Surbiton D v Kingston C, Thames Valley League division X match played at Fircroft, Surbiton on 4 December 2024
Thames Valley Division X is meant to be a training division – something we took literally in this away match against Surbiton D. Nick Powell on board 4 was playing his first ever rated game – welcome to the wacky world of competitive chess, Nick – and Zhixing Bai was playing only his second game for the club. Junior Jaden Mistry and Mark Sheridan (still limping after a fall earlier in the week and bravely playing through the pain) were veterans by comparison.
Jaden played extremely well to win on board 1 – against a new face at Surbiton who I suspect is fairly strong. Jaden played confidently and had a slight edge throughout. The pressure he applied told in the end, and he was able to pick up a loose rook in a queen-and-rook v queen-and-rook endgame with a tactic which he saw instantly.
Nick Powell and the affable Kim Cross got into a similar endgame, but it was Kim who came out on top, marshalling his forces to deliver mate. It had, though, been a protracted and keenly fought struggle, and Nick acquitted himself extremely well on his league debut.
Zhixing Bai, a nine-year-old with considerable potential, offered an earlyish draw in his game with Harry Roberts, which the latter eagerly accepted. Where do youngsters learn to make these grandmasterly draw offers? “Just play” I advised Zhixing later. “Don’t offer middlegame draws. Rating points are of no consequence.” I was echoing American grandmaster Ben Finegold, who once told me: “Never take a draw. No one ever learned any chess by taking a draw.”
The last game to finish was the encounter between Surbiton captain Phil Goodings and injured hero Mark Sheridan. They have had close battles before and this one was no exception, but in the end it was Goodings who prevailed. Admirably, Mark refused to blame his leg injury for his loss.
An excellent match played amid Christmas decorations, which added a welcome festive sparkle to proceedings. What a well-appointed venue Surbiton have. They are well on the way back to the top of the tree after a post-pandemic slump saw them lose their status as top dogs in south-west London. We fear them. But there again we fear everyone. Everywhere we look our rivals are making progress. 2025 is going to be a hard slog.
Stephen Moss, Kingston club captain
