Borehamwood1 V Hertford3 (17/1/12)- Nick Wooster

Posted on Thursday 19th January, 2012

Form is Temporary...................... Tuesday saw us travel to Borehamwood to take on a team who are up with the promotion pack and doing much better than last season. I was able to field an unchanged team for the fifth match in a row and won the toss, although in truth my opposite number lost it, to give us white on odds. As expected Simon developed a nice attack on one whilst Allan, myself and Steve all made steady if unspectacular starts. Despite his lack of success thus far, Paul again showed bravery above and beyond the call of duty and launched an early attack on his opponent’s uncastled king, which resulted in him sacrificing a piece. In my game I was getting into trouble but then attacked his queen with a toxic pawn. Unfortunately my opponent was too good to take the bait, but it forced his retreat and an opportunity to untangle and equalise everything. Meanwhile, great excitement on one as Simon’s attack was going well, but his opponent had an equally dangerous threat against Simon’s kingside. Allan had worked a solid pawn and space advantage on two, and Steve’s game on five was looking decent as both players developed passed pawns, so we were looking in with a chance. Disaster then struck as Simon lost his 100% record for us this season as his opponent landed a killer blow and not long afterwards I underestimated my rival’s queenside whilst overestimating his kingside. For a while it looked like we were down as Paul’s attack on four appeared to be coming to nothing. Allan kept things moving along as he not only left his opponent with a nasty pawn structure but then managed a queen/rook fork which prompted resignation. 1-1, but not for long as I then suffered for my misjudgement and we were 2-1 down. Paul battled on, ultimately forcing his opponent to sacrifice his knight and give up the opposition which, despite his time trouble led Paul to his first win for us this season. 2-2. All attention then turned to board five where both players had connected passed pawns with Steve ahead on material but both players also with perpetual check opportunities and that is where we left it. Steve has a draw by perpetual check, so we will definitely get at least a draw out of the match, but he has wisely taken it away to see if he can see anything more. None of us believe he has anything more, but worth looking at. A strange but pleasing night as we recorded a result against one of the leading sides, who once again outgraded us, something we have been threatening to do for a while. Our in-form players lost, so it could have been even better, but very pleasingly, Paul got his first win after showing attacking flair (there’s a lesson in there somewhere!), whilst Allan and Steve both delivered excellent results. Onward and upward! Colour Borehamwood 1 Result Hertford 3 B Anthony Kent (160) 1-0 Simon Morris (149) W Kevin Sear (148) 0-1 Allan Hutton (149) B Malcolm Gesthuysen (149) 1-0 Nick Wooster (138) W Leon Glouzman (141) 0-1 Paul Craddock (129) B Terry O'Sullivan (129) P-P Steve Zsibrita (122) p.s. for the second time this season, one of our matches produces four wins for black!

Hertford1 V Watford1 (10/1/12)- Phil Borman

Posted on Thursday 19th January, 2012

This was a ‘heavyweight’ top of the table clash with both sides having won their first 4 games of the season. Watford turned up with their strongest possible side (ECF average 201) against our top side minus Alan (ECF average 197). Phil was first to finish after quickly equalising with black against Holland. Phil was possibly slightly better as he was a pawn up in the final position but Holland had plenty of piece activity as compensation so a draw was the logical conclusion. Rudge achieved an advantage out of the opening against Barry, but Barry retained a solid position – a draw was agreed towards the end of the middlegame when it looked like Barry had fully equalised. Boards 1-3 all went the full distance. Venkat played a piece sacrifice which netted three pawns which he managed to advance towards promotion; in the final position a weird piece imbalance was reached of Queen+Rook v 2 Rooks+2 bishops but Simon’s hopes look slim due to Venkat’s remaining advanced passed pawns. Stephen did well to fend off Duncan’s mating threats during the game but has adjourned in a difficult looking position where his opponent has doubled rooks on the 7th. Paul appeared to be developing an initiative in the middlegame, however Stone managed to get on top towards the end of the time control and the game was agree for adjudication where it is unclear whether Paul is drawing. So almost certainly our first defeat of the season…..... Hertford 1 Watford 1 .............. Board 1 : Knott, Simon JB 216 P-P Tiruchirapalli, Venkataramanan 215 Board 2 : Swanson, Stephen 207 P-P Duncan, Chris R 206 Board 3 : Byway, Paul V 199 A-A Stone, Andrew M 198 Board 4 : Borman, Philip J 190 1/2 Holland, Edward N 202 Board 5 : Cheal, Barry A 175 1/2 Rudge, Jerry F 186 Match Score : 1 - 1

Stevenage3 V Hertford3 (09/1/12)- Nick Wooster

Posted on Thursday 19th January, 2012

Like Father Like Son....................... On Monday 9th we started our New Year fixtures with a trip to face a bottom of the table Stevenage team containing the Bogucki father/son double act. I played the father last week in the H&D league and drew and now faced his higher graded son. A remarkably similar game ensued but this time without the mistake which led to me winning a pawn last week, could they have been colluding or is the son just a little better? Anyway, he had me under some pressure down the kingside, but I had some counter threats, he was also starting to feel under time pressure and offered a draw. Accepted. I had high hopes on board one where Simon’s strong attack had led to the winning of a pawn and this soon led to a win. Allan was also going well on board two with control of the open file and his opponent having a horribly hemmed in bishop so hopes were high there. On four however, Paul was slowly being “crushed” in a way which only Dave Belton knows how but Steve looked ok for a draw on five where the position seemed defendable if a little cramped. Disaster then struck on five as Steve made a mistake and lost to even the score, whilst Allan was struggling to turn his superior position into a win and Paul’s position seemed to be hopeless. A few “non-crushing” moves later and Paul was realistically back in with a chance as he skilfully unravelled his position only to suffer time trouble and a mistaken capture of a pawn with his knight which upon recapture with the queen was check and the end. It was now all down to Allan and in another frantic time scramble, this time with both players up to the wire and the rest of us watching on nervously, Allan moved quickly and accurately enough to keep his opponent under pressure and ensure a victory on time. So nearly a disaster, but in the end a well earned point to keep us out of trouble…….for now! Colour Stevenage 3 Result Hertford 3 W Chris Lean (138) 0-1 Simon Morris (149) B Frank Trethewey (137) 0-1 Allan Hutton (149) W Michal Bogucki (137) 0.5-0.5 Nick Wooster (138) B Dave Belton (132) 1-0 Paul Craddock (129) W Andrzey Bogucki (126) 1-0 Steve Zsibrita (122)

