In order to finish the Quickplay Knockout , Anthony Higgs and Brian Donnelly had arranged to play their Semi-Final, then for James Mansson to play the winner all on the same club evening. Anthony overcame Brian 2.5-1.5 in a tightly-contested match, before taking James on in the final.
In the first game James gained the initiative as Black, but this fizzled out and a draw was agreed. The second game saw Anthony obtain a good position out of the opening. James attempted an unsound sacrifice, but Anthony did not find the correct defence, and James emerged a pawn ahead. However, he did not play the most accurate moves to exploit my advantage, then contrived to lose on time as he became engrossed in the position, trying to work out how to exploit the extra pawn!
This win gave Anthony the match and victory in the competition.