The visitors took an early lead when, on bottom board, Brian's extra piece got sidetracked and the opposition's pawns rolled unstoppably forward. (0-1)
It looked like we would be two down when Will lost a pawn early on, but, with his opponent focussing on the Queen's-side, he picked up a piece and put together some decisive threats on the other wing. (1-1)
Always-enterprising Chris Lowe did his best to upset Trefor's solid build-up, but after some tense manoeuvres, was happy to agree a draw when White refused to be distracted. (1½-1½)
Alan gave up the centre in a Queen's Gambit Accepted, only to find his opponent quickly using the extra central control to grab space for sacrificial King's-side attack. (1½-2½)
Eddy's slow-and-solid system with 1.b3 didn't give him enough to bite on: Black seemed slightly better for a long while and a draw was agreed in a Knight endgame. (2-3)
On top board, Tim used the same opening, but pointed his forces more directly towards the enemy King, and broke through the centre to score an impressive victory (3-3). Now, a 4-4 tie would give us the match on board count, and it looked as though we had at least a draw in the last two games.
Sean Pope made use of his young opponent's inexperience to cause problems from the outset, and nurtured a pawn advantage through into a Rook endgame. But Vignesh defended vigorously and at the end the advantage was his, although he was unable to make use of it. (3½-3½)
Ed Kelly was giving away a lot of grading points but played with care and composure as he always does, and the game seemed to be heading for a draw. But Wilf, realising the match position, played on, and with pawns on both sides of the board, showed good technique to show the advantage of Bishop against Knight, and completed the final score in his team's favour. (3½-4½) [/pgn]
[Event "Exeter vs Newton Abbot"] [Site "Oxygen House"] [Date "2017. 1.28"] [Round "3"] [White "Pope, Seab=n"] [Black "Ramesh, Vignesh"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Nc3 Be6 ( 6... Nb6 ) 7. O-O Be7 8. d4 exd4 9. Nb5 Ndb4 10. a3 Bc4 11. Nbxd4 Na6 12. Nxc6 Qxd1 13. Rxd1 bxc6 14. Nd4 ( 14. Ne5 ) 14... O-O-O 15. Be3 Nb8 16. Rac1 Ba6 17. Nxc6 Nxc6 18. Bxc6 Bxe2 19. Re1 Bg4 20. Rc4 ( 20. Bxa7 ) 20... Bd7 21. Rec1 ( 21. Bxd7+ Rxd7 22. Bxa7 ) 21... Bxc6 22. Rxc6 Bd6 23. Bxa7 Kd7 24. Bd4 f6 25. R6c2 Rhe8 26. Bc3 Re6 27. Bb4 Rc8 28. Bxd6 Rxd6 29. Re1 Re6 30. Rxe6 Kxe6 31. Kf1 c5 32. Ke2 Kd6 33. Kd3 Rb8 34. Kc3 Re8 35. Rd2+ Kc6 36. h4 ( 36. b4 ) 36... h5 37. b4 g5 38. bxc5 Kxc5 39. Ra2 gxh4 40. gxh4 Re4 41. a4 Rxh4 42. a5 Rg4 43. a6 Rg8 44. a7 Ra8 45. Ra5+ Kd6 46. Rxh5 Rxa7 47. Kd3 Re7 48. Ra5 Ke6 49. f3 ( 49. Ke4 ) 49... Kf7 50. Ra4 f5 51. Rb4 Kg6 52. Rc4 Kg5 53. f4+ Kg4 54. Rb4 Kf3 55. Ra4 Re3+ 56. Kd2 Re7 ( 56... Re4 57. Rxe4 Kxe4 58. Ke2 Kxf4 59. Kf2 ) 1/2-1/2