Hemel 1 V Hertford 1 (28/11/11) Phil Borman

Posted on Wednesday 30th November, 2011

Another good result which should maintain our winning start to the season keeping us at the top of the table alongside Watford. The scoreline does not reflect what happened on the evening however as we had a huge slice of luck. Last Friday I was down two players so a big thanks to Barry and Gordon who stepped in late in the day and they did not disappoint... Simon was first to finish agreeing a draw in his game - Simmons had the bishop pair against Simon's two knights which he converted into a heavy piece ending where he looked to have a slight edge but was evidently happy with the draw. Phil equalised early on in his game with the black pieces but then started playing loosely - Lambourne capitalised by first winning a pawn and then applying pressure which resulted in Phil blundering a piece. Phil was on the verge of resigning but played on a few moves when his opponent inexplicably left his back rank open which resulted in Phil winning a queen - a case of chess blindness which resulted in Hertford winning their first point fortuitously. Stephen was next to finish after out-manoeuvring Sharp who got himself into extreme time pressure. Towards the end an interesting position arose where Sharp had an active rook out on a limb taking on Stephen's army of minor pieces. Stephen managed to win two peices for a rook just before the time control when Sharp's flag fell on the last move before the time control. The position was almost certainly won regardless. That left Barry and Gordon - our two super subs. Barry defended well and absorbed a lot of Bonafont pressure - he reached what looked like a drawish ending but then drifted and lost a pawn just before the time control. The final position looks difficult for Bonafont to win as he has 4v3 pawns all on the queenside in a rook+knight ending - it was agreed to send this game for adjudication. Gordon played very solidly throughout his game - playing a nice tactic in the opening to regain a pawn he temporarily gave up. In the final position Gordon has bishop+rook+4 pawns versus knight+rook+4 pawns and the position looks dead drawn with hardly any play left for either side. So very likely to be either a 3-2 or a 3.5-1.5 win. Hemel Hempstead 1 Hertford 1 Board 1 : Simmons, Matthew 184 1/2 Knott, Simon JB 216 Board 2 : Sharp, John R 182 0-1 Swanson, Stephen 207 Board 3 : Lambourne, Dan 181 0-1 Borman, Philip J 190 Board 4 : Bonafont, Philip R 186 A-A Cheal, Barry A 175 Board 5 : Williamson, Kevin J 184 P-P Davies, Gordon 167 ......................Match Score : 0.5 - 2.5

Hertford 3 V Watford 4 (22 Nov 11) Nick Wooster

Posted on Wednesday 30th November, 2011

Dear Santa Bring me a Double Headed Coin.............. After suffering two defeats in the opening two matches, should it be in my mind to change the team, change the board order, ask everybody to accept draws very quickly to at least get something on the board or do I take everybody out for another curry? No, all we needed was a change of luck and we got it as I won the toss for the first time this season. Facing opponents who, like ourselves, had lost their opening two games and who we actually outgraded (but not by much), meant that I couldn’t use the “punching above our weight” excuse this time! Encouraged by the fact that Allan seemed to be on top in his game, both Steve and myself played decent games and eventually agreed draws. I lost badly against Chris Russell last year and gambled on doubling my pawns in exchange for dominance of the open file. In the end neither turned out to be a strength or a weakness and a draw was agreed. Allan pressed home his advantage to secure his first win for us this season and all was looking well. Paul was scrambling out of a very difficult position on four and now has a play on in what looks like a very even position and Simon has likewise on one, but with what looks like a winning position. Time will tell, but at 2-1 up I would be astounded if we get nothing from this match and a win against the golden boys is a very distinct possibility. So that is it for this year. I think we have made a good start and a continuation of this standard of play will see us comfortably in mid-table. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all. Colour Hertford 3 Result Watford 4 W Simon Morris (149) P-P Miu Marinel (151) B Allan Hutton (149) 1-0 Chris Byrne (139) W Nick Wooster (138) 0.5-0.5 Chris Russell (136) B Paul Craddock (129) P-P Paul Littlefair (137) W Steve Zsibrita (122) 0.5-0.5 David Healy (116)

Hertford 3 V Barnet 2 (15 Nov 11) Nick Wooster

Posted on Wednesday 30th November, 2011

A tough challenge awaited us in our first home game of the season against a Barnet team who had started with two wins. Fresh off the back of our team curry the previous week the match started with a variety of chicken korma attacks, lamb madras defences and a tuna bhuna gambit. Steve held a solid position on board five and was the first to agree a draw, whilst Paul was sinking into trouble on four despite being a piece up, a seemingly unstoppable pawn marching down the queenside was surely going to see him lose. I was doing better on three where I had gained a pawn but was struggling to see how to advance. Allan was in a solid position on two and agreed a draw and Simon was slightly better in an open position on one. Things were looking good and then disaster struck on three when I missed a queen check and my opponent centralised his queen to devastating effect. This time there was no escape and we were 2-1 down. Paul still seemed to be losing on four but on returning from the bar I found his opponent had blown it, the pawn had gone and Paul retained his extra piece and as Simon continued to try to force the win on one, suddenly the possibility of getting something from the match was on. Despite his advantage Paul was struggling on time and as his flag fell, his opponent breathed a sigh of relief as Barnet secured their third win of the season to leave us with our second defeat. Adjudication time was reached and Simon has a play on in a position where we might expect him to add to our score, but now with no pressure! So this season the team curry didn’t work, but this was still a good effort against opponents who outgrade us quite considerably. Paul came within a whisker of an excellent win against a much stronger opponent and well done to Allan and Steve for fending off stronger opponents. With Simon still able to be the hero from this match we could still finish with our favourite scoreline! Colour Hertford 3 Result Barnet Elizabethans 2 B Simon Morris (149) P-P Phil Myers (162) W Allan Hutton (149) 0.5-0.5 Brian Bowie (162) B Nick Wooster (138) 0-1 Greg Paxton (151) W Paul Craddock (129) 0-1 Neil Wright (160) B Steve Zsibrita (122) 0.5-0.5 Michael Jones (138)

