Annual Friendly Match: Fareham v Chandlers Ford (Held at the Duke of Connaught club venue)
Organising the event was fairly straightforward, with lots of interest from Fareham players to be in the team. On the night we had a 19-board match. After a brief photo session and some words of welcome to our opponents Chandlers Ford, we were off to a great night of chess.
I was looking forward to my individual game against Ivan on board one with a rating of 1900 + I was very excited. He started with 1.f4 the Bird opening, and I decided to play a passive set up and see what variation he’d play. I eventually won a knight and slowly ground out a win. After this I was able to turn my attention to what was happening on the remaining boards – some games having concluded, others were still in play.
During the course of the night, there were some wild fluctuations in individual games as the match progressed. Various games favoured one side but ended in favour of the other. It was all heading for yet another tight finish.
Fareham had to wait for the last board to secure the win. Dave Elliott only needed a draw, while his opponent Richard had to win to tie the match, but this was a tall order as he was a piece down. With both players very short of time, Richard had one fleeting opportunity to turn things around, but fortunately for Fareham the moment passed. When Richard extended his hand, this provided the final victory to Fareham, ending in a round of applause
Final score 10.5-8.5.
My thanks for the help setting up boards, clocks and moving tables to accommodate so many people. The buffet was clearly enjoyed, as little was left at the close of play!
LMS link https://lms.englishchess.org.uk/lms/fixture/154879
Match report: Tom Philidor (Captain)
4th August 2026