Preston 3 v Lytham 2

Preston 3, Board 2: Jonny Chatterton

On board 1, the game opened with the Slav, exchange variation leading to a symmetrical pawn structure with 3. cxd5 cxd5. Both players developed their pieces methodically, aiming for control in the center. The early exchange of bishops after 9. Bxd6 Qxd6 simplified the position slightly. White and Black both castled kingside, setting the stage for the middle game. The critical phase began with 13. dxe5, opening the e-file and leading to multiple exchanges in the center. The exchange of knights on e5 and the subsequent trade of bishops on e4 indicated a transition into an evenly balanced endgame. After the queens were exchanged, the game transitioned into a rook endgame. The final position was relatively equal with both sides having symmetrical pawn structures and active rooks.

Jonny's debut for Preston 3 saw him open with the London setup, which was met with the uncommon 2...c6, 3. e3 Qb6. The middle game was sharp, with Jonny sacrificing his queen for two bishops to really expose Dave's uncastled king. He quickly won back the queen for a rook by pinning the queen to the newly vulnerable king. Jonny accurately avoided any potential threats and won the game after Dave exchanged one of his rooks for a bishop, leaving Jonny up a bishop and 2 pawns.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see much of Junho's game on 3, but I am confident he played very well, despite losing against a very tough opponent. I gather he was down an exchange somewhat early and the material advantage was converted accurately.

The last game to finish was my own, I too opened with the London system which was met by Ben's King's Indian. The middle game was dictated by significant pawn structure changes, particularly Ben's 12..g5 and 15..f5 telegraphing his intentions to launch a kingside attack. Meanwhile I opted to open the queenside with 14.bxc5 bxc5 and position my rook on the open b-file to surpress his light squared bishop. Ben tried to exploit this open queenside with 17..Qa5 which led to a subsequent queen exchange. A rook exchange later, while I was still obsessing over the open b-file, Ben switched over to the kingside and the game took a decisive turn. After his dark-squared bishop and knight invaded by 2nd and 3rd rank, I crumbled. Following a rapid fire series of four innaccurate moves dismantling my position, I topped it off by my hanging my rook for all, but me, to see.

Another tough match, nonetheless it was a night of exciting, entertaining games against some strong and charming opponents. Cheers!