News & Events | 2010 - 2011
27th February 2011
THE NATIONAL CHESS LEAGUE
The 2010-2011 4NCL campaign resumed for Cheddleton last weekend at Wokefield Park near Reading. The two results proved to beyond the wildest dreams of the club but are still not quite enough to ensure Premiership Chess remains at Cheddleton for another year.
Saturday saw the local club playing against The ADs who are a team of strong senior players. The Cheddleton players were almost unstoppable in a match which on paper looked to be very even. Danny Gormally defeated Grand Master and former British Champion Jonathan Mestel, Robert Bellin and Jason McKenna both won handsomely and Luxembourg International Fiona Steil-Antoni made a fine debut for the club with a fourth win. Not to be outdone, the other four players all agreed draws. This gave Cheddleton a spectacular 6-2 victory.
Scores:-
Cheddleton 1 6 2 The ADs
Daniel W Gormally 1 0 A Jonathan Mestel, Jonathan Hawkins ½ ½ Jiri Jirka, Keith C Arkell ½ ½ Lukas Cernousek, Robert Bellin 1 0 John R Richardson, David J Eggleston ½ ½ Ian L Snape, Paul A Wallace ½ ½ David W Anderton, Fiona Steil-Antoni 1 0 Jonathan E Swindells, Jason P McKenna 1 0 Jana Bellin
A performance such as Saturday’s does not occur very often, but even that was eclipsed with the 7-1 victory over Warwickshire Select on Sunday. Again on paper, this looked a close match but, in the event, it was another comfortable victory.
Danny, Robert and Jason all recorded their second win of the weekend and this time were joined by Keith and Paul. Possibly the most encouraging thing about the whole weekend was that no-one lost a single game.
These two results lift Cheddleton into fourth place in the Division 1A table. After the next round, the top four in each of the two First Divisions are creamed off and all eight then play for the rest of the season for the League Championship. The bottom four in each section play off to avoid relegation which is waiting for four out of the eight teams. The next match, therefore is crucial for Cheddleton as they need to draw or win to ensure a place in the top four. Unfortunately, the next match is against London giants Barbican.
Scores:-
Warwickshire 1 1 7 Cheddleton 1
Guntram Hainke 0 1 Daniel W Gormally, Donald J Mason 0 1 Jonathan Hawkins, Nicholas Thomas 0 1 Keith C Arkell , Stewart K Fishburne 0 1 Robert Bellin, Brandon GI Clarke ½ ½ David J Eggleston, Richard Weaving 0 1 Paul A Wallace, Andrew JD Baruch ½ ½ Fiona Steil-Antoni, Astghik Stepanyan 0 1 Jason P McKenna
In the 4NCL Northern League, at Harrogate, Cheddleton 2 were also fighting to stay in the top half of their League. On the Saturday, they played Aigburth and squeaked through by the narrowest of margins. Martyn Harris scored an invaluable victory on board 4 and all the others agreed draws.
Scores:-
Cheddleton 2 3½ 2½ Aigburth
Alex Richardson ½ ½ Miroslav Gruca, Gerald Acey ½ ½ Roger G Williamson, Malcolm J Armstrong ½ ½ James NH Hawkins, Martyn J Harris 1 0 Brandan D Kane, William G Armstrong ½ ½ Robert J Frith, William J Taylor ½ ½ Bob Amos
Sunday, however, was not to be so good as the local side faced League leaders, Bradford. Again, it was a very close match but two narrow defeats brought a lost match and moving down a place in the Division.
Scores:-
Bradford DCA Knights A 4 2 Cheddleton 2
Benjamin J Hague ½ ½ Alex Richardson, Winston Williams ½ ½ Simon R Edwards, Denis Molofej ½ ½ Malcolm J Armstrong, Adam R Lang 1 0 William G Armstrong, Louis Brijmohun 1 0 John Y Yee, David A Patrick ½ ½ William J Taylor
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
The North Staffs League campaign this week started off on the wrong foot on Monday evening with the G team needing to win at Meir C to go to the top of the Fifth Division table. A good win by Jack Healings and a solid draw by Vlade were not enough to bring this about.
