Two matches in 24 hours as C team looks to get up and running
Shrewsbury C will this week play two fixtures in the space of 24 hours as they look to get their fledgling Shropshire Chess League division three season up and running.
Ben Howells’ team will once again join their A team colleagues on Tuesday for a double header at Newport – the c team facing Newport B and the A team up against Newport A.
Then the following night, the C team will play their rearranged opening fixture against Darwinian Knights C at Cromwell’s Tap House, writes Peter Kitchen.
It’s a gruelling schedule so early in the season – and may well involve some squad rotation to ease the burden on players who are all new to competitive chess.
The Cs put in a respectable showing in their opening fixture two weeks ago against an experienced Telford C team – also played while the A team were playing at the same venue in division one – before eventually going down 3.5-0.5.
Howells admitted there had been some nerves in the camp as all four players were making their competitive debuts, but said they would all be better for the experience.
“I feel like we played really well,” he said. “It was an honour to play against such a good team.
“We are all looking forward to gaining more experience in future matches.
“They (Telford C) seemed very experienced. Nick held his own very well on top board, and I made one mistake in the opening which punished me for the whole game but it’s the learning curves you get from that!”
Nick Nuthall, Howells, Kate Beard and Richard Beard all made their competitive over-the-board debuts for the club in the Telford C match.
Kate Beard had a promising position out of the opening on board three against Henry Weber, but an error cost her material and led to her defeat. Both Nuthall and Howells lost material early on against experienced Telford duo Andy Jones and Tim Skidmore on the top two boards and were unable to claw it back, both eventually losing.
But Richard Beard brought some cheer by staving off the whitewash. In an entertaining game on bottom board, he drew with Erin Pichanick to gain the distinction of claiming the reformed C team’s first half-point of the season.
The C team players were supported throughout the night by the club’s A team players while they played against Telford A – and Shrewsbury A captain Dan Lockett had some words of encouragement for the Cs.
He said: “It was great to see our new members get their debuts in the C team. They faced some seasoned players, but from what I saw they had some entertaining games and I think it bodes well for the future.”
Full scores (Shrewsbury colours in brackets):
Telford C 3.5-0.5 Shrewsbury C
1.Andy Jones 1-0 Nick Nuthall (w)
2.Tim Skidmore 1-0 Dafydd Howells (b)
3.Henry Weber 1-0 Kate Beard (w)
4.Erin Pichanick 0.5-0.5 Richard Beard (b)