Richard Beard’s maiden competitive win was not enough to stop Shrewsbury C opening 2026 with a 3-1 defeat at home to Darwinian Knights Junior. Beard broke his duck by defeating Isaac Wilderspin on board four – but it proved only a consolation as a sharp Darwinian outfit cleaned up on the remaining boards, writes Peter Kitchen. The result leaves the Cs sixth in the eight-team table and frustratingly cut adrift of the mid-table pack as captain Ben Howells seeks a top-half finish for his side. The Cs – who despite being the “home” team travelled across town to play at the venue of the junior team as per league rules…

Ever since their adventure started at Telford back in September, the players of Shrewsbury C don’t seem to have stopped smiling. Even though that opening Shropshire Chess League division three encounter ended in a 3.5-0.5 loss to Telford C – the first of three straight defeats – the enthusiasm of the squad hasn’t waned, writes Peter Kitchen. It has paid off in spades. A 2.5-1.5 win over Newport Knights in November was their first win at the fourth attempt, and the Cs have followed that up with draws against Newport Junior C and Darwinian Knights D to sit sixth in the eight-team division. It represents a decent start considering none…

The equation sounds very simple for Shrewsbury A – start winning! Dan Lockett’s side lie second bottom of the Shropshire Chess League division one table going into 2026 with just one win from their six league matches so far. That came on the opening day against fellow strugglers Oswestry A, but was followed by a four-match losing streak which was ended by a 2.5-2.5 draw with Darwinian Knights As before the festive break, writes Peter Kitchen. Rather more worryingly for the As, the current campaign has followed a worrying pattern set during the 2024/25 season – namely a lack of winning games of chess. Shrewsbury struggled to win boards during…

DAVID Edwards proved consistency was king when he romped to victory in the club’s inaugural online Christmas blitz competition, which saw 16 club members battle it out across two hours and 63 wild games of speed-chess (time control: 5 minutes with a 5 second increment), writes Tom Maiden. The 11th December tournament, organised by Edwards, was run on Lichess.org as an arena – a format which eschews a fixed number of rounds in favour of a fixed duration within which as many games as possible are played. Every won game earned the victor two points, draws were worth one, and losses nothing. However, three or more back-to-back wins would double…

It was certainly a chastening start. Riding the crest of a wave after winning division three last season, newly-promoted Shrewsbury B travelled to Oswestry B for their opening division two game full of optimism. And why not? Not only had the Bs pipped an on paper stronger Newport B outfit to the third division title, but they were playing a team that had finished in the division two relegation zone the previous season. However, trips to Oswestry are never that straightforward for Shrewsbury sides – and this was no exception. One 5-0 defeat later, and the team was heading back down the A5 with their tails between their legs and…

Shrewsbury A made sure they moved off the bottom of the Shropshire Chess League division one table in time for Christmas – but captain Dan Lockett was left rueing “a missed opportunity” after his side drew with Darwinian Knights A. Shane Greenwood rescued a point for the hosts with a coolly-taken victory over Cesar Pileggi in the final game to finish on bottom board – but Lockett admitted the Darwinian derby was one he had hoped his side could win to help them gain ground on the midtable pack. Lockett himself had been defeated by Darwinian’s rising junior star Rudi Bedford on board two, but Shrewsbury disappointingly failed to make…

Olusegun Ilesanmi picked up three wins out of three as opening night hosts Shrewsbury A made a solid start to the new Shropshire Rapidplay Chess League season. On a night when the club welcomed Maddocks A, Oswestry A and Darwinian Knights A to Cromwell’s for the season curtain-raiser, “Dr Ile” defeated Munroe Morrison on board two against Maddocks in the opening fixture before chipping in with important victories on board three in the next two rounds. His efforts helped Shrewsbury pick up their first points of the season in the final round of the night with a 2.5-1.5 win over town rivals Darwinian Knights, writes Peter Kitchen. The hosts found…

Shrewsbury Pirates have confirmed they will compete in the next season of the 4NCL Online in the new year. Club officials are in the process of signing up the Pirates for season 13 after an encouraging maiden campaign which has given several of the club’s new players a chance for their first taste of competitive chess. The Pirates finished their inaugural season on the national stage in 23rd place out of 29 teams following a disappointing 4-0 loss in the final round at the hands of Colchester JFF B. The Essex-based side, which appears to be heavily linked to Colchester Junior Chess Club, were far too strong for a Pirates…

Shrewsbury B have moved into midtable after securing a second successive victory, this time away to Maddocks B. Richard Vernon’s side won the battle of two teams who were struggling at the wrong end of the Shropshire Chess League division two, returning back down the A5 with the points courtesy of a 3-2 triumph, writes Peter Kitchen. Fred Bennett and Ben Howells gave Shrewsbury a 2-0 lead with wins on the bottom two boards, before Vernon’s draw with the experienced George Viszokai on board three put the visitors on the brink of victory. The final two boards to finish were long and tense affairs – but despite Ivor Salter being…

Shrewsbury A will go into this week’s local derby with Darwinian Knights A in desperate need of some festive cheer – after captain Dan Lockett admitted there were “no real positives” to take from a 3-2 loss at Maddocks A last time out. While the defeat in Oakengates was determined by the final – and only decisive – game of the night, in truth Shrewsbury rarely looked like winning a board and could gave few complaints at the final outcome, writes Peter Kitchen. It meant a fourth loss in a row for the As, and they are now a couple of points adrift of the midfield pack in Shropshire Chess…