Horsham 3 Defeated by Bexhill 2

Horsham 3 began the year with another tough match, this time against Bexhill 2. Despite putting up a fight on all four boards, we were soundly defeated 1-3. Ian Comley played Black in a very sharp Trompowsky line on the first board, eventually getting an overwhelming position before succumbing to a desperado. Nick Warren had the white pieces against an Alekhine and reached an unusual position where Black's Queen was able to infiltrate his kingside and was eventually overwhelmed.

I was able to turn the tide momentarily from the black side of a Grunfeld, where I sacrificed a bishop and my opponent was not able to work out the complications. The win came quickly once White was forced to sacrifice back the material and enter a simplified position with little development. On the fourth board, Bob Lanzer played a Yugoslav Attack setup against the Pirc Defense, with some compromises including late development of the kingside knight. Black attacked on the queenside, which was well enough defended for a time, but White underestimated important opportunities to weaken the attacking forces, leading ultimately to a win for Black.