Scores:-
Meir C 2½ 1½ Cheddleton G
Anthony D Cooling ½ ½ Vlade V Luzajic, Edward D Burke 0 1 Jack Healings, David Hackney 1 0 Jacob C Boswell, Robert Perry 1 0 Skye Wiggins
Wednesday’s match was something of a damp squib as well. The local team was due to play Lichfield in the Semi Final of the Staffordshire Under-160 Cup and had agreed a half-way venue at Stafford, which was just as well for when they got there they found that the Lichfield team had been struck down by flu and had forfeited the match. John Yee’s woes were not yet complete as he suffered a puncture on his way home after the “match”.
The A team played another First Division fixture on Friday and gave a very good account of themselves even though they were savagely out-graded on four boards. Excellent draws by Craig, Dave, Bill and John were not quite enough to grab a well-earned point.
Scores:-
Cheddleton A 2 3 Holmes Chapel A
Craig M Whitfield ½ ½ Jonathan LB Blackburn, David E Buxton ½ ½ Patrick J Bennett, Philip N Birks 0 1 John M Turner, William G Armstrong ½ ½ Ian W Bates, John Y Yee ½ ½ Jon EW Blackburn
20th February 2011
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
A very full week started with a visit by the X team to Meir B on Monday for a Fourth Division match. A good win was recorded by Alex Cartlidge and Phil Birks and Jacob Cartlidge ensured a share in the points by settling for draws.
Scores:-
Meir B 2 2 Cheddleton X
Steven R Hill ½ ½ Philip N Birks, Raymond F Rhodes 0 1 Alex J Cartlidge, Michael J Judd 1 0 Liam J Dimmick, Stuart Green ½ ½ Jacob D Cartlidge
Wednesday saw the visit to Newcastle of both the B and C teams for Second Division fixtures.
The C team, in second place, faced Newcastle B who were the Division leaders. Excellent wins by Bill Armstrong, Phil Birks and Karol Grzybowski added to a handy draw by Matthew Wyza enabled the C team to leapfrog their opponents to reach the top.
Scores:-
Newcastle B 1½ 2½ Cheddleton C
Martyn J Harris ½ ½ Matthew P Wyza, Geoffrey S Lee 0 1 Philip N Birks, Francis E Westfield 0 1 William G Armstrong, Samuel D Onions1 0 Allan R Beaumont, Richard P Cantliff 0 1 Karol Grzybowski
The B team were not so lucky and fell to a strong Newcastle C. Simon Edwards played magnificently to have the better of his game on the top board but settled for a draw with his game in a difficult position when time was called. Vlade turned in a fine display to win his game.
Scores:-
Newcastle C 3½ 1½ Cheddleton B
Alex Richardson ½ ½ Simon R Edwards, Barry Jones 1 0 John Y Yee, Watson Fuller 0 1 Vlade V Luzajic, John R Day 1 0 Alastair D McFadden, Peter Shaw 1 0 Alexander J Cartlidge
There were four matches at home on Friday with pride of place going to another rare Division One match. This was so close-fought, that three of the games were agreed drawn and there was one win each in the other two, making the match a draw. Craig Whitfield was Cheddleton’s sole winner, with Rob Shaw, Dave Buxton and Simon Edwards each sharing their games.
Scores:-
Cheddleton A 2½ 2½ Newcastle A
Robert Shaw ½ ½ Martyn J Harris, Craig M Whitfield 1 0 Alan M Paling, Simon R Edwards ½ ½ Ian M Jamieson, David E Buxton ½ ½ Barry Jones, John Y Yee 0 1 Geoffrey S Lee
In a Third Division match, the D team were held to their second successive draw by Holmes Chapel D. The players with the white pieces were victorious in each game. Roger Walker and David Hallen were the winners for the home side.
Scores:-
Cheddleton D 2 2 Holmes Chapel D
Roger J Edwards 0 1 Benjamin Scattergood, Roger W Walker 1 0 George J Scattergood, Keith Brownlee 0 1 Sandra G Blackburn, David A Hallen 1 0 David A Price
The other two matches were both in Division Five. The F team drew with Fenton D with Colin Abell and Emma Smith adding well-earned draws to Alastair McFadden’s victory.
Scores:-
Cheddleton F 2 2 Fenton D
Colin Abell ½ ½ Robert Taylor, Alastair D McFadden 1 0 Geoffrey G Yates, Emma V Smith ½ ½ Derek Whitehurst, Candice K Griffiths 0 1 Philip Grocott
The E team got the better of the I team in the other match with Jacob Boswell being the only I team’s winner against wins for Karol, David Rose and George Hamilton.
