Game 5 - Home to Ilkley Kinghts

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With Storm Darragh battering the country, Ilkley Knights had the unpleasant task of travelling to Doncaster for the last match of the IM Brown before the Christmas break. With the wind swirling, the rain pounding at the windows, and the extractor fan clacking as though it would be ripped off at any time, the two teams began their match. Santa had come early for Doncaster as they discovered that they out graded their opponents on every board except one, although Ilkley will likely get the last laugh in the long term given how many of their starting eight were very promising juniors. 

Board 8 was decided first as Ismet Berisha, who had stepped in at short notice, was able to beat one of Ilkley’s promising youngsters. Second was my own match against Ilkley captain Andy Wainwright. Known for his commitment to Yorkshire chess, Andy’s altruism was his own downfall as only two weeks earlier, he had given his free tine to host the Yorkshire Rapidplay, where I discovered a particular weakness in my opening and worked to correct it. Had it not been for Andy’s selfless running of the tournament, he would not have found me well-prepared to handle his clever, anti-Sicilian opening. Despite this preparation, it still took me a stroke of what may appear as genius on the outside (though is in reality far more luck than skill) to sacrifice a bishop for an attack from nowhere (see the game annotated here) and win the game.

Young Charlie Wainwright is a rising star in the chess community, and he was able to hold the experienced and skilled Andrew Butterworth to a draw on board 2. Board 6 fell Doncaster’s way next with Farrell clinching a win against another of Ilkley’s future stars. Ilkley were also fielding another promising star on board 7, who had a tough game against Rico-Bradley Ellis. With Rico leading into the endgame with a 2-pawn advantage, it looked winning although he had to be extremely precise against a strong and accurate defence from his opponent. Eventually, after a lot of hard calculating, he was able to turn his advantage into another point for Doncaster by overcoming his opponent and the constant questions of his position she demanded he answer perfectly to gain the win. 

With Doncaster now over the 4-point line, the team could breathe a sigh of relief. Richard Desmedt on board 5 soon claimed another point with a fierce attack against what had appeared to be a very safe king. The last two matches went the distance with Zak Tomlinson (acting as captain) converting his tricky opposite-coloured bishop endgame into a win. Ilkley pulled one back against Doncaster’s own junior star on board 3, in a game very high in tactics that went to the wire. 

All in all, a good match with a positive result for Doncaster. The win gives the team another impressive scoreline, although that does no justice to the Ilkley team that fought very well and will no doubt become an unstoppable force with the continuing development of such talented young players. 

 Doncaster braved the cold for a trip to Wakefield for their fourth game of the season – the third having been forfeited to Doncaster after York C were sadly unable to raise a team. With the talented Peter Shaw and Gerald Cuaresma out grading the top two Doncaster boards, the team was hoping to win this match with the remaining six games. Doncaster were off to a flying start when Andrew Butterworth scored the first point with a win on board 3, although Steve Mann had to concede that point back to Wakefield with an expected and understandable loss to Peter Shaw.

As the daylight started to fade, Martin Simmonds, Captain Peter Catt, and Richard Desmedt all earned draws on boards 7, 6, and 4 respectably. The level match was now down to the final three boards and the tension in the room was unbearable. After a strong attack in my own game on board 2, the game had settled into a tight affair which was likely drawing. Sensing the need to push on for a win, Gerald Cuaresma had opened up his position and was suddenly looking vulnerable. Suddenly, young wunderkind Seth Woozeer, freshly available after his time in the European Club Championships in Serbia, broke through in an accurate endgame to win on board 5. Shay Toppings soon followed with another win on board 8 to secure the match, before I was able to convert my own game to a victory, albeit one earned by my opponent’s need to avoid a draw.

Another win for this ambitious Doncaster side, who are beginning to keep a close eye on their promotion rivals. One again, Wakefield hosted a match a style and whilst the score board may read 5.5 – 2.5, the truth is that this game was far tighter than the score reflects. 

 Doncaster’s first home game in the second division of Yorkshire chess saw them play host to the Calderdale B team. The game began 1-0 in Doncaster’s favour due to a board default, before Sean McDonald and Seth Woozeer both agreed to draws in the first couple of hours. Being out graded across every board, Calderdale B fought hard before ultimately succumbing to defeat. With Doncaster back to winning ways, they will undoubtably be hoping that this win will kickstart their push for promotion to the top flight. 

Doncaster started the season with high hopes after winning the Yorkshire League Third Division in convincing style the previous campaign with victories in every game. But they suffered a blow just before the match when top board Sean McDonald had to drop out after sustaining a cracked rib in a freak accident. It meant every player having to move higher up the order but they should still have felt confident as they outgraded their opponents, who finished in the top four last season, on every board! However, the match ended all square at 4-4 – the first time Doncaster had conceded a point in the Yorkshire League for almost five years after winning 12 games in a row.

It looked good for the visitors when Farrell Clifford marked his debut in fine style with a quick win on board 3 over his very experienced opponent John Mercy. Another excellent victory from Steve Mann, following a sharp opening on board 2, put Doncaster 2-0 up – but there was not much to cheer after that. Seth Woozeer, also making his debut for Doncaster at the age of 10, suffered a defeat on board 4 despite battling hard to the finish to try and give himself drawing chances. Martin Simmonds was called up as a last minute replacement, despite not having fully recovered from a lengthy illness himself, but was unable to conjure up his best form on bottom board and the game ended in a draw.

The board 7 game between two sharp players turned into a slugfest, especially after Rico-Bradley Ellis had sacrificed a piece for an attack that never quite worked. But he battled back to level material before losing out in a tricky ending. That left the scores level with three games remaining, but it was soon down to one when Andrew Butterworth, on board 1, and Richard Desmedt, on 6, had to agree draws in even positions which contained next to no winning chances.

It meant the two team captains were left to battle it out in a horrendously complicated position with the result deciding the match. Both players had a history of similar ultra-sharp positions when facing each other and Sheffield skipper Geoff Brown threw down the gauntlet from the start as Black by playing d6, c6, Nd7, h6 and g5 after Peter Catt had opened with e4, d4, Nc3, f4 and Nf3. Peter quickly established a lasting initiative and gained material but failed to find the winning move as Geoff hit back with mating threats of his own, and they settled for a draw in the ensuing time scramble at the end. See the game here!

Honours even then in Doncaster’s first match on their return to the IM Brown Second Division which underlined they will not have matters all their own way this season.     

After reforming last year, Doncaster will be hoping to continue the success of their perfect season, which saw them crowned champions of Yorkshire's third division - the Silver Rook. Now moving up into the IM Brown (second division) Doncaster's chess team will be looking to push for a consecutive promotion. Follow their progress here!