Church Stretton Chess Club

A team grinds out win at Ludlow

2012-01-19T12:35:00.001+01:00

A good start to the second half of the season with a win at Ludlow.

Just before Christmas we heard from a new recruit, Tiago, who had arrived in Stretton from Portugal and he looks like being a very useful player. We got him straight in the team and he played on board 4 against Ludlow and quickly snatched a win, but then had to wait a couple of hours for the rest of us.

Chris Pimm-Jones stood in for the team and got a well-earned draw on board 5 leaving the result hanging on the top three boards. Graham Shepherd was up on material but his opponent's troublesome passed pawns caused him problems and he resigned after a slip at the time control. Trevor Brotherton thought he had a slight edge in his endgame on board one but having won a very tight game in the last few seconds at the Shropshire Congress the previous weekend, he decided not to chance his luck again and agreed a draw. This left Steve Rooney who had seen off a deadly-looking attack early on and then won a piece, to clinch the match with a win on board 2.

Next up is Priorslee Lions on 23 January.

Ludlow A 2 Church Stretton 3
1 J Watson 0.5, T Brotherton 0.5
2 J Whittaker 0, S Rooney 1
3 J Lawley 1, G Shepherd 0
4 R Woodley 0, T Faustino 1
5 P Munday 0.5, C Pimm-Jones 0.5.

4th and 5th at Christmas

2011-12-19T11:54:00.001+01:00

The unbeaten record for the B team fell in the final match before Christmas with a 2.5-1.5 loss to Newport C. The match got off to a quick start with a win for Francis Rooney on board 1 within 30 minutes. But Newport's junior Jonathan Newey levelled the score later on with a win on board 3 and after Adrian Thorpe lost on board 2, it was down to home captain Tom Williamson to try and win his match. Despite being an exchange up, Tom couldn't quite find a way through and agreed a draw which saw the team's first defeat of the season after five straight draws.

Meanwhile the A team suffered their third successive 4-1 defeat, this time at the hands of Shifnal & Telford A. Top board Trevor Brotherton was forced to pull out at the last minute which meant everyone shunted up a board and Eric Elwell valiantly turned out at short notice to play on board 5. The only win came for Graham Shepherd on board 4. It was always going to be a tough run-up to Christmas with the final three matches against strong sides, and the A team will be aiming to get a good start again when the second half of the season starts in January.

Another tough one

2011-11-23T12:09:00.000+01:00

A second trip to Shrewsbury in five days saw the A team suffer its second successive 4-1 defeat. This time it was Telepost A who, although without some of their top players, managed to grind out four wins.

Earlier in the evening it looked as if we might get something from the match. Karl Wakefield chalked up yet another win on board three against John Bashall to put us in the lead but Graham Shepherd lost his game to equal the scores. Board five was a bit of a rollercoaster with Francis Rooney who had stepped up as A team reserve, in a battle against John Westhead. Francis' early clever tactic on h7 misfired when he got his bishop trapped but for the second successive game he managed to create lots of activity for his rook in the endgame and his two passed king side pawns eventually forced John to give back the piece. With just K and R v K, R and N, Francis turned down a draw as his opponent was perilously short of time. But in effort to keep the pressure up he moved a little too quickly himself, and fell foul of a knight fork which led to checkmate seconds before the flag fall.

This left boards one and two to finish, and both Trevor Brotherton on board one and Steve Rooney on two were well behind on the clock and eventually both lost on time.

It certainly felt a lot closer than a 4-1 defeat should, but it's the results that count! Onward to the final A team fixture before Christmas agains Shifnal Telford A on 8 December.

Double header at Shrewsbury

2011-11-21T15:30:00.000+01:00

The A and B teams travelled to Shrewsbury for their latest league matches although it was only the B team that came away with any points.

A tough match was envisaged against the title holders and league leaders Shrewsbury A and a tough match is what we got. A very quick 'grandmaster' draw on board one between Trevor Brotherton and Jamie Hopkins gave Stretton half their total points with only Graham Shepherd getting a draw on board five, although Gerald Link battled hard to salage something but eventually lost his central isolated pawn and resigned in a lost king and pawn ending. Earlier Karl Wakefield had chased his opponent's king around the board but couldn't quite pin him down and eventually succumbed to a fork and lost the game. Least said about Steve Rooney's game the better!

The B team fared better and got their fourth draw from four matches! Captain Tom Williamson held his opponent Eric Inglis for a half point and Stretton moved into the lead when Adrian Thorpe's king-side attack broke through against Matthew Best. This left board one and four with Francis Rooney on top board trying to keep his rooks active enough to counter a two pawn deficit, and Chris Pimm-Jones on board four a piece up with a B and N against opponent's N.

It didn't end as expected though. Francis managed to stifle Ian Davies' pawn on the 7th rank and then started to pick up his opponent's pawns. With just a few minutes left on his clock, Ian offered the draw which was accepted by Francis, although by that point he may have been winning but was happy with the draw thinking that board five was safe. However disaster struck with another fork on bottom board that left both sides with K, N and 2 pawns. Chris slipped up in the final stages conceding the opposition and ending up facing K and two pawns against lone king. So 2-2 and yet another draw!

Shresbury A 4 Church Stretton A 1
J Hopkins 0.5, T Brotherton 0.5
D Everington 1, S Rooney 0
F Best 1, G Link 0
P Kitchen 1, K Wakefield 0
N O'Connor 0.5, G Shepherd 0.5

Shrewsbury C 2 Church Stretton B 2
I Davies 0.5, F Rooney 0.5
M Best 0, A Thorpe 1
E Inglis 0.5, T Williamson 0.5
A Purser 1, C Pimm-Jones 0

Late win clinches B-team draw

2011-11-11T14:23:00.001+01:00

A fine win by Adrian Thorpe on board 3 clinched a draw in yesterday's home match for the B team against Oswestry B. A knight down in the middlegame, Adrian conjured up an attack which eventually saw him get two pawns, then a bishop back with a dangerous passed pawn on the 6th rank. His opponent Alf Evans eventually faltered as his clock got down to the last few minutes and lost another piece before resigning. It's always highly pressured when you're the last match left and your team-mates are watching the excitement, but Adrian kept his cool and calmly took the point which left the final result at 2-2

Earlier Chris Pimm-Jones lost on board 3 while Francis Rooney won on board 1. Captain Tom Williamson's position looked lost for some time as he was well down on material, but his continued niggling and back-rank mate threats seemed to un-nerve his opponent for a while but eventually it came to nought, leaving Adrian to salvage the draw.

