31/01/23
| Saxmundham | | 2 – 2 | Woodbridge | |
| 1 | Mike Usher | 1784 | 0 – 1 | Tim Wesson | 1774 |
| 2 | Dominic Carter | 1659 | 1 – 0 | Daniel Such | 1559 |
| 3 | Matthew Lawes-Wickwar | 1650 | 1 – 0 | Alan Lewis | 1554 |
| 4 | Lee Osmon | 1364 | 0 – 1 | Bernard Ross | 1291 |
The U1800 Cup team played host last night to local rivals Woodbridge, ending with a 2-2 draw. On paper we probably had a decent edge, but two early losses (Lee and Mike) had to be clawed back by Matthew and Dominic winning.
Mike’s opponent sprang a killer tactic in the early middle-game, taking advantage of Mike’s King being stuck in the centre in classic style and winning the exchange and a couple of pawns. After that he played accurately to deny Mike any counter-play and closed out the game well.
Lee once again lost in an endgame, this time a Q+P ending where his opponent had an unstoppable passed pawn. Matthew was also in an ending, of the K+P variety, and accurate calculation enabled him to win by one vital tempo in the promotion race. This left Dominic to save the day by bringing home the win after an impressive squeeze led to his opponent collapsing.