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Sussex League Team Updates

  • Sussex League - Worthing 3rd Team report for 2024/25

 by Dave Bradley - 17/05/2025

Worthing Chess Club were able to enter three teams into the Sussex Chess League for this season.

The League itself had expanded slightly and created an extra division to the previous season. Worthing 3 being a new entry were duly placed in the new Division 4 which like Division 3 only consisted of eight teams. This meant a shorter season for these teams and Worthing 3 had played all their matches by the beginning of March.

It really was a season of two halves for Worthing 3. Our first three matches all ended in 3-1 defeats.

We began in October away at Uckfield, followed by East Grinstead 3 in November, which was also away. A further disappointment came at home to East Grinstead Bookshop. So by Christmas we were winless and near the bottom of the Division. In fact, of the twelve games played, only Paul O’Brien (against East Grinstead) and Keith Guinness (against the Bookshop} had managed to win games.

Fortunes very much changed in the New Year. Our first point in the Division was gained with a 2-2 draw at home to Eastbourne 5.
We were also boosted by the arrival at Worthing Chess Club of schoolboy and England Junior Sidhanth Pai. Sidhanth was able to play three games out of the remaining four; winning on each occasion.

We followed up the Eastbourne draw with a trip to The Queen’s Hotel on a windswept Brighton seafront at the end of January to play Brighton 4.  A 3.5-0.5 win stands out as our best result of the season. It also inflicted the only defeat of the season for the team that would finish as Division 4 Champions.

The following month, we had the long trip to Hastings where we attained a well earned 2-2 draw.

So to the last match of the season which ended in a 3.5-0.5 win over bottom of the table Horsham 6. This team later achieved it’s only win in their last match of the season, which led to Worthing 3 finishing fifth in the division. Very creditable considering the poor start that we made.

Paul O’Brien was our top scorer with four points. As always though I am encouraged by the efforts of all our players who were willing to do their best in representing Worthing Chess Club in the Sussex League.

Dave Bradley, 3rd Team Captain

  • CONGRATULATIONS!!

A Massive Well Done to the 1st Worthing Team who are Sussex League Champions - 2025, confirmed with a 3 - 1 Win at Home to Bexhill on Monday 28th April.

  • Sussex League - 1st Team March 2025 Report

 by Russell Granat - 20/04/2025

The month of March for us was two matches, firstly against Haywards Heath at Home followed by East Grinstead Away. 

We had high hopes of a Win against Haywards Heath, but an awful game by your Captain meant we were struggling to save the match. 

However my fellow team mates, including a Win by Chris on Board 4, managed to achieve a 2 - 2 Result but it felt like a lost league point and our chances for the league title were now slipping away.

This made the match against East Grinstead all the more critical. East Grinstead had come up from Division 2 with a powerful team headed by IM Chris Baker and ared competitors for the 1st Division title. Your Captain, suffering from illness, was hopeful that playing as White on Board 1 would find his IM opponent in the mood for a quick Draw and this was thankfully the case in 8 moves by him actually making the offer. 

We were looking in a good position with Dave on Board 2 and Matt on Board 3. Sidhanth on Board 4 had some structural weaknesses but he was able to create tactics to secure perpetual check. Dave’s opponent went for a Queen Sacrifice that was sound and strong but left one of his Bishops out of play for defensive purposes. Dave managed to expose his opponent’s king and this too lead to perpetual check. 

All down to Matt, who maintained a strong position but with both players short of time it came down to a Rook ending which Matt won. 

2.5 v 1.5 score to us – A Great Result!



However we were still reliant on others, namely East Grinstead getting a result against Hastings the following week (We had been told that Hastings was a much weakened team without 3 of their regular players).

East Grinstead did us a big favour winning 3.5 v 0.5 and the below league table shows us in Second place, behind Brighton, who have finished all their matches. 


A win by us in our final league match at home to Bexhill on Monday 28th April, will ensure we win the league for the first time in many years!

Russell Granat

First Team Captain

  • Sussex League - 2nd Team Match - Double Drama on d2.

 by Peter Larwood - 02/04/2025

Event: Worthing 2 vs. Haywards Heath 2, Sussex League Match
Date: 24th March 2025
Location: Worthing Chess Club
Opening: B10: Caro-Kann Defense / Breyer Variation.
White: Graham Ewens
Black: Peter Larwood

Result: 0 - 1

After indifferent opening play of the Caro-Kann Defense / Breyer Variation; the position after 12 moves is as follows :-

 Position after 12. ... Bc7

White now makes a move which allows Black a sniff.
Spoiler Alert! - The 1st problem on Square d2 :

13.  b3      Ba5
14.  Bd2?   ...  -  14. Re2 would have been better.
The Bishop on Square d2 is only defended by the Queen which would move to Square d2 after recapture. This allows Black to setup a half-pin of the d3 pawn against the now undefended White Queen on Square d2 by the Black Queen thus reducing the protection of the White pawn on e4 from 2 down to 1 vs. 2 attack pieces by Black.
 