Next week there is a double-header at Shrewsbury with the A team taking on league leaders Shrewsbury A, and our B team playing their C team in division 3.

Scoreline flatters in latest A-team win

2011-11-04T17:06:00.000+01:00

This week's home match victory against Wellington A was a lot closer than the 4-1 scoreline suggests.

An early win for Gerald Link on board three put the home side in the lead and Karl Wakefield made it 2-0 when he eventually ground down Derrick Powell's resistance in an ending an exchange up. Board 5 went Wellington's way however as Graham Shepherd faced Deli's Ogundipe's onslaught which left him with a cramped position which eventually crumbled.

The final two boards were at this stage fairly level, but as Wellington were 2-1 down their top two, Colin Roberts and Toby Neal, decided to throw caution to the wind in an attempt to win both boards. Going for a full point without any real advantage is always a risky proposition however, and the result was a win for Church Stretton's Trevor Brotherton on board 1, followed by captain Steve Rooney who checkmated his opponent in his second successive time scramble on board 2.

The result puts Church Stretton in third place in division 1, although there are some tough remaining games before Christmas against the top two, Shrewsbury A and Telepost A, and fourth place Shifnal & Telford A who have a game in hand.

Church Stretton A 4 Wellington A 1

T Brotherton 1, C Roberts 0
S Rooney 1, T Neal 0
G Link 1, J Lenton 0
K Wakefield 1, D Powell 0
G Shepherd 0, D Ogundipe 1.

Title challengers Newport held to a draw

2011-10-28T14:11:00.000+02:00

With the return of some of their former stars from university, Newport A look a formidable side in this season's Division 1 with many tipping them as title challengers alongside Shrewsbury A and Telepost A.

However Church Stretton A refused to roll over in spite of a major difference in grades. Newport's five boards averaged an ECF grade of 172, compared to Stretton's 152, but the match ended 2.5-2.5 with Trevor Brotherton holding county number one Nick Rutter to a draw, Steve Rooney beating Gavin Cooper and Karl Wakefield winning against Tony Holdford.

The match produced plenty of interesting games (always a major distraction to those of us who like to watch progress on other boards between our own moves!) Trevor played a sharp line against Nick's Semi Slav with a g4 pawn sacrifice, resulting in open files, hanging pieces and severe complications. Honours were even in the end but it was certainly an exciting one to watch and hopefully the game score will be available here soon.

Karl wasn't aware of his opponent's predilection for the King's Gambit but saw off the Bishop's version of the gambit nonetheless. Karl accepted the gambit and steadfastly refused to relinquish the pawn on f4, eventually supporting it with a pawn chain. Tony managed to eat up a whole hour's more time than Karl in the middlegame but still couldn't find a way to get his attack going. Calmly lopping off pieces, Karl took the full point gratefully.

Gerald Link was eased out of a king and pawn ending on board three and Graham Shepherd, who had been under niggling pressure for much of the game also succumbed.

The agreed draw on board one set the match up for a thrilling finale as Steve Rooney and Gavin Cooper battled it out. With rooks and minor pieces on the board in a fairly even position Steve offered a draw, despite knowing this would lose the match as it was difficult to see a way to get the win. Gavin decided to plough on, understandable perhaps given the grading difference that he reckoned he could cope with the final time scramble better. Gavin had taken about 15 minutes extra at this point and with less than ten minutes to go, started moving almost instantaneously. The position then simplified and he allowed Steve, playing black, to gain a passed b pawn which proved to be stronger than Gavin's king-side majority. The tables now having turned, Gavin offered a draw which Steve politely refused sensing victory. A final flurry of moves ended with Gavin resigning one move from checkmate with lone K against K and Q and less than a minute on both clocks. Phew!

Newport A 2.5 Church Stretton A 2.5

1. N Rutter 0.5, T Brotherton 0.5
2. G Cooper 0, S Rooney 1
3. N Paul 1, G Link 0
4. A Holdford 0, K Wakefield 1
5. C Lewis 1, G Shepherd 0.

B team hold leaders to draw

2011-10-27T13:29:00.000+02:00

The B team's second match saw them take on Shifnal & Telford C who had kicked off their season with two straight wins to lead Division 3. But on this occasion the match points were shared. Graham Shepherd and Tom Willamson both drew and Francis Rooney won on board two after his opponent's flag fell.

Francis said that his opponent ended up with a strong position but lost because he had spent too much of his clock time on trying to see off the Sicilian Dragon onslaught on his queen-side castled king.

The result puts Church Stretton B in a three-way tie for third place. Next match is home to Oswestry on 10 November.

Shifnal & Telford C 2 Church Stretton B 2

1. R Brown 0.5, G Shepherd 0.5
2. S Ross 0, F Rooney 1
3. T Skidmore 0.5, T Williamson 0.5
4. J Sloan 1, J Carless 0.

Draw for first B team match

2011-10-15T13:18:00.000+02:00

The newly-relaunched B team drew 2-2 against Telepost D in their opening Division 3 match. Early losses on boards 1 and 4 were countered by wins for captain Tom Williamson and Chris Pimm Jones.

Church Stretton B 2 Telepost D 2

1. F Rooney 0, S Sweeney 1
2. T Williamson 1, D Pinnington 0
3. C Pimm-Jones 1, G Lyon 0
4. J Carless 0, A Cliff 1

A-team lose tight match to Priorslee Lions

2011-10-15T13:14:00.000+02:00

A closely-fought home match against Priorslee Lions A resulted in a 3-2 defeat for the A team. A win for Karl Wakefield on board four and draws for Trevor Brotherton and Graham Shepherd were balanced by losses on boards two and three. There are likely to be quite a few of these evenly-matched contests as the season progresses.

Church Stretton 2 Priorslee Lions A 3

1. T Brotherton 0.5, G Pugh 0.5
2, S Rooney 0, W Bates 1
3. G Link 0, J O'Neil 1
4. K Wakefield 1, A Tunks 0
5. G Shepherd 0.5, J Tunks 0.5

Perfect start for Stretton A

2011-10-02T16:31:00.000+02:00

Church Stretton A scored a 5-0 win against Ludlow in the opening match of the season. With a sizeable grading advantage on all boards, the home team were favourites and fortunately managed to convert all the points.