Stevenage1 V Hertford 1 - (14/11/11) - Phil Borman

Posted on Tuesday 15th November, 2011

Hertford continued their strong start to the season with a comfortable win against Stevenage. Simon was first to finish after gaining the upper hand in the middlegame - Maguire resigning prematurely in a worse position with not much time left on his clock. Stephen went about undermining his opponent's centre and gained control of the centre which lead to Hertford notching their second point. Alan had a strong positional advantage which he converted into a winning rook and pawn ending. Paul managed to out-manoeuvre his opponent in a closed position and ended up saddling his opponent with a very bad bishop and poor kingside development which lead to a easy win. Phil won a pawn in the opening which he gave back to keep the initiative. Just prior to the adjournment Phil won the exchange - this game is also definitely winning so a 5-0 whitewash... Board 1 : Maguire, Phillip G 192 0-1 Knott, Simon JB 216 Board 2 : Majer, Chris E 168 0-1 Hanreck, Alan E 211 Board 3 : Amato, Giampiero 173 0-1 Swanson, Stephen 207 Board 4 : Robinson, Dominic 163 P-P Borman, Philip J 190 Board 5 : Jaeger, Kai 162 0-1 Byway, Paul V 198 Match Score : 0 - 4

Barnet 1 V Hertford 1 (7/11/11)- Phil Borman

Posted on Tuesday 15th November, 2011

Barnet turned up without their strongest player (J. Pigott) which balanced out Simon not being able to make this match. The match was very tight with the top 3 boards being drawn. Alan appeared to be under pressure but managed to transpose into an opposite coloured bishops ending which was drawn. Stephen had an interesting position where he had a knight versus bishop in a middlegame with all the heavey pieces still on the board. Stephen had good attacking chances (the knight was more active than the bishop) which was offset by weak doubled pawns - Stephen accepted a draw which was offered. Phil played dynamically by sacrificing a piece which eventually netted 4 pawns. Phil however blundered one of the pawns back in what looked to be a promising position and accepted a draw offer. Paul won a central pawn in the middlegame and duly converted his advanatage by advancing his queenside majority and winning another pawn to leave him with passed a and b pawns when his opponent resigned. Allan (who kindly stepped in at the last minute to play) made an impressive debut for the first team - he got a solid position out of opening and was looking good for a draw for most of his game. However his opponent got the upper hand in a bishop versus knight ending when the game was adjuourned (and later agreed to be sent for adjudication). Having looked at the position briefly I think there is a good chance the game will be adjudicated a draw as its not obvious how the Barnet player can win. So hopefully another win (which will be our first for quite some time against Barnet) or at least a drawn match. Board 1 : Ethelontis, Alexandros N 200 1/2 Hanreck, Alan E 211 Board 2 : Gavriel, Tryfon C 197 1/2 Swanson, Stephen 207 Board 3 : Royce, Roy 185 1/2 Borman, Philip J 190 Board 4 : Myers, Philip 162 0-1 Byway, Paul V 198 Board 5 : Cooper, Mark 160 A-A Hutton, Allan 149 Match Score 1.5 - 2.5

Letchworth 2 V Hertford 3 (31/10/11) - Nick Wooste

Posted on Tuesday 15th November, 2011

We began our assault on division 4 with an away game against a newly promoted Letchworth & Hitchin side who now have a new venue. Gone are the days at Plinston Hall and the dulcet background tones of the line dancing and other such activities and here is the new world of Letchworth & Hitchin Chess Club at the Three Horseshoes at Willian. A pub, so that was a great start, and with lots of people in and excellent looking food being brought out, any future away fixtures there should surely start with a meal. “You’ll be playing in the barn” was the message and suddenly things didn’t seem as rosy and I was glad this was the first match as visions of playing in sub zero temperatures entered my mind. But not at all, as we were led upstairs to a large room at the back which seems ideal for the event. In short, it gets my approval! Onto the match and with two changes on boards four and five, to the nominated team from last season we got our season underway. Simon started well and stopped his opponent castling and seemed to have a strong position. The rest of us all started solidly if unspectacularly. As the games progressed, Simon turned his advantage into a piece, and Steve on five was getting a promising position as evidenced by his rival’s persistent offer of a draw. Allan, Paul and myself were all keeping our hopes alive, but our positions were all slightly worse, and not surprisingly my offer of a draw was declined. First blood went to Simon, after his opponent’s dogged persistence had eventually crumbled, but to counterbalance this, Allan’s position slowly got worse and he succumbed and it was 1-1. Paul, in a worse but possibly saveable position, lost on time and by now Steve had wished he had accepted the draw offer as an error had allowed his opponent to turn things around. However, my opponent wished the same as he blundered to keep my winning start to the season going. Steve had a play-on in a difficult position, but has resigned. A 3-2 defeat to kick off with, our favourite score last season! Colour Letchworth & Hitchin 2 Result Hertford 3 W Anthony Burrows (166) 0-1 Simon Morris (149) B Phil Gardner (153) 1-0 Allan Hutton (149) W Mark Harris (145) 0-1 Nick Wooster (138) B Jon Barnes (145) 1-0 Paul Craddock (129) W Steve Turner (124) 1-0 Steve Zsibrita (122) p.s. for the stattos amongst you, four wins for black. When did that last happen?