 Position after 14. Bd2

14.  ...      Bxd2
15. Qxd2 dxe4 -  Black nicks the now underdefended pawn.

16. Nc4   exd3 
17. Nxe5  dxc2 
18. Qxc2  Qc7 
19. Nhf3  Be6 
Black spends a few moves tidying up, putting Pieces on Better Squares.

 Position after 19. ... Be6

20. Rad1  Bd5 
21. Qc3    Rad8 
22. b4      Qb6 
23. a5       Qc7 
24. b5       c5 - Passed Pawn anyone?

 Position after 24. ... c5

25. Bf1      b6 
26. axb6   axb6 
27. Nd2    Ne6 
28. f4       Nd4 
29. Rc1     Qb7 
30. Bc4     Bxc4 
31. Qxc4    ...
Spoiler Alert! - The 2nd issue coming up on Square d2.
By allowing Black to exchange off the White-squared Bishops on c4, White has overloaded the White Queen, leaving the White Knight hanging on Square d2.

 Position after 31. Qxc4

31.  ...        Nxb5
32. Qxb5   Rxd2
0 - 1

Black threatens Checkmate with Qg2# and is now 2 pawns ahead in material.
White Resigns.

 Final Position after 32. ... Rxd2

  • Sussex League - 1st Team February 2025 Report

 by Russell Granat - 03/03/2025

We had two matches in February starting with a Home match against Horsham 2 on the 10th February. We had already beaten Horsham 1, so we were optimistic for a victory. 
Chris Jones on Board 3 was not feeling very well but decided to manfully play and secured an understandably shortish Draw. 
Dave Graham on Board 2 lulled his opponent into a pawn grab when his King was still in the centre of the board and undeveloped. This lead to a rapid conclusion to the game in Dave’s favour. 
Our new young star, Sidanth Pai, playing his first match for the first team held a Draw on bottom Board,
For myself, playing on Top Board, I did everything I could to press home a minor advantage. However my Opponent managed to devise a blockade in the Endgame despite being a pawn down. 
So a 2.5 to 1.5 victory to Worthing overall.


The second and much more daunting match was Away against Brighton who were lying second in the league table just behind us. They put out a very strong team, outrating us by an average of 60 points. 
We swapped our board order around to avoid any pre-match planning by our opponents with Dave Graham on Board 1, Matt Payne on Board 2 and myself on Board 3. 
Dave had an uninspiring game on Board 1 leading to a quick Draw. 
I played a very early pawn sacrifice to gain a lot of momentum and space which eventually worked giving us a 1.5 to 0.5 lead. John Knott has kindly provided a detailed commentary posted on the News Update Section of this site.
Both Matt and Nick Skinner had opportunities in their respective games but sadly both ended up on the wrong side of the result – a 1.5 to 2.5 team Loss.

We still have chances to secure a top 2 finish but it will be tough and the month of March sees a crunch Away fixture against East Grinstead..


Russell Granat (Captain)

  • Sussex League - Brighton & Hove 4 vs. Worthing 3    Endgame Analysis

 by David Wallis - 24/02/2025

Event: Brighton & Hove 4 vs. Worthing 3, Sussex League Match
Date: 27th January 2025
Location: Brighton & Hove Chess Club
White: Andrew Caswill
Black: David Wallis

Result: 0 - 1

Move 65. White plays : 65. Ne2

 Position after 65. Ne2

Despite Black having 2 extra pawns in the Endgame; the situation is not so straightforward.
The Black Knight on f4 is now attacked twice making the Black King legally unable to defend it. 
The Black passed pawn on h2 is only indirectly defended by the Black Knight which is pinned to it by the White Bishop on d6.

If Black tries to break the pin and promote the passed pawn by playing 65... h1=Q ; White responds with 66. Ng3+ forking the King and the newly promoted Queen winning the Queen.

 Potential fatal Fork after 65... h1=Q ; 66. Ng3+

Therefore what is Black's move after 65. Ne2 ?

 Position after 65. Ne2

Answer : 
Black played 65... Nxe2+. Depending on which diagonal square the White King moves away to, this results in a Checkmate in 4 to 8 moves. White Resigned.
 
David Wallis - 3rd Team.

 Final Position after 65... Nxe2+

  • Sussex League - Worthing 2 vs. Horsham 4 Match Report

 by Ben Glyn-Jones - 18/02/2025

On Monday 17th February night, Worthing 2 played Horsham 4 in the 3rd division of the mid Sussex league.

This was our fourth league match, having previously won 2 and lost 1.