Graham Shepherd was the first to finish against an opponent playing his first competitive match. Graham got an early material gain and never looked back. Karl Wakefield made it 2-0 winning his bishop and pawn ending and Gerald Link made it 3-0 shortly after.

On board 2, Steve Rooney's opponent unfortunately touched his king when planning a king move but realised that the square he was looking at was not safe. But having touched his king he had to move it, and was a bit alarmed to realise that in fact the king had no safe squares. His next move allowed a knight fork so he promptly resigned, making it 4-0.

The Ludlow team then had quite a wait before they could get back down the A49 as top board Joseph Watson was holding Stretton top board Trevor Brotherton in an intriguing middlegame with Watson's knight occupying an outpost contested by Brotherton's bishop, plus the other major pieces on both sides. As the clock ticked down however, Trevor's strength in quickplay finishes clinched the point. having turned down a couple of draw offers, Trevor finally made it a 5-0 whitewash when his opponent slipped up in the queen and pawn ending.

Here is a critical position from Trevor's endgame. Both players were short of time but his opponent tried to simplify with a4, missing the back rank check followed by bxa4 winning a clear pawn.

This left the intriguing prospect of whether white's c pawn or black's e pawn would roll forward first. But with less than five minutes each and with queens on the board neither king found it easy to hide. Trevor won a second pawn and with it the game following a slip when his opponent missed a check which forced the queen exchange leaving nothing to fight back with.

Best of luck to Ludlow in the rest of the season, and onward to our next encounter - Priorslee Lions A at home in two weeks, when the B team also get their season underway against Telepost D.

Church Stretton A v Ludlow
1. T Brotherton 1, J Watson 0
2. S Rooney 1, R Woodley 0
3. G Link 1, A Wright 0
4. K Wakefield 1, P Munday 0
5. G Shepherd 1, D Meikle 0

Social chess at Condover

2011-09-19T17:53:00.000+02:00

Condover Chess club meets fortnightly on Monday evenings at 8pm for social chess in a nice venue at the sports and social club in the village. The club is organised by John Casewell and Church Stretton players are very welcome - and vice versa!

The dates for the autumn are:
10 October
24 October
7 November
21 November
5 December.

Trevor's clean sweep

2011-09-18T17:49:00.000+02:00

He came, he played, he conquered!

Trevor Brotherton acheived a whitewash of his opponents in the club simul last Thursday. Some welcome guests from Telepost boosted the numbers to make it 10 boards against Trevor but eventually every single one conceded.

The best game was played by Francis Rooney who caused Trevor a good deal of problems in the middle game and should probably have got at least a draw. Trevor thought he was a little fortunate to win that one, but they all count!

Let's hope he makes similar short shrift of our league opponents this season.

Season kicks off with South Shropshire derby

2011-09-14T18:37:00.000+02:00

Now back in the first division after a few years' break, the A team's season starts on Thursday 29 September with a home game against South Shropshire rivals Ludlow who were also promoted last season. The newly-relaunched Church Stretton B team starts its season on 13 October with a home fixture against Telepost D.

The first event of the season takes place this Thursday (15 Sep) with a simul by our A team board one Trevor Brotherton.

The fixtures for the season are shown in the table on the right.

Boost for Stretton's new season

2011-09-02T16:51:00.000+02:00

Church Stretton's A team will get a big boost in the coming season with the return of Trevor Brotherton to take the board one slot.

Trevor has played for Stretton before and was part of the 2007-08 side which ran Telepost right down to the wire for the division one title, just missing a title victory on points difference. He has decided to return to Church Stretton following three years with Shifnal & Telford, last season as A team captain.

"We are delighted that Trevor is returning to Church Stretton for the coming season," says A team captain Steve Rooney. "Having won the division 2 title last year and with it promotion to Shropshire's top division, it will be a big boost to have one of the county's biggest hitters on board one for us."

Church Stretton is planning to run two teams for the coming season with Tom Williamson running the B team in division 3, and club nights will resume on Thursdays from the beginning of September at the District club venue in Essex Road.

Season's end

2011-04-20T12:10:00.000+02:00

Our final match against Shrewsbury B was re-arranged to accommodate Shrewsbury lack of players and was eventually played at Telepost this week. Our generosity in re-arranging our home fixture was not repaid unfortunately as Shrewsbury put an end to our unbeaten season taking the match 3.5-1.5.

An early loss on board three started the trend as Tom Williamson's queen paid the price for venturing into Ian Davies' position and became trapped. On board five Francis Rooney went two pawns up but at the cost of giving his opponent a bishop pair which eventually proved fatal. However Karl Wakefield on board two managed to hold a draw with some good tactics after Dan Lockett had earlier been a piece up, apparently without even realising it!

The tie was sealed as Chris Pimm Jones' valiant defence in a rook and pawn ending finally came to an end, leaving Steve Rooney to do his usual trick of keeping his team waiting for a lift home before eventually grinding out a win on board one.

It would have been nice for the team to have remained unbeaten, but the more important objective this season has been to ensure games for as many players from the squad as possible. We have had the benefit of 12 players turning out for Church Stretton this season and we have managed to play all 12 games without fielding the same line-up twice!

The positive outcome has been that we now expect to run a second team next season which will join the third division while Church Stretton A will take on the county's top teams in division 1.

It will be a tough task in the top division and if we had a transfer budget, we would now be using it to nab one or two of the county's finest to bolster our squad. In the absence of that however we can promise a pint of real ale or two for any potential stars who are willing to help Stretton's challenge!

Club nights continue on Thursdays. See you there.

Division 2 champions!

2011-04-08T14:15:00.001+02:00

Church Stretton were confirmed as Division 2 championship this week with a 3-2 away win at Ludlow. There is one more league match to play but we are now five points clear and have sealed the title.

The Ludlow tie got off to a good start with an early win for Francis Rooney on board five, who deployed the King's Gambit to good effect and whilst the king-side attack faded, he transferred into a won ending helped by three successive knight forks sweeping up his opponent''s pawns.

The match was levelled when Adrian Thorpe lost on board three amid some complications. Steve Rooney and Graham Shepherd on boards one and two both turned down earlier draw offers and went on to win, sealing the victory, while Chris Pimm Jones made his opponent Paul Munday work hard to find a checkmate against a lone king as his clock flag teetered on the brink.

