A fantastic final weekend saw us finishing third to secure promotion to Division 2 next season !!
FIXTURES 2007/8 DIVISION 3
Rounds 1 and 2
15th/16th September 2007
De Vere Venues, Sunningdale
| RD 1 | SLOUGH SHARKS 3 | 2025 | v | PANDORA'S BOX | 2082 | |
| 1 | w | Fry, Charlie (default) | 2013 | 0 - 1 | Walton, Alan J | 2223 |
| 2 | b | Edgell, Ben P | 2069 | ½ - ½ | Taylor, Robert M | 2203 |
| 3 | w | Nelson, Omowale | 2080 | ½ - ½ | Dilley, Jason M | 2216 |
| 4 | b | de Coverly, Roger | 2086 | 0 - 1 | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2125 |
| 5 | w | Russell, Chris (default) | 2021 | 0 - 1 | Cumbers, Paul | 2128 |
| 6 | b | Varnam, Liam D | 2033 | ½ - ½ | Nicholson, Jim | 2060 |
| 7 | w | Woods, Connor | 1872 | 0 - 1 | Coates, David | 1969 |
| 8 | b | default | 0 - 1 | Gallagher, Marie (F) | 1730 | |
| 1½-6½ |
Click here to see the games (pgn format)
| RD 2 | PANDORA'S BOX | 2082 | v | MIND SPORTS | 2106 | |
| 1 | w | Walton, Alan J | 2223 | 1 - 0 | Hardman, Michael J | 2117 |
| 2 | b | Taylor, Robert M | 2203 | ½ - ½ | Camargo, Luiz | 2125 |
| 3 | w | Dilley, Jason M | 2216 | 0 - 1 | Almond, Richard | 2101 |
| 4 | b | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2125 | ½ - ½ | Ackley, Peter | 2134 |
| 5 | w | Cumbers, Paul | 2128 | 1 - 0 | Edwards, Ray B | 2139 |
| 6 | b | Nicholson, Jim | 2060 | 0 - 1 | Minnican, Alan * | 2110 |
| 7 | w | Coates, David | 1969 | 0 - 1 | Hawkins, Nick | 2016 |
| 8 | b | Gallagher, Marie (F) | 1730 | 1 - 0 | default | |
| 4 - 4 |
Click here to see the games
Rounds 3 and 4
10th/11th November 2007
Saturday vs FCA Solutions 1
| RD 3 | FCA SOLUTIONS 1 | 2137 | v | PANDORA'S BOX | 2103 | |
| 1 | w | Hetey, Laszlo | 2359 | ½ - ½ | Ashton, Adam G | 2282 |
| 2 | b | Tippleston, Charles | 2158 | ½ - ½ | Walton, Alan J | 2227 |
| 3 | w | Macdonald-Ross, Michael | 2150 | ½ - ½ | Cumbers, Paul | 2128 |
| 4 | b | Smith, Graham | 2123 | ½ - ½ | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2125 |
| 5 | w | Freeman, Richard C P | 2097 | 0 - 1 | Taylor, Robert M | 2203 |
| 6 | b | Utyuzhnikova, Galina (F) | 2105 | 0 - 1 | Woolley, Jos | 2098 |
| 7 | w | Elwin, Adrian G | 2044 | 0 - 1 | Coates, David | 2029 |
| 8 | b | Kendall, Paul S N | 2061 | 1 - 0 | Gallagher, Marie (F) | 1730 |
| 3 - 5 |
Click this link to see all 8 games
Sunday vs Cambridge Univ 2
| RD 4 | PANDORA'S BOX | 2103 | v | CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY 2 | 2054 | |
| 1 | w | Ashton, Adam G | 2282 | ½ - ½ | Churm, Rohan M | 2178 |
| 2 | b | Walton, Alan J | 2227 | ½ - ½ | Gallagher, Ian G | 2135 |
| 3 | w | Taylor, Robert M | 2203 | ½ - ½ | Cooley, Oliver | 2108 |
| 4 | b | Woolley, Jos | 2098 | 1 - 0 | Spencer, Carl | 2115 |
| 5 | w | Cumbers, Paul | 2128 | 1 - 0 | Jones, Richard M | 2086 |
| 6 | b | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2125 | ½ - ½ | Campbell, Mark | 2005 |
| 7 | w | Coates, David | 2029 | 1 - 0 | Gooding, Ian | 1987 |
| 8 | b | Gallagher, Marie (F) | 1730 | 0 - 1 | Owens, Megan (F) | 1820 |
| 5 - 3 |
Click here to see the games
Rounds 5 and 6
Saturday Warwickshire Select
