Liverpool

Atticus

1

b

Jack Erskine

1916

0

1

Charles Kennaugh

2126

2

w

Isidro Cruz Gomez

2081

1

0

Steve Kee

2088

3

b

Marek Korsinkij

1867

0.5

0.5

Andrei Stancak

2114

4

w

Jamie Kumar

1776

0

1

Dave Lawson

2166

5

b

Ian Stephens

1804

0.5

0.5

David James

2126

6

w

Stephen Lloyd

1788

1

0

Luke Boumphrey

2051

3

3

Atticus win on board count

The Vines ('The Big House') set the scene for what was truly a big match! Surrounded by distinguished-looking gentlemen, who seemed fascinated by the drama of chess - I am referring to the surrounding portraits of course.

The results began and ended with drawn games, with the finale on board 3 becoming the focus of all. On route we had Dave James' advantage gradually slipping away as Ian reached equality to draw. Then Dave Lawson demonstrated his often astonishing theoretical knowledge with a little-known gambit to land his opponent's king in difficulties which proved fatal. Then board 1, which seemed on the surface to be heading for a draw, saw Charlie capitalise on a queen exchange to simplify to a won endgame. Next was a fine victory for Steve Lloyd over Luke Boumphrey, who seemed to run out of ideas at some point. My game on board 2 seemed to be progressing nicely until I tried to make one pawn ahead become two, and in short order fell for the sharp awakening of a rook sac to force instant resignation! Ouch.

So, we were left with a penalty shootout on board 3 - if Andrej drew we would go through on board count, but did Andrej know this? Marek gained a pawn, but there was some overloading of his major pieces which enabled Andrej to win it back. As the spectators circled in closer to the board and the players became painfully aware of the clocks of doom, a draw was agreed, and a fitting result for both players under great pressure. In fact, a fine performance by all concerned on both teams, .

Don't be misled by their grades, these Liverpool youngsters are proving to be a match for anyone.  Report Steve Kee

We use cookies

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.