As much as I'd like to, it would be hard to argue with the final score line of 2-5 in this one. We were outplayed. But that doesn't mean to say we were terrible; rather, we lacked the required intestinal fortitude.
Board 1: Gary Quillan (2411) (Liverpool) 0.5-0.5 Roger Williamson (2212) (John Littlewood)
A recently well-traveled sideline in the Ruy Lopez led fairly quickly to an equal ending in which black was nevertheless under slight, nagging pressure. I missed a few chances to trade down into a position of greater sterility, but with both players having entered their final minutes (final minute in Gary's case) white had made little progress and called off the hunt.
Board 2: Jamie Kumar (1921) (JL) 0.5.-0.5 Colin Horton (2044) (Liverpool)
A quick(ish) draw. Colin brought his queen into early action against Jamie's queenside, which caused a great deal of reflection and then a repetition. Upon less fraught examination, white had a slight advantage, even if the game had only just started.
Board 3: Marek Korsinkij (2064) (Liverpool) 1-0 Jack Erskine-Pereira (1972) (JL)
Every so often it happens that two relatively strong players enter a typical middlegame - in this case the Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Variation - (seemingly) without an idea as to how to play it. The effect is like watching two drivers haltingly race a series of unfamiliar junctions in the dark. Strange moves led to stranger position, with Marek's queen moving first to b3, then to a3, and then to b2. Jack was first to gain the lead in the murk by pushing his pawn all the way to a3. Marek, however, was first to accelerate his way out into the light of a clear strategy. His simple plan of concentrating his forces on rounding up Jack's pawn proved hard to meet. Jack was unable to convince himself to push through the ...c5 break he'd initially intended, and that would probably have equalised, so Marek won the pawn, the race, and the game.
Board 4: Jordan Lee (1764) (JL) 0-1 Rashid Mohammed Amin Ali (2093) (Liverpool)
What little I saw of this one involved my appreciation of black's confident handling of the IQP. I assume it was a French Tarrasch. Regardless as to the opening, Jordan's pieces appeared to be taking up good squares. But the feeling lurked that everything was hanging by a thread, as each forward white piece seemed to be protected by another in a long daisy chain of potential calamity. I didn't see it, but I presume the chain snapped. Hopefully our captain will pick up a win soon that forces me to retire these picturesque metaphors.
Board 5: Bashar Rovezi (1899) (Liverpool) 0.5-0.5 Joe Ormrod (-) (JL)
Bashar missed a queen sacrifice. Doubtless he'll get to do one someday. Yet, this time, Bashar missed a winning queen sacrifice. It would have been so pretty too - resulting in a supported passed pawn on e6 and very little black could do about it. Nevermind. We shall not mention it again.
Otherwise, either side could have won this one. I'd advise the reader not to think too long about the culminating endgame of rook, two knights, and three pawns versus a queen, rook, and pawn, and instead ponder what might have been in the game where Bashar missed a queen sacrifice.
Board 6: Shay Hanlon (1722) (JL) 0-1 Nikolas Korsinskij (1771) (Liverpool)
This was a wild one. It looked as if Nikolas's kingside attack had ended the game early. But Shay found an unlikely kingwalk resource that at least made black work for it. Then the advantage changed hands. And changed hands again. And changed hands again. In the end, as the saying goes, victory went to the person to make the second-to-last mistake. Which was Nikolas.
Board 7: Mike Clarke (1858) (Liverpool) 0.5-0.5 Rob Frith (-) (JL)
The omnipresent Jobava London got another run-out on board 7. Mike played an early Ne5: the most direct middlegame continuation. However, upon the knight's exchange he recaptured with the d-pawn rather than his London bishop. Consequently, the white attack never materialized, and Rob seemed comfortable. He was perhaps still slightly better when the draw was agreed, the queenside locked down and not much happening on the kingside.