Hertford 1 V St. Albans 1 (18th Oct 2011) - Phil B

Posted on Saturday 22nd October, 2011

Our season got off to a good start against St. Albans. Stephen was first to finish with an early draw against Lexton. Barry drew his opponent forward letting him build a big centre which he then went about dismantling, after which he mated his opponent in the centre of the board. Phil gained an edge out of the opening which resulted in damaging Bower's kingside pawn structure. Phil duly won a few pawns - rather than sit back Bower tried a desperado rook sacrifice which was repelled after careful defending. Paul and Simon's games went to adjournemnt - both of which look favourable for Hertford. Simon has Rook + 2 Knights + strong passed pawn versus 2 rooks and appears to be winning comfortably. Paul's game is more interesting... Paul has just sacrificed his knight in order to mop up his opponents kingside pawns. Again Paul appears to be winning as Alldritt's king and extra piece are out of play on the queenside. Board 1 : Knott, Simon JB 216 P-P Fraser-Mitchell, Jeremy N 187 Board 2 : Swanson, Stephen 207 1/2 Lexton, Mike J 185 Board 3 : Byway, Paul V 198 P-P Alldritt, Nigel RE 182 Board 4 : Borman, Philip J 190 1-0 Bower, David E 165 Board 5 : Cheal, Barry A 175 1-0 Simmons, John 151 Match Score : 2.5 - 0.5

Watford2 V Hertford1 (5th April 2011) Phil Borman

Posted on Friday 8th April, 2011

A comfortable win against Watford 2 who are destined for relegation. Barry was first to finish after a promising looking edge (where he had bishop pair versus knight & bishop in the ending) amounted to nothing. Phil then won his game by creating a strong passed pawn on the queenside and then switching the attack to the kingside which was hastened by a blunder from Morris. Stephen won his game after playing a nice exchange sacrifice where he had a very powerfully placed knight and strong attack against Boyce's queenside castled king - he duly smashed his way through. Paul won just after the time control where he had won the exchange and a few pawns and was closing in on his opponents king. Simon's opponent lost a pawn followng some nice tactics where Simon tricked him into thinking he was winning a piece. The adjournment is clearly winning for Simon so the score will be 4.5 - 0.5 Watford 2 Hertford 1 Board 1: Nelson, Omowale( 183) P-P Knott, Simon JB (214) Board 2: Boyce, Mike A (178) 0-1 Swanson, Stephen (204) Board 3: Lancaster, Roger (177) 0-1 Byway, Paul V (187) Board 4: Morris, Barry (170) 0-1 Borman, Philip J (183) Board 5: Taffel, Jeremy P (155) 1/2 Cheal, Barry A (174) Match Score : 0.5 - 3.5

Hertford 3 V Borehamwood 1(29 Mar 11) Nick Wooster

Posted on Thursday 31st March, 2011

Having secured our first win of the season in our last game three weeks ago we were now keen to move off the bottom of the table against a team who were only two points above us and playing their last game of the season. After finally ending the junior’s session we managed to get the boards and sets out just in time to find that our opponents had already given us the edge by turning out with just four players. I subsequently won the toss which of course now counted for little. My game started with my opponent struggling to work out how to use the digital clock, but it turned out to be a cunning ruse as he then nicked a pawn in a Slav defence. I had good counterplay though and ultimately an advanced pawn supported by my unopposed bishop was enough to make him offer a draw despite his pawn advantage. So for the second game running mine was the first to finish with a quick draw. On the other boards, Simon had built up a strong attack against his highly graded opponent, but to lesser mortals like me the position looked defendable. Allan looked slightly down on two as his opponent threatened to work a pawn through the centre, whilst Dave on four looked solid if slightly underdeveloped. I wandered down to the bar for a top-up and to watch a few minutes of the England vs. Ghana match on the new screen. I do hope this isn’t going to be a distraction! On returning to the more important business Simon’s attack still looked defendable, but it only takes one bad move to mess things up. One bad move later, checkmate and the points keep rolling in. So we were now guaranteed a draw and needed just half a point from the remaining two. Allan was becoming increasingly uncomfortable as his opponent pushed forward for the win but Dave still looked ok. I was slightly concerned about the queens and rooks coming off leaving Dave with bishop vs. knight and that is exactly what was about to happen. Closer inspection however, made me realise that the two IQP’s in the centre could not be attacked by rival pieces and as such, sensibly a draw was agreed and so the team secured a second win on the bounce. Allan’s position looked bad as his opponent split his pawns on the kingside and then won one of them. With adjudication time hovering his opponent then gave it up as a bad night and offered a draw. An excellent win and a reversal of the score in the away game. As the others crumble to dust we go from strength to strength as we look for a top half finish. Two more games to go and both tough ones………vs. the top two! Colour Hertford 3 Result Borehamwood 1 W Simon Morris (152) 1-0 Anthony Kent (174) B Allan Hutton (150) 0.5-0.5 Malcolm Gesthuysen (142) W Nick Wooster (137) 0.5-0.5 Leon Glouzman (139) B Dave Green (123) 0.5-0.5 Terry O’Sullivan (132) W Corinne Mountford (118) 1-0 Default

Welwyn 2 V Hertford 3 (08 Mar 11) Nick Wooster

Posted on Wednesday 23rd March, 2011

Our First Win of the Season……..Again!................. A good quiz question for the future this one. Which team won its first game of the season on 9th Nov 2010 and on 8th March 2011? Answer, Hertford 3. How? Read on. Dave e-mailed me on Sunday morning to say we were now bottom of the league as it looks like the Abbey Knights have withdrawn from the league and with it has gone our only win of the season. Not to be deterred by this the team came out in true fighting spirit to start filling the wins column again. Welwyn were a team we had frustratingly drawn against just after Christmas and I felt we should have had much more, but this time those that won last time simply won again and with draws turning to wins and losses to draws our first team win was assured for the second time this season. The story of the night is that my game was first to finish as I agreed a draw as I couldn’t see any possible progress. Was psychology at work here? In the first game I lost to Matt from a better position and maybe I had been over eager to accept a draw. Looking around the other boards, Dave and Corinne were both in trouble and although Simon and Allan both had an edge I now felt as if I should have played on. Looking again at my position I then quite definitely thought I could have won it. However, as the games continued things turned in our favour and although Dave’s position became irretrievable, Simon’s position got stronger as Wali’s knight was pushed to the edge in a knight and pawn ending, leaving Simon with a win and a double over his opponent. Corinne’s opponent’s queen was seriously hemmed in the centre, and could be nailed in three moves, but surely he’ll see it won’t he? Allan now had domination of the open c-file in his game and that was looking good. Two moves later and the black queen on board 5 was still in the centre and surely Bc2 wins the queen, or am I missing something? No Bc2 it was, the queen was gone and with clinical efficiency Corinne finished off to put us ahead and guarantee us at least a draw. We just needed a draw on board 2 from Allan, but he was surely winning easily. Then, a moment you always dread, an unexpected sacrifice. After a flutter of the heart I realised that careful play was needed here or it could go horribly wrong. Careful play was forthcoming and the knight sacrifice proved to be nothing more than the desperate lashing out of the caged beast and a win was assured. So our first win of the season again and although we are still bottom of the table we do have three games left whereas most of the teams above us have only one or two, so we could still finish well up the league with more performances like this. I also looked a little more closely at my position at home and there was nothing in it anyway! Colour Welwyn Hatfield 2 Result Hertford 3 W Mir Wali (142) 0-1 Simon Morris (152) B Jim Fisher (140) 0-1 Allan Hutton (150) W Matt Read (140) 0.5-0.5 Nick Wooster (137) B Nick Cornish (124) 1-0 Dave Green (123) W R. Pearson (110) 0-1 Corinne Mountford (118)

