LEAGUE

NOVEMBER

9th : BBC 5½ - 2½ BP - League & Cup Match (John Lewis Cup - Preliminary Round)
30th : BP 2½ - 5½ Home Office

JANUARY

18th : BP 1½ - 6½ Railways

FEBRUARY

15th - BP 5½ - 2½ DHSS

MARCH

1st : BP 4 - 4 HMC 1
8th : BP 5½ - 2½ Metroplitan Police
29th: BP - Eastern Knights

APRIL

5th : BP - HMC 2

JOHN LEWIS PARTNERSHIP CUP

Preliminary Round

BP 2 - BBC 4

Quarter Finals

Eastern Knights 5½ - BBC ½
NALGO 3½ - Met Police 2½
Railways 3 - Home Office 3
DHSS 1 - HMC 5

Semi Finals

Eastern Knights 2 - NALGO 4
Home Office 3½ - HMC 2½

Final

NALGO - Home Office

9th November 2004 : BBC - BP - League & Cup (John Lewis Cup - Preliminary Round)

Steve Weston reports:

The top six boards doubled as the Cup, which we therefore lost 4-2.

On one Richard played his usual masterful game, lining up bishop and queen on the long diagonal to threaten mate, in the avoidance of which his opponent fatally weakened his position. The game of the evening was on two; swinging one way and the other, Graham under terrible pressure, sac'g his queen to gain the advantage, but ultimately overpressing and going down.

Three was dull, and the half soon agreed. On four Simon sadly blundered early on, allowing a check which dropped a rook. A hard fought tussle on five ultimately led to a bishops of opposite colour and pawns ending, which duly halved. I didn't see much of six or seven.

On eight Mitra had a superb position, let it slip, and eventually forced a draw by repetition, having "lost" on time which her opponent hadn't noticed! Graham's sporting nature deserves a mention. He could have sat on the position and probably won on adjudication--which would have put us through on "bottom board deletion" rules in the cup--but in the true spirit of the game he sportingly chose to play on.

1 R Dickens     0 - 1     R Holmes
2 J Davies      1 - 0     G Elkes
3 W Phillips    ½ - ½     S Weston
4 M Harrison    1 - 0     S Whitworth
5 A Beckford    ½ - ½     R England
6 G Pais        1 - 0     J Pidcock
7 F Rohrer      1 - 0     R Eager
8 B Raynaud     ½ - ½     M McCarthy

               5½ - 2½

30th November 2004 : BP - Home Office

Steve Weston report:

BP lost 2½-5½ to the Home Office even though they defaulted 2 boards. Steve Weston played well against Tim Pelling and missed a win

1 G Elkes       0 - 1     A Ashby
2 S Weston      0 - 1     T Pelling
3 T Dillon      0 - 1     J Toon
4 R England     0 - 1     M Keane
5 J Pidcock     0 - 1     D Lacey
6 M McCarthy    ½ - ½     M Carson
7 A Sadian      1 - 0     Default
8 R Eager       1 - 0     Default

               2½ - 5½

18th January 2005 : BP - Railways

Steve Weston reports:

On One we saw the game of the evening. John Sharp, with black, launched an imaginative attack on the talented Crowdy's position.Crowdy's queen was embarrassed, and black clearly had the better of it, despite white's pair of raking bishops. Sadly John got very low on time, leaving himself fifteen moves to make in ten seconds, which proved too much.

On two the game is unfinished. White had stood worse for some time followinga sharp queenside attack from black. However Graham found a series of good moves just before the time control, which should be enough to draw. On three as black I grabbed a hot pawn, managed to hold onto it, but it left me with a cramped position.My opponent offered the draw, perhaps prompted by the need to catch his train home to Peterborough. At least his ticket would be free!

On four John dropped a piece in the middle game. He then managed to develop a promising attack with queen and knight, but could not break through. On five Terry faced the wily Broad. The position was equal until near the end, when Terry's pieces ended up on less than optimum squares, and with his opponent threatening to create an unstoppable passed pawn.

On six Robin emerged from the opening with a superior position, his opponent's queen ending up badly offside. From nowhere the Railways player then whipped up a queenside attack and mated Robin with doubled rooks. On seven Jason launched a very aggressive attack, which sadly dropped a piece. The game continued for a long time, but there was no way back. On eight Mitra dropped a piece and ultimately succumbed--perhaps still under the weather a little from her recent illness.

So, all in all, a pretty miserable evening! Five and a half versus a half down, with two undecided, from which I would expect a half at best.

Graham's opponent sportingly agreed a draw in the pub after but Terry lost his game on adjudication.

1 J Sharp       0 - 1     S Crowdy
2 G Elkes       ½ - ½     T lee
3 S Weston      ½ - ½     N Holroyd
4 J Morton      0 - 1     P Eldridge
5 T Dillon      0 - 1     M Broad
6 R England     0 - 1     P Jackson
7 J Pidcock     0 - 1     G Andrews
8 M McCarthy    0 - 1     C Fewtrell

               1½ - 6½

15th February 2005 : BP - DHSS

Mitra McCarthy and John Sharp report:

A good solid win albeit with 3 defaults from DHSS.

John's game finished rather quickly when his oppponents queen went walkabout and after being surrounded had no escape so resignation followed. Robin lost but a draw from Mitra secured the win. I don't remember much about Graham's game but Steve played a very unusal Scandanavian Wing Gambit which gave him a very strong position. Unfortuantely Steve was not able to inflict the killer blow and the game petered out into a draw - very interesting nonetheless.

1 J Sharp       1 - 0     M Whitworth
2 G Elkes       ½ - ½     P McDonald
3 S Weston      ½ - ½     P Gilbert
4 R England     0 - 1     J Hughes
5 M McCarthy    ½ - ½     M Smith
6 R Eager       1 - 0     Default
7 P Martin      1 - 0     Default
8 A Sadian      1 - 0     Default

               5½ - 2½

1st March 2005 : BP - HMC 1

Mitra McCarthy reports:

1 J Sharp       1 - 0     C Kennedy
2 R Holmes      1 - 0     P Jazkiwyj
3 G Elkes       1 - 0     Default
4 S Weston      ½ - ½     F Moreland
5 J Morton      ½ - ½     G Monk
6 T Dillon      0 - 1     J Fisher
7 R England     0 - 1     A Watts
8 M McCarthy    0 - 1     D Wayte

                4 - 4

8th March 2005 : BP - Met Police

Mitra McCarthy reports:

1 J Sharp       1 - 0     A Waters
3 G Elkes       1 - 0     A Barron
4 S Weston      ½ - ½     Default
5 J Morton      ½ - ½     P Haddock
7 R England     0 - 1     R Player
8 M McCarthy    0 - 1     J Dawe
2 R Eager       1 - 0     Default
6 P Martin      1 - 0     Default

                5½-2½

29th March 2005 : Eastern Knights - BP

Mitra McCarthy reports:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

               0 - 0

5th April 2005 : BP - HMC 2

Mitra McCarthy reports:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

               0 - 0