Paul Watson Trophy Win

Horsham had a convincing victory away at Haywards Heath in the preliminary round of the Paul Watson Trophy last night, winning 4-0. This competition is for teams of 4 players with an average grading of 150 or less.

The games finished in Board number order ! On Board 1, Peter defended precisely with the black pieces against a sacrificial attack and emerged a rook up for two pawns and his opponent duly resigned. I was assisted by my opponent’s reluctance to castle which lead to him giving up the exchange in order to get his king to safety.

John was never in trouble playing the Ruy Lopez with the black pieces - his bishops were particularly well placed and he built a winning attack. Richard sealed the whitewash with a very exciting finish – under time pressure he played accurately to create a strong attack and he made the time control with 30 seconds to spare – his final move threatened mate and his opponent's flag fell as he struggled to find an escape.

V Cole (169) 0 - 1 P Harbott (173) (Black)
D Curtis (127) 0 -1 T Pavlovic (152)
R Rattray (126) 0 - 1 J Marshall (147)
N Fitzgerald (120) 0 - 1 R Barrowclough (124)