Kent average under 156 (1890 FIDE) League. Played at the Oddfellows Club in Folkestone on 23rd of January 2011. I played board 2.

We were heavily out-graded in this match, with late replacements and an absent team captain. Folkestone turned up with a very strong team, a 2234 on board 1.

There's quite a bit of back story to this game:

1. Although I live in Folkestone, I only play for Hastings (since 1978), these days.

2. I was a member of Folkestone Chess Club for around three years but found that my rather abrasive and straight-talking character wasn't so well received by some of the snootier members. I resigned half way through a season, telling the Club President that Folkestone could keep the remainder of my subscription. There was no particular event that precipitated my actions, just a growing awareness that I didn't want to be a member anymore. I left whilst things were still amicable, much to the chagrin of the Club President (my opponent in this blog and a really nice fellow).

3. This is the second time that I have played the opponent in question, the first time being some five years ago at the Kent Rapidplay Championships (not as grand as it sounds). It was a strange event, held in the canteen of a tomato farm, with a large field that included many eastern-European and Russian itinerant fruit-pickers. We met in the last round of this Swiss event on 4/4 and I had Black in a KID, Four Pawns Attack. I was ruthlessly crushed, coming second in the tournament by dint of sum-of-progressive-scores.

4. Today's opponent is retired (looking very well on it, I must say) and the strongest player who actually lives in Folkestone (I'm second). We've played many "skittles" in the past, approximately 2 to 1 in his favour.

Playing conditions: Claustrophobic and rather noisy basement of a busy drinking and sports club, plastic sets and pieces, analogue clocks.

Time control: 36 moves in 90 minutes followed by 15 minutes each for all remaining moves.

Hastings narrowly lost the match 3.5 - 2.5, a good result considering that we had such a weak team out.

After the game, we conducted a post mortem on the game. He, once again, asked me to rejoin the Folkestone club.

A good day for me, made even better by the fact that although it was an "Away" match for the Hastings players, the venue is only a ten minute walk from my home. For once, I stayed after my game, wolfing pints down with old chess buddies, becoming somewhat merry before I meandered home.