Scores:-
Cheddleton I 1 3 Cheddleton E
Joseph H Jackson 0 1 Karol Grzybowski, Jack Healings 0 1 David M Rose, Jacob C Boswell 1 0 Liam J Dimmick, Daniel Holland 0 1 George E Hamilton
13th February 2011
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
This was a mixed week for the Cheddleton teams. The week started well with the two teams in Division Two both winning away on Friday evening to keep up their challenge at the top of the Division.
The B team visited Meir A and, after a few alarms came home with both points. Simon Edwards, Roger Walker and Keith Brownlee all won with Roger Edwards just failing to echo his victory of the previous Friday
Scores:-
Meir A 1½ 3½ Cheddleton B
Steven R Hill 0 1 Simon R Edwards, Clive N Ferry ½ ½ Roger J Edwards, Thomas W Healey 1 0 Vlade V Luzajic, David A Fuller 0 1 Roger W Walker, Michael J Judd 0 1 Keith Brownlee
The C team went to Macclesfield who are also in contention for the Division’s honours. Dave Buxton, Carl Gartside and Phil Birks saw the visitors home, but the home side showed their strength in depth by sneaking the bottom two boards.
Scores:-
Macclesfield 2 3 Cheddleton C
David A Risley 0 1 David E Buxton, Vijay Kumar 0 1 Carl Gartside, Marc Jouannet 0 1 Phili N Birks, Richard LW Murphy 1 0 Paul Shelley, Anthony R Brough 1 0 Alex Cartlidge
Tuesday saw a visit by the G team to Fenton D in the Fifth Division. Jacob Boswell and Skye Wiggins held on to win their games but the whole match was a close call and the visitors were a trifle fortunate to bring home a point.
Scores:-
Fenton D 2 2 Cheddleton G
Geoffrey G Yates 1 0 Matthew P Wyza, Carl K Mustafa 1 0 Jack Healings, Joszef Orsolics 0 1 Jacob C Boswell, John A White 0 1 Skye Wiggins
The X team went to Newcastle on Wednesday in the Fourth Division and came home empty-handed. Jacob Cartlidge secured a very neat win on the bottom board and Alex Cartlidge took a draw on board Two, but this was not enough to save a point.
Scores:-
Newcastle E 2½ 1½ Cheddleton X
Francis E Westfield 1 0 Philip N Birks, Derrick W Jones ½ ½ Alex J Cartlidge, Hamid Shabani 1 0 Liam J Dimmick, Scott J McGowan 0 1 Jacob D Cartlidge
CLUB TEN-MINUTE TOURNAMENT
With no matches at home on Friday evening, the club held an internal ten-minute tournament in which most of the members present took part.
This kind of tournament is when each player has ten minutes on the clock to complete all the moves. The winner was the top seed, Dave Buxton with four points, with Matthew Wyza, Simon Edwards and Sam Beardmore finishing equal second. David Hallen finished fifth on his own. These tournaments are always a success but can only take place occasionally during the League season.
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
This was a week of good results for the club. On Monday, the H team edged past the E team to go to the top of the Fifth Division with a convincing win at Meir C. Joe Jackson, Jack Healings and Jacob Boswell all settled for draws in complicated double-edged positions and then left Phil Birks to slug it out and gain both points.
Scores:-
Meir C 1½ 2½ Cheddleton H
Raymond F Rhodes 0 1 Philip N Birks, Michael J Judd ½ ½ Joseph H Jackson, David Hackney ½ ½ Jack Healings, Robert Perry ½ ½ Jacob C Boswell
Wednesday saw the Under-130 grade team travel to Holmes Chapel in the Cup Semi Final. Very even games on the top and bottom boards brought two draws and then Alex Cartlidge broke out of a complex position against one of the area’s top juniors and took the team into the lead with one of the best wins of his career. This left Keith and Karol in even games needing to get a point between them. After a long struggle on both boards, Karol settled on a draw and Keith went one better to take the club into its second Cup Final of the season.
