Horsham 2 vs Horsham 3

Horsham 2 faced Horsham 3 this week, the first in a series of such matches, since Horsham is fielding three teams in the second division this year. Of course, Horsham 2 would like to achieve promotion at the end of the season, so it was important for us to start off on the right foot.

However, the match began with four tense games, so the task ahead would clearly not be easy. The first game to resolve was Anthony Higgs with the white pieces against Ian Edgson. The game transposed to a solid but difficult French-like structure where Anthony was able to apply enough pressure to secure a point for the second team.

The next game to resolve was my game, also with the white pieces, against Ben Crosby. After the opening black was saddled with hanging pawns that required difficult tactics to protect, and I was able to win a pawn and convert it to another point for Horsham 2.

The next game saw Phil Stimpson defending a Grand Prix attack with an early Bb5 against Nick Warren. Black secured a strong knight on d4, which White made some concessions to dislodge, creating an isolated pawn and burying his light-squared bishop. Phil was able to build up pressure along the b-file and break through after White's pieces became uncoordinated. With this point, Horsham 2 was able to rest assured of victory.

The final game was a tense battle between Rob McDonald and John Marshall. Rob defended a Spanish where he gave a pawn in the opening, but was able to trick his opponent into thinking it was prep. The game eventually distilled into a "good knight versus bad bishop" endgame, where Rob was able to press the advantage and secure the final point.

Despite the lopsided score, four good games were played by the two Horsham teams. One can only hope that this is an indication of our form for the season to come.