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 very different reasons. The B’s will be looking to maintain their spot at the top of the division, while the Cs will hope to arrest a run that has seen them lose their last two matches.
In total, it is expected nine of the club’s players will be in action across the two matches – a welcome return to action for many in a year ravaged by Covid-19. It comes ahead of the planned return of over-the-board chess to the club next week, with the OTB team due to host Oswestry A in Shropshire Chess League division one on March 11.
For the online fixtures, the A’s are expected to pick a four-man team from the same squad that slipped to defeat against Oswestry A last month.
Neither the B’s nor the C’s were expected to make many changes for their inter-club derby.
The matches can be viewed on Lichess and look out for the latest team news and Lichess handles for the players by visiting the club’s Facebook page.