SCCU U14/U130 Championship

This grade-limited competition, run by the Southern Counties Chess Union, was formerly known as the "U14/U140", and before that the "U14/U90".

There are 12 players per side plus reserve boards.  Each player plays 2 games and the time limit is 59 minutes each. 

This year we have been drawn in the ‘East’ group with Essex and Kent. We will play both counties twice – once at home and once away.  Should we win our group we would go on to play a final against the winners of the ‘West’ group (Berks, Hants, Herts and Surrey).

Sussex v Kent - 23rd January 2011

Essex v Sussex - 8th January 2011

Kent v Sussex - 28th November 2010

Sussex v Essex - 6th November 2010

Match 4 - Home vs. Kent - 23rd January 2011

• Round 1 – Loss 5.5 : 6.5

• Round 2 – Win 6.5 : 5.5

• Overall – Draw 12 : 12

Our last match of the season, at Handcross Village Hall, proved to be a close and exciting affair.

We were White in round 1 but struggled to take advantage with Josh and Charlie unable to recover from middle game problems and Joe slipping to defeat after at one time holding the advantage. Hannah managed a deserved draw while Rachel also lost a long match after being promoted from the reserves at the last minute.  As in our previous match against Kent it was left to the top and bottom boards to pull us back into contention. Another last minute call up, Jared, returned to form at the right time, proving that a late night out in London can be good preparation for a tough chess match and Katie gained a vital win in a well fought game. Cosima, Arthur and Ollie on the top boards had to work hard against lower graded opponents to convert slight advantages in to wins, with Ollie finding his win with very little time to go to leave us 5.5-6.5 down at the end of round 1.

In the reserve match we were winning 3.5-2.5 after round 1 with Bart checkmating his opponent in about five minutes, and Cassie and Ben also winning. Rhiannon once again showed great concentration during her drawn match and her sister (and emergency substitute) Isabel also took the opportunity to probably play her longest ever game.

Kent started well in round 2 increasing their lead after the first few games were completed, but we managed to fight back with Josh's advanced pawn eventually proving enough for a good win and Jared confidently converting a winning endgame position. Hannah fought hard but eventually ran out of options. However, Matthew, once again, somehow managed to steal victory in another roller coaster game. Cosima found one mistake was enough to bring defeat but Ben achieved a deserved victory as reward for some good chess in both rounds. With time running out Arthur and Ollie's wins brought the scores in the round to 6-5 to Sussex, even overall, and a crowd gathered around Katie's match as she desperately defended while a piece down. Eventually Katie's opponent cracked her defence, but as the clocks ran down, there were unfortunate, unintended rules transgressions from both sides. After a long discussion the game was recorded as a draw leaving the overall result for the match at 12-12.

In the reserve match, Kent fought back well to win the round 4-2 and the overall match 6.5-5.5. This time Bart fell to a check mate from his opponent in about five minutes, and although Robin and Rhiannon fought well, the only victories came from our Year 5 last minute call-ups Cassie and Isabel. Isabel showing that you should never give up as she achieved victory after appearing to be in a lost position.

Thanks to Kent for an excellent match played in the right spirit throughout.

Thanks also to Dave Graham for help in the playing area, everyone who helped setup the venue for the match, and all the parents who provided support and transport both on the day and throughout the competition.

Mike Ralph, U14 Team Manager

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Match 3 - Away vs. Essex - 8th January 2011

• Round 1 – Draw 6 : 6

• Round 2 – Loss 6.5 : 5.5

• Overall – Loss 12.5 : 11.5

This was both our chance to avenge the heavy defeat by Essex in November and a must win match if we were to retain any chance of qualifying for the final of this SCCU competition. Despite an unexpected closure of part of the M23 all of the squad arrived in good time at Wanstead House in the heart of east London. 

We were white in Round 1 and it started badly with some  early defeats in the reserves and lower boards but we slowly got back into contention with wins from Jonathan and Charlie, a sneaky back row mate when under severe pressure from debutant Joe and an excellent end game finish from Hannah.  The games on the top boards were long and tightly fought, but Cosima was always in control in her game and eventually won on time. Ben managed to convert a difficult end game position into an essential win leaving the score even at 6-6 at the end of the round. In the reserves only last minute substitute Thomas Finn managed a win.

There was all to play for in Round 2 and both sets of players showed that they realised each game was vital with longer game times on the lower boards and anxious checking of the latest score and progress of the key games by team members as fortunes ebbed and flowed. Harriet, on her first appearance of the season, managed to escape from a losing position to win with a long sequence of checks and Hannah nearly managed a similar trick with some aggressive play in a very difficult position before eventually losing. Josh managed to turn a poor opening into a comfortable victory and Jonathan drew his game to end up the highest scoring Sussex player on the day. Matthew showed tremendous composure and fighting spirit to recover from making a mistake when in a good position to deliver another vital win.

