Match Result
| Season | 19/20 |
| Date | Mon 09 Mar 2020 |
| Competition: | Thames Valley League Division 1 |
| Fixture | Ealing 'A' v Richmond 'A' |
| Result | L: 2-6 |
Scorecard
| Board | Grade | Ealing 'A' | Richmond 'A' | Grade | |
| 1 | Alan Perkins | Wall, Gavin | 217 | ||
| 2 | Michael Lamb | Russell, Christopher | 214 | ||
| 3 | Tony Wells | Healey, Michael W | 213 | ||
| 4 | Chris Greenshields | Benjamin, Martin W | 185 | ||
| 5 | Miguel Sanchez | White, Chris | 175 | ||
| 6 | Simon Healeas | Barlow, Bertand A | 170 | ||
| 7 | Mark Winterbotham | James, Richard | 167 | ||
| 8 | Hristo Colov | Kamath, Raghu | 156 | ||
| Total |
Captains Comment
After losses in their first three encounters with Ealing this season, Richmond were intent on vengeance and they duly achieved it in this match.
Parity was maintained in the early exchanges with Mark, Joao and Christopher all content to accept draw offers against higher-rated opponents. Mark arguably had grounds to seek more but, after a bad run of form, the draw was not unwelcome.
The later games were less kind to Ealing, although several of the outcomes could have been more favourable. Simon, by his own admission, was ‘never in the game’ and his loss allowed the visitors to establish a lead. Mike then honourably dew on two against a strong opponent to keep it close but all three remaining games went to the away side.
Hristo’s opponent had essayed the King’s gambit which unleashed its predictable chaos. Sage observers counsel that Hristo had winning chances but the complications were such that, sadly, he lost on time.
On top board, Alan emerged from the opening with some significant pluses but his advantage evaporated in the face of some subtle play from his opponent and the position eventually resolved into an undefendable endgame.
Tony was last to finish. I’m a great fan of Tony’s style of play: he always tries for the win and has a very creative tactical ability. On this occasion, the game remained in the balance deep into the endgame but Tony was ultimately bested when his opponent’s pawns ran faster than his.
The final match score seems a bit harsh but we failed to exploit our opportunities while Richmond took all of theirs to emerge as worthy winners.