In one of the most highly-anticipated games of chess since June, the Titans of Hammersmith Chess Club took on the relative Royalty of London chess, Battersea Chess Club in the first leg of a double header modestly dubbed “El Chessico” (a pop culture reference to an obscure game of football somewhere in Spain) last night. Your correspondent is proud to report that Hammersmith achieved victory in an-evenly matched game, by 7 boards to 5.
This being the home leg we were delighted to welcome Battersea to our Summer venue, the Albion Pub on Hammersmith Road.
There were some notable performances from both sides. Worth calling out are the following:
Paul Westenhanner achieving a creditable draw on top board against Carsten; John Wooley drawing on board 5 against a much stronger opponent; Jorge Hinolan with a terrific win on his Hammersmith debut; and Danny Gordon also securing victory on his debut for the club. Fantastic effort chaps, and thanks to everyone who turned out.
Attention now turns to the return leg next Tuesday 26th where, due to popular demand, we have agreed to widen the game to 14 boards!! It will be a fantastic sight watching 28 players engaged in battle across the board.
As Battersea are hosting we will have the added difficulty of going “saaf” of the river, however I’m confident we can dig deep and overcome this disadvantage! We go again!!
A reminder – Monday 25th sees us hosting WIM Sue Maroroa at the Albion for a simultaneous display. If you’ve not done so already, please get in touch to confirm your attendance. It’ll be a great opportunity to play against a top class opponent!