Horsham 1 have secured a win in their match against Hastings 1, which was played yesterday. With one game outstanding, the score is 2.5-1.5 in Horsham’s favour, and the undecided encounter is at least a draw for Horsham.
My game on board two saw me pitted against a familiar opponent in the shape of Chris Howell. I secured a slight edge out of the opening, as Chris played the King’s Indian in a passive fashion. After a some risky moves by Chris, I was able to go the exchange up for a pawn, and after some complications, I equalised the pawn count, leaving me with decent winning chances. However, the reduced number of pawns made it hard, perhaps impossible, to realise this advantage, and after some mutual mistakes, the game ended up in a drawn position just after the time control. After considering the position overnight, I agreed to a draw.
I give the game below with some notes.