me in action in game 4 - I'm the one without the white hair. Posing as a Grandmaster. Thanks to Brendan O'Gorman who took this.
Sunday March 28th
Once again I awoke early and managed to get out for an early-morning walk in the woods to clear my head. When I got back, Chris was up and about after sleeping in the front room, but Dave still hadn't emerged. I banged on the door and it emerged that he'd set his alarm wrong, or something, though apparently this was not due to the clocks going forwards.
He had taken ill overnight - not, apparently, due to the mountain of curry he'd eaten the night before, but some virus/sore throat sort of situation - and wasn't really ready to play. Chris and I had to leave, so I gave Dave the front door key and told him to get there when he got there. He asked me to tell the organiser that he was pulling out of the tournament due to bad health.
Chris had had enough too - he said he was "chessed out" and I don't blame him - it was his first tournament and five full games are very draining and demanding. Despite not winning any, he had acquitted himself well. Due to the eccentricities of the draw, he, despite losing all his games, had had a tougher series of opponents than I had - his were rated 99, 106 and 108 whereas mine were 62, 88 and 92! He did play his Sunday morning game, but his heart wasn't in it, and he lost within a few minutes. We said our goodbyes and he went home.
Game 4 - Another good win
So I was the last man standing out of our little team. I have to say I was pleased with how I played in game 4. I was up against another old fellow, very well turned-out and dapper in a jacket and yellow tie, and with neatly brushed white hair. The chap I played in the Sunday morning round at Scarborough (you might recall, the fellow with a strong Geordie accent) was playing on the next board and he said we were both good and it would be a tough battle.
There's a photo of the game in progress at the top of the page.
As it turned out, I never really let him get into the game. The game transposed into a sort of Samisch King's Indian, an opening I've long played as White but rarely won, but I managed to take advantage of the space advantage, helped by some inaccuracies on his part, and soon won a Queenside pawn and got a passed a-pawn. After that it was just a matter of gradually squeezing the advantage and pushing him back. It can't have been a particuarly enjoyable experience for him, since he was on the back foot throughout.
Both this and the last game were wins for me that just depended upon efficiently carried-out plans where the opponents never really had any chances once they'd made initial inaccuracies. As games, they were dreary, but it was nice for me to get such efficient no-fuss wins.
I was on 3/4. There were two people on 3.5/4 who would be on board 1 in the final round, and me and one other bloke on 3/4. He came up to me as I was perusing the leader board and suggested that we just play a few moves and agree a "Grandmaster draw". That way we avoid all the risk of playing an actual game, and both guarantee some prize money. Sounded good to me - I didn't want the risk of losing and going home with nothing after all my hard work. And since he was on 3/4 as well he would clearly be a tough opponent.
Dave and I went to the Grove for a drink but he only allowed me to have one pint! He didn't know about the little deal I had made with my opponent so he thought I was in for a tough struggle.
Game 5 - Grandmaster draw
There's not much to say about my last round game. He was White and played the Sokolsky, 1 b4, an off-beat opening I don't enjoy facing. I played the Goodfellow line that Russell suggested to me, which Modern Chess Openings refers to as "an eccentric line" or something - 1 .. c6 2 Bb2 Qb6 3 a3 a5. It all got a bit hairy but just when things were starting to go badly for me, he honourably stuck his hand out and stuck to our pre-match deal.
Dave wasn't happy and thought i should have battled on, but I was happy to get 3.5/5. The game on board 1 didn't end in a draw, which was good because it mean I ended in joint 2nd with a fifth-share of £75. Fifteen pounds isn't a fortune but it's a lot better than nothing!
Stephenson went home and I stuck around to watch the final games. I went into town for a roast pork dinner at Wetherspoons, came back, saw the end of the games and collected my prize money. A new chess friend, Craig, who plays for Wakefield, kindly gave me a lift home and some good chess advice en route.
Coulsdon
So now here I am at our Dunstable office. Will leave here now and drive round the M25 to my parents' place where I will stay over Easter. They will be away visiting my Sister and I will be playing the Coulsdon tournament tomorrow and Saturday. Reports to follow as ever. I managed 0/3 last time I played at Coulsdon (Jan 09) so I can only hope for better things.
Brendan O'Gorman took a good photo of me during game 4 at Huddersfield, posing as a Grandmaster - if I can workout how to do it, I will post it on here.
Well, I have uploaded it, but it will only let me put it at the top of the page which is a bit of shame but there we are.
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