tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711369599106040172024-02-20T03:44:04.301+01:00Church Stretton Chess ClubUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-50322662131496127612015-06-10T10:46:00.001+02:002015-06-10T10:46:08.273+02:00Knockout finals to be broadcast live!Thanks to the assistance of Francis Best and the hospitality of Wrekin Housing Trust the final of the Minor Knockout Church Stretton A v Telepost B will be broadcast live on the internet.<br />
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The match takes place on Thu 11 June at 7.30pm and will run alongside the final of the Cox Trophy between Telepost A and Shrewsbury A. We will be using the special DGT boards which we have acquired for use at the annual Shropshire Congress which transmits all the moves and the clock times.<br />
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You can follow the game in real-time at the following link:<br />
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<a href="http://www.shrewsburychessclub.org/live-chess/">http://www.shrewsburychessclub.org/live-chess/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-64831745618689663852015-06-04T10:39:00.000+02:002015-06-10T10:42:09.082+02:00A final shoot-out for A teamThe A team successfully got through the semi final of the Minor Knockout, although it was a tough encounter away to Priorslee Lions B, who had probably their strongest team out while we were missing Trevor.<br />
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An early win for Steve on board one helped us on the way. In fact credit is entirely due to his opponent Murdo Morrison who made a mistake by touching a pawn on b7, and at the same moment realising that moving it would mean opening up a dangerous pin on the long diagonal. However, having touched it he had no alternative but to move it although he did just stare at the board forlornly for some minutes. A few moves later the pin became fatal and he resigned before he was about to lose a piece.<br />
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Assessing the other boards, Steve was confident we would win the match although it was over an hour before the result was clear.<br />
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On board 2, Karl was facing the sharp tactics of Gary White who never misses a chance to mix things up. However Karl was solid and forced the swap of two minor pieces for his rook. Once the queens came off, Karl looked in a very strong position with two powerful bishops commanding the board. But Gary is not one to give in easily and kept making niggling threats, which in the end managed to trick Karl into conceding two rooks on the seventh and it was all over; 1-1.<br />
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David and Graham both looked in good positions however, and since this was a four board match, the count-back rules in the event of a draw meant that Priorslee had to get 1.5 out of the last two matches. So a win for David would be enough to clinch the match. Graham appeared to realise this and after his opponent launched a neat trick to dissipate the central pawns, the position clarified into Q and Ps against RR and Ps and a draw was agreed.<br />
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David had one of those positions which squeezed all the life out of his opponent's position and he successfully tightened the noose until there was a decisive advantage. So a 2.5-1.5 victory for us and a place in the final against Telepost B.<br />
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<div class="p1">
<b>Priorslee Lions B v Church Stretton A: 1.5 - 2.5</b></div>
<div class="p1">
M Morrison 0, S Rooney 1; </div>
<div class="p1">
G White 1, K Wakefield 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
G Viszokai 0, D Hodge 1; </div>
M Carbin 0.5, G Shepherd 0.5.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-24908304194366321212015-05-22T14:48:00.000+02:002015-05-22T14:48:10.436+02:00Summer knockout progressThe A team has progressed to the semi final of the Minor Knockout with wins against Newport B in the first round and Telepost C in the second.<br />
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The match against Newport B including wins for Trevor, Steve and Karl and a solid draw from Eric. Karl was the first to finish having set up a sharp attack along a diagonal with a Q and B battery that proved decisive and Eric's game was a fairly level R and Ps ending when he agreed a draw.<br />
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Steve's game had an interesting finish with both sides poised for mate but only one ever going to achieve it. A slip in the opening by his opponent gave Steve two bishops against two knights and the power of the diagonals was a key factor as the opening moved into the middle game. A pleasing series of moves involving pinning the queen against a back rank mate and a temporary rook sacrifice made for a picturesque end.<br />
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Trevor meanwhile just ground his poor opponent into the dust. An ending with R, N and pawns each didn't offer a lot at first glance but Trevor was convinced that his more active pieces and his opponents cramped position would be enough, and it was.<br />
