BDCL Dív 2 individual Final : Dave Gardiner v Dave Wightman

BDCL Div 2  Individual Final – Dave Wightman (165) vs David Gardiner (155)

Dave Wightman met David Gardiner in the final of the Birmingham League Division 2 Individual competition at South Birmingham.  Winning the toss, Dave Wightman chose the white pieces, but was unable to gain any advantage out of the opening.  A tactical game led to few openings, but black slowly gained a space advantage by virtue of incremental pawn advances.  When the break came, with the opening of the d and then h files, black was able to make a well timed queenside castle to get the king to safety, while white was left with a king trapped in a rapidly opening centre.  Black sacrificed a knight to pull the white king forwards and into a mating net from which there was no escape.  So, congratulations to David Gardiner for a well executed game, well played.

By Dave Wightman

Wolverhampton Chess Club Championship final (the rematch) 20/03/2014

20/03/2014 Club Championship Final Replay: Phil Bull vs Dave Wightman

We have a winner and new Club Champion.  Phil Bull met Dave Wightman in the replay of the Club Championship Final.  Playing white, Phil Bull gained an early space advantage, as a result of an advanced f pawn.  Dave Wightman, normally accurate in defence of a cramped position as black, unadvisedly tried to open up the board in front of the castled white king, playing an unsound g5, which removed a vital defence from the crucial f6 square and stranded the f pawn on f7.  This was to prove to be the key feature of the game, as white eventually trebled his major pieces on the half open f file, placing overwhelming pressure on the weakness in the black pawn structure.  Unable to castle to safety, the black position disintegrated quickly and it was all over well before the first time control was due.  Congratulations are due to the newly crowned Club Champion: Phil Bull.  Well played.

By Dave Wightman

Club Championship Final: Dave Wightman vs Phil Bull

Club Championship Final: 

Dave Wightman vs Phil Bull

The seedings worked out and the two strongest contenders met in the Final of the 2014 Club Championship.  Dave Wightman won the toss and chose the white pieces, developing an early king side attack against the castled black king.  Although no material advantage came of it, white gained a protected, passed pawn on f6 which posed a perpetual threat for the rest of the game.  With the king side now blockaded, attention turned to the queen side, as both sides probed for an advantage.  The game was played at a healthy pace, so the clocks were never going to play a part in deciding the result.

In the end, after much manoeuvring from both sides, the major pieces were traded and there was no way for either side to break through with the material left on the board and a draw was agreed.  The re-match is scheduled for Thursday 20^th March.

By  Dave Wightman

Stalemate and Astounding Probabilities

Stalemate

I recently played John Fenby of Brewood in the Robert Ward Plate competition.

The first game was drawn, and since neither of us knew that we should then have played a RP game as a decider, the intention being to finish all ties on the night, we agreed a date for a replay.

This was also drawn, so then we played blitz games at 15 min, 10 mins and 5 mins, the first two were wins for me on the board but I couldn’t mate in the time so accepted draws. In the third he announced to my horror that my flag had dropped, but I noticed his had dropped too so that was agreed drawn. Then we tossed a coin and he won!!

5 draws in a row in a KO! Is that a record?

Courtesy of Geoff Rosser

WDCL Rock Cup Semi Final Thurs 27/02/2014

Rock Cup Semi-Final Philip Burgess (118) vs Dave Wightman (165)

Dave Wightman met Philip Burgess on home ground, but as black, in the contest to fill the last place in the Rock Cup Final.  The game was played at a good pace, with the first 10 moves taking just a few minutes.  The opening yielded no clear advantage for either side, but then black unwisely chose to castle queenside and ran into an almost immediate attack.  White surged forwards, giving up a pawn to open up the board and swarm the black king.  A period of frantic defence followed, with pieces hanging all over the board, concluding with an extensive exchange.  Thanks to a back rank mating threat, white was forced spend a move playing h3 at a crucial moment, and this allowed black to emerge from the exchange with a rook for knight and pawn advantage.  With passed pawns on both sides of the board, the game became a race.  White, however, was tied to the defence of an isolated central pawn and this slowed the progress.  Black was able to run the b pawn and this proved to be crucial.  Tied to holding up this pawn, white allowed sufficient space for black to break into the position and force off the queens and the game was won.  Thanks are due to Philip Burgess for a fascinating game, full of excitement, played in the best of spirits.

By Dave Wightman