Scores:-
Holmes Chapel 1½ 3½ Cheddleton
John Hicks ½ ½ Colin Abell, Sandra G Blackburn 0 1 Keith Brownlee, George J Scattergood ½ ½ Karol Grzybowski, Benjamin Scattergood 0 1 Alex J Cartlidge, Paul G Clifford ½ ½ David A Hallen
This left two matches on Friday. The A team played another of the rare First Division matches, this time against Alsager, who brought a very strong side. As expected, most of the games in the match went the full distance. The only game to finish early was a win by Dave Buxton who was in unstoppable form. Craig Whitfield slowly broke down his opponent’s defences and managed to force the win after two and a half hours play. By that time, Simon Edwards, who had seemed in some trouble earlier on turned his game round and forced his opponent into time trouble which eventually led to his downfall. With the match now safely won, Rob Shaw took charge of his game and ensured that the home team gained a somewhat flattering winning margin.
Scores:-
Cheddleton A 4 1 Alsager A
Robert Shaw 1 0 Simon W Hood, Craig M Whitfield 1 0 John R Booth,
Simon R Edwards 1 0 Kamil Zak, David E Buxton 1 0 Benjamin Zitha, Matthew P Wyza 0 1 Julian FT Kirk-O'Grady
The other match on Friday saw the club charge into its third Cup Final of the season with a convincing win over a visiting Meir side in the Under-150 grade Cup. Oddly, first blood went to the visitors, but then Vlade evened up the score and, shortly afterwards, Karol put the team in the lead. Alastair McFadden slowly ground down his opponent to put the result beyond doubt and then Roger Edwards turned round a drawn-looking position to produce a fourth win.
Scores:-
Cheddleton 4 1 Meir
Roger J Edwards 1 0 Clive N Ferry, Vlade V Luzajic 1 0 David A Fuller, Paul Shelley 0 1 Thomas W Healey, Karol Grzybowski 1 0 Anthony D Cooling, Alastair D McFadden 1 0 Robert Perry
30th January 2011
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
There were two matches in the North Staffs League on Friday. The club team met Macclesfield in the Eight-board Cup Semi Final. Although the result suggests an easy win for the hosts, the reality was very different with most of the games being very close and tightly fought. Simon Edwards broke the deadlock after about an hour and a half with a neat win on board 5. Rob Shaw and Tony Soames never managed to establish any advantage on either side and settled on a draw soon afterwards. By the time that Simon Gilmore and Craig Whitfield had added to the score, the eventual result was no longer in doubt. Dave Buxton and Phil Birks took the score past the winning post of four and a half boards and it was then left to Matthew Wyza and Roger Edwards to mop up the other two boards. At no time were any of the games easy victories, but, in the end, the result looked impressive if flattering.
Scores:-
Cheddleton 7½ ½ Macclesfield
Robert Shaw ½ ½ Anthony R Soames, Craig M Whitfield 1 0 David A Risley, David E Buxton 1 0 Philip J Cattermole, Simon N Gilmore 1 0 Vijay Kumar, Simon R Edwards 1 0 Marc Jouannet, Matthew P Wyza 1 0 John-Paul J Taylor, Philip N Birks 1 0 Anthony R Brough, Roger J Edwards 1 0 Alan Sime
The day’s other match was yet another internal Fifth Division clash between the G and I teams. As usual, it was a hard-fought, end-to-end affair with this time the G team edging it. Sam Beardmore won on his debut whilst Jacob Boswell and Jack Healings also won for G. Andrei Mihai put his name on the scoresheet for the I team.
Scores:-
Cheddleton G 3 1 Cheddleton I
Jack Healings 1 0 Joseph H Jackson, Jacob C Boswell 1 0 Jacob D Cartlidge, Skye Wiggins 0 1 Andrei J Mihai, Samuel G Beardmore 1 0 Daniel JP Lomax
23rd January 2011
THE NATIONAL CHESS LEAGUE
The 2010-2011 National Chess League campaign resumed for Cheddleton last weekend at Hinckley in Leicestershire.
Neither of the two matches looked at all easy but the local side looked to have a chance of picking up points in both matches. The eventual two losses were therefore a great disappointment. On the Saturday, the opponents were Wood Green 2. North London based Wood Green have been one of the strongest clubs in England for many years and their second team still contains many well-known national names. By 5 o’clock, the match seemed nicely poised, but afterwards, the positions of the local players began to dissolve and only the ever-reliable Jason McKenna finished with a win. Jon Hawkins, Danny Gormally and David Eggleston were the other players to score – each gaining thoroughly deserved draws.
