Two welcome victories against opposition from Telepost have helped the cause of Shrewsbury’s teams at both ends of Shropshire Online Chess League division two.
Shrewsbury B made it 10 matches unbeaten and went six points clear at the top of the table thanks to a 2-1 win over Telepost D. It was the first time the team line-up had changed with captain Mark Smith playing for the first team over the board – but it didn’t prevent the B team from clinching their seventh win of the season.
Meanwhile, Shrewsbury C ended a run of five games without a win by defeating Telepost C 2-1. It helped the Cs move up a place to seventh in the table.
The B team’s bid for title glory looked set to be hampered by fixture clashes with both the club’s over-the-board team travelling to Newport and 4NCL Online matches involving Shropshire teams taking place on the same night.
Tony Purser stepped into the side on bottom board in the absence of Smith – and did a fine job by defeating Martin Ayres with the white pieces.
Stephen Priestley also won on top board, wearing down Peter Westhead. It meant Ivor Salter’s loss to Alex Brims on board two was no more than a consolation for Telepost.
Two nights later, Shrewsbury C returned to winning ways. Norman O’Connor won a spectacular attacking game against Fred Bench on top board, while Purser made it two wins in three nights by defeating John Casewell on board two.
Richard Vernon had his chances against new Telepost signing Matthew Ryan on bottom board, but ultimately slipped to defeat.
Both sides are due to be in action this coming week – the C’s face Telepost D while the B’s will take on struggling Newport A, with the dates yet to be confirmed. Both the Shrewsbury teams will be the nominated “home” team, meaning they will have black on odd boards.
Full scores (Shrewsbury colours in brackets):
Telepost D 1-2 Shrewsbury B
1.Peter Westhead 0-1 Stephen Priestley (w)
2.Alex Brims 1-0 Ivor Salter (b)
3.Martin Ayres 0-1 Tony Purser (w)
Telepost C 1-2 Shrewsbury C
1.Fred Bench 0-1 Norman O’Connor (w)
2.John Casewell 0-1 Tony Purser (b)
3.Matthew Ryan 1-0 Richard Vernon (w)