Closer, ever closer...
Good time at chess tonight. Paul Sorrell and another Paul (lectures in the English Department on C18 literature, plus Tolkien, C.S. Lewis &c) arrived at Rory's front door seconds after I did, but they were coming, not for chess, but bringing fruit and yogurt to share with Rory for dessert. The newly engaged Keith, recently back from Rarotonga, arrived shortly afterwards, and some good talk ensued. Keith was telling us how several place names in Rarotonga are those of famous waka (Takitimu etc) which brought tūpuna to our own shores. I was interested to hear that Cook Islands Māori have an iwi system similar to that of NZ Māori (unlike Hawai'i, where people identify themselves by their island). After about 3/4 of an hour, the two Pauls (those mentioned, that is-there was a third) departed, and the games began.
I drew Rory as an opponent, and played my best game against him so far. That's not to say I won (I have never beaten him yet). But at the end, I was down to my king, and he was down to his king and one pawn, which he queened, at which point I resigned. I could have resigned earlier, but I wanted to watch how he would go about getting his pawn through with the help of his king and one bishop (I took the bishop with my last move).