by John Richards
| Bristol 1 | North West Eagles | |||
| Simon Ansell | Gary Quillan | |||
| Chris Beaumont | John Littlewood | |||
| Charles Cobb | Brett Lund | |||
| Simon Buckley | Charles Kennaugh | |||
| David Ledger | David Tebb | |||
| Robert McFarland | Ben Hague | |||
| Nick Jakubovics | Dale James | |||
| Sophie Tidman | Default | |||
A good start to the new season. Simon Ansell, Simon Buckley and
Robert McFarland all had nice wins. So did David Ledger, making
his debut for Bristol. David is a Bristolian by birth. Chris Beaumont
was unlucky to lose on time when Littlewood sprung an unexpected
38th move.
Bristol 2 were paired with Birmingham Thistle White Rose (White Rose 2 for short).
| Bristol 2 | Thistle White Rose | |||
| Jack Rudd | Clive Waters | |||
| Craig Hanley | Mopati Jobi | |||
| Alex Easton | Mark White | |||
| Steve Dilleigh | Chilipi Mogasha | |||
| David Buckley | L Keely | |||
| Duncan Grossett | Gawain Jones | |||
| Jerry Humphreys | Rupert Jones | |||
| Joanne Alston | Lara Barnes | |||
Jerry Humphreys fluked a win in a lost position when his opponent
managed to find the only really bad move on the board. Not one
that Jerry will be proud of, but they all count. It proved to
be vital as we crumbled on the other bottom boards. Jo Alston
played a good game but her rustiness showed as she ran short of
time on the clock. Craig Hanley saved our bacon with one of his
specialist endgame grinds.
| Bristol 1 | Richmond | |||
| Simon Ansell | Simon Williams | |||
| Chris Beaumont | Richard Bates | |||
| David Ledger | Gavin Wall | |||
| Simon Buckley | Mark Quinn | |||
| Charles Cobb | Tom Hinks-Edwards | |||
| Robert McFarland | Laurence Webb | |||
| Nick Jakubovics | Roy Phillips | |||
| Sophie Tidman | Arpi Shah | |||
Dreams of a great start to the season evaporated when Richmond beat Bristol 1 by six points to two. The match felt closer than this, but hopes of saving it went when Sophie Tidman lost on time with just one move to make and the better position. Sophie had been misled by the flag and thought she had sufficient time to move. Chris Beaumont salvaged a draw after Richard Bates exchanged a queen for rook, knight and pawn, securing a better position. Simon Buckley may have had chances of saving a draw in a difficult bishop and pawn ending.
| Bristol 2 | IKHH 2 | |||
| Jack Rudd | Lyndon Gurr | |||
| Craig Hanley | Gavin Lock | |||
| Alex Easton | N Mills | |||
| Steve Dilleigh | B Martin | |||
| David Buckley | Alex Stille | |||
| Duncan Grossett | Sue Howell | |||
| Jerry Humphreys | Mario Houska | |||
| Joanne Alston | S Barraclouch | |||
Bristol 2 woke up after Saturday's slow start and flattened IKHH
2. There were echoes of last season's form in the way the team
powered through the match. Jo Alston had the roughest ride, running
short of time for the second day running. Her tiny opponent (with
an equally tiny, but obviously too low, BCF grade of 70) played
a fast solid game, leaving Jo struggling with the clock. It hadn't
helped that her train had been late so that she arrived with 20
minutes already gone. With still 11 moves to make and less than
a couple of minutes on the clock, Jo looked lost. It was then
I noticed her opponent had stopped recording moves, even though
she had over 75 minutes left. I had to ask the Senior Arbiter,
Richard Furness, to intervene. Jo must have appreciated the short
interruption because she checkmated eight moves later with her
flag poised to fall. IKHH 2 had a much weaker side than they expect
to have for the rest of the season, so we were lucky to catch
them early.
The weekend did not go as well as it could have done, but at least
the first team secured two valuable match points. The top division
looks even tougher than last year, with a definite split between
the top teams and the relegation candidates. The trouble is that
there are only four or five sides that are fighting to avoid three
relegation spots. In this situation, you have to grab what you
can and the match against the Eagles was one we just had to win.
Bristol 2 had a solid start, but were too lackadaisical in the first match. They can do much better, as they proved the following day.
| 1 | Oct 9 | Bristol 1 | 5-3 | North West Eagles | Bristol 2 | 4-4 | TB White Rose 2 |
| 2 | Oct 10 | Richmond | 6-2 | Bristol 1 | I.K.H.H. 2 | ½-7½ | Bristol 2 |
| 3 | Nov 20 | Bristol 1 | v | Wood Green 1 | Bristol 2 | v | Barbican 2 |
| 4 | Nov 21 | Wood Green 2 | v | Bristol 1 | Poisoned Pawns | v | Bristol 2 |
| 5 | Jan 22 | Slough 1 | v | Bristol 1 | Nidum Knights | v | Bristol 2 |
| 6 | Jan 23 | Bristol 1 | v | Guildford ADC | Bristol 2 | v | S.C.S. |
| 7 | Mar 25 | Bristol 1 | v | The AD's | |||
| 8 | Mar 26 | Barbican 1 | v | Bristol 1 | |||
| 9 | Apr 29 | Bristol 1 | v | I.K.H.H. 1 | |||
| 10 | Apr 30 | Bristol 1 | v | Bigwood 1 | |||
| 11 | May 1 | Silvine White Rose | v | Bristol 1 |
In Division 2, Swiss pairings will be used for the last two weekends. Teams which have already met will NOT meet again. Pairings for the fourth weekend (rounds 7 & 8) will be based on league positions after round 6. Pairings for the final weekend (rounds 9 to 11) will be based on league positions after round 8.