A visit to the RAC is always one of the highlights of the chess season. It’s a magnificent clubhouse and there’s always a car in the foyer. This week’s special was a Shelby Cobra from the early 60s which had been active in American hotrod racing!
The NLC team was disconcerted when it saw the RAC line-up. With Women’s International Master Natasha Regan on Board 1 and Dragons’ Den’s Richard Farleigh of TV fame on Board 2, we considered that the RAC might have overestimated our playing strength a bit.
By odd happenstance the NLC had white on board one in a seven board match. No, it wasn’t Captain Chamberlain winning the toss for once. It was RAC Captain Rob Matthews’s own decision. We don’t think it was pity. As things turned out all matches were competitive but it ended up in a 5-2 defeat for the Libs, with the top two NLC boards making bad errors in time trouble. When things mattered the RAC Cobra bit back.
Board 1
Doctor Kirby’s karma journey continued. Last time vs the ORI/EIC the Doctor benefited from his opponent putting his Queen en prise. You can tell where this is going… The Doctor played white in a Leningrad Dutch against Natasha Regan. Deft manoeuvres led his pieces into the Queen’s side when disaster struck in time trouble. The Doctor just had to play rook takes bishop and the sequence would have left him a clear piece up. Instead a brain/hand failure led him to pick up his Queen instead….
Said the Doctor after the game: “I was winning, not so sure about the easily bit though. Took too much time early over relatively inconsequential moves. Once I realised where the pieces should go things got easier. But still, it’s hard playing the good ones because they set you problems and solving them takes time (which I didn’t have).”
Board 2
Mister Whiteley paid his opponent Richard Farleigh the ultimate compliment by essaying a Dragon-style set-up against the opponent’s English opening. Mister Whiteley missed a tactical shot early on which would have won the exchange. An interesting struggle developed where Mister Whiteley gave up the exchange in return for excellent supported pawns deep in the opponent’s position. Mister Chessdotcom thought that Mister Whiteley was well on top if he’d found the right plan. Sadly a miscalculation in time trouble led to defeat, but an excellent effort against a quality player.
After the game Mister Whiteley told the assembled pressmen: “I surprisingly had the better of this game against a player who has represented two different countries in chess olympiads (Bermuda and Monaco). I had 2 connected passed pawns on the 5th & 6th ranks and after his move 34, Mister Chessdotcom has me 5.66 points up. Unfortunately I only had 4 mins against his 7, and was in such a panic. I didn’t see 34. ….. Qa6, which would have allowed me to get my Queen to a1 and queen at least one of my pawns. I stupidly played f6 and lost my queen.”
Board 3
Captain Chamberlain probably had the performance of the night, beating the dangerous Lee Green. It was a slow-burning fianchetto Slav set up but our supreme leader launched a King’s Side attack and then switched his attentions to the other wing. He managed to get the exchange up and converted it to victory.
Board 4
Mister Giffin QC MA (Oxon) had a tough encounter with RAC regular Trevor Dunmore. It was noted beforehand that Trevor Dunmore always plays conservative chess when he’s wearing a bow-tie, once again underlining the close links between chess play and neckties. Our legal star was squeezed as Black in a 3. Bb5 Sicilian and went down to defeat.
Board 5
Mister Widdicombe had white in an open Sicilian against Henry McWatters. Mister Widdicombe launched a King’s Side attack which was repelled and then fell to the opponent’s Queen’s Side counter-attack. Henry McWatters left his King in the centre, proving that it does work sometimes!
Board 6
Doctor Saldanha, signed in the January transfer window, made his long-awaited debut for the NLC on Board 6 against RAC Captain Rob Matthews. Rob Matthews essayed his usual stonewall set-up as white. It’s not pretty and frowned on by theory, but it is very difficult to face in practice. Doctor Saldanha fell to a Kingside attack.
Board 7
Doctor Saldanha’s debut left The Black Death reincarnate to play RAC stalwart Henry Mutkin. The Black Death’s drumbeat of victories continued as he played a 3.Bb5 Sicilian and eventually launched a successful King’s Side attack. A good performance against a good player. (He even wrote down his moves!).
Refreshments
And so to dinner. With the RAC you know exactly what you’re getting. Smoked salmon to start followed by either fish and chips or steak and chips (though there was a tasty Goan fish curry available too). Very very good. The Pinot Noir was rather quaffable too and took away the pain of a match which probably should have been closer.
For the avoidance of doubt I didn’t resign on move 35 but some moves later after I’d worked into the opponent’s Queen’s Side. And it was all going so well too…
If you can meet with triumph and disaster and meet those two imposters just the same…then you clearly haven’t realised the gravity of the situation.