Hoddesdon V Hertford ( Herts & Dist) 10/3/11

Posted on Friday 18th March, 2011

We were away 10th March to Hoddesden. Alan couldn’t make due to work commitments. Also Mark and Steve were unable to help. So Nick stepped in at the last moment. This meant we took a strong team over to Hoddesden, Allan and Nick won their games quite convincingly. Andrew and Dave drew. I also drew myself however I missed a potential win, but was not able to force my way through. So two wins three draws and no losses a great result (well done the team) This is the first time we have beaten them for as long as I can remember and certainly the first time under my captaincy. We fear no-one....Mike Gutteridge

Hertford 3 V Watford 4 (22 Feb 11) Nick Wooster

Posted on Friday 25th February, 2011

We kicked off our second half of the season last night with a visit from Watford. Having had our worst result of the first half of the season against this team we wanted to set the record straight. Having their board one player renominated should have evened things up a bit although overall they still outgraded us. With only one of their players present and time ticking on we decided to start the clocks and when the remaining four had negotiated the traffic jam we had around a ten minute advantage. Allan on one seemed to have a constant edge against his opponent whilst I gained the upper hand in my game. Dave seemed to have slightly the better of a double edged kingside attack and Corinne looked comfortable on four. From my unusually lofty position on two I didn’t see a lot of Mark’s game but he tells me he was in dire trouble after the opening. As the evening progressed the temperature in the room gradually changed from Siberian to thermonuclear meltdown. The games were changing shape too. Without gaining anything in material, Allan was still in a better position on one and I ended up two pawns up and an unopposed pawn marching forward…….surely a win? However, boards three and four had turned against us with Dave resigning after overlooking a double attack on his knight and Corinne was also a piece down but gamely battled on. Better news from our right flank though, where Mark had turned his position into a piece advantage and shortly a win. 1-1. I pushed for a win but miscalculated and had to take a draw, oh the frustration! And Allan decided to take adjudication. Corinne resigned after not being able to see any counterplay for her lost piece. So we currently stand 2.5-1.5 down and hoping for a win from Allan’s adjudication to draw the match…….watch this space. Whatever happens, this is a much better result than the away game. Result Allan Hutton (150) Adj Chris Russell (136) Nick Wooster (137) 0.5-0.5 Paul Littlefair (136) Dave Green (123) 0-1 Steve Smith (130) Corinne Mountford (118) 0-1 Chris Byrne (127) Mark Lynch (112) 1-0 Pete Edwards (126)

Hertford 1 V Royston1 (15 Feb) Phil Borman

Posted on Thursday 17th February, 2011

The match didn't start well with Hertford having to default Borad 1 following Simon K's unexpected absence. Simon M was next to finish after his early piece sac was fended off by Brian. Phil managed to damage his opponent's kingside pawn-structure which lead to him winning a key central pawn which was duly converted into a winning endgame. Paul drew his game in a complex looking middlegame position. That left Stephen who's game was again unfinished - the position was sent off for adjudication where Stephen is a passed pawn up with good winning chances... So probably a drawn match pending the outcome from the adjudication... Hertford 1 Royston 1 Board 1: default D-1 Hutchinson, Norman A (183) Board 2: Swanson, Stephen (204) A-A Kemp, Paul R (187) Board 3: Byway, Paul V (187) 1/2 Clark, Kevin R (183) Board 4: Borman, Philip J (183) 1-0 Pride, Stephen C (155) Board 5: Morris, Simon P (152) 0-1 Judkins, Brian D (155) Match Score : 1.5 - 2.5

Hertford 1 V Barnet 1 (8 Feb) Phil Borman

Posted on Thursday 10th February, 2011

A very tight match. Simon was first to finish with his early draw offer being accepted. Gordon also then drew his game after offering his higher graded opponent a draw in a better position. Paul got a big advantage out of the opening which he nicely converted into winning the exchange and then a strong passed pawn on the queenside which he duly managed to promote into a new queen. Stephen was up against Hasman again and exchanged down into what looked like a drawish ending but his opponent kept an edge and won the ending. Phil adjourned into a dead drawn opposite coloured bishops ending after defended against the bishop pair. So a drawn match and probably not enough to challenege for the title... Hertford 1 Barnet 1 Board 1: Knott, Simon JB (214) 1/2 Pigott, John C (229) Board 2: Swanson, Stephen (204) 0-1 Hasman, Cengiz (199) Board 3: Byway, Paul V (187) 1-0 Gavriel, Tryfon C (199) Board 4: Borman, Philip J (183) P-P Ethelontis, Alexandros N (186) Board 5: Davies, Gordon (160) 1/2 Cutmore, David A (183) Match Score : 2 - 2

St Albans 7 V Hertford5 (7 Feb) Mark Lynch

Posted on Wednesday 9th February, 2011

Not Hertford 5's finest hour - we seriously outgraded our opponents on every board, but managed to make enough uncharacteristic errors that we lost 3-2. I knew it was a bad sign when I didn't win the toss... The blow-by-blow account: On board 5 Ron Hulman made short work of his very young opponent - he quickly won plenty of material and then closed in for the kill. 0-1. My (teenage) board 4 opponent tried grabbing the e4 pawn in a Ruy Lopez and then got into knots trying to hang on to it with his king un-castled. Under pressure, he blundered a piece, and then lost another one as the attack built up on his king, so soon we were 0-2 up. Hurrah! It was then it all went horribly wrong... I discovered that Gordon Finlay (board 3) had lost his way quite early in the opening, got into a very dicey position and then resigned in disgust. 1-2. John Harris (board 2) had walked into a fork and lost a piece and was two pieces down when I looked. He played on gamely, but had to resign eventually. 2-2. Uh-oh. So, how was Paul Craddock doing on board 1? The answer was "not disastrously", but he was under pressure, defending against a very heavy kingside attack. He handled it well, but it cost him a lot of time. Eventually his opponent's attack faltered, and then there was a big swap-off, that left Paul a rook ahead, but with seconds left on the clock. Paul grabbed a bishop as well and was menacing the king..., but then his flag fell. Damn. 3-2.

