As the 2025 WDCL season draws to a close our side on Monday night took part in the Final of the Kalmar Cup. They were to face a Northwich team who had recently been crowned league champions.
Our night didn’t get off to the best of starts when one of our players confirmed to play on board 2 didn’t arrive. A quick phone call and it seemed there had been a mix up with the dates. Most fortunately team captain Andy Coe had come along for the match in a non playing capacity and as he was a similar grade to the missing player he could slot straight into the lineup.
The teams lined up like this:
The first game of the night to finish was on board 3. Shlok, who had felt he had a promising position somehow touched the wrong piece. Unfortunately for Shlok this mean the unavoidable loss of material and therefore his position soon after collapsed. 1-0 to Northwich
The match was soon level again when Damian won on top board, this game had emerged from a quiet opening but an early opening of the a file led to some pressure on James’s A pawn. This pawn ended up dropping and with no counterplay and a passed white b pawn about to race up the board James decided to resign 1-1
New recruit Ambrose Lam was in fine form against Liam Whittaker, Ambrose used a nice tactic early in the game to win a pawn, at one stage both players had pawns on the seventh rank but it was the Culcheth player who calculated his way to victory 1-2 Culcheth
Isaiah Slater on board 5 had achieved an excellent position early on in his game. Whittaker managed to keep this game going longer then had looked likely at the start but eventually Isaiah manged to break through on the Kingside finishing the game with a nice checkmate. 1-3 Culcheth.
On board 2 Adrian Breakspear had Andy Coe on the ropes for much of the game, it seemed likely that Northwich were going to pull this point back as the game headed into Rook and 3 pawns v Rook and 1 Pawn in the Northwich player’s favour. But then something extraordinary happened, pushing for the win in time pressure Breakspear went wrong and allowed Andy to win back a pawn, worse still this pawn had unleashed Andy’s one remaining pawn as a lethal passer. With the white king but off there was no stopping it’s promotion as Andy went on to take advantage and convert the position. 1-4
So well done everyone, we at last have some silverware from this season.
The A team will play in the Peninsular Cup final next week to see if they can add to this.