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<b>Church Stretton A v Newport B: 3.5 - 0.5</b><br />
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<div class="p1">
T Brotherton 1, D Griffiths 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
S Rooney 1, A Mehmood 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
K Wakefield 1, S Ross 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
E Elwell 0.5, C Paul 0.5.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The second round match was played against Telepost C. Now, if you take a look at the results, you'll see that this team were actually beaten in the first round by Shrewsbury B. However, when it came to organising the second round, Shrewsbury were unable to field a team (or more likely what they perceived as their strongest team). They requested a postponement but because this is a knockout tournament with only a two-week window between rounds and there was a difficulty with getting it organised for the following week, this was declined, so Shrewsbury B defaulted. This was very disappointing, particularly since Shrewsbury is one of the bigger clubs and used to run three or four teams so it seems hardly credible they couldn't find four players for this match. And regular readers of the blog will know how we have suffered from numerous defaults already in the league season.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
A suggestion was then put to the league controller Keith Tabner that he consider re-instating Telepost C to replace Shrewsbury B as the latter weren't able to fulfil the fixture. He agreed, and so did Telepost C's captain Nick who managed to get a team together so we could have a match. All credit to Telepost C for stepping into the breach, especially as they may have been a bit intimidated with the grading differences between the teams. </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
It resulted in a clean sweep for Church Stretton, but there were some very interesting games, including Charles Micallef's enterprising dragon against Steve on board 2, and a brave attempt to stave off the inevitable Trevor squeeze by Quentin Mills.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Church Stretton A v Telepost C: 4 - 0</b></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p1">
T Brotherton 1, Q Mills 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
S Rooney 1, C Micallef 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
K Wakefield 1, N Holmes 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
D Hodge 1, S Sweeney 0.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The next round is the semi final and we are away to Priorslee Lions B.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-5906260045639554382015-04-27T12:48:00.000+02:002015-05-01T12:50:23.340+02:00Another good win to end A team seasonA resounding 4.5-0.5 win against Telford B concluded Church Stretton A's league season. The result meant we only dropped two points in the season - those were in the earlier away encounter against Telford B - so revenge was sweet!<br />
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Good results from Eric, Tom and Graham, all winning against higher-graded opponents helped seal the victory plus a solid draw for Karl on board 2 and a win for Steve on board one.<br />
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Having finished the season as Div 2 champions, we now have the chance to compete for another trophy with the minor knockout which gets underway on 7 May with a home tie against Newport B.<br />
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<b>Church Stretton A 4.5 Telford B 0.5</b><br />
<div class="p1">
S Rooney 1, S Tarr 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
K Wakefield 0.5, S Ross 0.5; </div>
<div class="p1">
G Shepherd 1, R Thompson 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
E Elwell 1, W Peck 0; </div>
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<div class="p1">
T Williamson 1, R Brown 0.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-1804400555758837522015-03-25T07:58:00.002+01:002015-03-25T07:58:23.214+01:00B team conclude with emphatic winThe B team remain at the top of division 3 following their final league game which resulted in a 3-1 win. <br />
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The win puts them four points clear of second-placed Newport B who still have two matches to play. If Newport B win both of those they need to chalk up 7 game points to overtake Church Stretton B. An interesting finish but it means the B team need to wait another few weeks before they know whether they will take the title.<br />
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However, a great result in any case. Well done to B team captain Tom who regularly selected others and sat out himself to ensure a good spread of players got matches and a strong line-up. The team were undefeated throughout the season, only conceding two draws - both to Newport B.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-49151486612239744972015-03-24T20:53:00.000+01:002015-03-24T20:54:57.731+01:00Division 2 championsAnother match, another default.<br />
