Peter Kitchen writes. Shrewsbury C sprang a surprise by holding their high-flying B team compatriots to a 1.5-1.5 draw – breathing fresh life into the Shropshire Online Chess League division two title race. The B’s had looked on course to maintain their three-point lead at the top of the table after Ivor Salter eased to victory over Richard Vernon on bottom board. But despite Stephen Priestley holding a stable edge over Tony Purser in the final game on board two, a costly misjudgement allowed Purser to crash through on the kingside, securing a victory for the C team that squared the match. The result cut the B team’s lead over…

Shrewsbury’s three online teams will all be in action within the space of 24 hours – with two coming up against each other. The A’s will take on Oswestry B on Thursday in a match that is likely to decide who finishes runners up in Shropshire Online Chess League division one behind runaway leaders Oswestry A. Their opponents have fielded Inernational Master Paul Littlewood during the current campaign – including in the reverse fixture in November – although it is not yet known if he will feature this time around. Meanwhile, Shrewsbury B and Shrewsbury C were doing battle in division two on Wednesday in search of league points for…

A failure to make their superiority count proved Shrewsbury C’s undoing as they slipped to a 2-1 online league defeat to Oswestry C. Shrewsbury were well on top in the games on both boards one and two – but both ended as draws. It meant that Richard Vernon’s defeat against Alf Evans on bottom board was a costly one as it was the only decisive game in the match – and one where Vernon had also been on top for spells. It leaves the C’s marooned in the bottom half of the Shropshire Online Chess League division two table with two wins and four defeats from their six games. Norman…

Shrewsbury Chess Club’s latest club night has been called off due to the impact of this week’s flooding in the town centre. The club’s Nerdy Café venue has been forced to close this week after being affected by the River Severn flooding in the town centre. While the flood waters have now started to recede, the venue remains closed while repairs are carried out. Club members had been due to meet for friendlies and social games on Friday (February 25), but have been notified by email that this will now not take place. As a club, we wish our hosts at the Nerdy Café all the best with the clean…

Superior class eventually told as Shrewsbury A were outgunned by a formidable Oswestry A side in the online top-of-the table battle. The A’s put up a tough fight before going down 3-1 to their higher-rated opponents, who now have a three-point lead at the top of Shropshire Online Chess League division one. Victories with the black pieces for both Mehmet Altinsoy and Leon Cox on boards two and four proved decisive as the league leaders ultimately were just too strong. Francis Best and Mark Smith both battled to excellent draws in their games against Brian Whyte and Tim McMahon respectively. Shrewsbury have now slipped to third in the four-team table,…

Peter Kitchen writes: A top-of-the-table clash will whet the appetite when Shrewsbury A return to online league action on Tuesday. The A’s will host league leaders Oswestry A in their first Shropshire Online Chess League match for nearly two months. Oswestry have since usurped Shrewsbury at the top of the standings thanks to a draw with clubmates Oswestry B and a victory over Telepost A. With each team playing just six matches, this week’s match could have a major bearing on the destination of the league title. Shrewsbury were well beaten 3.5-0.5 by Oswestry A in the opening round of fixtures, but haven’t lost since. They make one change, with…

Peter Kitchen writes… The top four seeds have been drawn to face each other in round two of Shrewsbury Club Championship. Defending champion Francis Best will have the white pieces against Dan Lockett, while Mark Smith will face current club over-the-board top board Peter Kitchen. Three of the quartet won their opening round matches, while Kitchen was held to a comfortable draw by Norman O’Connor. One of the games has already been played – Stephen Priestley has provisionally gone top of the table after drawing with Ivor Salter. Games are played online on Lichess with a time control of 45 minutes for all moves, with 15 seconds increment per move.…

Shrewsbury B maintained their three-point lead at the top of Shropshire Online Chess league division two after a hard-fought draw with fellow title challengers Oswestry C. Despite significantly outgrading their opponents, the B’s were indebted to Mark Smith grinding out a 99-move win in a topsy-turvy struggle on top board against Keith Grice to extend the side’s unbeaten run to five matches. There was also a bizarre finish to the match on board two. Oswestry’s Stephen Tulett’s computer froze while in a level position against Stephen Priestley. He subsequently lost on time on the Lichess website that the match was being played on – but the players and captains both…

Tony Purser has published the round 2 pairings for the club championship. To see the pairings, click on the “Club Championship” tab. Please play all games by FRIDAY 11th MARCH to receive the half point incentive.

Club officials have reacted with delight to the news that competitive over-the-board chess will soon resume in Shropshire. The prospect of hosting the club’s first league matches at its new Nerdy Café venue in the coming weeks is also being looked forward to, according to first team captain Francis Best. It comes as the first club night of the year is due to be held at Nerdy tonight (Friday). An open invitation has been issued to players from other clubs to attend if they wish as part of a drive to encourage people back to playing face to face – if they feel comfortable doing so. Shropshire Chess Association announced…