Telepost A vs Priorslee Lions

Beware the wounded animal Telepost league champions suffered a defeat in their last match and the title is no longer in their own hands, so all matches are must wins for them, as for us looking increasingly like 3rd from bottom.

We took our strongest team of the season but on paper was still no match but you never know.

Well this is becoming far to common for my liking , yet another game that just did'nt go my way and resulted in a defeat. Have I forgotten how to play? I don't know some games this year have been unlucky but too many I just have'nt played well and as they say it's tough at the top.Nigel surprized me by playing e5 instead of  some line of a Sicilian defence and giving me the chance to play a more aggressive opening gambit. But he quickly was aware that his best chances were not to let me play my game and took my gambit pawn then killed the game by forcing pieces off. The way I played went peferct for his plan as he squeezed home the pawn advantage.

Glyn was playing Richard earlier when they met we saw a French Winawer and again this time but with reversed colours. It was an explosive affair with pieces on free all over the board. But as the game was going I could see that Glyn was taking more and more chances and eventually found a move that unfortunately just lost and Richard decided to finally take some of the pieces on offer and closed out the victory.

On 3 a rare game this season for Jim, looks like he might get one more this season before he sadly departs back up to Scotland. He was playing Phil Zabrocki they have met twice before with Jim getting the better position and material up but then going on to lose. Yet again this was to be the case, I don't know for sure about material advantage but he was gutted to blunder a rook in a time scramble and as it turned out lose us the match.

Andy on 4 against John Bashall was always going to be a tight battle and it proved with them cancelling each other out to draw.

Then we come to 5 Steve against Keith Tabner en route to Shrewsbury we were discussing who might play 5 and that Steve had never played Keith. Early on Keith took a poisoned pawn and things were going well for Steve, but one of the most bizarre things I've ever come across happened, we were all concentrating on our own games then  Steve said something out loud, I turned around and he said I've just declared mate in one. I jokingly said to Nigel he best have it then! , of course he did'nt he thought Keith had to take a piece that resulted in mate, but theres no law saying you must take a piece and Keith didn't have to take it and there was no mate. Phil Zabrocki like most of us could'nt believe what had happened and laughing  I heard him say, did Steve think he was playing in the 19th century , a fair point! and one I hope Steve does'nt make again, but having had the humiliation of it not being mate to Steve's credit he did manage to regain his focus and went on to win the game to make the match score 1.5-2.5 with Jim's game remaining.

Telepost A vs Priorslee Lions

N Ferrington (204) 1 v W Bates (165) 0

R Bryant (174) 1 v G Pugh (161) 0

P Zabrocki (178) 1 v J O'Neil (157) 0

J Bashall (149) 0.5 v A Tunks (144) 0.5

K Tabner (146) 0 v S Tarr (147) 1

                       3.5 -1.5