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A rather unsatisfactory way to clinch the division 2 title, but not much we can do if opponents concede before a pawn is pushed. Wellington B defaulted this week meaning we have now 'enjoyed' three match defaults in the last six matches and notched up our sixth 5-0 scoreline in a row.<br />
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Only one match to go although it doesn't count for anything and let's hope our opponents turn up for that one!<br />
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Best of luck to the B team tonight at Newport - a good win could help them to the div 3 title. (While they are there they might well ask why the inter-club match involving one of their rivals has not been played nearly two months after it was scheduled.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-40766634689604998402015-03-13T09:53:00.000+01:002015-03-13T09:59:19.713+01:00Emphatic scoreline seals promotionOur fourth 5-0 score in a row secured promotion back to division one for the A team. Once again, the score flattered a little and an hour and a half into the match we were still looking for that elusive game point needed to ensure we finished in the top two.<br />
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Eventually Karl got the win - although he missed the promised pint from the captain who was still absorbed in his game! Karl looked like winning much earlier to my cursory glance but he opted to move into a rook ending and managed to get the first point on the board. David followed next, having rescued his position from an unconvincing approach to the opening - his own admission, not captain's criticism you'll understand.<br />
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This left three games to run and the top two boards didn't look like promising more than draws, but Trevor eventually broke through after his opponent moved a rook to a wrong square. Just one slip and Trevor will get you! Steve had his opponent's rook marooned but it was nursing a blockaded pawn on the seventh rank so chances for all three results. In the end, a swindle emerged which delivered a mating net with the two rooks, leaving Norman to forlornly queen his pawn two moves before mate was delivered.<br />
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Michael's opponent battled on but eventually succumbed to make it a clean sweep.<br />
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With the game points stacking up, we are now in a strong position for the title, but still two games to go including one against second-placed and fellow-promoted side Telford B.<br />
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<b>Church Stretton A 5 Shrewsbury B 0</b><br />
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<div class="p1">
T Brotherton 1, M Smith 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
S Rooney 1, N O'Connor 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
M Bukojemski 1, I Salter 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
K Wakefield 1, I Davies 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
D Hodge 1, A Purser 0.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
(There was some discussion on the night about the fact that Telford B's postponed fixture against their own C team had eventually been played, but that the C team had defaulted a board to give the B team an easy victory. The result was reported this week, although it's not clear if that was when the match was played as the fixture list was not kept up to date. Obviously, teams often struggle for players but an inter-club match should be played on the original date prescribed by the league controller, barring natural catastrophe, and be between two full teams. In the event, Shrewsbury B can't now catch Telford B, but if they had ended up on the same match points, I suspect there would have been questions raised. Matches are now being regularly postponed because a team can't raise a side which is not really an adequate reason. Perhaps the issue of postponements needs to be revisited at the next league agm.)<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-48788672127260942262015-03-12T14:40:00.000+01:002015-03-12T14:41:03.588+01:00Just one point needed for A team promotionWith three matches to go, Church Stretton A need just one point to assure promotion - one game point that is, since the recent run of 5-0 results (including defaults) has meant our game points put us almost out of reach of Shrewsbury B, but not quite.<br />
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It is possible for Shrewsbury B to overtake us if they win their last three games 5-0, and we lose our last three games 5-0. I am not going to tempt fate by saying how likely that is!<br />
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All will be resolved tonight however, as we play Shrewsbury B at home. A pint for the first winner ...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-8392336422044519412015-03-09T14:32:00.000+01:002015-03-12T14:34:29.199+01:00Comfortable win for B teamChurch Stretton B have now been joined by Newport B in the confirmed promotion slots from division 3. The race is still on for the division title however.<br />
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The team may need to score heavily in their final game against Newport Juniors later this month to head off the challenge from the same club's B team.<br />
