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2010-11

Open Championship Quarter-Final: Sussex - Warwickshire

Played 8 May 2010 at an unreported venue. Warwickshire had white on odd-numbered boards.

Match report based on Joey stewart's e-mail to team members. Warwickshire went into the match with a somewhat weaker side then planned and had to default bottom board. Sussex outgraded Warks by about 10 points on each board. On top board, John Naylor scrificed two pawns to avoid a sterile endgame and emerged a pawn up, but this was not quite sufficient for the win. Tony Hynes scored a rare victory for Warks after a Sicilian Defence. Board 4 was a tactical melée, but Pablo's position exploded first. Andy Baruch sacrificed a central pawn and the bishop pair in an English game to apply very strong pressure. This was not enough to win and a draw was offered but Andy turned it down to maximise chances of victory. Andy was eventually defeated as black co-ordinated his forces and launched a powerful counter assault. Keith Escott grabbed a pawn early on, but the sacrifice turned out to be good, and white steadily built up pressure until it was too late to prevent the attacking pieces dancing a merry little jig all over the black king. Richard Smith had a complicated Slav Game, in which black strove to keep the position alive with some valiant tactical counterplay. Eventually white's advances were too strong and white won. Alan Agnew played against a Modern Defence. He created some good play and looked as though he would be able to weave a mating net around the black king, which had only one defending piece. Alas, this bishop preformed its job admirably and white lost a little material to save his king. Alan was forced to agree a draw when short of time. On board 11, Martin went for an isolated queen's pawn. This gave him a king side attack but at the cost of the queen's pawn. Black, however, conceeded the draw because he could not afford to open up the position. Bob Wildig had a little pressure early in the game but eventually the position simplified and Bob drew with Rasa in the concluding time scramble. Nick Fordham played the forcing Smith Morra Gambit. His opponent was quite a defender and some very robust moves kept his position safe. His opponent gambited a piece, but the counter-attack failed. On board 14, Simon Smith's defences looked to be holding well, and he built a nice space advantage. Unfortunately his centre crumbled and he lost a knight for two connected passed pawns. Black had some good swindling chances, but white was quick to push a passed pawn and the knight down soon became a whole rook down. On board 15, Joey Stewart's opponent used the notoriously tricky Scandinavian. White postponed development of pieces in favour of playing some restricting pawn moves. Black eventually found himself cramped and lost a piece while counterattacking. The extra piece generated a large scale assault on the black king which eventually won the queen and the game.