TAFCA LEAGUE ONLINE – Match Report
Week 8 – Div 1
Castlehill Chess Club had two teams playing this week.
26/08/20: Newport Knights Athletic 1, Castlehill Armadillo`s 3
Nice win for Armadillo’s to keep them in the race for the title. Rhain Hughes (1882) gave Declan Shafi (2141) a run for his money on board one before having to concede. Lloyd Hughes (1780), just back from a long working day, just had one of those, “I`m too tired to play chess” nights which Graham Mooney (1866) happily accepted!
On board 3 Andre Babin (1865) was just too strong on the night for Marcus Wylie (1421), but over on board 4 we had a right ding dong between Andy Pye (1400) and Robert Jackson (1573). As it neared the end, Andy offered Robert the draw in a better position? Robert declined and as fate decree’s when you say no, he lost! Nice play by Andy with a knockout draw offer which it seems pulled no punches!
A nice 3 – 1 win for our Armadillo’s against a tricky team who you never know what they will bring with them on the night!
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27/08/20: Castlehill Bandicoot`s 4, Kirkcaldy A 0
An unexpected result with both teams fairly evenly matched. But for Kirkcaldy A, it was a tale of “What could have been”!
On board 4, Keith Rose (1529) was on the wrong end of it against Shiva Subramanian (1444), when Shiva blundered and lost a piece and the game. Gutted would be the feeling I guess!
Andy Rowe (1536) and Stuart Blyth (1595) did not hold back in a very aggressive and exciting game. It was hard to tell at one point, but it seemed Andy had the slightly better wild position, but was extremely short on time compared to Stuart (or anybody else for that matter!). It was beginning to look like Stuart was pilling on the pressure, only for him to suddenly place his Queen on a square that was not only unprotected, but Andy`s Queen was attacking. Snap and off went Stuart’s good lady and the game! Oh take me back please to the future, or is that the past? Who knows!
No board 3 Ray Noble (1536) was playing his first match in the TAFCA online league, but you would never have known the way sometimes plays! John Kane (1445) seemed to have nullified all of Ray`s idea`s and the game was drifting towards a draw when John became the third Kirkcaldy player to gift the game to his opponent (Ray), by leaving his rook for the taking! John graciously resigned, but must have been annoyed with himself at the time.
The board one match was more of a marathon and war of attrition between George Herd (1598) and Michael Dugdale (1537). It looked like it would go on forever, but in the end Michael “dug” deep and managed to overcome George in the end, but the result was in doubt right until then. Well played the two of you!
So Castlehill Bandicoot`s take the match and the whitewash, but it could so easily have been either, 3-1 or 2½-1½ to Kirkcaldy A on another night! I guess the “Bandicoot`s lived up too their name!
Great result in the end and well played everyone including the Bandicoot`s unseen 5th player, “lady luck”!
Castlehill Armadillo`s move into 2nd place in the league, 2 points behind league leaders Dundee Allosaurus` who have a perfect record so far! Castlehill Bandicoot`s move into 4th place just two points behind St.Andrews Fun Team A and Castlehill Armadillo`s. Plenty time for all things to change, even at the top!
For all the fixtures left, results, tables and database of games played so far, checkout the TAFCA website (link below)