Scores:-
Wood Green HK 2 5½ 2½ Cheddleton 1
Neil McDonald ½ ½ Jonathan Hawkins, Mohamed Tissir ½ ½ Daniel W Gormally, Lawrence Trent 1 0 Keith C Arkell, Andrew N Greet 1 0 Robert Bellin, Andrew D Martin ½ ½ David J Eggleston, Peter J Sowray 1 0 Paul A Wallace, Bjorn Tiller 1 0 Arlette van Weersel, Sarah N Hegarty 0 1 Jason P McKenna
On Sunday, Cheddleton’s opponents were Betsson. Again, the opposition was strong and again had several well-known players in their line-up. Jason McKenna again managed to get his name on the scoresheet with a draw and Danny Gormally and Jon Hawkins went one better than on the Saturday with resounding victories. Unfortunately, the rest of the team were not so successful and the team again went down heavily.
Scores:-
Cheddleton 1 2½ 5½ Betsson.com
Keith C Arkell 0 1 Richard A Bates, Daniel W Gormally 1 0 Adam C Hunt,
Jonathan Hawkins 1 0 Simon T Ansell, Robert Bellin 0 1 Andrew J Ledger, David J Eggleston 0 1 Lawrence E Webb, Paul A Wallace 0 1 David J Ledger, Arlette Van Weersel 0 1 Stephen C Ledger, Jason P McKenna ½ ½ Maria S Yurenok
Meanwhile, the Northern Division was in action at Crewe and the Cheddleton Second team had to play the Spirit of Atticus on the Saturday. This is the major Liverpool-based side and are hot favourites to win the division.
The local side gave then a good run for their money but were not quite strong enough on the day to put a dent in the Liverpool championship aspirations. Malcolm Armstrong was the sole Cheddleton winner with Bill Armstrong and Alex Richardson both drawing.
Scores:-
Spirit of Atticus 4 2 Cheddleton 2
John J Carleton ½ ½ Alex Richardson, Peter JE Ackley 1 0 Gerald Acey, David J Robertson 1 0 Simon R Edwards, David Stuttard 1 0 Craig M Whitfield, Michael F Driscoll 0 1 Malcolm J Armstrong, Andrew J Mort ½ ½ William G Armstrong
It was a different story on Sunday, however, when the opponents were Manchester. This was a bruising match with the initiative constantly swinging from side to side. In the end, the local side just managed to hold on for the points. Craig Whitfield and Simon Edwards both won and Malcolm Armstrong inpressively won his second match of the weekend.
Cheddleton 2 3½ 2½ Manchester Manticores
Robert Shaw 0 1 Marciel T Flores, Simon N Gilmore 0 1 Samuel Correa Hernandez, Alex Richardson ½ ½ Michael J Norris, Craig M Whitfield 1 0 David Pardoe, Malcolm J Armstrong 1 0 Jonathan I Lonsdale, Simon R Edwards 1 0 Michael I Connor
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
There were three matches in the North Staffs League on Friday. The B and C teams who are both still in contention for the Second Division Championship played each other, both with depleted sides. The match was very even from beginning to end and it was impossible to tell who was going to take the points. Roger Walker put the C team in an early lead and soon afterwards, Liam Dimmick evened up the score. Vlade and Matt Wyza settled on a draw on board 2 after a game that looked certain to go one way or the other. This left the other two games grinding on towards the end of the playing time. Slowly but surely, it became obvious that each team had the advantage in one game and this was how the eventual result ran out with Dave Buxton winning for the C team and Alastair McFadden for the B team.
Scores:-
Cheddleton B 2½ 2½ Cheddleton C
John Y Yee 0 1 David E Buxton, Vlade V Luzajic ½ ½ Matthew P Wyza, Paul Shelley 0 1 Roger W Walker, Alastair D McFadden 1 0 Karol Grzybowski, Liam J Dimmick 1 0 David A Hallen
There were also two Fifth Division matches on Friday. The F team enteratined Meir C and after a long fought battle came out second best. Peter Tomczak agreed a draw in a very clogged-up position and Colin Abell finished off his opponent after a very long struggle but this was not quite enough to hold on to a point.
