SCCU Open Surrey vs. Middlesex
15th March 2014
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| Tony Fulton, Your Captain |
Sometimes when writing reports your
author gets carried away! Evidence of this is the length he went to
in explaining the permutations of the possible results of Round 5. On
reflection he should have been more succinct and if he were he would
have written:
‘If Middlesex beat Surrey in the
final round they qualify for Open Section of National Stage as SCCU
Champions and retain the Shannon Trophy for the first time since
1979-80; if Middlesex lose they will need to rely on the results of
the other matches keeping their fingers crossed that either Essex or
Hertfordshire can do them a favour. If both Kent and Sussex as
expected win, Middlesex compete in Minor. Of the two it’d be better
if Middlesex control own destiny and put Surrey to sword!’ How to
the point is that? Had your author thought about the comments made by
some contestants who are voted off as the weakest link, those whom
say, ‘Who cares who wins it’s not going to be me’, he’d have
followed suit and said, ‘Who really cares about what the other
teams do the focus is solely Middlesex!’ In future cycles
discussions about the permutations will be kept short and sweet!
Middlesex travelled to Coulsdon knowing
that the outcome of the match decided so much. Firstly the match, as
is historically the case, was a title-decider: Middlesex win they are
SCCU Champions; Surrey win and subject to Kent result against
Hertfordshire either they or Kent became Champions. One match with 3
possible outcomes!
Second, apart from deciding the
destination of the Shannon Trophy the Champions of the SCCU get an
additional fillip namely as it, subject to any changes to the ECF
Draw (16th February 2014), sees them pass directly into
the semi-final and a potential home draw against a SCCU rival! ECF
Draw in full here
One match with so many tantalising
benefits if victory achieved – conferred SCCU Champions; a Trophy
AND a Bye! Defeat and Middlesex could well be consigned to the Minor.
All or Nothing indeed!
When facing Surrey a team of strength
is required as in being able to field the likes of B. Lalic; Y. Zhou
and A. Suarez among an assortment of IM’s and FM’s, Surrey are a
formidable proposition. With so much at stake in this match AND
having yet to attain victory on Surrey soil since their return
Middlesex fielded one of their strongest line-ups, team average 199.
Middlesex then were clearly intent leaving Surrey with positive
result of some kind and if victory rectify a blot on their record! It
would also send a psychological marker to Surrey in the event teams
face each other in the National Stage!
It must be noted that in fielding a
team of such strength your author was not swayed by the email
received from his counterpart (Owen Phillips):
“...I reckon you are
slight favourites (no kidology) – partly because I shall be missing
a few key players...”
Question although qualification assured
(Surrey could finish no lower than third) with a title at stake
against a fierce SCCU rival and prospect of bye in the offing, why on
earth would you want to miss out on being involved in such an
encounter? Despite his assurances of ‘no kidology’, when playing
Surrey you take a statement such as this at face value as even with
‘a few key players missing’ you should always expect to face a
strong line-up, especially when they are at home (usual average 193).
Yes there may be the odd occasion when they fail to field a team in
excess of 190 (2007-08 vs. Middlesex and 2013-14 vs. Sussex) however
these are an exception rather than norm. A ‘weak’ Surrey team is
by most counties standards still a strong team! When team lists were
exchanged Surrey’s line-up was in keeping with their average 193 so
much for ‘missing a few key players’! Par score: Middlesex win
9-7.
