Hounslow B v Kingston B, Thames Valley League division 2 match played at the Royal British Legion, Hounslow on 25 November 2024
Kingston B made it 4/4 so far this season with a convincing 4.5-1.5 victory away to Hounslow B. The two young Hounslow players on the top boards did well to get draws against the experienced and highly rated pair of David Rowson and Alan Scrimgour, and Hounslow’s JJ Padam drew on board 4 with Jon Eckert, but the other three games were wins for Kingston.
John Bussmann continued his winning return to competitive action, winning on time against Frank Zurstiege (although the game was already positionally won); Alicia Mason (pictured in action earlier in the season) continued her rich vein of form with a well-played refutation of Barry Fraser’s French Defence; and I (making a thankfully rare appearance) won against Steve Hall, despite an odd incident when I thought my opponent had resigned after he expressed disgust at what looked the losing move, and held out my hand to mark the end of the game, only to be told that he had not actually quit. On we played, but only for a few more rapidly executed moves – I was very short of time and Hounslow use non-incremental clocks! – before I forced mate.
Stephen Moss, Kingston club captain