On 26 January we welcomed Harrow Two to the Actonians for a second division Middlesex match. On paper we started as firm favourites but, as we all know, ratings can be deceptive. Almost as if to prove the point, both John and Duncan performed below par and lost. Congratulations to Clive and Peter for defeating their higher-rated opponents.
But there was good news on other boards. The fast-improving Devina continues to impress. As Black, she writes: “After the opening I had a cramped position but managed to trade off queens and rooks which resulted in an advantageous endgame for me. I benefited from the bishop pair in contrast to my opponent’s badly co-ordinated knight and bishop which helped secure victory.”
On board one, Andrew reports on his game: “I got a slight space advantage as White in a Ruy Lopez Steinitz, and forced matters with f4, e5, N-e4-g5, Qg3, and Bd3, getting good play on the kingside. I (sort of) allowed her to liquidate matters with …f7-f6; however, my computer tells me that if I had simply swapped multiple times on f6, I could have followed with Qg3-d6, going in the opposite direction to where I was looking(!) and got a decisive advantage. Instead I kept the pieces on but when she offered a draw, I realised that she had fully equalised and, down to 5 mins v her 10, decided to accept.”
Reflecting on his performance, Alejandro comments: “We played an exchange Spanish that we had both played previously. My studying came in handy as I was able to make a few subtle improvements that gave me a slight edge. As pieces came off the board, the open position was perfect for my two bishops against his knight and bishop. My play and opportunities were too much in the end, as his pawns started to drop off. He resigned before I could queen my pawn.”
On board 5, Hristo faced the Pirc Defence and secured a spatial advantage with 9.d5. He later engineered a nice two-move forcing sequence (25.a5 and 26.Nc7) which won the exchange but his opponent fought back, taking advantage of a discovered attack on the white queen by playing 38….Nxg4! winning material. However, Hristo was to have the last word: he sacrificed the exchange (43.Rxf6!) and claimed the full point.
So, as with the result of the match four days earlier against Harrow One, we emerged victorious by the narrowest of margins. Nevertheless we now top the table, although our main rival, Hendon Two, have played fewer matches.
| Ealing One | Rating | Result | Harrow Two | Rating |
| FM Andrew Harley | 2166 | 0.5-0.5 | Naavya Parikh | 1909 |
| John Quinn | 2053 | 0-1 | Clive Heidrich | 1816 |
| Duncan Grassie | 2007 | 0-1 | Peter Schnatterbeck | 1784 |
| Alejandro Lopez-Martinez | 1912 | 1-0 | Amit Midha | 1709 |
| Hristo Colov | 1765 | 1-0 | John Clenshaw | 1638 |
| Devina Bedi | 1718 | 1-0 | Richard O’Neill | 1571 |
| 3.5–2.5 |