Shrewsbury chess club enjoyed an excellent week on all quarters, as all three teams recorded victories to move closer to their respective goals for the season.
Ian Davies’ C Team polished off a depleted Shifnal and Telford D 3.5-0.5 away from home, moving them top of the table, although second-placed Oswestry A (the C Team’s next opponents) do have a game in hand.
Both Fred Harris and Eric Inglis were awarded wins by default, and Ian Davies saw off Brian Malone to make sure of the win. A tight game on top board between Brian Malone and Andrew Lewis finished drawn, leaving the visitors top by the narrowest of margins, but with their possibilities of a top-two finish and, therefore, promotion to the second division look promising, with their fate resting in their hands.
Meanwhile, Shrewsbury A were also facing Shifnal and Telford – their A team rather than their D team – but faced a full complement of opponents. Without Francis Best (although boosted by Peter Kitchen’s availability), Mark Smith stood in on board five.
After wins for David and Peter against Richard Szwajkun and Stefan Tennant respectively, it looked as though the visitors were in firm control of the match. However, Dan Lockett lost to Jason Kenderdine, leaving the match on edge.
Mark faced Steve Szwajkun on board 5, and, despite having had an edge earlier on in the game, slipped up and found himself on the back foot. Steve offered a draw, but Mark elected to play on in light of the match situation and a complex position on board one with time at a premium.
Eventually, Mark decided that Jamie should, at the very least, avoid losing, and so agreed a draw, leaving it all down to the captain on top board against Toby Neal. Under immense time pressure, Jamie missed a chance to secure the win but did enough to draw the game and therefore win the match, leaving third place looking a strong possibility.
On the Friday night, it was the turn of the B team to enjoy a victory with a deceptively close game against fellow strugglers Ludlow. Having lost 3-2 in the return fixture, Matt Best’s side were out for revenge, and were boosted by the availability of Ed Goodwin on top board.
The first game to finish was on board five, with Matt Best and Keith Thompson agreeing a draw after the position fizzled out into a deadlocked King and Pawn ending.
However, Mark Smith was able to win a neat game on board two against Robert Woodley, as he gained increasing amounts of pressure on the Queenside with his two extra pawns, before Robert resigned after dropping his Knight.
The other games were looking slightly more tense. Having got a strong position out of the opening, Ivor Salter lost the exchange on board three against Alan Wright. However, Ivor’s persistence paid off as he forced a pawn through to the seventh rank, won back the exchange and won the game, guaranteeing at least a draw in the match.
Ed was also able to win his game on top board against John Whittaker. Although he found himself in an opposite Bishops endgame, his two-pawn advantage was sufficient to win the game.
With the result of the match now decided, the result of the final game on board 4 between Norman O’Connor and Paul Munday was a chance for both sides to boost their “goal difference”. After Norman gave up the exchange (a decision which he admitted he was completely unsure about!) in order to create possibilities, gain tempo and complicate the position, he managed to force the mate in two and won with a delightful Knight checkmate.
The result moves Shrewsbury back up to 4th, 4 points clear of the drop zone, and, with Ludlow and Shifnal and Telford C still to play each other as one of their remaining two fixtures, mathematically ensures survival in the second division.
Finally, after the two games played last night, controller Matt Best has published the draw for the fourth round of the club championship. Joint leaders David Everington and Jamie Hopkins go head-to-head in a crucial deciding game, with Francis Best and Mark Smith (both on 2/3) needing to win to keep their challenges alive.
The draw can be viewed on the Club Championship page of the website.
Shrewsbury A 3-2 Shifnal and Telford B
- J. Hopkins 0.5-0.5 T. Neal
- D. Everington 1-0 R. Szwajkun
- P. Kitchen 1-0 S. Tennant
- D. Lockett 0-1 J. Kenderdine
- M. Smith 0.5-0.5 S. Szwajkun
Shrewsbury B 4.5-0.5 Ludlow
- E. Goodwin 1-0 J. Whittaker
- M. Smith 1-0 R. Woodley
- I. Salter 1-0 A. Wright
- N. O’Connor 1-0 P. Munday
- M. Best 0.5-0.5 K. Thompson
Shrewsbury C 3.5-0.5 Shifnal and Telford D
- A. Lewis 0.5-0.5 R. Brown
- I. Davies 1-0 B. Malone
- E. Inglis 1-0 Default
- F. Harris 1-0 Default