Look forward to seeing members at the final league match at home next Thursday (14 April).

Prize double for Rooneys at Hereford congress

2011-03-28T18:36:00.000+02:00

Church Stretton's Francis and Steve Rooney both came away from the Hereford congress last weekend with prizes. Francis took third place in the Minor (U120) and the U100 grading prize, while his dad Steve was equal first in the Open.

Francis (photographed below with the other Minor prizewinners) was undefeated and finished on 3.5 points including 2 wins against higher-graded opponents. He could easily have finished in second place but for a bizarre end to the final game in his section when a local Hereford player resigned because he couldn't cope with the pressure of everyone watching, just when his opponent had managed to squander all of his advantage and create a dead-drawn position.

Steve finished on 3 points - not normally enough to win a prize, never mind a share of first place - but the section was a low-scoring affair and was a much weaker field than you'd normally find at an Open. The event suffered from a very low entry overall, perhaps because of the clash with a 4NCL weekend.

It is a well-run congress however at a good venue and the organiser is hoping to run it again next year and if so, maybe more Shropshire players will be tempted to take part.

On the up!

2011-03-28T18:28:00.000+02:00

A home win against Telepost C clinched promotion for Church Stretton.

Graham Shepherd was captain for the match and he and board one Karl Wakefield secured draws, while Gerald Link, Eric Elwell and Chris Pimm Jones got the wins needed for a decisive 4-1 victory.

Two games left, including an away tie on 5 April at Ludlow which will probably decide the division 2 title. Ludlow have been gifted another 5-0 whitewash as Shifnal & Telford conceded their long-postponed fixture, which is likely to see both South Shropshire teams in division 1 next season. Shrewbury B are still in contention however and will be our guests for our final match of the season on 14 April.

Good result at Telford

2011-03-10T14:22:00.000+01:00

Our trip to Shifnal & Telford saw us chalk up another win to take us 3 points clear at the top of Division 2, at least for the moment ...

It was another line-up we haven't had before - will we get to the end of the season without playing the same team twice?

An early win for Gerald Link on board four got us off to a good start, which was soon followed by Karl Wakefield winning on board two when Andy Jones' position crumbled under the pressure of two pins. A draw was agreed on board three between Graham Shepherd and Roger Brown which left the two Rooneys to finish.

Francis on board 5 was a piece ahead but his opponent had better activity and gradually used his initiative to grind out a win. Steve Rooney on board one turned down a draw, which would have clinched the victory, but got the full point when Windsor Peck's flag fell in what was then a completely winning position for the Stretton captain.

Three games to go.

Squad strengthened by returning players

2011-02-25T13:28:00.000+01:00

Two of the club's former stalwarts were welcomed back into the team for the away match at Oswestry. Karl Wakefield and David Williams played their first matches for some time, but clearly haven't got too rusty in the meantime as both chalked up wins in a 5-0 whitewash.

The return of Karl and David has reinforced our "squad" approach to this season - we have played eight matches and haven't fielded the same line-up more than once.

Tom Williams looked like he was heading to the bar very early on after winning a queen for a knight in a dozen moves but his opponent Alf Evans created a solid defensive phalanx around his king. Tom decided to play the long game and take his time in breaking through, which he eventually did after Graham Shepherd and then Karl Wakefield won their games. David Williams made it 4-0 when he became the third player in the team to win an exchange of rook for minor piece, and then a fifth win was had on board one by Steve Rooney.

Looks like we are definitely in the promotion race now!

Newport doubled

2011-02-15T13:24:00.000+01:00

We managed to secure the double against Newport B in a 3-2 home win in the latest league match.

Newport have had a tough season and are yet to get any points, but they ran us pretty close in a hard fought match.

Eric Elwell and Adrian Thorpe snatched early wins but Newport levelled the match by winning on boards 4 and 5, leaving Steve Rooney to grind out a win in the face of some stubborn resistance by Steve Cooper.

Holding the draw

2011-01-18T13:19:00.000+01:00

The first league match of 2011 resulted in a draw in a home tie against Shifnal & Telford B.

Graham Shepherd and Gerald Link won comfortably on boards 1 and 2, and draws for Tom Williamson on 4 and Francis Rooney on 5 sealed the win.

Onward and upward!

On top of Division 2

2010-12-17T16:12:00.001+01:00

... for a while at least

Church Stretton have finished the first part of the season with 3 wins and 2 draws from 5 matches and are currently in first place in Division 2, although second-placed Ludlow have a game in hand.

The policy this season has been to rotate players from our squad to try and give everyone a game which is good for the long term health of the club. In fact "resting" some of our players doesn't seem to have affected our results too much either with some great performances on all boards.

Notable individual scores include Chris Pimm Jones and Francis Rooney who both have 2 wins and a draw from three games, and Graham Shepherd with 2 wins and a draw from four games. Tom Williamson, Gerald Link and Adrian Thorpe all have 50 per cent records with 1 win and a draw from three games and newcomer this season Dean Pinnington has a 100 per cent record with a win in his debut against Telepost C. Captain Steve Rooney is also on 100 per cent with 3 wins from 3 games and Eric Elwel has one draw from one game played. And of course not forgetting Gordon Lyon who stepped in to play for Church Stretton when bad weather meant we were a player short at Telepost C, by kind permission of Telepost, he held his own for most of his board four match but unfortunately lost out in the end.

Remember that the regular club night on Thursdays has been reinstated this season and we look forward to seeing many of you there in the New Year.

Winning start for Church Stretton

2010-10-22T10:29:00.000+02:00

A 5-0 victory away against Newport B got us off to a great start in our first match of the season.

Gerald Link was first to take a point, confidently rebutting Dave Lovegrove's ambitious opening (1.e4 c5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Qh5) then winning a central pawn followed by a piece before forcing resignation when about to win a queen and mate.

Graham Shepherd followed after overpowering Richard Szwajkun and Richard's dad Steve was beaten by Tom Williamson after dropping a piece in an ending that was probably winning for Tom anyway. Francis Rooney calmly absorbed a lot of pressure and pounced on a couple of fatal blunders in his match against newcomer Willie Gormley. Finally Steve Rooney made it a clean sweep when his attack on Steve Cooper's king finally forced resignation in response to a horrible pin and mating threats.

Next match is home to Oswestry A on 4 November.

Successful simul

2010-10-06T10:17:00.000+02:00

Many thanks to Trevor Brotherton for taking on nine Church Stretton players in a simul at the club last week.

