| Nomads 400 | 1 | 3 | Ecclesall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Shaw(b) | 0.5 | 0.5 | John Speck (w) |
| Jo Woollard | 0.5 | 0.5 | Ken Scott |
| Dave Kesteven | 0 | 1 | Ivan Basarab-Horwath |
| Sam Humphrey | 0 | 1 | Safdar Alam |
Ecclesall won the toss, and chose white on odds.
Early on, Robert won a queen, rook, and two pawns for a queen, bishop, and knight, a small theoretical advantage, but was unable to capitalise. Eventually, John Speck trapped Robert’s remaining rook, giving him a definite material advantage, but he was under time pressure with no clear route to mate, so a draw was agreed.
In a quiet opening, Dave and Ivan both castled king-side. After much manoeuvring Dave suffered decisive material loss, and resigned. Sam also resigned, after losing his queen to a knight fork.
In Jo’s game, her opponent castled first, then they exchanged knights and bishops, eventually reaching this position, in which a draw was agreed.