| RD 5 | PANDORA'S BOX | 2083 | v | WARWICKSHIRE SELECT | 2127 | |
| 1 | w | Dilley, Jason M | 2195 | ½ - ½ | Thomas, Nicholas | 2304 |
| 2 | b | Taylor, Robert M | 2204 | 0 - 1 | Mason, Don | 2246 |
| 3 | w | Walton, Alan J | 2207 | ½ - ½ | James, Russell A | 2225 |
| 4 | b | Coates, David | 2056 | 0 - 1 | Fishburne, Stewart K | 2139 |
| 5 | w | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2125 | ½ - ½ | Galloway, Iain | 2135 |
| 6 | b | Woolley, Jos | 2098 | 1 - 0 | Baruch, Andrew J D | 2075 |
| 7 | w | McCarthy, Kevin | 2045 | ½ - ½ | Addis, Mark | 2090 |
| 8 | b | Gallagher, Marie (F) | 1730 | 0 - 1 | Hale, Katie L W (F) | 1800 |
| 3 - 5 |
Sunday Anglian Avengers
| RD 6 | ANGLIAN AVENGERS 1 | 2104 | v | PANDORA'S BOX | 2083 | |
| 1 | w | Spence, David | 2198 | ½ - ½ | Walton, Alan J | 2207 |
| 2 | b | Talsma, Paul A | 2235 | 1 - 0 | Taylor,Robert M (def) | 2204 |
| 3 | w | Gray, Mark S | 2101 | 1 - 0 | Dilley, Jason M | 2195 |
| 4 | b | Player, Edmund C | 2126 | 1 - 0 | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2125 |
| 5 | w | Gregory, Stephen J | 2161 | 1 - 0 | Woolley, Jos | 2098 |
| 6 | b | Cook, Michael | 2105 | 0 - 1 | Coates, David | 2056 |
| 7 | w | Wallis, Ian | 1952 | ½ - ½ | McCarthy, Kevin | 2045 |
| 8 | b | Egorova, Anna (F) | 1950 | ½ - ½ | Gallagher, Marie (F) | 1730 |
| 5½-2½ |
Click here to see all 8 games
Rounds 7 and 8
1st/2nd March 2008
Saturday North West Eagles 2
| RD 7 | NORTH WEST EAGLES 2 | 2059 | v | PANDORA'S BOX | 2106 | |
| 1 | w | Jaunooby, Ali | 2177 | 0 - 1 | Ashton, Adam G | 2295 |
| 2 | b | Mulligan, Stephen | 2119 | 0 - 1 | Walton, Alan J | 2207 |
| 3 | w | Ociepka, Adrian | 2095 | ½ - ½ | Dilley, Jason M | 2195 |
| 4 | b | Burke, John | 2083 | 0 - 1 | Cumbers, Paul | 2143 |
| 5 | w | Tasker, Michael W * | 2060 | 0 - 1 | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2125 |
| 6 | b | Jezierski, Colum * | 2085 | 0 - 1 | Woolley, Jos | 2098 |
| 7 | w | Morrison, Lynne (F) | 1929 | 1 - 0 | Coates, David | 2056 |
| 8 | b | Matzko, Richard * | 1920 | ½ - ½ | Gallagher, Marie (F) | 1730 |
| 2 - 6 |
Sunday South Wales Dragons 2
| RD 8 | PANDORA'S BOX | 2106 | v | SOUTH WALES DRAGONS 2 | 2047 | |
| 1 | w | Ashton, Adam G | 2295 | 1 - 0 | Thomas, Joseff | 2080 |
| 2 | b | Walton, Alan J | 2207 | 1 - 0 | Brown, Alan M | 2149 |
| 3 | w | Dilley, Jason M | 2195 | 0 - 1 | Roberts, David L | 2109 |
| 4 | b | Woolley, Jos | 2098 | 1 - 0 | Burton, Graham P | 2103 |
| 5 | w | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2125 | ½ - ½ | Miles, Richard | 2071 |
| 6 | b | Cumbers, Paul | 2143 | 1 - 0 | Bennion, David A | 2070 |
| 7 | w | Coates, David | 2056 | ½ - ½ | van Kemenade, Rudy | 2029 |
| 8 | b | Gallagher, Marie (F) | 1730 | 1 - 0 | van Kemenade, Julie (F) | 1764 |
| 6 - 2 |
Rounds 9, 10 and 11
3rd to 5th May 2008
De Vere Venues, Sunningdale
Divisions 1, 2 and 3
Saturday
| RD 9 | SLOUGH SHARKS 2 | 2082 | v | PANDORA'S BOX | 2131 | |
| 1 | w | Cox, Tristan | 2154 | 0 - 1 | Mannion, Stephen | 2361 |
| 2 | b | Ruston, Mark R | 2128 | 0 - 1 | Walton, Alan J | 2217 |
| 3 | w | Linford, Charles | 2129 | 0 - 1 | Stone, Andrew * | 2228 |
