Four players still have a chance of becoming this season’s club champion going into the final round.
Defending champion Francis Best lies in pole position to reclaim his crown, holding a half point lead over Dan Lockett and knowing he needs to only match his rival’s result to clinch the title.
Both of the first team players have the white pieces in their final round matches – Best against Stephen Priestley and Lockett against arguably the tournament’s surprise package Norman O’Connor.
Intriguingly, if both Priestley and O’Connor won the matches – or if Priestley wins and Lockett and O’Connor draw – it would force a three-way playoff to decide the champion.
It makes for an exciting end to a competitive tournament where all 10 players have picked up points.
In round four, Best saw his 100 per cent record ended by O’Connor as the players agreed a draw after just 20 moves. O’Connor had enjoyed the better of the early middlegame on the white side of a Dutch Defence and was a pawn up in an unclear position when the spoils were shared.
Priestley provided arguably the upset of the round by defeating the club’s over-the board top board Peter Kitchen. Kitchen enjoyed the better of the opening on the black side of a Bird’s Opening, but made a misguided decision to snatch a queenside pawn. It cost him control of the open d-file and saw him forced on to the defensive, and Priestley swept his opponent away in impressive style.
Lockett defeated Ivor Salter with the black pieces, while Tony Purser made it two wins in a row with victory over Richard Vernon.
It was also a special occasion for Robin Nayman, who picked up his first result of the tournament with a well-deserved draw against Mark Smith. Nayman, playing with the white pieces, actually missed the best two opportunities of the game to push for a win and will hope to build on this display when he takes on another first team player in Kitchen in the final round.
All games must be completed by June 24 to qualify for the half-point bonus. To see the full round five draw, visit www.shrewsburychessclub.org and click on the Club Championship tab.