On Sunday 19th November, 13 first years made the arduous coach journey to Oxford to play in the annual freshers varsity match. Soon after arriving, we went for a pub lunch with some of the Oxford team. It was a great opportunity for the team to get to know each other a bit better - indeed most of the team seemed to be mathmos and so recognised each other from lectures! It was particularly interesting to discuss the recent 'toiletgate' in the FIDE World Championship final between Topalov and Kramnik.
The match itself took place in University College, apparently one of Oxford's oldest colleges (not that we had much opportunity to look round!). It was clear from the outset that it was going to be a very even contest. On paper, Cambridge seemed to hold an advantage on the top boards, able to field the new Jamaican champion, Duane Rowe. However after an hour's play Oxford appeared to hold decisive advantages on several of the lower boards. Tariq Oozeerally, Steve Cairns, Robert Dover, Mikko Fischer and Aloysius Han formed a formidable middle order, all recording wins. Robert's game was particularly impressive, securing a sharp tactical win against an accomplished opponent, which won him the best game prize.
While Oxford held a 5-2 edge at one stage, this did not tell the whole story. Cambridge held strong positional advantages on almost all of the remaining boards, with Barraclough looking particularly strong. Unfortunately at around the 2 hour mark, both Rowe and Barraclough blundered. Although Rowe's error was only marginal, on the surface appearing to make sound positional sense, Heaton, the Oxford board 1, took advantage with great authority. By contrast in a seemingly unassailable position Barraclough managed to blunder his queen! While this would normally lead to immediate resignation, his dangerous attack gave him good fighting chances. Again much credit is due to the Oxford player for remaining so cool under immense pressure. Overall Cambridge slipped to a 6.5-5.5 defeat, with the result not decided until the penultimate game. A loss is always disappointing, but there was a lot of encouragement to take from the day. Rowe and Tyomkyn intermittently demonstrated the talent required to challenge for Half Blue honours, and the aforementioned middle order deserve top credit, all showing the match sharpness needed for winning chess.