[Event "Exeter vs Newton Abbot"] [Site "Oxygen House"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "8"] [White "Kashar, Plashu"] [Black "Aldwin, Brian"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C41"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bc4 Be6 5. Bxe6 fxe6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. d4 c6 8. Bg5 Be7 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Nxe5 ( 10. Qd3 ) 10... Nxe5 11. Qxd8+ Rxd8 12. Rad1 O-O 13. Bf4 Bd6 14. Bxe5 Bxe5 15. Rxd8 Rxd8 16. f4 Bd4+ ( 16... Bxc3 17. bxc3 Nxe4 18. Re1 Nxc3 ( 18... Nc5 ) ) 17. Kh1 Kf7 18. Rd1 Bb6 19. Rxd8 Bxd8 20. e5 Nd5 21. Nxd5 exd5 ( 21... cxd5 22. g4 g5 23. f5 exf5 24. gxf5 Bc7 25. e6+ Kf6 26. Kg2 Bd6 ) 22. g4 Ke6 23. Kg2 d4 ( 23... g5 ) 24. Kf3 g6 25. Ke4 c5 26. f5+ gxf5+ 27. gxf5+ Kf7 28. Kd5 Bb6 29. Kd6 c4 30. e6+ Ke8 31. f6 d3 ( 31... Bd8 32. e7 ( 32. f7+ Kf8 ) 32... Bxe7+ 33. fxe7 d3 ) 32. f7+ Kf8 33. cxd3 cxd3 34. e7+ Kxf7 35. Kd7 d2 36. e8=Q+ Kf6 37. Qe2 Be3 38. Kc7 b5 39. b4 Kf5 40. Qf3+ Kg6 41. Kc6 a6 42. a3 h5 43. h4 Kg7 44. Kd5 Bh6 45. Ke4 Kg6 46. Qf5+ Kg7 47. Qxh5 Kh7 48. Qg4 Bg7 49. Kd3 Bb2 ( 49... Bh6 ) 50. Kxd2 Bxa3 51. Kc2 a5 52. bxa5 Bc5 53. Qf5+ 1-0
[Event "Exeter vs Newton Abbot"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "2"] [White "Thynne, Trefor"] [Black "Lowe, Chris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E68"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. e4 exd4 9. Nxd4 Re8 10. f3 a6 11. Be3 Rb8 12. Qd2 Ne5 13. b3 c5 14. Nde2 b5 15. cxb5 axb5 16. Rad1 b4 17. Na4 Ba6 18. Qc2 Qc7 19. Rfe1 Red8 ( 19... Bb5 20. Nd4 ( 20. Nb2 Ra8 21. f4 Neg4 ) 20... Bd7 ) 20. h3 Bb5 21. f4 Nc6 22. Nb2 1/2-1/2
[Event "Exeter vs Newton Abbot"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "6"] [White "Blackmore, Joshua"] [Black "Marjoram, Will"] [Result "*"] [ECO "A29"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bc5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 ( 4. Nxe5 ) 4... Nf6 5. d3 h6 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O d6 8. a3 a5 9. Bd2 Bf5 10. Nh4 Ne7 11. Nxf5 Nxf5 12. Bxb7 Rb8 13. Bg2 Rxb2 14. Na4 Rb8 15. Nxc5 dxc5 16. Bxa5 Nd4 17. Bc3 ( 17. e3 ) 17... Re8 18. e3 Nf5 19. Qc2 Rb6 20. Rfb1 Rd6 21. Be4 Nxe4 22. dxe4 Ne7 23. Bxe5 Rd2 24. Qc3 Rd3 25. Qa5 Nc6 26. Qxc7 Nxe5 27. Qxc5 Nf3+ 28. Kg2 Ng5 29. e5 Qa8+ 30. Kf1 Rd2 31. Ke1 Ne4 ( 31... Qf3 ) 32. Qc7 Rxf2 33. Rb7 Rc8 34. Qe7 Qa5+ 35. Qb4 Qxe5 36. Rd1 Rxh2 37. Rd4 Qxg3+ *