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The last result from the B team saw a 3.5-0.5 win against Telepost C with wins for Graham, Tom and John C, plus a draw for John W.<br />
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<b>Telepost C 0.5 - Church Stretton B 3.5</b><br />
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<div class="p1">
Q Mills 0, G Shepherd 1; </div>
<div class="p1">
C Micallef 0.5, J Westhead 0.5; </div>
<div class="p1">
N Holmes 0, T Williamson 1; </div>
<div class="p1">
S Sweeney 0, J Casewell 1.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-51331415889545639362015-02-26T23:02:00.003+01:002015-02-26T23:02:56.685+01:00Another default for A teamAnother week, another 5-0 result for the A team. Once again we have had a match defaulted against us and clock up two match points without pushing a pawn. Priorslee Lions B were only able to find one player for this week's match apparently and conceded the match.<br />
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It's not really how we want to win but we can't do much about it if there is no opposing team. And a further result this week with Shrewsbury B losing to Telford B means that we only need one game point from three games to assure promotion. We face Shrewsbury B next so that's the chance to clinch it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-34098392507594263282015-02-22T14:14:00.000+01:002015-02-22T14:49:38.496+01:00B team promotedChurch Stretton B have clinched promotion from division 3 with another resounding win. A 3-1 victory against Priorslee Lions C puts them on 18 points and out of reach of all but second-placed Newport B. The race for the title is still on though and I imagine that is what is in Tom's mind now.<br />
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<b>Church Stretton B 3 Priorslee Lions C 1</b><br />
<div class="p1">
G Shepherd 1, M Reynolds 0; </div>
<div class="p1">
E Elwell 0.5, S O'Dell 0.5; </div>
<div class="p1">
T Williamson 1, A Brannen 0; </div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
C Pimm-Jones 0.5, T Gilmour 0.5</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The B team's promotion puts added pressure on the A team to do the same as we don't want two teams in the second division next season. An emphatic 5-0 win at Shrewsbury B didn't do us any harm though.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The match was a bit more balanced than the scoreline suggests however and the result flatters us a little. Karl was first to win, against the run of play, as he ended up worse from the opening. His opponent admitted afterwards to psyching himself out and not playing more positively because of the perceived difference in playing strength. A good lesson to play the position on the board and not worry about who your opponent is.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Michael was next to win with an approach that was a bit like a tiger waiting to pounce in a position that was reasonably balanced; as soon as his opponent strayed he was in for the kill. David followed and clinched the match putting us 3-up, having been dominant most of the game and patient enough not to squander any advantage.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The top two boards took quite a time to come to a conclusion. Steve was a bit lucky on board two as his opponent didn't manage to get anything decisive from a space advantage and started dropping pawns in the latter stages. Trevor's game went down to the wire with a frantic race to win finally ending up with KRP v KR. His opponent missed a check during the scramble and as it was an illegal move he pointed out that Trevor should have an extra two minutes. No-one jumped in to offer to re-set the clock quickly however and Trevor said 'play on'. Fortunately he won on time, but with less than a minute on his own clock, so didn't regret his gesture.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
So the A team are two points clear at the top of Div 2, but there are still a couple of crucial games to go, including a return with Shrewsbury B.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Shrewsbury B 0 Church Stretton A 5</b></div>
<div class="p1">
M Smith 0, T Brotherton 1; </div>
<div class="p1">
N O'Connor 0, S Rooney 1; </div>
<div class="p1">
A Lewis 0, M Bukojemski 1; </div>
<div class="p1">
I Davies 0, K Wakefield 1; </div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p1">
A Purser 0, D Hodge 1.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-55799956469946633552015-02-16T16:37:00.001+01:002015-02-16T16:41:20.985+01:00B team out in front<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The B team, captained by Tom Williamson is still riding high in division three and poised for promotion. Tom has been a non-playing captain for much of the season but has certainly excelled on team selection having won seven and drawn two from nine matches.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Since Christmas, the B team has chalked up wins against Oswestry and Newport C and held its closest rivals, second-placed Newport B to a 2-2 draw.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The match this week against Priorslee Lions C could be a promotion clincher - hope I haven't spoken too soon!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b>Church Stretton B 4 Oswestry B 0</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Graham Shepherd 1 S Tulett 0</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">David Hodge. 1. K Bacon. 0</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Francis Rooney 1. A Evans. 0</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">John Westhead. 1. J Molyneux. 0</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> 4. 0</span><br />