Borehamwood 1 V Hertford 3(11 Jan 11) Nick Wooster

Posted on Thursday 13th January, 2011

A spin down the A1 was our next venture away to Borehamwood to complete our first half of the season games. They put out their strongest team so a potentially difficult night was in store. Playing black and my opponent giving me the chance to play the Gruenfeld defence I felt confident, but that was short lived as I got into a tangle from which I never recovered. At this point I started to look for crumbs of comfort elsewhere, not many were on offer. Dave and Corinne were both under pressure, but Simon and Allan both seemed to have decent positions. Dave at least managed to fend off his opponent to give us something from the game and despite her best efforts, Corinne finally succumbed to join me in the ranks of the defeated. Simon had a very open position and with doubled rooks firing down into the kingside there was more than a hint of a win. However his young and highly graded opponent defended the situation well and a draw was agreed. Allan appeared to have a slight edge in a rook and pawn ending but far too little to get anything other than another very well earned draw. A respectable score against a strong team, and well done to those who picked up points against strong opponents. Halfway through the season and a repeat of this in the second half should see us ok. Well done everybody. Colour Borehamwood 1 Result Hertford 3 B Ravi Haria (175) 0.5-0.5 Simon Morris (152) W Anthony Kent (174) 0.5-0.5 Allan Hutton (150) B Malcolm Gesthuysen (142) 1-0 Nick Wooster (137) W Leon Glouzman (137) 0.5-0.5 Dave Green (123) B Terry O’Sullivan (132) 1-0 Corinne Mountford (118)

Hemel 1 V Hertford 1 (10th Jan 2011) Phil Borman

Posted on Thursday 13th January, 2011

The first team got off to a good start in 2011 with a convincing win against Hemel 1. Phil was first to finish playing black where his opponent played an umambitious opening. Paul built up a big positional advanatage after the opening and took advantage of Sharp's lack of queenside development. Stephen had a double edged game with kings castled opposite sides. Law tried a speculative piece sac in a position where Stephen appeared to be getting the upper hand. Stephen navigated the tactics and came out winning a piece and the game. Simon had a an edge out of the opening where he had the bishop pair and an advanced passed pawn. He duly converted by threatening to promote the pawn which netted a rook. Bruce's game was adjounred after a complex struggle with Gilfillan just reaching the time control - Bruce is a pawn down but has drawing chances due to his active king. Hemel Hempstead 1 Hertford 1 Board 1: Bonafont, Philip R 195 0-1 Knott, Simon JB 214 Board 2: Law, Stephen 184 0-1 Swanson, Stephen 204 Board 3: Sharp, John R 174 0-1 Byway, Paul V 187 Board 4: Williamson, Kevin J 180 1/2 Borman, Philip J 183 Board 5: Gilfillan, Andrew 166 P-P Toper, Bruce 156 Match Score : 0.5 - 3.5

Hertford 3 V. Welwyn 2 (04 Jan 11) - Nick Wooster

Posted on Thursday 13th January, 2011

So Christmas has gone, puddings consumed and we started the New Year with only our second home game of the season against a very evenly matched Welwyn Hatfield CF. Our opponents discussed tactics openly, having the luxury(?) of being able to play any of their players just about anywhere, they finally decided on their formation and away we went. The early exchanges looked good with nobody in any kind of trouble and Simon already in a very good position. Dave looked likely to win a pawn on four and soon did, whilst my position also looked promising with two menacing knights in the centre. It wasn’t long however before disaster struck as Dave’s one pawn advantage turned into a one pawn deficit and ultimately a defeat whilst I couldn’t turn my advantage into anything other than doubled pawns for my opponent. One blunder later I was also a pawn down and unable to hold. 2-0 and facing a bad defeat I went to the bar to drown my sorrows. Would the remainder of our team wilt in the face of a difficult situation? Not a bit of it, Simon was still in an excellent position and then Matt came down and said it’s 2-1 and I’m worried! On returning to the play, he had good reason to be worried as the Cornish king was stuck in the centre with Corinne’s queen, rooks and knight all threatening too much……2-2! Allan was also in the ascendency but with a difficult rook and pawn ending couldn’t quite complete the ultimate turnaround. Nonetheless another half point salvaged us a good draw from a somewhat difficult situation. Well played everybody. Borehamrigid away next week which will bring us to the halfway point in the season. Colour Hertford 3 Result Welwyn Hatfield 2 W Simon Morris (152) 1-0 Mir Wali (142) B Allan Hutton (150) 0.5-0.5 Jim Fisher (140) W Nick Wooster (137) 0-1 Matt Read (140) B Dave Green (123) 0-1 Miro Stefanovski (130) W Corinne Mountford (118) 1-0 Nick Cornish (124)

Hertford 5 V. St Albans 7- (7 Dec 2010) Mark Lynch

Posted on Wednesday 8th December, 2010

While this fixture should never really have been in doubt, "there's many a slip..." as they say, so I was keen not to take it for granted. I started to get a bad feeling about it when Richard phoned me to say he was ill, but luckily Alan could step into the breach at the last minute. Phew. As it turned out the visitors made it easy for us as they themselves had a late cancellation and so defaulted a board. So, we started 1-0 up and then Paul grabbed his opponent's queen within what seemed like a few minutes of the start, so very soon it was 2-0. Then Gordon got into a good position, but eventually had to accept a draw after his opponent hung on tenaciously despite being down on material - 2.5/0.5 Then I nearly threw my game away. I was a piece up, but let my opponent get a pawn to the 7th rank, forcing me into some hairy and nail-biting defence. Managed to get the pawn, though, and it was all over - 3.5/0.5. Finally, Alan went through the nightmare of having to play out a completely won game with the whole world watching. His opponent also produced a bit of a scare with a pawn on the 7th, but Alan managed to grab it then the game turned into a king chase with a queen and bishop. Once his opponent realized he couldn't win on time(!) he resigned. 4.5/0.5. Hurrah!