| 4 | b | Foster, James J | 2091 | 1 - 0 | Taylor, Robert M | 2198 |
| 5 | w | Edgell, Ben P | 2089 | 1 - 0 | Woolley, Jos | 2101 |
| 6 | b | Purton, Ben J | 2105 | 0 - 1 | Dilley, Jason M | 2163 |
| 7 | w | Russell, Chris * | 2054 | ½ - ½ | Coates, David | 2050 |
| 8 | b | Martin, Katie (F) | 1906 | ½ - ½ | Gallagher, Marie (F) | 1730 |
| 3 - 5 |
Sunday
| RD 10 | WESSEX 2 | 2025 | v | PANDORA'S BOX | 2126 | |
| 1 | w | Pleasants, Allan J | 2095 | 0 - 1 | Mannion, Stephen | 2361 |
| 2 | b | Marsh, Roger | 2088 | 1 - 0 | Dilley, Jason M | 2163 |
| 3 | w | Taylor-Bowd, Phil | 2048 | ½ - ½ | Stone, Andrew * | 2228 |
| 4 | b | Kemp, Paul M | 2039 | ½ - ½ | Walton, Alan J | 2217 |
| 5 | w | Gregory, Keith D | 2087 | 0 - 1 | Cumbers, Paul | 2156 |
| 6 | b | Tunks, Dominic | 1936 | 0 - 1 | Coates, David | 2050 |
| 7 | w | Coburn, Joe | 1945 | 0 - 1 | Woolley, Jos | 2101 |
| 8 | b | Norman, Dinah (F) | 1965 | ½ - ½ | Gallagher, Marie (F) | 1730 |
| 2½-5½ |
Monday
| RD 11 | PANDORA'S BOX | 2111 | v | JUTES OF KENT | 2206 | |
| 1 | w | Mannion, Stephen | 2361 | 1 - 0 | Williams, Simon K | 2492 |
| 2 | b | Walton, Alan J | 2217 | ½ - ½ | Harakis, Alexis | 2220 |
| 3 | w | Stone, Andrew * | 2228 | 1 - 0 | Cooley, Chris | 2272 |
| 4 | b | Cumbers, Paul | 2156 | ½ - ½ | Mack, Andy | 2236 |
| 5 | w | Woolley, Jos | 2101 | ½ - ½ | Ethelontis, Alexos * | 2160 |
| 6 | b | Coates, David | 2050 | 0 - 1 | Rice, Chris | 2108 |
| 7 | w | McCarthy, Kevin | 2045 | ½ - ½ | Donovan, Nigel | 2117 |
| 8 | b | Gallagher, Marie (F) | 1730 | 0 - 1 | Wilson, Alexandra (F) | 2044 |
| 4 - 4 |
| Division 3 tables | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The top 6 teams are promoted to Division 2. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2006/7 SEASON RESULTS
23/24 Sept 2006 - Birmingham - Paragon Hotel
Saturday 23rd September 2006 vs Monmouth
| RD 1 | PANDORA'S BOX | 2098 | v | MONMOUTH | 2033 | |
| 1 | w | Taylor, Robert M | 2221 | 1 - 0 | Sully, David * | 2145 |
| 2 | b | Woolley, Jos | 2094 | 0 - 1 | Thomas, Joseff | 2029 |
| 3 | w | Birtwistle, Nigel | 2105 | 1 - 0 | Davis, Lee | 2025 |
| 4 | b | Kilshaw, Joe | 2060 | 0 - 1 | Waterfield, John | 2060 |
| 5 | w | McCarthy, Kevin | 2055 | 0 - 1 | Thomas, Jac | 1960 |
| 6 | b | Coates, David | 2055 | ½ - ½ | Thomas, Kevin | 1980 |
| 2½-3½ |
Well after all the effort...we go down to defeat in our first game of the season to a young but dangerous Monmouth team who took maximum points from the opening weekend. Rob played a somewhat speculative pawn sac and then promptly trapped his oppo's Q in a neat smothering trap. Jos snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, and Nige won a nice game without ever being stretched. Joe was lost after half a dozen moves after seeing a ghost move in his opening ..then fought back admirably before finally succumbing in a R+P endgame. I foolishly abandoned tradition and played cautiously as woefully short of match practice, and despite a sneaky attempt to nick a win against the run of play, my opponent found a perfect line to finish me off. Dave is as Dave does...a solid draw but we were edged out in a match we could and should have won really. So only two things to do ...food and drink ! A decent night including a great hour of killer pool helped to put us in the right frame of mind for day 2.
