Macclesfield C entertain Macclesfield B in the reverse fixture of this all Silktown clash. It’s a freezing cold night and the only people missing from the packed out room in the Queens Hotel are Torvill and Dean. I may have been a bit harsh on Nick the Hurricane after his shock reversal in the first fixture but he was back to his brilliant best with a truly awesome display that dispatched his opponent after 14 moves when most of us still had our coats on. Boards 4 – 6 all ended with Rook and Pawns and no real surprise that the more experienced B team players secured 2½ out of 3 on these boards. Joachim had doubled up f pawns but Dave M always seemed to be a tempo or 2 behind with a Rook that became defensive, inactive and then trapped prompting the second resignation of the night. Ant seems to be getting better and better at these endgames and he was able yet again to turn a small advantage into the full point this time against David S. It was left to Phil Co to register the only score of the night for the C team after a sharp, double edged game ended with Rook and 2 V Rook and 1 and Phil using good skill to secure the draw with Denzil. Marc had probed and pressed all night with his opponent reduced to occupying the back 3 ranks but Marc then overstretched allowing the Kool Kat to mop up. Finally the baying mob moved on to the last game on the top table where Man with the Hat had high hopes of a famous victory with 15 minutes left. However, pinning the Secretary’s Queen and Rook wasn’t as potent as I had hoped and the resulting pawn that I did win was snatched back almost immediately. Then a couple of neat Combos from the Sec and it was the Hat that entered the endgame a pawn down. A lack of steely nerve coupled with an inferior endgame technique and, as Willie Nelson would say `Ain’t it funny how time just slips away’.
Thanks to all who turned up on this bitterly cold night and well played to the B team.