As expected, Trevor scored very well, conceding just two draws against Graham Shepherd and Steve Rooney. However Trevor admitted that he had to work hard to win on the other seven boards, especially against Mary Whittle who mounted a sharp attack on Trevor's king which really got him thinking.

Many thanks to all those who took part and especially Trevor.

Trevor to take on allcomers

2010-09-22T15:24:00.000+02:00

One of the county's top players Trevor Brotherton is to take on allcomers at Church Stretton chess club next Thursday 30 September in a simultaneous match.

Trevor is graded well above any of his likely contenders at Church Stretton but hopefully some of the locals will put up a bit of a fight!

New members are very welcome at the club's regular Thursday night chess session at the District Club, Essex Road, Church Stretton, from 7.30pm.

New season fixtures

2010-09-07T17:14:00.000+02:00

The fixtures for 2010-11 season have now been published - see details on right hand panel.

We are only running one team again this year but this means there is plenty of opportunity to get along to the club for our new regular club night on Thursdays. See you there.

Regular club night on Thursdays

2010-06-11T16:28:00.000+02:00

Come and play casual chess at Church Stretton Chess Club. We are now meeting regularly on Thursdays from 7.30pm at the District Club, Esses Road.

The club runs teams in the Shropshire league and welcomes visitors and new members. We are now meeting each week for casual chess fun up to the school summer holidays and then weekly again from September.

If you can play chess at any level, or would like to learn, please just turn up on a Thursday.

2010-04-15T17:09:00.000+02:00

Church Stretton ended the season in third slot in Division 2, just behind the second promotion slot on points difference to Coddon B.

Individual performances included Steve Rooney 8.5/10, Graham Shepherd 6/9, Gerald Link 5/7 and Francis Rooney 4.5/8

Results for the second half of the season below:

Church Stretton v Shrewsbury B 2 - 3

G Link 1, A Lewis 0

G Shepherd 1, I Davies 0

D Williams 0, D Lockett 1

T Williamson 0, I Salter 1

F Rooney 0, M Best 1.

Telepost B v Church Stretton 4.5 - 0.5

J Westhead 0.5, S Rooney 0.5

P Zabrocki 1, G Shepherd 0

R Simpson 1, F Rooney 0

P Crean 1, Default 0

S Kempsell 1, C Pimm Jones 0.

Ludlow A v Church Stretton 1.5 - 3.5

B Nickson 0, S Rooney 1

J Whittaker 0, G Shepherd 1

R F Woodley 1, A Thorpe 0

P G Munday 0, F Rooney 1

K Thomson 0.5, C Pimm Jones 0.5.

Church Stretton v Shifnal Telford C 3 - 2

S Rooney 0.5, W Peck 0.5

G Shepherd 1, R Gillespie 0

A Thorpe 0.5, R Brown 0.5

F Rooney 1, A Carr 0

C Pimm Jones 0, T Skidmore 1.

Church Stretton v Coddon B 3 - 2

G Link 1, M Carbin 0

G Shepherd 1, E Raby 0

A Thorpe 1, N Paul 0

C Pimm Jones 0, G Viszokai 1

T Williamson 0, A Pickles 1.

Newport B v Church Stretton 1.5 - 3.5

S Cooper 0, S Rooney 1

S Davies 0, G Link 1

J Allan 1, A Thorpe 0

R Szwajkun 0, F Rooney 1

S Szwajkun 0.5, C Pimm Jones 0.5.

League update

2009-12-16T18:01:00.000+01:00

Church Stretton have finished the first half of the season with 7 points from 6 six games, ending up in in tiop half Many thanks to everyone who has played in the team so far and best wishes to David Williams who is still recovering from a broken leg and we hope to see him back in the new year!

The other teams in the division still have a game to go but we should end up in the top four to date - still with a chance of promotion.

Here are the rest of the results so far.

Church Stretton v Telepost B 2.5 - 2.5
S Rooney 0.5, J Westhead 0.5
G Shepherd 0.5, J Bashall 0.5
E Elwell 0, P Crean 1
F Roooney 0.5, S Kempsell 0.5
T Williamson 1, V Crean 0.

Church Stretton v Newport B 3.5 - 1.5
S Rooney 1, A Tunks 0
A Thorpe 0, S Cooper 1
F Rooney 1, S Davies 0
T Williamson 1, P Broderick 0
C Pimm Jones 0.5, D Lovegrove 0.5.

Shifnal & Telford C v Church Stretton A 4 - 1
W Peck 0, S Rooney 1
J Kenderdine 1, G Link 0
R Gillespie 1, G Shepherd 0
A Carr 1, C Pimm-Jones 0
T Skidmore 1, Default 0.

Another league win for Church Stretton

2009-10-26T14:43:00.000+01:00

Church Stretton's second successive win in division 2 cam against Shrewsbury B last Friday.

The match got off to a good start with Steve Rooney's 14-move win against Mark Smith on board one. Chris Pimm Jones got a good draw against Ivor Salter on board five and then boards four went to Shrewsbury and three to Church Stretton's Graham Shepherd.

The final game to finish was Gerald Link's clash on board two against Norman O Connor. The Stretton palyer looked comfortable and was ahead on the clock but overlooked a tactic and lost queen for rook but with just minutes left Norman O Connor decided to play safe and take a draw by repeated checks rather than risk a time scramble.

Shrewsbury B v Church Stretton 2 - 3

M Smith 0, S Rooney 1;
N O Connor 0.5, G Link 0.5;
A Lewis 0, G Shepherd 1;
D Lockett 1, A Thorpe 0;
I Salter 0.5, C Pimm Jones 0.5.

First home match of season brings a win

2009-10-10T14:42:00.000+02:00

Church Stretton's first home match resulted in a 4-1 win against neighbours Ludlow.

The visitors only had four players so Francis Rooney chalked up a default on board five straight away. This was followed in just a few minutes by Gerald Link who won in just a dozen moves following his opponent's blunder in the opening. Karl Wakefield on board two was well ahead for most of his game but threw away a knight in the ending and had to hold on for a draw. With the match looking secure, Graham Shepherd agreed a draw in his opposite bishop's ending, leaving Steve Rooney to grind out a win on board one.

