After the Club's success in coming runners up in the 2003/04 Championships it was decided to enter two teams (Metropolitan Rooks & Metropolitan Knights), of approximately equal strength, for the 2004/05 competition. It had proved impossible to keep last year's winning team together as the players increased grades pushed the average grade over the allowed limit of 160.

ROUND 1

Both teams drew hard fought matches, one at home and the other away, but both were fortunate enough to go through to round two on board count.

Metropolitan Knights 2.5-2.5 Hastings & St Leonards
Bedford 2.5-2.5 Metropolitan Rooks

ROUND 2

The Knights won convincingly away to a Brighton based team, while the Rooks this time lost on board count in a drawn match.

The Holt 1-4 Metropolitan Knights
Metropolitan Rooks 2.5-2.5 Milton Keynes

Zaf reports on the Knights away match:

All the drama was on the lower 2 boards throughout the match. Mark got such a horrible position from the opening, that I'd more or less written him off immediately - meanwhile Kathy had won a pawn and exchanged queens. The trouble was that her opponent became very active, and soon Kathy was looking only equal, and then worse. She found some tactics to save the draw, something she complains she's had to do a lot in National Club games!

On the top 3 boards, we all obtained positions that suited us, and we never looked worse on these boards. Nick had a smooth positional win, Norbert was looking good, but his opponent found salvation in the pawn-down rook endgame. I faced a Smith-Morra, but a few wasted moves from my opponent gave me the advantage, and I was able to go onto the attack, taking advantage of his weakened kingside.

With 3/4, the match was sealed, but Mark had survived to the time control and beyond. Somehow, although he'd lost a lot of material (he was it seems a queen down for a bishop!), his remaining pieces (2 rooks and 2 bishops) were so well placed, it was impossible to call the result of the game, especially as both sides were down to 10 minutes each in a very complex position. Perhaps the logical result was a perpetual for one side or the other, but with so much extra material, White must have felt compelled to try and win! Mark made the most of his attacking threats, and even turned down a draw, until the point came when his opponent felt compelled to give up his queen to defend himself - after which it was easy.

QUARTER FINALS

The Knights just went down away from home to the team that became the eventual Champions for 2004/05.

Writtle 3-2 Metropolitan Knights