Sunday 24th September 2006 - Weald Collective 1
| RD 2 | THE WEALD COLLECTIVE 1 | 1823 | v | PANDORA'S BOX | 2098 | |
| 1 | w | Fryer, David W | 2101 | 1 - 0 | Taylor, Robert M | 2221 |
| 2 | b | Fraser, Joe P | 1989 | 0 - 1 | Woolley, Jos | 2094 |
| 3 | w | Prescott, Adam P | 1934 | ½ - ½ | Birtwistle, Nigel | 2105 |
| 4 | b | Bucher, Grant W | 1813 | ½ - ½ | Coates, David | 2055 |
| 5 | w | Fraser, A Scott | 1635 | 0 - 1 | Kilshaw, Joe | 2060 |
| 6 | b | Fryer, Keiran | 1465 | 0 - 1 | McCarthy, Kevin | 2055 |
| 2 - 4 |
On paper a slightly easier fixture but as many players found out "Its not all about ratings is it?". Rob lost his first game in a long time at NCL after a mistake in a very sharp opening but solid wins from the 3 Saturday losers atoned a little, so with draws from Nige and Dave we edged the match 4-2 to add a gloss of respectability to the weekend. Next up is West Bromwich on 2nd/3rd December.
2/3 Dec 2006 - West Bromwich Park Inn
Saturdays opponents are Weald Collective 2
| RD 2 | THE WEALD COLLECTIVE 2 | 1873 | v | PANDORA'S BOX | 2095 | |
| 1 | b | Bayliss,Lyall | 2000 | 0-1 | Taylor, Robert M | 2221 |
| 2 | w | Lunn,Matt | 1865 | ½ - ½ | Coates,David | 2055 |
| 3 | b | Galliano,Alex | 1885 | 0-1 | Payne,Nick | 2071 |
| 4 | w | Jones,William | 1865 | 0-1 | Birtwistle, Nigel | 2105 |
| 5 | b | Jones,Victor | 1830 | ½ - ½ | McCarthy, Kevin | 2055 |
| 6 | w | Maguire,Robert | 1795 | 0 - 1 | Kilshaw,Joe | 2060 |
| 1-5 |
With a team comprised entirely of Kent Juniors we knew that despite the rating gap there would be plenty of work to be done - and barring one match they were all tight affairs. Joe found that his opponent had read the same misprint in opening theory as he did on the previous weekend, and he was essentially won after 15 minutes play with the end coming in around an hour. Rob and Nick were always slightly better but made to work for their full point and Dave(aiming to draw 11/11 games this season??) had to accept a draw. That left the match won easily but Nigel and myself were left to battle the Jones brothers, who despite their tender years and short playing experience are both making a reputation for themselves- and it was easy to see why. Nige's opponent sacced a piece early and battered away before being rebuffed and finally beaten by the King of Grind ! Meanwhile I was behind for a good 50+ moves against the younger brother Victor who has already won several majors this year and after 6 hours play I finally managed to grovel a draw. I will state here and now that I will consider this a good draw by the end of the season as his play throughout suggested a sharp positional and tactical chess brain at work - talking to his father afterwards confirmed that he and his brother have been playing just 3 years so watch this space !! 5-1 the final match score...but it felt closer.