Scores:-
Cheddleton F 1½ 2½ Meir C
Colin Abell 1 0 Stuart Green, Peter P Tomczak ½ ½ Anthony D Cooling, Emma V Smith 0 1 Michael Judd, Candice K Griffiths 0 1 Robert Perry
A very youthful I team took their time and came out victorious against a useful-looking Fenton D side. Jacob Boswell and Jack Healings had excellent wins over good opponents and Alex Cartlidge and Joe Jackson fought tigerishly to hold on to half points on the top two boards.
Scores:-
Cheddleton I 3 1 Fenton D
Alexander J Cartlidge ½ ½ Stephen J Emmerton, Joseph J Jackson ½ ½ Geoffrey G Yates, Jack Healings 1 0 Peter R Tideswell, Jacob C Boswell 1 0 Philip Grocott
The Club will meet as usual on Friday and anyone who is interested in playing or learning to play or just watching is welcome to come along and have a go at 7.30 p.m. at Westwood College New Hall. Anyone interested may call the club Chairman on 01782-550112. The club is anxious to gain more adult members and would be very pleased to see adults who wish to learn to play as well as those who can play a little – not to mention those who are experts, of course!
16 January 2011
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
Cheddleton A played a rare match in the First Division of the North Staffs League on Wednesday. Visiting Stafford, the team came back with a point after drawing on all five boards. Bill Armstrong and his opponent soon settled into a complicated version of the Marshall Counter Gambit, which then simplified into a clogged up middle game and time for a draw to be agreed. The other four boards surprisingly went the distance and the advantage swung first one way and then the other but no winning positions could be proved in any game by the end of play.
Scores:-
Stafford A 2½ 2½ Cheddleton A
Lee A Grinsell ½ ½ Robert Shaw, Gerald Acey ½ ½ Craig M Whitfield, Malcolm J Armstrong ½ ½ David E Buxton, Stephane SG Pedder ½ ½ Simon R Edwards, Roger VH Butters ½ ½ William G Armstrong
On Friday there were three matches. A depleted D team lost their 100% record in Division Three but remained undefeated when Alsager B brought a strong team over but managed to mislay one of them on the way. Keith Brownlee played a magnificent game and hung on to win on time to draw the match.
Scores:-
Cheddleton D 2 2 Alsager B
Roger W Walker 1 def Gordon C Parker, Keith Brownlee 1 0 Alan E Thomason, David A Hallen 0 1 T Brian Birchall, Peter I Hallen 0 1 Richard G Martin
The E team gained a victory over the F team in Division Five with Karol continuing his recent good run and Danny Graham and George Hamilton both having good wins
Scores:-
Cheddleton F 1 3 Cheddleton E
Colin Abell 0 1 Karol Grzybowski, Paul Shelley 1 0 David M Rose, Emma V Smith 0 1 Danny Graham, Candice K Griffiths 0 1 George E Hamilton
A young Cheddleton team gave the holders a good run for their money in the Perry Trophy match but unfortunately none of them were able to convert good play into victory.
Scores:-
Cheddleton 0 4 Newcastle
Joseph H Jackson 0 1 Richard P Cantliff, Jack Healings 0 1 Steven P Cooper, Jacob C Boswell 0 1 Derrick W Jones, Jacob D Cartlidge 0 1 Hamid Shabani
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
The new year started much like the old year ended, with matches being postponed because of the weather. The club were scheduled to have only two matches this week and fortunately, both were played at Westwood College on Friday night. The C team, depleted through illness were unable to beat the only team above them at the moment in the Second Division, Newcastle B.
The match was, however, an extremely interesting affair with chances for both players around in all five games. Heavily outgraded on board 3, the home side were soon a board down but looking quite healthy o all the other four. Paul Shelley seemed to have a notional win on board 4 but could not find a way to execute it and had to settle for a draw. A group of players spent several hours trying to find the correct winning line after the game was over but all to no avail! By this time, the ever-dependable David Hallen had pulled in front and went on to win his game. This left the top two boards fighting for the points. Bit by bit, the home players drew ahead, but with both boards looking to be likely victories, the sands of time began to run out and so, rather than risking losing on time, both games were agreed drawn.
