Horsham 1 draw with Lewes

Horsham 1 started the New Year with a draw against a decent Lewes side.

On board one, Gavin Lock was up as Black against Henry Adams. Gavin managed to resist his opponent's pressure in a sharp Catalan and the game ended up as a draw.

On board two, Mark Broom was White against familiar opponent Peter Farr. Mark gained some early pressure with an enterprising pawn sacrifice, but went wrong in the ensuing complications and ended up losing.

On board three, James Mansson had Black pieces against Louis Buckland. The opening saw a transposition into a sharp Benoni. White picked up his bishop on c1 rather than knight on b1 in the opening, forcing him to play something he did not intend. Play soon ended up in an unfamiliar type of position, as the knight on b1 did not end up on the customary c3 square. Both sides made numerous inaccuracies and errors, before finally reaching a position where White had a won endgame. However, as both sides were short of time, this was tricky to play, and Black managed to seize on a White mistake to escape with a draw.

On board four, Anthony Higgs played a speculative gambit as White against Richard Welford's Dutch Defence. The game eventually turned very much in Black's favour, but by some miracle, White managed to turn things round and win on time.

The final match score was therefore 2-2.