After sustenance in the form of a dodgy, but pretty good, Kebaberie in a road resembling a Crimewatch scene, we played some blitz and drank some cold Stellas to prepare for the test in the morning.
Sunday Conquistadors 1
| RD 2 | CONQUISTADORS 1 | 1972 | v | PANDORA'S BOX | 2095 | |
| 1 | w | Prizant,Michael | 2140 | ½ - ½ | Taylor, Robert M | 2221 |
| 2 | b | Archer-Lock,Chris | 2065 | ½ - ½ | Birtwistle, Nigel | 2105 |
| 3 | w | Foster,James C | 1921 | 1-0 | Payne,Nick | 2071 |
| 4 | b | Cork,David | 1960 | ½ - ½ | Coates,David | 2055 |
| 5 | w | Winchcombe,Andrew | 1895 | ½ - ½ | Kilshaw,Joe | 2060 |
| 6 | b | Auckland,Elliott | 1850 | 0 - 1 | McCarthy, Kevin | 2055 |
| 3-3 |
A 3-3 draw left us poised a point or so off the promotion pace on 5/8, with draws for Rob,Nige,Dave (of course) and Joe (who looked won early on but only Fritz will tell). Nick missed a move and lost in the endgame, and I won an exchange early on and won after my opponent threw the kitchen sink forward but overlooked a check-block that also gave check to him leading to a simple finish.
10/11 Feb 2007 - Sunningdale Verve
Saturday Hilsmark Coventry
| RD 5 | PANDORA'S BOX | 2119 | v | HILSMARK COVENTRY | 2037 | |
| 1 | w | Hammond, Andrew J C * | 2208 | 0 - 1 | Tavoularis, Nicholas | 2265 |
| 2 | b | Taylor, Robert M (def) | 2217 | 0 - 1 | Briscoe, Christopher | 2121 |
| 3 | w | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2105 | 1 - 0 | Stinton-Brownbridge, Michael | 2025 |
| 4 | b | McCarthy, Kevin | 2055 | 0 - 1 | Foord, Dominic | 1905 |
| 5 | w | Payne, Nick | 2071 | 1 - 0 | Goodwin, Ed | 1985 |
| 6 | b | Coates, David | 2055 | ½ - ½ | Hogarth, Mark J | 1918 |
| 2½-3½ |
Rule number one in 4NCL – There are very few easy matches.
Rule number two in 4NCL – Do not default a board or else rule one is accentuated.
Arriving in the leafy, ill sign-posted environs of Sunningdale to discover that one of your top players has gone AWOL is hardly ideal, and after wasting hours of fruitless calls and a further 30 minutes on the clock chasing miracles, I finally sat down to play with the remaining players to battle with a strengthened Hilsmark team. New recruit Andy Hammond faced up to opposing skipper Nicholas Tavoularis but the advantage he took from the opening evaporated chasing a catch-up win and he paid the price for missing a winning continuation with a debut defeat. Nigel neatly dealt with Michael Stinton-Brownbridge with some rare tactics from the Grinder ! Despite thinking that I was always worse in my game against yet another of the up and coming youngsters in Dominic Foord, Fritz actually had me ahead for long periods before a blunder at the time control handed a permanent initiative that I could not survive. Nicks win on the flag (in a superior position) meant we needed a win on bottom board from Dave ‘Drawcula’ Coates who contrived to enter the latter stages of the game a rook down for 5 pawns against Mark Hogarth and despite a valiant try he had to settle for a draw so we lost the match 3.5-2.5 and the mood for the evening was sombre to put it mildly. Avoiding the ‘hoodie-mecca’ that is Maidenhead central we settled for food, drink and some blitz to pass the evening. Nige then began sleep-analysing his game at 5am to finish a great 24 hours.
