The Finchley Cup is a knock-out competition played over a minimum of four boards.
Each match shall be played over two rounds, with the second round reversing the colours.
The rate of play for each game is all moves in thirty minutes.
| Day | Date | Venue | 0pponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu | 1-Dec-22 | Away | Wanstead III | W 7½-6½ |
| Wed | 5-Apr-23 | Home | Wanstead II | L 2½-5½ |
Loughton has a bye.
Forget the World Cup, Loughton won a thrilling Finchley Cup semi-final last night ! We won 7½-6½ and the match went down to the final game.
Loughton won the first half of the match 4-3 with good white wins from Stephen, Simon and Dave. Kestutis did well to score his first half-point for the club against a promising junior.
The second half of the match was very tense. Loughton surged into the lead with wins again from Simon and Dave, followed by solid draws from Martin and Graham. But Wanstead then clawed their way back into the match with wins against Stephen and Kestutis. This left Fred’s game with Loughton still holding a one point lead.
But Fred was in trouble, with a Rook against his opponent’s three connected pawns. His opponent should have won to level the match (Although I think we would have won on board count!), but the pawns were marched ahead too quickly and Fred managed to escape with a draw. This was much more exciting than the conclusion of Group E in the World Cup !
So Loughton won 7½-6½ and we face … Wanstead II in the final at home !