<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Newport C 1 Church Stretton B 3</span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">J Eadon 0. Graham Shepherd 1</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">P Broderick. 1/2 David Hodge. 1/2</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">M Price. 0. John Westhead 1</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">M Moore. 1/2 Tom Williamson 1/2</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> 1. 3</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b>Church Stretton B 2 Newport B 2</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Graham Shepherd 0. A Mehmood. 1</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">John Westhead 1. S Rose. 0</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Eric Elwell. 1/2 D Griffith 1/2</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">John Caswell. 1/2 C Paul. 1/2</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> 2. 2</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-19076440313640983822015-02-16T16:31:00.002+01:002015-02-16T16:31:47.063+01:00A team still in the huntThe A team has had a good start to the second half of the season, having started off lagging behind the leaders in division two due to the fact that we had played fewer games before Christmas. A win against Telepost B on 15 January went to plan. Then the next match against Telford C was called off at the last minute and has resulted in a 5-0 default to us.<br />
<br />
A further 5-0 result, although this time we actually won all the games was against Wellington B. Four of the games finished quite quickly with Trevor, Steve, Karl and Eric chalking up wins and then David finally managed to squeeze something out of his game with some intriguing zugzwang-like outcomes in the complex queen and bishop ending leaving his opponent with only losing moves to choose from.<br />
<br />
That leaves us currently on top of division two on game points, although we still have a game in hand on second-placed Telford B. Next couple of matches could prove vital with away fixture against Shrewsbury B and home against Priorslee B.<br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
<b>Church Stretton A 3.5 Telepost B 1.5</b></div>
<div class="p2">
T Brotherton 0.5, K Tabner 0.5; </div>
<div class="p2">
S Rooney 1, A Benjamin 0; </div>
<div class="p2">
K Wakefield 1, S Kempsell 0; </div>
<div class="p2">
M Bukojemski 1, J Westhead 0; </div>
<div class="p2">
F Rooney 0,J Casewell 1.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Church Stretton A 5 Wellington B 0</b></div>
<div class="p2">
N Sampson 0, T Brotherton 1; </div>
<div class="p2">
J Lenton 0, S Rooney 1; </div>
<div class="p2">
D Powell 0, K Wakefield 1; </div>
<div class="p2">
M Anandh 0, D Hodge 1; </div>
<div class="p2">
M Walsh 0, E Elwell 1.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-20840192229418313642014-11-27T13:23:00.002+01:002014-11-27T13:29:02.655+01:00Catching up!Apologies about lack of reports here in recent weeks - pressure of work I'm afraid.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the league season continues to go well. The league tables are suffering from quite a few postponements which means that teams have not played the same number of matches, but our B team is top of division three and the A team second in Division two with a 100 per cent record so far.<br />
<br />
The B team has won five of its six matches, only conceding a draw to second-placed Newport B. Its latest victory was a 3-1 win against Newport Juniors<br />
<br />
Meanwhile the A team is enjoying a 100 per cent record from its three games but has had two matches postponed so will have a lop-sided season with eight games now scheduled after Christmas, compared to four in the first half. The next A team fixture is against Telford B who are currently top and one of the sides to watch in Div 2.<br />
<br />
In the Rapidplay competition, Church Stretton had a good first match night hosted at our club, but a less successful affair away at Priorslee when we were without Trevor. Next Rapidplay fixture is on 12 December at Shrewsbury.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-81908212167941682522014-10-03T20:24:00.000+02:002014-10-06T20:25:29.554+02:00Profitable trip to TelfordThe A team chalked up its second win with a 5-0 victory over Telford C. To be fair, we did outgrade our opponents on all the boards but it was satisfying to get a clean sweep and you never know if it might come in handy for points' difference at the end of the season.<br />
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Trevor started the ball rolling with a comfortable win and was followed by Eric who had won a piece early on. David had what looked like an overwhelming attack on a strangled king position and finished it off neatly. This left just Karl and Steve who managed to grind their opponents down in the end.<br />