Sunday vs Grendels Mother
| RD 6 | GRENDEL'S MOTHER | 2046 | v | PANDORA'S BOX | 2119 | |
| 1 | w | Bass, John W | 2096 | 1 - 0 | Taylor, Robert M (def) | 2217 |
| 2 | b | Pugh, Derek C | 2155 | 0 - 1 | Hammond, Andrew J C * | 2208 |
| 3 | w | Osborne, David C | 2135 | 0 - 1 | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2105 |
| 4 | b | Bromilow, Edward | 1965 | ½ - ½ | Coates, David | 2055 |
| 5 | w | Johnson, Richard J | 2030 | 1 - 0 | Payne, Nick | 2071 |
| 6 | b | Hibbitt, Arthur M | 1895 | 0 - 1 | McCarthy, Kevin | 2055 |
| 2½-3½ |
Another tough battle as we had to again default and after allowing the opposition to shuffle their top boards accordingly, we were very quickly 2.5 – 0.5 down as first Dave took an early draw to maintain his perfect record, then Nick’s Sicilian defence collapsed on the h-file around his king. A quick emergency meeting of Andy, Nige and myself sparked a fightback reminiscent of our former Grantham days as Andy turned the screw, Nige bust his game wide open and, unbelievably for me anyway, I steadily nurtured my positional advantage and better pawn structure into a win. All 3 games finished shortly after one another and we adjourned to the bar for a celebratory pint where spirits were rekindled and the massive test of securing at least 4 and possibly 5 wins out of the remaining 5 rounds was discussed with renewed vigour.
24/25 Mar 2007 - Nottingham Park Inn
Saturday vs London Masters
| RD 7 | PANDORA'S BOX | 2120 | v | LONDON MASTERS AND OTHERS 1 | 2047 | |
| 1 | w | Hammond, Andrew J C | 2208 | 0 - 1 | Crawley, Gavin * | 2403 |
| 2 | b | Dilley, Jason M | 2205 | 1 - 0 | Poobalasingam, Peter | 2089 |
| 3 | w | Woolley, Jos | 2091 | ½ - ½ | Walker, Samuel | 1910 |
| 4 | b | Coates, David | 2055 | ½ - ½ | Harrington, James | 1905 |
| 5 | w | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2105 | 1 - 0 | Walker, Colin M | 1910 |
| 6 | b | McCarthy, Kevin | 2055 | Default | ||
| 4 - 2 | ||||||
Arriving at our nearest venue with a near to full strength side we were feeling quietly confident of a win - but we have been there before and got egg on our faces. Opposing captain Scott Kenyon had pulled off a masterstroke by securing the services of a titled player over 2400 on top board, but he had also fallen foul of the small print in NCL rules meaning that his other wildcard player was ineligible which meant we started 1- up and I had a friendly match with the player whilst watching over all the other matches. Andy fought valiantly on top board and looked like drawing but eventually succumbed in time trouble. Jason accurately tore down the defence of his young opponent,whilst Jos looked to have the better of his game before having to settle for a draw, and with Nigel always winning his match and Dave making it 7 draws out of 7 we took the match 4-2 and began a vain search for a pub showing Sky tv for the England vs Israel tie but fortunately stumbled across Panchos for without doubt the best kebabs in NCL history ! A few drinks later and a good bit of banter was rounded off with Andy sharing his experience with Dave on how he could possibly convert a win into a draw by saccing a couple of pawns if it looked like his record of draws would end.
