Peter Kitchen writes.
Defeats on the top two boards proved costly as Shrewsbury A were edged out 2.5-1.5 by Oswestry A in Shropshire Online Chess League division one.
Both Francis Best and Peter Kitchen came unstuck early in the middlegame, succumbing to defeats against International Master Paul Littlewood and Charles Lowick Higgie respectively.
It meant Dan Lockett’s battling win with the black pieces against Peter Fisher was in vain. Mark Smith and Peter Lovatt had earlier agreed a quiet draw on board three.
The result leaves Shrewsbury likely to finish third in the four-team division one table, now trailing their victors by two points and having an inferior goal difference. The As were top of the table at Christmas, but defeats to both Oswestry teams in 2022 has put paid to any surprise title aspirations.
Interestingly, both of Shrewsbury’s whites on boards one and three involved Closed Sicilians. Smith’s game was a cagey affair that saw the queens exchanged on move 15, and Lovatt’s draw offer on move 21 was accepted.
The queens also came off early in Best’s game against Littlewood, but shortly afterwards the Shrewsbury man fell prey to a tactical strike in the centre of the board that soon left him two pawns down and in an inferior position. Best conceded defeat on move 33.
Kitchen has a solid record on the black side of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, but went wrong in the early middlegame against Higgie. He inadvisably marooned his queen on the queenside, and a blunder soon afterwards left him a rook for a pawn down.
The Shrewsbury man did battle on, winning an exchange back, but was unable to prevent Oswestry’s captain from avenging a defeat suffered in the reverse fixture before Christmas.
Lockett’s win was the highlight of the night for Shrewsbury and came after a see-saw battle. Both sides missed opportunities to win material after mutual errors in the middlegame, before Lockett built up a useful initiative.
Further errors from both players followed in tactical exchanges before Lovatt walked into a mate in three, with Lockett delivering checkmate on move 40.
Shrewsbury A are next in action online on March 15, when they will complete their online league season with a town derby against rock-bottom Telepost A. Shrewsbury need to win and hope Oswestry B are well beaten by Oswestry A to have a chance of finishing second – while defeat could even put them at risk of finishing bottom if Telepost also get a result against Oswestry A.
Full scores:
Oswestry B 2.5-1.5 Shrewsbury A (Shrewsbury colours in brackets)
1.Paul Littlewood IM 1-0 Francis Best (w)
2.Charles Lowick Higgie 1-0 Peter Kitchen (b)
3.Peter Lovatt 0.5-0.5 Mark Smith (w)
4.Peter Fisher 0-1 Dan Lockett (b)