Rock Cup Quarter Final – Lee Collier vs Dave Wightman
It was another action packed game as Dave Wightman
took on Lee Collier for a place in the Semi Finals of this year’s Rock
Cup. Playing black but with home advantage, Dave Wightman got off to
the traditional slow start, allowing white to
develop a strong centre and superior development. Both sides played
relatively experimental openings, but it is probably safe to say that
any time black plays both Nb8 and Ng8 in the first ten moves, it isn’t
going well. With white having a firm control
over the centre and threats on the kingside, the black king castled
long to the relative safety of the queenside. Behind interlocked pawns,
but facing massing white pieces, the peace didn’t last long. White
sacrificed a knight for two pawns to break open
the position and there followed an extended period of scrambling
defence as white tried to pour through the breech. Black’s queen and a
rook were tied down to holding back the white pawn advance, while minor
pieces circled the fray probing for weaknesses.
As the tension built, white sacrificed a pawn, and then another pawn,
to progressively dismantle the black defences. However, when the attack
finally subsided, the black king emerged unscathed from the wreckage of
the queenside and with a piece advantage.
The game was far from over, however, as black
pressed forwards for a further 20 moves with a material advantage and
white defended resolutely. Eventually, the mounting pressure of an
advancing passed pawn told and black gained the opportunity
to win a piece. However, this opportunity was missed and black’s
ineffectual attempts to try to break through were eventually halted by
white’s flag falling. So, Dave Wightman advances once again thanks to a
large slice of luck. Thanks are due to Lee Collier
for a tremendously exciting game, played in a great spirit of
sportsmanship. Good luck for the rest of the season.
By Dave Wightman
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