Sunday vs Oxford 2
| RD 8 | OXFORD 2 | 2101 | v | PANDORA'S BOX | 2120 | |
| 1 | w | Dickinson, Timothy R | 2210 | 0 - 1 | Hammond, Andrew J C | 2208 |
| 2 | b | Hackett, David G | 2150 | ½ - ½ | Dilley, Jason M | 2205 |
| 3 | w | Scott, David A | 2110 | ½ - ½ | Woolley, Jos | 2091 |
| 4 | b | Rawlinson, Christopher J | 2053 | ½ - ½ | Coates, David | 2055 |
| 5 | w | Ludbrook, Matt | 2058 | 0 - 1 | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2105 |
| 6 | b | Bruce, Dave | 2025 | ½ - ½ | McCarthy, Kevin | 2055 |
| 2 - 4 |
Full report to follow - we won 4-2 again to move into 5th in the table - a quick win from Andy Hammond on top board set the tone and then Nige conquered his jitters to pull off a win which takes him to a phenomenal 7/8 this season,with 4 draws on the other boards- promotion is a possibility now but we will be playing 3 of the top 7 including the leaders Jutes of Kent and probable round nine opponents our local rivals Nottinghamshire 1 if we are to secure promotion in our first season.
Report from the Oxford website -
Strengthened by the arrival of Dave Hackett, but playing a still-stronger lot from the land of Pandora , Oxford 2 started off a little listlessly and eventually four draws and two losses emerged.
Matt Ludbrook found himself with plenty of space but was outmanoeuvred in good style by his opponent, while Tim on top board lit a match in a petrol station, and the box simply exploded. White's problems can be traced we feel to his unusual choice of 8 th move - though Tim pointed to his 2. Nf3? (and it's well known that 1. e4 is a bit suspect anyway) - although it took some energetic play from the diagram position to exploit it so comprehensively.
Dickinson, T - Hammond, A [B22] 4NCL ox 2 - Pandora's box, 25.03.2007 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 b6 7.Bd3 Ba6 8.Be4 Nc6 9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Rc8 11.Qa4 Na5 12.Bb2 b5 13.Qc2 b4 14.a3 bxc3 15.Bxc3 Qc7 16.Bxa5 Qxa5+ 17.Qd2 Rc3 18.Ng1 (Fritz recommends Rb1 although White has long term problems with his king placement) …Bb4 0-1 |
Black to move (#12) |
| RD 9 | PANDORA'S BOX | 2270 | v | ANGLIAN AVENGERS | 2130 | |
| 1 | w | Emms, John M * | 2499 | 1 - 0 | Munson, Shaun D | 2196 |
| 2 | b | Mannion, Stephen R | 2337 | 1 - 0 | Talsma, Paul A | 2180 |
| 3 | w | Djipa, Neven | 2275 | ½ - ½ | Gregory, Stephen J | 2139 |
| 4 | b | Dilley, Jason M | 2205 | 1 - 0 | Wallis, Ian | 2075 |
| 5 | w | Taylor, Robert M | 2215 | ½ - ½ | Gray, Mark S | 2095 |
| 6 | b | Woolley, Jos | 2091 | 1 - 0 | Feavyour, John | 2095 |
| 5 - 1 |
Day one of the final weekend saw the first of many topsy-turvy matches as the pressure took hold. After the not unexpected whining from certain quarters about how we had shown our ambition to escape division 4 before the 2008-09 restructure, and compensated for the loss of Andy H (and Jason for Sun/Mon) by going out on a limb to recruit John and Steve, mainly financed by staying two nights in a travelodge on the M4 instead of 3 nights at the pricier venue, we were in the unprecedented situation of having 6 players and 3 reserves to start off with. Myself Nige and Nick took full advantage of the free wifi to play on ICC to relieve the nerves as first Neven dropped a piece and then Steve appeared to be undone by a Bxh7 tactic. With Johns game improving at every look , and Jos appearing a little better throughout the match looked too close to call for a couple of hours until everything fell in to place in quick succession. John and Jos duly won and Steve fought back slowly but surely. Rob made the time control with a second to spare befoore drawing and Jason converted a better endgame leaving Neven who had won back a piece then tried in vain to win a drawn endgame. A good meal in the marquee and the discussion turned to the crunch match with Jutes who we knew would bring in two stronger players for the match on Sunday.
