The 4NCL semi-finals produced two different matches – one pedestrian and the other exciting.
Division Two :- -Ashfield Anonymous A – 3½ Charlton Cobras A – ½
Charlton, runners-up in Group B, might have been expected to produce a strong team for the semi-final. But they didn’t. The bottom two boards were from their “C” team and there was an early win for Ashfield from Alex on Board Four. Justin duly won as well on Board Two. There was a stronger player on top board which was drawn when the position repeated for a third time. The final game to finish was on Board Three where the Charlton player proceeded to play on in an ending where Steve promoted twice against a lone king. Unsurprising the other semi-final went the way of the strong Group B winners, Lenzie Basilisks and the final takes place next week when Ashfield defend their 100% record.
Division Three :- War & Piece Overlord – 2 Ashfield Anonymous C – 2
Now onto the exciting match where Ashfield faced the winners of Group “B” . It was the best of starts but unfortunately the worst of finishes as we were K.O’d on Board Count. An early win from John gave us the advantage but after that it was a hugely complex struggle. A minor piece miasma caused mayhem on Board Two which eventually ended in a draw for Benji with just a sole knight remaining. On the other two boards we had opportunities to find the point we needed but eventually Andy had to concede a draw and the final and deciding game finished with a losing blunder by Bob after his opponent, the aptly named Vassily Slimyslob, had managed to squeeze out of all manner of difficult situations.
Irrespective of next week’s result both “A” and “C” are promoted.