| Nomads 400 | 1/2 | 3 1/2 | Stannington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric McKenna(b) | 0 | 1 | Kevin Keenan |
| Jo Woollard | 1/2 | 1/2 | James Allen |
| Robert Shaw | 0 | 1 | Francis Kay |
| Gordon Shaw | 0 | 1 | Glen Marvin |
Eric swapped knight for bishop, then both players castled kingside. After a few more exchanges they were each left with a queen, rook, knight and four pawns, but while they had material parity Eric was coming under time pressure. When his opponent threatened promotion Eric lost a rook for a knight, then resigned.
Robert’s opponent played the English opening. Robert was quickly outmanoeuvred, and resigned on move 22, facing a mate in 2.
Gordon avoided any early exchanges, but eventually went a knight and pawn down, then his opponent won a rook with a knight fork. Faced with a decisive material loss Gordon resigned.
Jo was the last to finish. After a quiet opening she went into the endgame with a rook, bishop and five pawns against a rook, knight and five pawns, then won pawns with a discovered check, but her opponent regained one of the lost pawns. After 39 moves each, they ended up in this position, with Jo to move:
Here Jo and her opponent agreed a draw, thus preventing a complete whitewash of Nomads.