| RD 10 | JUTES OF KENT | 2200 | v | PANDORA'S BOX | 2254 | |
| 1 | w | Cooley, Chris | 2276 | 0 - 1 | Emms, John M * | 2499 |
| 2 | b | Naylor, John | 2232 | 0 - 1 | Mannion, Stephen R | 2337 |
| 3 | w | Mack, Andy | 2213 | ½ - ½ | Djipa, Neven | 2275 |
| 4 | b | Harakis, Alexis | 2179 | 1 - 0 | Taylor, Robert M | 2215 |
| 5 | w | Rich, Mark | 2189 | ½ - ½ | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2105 |
| 6 | b | Donovan, Nigel | 2108 | 1 - 0 | Woolley, Jos | 2091 |
| 3 - 3 |
Showdown time - and again this match could have gone either way. In the cold light of day you have to take your hat off to Jutes who looked like losing the match as we seemed to be clearly ahead in 3 games and level in two, but this time they turned it round and when Jos's opponent found a neat Knight move that destroyed his game in one move the impetus was gone forever. Nice wins from John and Stephen plus a draw from Neven left us needing Rob to turn over the strong Alexis Harakis in a ding dong battle that eventually ended with Rob going down. Just before this point Nige (in a busted endgame down an exchange) had cleverly punted in a draw offer which Jutes debated for some time before cautiously and generously accepting. The 3-3 draw virtually secured the title and guaranteed promotion- and for us it kept us firmly in the hunt for one of the 3 remaining slots so we could not be too downhearted on reflection.
| RD 11 | PANDORA'S BOX | 2248 | v | CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY 2 | 2072 | |
| 1 | w | Emms, John M * | 2499 | 1 - 0 | Pickard, Charles | 2160 |
| 2 | b | Mannion, Stephen R | 2337 | 1 - 0 | Churm, Rohan M | 2185 |
| 3 | w | Djipa, Neven | 2275 | 0 - 1 | Cooley, Oliver | 2090 |
| 4 | b | Taylor, Robert M | 2215 | ½ - ½ | Campbell, Mark | 1975 |
| 5 | w | Payne, Nick | 2054 | ½ - ½ | Gooding, Ian | 1994 |
| 6 | b | Birtwhistle, Nigel | 2105 | 0 - 1 | Spencer, Carl | 2030 |
| 3 - 3 |
The less said about this game the better - maybe we relaxed after the exertions of Sunday, and the Grolsch, or maybe Cambridge punched above their weight, but what appeared a relatively straightforward match on paper turned out to be a cliffhanger. Nevens rustiness led to a second piece drop of the weekend - this time with dire consequences, but his annoyance at himself and great will for the team to recover bode well if we can bring him fully out of retirement next season - John showed exemplary technique to level matters and Stephen put us ahead by despatching the dangerous Cambridge skipper - but draws for Nick and Rob plus Niges first defeat of the season meant everyone was watching elsewhere to see where we would finish. I had already calculated that we were guaranteed to go up but second place was a bonus as our friends in Notts 1 fought back valiantly against Anglian to miss promotion by half a point.
All in all the job we set out to do was achieved and my thanks go to the players who made it a successful and enjoyable debut in 4NCL - time now to recruit a few more players to the squad to have a pop at reaching division 2 before the league splits !
Final Table
| Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
| JUTES OF KENT | 8 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| PANDORA'S BOX | 6 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| ANGLIAN AVENGERS | 6 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
| CELTIC TIGERS | 6 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
| NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| CONQUISTADORS 1 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
| ATHENAEUM 1 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 14 |
| POISONED PAWNS 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| FCA SOLUTIONS 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| OXFORD 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
| LEICESTER | 5 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| BRAILLE CHESS ASSOCIATION | 6 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
| HILSMARK COVENTRY | 5 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| MONMOUTH | 5 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| PONTYPRIDD | 5 | 1 | 5 | 11 |
| METROPOLITAN | 5 | 1 | 5 | 11 |
| OXFORD 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 11 |