Hertford 1 V Watford 2 - (23 Nov 2010) Phil Borman

Posted on Wednesday 24th November, 2010

Despite outgrading our opponents on every board this match was much tougher than expected with all games hard fought. Gordon was first to finish agreeing a draw in a slightly better position. The other 4 games went the distance. Paul agreed a draw at the end of the evening in a rook and pawn ending where he appeared to have good chances earlier. The other three games were adjourned where Simon had just won a key passed pawn, Stephen is the exchange up and Phil is a pawn up with the better position. Hertford 1 Watford 2 Board 1: Knott, Simon JB 214 P-P Nelson, Omowale 183 Board 2: Swanson, Stephen 204 P-P Boyce, Mike A 178 Board 3: Byway, Paul V 187 1/2 Lancaster, Roger 177 Board 4: Borman, Philip J 183 P-P Morris, Barry 170 Board 5: Davies, Gordon 160 1/2 Kearns, Alex 150 Match Score : 1 - 1

St Albans 3 V Hertford 3 (15 Nov 10) Nick Wooster

Posted on Saturday 20th November, 2010

On Monday the Emperor, following a successful raid last week, despatched his third legion to defend the ancient city of Verulamium against a further attack by the barbarians of Hertford. The initial defences of traffic lights and mini-roundabouts proved ineffective and we arrived at the hideously named, but nonetheless very well appointed London Road Residents Association and engaged in battle. There was no repeat of last week’s default as we all got a game. Alas our flanks were slain as Simon was vanquished to the bar after losing quickly on one and Corinne’s position looked perilous as bishops and pawns rained down to force resignation. 2-0 down and our attack looked doomed, but then the centre remained strong! My trusted guards on either side of me drove home their advantage with clinical efficiency from what looked like very similar positions to claim their first 3rd team wins of the season leaving the leader of the barbarian hordes to do the same and claim victory. Except, I was frustrated by my opponent’s rampant queen and with a complex position of rook, bishop and knight vs. queen my two extra pawns were not enough and I had to accept a draw. Overall another good performance, a more than useful point and well earned first wins for Allan and Dave. In my own “glass half full” world I’ll cling on to being unbeaten with black! Colour St Albans 3 Result Hertford 3 W Paul Lawrence (147) 1-0 Simon Morris (152) B Paul Laskier (143) 0-1 Allan Hutton (150) W Ian Cross (141) 0.5-0.5 Nick Wooster (137) B Matthew James (139) 0-1 Dave Green (123) W Ray Claret (135) 1-0 Corinne Mountford (118) Footnote: Allan lost his follow-on game vs. Barnet the following night resulting in a narrow 3-2 defeat from our first game of the season. So his first win and defeat of the season on successive nights!

Hertford 5 V St Albans 6 (16th Nov) - Mark Lynch

Posted on Saturday 20th November, 2010

Bad news... and some very good news.......................Sadly, it wasn't our night last Tuesday against St Alban's 6. First, I managed to put in another "captain's performance" by losing quite quickly; I tried to simplify a very tense centre hoping to get a pawn moving forward, but didn't see that there was a nasty pin lying in wait when the dust had settled - I struggled on but eventually blundered a piece and some pawns. Paul agreed a draw about the same time - he had a reasonable position but couldn't see any way to break through. Soon after that Mike succumbed to a passed pawn, but then Alan became the night's hero as he triumphed over the opposing captain with a lovely kingside mating attack. So, it was all down to Richard to win and draw the match! He was down a pawn or two and his other pawns looked a bit ragged, but he'd opened the h file towards a very vulnerable-looking king, so the game became very tense (with about 5 minutes on both clocks). His opponent kept a cool head, though, and managed to get his king to relative safety on the other side of the board (after being harried from f8 to a5!). Richard had recovered some material during all this, but once he ran out of forcing checks, his opponent spotted a fork that won significant material and it was soon game over. So, the accolades go to Alan for an excellent win and to Richard, who so nearly snatched a win from a precarious-looking position. And now for the good news... Brian tells me that Bryan Osland has conceded their adjourned game from our match against Barnet 3. That means WE WIN THE MATCH!!!!!!!! Big kudos to Brian - well done! So, current status is that we're lying fifth in League 7 after only two matches (most teams have played more). We're also the only team to have beaten Barnet (so far). Now we have the little matter of the match against Hertford 4 next week. I'll send another mail about that soon.

Abbey Knights 1 Vs. Hertford 3 (08 Nov 10)

Posted on Thursday 11th November, 2010

On Monday we ventured over to the Mermaid in St. Albans for the first of our double headers and took on the Abbey Knights. An empty bar and an upstairs room to play in, it was a bit like a home game and awash with volunteers to play in this game I elected to play the strongest team possible i.e. the nominated one. I promptly won the toss to give us white on odds and that is where my positive contribution to proceedings ended. The opposition had five players, but one did not want to play and despite all attempts to persuade him otherwise, they had to default board five. Dave very graciously offered to stand down since Simon, Corinne and Allan had travelled together, so that once again left Corinne on board four. I didn’t see too much of the other games but it appeared that Simon, making his first appearance of the season for us, was in a very open position with lots of threats and counter threats. No chance of a draw there I thought, and then…….a draw was agreed. Allan appeared to have a solid position which looked like a draw and ended as a draw, whilst Corinne, massively outgrading her opponent on four, after a few early problems emerged with the whole point after winning a piece. My game had been a great, open and attacking game with opposite side castling in which I eventually came unstuck. Nonetheless with the other games finished, our first win of the season in the bag and me running short of time, I opted to press on. After getting my queen trapped and ultimately losing it for rook and bishop I could sense my opponent’s exasperation when I conjured up a counter-attack which won the queen back. Now it was knight + bishop against rook, except the knight could be pinned and couldn’t be defended. Nearly another draw for me but not quite, a good game to play in and at least my team bailed me out! So there it is, our first win of the season. Well played everybody and now back to the other St Albans venue next Monday. Colour Abbey Knights 1 Result Hertford 3 B Kieran Murphy (160) 0.5-0.5 Simon Morris (152) W David Hambly (153) 0.5-0.5 Allan Hutton (150) B Richard Walsh (144) 1-0 Nick Wooster (137) W Jon Poole (79) 0-1 Corinne Mountford (118) B Default 0-1 Dave Green (123)

