A lot can happen in the space of 12 months – just ask Shrewsbury B captain David Edwards. This time last year, Edwards and his side were reeling from the rude awakening of an opening day 5-0 defeat away to Oswestry B. The euphoric bubble of winning division three a few months earlier was well and truly burst by a side who had finished bottom of division two the season before. Welcome to the second tier indeed, writes Peter Kitchen. The Bs fought back from that disappointment and remained competitive throughout the season, only for a late season loss of form saw them condemned to the relegation zone and eventually…

Shrewsbury D Nick Nuthall was “proud” of his side and said he believed they deserved something out of the game after slipping to defeat on an historic night for Maddocks Junior. The newly-formed junior side claimed their first ever Shropshire Chess League victory after coming from behind to win a tight division three clash against the Ds 2.5-1.5, writes Peter Kitchen. Nuthall’s early win over Eli Kynaston proved in vain as both Richard Vernon and Richard Beard fell to defeats as the Ds failed to back up their opening day win over Shrewsbury C. But the skipper was quick to point to the positives on a night when father and…

A frantic scramble submitting the teamsheet and a subsequent half-point penalty weren’t enough to stop Shrewsbury Pirates getting their 4NCL Online division four campaign up and running at the third time of asking. The Pirates defeated an inexperienced Colchester JFF C side 3.5-0.5, with all four players in an unchanged side winning their boards, writes Peter Kitchen. But the comfortable nature of proceedings over the board belied a chaotic build up, when captain Olusegun Ilesnami’s attempts to enter the team line-up were thwarted by problems with the online login system. It contributed to the team’s line-up only being published less than an hour before the scheduled start time, and also…

The “old guard” and the new came together to help a new-look Shrewsbury A get their Shropshire Chess League division one campaign off to a winning start. While one of the side’s stalwarts Peter Kitchen gave the hosts the lead in Wednesday’s tight match with Telford A, it was one of the new generation – summer signing Fred Bench – who sealed the deal with an excellent win on board two to secure a deserved 3.5-1.5 triumph. Bench and fellow new signing Nigel Ferrington both made their league debuts for the club after signing from Telepost – and captain Dan Lockett said the new top order had made a real…

A new tournament has been launched aimed at giving the club’s Shropshire Chess League division three players the chance to lock horns over the board. The C & D Team Interplay will be open to players in the Shrewsbury C and D squads – and the first round draw has already been made, writes Peter Kitchen. It’s the brainchild of Tom Maiden and D team captain Nick Nuthall, who said there had been real demand among squad members for such an event owing to the huge popularity of the main club championship, which is open to all players. And a field of 18 players – close to last year’s record…

There’s a sense of excitement as Shrewsbury’s big-name signings from Telepost prepare to make their league bows for the club – but A team captain Dan Lockett certainly isn’t getting carried away. Lockett has targeted a winning start when Shrewsbury A welcome Telford A to Cromwell’s Tap House for their division one opener on Wednesday. But he is under no illusions that it will be “a tough match” – as they’ve tended to be against Telford in recent years, writes Peter Kitchen. Nigel Ferrington, Phil Zabrocki and Fred Bench are among those in contention to make their debuts having signed up after Telepost Chess Club closed over the summer –…

A night to remember for Richard Vernon was not enough for Shrewsbury Pirates as they slipped to a second consecutive defeat in 4NCL Online division four. Vernon triumphed in just 13 moves – surely his quickest ever competitive win – against Joseph Cassar on bottom board to get the Pirates off to a flying start against Watford. But things quickly unravelled for the Pirates thereafter, as a board default and two further defeats condemned them to a 3-0.5 defeat, writes Peter Kitchen. Olusegun Ilesanmi’s team showed one change from the opening day defeat at the hands of Malpas & Friends A, with David Walton coming into the side on top…

An “ecstatic” Nick Nuthall has praised his Shrewsbury D side for an historic victory in their first ever Shropshire Chess League division three match – and hopes it will give his side “confidence and momentum” going forward. Nuthall’s D team upset clubmates Shrewsbury C with an eye-catching 3-1 victory in the first league match the club has played at Cromwell’s Tap House on a Monday night, writes Peter Kitchen. Victories for Tom Osenton and Richard Beard on the bottom two boards made the difference in a closely-fought match. Encouragingly, all eight players involved have joined the club in the past two years. It’s given Nuthall hope for the D team’s…

A new-look Shrewsbury A side secured a competitive third place finish at the annual Shropshire Chess Association team quickplay. Despite none of last season’s A team being available and the squad being hit by three withdrawals in the 48 hours before the event, the club’s side performed respectably in the Open category, writes Peter Kitchen. But two narrow 3-2 defeats to closest rivals Maddocks A saw Shrewsbury finish third, a long way adrift of runaway winners Newport A. Ex-Telepost duo Nigel Ferrington and Phil Zabrocki made their competitive debuts for the club at the tournament, which was held at Maddocks Social Club in Oakengates, while Ray Sayers joined “on loan”…

Higher ambitions will be the order of the day for the new season as Shrewsbury Chess Club starts an exciting new era. That’s the view of club secretary Peter Kitchen, who hopes the arrival of at least six players from former county town rivals Telepost will help inspire an upturn in fortunes for the club’s Shropshire Chess League teams. The dissolution of Telepost has seen Shrewsbury A retain their place in division one, and it is hoped the influx of new faces challenging for first team roles will help strengthen the B team in division two as well. Fixtures for the first two months of the season have been released,…