Match Report

On Thursday 22nd April 2004, Cambridge City Chess club and Cambridge University celebrated the end of the local chess season with the annual Town v Gown chess match. It was the traditional social match, open to players of all standards and expanded to fifteen boards.

Despite the lure of free beer & crisps, the match only managed to entice two of this year's Cambridge Varsity team to join the fun. However, the Gown were bolstered by return of John Daugman and Joe Hurd (winner of the Gown's vital game in 2002) and Paul MacMahon (ex-Emmanuel) who played on Board 4 for the Town last year.

After the first round of play, Cambridge Town had taken the usual lead. Key to the Town's domination was their 5 wins from 6 on the top boards. MacMahon bucked the trend with an imaginative and well-played K-side attack for the University. However, a two-point lead was no reason for complacency, and with the introduction of Peter Wagner on board 9 for the Gown, there was still everything to play for.

As the second round results came in, it was clear that the Town were holding their lead. The Gown's top boards improved, but the Town compensated with some excellent results on the middle boards. The Gown were simply unable to follow their captain's example on board 8, and the Town sensibly decided to ignore their captain's example from board 4! The match finished 17½ - 12½, and the Town had triumphed.

Congratulations to David Moskovic, Andrew Harley, Peter Turner, Richard Newman, James Adams, Paul MacMahon, Simon Williams, Andrew Bell and Andrew Medworth for scoring 100% for their teams.

Philip Fallon
Cambridge City Chess Club