Church Stretton 4-1 Ludlow
Steve Rooney 1, B Nickson 0
Karl Wakefield 0.5, R Woodley 0.5
Gerald Link 1, R Tapley 0
Graham Shepherd 0.5, AD Wright 0.5
Francis Rooney 1, Default 0.

Season gets underway for Church Stretton

2009-09-28T15:10:00.000+02:00

With just one team being fielded by the club this season, the first match ended in a narrow defeat away at Coddon B.

On board two, Gerald Link looked to have an advantage but his 17 year old opponent Nathanael Paul managed to hold him off for the draw. Chris Pimm Jones lost a vital couple of pawns to Alan Shaw on board five and eventually lost. Then another of Coddon's juniors, Peter Mellor held off an attack from Church Stretton board 3 Adrian Thorpe to clinch a draw leaving the two Rooneys to finish.

Francis Rooney, on board four, had fended off a strong king side attack from his opponent and managed to get to an endgame with a couple of pawns for a piece, but his open king position eventually led to the loss of another piece and he promptly resigned. On board one Steve Rooney felt a little guilty about keeping the team there while he ground out a win against Shropshire league newcomer Marvin Carbin. Rooney had a positional advantage from early in the game and after a lengthy battle managed to convert this into a two-pawn advantage and then with a further piece about to fall his opponent resigned.

The Church Stretton club would be delighted to welcome new members who live in the area and who want to play either league or casual chess. The club meets on Thursdays at the town's District Club in Essex Road, for more information call Steve Rooney on 01694 723724.

Coddon B v Church Stretton
M Carbin 0-1 Steve Rooney
N Paul 0.5-0.5 G Link
P Mellor 0.5-0.5 A Thorpe
G Viszokai 1-0 F Rooney
A Shaw 1-0 C Pimm Jones

League seasons starts 23 September

2009-08-28T12:24:00.000+02:00

The Shropshire league season for Church Stretton kicks off on 23 September with an away match for the A team against Coddon B in division 2.

Regrettably it has been decided that it is not possible to run a B team this season as there are not enough players available. We will however try to run more club nights on Thursdays to give more opportunities for casual chess. Please feel free to turn up on Thursdays to join us.

A team destined for Div 2

2009-03-15T22:10:00.000+01:00

Church Stretton A's hopes of surviving in division 1 appear to have disappeared this week as the team went down 4-1 away to Newport A and fellow-strugglers Telepost B chalked up a win to move further away from the relegation zone. Church Stretton's sole winner at Newport was Gerald Lnk who chalked up a fne win against Tony Holdford.

Newport A 4-1 Church Stretton A
Nick Rutter 1-0 Steve Rooney
Tony Holdford 0-1 Gerald Link
Alex Taylor 1-0 Graham Shepherd
Danny Griffiths 1-0 John Whittaker
Ahtar Mehmood 1-0 Francis Rooney

Church Stretton A v Shrewsbury A

2009-03-02T14:40:00.001+01:00

Church Stretton's visit to Shrewsbury A ended in a 4-1 defeat with good draws for Steve Rooney and Tom Williamson the only consolation. The next match against Newport a could prove to be vital as Church Stretton need something from that match to avoid relegation.

Shrewsbury A 4-1 Church Stretton A
P Makepeace 0.5-0.5 S Rooney
D Everington 1-0 G Link
F Best 1-0 G Shepherd
R Cox 1-0 J Whittaker
I Davies 0.5-0.5 T Williamson

B team back on winning trail

2009-02-23T15:11:00.000+01:00

The B team won their league match on Thursday 3-2 against Shifnal Telepost C. Wins for Adrian Thorpe and Francis Rooney and draws for Chris Pimm Jones and Tom Williamson clinched the match.

Church Stretton B 3-2 Shifnal Telford C
D Williams 0-1 R Gillespie
A Thorpe 1-0 R Brown
T Williamson 0.5-0.5 P Broderick
C Pimm Jones 0-5-05 T Skidmore
F Rooney 1-0 N Donaldson

B team hold Newport while A team lose to Telepost

2009-02-13T11:08:00.000+01:00

Two matches this week at Church Stretton club. The B team drew against Newport B in their rearranged fixture while the A team went down 3.5-1.5 to title-hopefuls Telepost A.

In the B team match it was the juniors who excelled. For Newport B, Alex Taylor launched a ferocious attack against David Williams on top board and clinched the point, while for Church Stretton B there were good wins for Francis Rooney and Chris Lovejoy on boards four and five. Adrian Thorpe drew a tight game with Steve Cooper on board two and Chris Pimm Jones got into a very tangled position with very little space for his piecs and eventually succumbed to Dave Lovegrove. At the end of the evening the match was sitting at 2.5-1.5 in Newport's favour with Chris Lovejoy's game the last to finish. Chris was behind on time for much of the game but once he created a strong extra passed pawn his opponent Steve Szwajkun was forced to use up a lot of his time. In the end, Chris calmly forced his opponent into further errors and was a rook ahead when he won on time securing the draw for the home side.

The A team were less fortunate but against Telepost's strongest team they did pretty well to get three draws. The first two games went to Telepost with Graham Shepherd losing to Richard Bryant and Karl Wakefield resigning to Nigel Ferrington. John Whittaker then drew with Keith Tabner on board five in a queen and pawn ending and Steve Rooney held county champion Jamie Hopkins to a draw on board one. Gerald Link on board three had been a knight for two pawns down for a long time but eventually managed to hold Dave Bates to a draw.

Church Stretton B 2.5-2.5 Newport B
D Williams 0-1 A Taylor
A Thorpe 0.5-0.5 S Cooper
C Pimm Jones 0-1 D Lovegrove
F Rooney 1-0 R Szwajkun
C Lovejoy 1-0 S Szwajkun

Church Stretton A 1.5-3.5 Telepost A
S Rooney 0-5-0.5 J Hopkins
K Wakefield 0-1 N Ferrington
G Link 0.5-0.5 D Bates
G Shepherd 0-1 R Bryant
J Whittaker 0.5-0.5 K Tabner

New date for B team match

2009-01-28T14:20:00.000+01:00

The B team's home match against Newport B scheduled this Thursday has been postponed. The new date for the fixture is Thu 12 Feb.

