Shrewsbury Chess Club is delighted to announce that our top board Nathanael Paul has officially become Shropshire’s highest-rated player.
Nathanael’s ECF rating has risen 21 points to stand at 2138 in the April list. It comes after a month that saw him score 4.5/5 in competitive matchers – including a pivotal win over the county’s number two player Nigel Ferrington to clinch a derby win over Telepost A.
Nathanael’s rating has risen above the county’s long-time top two Nick Rutter and Ferrington, meaning he has reached the top spot for the first time in his career.
It marks the latest step in a chess-playing career that started about 20 years ago when Nathanael joined the former Coddon (now Maddocks) club as a junior. He later joined Newport where he enjoyed huge success, being part of title winning sides in 2013 and then for six successive seasons from 2016 to 2021.
The last of those successes was with Telepost as the league was played out online during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nat then took a short break for the game before making the switch across town to join Shrewsbury early last year, starting to play competitively for the club at the start of this season.
He’s proved a key member of the Shrewsbury A team, providing much-needed stability on top board where he has scored 6/8 in Shropshire Chess League division one matches so far this term.
It has helped transform Shrewsbury A from perennial strugglers to a side genuinely challenging at the top end of the table, currently sitting third in the league with three games to go.
Peter Kitchen, the club’s publicity and social media officer, said: “We all offer Nat our warmest congratulations and hope it is just the start of things to come for him – he’s not only worked so hard at his own game but also made a huge difference to our club and our members since joining last year, always available to offer thoughtful advice and playing a major role on the club’s social scene.”
There was also plenty to smile about for other club players when April’s ECF rating list was published.
A team captain Francis Best also saw his grade rise 21 points to help him break through the 1900 barrier. Francis enjoyed an excellent month that saw him win two and draw one of his three matches – and he also won a vital game in the Telepost A derby, starting the turnaround by defeating Phil Zabrocki on board two. He also drew with higher-rated opposition in the form of Oswestry’s Charles Lowick Higgie.
Stephen Priestley gained 12 points to rise to 1688 – closer still to reaching the 1700 mark, while Mark Smith’s seven point grade puts his grade at 1791 as he chases the 1800 target. Robert Green also has a partial rating of 1728, based mainly on his exploits in Shropshire Minor Individual Championship where he is unbeaten in five games and challenging for the title.
The full rating list of Shrewsbury players can be found by visiting www.ecfrating.org.uk and searching for a Shrewsbury player. By clicking on a link for Shrewsbury you can access the full club list.