With so much at stake it is no surprise
that once the match got under way the first results to come in were
draws. Richard and Albert playing solid lines in which neither
player could eke out a definitive advantage. Score level: 1-1
In gladiatorial contests what is
required is a definitive action as it set the pattern of play, in
football an early goal; tennis a break; rugby converted try, etc. In
chess what is desired is an early win if only to settle the nerves
alternatively to sharpen the fangs. Sometimes you should be wary of
what you desire as you just may get it! Imagining that the match
would be tense throughout it was surprising that the next four
results were indeed definitive with the teams sharing two wins
apiece! It was an unfortunate return for Daniel as he met one of
Middlesex’s bête noirs – Russell Granat! It has been mentioned
in previous reports that Russell has a phenomenal record against
Middlesex since their return to top-flight chess and once again he
puts a Middlesex player to the sword. He really does seem to relish
this fixture. Daniel’s defeat saw Surrey take the lead in the match
for the sole time as it spurred Middlesex into action. The defeat was
offset by victories for both Simon and Peter (Ackley). Simon has been
in a rich vein of form for Middlesex and he once again brings home
the bacon as he crushes his opponent having launched an irrepressible
attack. Where Simon’s game was a demonstration of how to
systematically take an opponent apart, Peter’s was an altogether
different affair! At one stage when you looked at his position, it
seemed as though he and his opponent were playing a game of draughts
but misunderstood the rule as both were playing on opposite colours,
Peter on the white squares, his opponent on black! Comparisons to
draughts apart, Peter had one distinct advantage in the blocked
position – his opponent had been forced to play his KB to h1 and it
was entombed. It could be argued he would have been better off
removing it from the board! Patient play sees Peter garner the point.
Middlesex briefly gain lead but it is short-lived as Carsten
misjudged his position and fell soon after. Scores level: 3-3
With almost half the games played all
results were still possible but a look at the games in progress
showed that Middlesex were at least equal if not better in them all:
Jochem had negotiated the questions posed to him in the opening phase
after grabbing a pawn; Tomer had gained two pieces for a rook and was
using them to great effect to support his passed b-pawn; Andrew was
beginning to realise the fruits of his positional stranglehold; Bob
an exchange up; Colin involved in opposite-side attacks and Steve’s
knight creating problems for his opponent as it was firmly ensconced
on d3! Middlesex were looking good and it was being whispered that
Middlesex were on course to win match. The optimism proved
well-founded as Carsten’s loss was the last to be experienced by
Middlesex on the day!
Having survived a late scare Peter
(Batchelor) secured a draw the first of four from the next five
results. Colin acquiesces to a draw as his opponent had defended
resolutely against his attack and had set up a queen sacrifice that
would allow him to get a draw by perpetual check; Jochen had laboured
hard in a protracted rook and pawn endgame but his opponent always
found enough to prevent him from being able to attain a significant
advantage and Mark likewise found that his opponent had stopped him
from making progress and in a same-coloured bishop endgame decided
discretion better part of valour. The series of draws was punctuated
by Andrew’s win. Middlesex gain lead for the first time and with
their nose in front was determined to stay there. Middlesex lead 6-5.
With 5games remaining the first target
for Middlesex was to get to 8points, if achieved it would assure
their qualification to Open Section of National Stage. They were
within touching distance of it as Tomer demonstrated why two pieces
are better than rook and pawn. Despite rearguard action Tomer’s
opponent eventually conceded. This is quickly followed up by Jochem’s
draw. Jochem once again had to tackle one or two questions posed, it
would seem that his opponent conscious of match position looked for
sharper lines to try and force a win. However he really ought to have
considered that Jochem had already calmly dealt with the questions
posed and continued to sweep aside the desperate attempts for the win
ensuring he had enough for the draw AND potential win himself. Draw
clearly right result. Middlesex lead 7.5-5.5
Bob is next to finish and his draw
ensured Middlesex could not lose match. Despite his best efforts to
eke out win the position was just not quite open enough for him to
benefit from his material advantage; His opponent’s bishop; knight
and king taking key squares from his rook and his bishop biting in
granite. With the score standing at 8-6 Middlesex know they could not
lose AND had guaranteed themselves a berth in the National Stage as
they could now finish no lower than second. The question was whether
they could obtain the match win so they could attain their first
victory against Surrey in Surrey and with it be crowned SCCU
Champions?
