Surbiton A v Kingston B, Thames Valley League division 1 match played at Fircroft, Surbiton on 22 April 2026

I approached this match with some apprehension, partly because of my own recent poor form but also because Kingston B were not at full strength and I feared that for such a key encounter in the contest to remain in Thames Valley division 1, and as they were at home, Surbiton might put out their strongest possible team. However, they also lacked some of their top players, and it turned out that on average we slightly outrated them.

My own game was the first to finish. I played my usual King’s Indian Attack and Nick Faulks advanced his g- and h-pawns to threaten my castled king. This season both Peter Large and Rick McMichael have shown how this can work well against me, but, as Nick agreed after the game, it would have been better for him to develop his kingside pieces first. In order to prevent the advance of my pawn to e5 he felt it necessary to play his pawn to f6, but this seriously weakened his e6 square. In the position below I had just played 14. Bd2, intending Qb3 next. Here I suddenly realised that castling queenside was still a possibility for him, but was reassured that it was hardly an inviting option.

The next game to finish was Graham Alcock versus Martyn Jones. This began as a French Defence, in which Martyn was able to get his pieces into action more quickly. In the following position he stood better:

Kingston’s two-point lead was consolidated when Joshua Pirgon and Julian Way agreed a draw on board 1.  Julian played an English Opening to which Joshua responded with a queenside fianchetto.  This was a game of careful manoeuvring, the key issue being whose central pawn structure was superior. In the position below Julian felt that Black’s more mobile pawns might give him a slight advantage, but Joshua clearly did not think this was significant as he agreed the draw.

Kingston’s match win was confirmed when Constantin Liesch won with Black on board 6. He played the Dutch Defence and the players castled on opposite sides.

The board 2 game between David Scott, with White, and John Foley was an English Opening, Anglo-Slav Defence which appeared focused drily on whether White could win Black’s isolated queen pawn, but there were interesting possibilities below the surface, as John noted.

The final game to finish was that on board 5. Stephen Moss’s Exchange Variation against his opponent’s Caro-Kann had not given him much play, and in the middle game Black won two pawns. Thereafter it was difficult for Stephen to find counterplay, and he resigned in a lost rook ending.

The 4-2 match result in our favour was very welcome, as it keeps our hopes of avoiding relegation alive, while leaving Surbiton A trailing three points below us at the bottom of the table (see current standings at foot of report). We have two matches left, at home to Hammersmith and Ealing.

David Rowson is Kingston B captain in Thames Valley division 1