European Senior Team Championships Rd 5

A tale of mixed fortunes against Denmark 2,slightly below us in ranking.
Rudy was first off the mark, finishing after two hours' play, having played 53 moves in total,11 more than Iolo who took another hour and a half to reach that. In the end Rudy had more time at the end than he started with. A positional game where the White pieces moved into good squares, and the Black position just collapsed as the White pieces moved further in. John looked good initially in a Stonewall Dutch, but an incautious f4 lead to White having enormous kingside chances, finishing off with a queen's pawn moving through to queen. Iolo had excellent pressure throughout in a kind of Catalan position. Winning a pawn, Iolo finished off neatly when his king came in to f6,to join with rook on the 7th and the white-squared bishop to force a mating sequence. The tragedy was in Bob's game. In a From Gambit turned to King's Gambit, he won the d pawn with a precise tactic, against a player rated 1990.
White got some counterplay, holding up the advance of the extra pawn, so Bob offered a draw ,which was declined. White then pushed too hard, and reached a losing position, with Bob having a very advanced c pawn. Unfortunately he decided he could give up a b to get the pawn through, but got blocked by the rook and knight. Eventually Bob found himself in a lost position with rook versus rook and two pawns.
Result 2-2.

After lunch the team retired to the taverna, where,after looking at the games played earlier, a five-player game ensued, people always alternating colours with each time they got to play. Bare kings was the final result here.