Put simply yes! Both Ananth and Steve
were in control of their games with some minor miracle having to
occur for both to lose! In accordance with match rules, they were
informed of match score and they knew they could both play for a win
safely so long as they maintained draw in hand. Ananth however was
determined to make the most of his position and he did so
beautifully. All chess players are aware of the advice that in an
endgame with pawns on both sides of the board ensure you have a
bishop not the knight as the bishop is more flexible as it is easier
for it to play on both sides of the board. Ananth showed that
sometimes we must overlook such pieces of advice as his knight was
able to wreak havoc on both sides on the board, helping win pawns on
kingside before smoothly returning to queenside to remove the only
form of counter-play the passed a-pawn! He also makes light of
another piece of advice the knight will struggle against passed pawn
on a- or h- files! Ananth’s win means Middlesex have an
unassailable lead – 9-6 – and it just remains to see if Steve can
give Middlesex a double-digit score. Alas it is not to be as despite
his best endeavours his opponent demonstrates a thorough
understanding of rook vs. rook and pawn endgames and forces Steve to
accept the draw. Final score: 9.5-6.5. Middlesex win match and with
it are conferred SCCU Champions! The title-winning cycle sees
Middlesex retain the Shannon Trophy for the first time since 1979-80!
The 2014-15cycle sees Middlesex have 3 home matches, could Middlesex
win a hat-trick of titles something they last did in the 1930’s?
This is surprising when you consider Middlesex’s success in the
decade 1978-1989; one thing that eluded these teams was the fact that
they never achieved an SCCU hat-trick! Time will tell if this will be
rectified but for the moment revel in fact that Middlesex are SCCU
Champions once again!
Well done guys!
See here
for full match details.
With Middlesex controlling their own
destiny in defeating Surrey there was no need to look towards Essex
and/or Hertfordshire to do them a favour by either winning against
Sussex and Kent respectively. Their results then are given for
completion.
Hertfordshire as is known are on a
remarkable run of results; they have not won a point of any kind
since their last game in the 2010-11cycle (P14 L14). In their final
game of season they found themselves home to title-chasing Kent.
Hertfordshire were once again within a whisker of breaking this
record as they lost a close encounter 7.5-8.5. With three home games
next cycle surely their luck must change? Let’s hope though it’s
not against Middlesex as they will be in pursuit of a hat-trick of
SCCU titles!
Sussex assured of qualification to the
Minor Section of National Stage harboured hopes of playing with the
‘big boys’ in the Open. In order to do this assuming Kent beat
Hertfordshire they had to defeat Essex and look to Surrey to defeat
Middlesex therefore pipping Middlesex to the final berth. Sussex did
their bit of the job comprehensively winning against Essex 10-6.
Essex’s match
report indicates that they were once again without
their stronger players, however when looking at the teams fielded all
cycle they have only once exceeded 185 the norm being 181 – truly a
Minor team. However as is known their hopes are dashed as Surrey
failed to live up to their part of the bargain.
With all results in the final table of
the cycle is:
League Table Round 5
1. Middlesex 4/5 (51 Game points)
SCCU Champions
2. Kent 4/5 (42)
3. Surrey 3/5 (43)
4. Sussex 3/5 (41)
5. Essex 1/5 (39)
6. Hertfordshire 0/5 (24)
Middlesex finish as SCCU Champions and
qualify for the Open Section of the National Stage, as do Kent and
Surrey. Sussex and Essex progress to the Minor. Good luck to all SCCU
competitors in all divisions in the National Stage. How many titles
will Middlesex and/or SCCU walk off with?
So Middlesex’s SCCU campaign ends and
attention can now be turned to the National Stage. Please ensure the
following dates are in your diary:
Quarter-Final 17th May 2014
Semi-Final 14th June 2014
Final 12th July 2014 - The
Trident Centre, Warwick CV34 6SW
Based on current ECF Draw Middlesex’s
path to the final is:
Quarter-Final – Bye
Semi-Final vs. Winner of Lancashire vs.
Surrey, If Surrey Middlesex will have the bonus of being the home
team.
Notwithstanding this draw or any
changes to it Middlesex will be looking to reach their 3rd
final in as many years and lift a 2nd National Title. If
that were to happen Middlesex would have secured SCCU/ECF double for
the first time since 1988-89!
Next Match – to be confirmed, details
of the National Stage will be finalised on 31st March 2014
and will be forwarded once received.
Martin Blaine Best Performance Cup
Each cycle the MCCA awards the Martin
Blaine Cup to the best performing Open team player. After 5 rounds
the leading positions are:
1. C. Mackenzie 29pts
2. G. Batchelor 27pts
3= R. McMichael 23pts
3= P. Ackley 23pts
3= N. Chan 23pts
Go on the Middlesex!