Both clubs had assembled strong teams for this top of the table clash. The excitement started on Board 5, my (Nigel) game. I made good progress on the queenside in a typical classical King’s Indian, but then I over committed both knights and my queen to the assault, only to find that Andy had a strong counterattack on the kingside which finished in mate, despite my second queen appearing. A deserved victory for him.

I understand that in draughts certain opening are banned; if the same rule were to be applied in chess then the Exchange Slav would be in the running. This appeared on both Boards 6 and 2. No doubt the board 6 players will claim that they played with grandmasterly accuracy but to this spectator it seemed nothing happened. There was a little more interest on Board 2 where Aron tried very hard to squeeze out a win in a knight ending but he ran out of pawns. Meanwhile on top board there had been lots of tricky tactics, with Matias running out as the winner.

Horfield now led 3-1 so we looked to our middle boards to save the match. We had been in difficulties on Board 4 where Steve had sacrificed a pawn in the opening to obtain the two bishops and a lead in development in an open position. He regained the pawn and then saw an opportunity to sacrifice the exchange for at least a perpetual check which would clinch the match. However he had made a tactical oversight and somewhat improbably Reinhold managed to get his rooks well enough placed to see off the attack and then to combine with his queen to produce a mating attack.

All to play for in the last game now. Haroon had been pressing for some time and was a shaky pawn up with Peter’s king vulnerable. Haroon had a chance to exchange off the queens at the cost of the extra pawn to reach an ending with some winning chances. He went for more, which let Peter’s queen gain some activity so now when the queens came off the resultant knight and 2 pawns v bishop and 2 pawns gave few hopes of victory, so a draw was soon agreed and Horfield won the match 3.5-2.5 to remain top of the table as the first half of the season is completed.

Still plenty to fight for in 2025.