20-07-2014, 04:12 PM
Round 8:
England2 3 – 1 Scotland
A bad day at the office. I settled for a quick draw against my higher-graded opponent. Steve faced down a Benko Gambit but decided he wasn’t going to make any progress so also settled for a draw. So far OK.
Alastair D’s Benoni left him with a cramped position and in trying to break out he got rather tangled up and lost first material and then the game. Meanwhile David’s opponent had castled queenside in an exchange Queens Gambit, and commenced an all-out attack on the King’s side. Ultimately it would prove decisive.
After all that we are now one place below our seeding for the first time; a win against the Lithuanian women tomorrow would take us back up again but we are taking nothing for granted – they have already shown that they are somewhat better than their gradings would suggest...
England2 3 – 1 Scotland
A bad day at the office. I settled for a quick draw against my higher-graded opponent. Steve faced down a Benko Gambit but decided he wasn’t going to make any progress so also settled for a draw. So far OK.
Alastair D’s Benoni left him with a cramped position and in trying to break out he got rather tangled up and lost first material and then the game. Meanwhile David’s opponent had castled queenside in an exchange Queens Gambit, and commenced an all-out attack on the King’s side. Ultimately it would prove decisive.
After all that we are now one place below our seeding for the first time; a win against the Lithuanian women tomorrow would take us back up again but we are taking nothing for granted – they have already shown that they are somewhat better than their gradings would suggest...