Post
by John Higgs » Fri Sep 08, 2017 6:40 am
Round 2 report from Simon Metcalfe (Head of Delegation):
Round 2 was another good day and this time it was Shlok Verma out first with that infectious smile. His game was straightforward from an early advantage; it was great watching Shlok's game on the live board. Similarly, we had been following Shreyas Royal. He had a comparatively comfortable position from the start and eased through the middle game into an endgame where his 'storming central pawns' led to his opponent's resignation.
Lavanya Malakar's second game was shorter but no less entertaining. Although giving up a1-h8 diagonal she did have a Bishop guarding g7 and her King. However, the position looked 'quite scary' as she looked to have a d6 weak pawn. Her opponent, the U12 Armenian Champion, started a direct attack on d6 but Lavanya used her a, b, and c semi-open files for a counter-attack and won a piece by threatening a checkmate and a fork. From then on it was solid play to win number two.
It isn't so unusual to see the younger players finish after an hour or so but Akito Oyama (U18 boys) was out so quickly we almost missed him. He executed his plan perfectly, quickly establishing a strong position which he carried through the game to comfortably win his first point.
Alex Golding was up against a player who had beaten the top seed in the first round. Although Alex went an exchange up, the position was double-edged and so after careful consideration of the risks and benefits, Alex forced a draw. His Armenian opponent played well and is clearly resourceful in tricky positions, as his previous day's result also showed.
A strong German player awaited Charlie Metcalfe. Although falling for a tactic early on to drop a pawn, Charlie fought back swapping off to opposite coloured bishops in the end game and subsequently to a drawn position.
It was another tough pairing for Elliott Cocks who had narrowly missed out to a FM in round 1. Elliott was clearly in a determined mood and playing black, started well. From this solid base he was secure for the remainder of the game. Despite the efforts of both players to gain advantage, the game was eventually drawn. A satisfying days work for Elliot to set himself up for day 3.
Shyam Modi was content with his play. The game had ebbed and flowed and throughout he felt he had opportunities for the win but in the end with an outcome increasingly unclear, settled for a draw to open his account.
In Ravi Haria's game, he had an established an advantage out of the opening which looked promising. Unfortunately a small error let his Slovakian opponent back in, who then defended well to half the game.
Spirits are high with day 2. Our England Flag was now hanging from the playing hall second floor balcony and team England had finished on 4 wins and 5 draws.
"I'm not the one who got it wrong. I'm the only one who got it right". Carrie Mathison.
