The last match was tenser than the final result indicates - that was certainly the case in my board, where I had a lost position but turned it around in mutual time trouble, and in the last board, where Sharif was thankfully available for a last-minute replacement to avoid a forfeit. In the end, we scored a big win that gave us good chances on paper to reach second place. Unfortunately for us, SG Zürich had something to say about that, as they scored an upset victory vs. Wollishofen to win the title, which also left us in third place. Congratulations to the winners! As a consolation prize, Réti can claim for itself the three best individual performances in the championship, by Jonas (4.5/5!), myself (4/4) and Siggi (3.5/4).  This also made Réti 1 the team with the most individual points this year (21/30).  We look forward to better luck next season!

David

The match looked tough as Wollishofen brought a strong team, but things quickly heated up. A mistake in the opening cost me a pawn, but I had some compensation that turned into an attack and a win. After a wild opening that left both kings exposed, Thomas lost a piece but managed to secure a draw. Simon had been struggling with a cramped position and lost to a mating attack. Meanwhile the drama was building up in the last three boards. Daniel lost a pawn on the queenside but created a kingside attack that won him some material. However he was then checkmated after a mistake in time trouble. Wollishofen soon returned the favor, as Jonas's opponent blundered his rook after putting up a tough defense. The match came down to the last board. An aggressive gambit in the opening had not paid off for Martin, as his opponent neutralized the initiative and steered the game to a favorable endgame with two knights vs. a rook. The last hope was to eliminate all of the pawns, but Martin did not get the chance despite defending to the bitter end. Wollishofen takes an important win and leaves Réti with only a narrow path to the title.

David