had some nervous moments as my opponent threatened to win with his advanced pawns, but I calculated accurately and the game was a draw. This was probably a fair result on the balance of play.
I give the game below with some notes.