As the match drew to a close the top boards were the focus of attention as all results were possible down to the last few minutes. Ollie slowly turned the screw on his opponent to force a final error and win and Arthur kept his nerve to convert a nerve-racking finale to his game. Cosima fought hard in a very even game against a strong opponent but was eventually squeezed out in the end game. 

So we ended on the wrong side of the narrowest margin of defeat 11.5-12.5, but were compensated with a very close and exciting day of chess against one of the competition's finalists.

In the reserves there was a much improved performance in Round 2 with wins for Arran, Thomas, Theo and Sanmay leaving us narrowly defeated 5-7 in the reserve match.

Thanks to Essex for their well organised and friendly hosting of the event and excellent refreshments. Thanks also to all the parents who provided transport and support on the day and for Thomas Finn stepping in at the last minute in the reserves.

All the team members should be proud of their contribution to an excellent team performance on the day and we now look forward to our last match of the season against Kent in two weeks time.

Mike Ralph, U14/U130 Team Manager

Full results available on the SCCU website.

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Match 2 - Away vs. Kent - 28th November 2010

• Round 1 – Win 7 : 5

• Round 2 – Win 7.5 : 4.5

• Overall – Win 14.5 : 9.5

A chilly last Sunday in November saw our first away trip of the season in the SCCU U14/U130 competition. Kent were very welcoming hosts at a venue just outside Sevenoaks.

The team soon settled into a good rhythm in the first round with slower and more measured play than in our last match, although perhaps not many managed to follow Dave Graham's 15 moves in 20 minutes tip to the letter!  The match ebbed and flowed with Sussex down in several games before managing to turn the tables. On the top boards Ollie ground out a good win in a long match and Arthur's opponent could make little headway and finally succumbed on time. Matthew, Josh and Jonathan provided solid victories and reliable Katie also won on her first appearance of the season against an opponent with a considerably higher grade. Robin successfully converted an endgame advantage and by the end of Round 1 we were winning 7-5.

The team managed to preserve their steady play into Round 2, which was good going considering the number of jaffa cakes consumed during the interval. Savya pounced on an error by his opponent to snatch victory and Hannah had to work hard for her win. Arran preserved his record of 50% match scores with a further win and Josh was rewarded for some enterprising play with another good result. Ollie and Arthur were again successful on the top boards and Robin made certain of victory with another impressive conversion of an endgame advantage against a much higher graded player.

The second round finished 7.5 - 4.5 giving Sussex overall victory 14.5 - 9.5.

In the reserve match Rhiannon continued to impress with a win and draw and last minute substitute Thomas was denied two victories by a second round stalemate. Rachel, Sushir and Sanmay also managed to win one game and debutant Benjamin managed an excellent win in Round 2 after fighting back from losing his queen in the opening. The reserve match resulted in a 7-5 score to Sussex. 

Many thanks to all the parents who braved the cold (and in some cases snow) to provide transport and everyone in the team room including various siblings for their support and help in providing a good atmosphere for the players. Also thanks are due to Dave Graham and Chris Howell for assisting in the playing area.

Mike Ralph, U14/U130 Team Manager

Reserve Boards

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Match 1 - Home vs. Essex - 6th November 2010

• Round 1 – Lost 4:8

• Round 2 – Lost 3:9

• Overall – Lost 7:17

The SCCU U14/U130 season started with a home fixture against Essex who brought a strong team to Lindfield, including  5 reserves, to provide excellent competition for the Sussex squad.

In the first round it soon became apparent that an outgraded Sussex team would have to work hard to pick up game points and although Arran and Hannah both had convincing wins early on, the rest of the team struggled to maintain parity, with only Matthew managing to gain a further win. The Round 1 score ended at 8-4 to Essex's advantage with both Bart and Arthur achieving decent draws to complete the scoring. In the reserves Sushir gained a victory on debut and Rhiannon narrowly lost a very long and tight battle in the very last game to finish in Round 1.

Jared won quickly in Round 2, but then a series of defeats finished off Sussex's chances of a comeback. The lower boards contributed most of Sussex's remaining points with Robin gaining a very creditable victory and Bart managing to squeeze out another draw to become the only undefeated Sussex player on the day. The top boards battled long and hard late into the afternoon. Only Ben managed to come away with anything, drawing on board 3, although Matthew very nearly fought back to snatch a dramatic victory. In the reserves, Rhiannon gained some reward for another long battle, by accepting the draw offered by her opponent. 

With the final result for the second round finishing 9-3 the total score for the match ended 17-7 to Essex. Despite defeat it was an enjoyable and instructive day and the Sussex squad must now look forward to the next match, away to Kent at the end of the month.

Many thanks to all the parents who supported this event by providing transport and other help, in particular Gary Willson whose help was invaluable. Thanks are also due to the catering team for providing refreshments to both teams, Morgan Blake for help setting up the match room, and to Trevor Norton and Chris Howell for arbiting.

Mike Ralph, U14/U130 Team Manager

Reserve Boards

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