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A good start, but no time for complacency as there are some tough matches to come with several teams that will provide strong opposition.<br />
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<b>Telford C 0 Church Stretton A 5</b><br />
R Szwajkun 0, T Brotherton 1<br />
T Skidmore 0, S Rooney 1<br />
A Jones 0, K Wakefield 1<br />
R Roberts 0, D Hodge 1<br />
B Malone 0, E Elwell 1Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-41520086659133906202014-09-25T17:37:00.002+02:002014-09-25T17:37:44.096+02:00B team start with a winThe B team started its Division three campaign with a good win away at Oswestry. David Graham and Tom all won and John Westhead drew for a 3.5-0.5 result which puts them at the top of the table.<br />
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<b>Oswestry B 0.5 Church Stretton B 3.5</b><br />
A Peile 0, D Hodge 1<div>
R Thomson 0, G Shepherd 1</div>
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J Smith 0.5, J Westhead 0.5</div>
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A Evans 0, T Williamson 1</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-75849370479124376072014-09-19T17:30:00.000+02:002014-09-21T08:19:49.004+02:00Karl's giant chess set unleashed!A fun evening at the club this week when Karl brought along his giant chess set for us all to see. And when he said it was a big set, he meant it! The kings are about 12in high and the giant board has six-inch squares on a bespoke table made by a local cabinet maker.<br />
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It's a beautifully-made exhibition set and would be ideal for use at a special event. (Might try to persuade him to bring it the the Shropshire congress in January.)<br />
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Here are some photos of the set in action. (The white king in the middle photo is from a standard-height chess set to show you the scale.)<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-80734153829874722014-09-16T12:40:00.001+02:002014-09-16T12:40:30.260+02:00Starting with a winOur first match in Division two saw a 3.5-1.5 victory for the A team away at Telepost B.<br />
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Firstly we should wish a warm welcome to David Hodge who played his first game for us, and his first competitive match for a number of years. He started off with a fine win having emerged a piece up early on and calmly converting the point. Karl drew with John Westhead after what looked like a slight advantage disappeared in the rook and pawn ending, and Francis saw an opportunity to swap in to a won ending a pawn up with his knight being far better than the opposing bishop. Francis' win took us to 2.5 points.<br />
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Steve eventually lost after battling for half the game having mis-read some tactics and being basically outplayed. Trevor was last to finish in another ending with knight v bishop where the knight was better. Keith was probably dazzled by the knight hopping all over the board in the emerging time scramble and slipped up to let Trevor's king in behind the pawns and it was all over. A decent result, particularly given the fact that half way through there was little advantage showing for our players.<br />
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<b>Telepost B 1.5 Church Stretton A 3.5</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif;">K Tabner</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> 0, </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif;">T Brotherton</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> 1</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif;">A Benjamin</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> 1, </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif;">S Rooney</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> 0</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif;">J Westhead</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> 0.5, </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif;">K Wakefield</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> 0.5</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif;">K Walker</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> 0, </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif;">D Hodge</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> 1</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif;">V Crean</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> 0, </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif;">F Rooney</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">1</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-23370275842678390782014-09-09T18:06:00.000+02:002014-09-16T12:31:28.758+02:00Trevor takes us onChurch Stretton's top board, Trevor Brotherton, is taking on allcomers at the Church Stretton club this Thursday 11 September. He will play simultaneously against club members. Starts at around 7.30pm.<br />
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See you there!<br />
<br />
