Broadstairs 2½ Bridge 1½
| 1. | Paul Carfrae (131) | ½-½ | Tim Spencer (123) |
| 2. | John Couzens (118) | 0-1 | Shahid Sahi (115) |
| 3. | Bob Cronin (112) | 1-0 | Ray Rennells (86) |
| 4. | Andy Flood (111) | 1-0 | Graeme Boxall (85) |
Andy Flood writes:
A typical chess journey to Bridge on a windy rainy evening. Things started badly with John losing his queen early on board 2 and consequently, a little later, the match due to an unseen knight fork linked to a pin on the king preventing the knight being taken. Bob on board 3 comfortably and confidently won a match which he always seemed to control to make the score all square.
Our other two matches almost went the full distance finishing just before 11.00. Broadstairs took the lead after a win on board 4 with white resigning following the collapse of his queenside pawn structure. So the result was dependent on board 1 in what appeared a lost endgame for Broadstairs and ‘Deany’, who had a knight and bishop against a rook and bishop and was also two pawns down.
Who ‘Deany’ you might ask?! Why, of course, it was Houdini disguised as Paul Carfrae who somehow conjured up a draw (pinned rook and king with bishop) with a never say die fighting performance to secure a narrow win for Broadstairs.