Very important victories for Lloret in Round 4

Club d'Escacs Lloret secured another double victory this Sunday, February 8th, in the Catalan League. The first team traveled to La Bisbal d'Empordà with a lineup very similar to the previous week's, with the only change being Lev Shustov, who filled in for the injured Nacho Gil.

The day began with a surprise, as the La Bisbal team suffered a last-minute withdrawal on the tenth board, which became vacant. The first point, therefore, went to Lloret and to Biel Castellanos, who, not playing, assumed the role of delegate, providing crucial monitoring of the match to handle any potential draw requests.

Mid-morning, Manel Castellanos, Albert Olivas, and JJ Mateo scored equalizers, bringing the score to 1.5-2.5 and maintaining the favorable result for Lloret.

Next, on boards 8 and 9, Sergii and Lev worked their magic to extend their lead. Sergii secured an important victory in an equal position, while Lev Shustov earned a valuable draw by perpetual check in a slightly inferior position, thanks to a brilliant combination. Furthermore, Georgi defeated his opponent, bringing the score to 2-5, guaranteeing at least a draw and leaving the match with very promising prospects.

Finally, our president, Toni David, won decisively in his match, securing the victory for Lloret and making the final score 4-6. Three points out of a possible four for the club, placing them third and virtually guaranteed to stay in the league.

Meanwhile, Team B traveled to Blanes to face Blanes C, again fielding a team made up of four players from our youth academy. Erik Egusquiza made his debut this season on the first board, while Bastian, Sara, and Arnau returned to the lineup.

The match was tied 1-1 with Bastian Suazo's victory. After a long struggle in a very well-executed game by our youngest player, Arnau Jiménez, he managed to defeat his opponent and put the score at 1-2.

Finally, it was only a matter of time before the score reached 1-3 in a game in which Sara Planas achieved a strong advantage very early on, which she was able to maintain and extend throughout the game.

A very positive result for the B team, which now has 3 wins and 1 draw and sits in second place with one match remaining. In that match, they will face the league leaders, Verneda Malgrat A, who are 1.5 points ahead. Our reserve team will attempt a heroic feat next week at home in their final push to win the group and fight for promotion.