Keverel Chess

Posts Tagged ‘Devon v Dorset 2012’

Anyone looking at the team sheets before the match started could be forgiven for thinking that Devon should not have too much difficulty in recoding a win, given that Dorset were outgraded on every board but one. However, a late withdrawal and a default on Bd. 13 probably did much to even things up and once the game results started coming in, Devon spent most of the time on level terms, at best.

Eventually, it came down to 7½-all with one game finishing in a tense knight + rook endgame that was far from clear, as time trouble made finding the right moves difficult. However, after the rooks came off, Mike Litchfield succeeded in getting his knight trapped, and conceded his game, and with it the match.

It was a much tighter match than anticipated, and none the worse for that.

Foreground: Phil Aston vs Trefor Thynne

Foreground: Piet Dobber vs Paul Errington on Bd. 8.

Foreground: Paul Brackner vs Rob Wilby on Bd. 9

A nervous finish with the result in the balance.

Devon’s annual match against Dorset has been regularly held in recent years in the picturesque village of Luppitt, tucked away in a hidden valley, high in the Blackdown Hills, near Honiton. And so it is again this year, Saturday 27th October being the date.

The Village Hall is a good playing venue, except for the hardwood floor that makes a degree of noise beneath heavy heels. Players are advised to wear soft-soled shoes or stay seated. Those with sensitive hearing could have earplugs in reserve - just in case.

Both captains are sufficiently on the ball to be able to announce their teams well ahead of this date, and, subject to late changes, this is how the protagonists line up.