Peter Larwood played Table 1 as Black, this resulted in an early draw and Peter remains unbeaten this season. ½ - ½

Table 2 was played by Nick Skinner as White, his opponent was Horsham’s highest graded player, by some margin. The match was closely fought, with no material advantage at the closing stages, but Horsham’s young player benefited from more advanced pawns, and with the outcome inevitable, Nick conceded.  0-1

Sidhanth, joined Worthing 2 for the first time, having already tasted victory with Worthing 3 and a draw with Worthing 1. He played Black on table 3 and again enjoyed a close match. 
A well calculated flurry of exchanges towards the end saw Sidhanth come out with a single pawn advantage. After some clever maneuvering of the King it became apparent his opponent couldn’t defend both sides of the board and consequently resigned. 1-0

I myself played Table 4 and having contributed little up until now, was pleased to report my first league win of the season.  An unusual position developed with both my bishops on the seventh rank, creating a headache for my opponent. He fought valiantly, but that early advantage was enough to seal a victory. 1-0

So the final adjusted Match result was : Worthing 2  :    3 ½  - 0 ½    :  Horsham 4

Ben Glyn-Jones (Captain)

  • Sussex League - 1st Team January 2025 Report

 by Russell Granat - 04/02/2025

January kicked off with two matches, firstly on the 17th with an Away match against Crowborough, who are currently lying at bottom of the League Table, so hopes of a victory were high.
Everything started well with a pleasing return to form by Chris Jones playing confidently and securing a win. 
The Captain with a strong position made an inexplicable unforced blunder resulting in immediate resignation. 
Peter Larwood on Board 4 missed an opportunity to gain a clear advantage and had to settle for a draw.
This left the match score tied and Dave Graham needed to conjure up a victory from an inferior position. Thankfully Dave rose to the occasion and maintained his 100% record this season.

Our Second match on the 29th January was the dreaded away fixture at Hastings.
This was a 1.5 hour trip there followed by a game lasting over 3 hours and a similar length journey home. 
Hastings always field a very resilient team and they are difficult to break down. 
Dave Graham on Board 2 came out worse in the Opening and when his Opponent offered a Draw, this was readily accepted. 
On Top Board, I missed an early Win of a pawn and despite exerting pressure, I was unable to convert this into a Win, so another Draw. 
Board 3 with Matt Payne and Board 4 with Nick Skinner both had topsy-turvy positions which Matt should have lost and Nick should have won.
However with the restricted time allowance, both Boards ended up as Draws so a 2-2 Final Result.

The Current League Table keeps us in Pole position with 3 Wins and 2 Draws to date.


Russell Granat (Captain)

  • Sussex League - 3rd Team Match Game Score

 by Paul O'Brien - 13/01/2025

Event: Worthing 3 vs. Eastbourne 5, Sussex League Match
Date: 13th January 2025
Location: Worthing Chess Club
Opening: C30: King's Gambit Declined - transposed.
White: Paul O'Brien
Black: Peter Holstock

Result: 1 - 0

1.  e4        e5 
2.  Nc3     Nf6 
3.  Bc4     Bc5 - The Stanley Variation, the most testing of White's King's Gambit setup.
4.  f4        d6   - Not wrong but easy to go wrong, 4...d5 is tougher.

 Position after 4...d6

5.  Nf3      Bg4 - Premature. Nc6 should come first when a pin really works after Nd4.
6.  fxe5    dxe5? -  Black should have played 6....Bxf3
7.  Bxf7+  Kxf7 - This schoolboy trick nets 2 good pawns.
8. Nxe5+  ....    - King - Bishop Fork, White has enough tempo to pull this off with the                                          Bishop on g4 underdefended.

 Fork after 8. Nxe5+

8. ...          Ke7
9. Nxg4    Qd4 - This looks scary but it really isn't.

 Position after 9...Qd4

10. Rf1     Rf8
11.  Nxf6  Rxf6? - Black should have retaken the Knight with 11...gxf6
12. Nd5+  ...

 Fork after 12. Nd5+

12.  ...       Kd6
13.  Nxf6  gxf6 
14.  d3      Nd7
15.  c3!      Bb4  - 15...Bb4 is forced as the Black Queen is lost after 15...Qe5, 16. Bf4
 

 Fatal pin after potential 15...Qe5, 16. Bf4

 Desperate sacrifical pin after potential 15...Bb4

16. cxb4  Qxb4+
17. Qd2    1-0
 

 Final Position after 17. Qd2

The Queens are soon to be exchanged off leaving White 6 points ahead of Black in material going into the Endgame. Black Resigns.

Paul O'Brien - 3rd Team

  • Sussex League - 1st Team Pre-Christmas 2024 Report

 by Russell Granat - 12/12/2024

Our first team in the Sussex League 1st division have started the season at a canter.

Starting with an Away Win over last year’s champions Horsham, followed up by a Home Win against Eastbourne and then a Final Home match before Christmas against Lewes resulting in a Draw.

These three results ensure we lead the table at the current time.

Particular Congratulations to Dave Graham who has achieved 3 wins out of 3 on Board 2.


Russell Granat (Captain)
 

©2025 by Worthing Chess Club.

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