You are here: Home Archives Ulster Chronicles 2013-2014 season UCU Web 2014 B&D League - free week update

B&D League - free week update

Title rivals Fisherwick and Lindores played rescheduled matches on the 28th of April - would this be the night the title was decided?
B&D League - free week update

The game that won the title for Fisherwick

The week commencing the 28th of April was designated as a free week in the league schedule, giving teams a chance to fulfill their postponed matches. On Monday night, champions Fisherwick were at home to Ballynafeigh 2, whom they had drawn with in their scheduled match the previous week, while Lindores had a tougher test away to Muldoons 1. Going into the night's matches, Lindores were on 106 points with just that night's match to play, while Fisherwick were four points behind with an extra match to play.

The earlier of the two matches to start was at Fisherwick. The home side was mainly unchanged from last week, with Callum Ormerod taking the place of Ian Woodfield on board 4, while Mike Redman and Stephen Rush were unavailable for Ballynafeigh 2. On the other hand, WCM Karina Kruk, unavailable for most of the season due to her university studies in Coleraine, made her first league appearance of the season on board 4, while Dennis Wilkinson was drafted in on board 5.

Things started well for Fisherwick when John Cairns claimed a quick win over Damien Cunningham. On board 3, Robert Lavery carelessly dropped a pawn in the opening to Gavin Fong and never seriously looked like getting back into the game after that.

A good night for Fisherwick became even better when news filtered through that Lindores had been forced to forfeit their match against Muldoons 1; apparently, Lindores' board 1 Gabor Horvath was under the impression that the match would be played on Tuesday, and by the time Lindores captain Calum Leitch realised this the match was underway. Under the B&D League rules, not only would the home side be awarded that board by default, but all boards beneath it as well, meaning that although Lindores won 2.5-1.5 over the boards that were played, it would all be for naught as the match would officially go down as a 5-0 win for Muldoons 1.

This meant that a win for Fisherwick on the night would be enough to seal a fourth consecutive Silver King - the last time this was achieved was in the Seventies. The visitors were mounting a fightback, though - Ormerod allowed Kruk's bishop to skewer his rooks, Wilkinson was under pressure but putting up a stout defence against Norman McFarland, while the board 1 clash between Soren Jensen and Michael Waters looked as if it could go either way, with both sides on the attack - and in the end it was Jensen who made the breakthrough, converting a fierce attack into an unstoppable passed pawn. Kruk then converted her material advantage to level the match.

It was up to Wilkinson and McFarland on board 5, then, to decide the match. McFarland had built up a clock advantage and was intensifying the pressure on Wilkinson's weak c-pawn; it seemed like only a matter of time before McFarland sealed the match for Fisherwick, and in fact it was a matter of time as Wilkinson over-stepped the time limit in a lost rook and pawns ending, giving Fisherwick the title.

In Division 2, Fruithill beat Ballynafeigh 3 4-1 while Muldoons 2 beat NICS 3.5-1.5. Going into the final week's play, the tables look like this:

Division 1

PlayedPoints
Fisherwick (Champions) 21 107
Lindores 22 106
Muldoons 1 21 99.5
Ballynafeigh 1 21 78.5
Ballynafeigh 2 21 72.5
Belfast South 1 21 64
Lagan 21 61.5

Muldoons 1 can sneak into second place with a whitewash of Ballynafeigh 1. Of the teams aiming to avoid last place, Belfast South 1 have the easier job with a 2.5 point head start and the easier opposition; Ballynafeigh 2, as opposed to the retaining champions Fisherwick.

Division 2

PlayedPoints
Bangor (Champions) 10 (+10) 82
NICS 11 (+10) 61.5
Fruithill 9 (+10) 49.5
Belfast South 2 11 47
Muldoons 2 11 31.5
Ballynafeigh 3 11 (+10) 28.5
Ballynafeigh 4 11
28

As with Division 1, the big question in the final week is who will finish last; Muldoons 2, who seemed for a long time to be heading for the wooden spoon, have had a good run of form recently and are 3.5 points ahead of Ballynafeigh 4. It was a good effort, but it seems that one of the Ballynafeigh teams will be propping up the table when all is said and done. Meanwhile, Belfast South 2 have confirmed their status as the best of the new teams that entered at the split.

Navigation
News
The Monthly Childrens Chess continued on Nov 2nd 2024 at Methodist College With perhaps our largest no of players the start of the Grandprix series of Childrens Chess began. The monthly series co... Nov 10, 2024
£750 Prize pot for Ulster Masters Friday 15th-Sunday 17th Nov. Not too late to enter. An exciting event. With 53 entrants, two sections and large prize money. Article by Brendan Jamison. Nov 10, 2024
Belfast Chess Social host Rapid Tournament and FIRST EVER In-Person Blitz Tournament Played on Computers Belfast Chess Social hosted two tournaments on Sunday, November 3rd, at Reboot Cafe in the Queen's Quarter area of the c... Nov 04, 2024
November 2024 NI FIDE Rating Report By Brendan Jamison Nov 02, 2024
Belfast Chess Social - Sunday 3rd November We're hosting two tournaments on November 3rd at Reboot Cafe (opposite MEdical College building at Queens). One of them... Oct 27, 2024
More news…
« November 2024 »
November
SuMoTuWeThFrSa
12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
Upcoming Events
FIDE RATED Groomsport Winter Rapid 2024 Nov 14, 2024 - Nov 21, 2024 — Church of Ireland Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport, County Down, BT19 6JR, Northern Ireland
FIDE rated Ulster Masters 2024 Nov 15, 2024 - Nov 17, 2024 — Maynard Sinclair Sports Pavilion, Stormont Estate (Castleview Suite
FIDE RATED City of Bangor Sam Lynn Memorial Classic: Round 1 Nov 28, 2024 07:30 PM - 10:30 PM — Church of Ireland Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport, County Down, BT19 6JR, Northern Ireland
FIDE RATED Groomsport Winter Blitz Championship 2024 [event 4 of 8 in Gold Coast Blitz Grand Prix 2024/2025] Dec 05, 2024 07:30 PM - 10:00 PM — Church of Ireland Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport, County Down, BT19 6JR, Northern Ireland
Ulster Schools Individual Championships 2024 Come and challenge to become the Ulster Schools Chess Champion 2024. 7th December at Methodist College. Dec 07, 2024 09:45 AM - 05:00 PM — Methodist College,1 Malone Rd, Belfast BT9 6BY
Upcoming events…