  
Blayney Win on Tiebreak
24th May, 2007
It took a tiebreak to decide the outcome, but Blayney Chess
Club celebrated victory in their match against Bathurst. Bathurst cleaned up the
bottom half, Blayney fought back to take the honours on the top boards to tie
the match at 3-3. With the tiebreak system emphasizing wins on the higher
boards, this meant that Blayney were narrow victors in another keenly contested
Bathurst v Blayney encounter.
With the match format growing to six boards, with plans to
expand to seven boards, the incentive is there for everyone to improve their
game, as every individual game becomes crucial for the team. Team matches are a
great concept, as the players get to play other players in a format where they
are not just competing for themselves, but as part of a team, an often-neglected
aspect of competition in the modern age.
The match began with everyone in good spirit after enjoying
some refreshments courtesy of the Bowling Club and Akehurst’s Bakery.
Blayney got off to a bad start, as our Board 5 player,
Brian Patten, yielded to some big match nerves in his first ever tournament
style game and committed a blunder early in his game. Everyone realised that his
opponent, Karl Matiszik, was too experienced and wily to lose with the big
advantage he had, so we had that dismal feeling of going down 1-0 very early.
Then things worsened as Garry Mann succumbed to the ‘bug’ that has currently
befallen many of the townsfolk. After making a courageous decision to play
despite that impending feeling of what was coming, Garry had to admit defeat to
both his opponent, Jamie Davidson, and the fact that he wasn’t in a fit state at
all. Therefore, with wins on Boards 4 and 5, Bathurst was now 2-0 up.
We looked to be a chance of regaining some ground on Board
Six as David Rogerson and Evan Stroeve were engaged in a spirited game that is
typical of juniors. Aggression at all costs seems to be their motto. This can be
a bit daunting for conservative types, but is truly entertaining as they
willingly walk the precipice of disaster in their quest for a knockout blow.
Alas, our player, David, was the first to slip, and Evan quickly pounced on the
opportunity for Bathurst to go 3-0 up.
Then the tide turned, the much-anticipated clash on Board 1
between Fritz Van der Wal and Slavko Kocic produced the fireworks that everyone
expected. Fritz seized upon some minor errors by Slavko to go on the offensive.
Slavko tried valiantly to find some salvation, but Fritz’s attack was
irresistible, and Blayney finally put a point on the right side of the column.
On Board 2, Phil Bourke had taken an early advantage, but
had to withstand some spirited counter play from Naum Todoroski. Then the
advantage grew and Phil converted a nice game into a win and the match now stood
at 3-2 in Bathurst’s favour.
With the match result now hinging upon the Board 3 clash
between Blayney’s Col Parsons and Bathurst’s John McLoon, everyone’s attention
focused on that game. They were intent on maintaining the tension in the room,
as they used every minute of their allotted time in determining the victor. Col
had a winning advantage, but John was utilizing his forces well, making Col’s
task as difficult as possible. Col played a fine endgame to secure the much
needed win for Blayney and tie the match at 3 games each.
In chess, tied matches are decided on a tiebreak system of
removing the bottom results until one team is the winner. On this occasion, this
favoured Blayney. After four matches, the score now stands at 2 matches apiece,
with an individual game score of 9 pts each. Which emphasizes how evenly
contested these matches are and why they are becoming keenly anticipated events
within both clubs.
With all players looking for much needed practice before
the Blayney Open Chess Tournament in September, the possibility of playing two
more Team Matches before that event is being pursued with early July and late
August being investigated as possible dates for these clashes.
For More Information Contact:
Blayney Chess Club
239 Shaw Road, Blayney NSW 2799
Tel: 02 6368 3407
Email:
blayneychess@bigpond.com
| 
2007 NSW
Country Reserve Team Champions
