Online Mid-Sussex League roundup

On 5th May the Mid-Sussex online league was decided with Horsham teams vying for the top spot in both divisions.

Horsham 1 defeated Brighton 1 by a score of 3-1, thanks to three defaults! A bit of a damp squib to end the season, but it meant three of us got to watch some excellent chess in Division 2, where Horsham 2 comprehensively defeated Bexhill 2 with the whitewash score of 4-0.

The board position at the top of the article appeared on board 2 of this match where Marian defeated Anna from Bexhill - the superbly geometrical columns of pieces on the d- and f-files make an aesthetic impression. Marian has just played 34.Bf5 and the game finished 34...Rc7 35.Be6 Ke7 36.Bxf7 Kxf7 37.Ne6 Rcd7 38.Qxg7+ and mate soon followed.

Unfortunately Worthing 1 (in Division 1) and Crowborough (in Division 2) got the results they needed which meant they won each division with Horsham being runners-up with 4 match wins and 1 defeat in both cases. Still an excellent result for the club all told.

Many thanks to Mark, Dix, Alex, Ian, Chris, Marian, Guy and Monika whose consistent availability made selection straightforward, always nice for a captain! As we return slowly to over-the-board chess it is unclear how much online chess the league will run next year but thanks to all for playing and hope you all enjoyed yourselves!