Oxford 1 finished their Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) season in splendid fashion. Before the last three matches, Oxford were top of the division 2 table — but hotly pursued by three teams within a point of them.

In Saturday’s match, Oxford saw off Wessex 1 by 7-1 and it’s from that match that this week’s comes.

Given the rare honour of top board, your correspondent — unusually I fear — played the opening to reasonable effect.

White: Martin Simons (Wessex 1) Black: Matt Rose (Oxford 1) 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 In this form, White’s Grand Prix attack is not as dreaded as it once was. The more modern 3.Bb5 is another matter.

3…g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bb5 Nd4 This move is essential and good and the reason why White’s system is not more popular.

6.0–0 Nxb5 7.Nxb5 d5 8.exd5 Some people have started playing this; but I think it’s inferior to 8.e5 and I was happy to see it played.

8…a6 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.d4 c4!? I considered 10...Nxd5 when the ending reached after 11.dxc5 Nxc3 12.Qxd8+ Kxd8 13.bxc3 holds no fears for Black despite, at this stage, being a pawn down. After 13.bxc3 I was intending 13…Bf5, instead of the more obvious 13...Bxc3, since White’s pawn-structure looks so bad, the pawns themselves seem hardly worth taking.

14.Nd4 Be4 11.Qe2 Nxd5 12.Qxc4 Be6 13.Ng5?! This looks dangerous for Black, but it’s a mistake.

13...Nb6! This was my reserve move. In playing Be6 I had thought that 13...Ne3 might work; but, on closer inspection, 14.Qa4+ b5 15.Nxb5 axb5 16.Qxb5+ Bd7 17.Qb3 wins for White, so I moved to ‘plan B’.

14.Nxe6 This is about the best White can do, but the ending reached is favourable for Black.

14…Nxc4 15.Nxd8 Bxd4+ 16.Kh1 Rxd8 17.Ne2?! Bg7 18.c3 0–0 19.g3 f5 20.Kg2 Rd3 21.Rf3 Rfd8 22.Nd4 Rd1 23.Ne6 We both saw the line 23.b3 R8xd4! 24.cxd4 Bxd4 25.Rb1 Nd2 26.Bxd2 Rxb1 with good winning chances for Black. 23...R8d2+ 24.Bxd2 Rxa1 25.Nxg7? This is illogical. I had expected 25.Rd3 Bf6 26.b3 Na5 when I win a pawn, but the fight goes on.

25...Kxg7 26.Rf2? 26.Be3 Rxa2 27.Bc1 is better; but, even here, I have my pawn and the White bishop is still bottled up.

26...Rd1! 1-0 So, with another two points in the bag, on Sunday Oxford faced the powerful Guildford-A&DC third team. Though the result came down to the last game to finish, our opponents had by then shot themselves in the foot. They gifted us one point when their board five failed to show up; and another when, on board 7, Tom Eckersley-Waites’ opponent allowed his allotted time to run out with one move to make. The 5-3 score-line flattered Oxford, but guaranteed promotion.

On Bank Holiday Monday, Oxford defeated King’s Head by 4.5-3.5 to clinch the title. Next season, Oxford 1 will play in one of Europe’s toughest leagues — 4NCL first division.