2025-12-03 Division 2 Match at Grangemouth

Stirling E travelled to Grangemouth to face their Cs, with both teams having non-playing captains - Bill Gray for the hosts and Graham Anderson for the visitors - watching on.

Grangemouth C          3½-1½ Stirling E 

1. Crawford Welsh 1486  1-0  Mick Murphy     1087 
2. Joe Johnstone  u/g   1-0  Mick Bloor      1084 
3. Harry Leishman 847   1-0  Rudra Pardhi    930 
4. Arran Short    u/g   0-1  William Feather 875 
5. Tyler Doney    u/g   ½-½  Stewart Cairns  719 

The home team had White on boards 3 & 4

Graham provides this report on the match:

Some wild games...Stewart was N+5P against N+2P in the endgame. I blinked, and it was then N+2P v N+2P. Not entirely sure how he managed to lose those pawns, but he held out for a draw. Mick M's game is below...he missed several mates. Mick B's King found its way to g3 by about move 15, but survived a ferocious attack to be 2 pawns up in the endgame, then contrived to lose. William had a lovely mate at the end (game also below).

[Event "Grangemouth C V Stirling E"] [Site "Grangemouth"] [Date "2025.12.03"] [Round "?"] [White "Murphy, M.."] [Black "Welsh, C.."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A40"] [WhiteElo "1087"] [BlackElo "1243"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] 1. d4 g6 2. e3 Bg7 3. Bd3 d6 4. Nd2 e6 5. f4 b6 6. Ngf3 Bb7 7. Qe2 a6 8. O-O Ne7 9. c3 Nd7 10. e4 O-O 11. e5 d5 12. g4 c5 13. h4 b5 14. g5 Nc6 15. Rf2 Qb6 16. Qe3 cxd4 17. cxd4 Rac8 18. Nf1 Rc7 19. Bd2 Rfc8 20. a3 Bf8 21. N1h2 b4 22. Ng4 Na5 23. Nf6+ Nxf6 24. gxf6 Nb3 25. Rd1 Nxd2 26. Qxd2 bxa3 27. bxa3 Bxa3 28. Rg2 Bb4 29. Qe2 a5 30. h5 Bc3 31. hxg6 fxg6 32. Bxg6 Bxd4+ 33. Nxd4 Rc1 34. Rxc1 (34. Be8+ Kf8 35. Rg8+ Kxg8 36. Qg2+ Kf8 37. Qg7+ Kxe8 38. Qe7#) 34... Qxd4+ 35. Kh2 Qxf4+ 36. Kh3 Rxc1 37. Bxh7+ (37. Bf7+ Kxf7 38. Qh5+ Kf8 39. Rg8+ Kxg8 40. Qe8#) 37... Kh8 38. Rg8+ Kxh7 39. Qh5+ Kxg8 40. Qe8+ (40. Qg6+ Kf8 41. Qg7+ Ke8 42. Qe7#) 40... Kh7 41. Qh5+ Qh6 42. Qxh6+ Kxh6 0-1

[Event "Grangemouth C v Stirling E"] [Site "Grangemouth"] [Date "2025.12.03"] [Round "?"] [White "Short, A."] [Black "Feather, W."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C62"] [BlackElo "875"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d3 Bd7 5. Bd2 a6 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. O-O Bg4 8. Nc3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Nd4 10. Qd1 c6 11. Be3 d5 12. Bb3 Nxb3 13. axb3 d4 14. Bg5 dxc3 15. bxc3 Be7 16. Ra5 Qxa5 17. b4 Qa3 18. Qd2 a5 19. bxa5 Rxa5 20. g3 O-O 21. Rb1 b5 22. Qe1 b4 23. cxb4 Bxb4 24. Rxb4 Qa1 25. Rb1 Qa4 26. c4 h6 27. Bd2 Ra6 28. f4 Ng4 29. fxe5 Nxe5 30. Qf1 Qc2 31. Rd1 Qxd3 32. Bf4 Qxf1+ 33. Kxf1 Nxc4 34. Ke2 Ra2+ 35. Kf3 g5 36. Bc1 f5 37. Rd4 Ne5+ 38. Ke3 f4+ 39. gxf4 gxf4# 0-1