In Division 1 of the Oxfordshire Leagues, Cowley1 won their relegation head-to-head with Bicester 1 by 3.5 to 2.5, thereby dispatching Bicester back to the 2nd division after just one year in division 1.

Meanwhile, Didcot 1 may well be going the other way — bouncing back to division 1 after a year in division 2.

This week’s game comes from Oxfordshire’s match against Buckinghamshire in the Chiltern League played earlier this month and features Will Burt for Oxfordshire and Darrell Watson for Bucks. It’s a terrific full-blooded battle in which the advantage sways back and forth until Darrell makes the final mistake and Will pounces.

White: Darrell Watson Black: Will Burt 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 This is the Albin Counter-Gambit — a decent surprise weapon that has been used by free thinkers Alexander Morozevich and Rustam Kasimdzhanov.

3.dxe5 d4 4.a3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Be6 Morozevich and Kasimdzhanov both seem to prefer 5...Nge7 here.

6.Qc2 OK, but 6.Nbd2 intending 7.b4 and 8.Bb2 might be more testing for Black.

6...Qd7 7.e4?! Positionally dubious and again the b4 and Bb2 plan comes to mind.

7...Nge7 8.Bd3 Ng6 9.0–0 Ngxe5!? 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.f4 Nxd3 12.Qxd3 Qc6 13.Nd2 a5 14.f5 Bd7 15.Nf3 Black had equalised out of the opening — but now White’s more purposeful play has given him the advantage.

15...Qb6 16.b3 0–0–0 17.Bd2 f6 18.Rfb1 g6 19.b4 a4 20.c5?! Why not the simple 20.Nxd4 to answer 20...Bxf5 with 21.c5?

20...Bb5! 21.Qc2?! Probably White still thought he was better — but he needed to think about bailing out and 21.cxb6 Bxd3 22.bxc7 was a way to do it.

21...d3?! There’s no need to give White the d4 square. 21...Qc6 was better.

22.Qb2 Qc6 23.Nd4 Qd7 24.Nxb5 Qxb5 25.Qxf6 Rg8? White isn’t threatening to take on h8 — since if he did then ...Bxc5+ would bag the queen — so rehabilitating the queen with 25...Qd7 was the correct move. 26.Qe6+ Kb8 27.Kh1?! Instead, 27.f6! Qd7 28.Qxd7 Rxd7 29.Rf1 would have let Black hardly able to move.

27...Bg7! 28.f6 Rge8 29.Qf7 Bh8 30.Re1? Throwing away the f-pawn and most of his advantage. 30.Bf4! intending 31.e5 was much better.

30...Rf8 31.Qxh7 Bxf6 32.e5 Rh8 33.Qxg6 Bh4 34.Re4?! Tempting, but, as becomes clear, it was important to claim the f-file with 34.Rf1.

34...Rdg8 35.Qf7? White had to either keep Black’s bottled up with 35.Qe6 or at the least guard e4 with 35.Qf5; so that Black’s next move did not come with tempo. The rest of the game is handled expertly by Will.

35...Qc6 36.Qf3 Bg3! 37.h3 Qe6! Threatening 38...Rxh3+.

38.Qf1 Rf8! 39.Bf4 Rh4 40.Qxd3 Rxh3+! Now it’s all over.

41.Kg1 Bf2+ 42.Kxf2 Rxd3 43.g3 Qd5 44.Rae1 Rd1 45.R1e3 Rd2+ 46.Kg1 Rh8 47.e6 Rh1+ 48.Kxh1 Qh5+ 0–1