Shrewsbury C agonisingly missed out on runners-up spot in Shropshire Online Chess League after a frustrating defeat in their final fixture.
Richard Vernon’s side lost 2-1 to Oswestry C to see their impressive four-match unbeaten run come to an end – and then saw rivals Newport A leapfrog them with a surprise 3-0 win over champions Telford A, writes Peter Kitchen.
The C team could yet finish bottom of the pile if Oswestry pick up a point against Telford in the division’s final fixture on April 11 – a fate that would be extremely harsh on the team after recovering from a poor start to rise up the four-team table.
The match ultimately swung on the board one clash between Norman O’Connor and Stephen Tulett. O’Connor – the driving force behind the team’s revival in recent months – outplayed his opponent for the first 30 moves and built up a commanding advantage. But he then hung a rook and ultimately could not recover.
Vernon had earlier lost his game against Alf Evans on board three. The Shrewsbury captain was well in the game early on, but missed a pin down the e-file that cost him a pawn and brought his opponent’s pieces to life. Vernon gave up his queen for a knight in a desperate attempt to halt the attack, but to no avail. He resigned on move 31.
But Tony Purser did ensure the night ended on a bright note for the C’s with a win over Jonathan Smith on board two. Purser patiently built up a stable advantage in a closed position, spearheaded by a dominant bishop in the heart of his opponent’s position on e3. Despite a couple of wobbles towards the end, Purser infiltrated Smith’s defences and resignation came on move 46 with checkmate inevitable.
Full scores (Shrewsbury colours in brackets):
Oswestry C 2-1 Shrewsbury C
1. Stephen Tulett 1-0 Norman O’Connor (w)
2. Jonathan Smith 0-1 Tony Purser (b)
3. Alf Evans 1-0 Richard Vernon (w)