Round Seven
“CSC/Kingston 3 (1815)” – “Ashfield 2 (1872)” – 3½ – 2½
On paper we could have anticipated a win but unfortunately although Benjamin won, we were unable to score anything else on the upper boards. Ashfield’s rating advantage was on the three lower boards but where we might have expected wins the results were three draws as we went down by the narrowest of margins.
“She Plays To Win Uni (1553)” – “Ashfield 3 (1757)” – 2½ – 3½
Ashfield 3 had a substantial rating plus in this match. Ana Williams of Nottingham University took the top board for SPTW followed by three draws. Ashfield 3 have scored consistently on Boards 5 & 6 and after a win from Maurice, James scored his fourth consecutive win to see us home.
Round Eight
“Wessex B (1619)” – “Ashfield 2 (1865)” – 1½ – 4½
The advantage of losing in Round Seven became clear with a relatively easy pairing in Round Eight. Benjamin was the first to win, plus a draw on Board Two and although we lost on Board Four, the remaining boards including debutant Oliver Graham eased through winning all the remaining games.
“Ashfield 3 (1751)” – “War and Piece B (1643)” – 4 – 2
Our 3rd team’s serene progress continued with a second win, again with a sole loss conceded. The four lower boards again with a major contribution of 3½ points.
Summary
In 2023/24 our two teams finished with 10/22 and 9/22 – we have already reached those scores with still three rounds to play. However before complacency sets in it’s worth noting that to date we have missed the top teams. From Round Nine that will change; the Swiss system means they have all been paired together already and will now float down to Ashfield sides. It will be a tough run-in at Coventry for us.