... And he won all six boards, well done Trevor!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-48792850829853861162014-09-02T16:22:00.005+02:002014-09-02T16:42:41.666+02:00Returning to StrettonAfter a season playing at the Condover venue, the club is returning to the Church Stretton & District Club in Essex Road for the start of the 2014-15 season.<br />
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We are delighted to be back at our old venue, but also very grateful to John Casewell and the Condover club for accommodating us last year. After captaining the B team and only just being squeezed out of promotion last season, John will remain a member of the B team for the coming season with Tom Williamson taking over as captain. Steve Rooney will captain the A team.<br />
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For 2014-15 we will once again field two teams in the league. The A team is now in Div 2 but determined to get back to the top division very soon. We will also be running a team in the Rapidplay league.<br />
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An internal club competition will also be launched this year with the agreed format being an all-play-all at Rapidplay times (20min or 10min + 2 sec per person following the Rapidplay league times).<br />
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The league fixtures have just been published - see column on right.<br />
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The club meets on Thursday evenings from 7.30pm. Regular members will need to join the District club at its modest rates, although guest members are very welcome so if you fancy trying chess or are a returning player, you will be very welcome.<br />
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The club starts from this Thursday 4 September.<br />
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See you there.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-28759920990995772862014-03-25T16:46:00.001+01:002014-03-25T16:56:50.045+01:00Out of our handsOur final match of the league season was arranged a week early, thanks to a sporting gesture from our opponents Priorslee Lions A as we would have been without three of the team for next week's original date.<br />
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In the event, the match was a close one, but having been pipped 3-2, we now face an agonising wait to see if Telford manage to scrape any points against Shrewbsury A in their final match on 4 April.<br />
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The match started with the home team a player short. Steve Tarr was missing on board four, although one of our team had seen him at the weekend and we were all fairly certain he was going to show up. Around 55 minutes later it was looking increasingly unlikely, but he then walked through the door, held up by a late taxi pick-up. I was pleased that there was no default given the row about the incident in an earlier match.<br />
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Trevor managed to get our first points when his opponent seemed to go into self destruct and trap his own queen. This was soon followed by a home win however as Michael overlooked some tactics on board four and ended up a whole piece down with no compensation.<br />
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I was the next to fall, transposing into an ending that I thought I could hold even if my isolated pawn was gobbled up, but I was wrong and despite having a bit of fun with a rook pair, it was to no avail.<br />
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Two games left and we needed a win and a draw to level the match. Francis continued his excellent run for the A team and gave his opponent no opportunities at all before winning an exchange and then going on to prepare a mating trap. (In this league season, Francis has chalked up 90 per cent with 4.5/5 in the A team, as well as 86%, 9.5/11 in the B team!)<br />
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The match was now two-all. Graham on board three was ahead on time but lost a critical pawn which in the end was enough for his opponent to convert.<br />
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The result leaves us still sitting just one point above the drop zone in division one, but Telford A only need a draw in their final match as they have a lead in game points. Just have to sit and wait now.<br />
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<b>Priorslee Lions A 3-2 Condover & Church Stretton A</b><br />
W Bates 0, T Brotherton 1;<br />
G Pugh 1, S Rooney 0; J<br />
O'Neil 1, G Shepherd 0;<br />
S Tarr 1, M Bukojemsi 0;<br />
G Viszokai 0, F Rooney 1.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-8280783662290625022014-03-18T16:20:00.000+01:002014-03-18T16:23:46.116+01:00Finally another winAfter four losses on the trot, the A team finally secured some vital points with a win at Priorslee Lions B. Our opponents might be relegated already but that didn't stop them putting up a strong fight, despite us going one up straight away due to a default.<br />
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Graham sportingly agreed to take the defaulted board and expected to be popping home early, but the thrilling finish kept him there right to the last move.<br />