A team lose at Coddon

2009-01-26T18:37:00.000+01:00

Coddon A managed to squeeze out a victory against Church Stretton A when the final two games went 1.5-0.5 in the home team's favour. Gerald Link won the tactical battle in his game against Gary White and Graham Shepherd agreed a draw against Andy Tunks after he had serious pressure but no obvious way to convert it into a win. John Whittaker was undone by some aggressive play by John Tunks, and Francis Rooney had a sound drawing position against fellow junior Nathanael Paul but overpressed and lost the point. Steve Rooney needed a win on board one to get the draw but despite turning down an earlier draw had to concede the half point with both players short of time in a B v N ending.

Coddon A 3-2 Church Stretton A
G Pugh 0.5-0.5 S Rooney
G White 0-1 G Link
A Tunks 0.5-0.5 G Shepherd
J Tunks 1-0 J Whittaker
N Paul 1-0 F Rooney

B team pipped at post by Ludlow

2009-01-19T18:35:00.000+01:00

The B team lost narrowly to Ludlow last week with the match decided on the top board. David Williams resigned against Ludlow's John Whittaker in a position that John still felt had some play, but David's attack had petered out and he was going a piece down for a couple of pawns. Francis Rooney won in a rook and pawn ending by constructing a cheaky mating trap and Chris Pimm Jones and Adrian Thorpe both drew.

Ludlow a 3-2 Church Stretton B
J Whittaker 1-0 D Williams
R Woodley 0-5-0.5 A thorpe
J Preece 1-0 T Williamson
P Munday 0.5-0.5 C Pimm Jones
K Thompson 0-1 F Rooney

Church Stretton A v Shifnal Telford A

2009-01-09T10:11:00.000+01:00

A late default meant that the A team was one short for its match this week against Shifnal & Telford. The visitors were short of two of their first team but still managed to win three out of four of the games.

Church Stretton A 0.5-4.5 Shifnal & Telford A
K Wakefield 0-1 T Brotherton
S Rooney 0.5-0.5 C Roberts
G Shepherd 0-1 I Wilson
J Whittaker 0-1 S Tennant
default 0-1 G Lee

A team drop to foot of table

2008-12-20T18:08:00.000+01:00

The A team ended the first half of the season at the bottom of division one following a defeat to Telepost B who started the match on the same points as Church Stretton A.

Gerald Link turned down an early draw in his match agains Peter Crean but lost out in a king and pawn ending. Karl Wakefield then fell to a tactical trap by his opponent Bob Simpson having started out with a promising position from a familiar opening. Tom Williamson's game against Steve Kempsell ended in a draw in a position that appeared to offer chances to both sides.

On board four David Williams launched a ferocious attack against John Westhead's exposed king but in the process sacrificed two pieces. Unable to find the killer punch David eventually succumbed. This left Steve Rooney to try and salvage something despite the match being lost. He won an important pawn against John Bashall but this is often not enough in what developed into an opposite bishop's ending. However John's position became very passive and eventually Steve's king invaded the enemy territory and forced the win of another pawn resulting in his opponent's resignation.

Church Stretton 1.5-3.5 Telepost B
S Rooney 1-0 J Bashall
K Wakefield 0-1 R Simpson
G Link 0-1 P Crean
D Williams 0-1 J Westhead
T Williamson 0.5-0.5 S Kempsell

B team lose out at Shrewsbury

2008-12-20T18:03:00.000+01:00

The B team lost their derby match with Shrewsbury B despite a good win for on-form David Williams on board one and a good draw for Tom Williamson on board 3.

Shrewsbury B 3.5-1.5 Church Stretton B
D Lockett 0-1 D Williams
M Smith 1-0 A Thorpe 0
N O'Connor 0.5-0.5 T Williamson
A Lewis 1-0 Default
I Salter 1-0 C Pimm-Jones 0.

A team crash at Oswestry

2008-12-02T11:40:00.000+01:00

Oswestry A's renewed strength this season proved too much for visitors Church Stretton A last night. The match ended 4-1 to Oswestry although the games were a bit closer than the scoreline indicated.

16-year old Ieuan Fenton kept up his good form with a win over Graham Shepherd on board three after losing an exchange in what turned out to be a very good sacrifice giving him a strong attack on the king's side. John Whittaker on board four resigned his game thinking he was going to lose a rook, although afterwards he realised that the position was about even. It is ironic that this was almost a carbon copy of an game earlier this season when Graham Shepherd resigned in similar cirumstances when John Whittaker was on the fortunate receiving end playing in the Church Stretton-Ludlow match in division two.

Oswestry went further ahead when Gerald Link finally succumbed to Simon Hughes' queen side pressure which resulted from a Benko Gambit. And Tom Williamson lost on time in a position that was roughly even. Church Stretton's only point came from the final game when Steve Rooney converted an extra passed pawn into a win against Richard Evans.

Oswestry A 4-1 Church Stretton A
S Hughes 1-0 Gerald Link
R Evans 0-1 S Rooney
I Fenton 1-0 G Shepherd
A Peile 1-0 J Whittaker
G Hampson 1-0 T Williamson

B team defeat table-topping Wellington

2008-11-30T14:31:00.000+01:00

Despite a last minute switch round of the team because of two missing players, Church Stretton B managed to beat Wellington A who are currently top of division two and had won all four of their previous matches.

Captain Tom Williamson was originally going to sit out the home match but had to step in on board three when two of his team didn't manage to get to the club. Wellington had already come a player short and the late switch of Stretton players meant that it ended up as a four board match. Eric Elwell was first to finish with a draw on board two, a pawn up but not enough to force the full point. Tom Wiliamson lost his game after his opponent broke through in the centre, but then Francis Rooney who was ahead on material from an early stage calmly finished off his opponent to win on board four levelling the match. This left David Williams on board one trying to hold out against Wellington captain Toby Neal's ferocious sacrificial attack. In the end Toby ended up too short of both time and material and David held his nerve to win the game, securing a win for the home club.

Church Stretton B 2.5-1.5 Wellington A
David Williams 1-0 Toby Neal
Eric Elwell 0.5-0.5 Neil Sampson
Tom Williamson 0-1 John Lenton
Francis Rooney 1-0 B Ives

A team lose out against Newport

2008-11-24T14:40:00.000+01:00

Church Stretton A lost another close match last week. Visitors Newport A have lost several players to university in recent seasons and were yet to get any points in division 1 before the game. Top county player Nick Rutter on board one overcame Church Stretton's Karl Wakefield to put Newport in the lead. This was followed by a win for Church Stretton's Eric Elwell on board five against Sellick Davies and then Graham Shepherd lost to Alex Taylor on board 3. This left Newport 2-1 ahead and the final two boards were drawn with neither Steve Rooney on board two or John Whittaker on board three able to conjure up a win.

