Horsham finally beat Brighton in the McArthur Cup last Tuesday!
Brighton got off to a bad start by arriving a player short. In the other games, both Mike Forster and Dix Roberts drew fairly comfortably, before Gavin Lock scored an exciting win on board one. This left Horsham with a decisive lead, as even if Brighton won the two remaining games to level the scores at 3-3, Horsham would then win on board count. As it happened, the two remaining games saw Anthony Higgs and I record a couple of draws fairly quickly, as our opponents lacked the motivation, or indeed the position on the board, to press for more.
In my game, I managed to build up a strong position as White against Callum Brewer. However, in mutual time trouble, the quality of play dropped, and both players missed chances. In the end, a draw was agreed in a trick position, where White seemed to have adequate compensation for his pawns.
I give the game below with some notes.