Purser Evokes the Spirit of Carlsen in Marathon Win

He may not have matched the 136 moves played by newly-crowned world champion Magnus Carlsen – but Shrewsbury’s Tony Purser had his own mammoth win while playing for the club’s C team online this week.

Purser finally forced resignation from opponent Shane Sweeney after a jaw-dropping 102 moves in Shrewsbury C’s Shropshire online Chess League division two derby with Telepost C.

But it wasn’t enough to stop the Cs – who handed a debut to new signing Richard Vernon – from slipping to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of their rivals on Tuesday evening.

It was a night of mixed fortunes for the club’s online teams – Shrewsbury B defeated Telepost D 2.5-0.5 in the same division to restore some local pride.

As Shrewsbury are currently only fielding one team over the board due to the ongoing uncertainty over Covid-19, the online league represents a good opportunity for all of the club’s players to play competitive chess and maintain match sharpness.

For the Bs, captain and top board Mark Smith was slightly fortunate to escape with a draw against Paul Billington. But Stephen Priestley and Ivor Salter made sure of victory by beating Foley Stocks and Martin Ayres on boards two and three.

The Cs’ top board Norman O’Connor slipped to defeat on top board against Fred Bench, a recent acquisition for Telepost who performed strongly in the summer’s online Shrewsbury Town Championship.

Purser won his marathon game on board two, and debutant Vernon performed strongly against the experienced John Casewell on board three before eventually having to surrender.

Both sides will next be in action in the new year, with the Bs facing Newport A and the Cs playing Telepost D. Both Shrewsbury teams will be “away”, and the matches are due to be played in the week starting January 3.