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Early on it looked fairly comfortable, Eric was in a strong position and Trevor seemed to emerge from the opening with an advantage. But suddenly it all started to go wrong. Eric's opponent managed to activate his rooks which were soon charging down the g-file and the tables turned. Eric eventually lost after having refused a draw offer, partly in response to my pre-match warning that we needed to win this match and all boards were vital. We were now two-down.<br />
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My game on board two was now full of tactics as Gary White played his usual sharp stuff, including the obligatory g4-g5 pawn advance. Suddenly I noticed Trevor re-setting the board and was shocked to find that he had lost putting us behind. Michael was up on time and seemed slightly better although I only had time for a cursory glance.<br />
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My game moved into a critical phase and Graham managed to wave a scoresheet at me to tell me Michael had won, putting the scores level. My clock showed about one minute to Gary's seven but somehow the moves were easy to find after I won some material and then sacrificed my queen for a knight to rid him of any mating chances. With two rooks, bishop and pawn on the sixth rank against his queen, and my king safely tucked in the corner guarded by one of the rooks and the bishop, I managed to force the pawn through and deliver mate with 14 seconds to spare.<br />
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Phew! A win means we might avoid relegation after all. If we'd lost that game it would have been curtains. But Telford can still catch us if they get at least two points from their remaining two games.<br />
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<b>Priorslee Lions B 2-3 Condover & Church Stretton A</b><br />
M Morrison 1, T Brotherton 0; <br />
G White 0, S Rooney 1; <br />
Default 0, G Shepherd 1; <br />
M Carbin 0, M Bukojemski1; <br />
S O'Dell 1, E Elwell 0.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-62271674725800089492014-01-16T10:47:00.000+01:002014-01-16T10:47:44.038+01:00Battle RoyalWe visited Telford C on 15 Jan knowing that whoever won would move to the top of the league.<br />
Charles Micallef won on board one against Richard Szwajkun,who apparently helped by making a couple of weak moves.Francis Rooney on board 2 seemed to have the upper hand against Andy Jones and so it proved 2-0 up and both my game and Toms looked promising.However,in my case we got down to six pawns each and I ended up in a zugswang position.Then sadly Tom ran out of time leaving the match drawn,and the league table now has four teams joint top with eleven points.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665380526260577204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-24050049812785055292014-01-13T16:23:00.004+01:002014-01-13T16:32:21.269+01:00A good start to second halfA win against Shrewsbury A proved to be sweet revenge after their drubbing of us in this season's opening encounter. The return match at Shrewsbury saw us win 4.5-0.5 with four wins and a draw.<br />
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Shrewsbury were without one or two of their srongest team, but we were missing Michael as well. Early on we looked comfortable on most boards but there were no quick finishes. Graham, Francis and Eric finished within moments of each other and Graham tapped me on the shoulder and reported that we were 2.5 to 0.5 up. With my position looking good and Trevor steaming through the centre next to me, the win looked assured. We both managed to convert the wins to leave Shrewsbury a little shell-shocked.<br />
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All we need to do now is repeat the form, and the luck, in our next two matches against the other top-three teams Telepost and Newport.<br />
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<b>Shrewsbury A 1-4 Condover & Church Stretton A</b><br />
F Best 0, T Brotherton 1; <br />
D Everington 0, S Rooney 1; <br />
P Kitchen 0, G Shepherd 1; <br />
N O'Connor 0.5, E Elwell0.5; <br />
M Smith 0, F Rooney 1.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371136959910604017.post-74557688100311077542013-12-18T16:29:00.000+01:002014-01-13T16:30:21.942+01:00Rapidplay funThe second evening of the new Rapidplay competition was another entertaining affair. Our results were not great as we lost two matches and won one, but it was a very good-humoured pre-Christmas event with food generously supplied by some Telepost members.<br />
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The competition format seems to be working very well with four teams playing each other in three matches on each evening. The games are serious but there is a chance to chat and socialise between matches and both of the ones we've attended have had a great atmosphere.<br />
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The full results are on the Shropshire chess site <a href="http://shropshirechess.org/Chess%20League/database/rapidd1fixturesandtables.php?Submit=Go&competition=Rapidplay%20Div%201&season=2013-2014&resultsort=All%20Fixtures%20(date%20order)" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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Our next Rapidplay fixture is Fri 7 march at Shrewsbury.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0