Church Stretton A 2-3 Newport A
K Wakefield 0, N Rutter 1;
S Rooney 0.5, A Holdford 0.5;
G Shepherd 0, A Taylor 1;
J Whittaker 0.5, D Griffiths 0.5;
E Elwell 1, S Davies 0.

Draw for B team at Shifnal & Telford B

2008-11-24T14:38:00.000+01:00

The B team got a second successive draw at Shifnal & Telford, this time against the B team.

Shifnal & Telford B 2.5-2.5 Church Stretton B
W. Peck 0, G. Shepherd 1;
G. Lee 1, D. Williams 0;
S. Tennant 1, A. Thorpe 0;
J. Kenderdine 0.5, T. Williamson 0.5;
N. Donaldson 0, C. Pimms-Jones 1.

A team lose out to Shrewsbury

2008-11-10T15:33:00.000+01:00

Following a default in the last match when it was not possible to field a full side, the A team lost a tough battle against Shrewsbury in a match. The result didn't reflect the tightness of the match. The home team points came from Karl Wakefield who got a well deserved draw against Shrewsbury top board Philip Makepeace and Steve Rooney won a sharp encounter with Francis Best.

Church Stretton A 1.5-3.5 Shrewsbury A
K Wakefield 0.5, P Makepeace 0.5;
G Link 0, D Everington 1;
S Rooney 1, F Best 0;
J Whittaker 0, Kitchen 1;
D Williams 0, R Cox 1.

B team draw away to Shifnal & Telford C

2008-11-10T15:31:00.002+01:00

The B team were held to a draw away to Shifnal & Telford B.

Shifnal and Telford C v Church Stretton B 2.5 - 2.5
G Lee 1, G Shepherd 0;
R Brown 1, D Williams 0;
R Gillespie 0.5, A Thorpe 0.5;
P Broderick 0, T Williamson 1;
J Beddoes 0, C Pimm-Jones 1.

B team's first victory

2008-10-17T14:12:00.000+02:00

In a battle between two teams looking for their first league points of the season, Church Stretton B beat Shrewsbury C in a division two match last night. The two teams know each other well with Steve Rooney having moved to Church Stretton from Shrewsbury this season and Francis Rooney combining his role for Church Stretton B with Shrewsbury's junior team who compete in the third division.

The home team got off to a good start with an early win for Graham Shepherd against Eric Inglis on board two when the latter missed a skewer on his queen. This was followed by solid draws for Church Stretton's Chris Pimm-Jones and Francis Rooney, despite being outgraded by their opponents, and a draw for David Williams, leaving Steve Rooney to win in a tactical battle on board one against Ian Davies to wrap up a 3.5-1.5 victory.

Full result:
Church Stretton B 3.5-1.5 Shrewsbury C
Steve Rooney 1-0 Ian Davies
Graham Shepherd 1-0 Eric Inglis
David Williams 0.5-0.5 Tommy Cheng
Chirs Pimm-Jones 0.5-0.5 Fred Harris
Francis Rooney 0.5-0.5 Alan Bliss

Church Stretton B v Newport B

2008-10-11T12:14:00.000+02:00

The B team has yet to gets its settled line-up with a number of players away. The trip to Newport ended in a 3-2 defeat despite good wins for Graham Shepherd and Adrian Thorpe.

Full result:
Newport B 3 Church Stretton B 2
A Taylor 1-0 Steve Rooney
S Davies 0-1 Graham Shepherd
A Mehmood 0-1 A Thorpe
S Cooper 1-0 C Pimm-Jones
D Lovegrove 1-0 F Rooney

A team win against Coddon

2008-10-05T15:55:00.001+02:00

Church Stretton A won their league match last Thursday against Coddon A. Wins for Graham Shepherd, John Whittaker and Steve Rooney plus a draw for Eric Elwell sealed the victory whilst Gerald Link on board one lost a tight ending against Glyn Pugh. Roll on Telepost A on 12 Oct!

Full result:
Church Stretton A 3.5-1.5 Coddon A
Gerald Link 0-1 Glyn Pugh
Steve Rooney 1-0 G White
G Shepherd 1-0 J Tunks
J Whittaker 1-0 N Paul
E Elwell 0-5.0.5 C Paul

B team start division 2 campaign

2008-10-01T14:55:00.000+02:00

Church Stretton B lost their opening match against Ludlow dspite an early win for Eric Elwell on board 2 and promising positions in the other games. the final result 3.5-1.5 to Ludlow was sealed when Graham Shepherd resigned against John Whittaker, only to realise straight afterwards that he could have taken a rook and ended up a piece up. Another game lost ton the dreaded blitz finish!

25/9/08
Church Stretton B 1.5 v Ludlow 3.5
1. Graham Shepherd 0-1 John Whittaker
2. Eric Elwell 1-0 R Woodley
3. Adrian Thorpe 0-1 J Preece
4. T Williamson 0-1 P Munday
5. Chris Pimm-Jones 0.5-0.5 K Thompson

A team come close in first outing

2008-10-01T14:48:00.000+02:00

Church Stretton A team gave Shifnal & Telford a bit of a shock in the opening league game of the season. With Shifnal & Telford fielding their strongest team they thought they were in a comfortable night, especially when we were forced to default the bottom board. But early wins for Gerald Link against John Footner and Steve Rooney against Dave Gostelow put Church Stretton 2-1 ahead before John Whittaker and Karl Wakefield finallly succumbed to stronger opponents and the match ended 3-2 to Shifnal & Telford. Let's hope for better luck against Coddon on 2 Oct!

17/9/08
Shifnal & Telford A 3 Church Stretton A 2
1. Trevor Brotherton 1-0 Karl Wakefield
2. John Footner 0-1 Gerald Link
3. Dave Gostelow 0-1 Steve Rooney
4. Colin Roberts 1-0 John Whittaker
5. Iain Wilson 1-0 default

Welcome

2008-09-18T10:01:00.000+02:00

Welcome to the Church Stretton Chess Club blog. Here you will find news and information about chess in one of Shropshire's most beautiful towns. If you want to get involved, the club meets every Thursday at the Church Stretton District club, Essex Road, Church Stretton. Players of all abilities welcome!