Last home game of the season (played at Wilmslow). This is now the 4th different venue for the last 4 home games and the Macclesfield Nomads aka Macclesfield C are looking to make it an incredible 9 victories in 10. First to finish was Mrs Hat and regular readers of this blog will know that Mr Hat is neither brave nor stupid and does not comment 0-1. Next an almighty thud that triggered Tsunami alerts across the globe as Marc throws down his King in disgust after ceding the advantage to a strong opponent 0-2. Dave M is having to play accurately to stay in this one as his opponent is peppering him with checks in a double Rook and Queen endgame but it’s the Wilmslow player who makes the error and 20 minutes later its 1-2. Rook and opposite squared Bishops are a recipe for frustration in endgames but David S finished with aplomb. Well played Dave and David! 2-2. Here we go again as the crowd tunes into another episode of `An audience with the Hat`. I now have not only a massive time advantage but an extra Bishop and only a passed pawn wedged into the 6th rank to worry about. Man with Hat makes this nervier than it should have been. When I finally wake up to the fact that I need to sac a pawn to create the play that will activate my pieces my time advantage has been drastically reduced. My opponent’s clock however does run out and although not the most satisfying of ways to win a game, a win is a win and this was my best of the season.
A special thanks to Wilmslow Chess Club for hosting this match as cordial as ever.