Shrewsbury B took a massive step towards securing survival with a narrow victory over town rivals Telepost B in the latest installment of the Shrewsbury vs Telepost fixture run, after two matches last week involving the county town’s two teams. Without Mark Smith available, Andrew Lewis was drafted in by captain Matt Best to fill the team on board 5. Noted for his impressive drawing capacities, Andrew managed a win last week, one which extended his personal unbeaten league run to 17 matches (with a couple of draws for Shropshire under 140s thrown in, too). However, his creditable run was ended by Telepost’s Quentin Mills on Friday – more on…

Shrewsbury’s A and C teams were both in action on Friday, hosting Telepost’s A and D teams respectively. For the A Team, their visitors were handed the opportunity to seize top spot in the first division, with the added incentive of achieving a second consecutive league double over their town rivals. Captain Francis Best was dealt a blow as regular Peter Kitchen was unable to make it, but the availability of Ed Goodwin helped cover the gap, with B team duo Mark Smith and Norman O’Connor completing the line up. Things seemed to be going fairly well for Shrewsbury early on despite being outgraded on all 5 boards by a…

In the third round of this year’s club championship, David Everington and Francis Best clashed in the same variation of a game they had played nine years previously.  Francis reflects on the contrasting outcomes of these games here.

Shrewsbury B’s hopes of promotion from the second division were dealt a blow last night, as captain Matt Best was left wondering quite how his side managed to slip to defeat away to a strong Oswestry A side. Shrewsbury claimed a narrow victory in the reverse fixture, but the hosts were bolstered by the subsequent addition of one of the county’s strongest players, Richard Bryant, on top board and so outgraded their visitors on each of the top 4 boards. It was the sole board on which Shrewsbury held the grading edge which finished first. On board 5, Andrew Lewis – standing in for Mark Smith – was up against…

Andy Lewis is enjoying a fabulous unbeaten run at the moment and is hoping to complete the whole season without loss.  This is not always easy, as his game against Andy Jones in the recent match against Telepost C demonstrates.  Having a near resignable position for much of the game, Andy Lewis battled on, keeping the game alive, and was rewarded with his opponent agreeing a draw, having run the clock down to 55 seconds.  You can play through the game here.

Controller Matt Best has published the draw for the 3rd round of this season’s Club Championship. The cross table is below, and pairings are available to view on the Club Championship page on the website. Matt requests that all games be completed by Friday 7th March.

Shrewsbury B picked up a point away to Telford B to move up to third in the Shropshire Chess second division after a tense finale having recovered from 2-0 down. With captain Matt Best able to field a full team for the visitors, the welcome return of Windsor Peck provided the hosts with a stronger line-up than in recent weeks to match up. Indeed, things were looking a little worrying for Shrewsbury when Daniel Lockett and Norman O’Connor failed to arrive at the start of the match, eventually arriving – after Sat-nav issues – at around 8 o’clock. When they eventually did arrive the pair wasted no time in restoring…

Things didn’t look good for Shrewsbury’s A team fixture against Priorslee Lions A on Monday 20th January, when captain Francis Best received a call over the previous weekend that regular, Peter Kitchen, was under the weather and unlikely to be able to play.  Knowing that other core players Jamie Hopkins and Ed Goodwin would also be missing, Francis had to call upon the services of reserve players from the B and C teams in the shape of Ivor Salter, Norman O’Connor and Ian Davies.  In the event, the stand-ins put up some very creditable performances, although it was always going to be a tough match overall. The game of the…

Shrewsbury B recorded their first win in three matches with a critical victory over Newport B. In an incredibly tight second division, Matt Best’s side went into the game lying in the top half of the table, but – scarcely believably based on their league position – only out of the relegation zone on game points, the narrowest of margins. With Telford, Wellington and Newport all joining Shrewsbury at the “B Team 7 point convention”, victory for Matt Best’s side was absolutely pivotal to pull away from the drop zone and start looking back at the top which, despite being in relegation trouble, was only 4 points away and with…

Shrewsbury’s A Team endured a torrid night as they were thrashed by Condover and Church Stretton A on the same night as their C Team moved into the promotion places in the third division with a win over Oswestry B. Francis Best’s side had secured a 4-1 victory over their opponents earlier in the very first game of the season, but the visitors got their revenge with an emphatic win that proved a significant blow to Shrewsbury’s title chances. With Telepost A and Newport A both winning earlier in the season, Shrewsbury needed a win to return to the top spot which they had occupied over Christmas. However, despite missing…