[Event "Exeter vs Newton Abbot"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "5"] [White "Palmer Eddy"] [Black "Allan, John"] [Result "*"] [ECO "A01"] 1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 a6 4. g3 d5 5. Bg2 Nf6 6. Ne2 Bf5 7. d3 Bb4+ 8. c3 Ba5 9. O-O O-O 10. f3 Bb6 11. d4 exd4 12. exd4 ( 12. Qd3 dxe3 ) 12... Qd7 13. Nf4 Rfe8 14. Nd2 Ne7 15. Re1 g5 16. Ne2 Nc6 17. Kh1 Bh3 18. Ng1 Bxg2+ 19. Kxg2 Rxe1 20. Qxe1 Re8 21. Qf1 Qe6 22. Rd1 a5 ( 22... Ba5 ) 23. Bc1 h6 24. Nb1 a4 25. b4 Na7 26. Bd2 Qf5 27. Rc1 c6 28. g4 Qd7 29. Ne2 Nc8 30. Ng3 Nd6 31. Re1 Bc7 32. Rxe8+ Qxe8 33. Qe1 Qxe1 34. Bxe1 Nd7 35. Nd2 Kg7 36. Ndf1 Nf8 37. Ne3 Ng6 38. Ngf5+ Nxf5 39. Nxf5+ Kh7 40. Bg3 Nf4+ 41. Kf1 Kg6 42. Ne3 Ne6 43. Ke2 h5 44. Bxc7 Nxc7 45. Nf5 Nb5 46. Kd2 h4 47. h3 Kf6 48. Kd3 Ke6 49. Ng7+ *
[Event "Exeter vs Newton Abbot"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "4"] [White "Howard, Charles"] [Black "Dean, Alan"] [Result "*"] [ECO "D26"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 Be7 6. Nc3 O-O ( 6... c5 7. O-O O-O 8. Qe2 ) 7. O-O b6 8. Re1 h6 9. e4 Bb7 10. a3 c5 11. e5 Nd5 12. Ne4 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Nc6 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Qg4 Kh7 16. Bd3 g6 17. Qh3 h5 18. Nf6+ Nxf6 19. exf6 Bxf6 20. Qxh5+ Kg8 21. Bxg6 fxg6 22. Qxg6+ Kh8 23. Qh5+ Kg8 24. Re3 Qd5 25. Rg3+ Bg7 26. Qg4 Qe5 27. Bd2 Qf6 28. Rf1 Rf7 29. Bc3 Qe7 ( 29... Qf5 ) 30. h4 e5 ( 30... Rc8 ) 31. Re1 Qf6 32. Rxe5 Qxf2+ 33. Kh1 Kf8 34. Re2 Qf1+ 35. Kh2 *
[Event "Exeter vs Newton Abbot"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "8"] [White "Kelly, Ed"] [Black "Taylor, Wilf"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C42"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. d3 Nf6 7. Bg5 Qxe2+ 8. Bxe2 Be7 9. Nc3 c6 10. O-O O-O 11. Rfe1 Re8 12. h3 Na6 13. a3 Bd7 14. d4 Nc7 15. Bc4 Be6 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Rad1 h6 18. Be3 Bf8 19. Bf4 Nfd5 20. Nxd5 Nxd5 21. Bg3 b5 22. c3 a5 23. Rc1 Nb6 24. Re2 a4 25. Rce1 ( 25. b4 ) 25... Kf7 26. Nd2 Rad8 27. Rb1 g6 28. f3 ( 28. c4 ) 28... Bg7 29. Ne4 Nc4 30. Rbe1 e5 31. dxe5 Nxe5 32. Rd1 d5 33. Bxe5 Rxe5 34. Ree1 Bf8 35. Kf1 Rde8 36. Ng3 Bd6 37. Rxe5 Rxe5 38. Ne2 Ke7 39. Nd4 Kd7 40. Re1 Kc7 41. Rxe5 Bxe5 42. Ke2 ( 42. f4 ) 42... Kb6 43. Kd3 c5 44. Ne2 b4 45. g4 bxa3 46. bxa3 c4+ 47. Kc2 ( 47. Kd2 g5 48. Nd4 Bd6 49. Nc2 ) 47... g5 48. Nd4 Bd6 49. Kb2 Bf8 50. Ne6 Be7 51. Nd4 Kc5 52. Nf5 Bf8 53. Nd4 ( 53. Kc2 Kc6 54. Kb2 Kd7 55. h4 Ke6 56. h5 ) 53... Kd6 54. Ne2 Ke5 55. Nd4 Bc5 56. Nf5 ( 56. Ne2 d4 57. Nxd4 Bxd4 58. cxd4+ Kxd4 59. Kc2 c3 ) 56... d4 57. cxd4+ Bxd4+ 58. Kc2 Bc5 59. Kb2 Bf8 60. h4 Kf4 61. hxg5 hxg5 62. Nd4 Bg7 63. Kc3 Ke3 64. Kxc4 Bxd4 65. Kb4 Kxf3 66. Kxa4 Kxg4 67. Kb5 Kf5 68. a4 g4 69. a5 g3 0-1