Broadstairs  3         Herne Bay  1 

Reg Pidduck writes:

By a coincidence both teams turned up one player short which ensured everyone got a game and the match began with each side on half a point for the default.

BOARD 1. DOWN TO THE LAST PAWN. Paul Johnson’s Sicilian Defence paid off as he forced me back and it was only in the middle game that I was able to swap off and get down to a pawn ending. Five pawns each, then four, three, two then one each, both on my h-file. Paul got there first but I was able to get my king to h1 and hold for a draw. An exciting game (thanks Paul).   Score now 1-1

BOARD 3. QUEEN FOR TWO ROOKS. The swap left our Michael with the two rooks which he used to full advantage while John Heath’s queen was the other side of the board making its own threats. The two rooks paid off and Michael won.  2-1 to us

BOARD 2. SOLID BOB. Game Ronnie Melhuish had to counter so many threats from our Bob that in the end after a queen swap off, Bob was left with three passed pawns and Ronnie resigned.   A 3-1 win for our final game.

Played 8  Won 3  Drew 4  Lost 1.  A good season but unable to hold on to the Walker Shield. Thanks to all the team and congratulations to Margate.

And thanks to Reg, Andy (Hargreaves Shield captain) and David (Millar Cup captain) for their entertaining match reports this season. (Ed) 

Broadstairs  3         Woodnesborough  1 

Reg Pidduck writes:

BOARD 2.  ESCAPE PART 1 .  Our Bob, after losing an exchange fairly early on to quick-playing Mark Towlson, looked in peril until Mark gifted him a rook for nothing . Bob duly accepted and the roles were reversed. Bob then made no mistake and opened our account. 1-0 to us.

BOARD 1. ESCAPE PART 2.  David Erwee pressed me from the start, all my moves were defensive and my king was under threat from his queen and two knights. My only chance was to sac a knight to get a discovered check . This worked as David had to waste a move by moving his king. I was then lucky to find all the correct moves to get back with an advantage and David resigned. 2-0 to us

BOARD 4 . BLOCKED GAME. Michael J  and Susan Green  had hardly taken a piece off the board after one and a half hours so both sides were well and truly blocked in . After another hour a few pieces came off but still no progress so a draw was agreed and Michael gave us the half point to win the match. 2½-½ to us

BOARD 3. TO AND FRO. At first I thought our M.D. had the advantage . Then back came Bryan Rodwell . It see-sawed like this until a draw was agreed. 3 – 1 win for Broadstairs.

Well done team and thanks to the Woody team. We now have two wins four draws and one loss with one to play in the Walker Shield.

Broadstairs  2         Margate   5 

Bob Page writes:

Broadstairs’ Millar Cup campaign for the 2016/17 season ended in disappointment with a comprehensive defeat by Margate, the same team we had beaten comfortably only three days earlier. On reflection we were probably doomed from the start as at 7.30 only four of our team were present. Mr X – some names have been changed to protect the innocent (and the guilty) – forgot there was a match which would be a problem in itself. Unfortunately, he was the designated driver for two other members of our team which meant that Mr Y and Mr Z were also late. Consequently it was almost 8.00 before all seven games were up and running. As far as the chess was concerned, Nick won an exchange early on and gradually asserted his authority, beating Peter for the second time in a week. The only other game where we appeared to have an advantage was on Board 7 where Bob C had a slight edge but accepted a draw.  John seemed to have good compensation (three pawns) for a piece but Colin fought back and the game was lost. Andy was in familiar time trouble against Clive and this told in the end, Paul had a tight game where one pawn made all the difference as it did with Bob P’s game on Board 2. Reg took a draw against Leon with the match lost. On reflection, the team did not play badly and were simply beaten by better players on the night. One consolation is that with a better record against Margate in all three competitions, Broadstairs retain the Thanet Shield.

Broadstairs  4½         Margate   2½ 

Reg Pidduck writes:

Broadstairs were given a great start from Paul Carfrae on Board 2 with a fine draw (no rust there as Paul has not played much lately). Wins then followed from Bob C. and then John Couzens . John’s was a swashbuckling game that he modestly says could have gone either way. Michael then put our first zero on the sheet with a loss against steady John Clarke. So four results were in with three to go. Next to finish was a win for our Nick on Board 1. So half a point was needed for the match .I was in dire straits against Clive with less than two minutes to go when Clive slipped up and I forked his king and rook .Clive now up against it .I offered a draw and Clive took it gladly. Match won and now Andy and Colin agreed a draw. It was a terrific evening and thanks to Matgate for their efforts.