Watford 4 Vs. Hertford 3 (19 Oct 10)

Posted on Wednesday 20th October, 2010

Christmas is Coming.......... Not only are the shelves of the supermarkets getting stocked up with Christmassy type things but last night on the way in to Watford I had my first sighting of a house covered in Christmas lights draining the power grid. No recession here then! Arriving at the club early the car park was almost full and with the Golden Boys at home on the same night was it a coincidence? Onto the match and I lost the toss and for the first time this season one of our players outgraded their opponent…….. me by a whole point, but it made little difference as I failed to make any inroads into his solid defence and then fell to a queenside pawn attack supported by an annoyingly active knight on e4……0-1. After all looking fairly even earlier on the match was now in bad shape for us as Steve was now in an impossible double pin of his knight on f6, Corinne’s kingside was about to be swamped and Allan looked to be in increasing danger as his opponent’s pawn advanced through the centre. The one hope of avoiding wipeout was Dave keeping level on three. That quickly turned into a half point but without much delay, Corinne’s kingside was swamped and Steve had to resign as he was now a queen for a bishop down. Allan battled on, started to create counter-threats with a queenside pawn attack, nicely supported by his rook and with adjudication time upon us a draw was agreed in a very double-edged position. So not the best of nights but well done Dave and Allan for keeping the score respectable and with a full three weeks to lick our wounds and cover our houses in Christmas lights we should be all set for our next venture away to Abbey Knights. Colour Watford 4 Result Hertford 3 B Alex Kearns (150) 0.5-0.5 Allan Hutton (150) W Chris Russell (136) 1-0 Nick Wooster (137) B Paul Littlefair (136) 0.5-0.5 Dave Green (123) W Steve Smith (130) 1-0 Corinne Mountford (118) B Chris Byrne (127) 1-0 Steve Zsibrita (117) Score - 4 - 1 (Nick Wooster)

Hertford 1 V St. Albans 1 - 12th Oct 2010

Posted on Thursday 14th October, 2010

A tight match. Phil was first to finish after blundering horribly in a drawish ending. Shortly after Simon won his game with a smooth performance against JFM. The match is finely balanced with 3 unfinished games. Barry opted to go for adjudication where he was a pawn down. Paul adjourned a pawn up and Stephen has a complicated looking position in his adjournment... All three results still possible. Board 1: Knott, Simon JB 214 1-0 Fraser-Mitchell, Jeremy N 192 Board 2: Swanson, Stephen 204 P-P Hollis, Geoff A 186 Board 3: Byway, Paul V 187 P-P Lexton, Mike J 186 Board 4: Borman, Philip J 183 0-1 Alldritt, Nigel RE 183 Board 5: Cheal, Barry A 174 A-A Simmons, John 149 Match Score :1 - 1

Hertford 3 Vs. Barnet Elizabethans 2 (05 Oct 10)

Posted on Monday 11th October, 2010

Hertford 3's first match of the season and my first as captain (Nick W.) for four years saw us at home to Barnet. The bit I did remember how to do, the toss of the coin, went well as I secured white on odds. Before the start we decided to aim for promotion this season, but accept that we may have to adjust our target as the season goes on! Upon seeing the grades of our opponents I feared an immediate adjustment might be called for. But, read on…. I was under pressure from early on and looking around, Allan on one, Dave on three and Corinne on four all seemed to be in a similar position, but we all looked solid so maybe a 5-0 thrashing wasn’t on the cards after all, providing we held our nerve. My next look at the other boards saw Duncan winning on five and the rest of us still clinging on. Duncan soon won to put his nightmare performance the previous evening to bed, and Dave drew his game on three. My opponent initially turned down a draw but then accepted a few moves later with him running out of time. 2-1 up! Could we get something out of this? Allan and Corinne both ended with play-ons and both a pawn down but both with chances of drawing. So watch this space. Whatever happens in these two games this is a good start to the season against opponents who outgraded us on every board, so well done everybody, a great performance. Colour Hertford 3 Result Barnet Elizabethans 2 W Allan Hutton (150) P Phil Myers (164) B Nick Wooster (137) 0.5-0.5 Brian Bowie (158) W Dave Green (123) 0.5-0.5 Mike Jones (140) B Corinne Mountford (118) P Greg Paxton (139) W Duncan Marshall (116) 1-0 Malcolm Harding (119)

Hertford 1 V Hemel 1 - 5th Oct 2010

Posted on Tuesday 21st September, 2010

A promising start to the season back in division 1. Simon was first to finish after extricating himself from a tricky looking position. He found a nice tactic to win a second pawn and the game. Stephen shortly followed with a win that was never in doubt punishing Law’s inventive opening play (which involved an early a5 and Ra6?!). Paul appeared to have an edge going into a good bishop ending however he got his queen trapped on the queenside and offered a timely draw which was accepted. Tebbs managed to get a strong stonewall bind with an early Ne5 and played a slow controlled attack which Barry couldn’t repel. Phil adjourned in a favourable position where he had has just won the bishop pair and has options to either win the exchange or play for a kingside attack. Board 1: Knott, Simon JB214 1-0 Bonafont, Philip 195 Board 2: Swanson, Stephen204 1-0 Law,Stephen184 Board 3: Cheal, Barry A174 0-1 Tebbs, Howard L 183 Board 4: Byway, Paul V187 1/2 Valentine, Brian 170 Board 5: Borman, Philip183 P-P Lambourne, Dan164 Match Score : 2.5 - 1.5