Staines A began their Thames Valley League Division Two campaign with a hard-fought 3–3 draw at home to Ealing B on Thursday evening.

Ealing had proved difficult opponents last season, winning both meetings: 5–1 at Staines in January and 4½–1½ at Ealing in April. This time, Staines were able to reverse that trend and take a share of the points against familiar opposition.

McGovern and Jhooti share the point

The first game to finish was also the calmest of the night, as Derek McGovern, playing White, drew against Raj Jhooti in an Alapin Sicilian.

The game was largely a restrained positional affair, but McGovern had a chance to inject some tension after 11…Bd6. Instead of 12.g3, the more testing 12.h3! would have challenged the bishop on g4. Black could not simply take the pawn with 12…Bxh3?: 13.Ne5! would uncover an attack by White’s bishop on e2 against the queen on h5. The alternatives posed problems of their own, with Black facing the prospect of giving up the bishop or making significant positional concessions. It was a difficult opportunity to spot over the board, however: playing h3 with confidence required calculating several possible continuations, rather than spotting one obvious tactic.

Even so, the game soon returned to quieter waters. Following further simplification, the players reached a balanced ending with bishop and knight apiece, and a draw was agreed after 25.Kf1. With little to separate them throughout, a half-point each was a fair result and left the match level at ½–½.

Further game-by-game accounts from the match will be added to this report.