Scores:-
Cheddleton C 2½ 2½ Newcastle B
David E Buxton ½ ½ Alan M Paling, William G Armstrong ½ ½ Martyn J Harris, Colin Abell 0 1 Geoffrey S Lee, Paul Shelley ½ ½ Samuel D Onions, David A Hallen 1 0 Prabhath Amarasinghe
The other match was also evenly balanced. It was an internal affair in Division Five between the E and G teams. The match was played over five boards with the top four counting towards the match result. The G team took an early lead with Jacob Boswell capitalising on a mistake by his opponent. George Hamilton dug in to rescue the score with a win for the E team. Matthew Wyza had the better of the top board game but eventually had to settle for a draw, which left the second board players to struggle for another hour to decide the destination of the points. At last, Jack Healings came out on top, but even within the last few moves there was always the chance that the result could have been different. In the extra game, Daniel Lomax scored a convincing victory.
Scores:-
Cheddleton E 1½ 2½ Cheddleton G
Karol Grzybowski ½ ½ Matthew P Wyza, David M Rose 0 1 Jack Healings, Danny Graham 0 1 Jacob C Boswell, George E Hamilton 1 0 Skye Wiggins, Daniel JP Lomax 1 0 Matthew Edwards
19 December 2010
THE ANNUAL SEVEN SEAS TOURNAMENT
The Seven Seas Tournament is the annual Christmas event where Roger Edwards gives the players “silly things to do” during the games – chiefly in the hope of preventing the stronger players from winning the tournament. The seven seas in the title are actually seven cs – the Cheddleton Chess Club Christmas Crazy Chess Competition. In spite of the bad weather conditions, there was a good turn-out and the event was as popular and successful as ever.
It is an amazing fact that no matter how hard the Controller tries to keep the strongest players well away from the prizes, they almost invariably come out in the leading places. This year the winner was second seed Simon Edwards who only dropped half a point in round 4 to Peter Hallen and another half in round 5 to Bill Armstrong. With three and a half points, in joint second place were Matthew Wyza, David Hallen and Dave Buxton. With three points, in joint fifth place, the junior winner was Alex Cartlidge whilst other prizes went to Matthew Edwards and Jacob Cartlidge.
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
In the Fifth Division of the North Staffs League, the I team had an excellent win on Tuesday evening at Fenton D which put them into a handy second place in the Division. Bill Armstrong won comfortably on the top board, whilst Joe Jackson, captaining the side for the first time, had a well deserved and quite impressive win on board 2. Jacob Boswell completed the victories with an equally good display on board 3.
Scores:-
Fenton D 1 3 Cheddleton I
Robert West 0 1 William G Armstrong, Geoffrey G Yates 0 1 Joseph H Jackson, Joszef Orsolics 0 1 Jacob C Boswell, John A White 1 0 Jacob D Cartlidge
Two sorely depleted Cheddleton teams ventured out into the icy wastes on Thursday evening and amazingly came back with one loss and a memorable victory.
The A team played at Alsager and only scraped two draws, one by Simon Edwards and one by Bill Armstrong.
Scores:-
Alsager A 4 1 Cheddleton A
Simon W Hood 1 0 Craig M Whitfield, John R Booth ½ ½ Simon R Edwards, Benjamin Zitha 1 0 John Y Yee, Julian FT Kirk-O’Grady 1 0 Philip N Birks, Alan E Thomason ½ ½ William G Armstrong
Meanwhile, the D team struggled to Stafford where they came up against a full-strength Division leading Stafford B team.
Roger Edwards set the standard with a smart victory on the top board and this was followed by equally good results from Keith Brownlee and David Hallen bringing a thoroughly unexpected but very welcome and deserved win to warm the cockles of the visitors hearts as they set out for home.
Scores:-
Stafford B 1 3 Cheddleton D
Kenneth J McNulty 0 1 Roger J Edwards, Andrew T Leadbetter 0 1 Keith Brownlee, Kasik Wozniak 1 0 Peter I Hallen, Guy FAH de Visme 0 1 David A Hallen
There were three matches played in the North Staffs and District Chess League this week.
The week started with a trip to Meir C for the E team on Monday for a Fifth Division match. David Rose won handsomely on board two but a valiant effort by Danny Graham was not enough to level the match
Scores:-
Meir C 2½ 1½ Cheddleton E
Thomas W Healey 1 0 Karol Grzybowski, Raymond F Rhodes 0 1 David M Rose, David Hackney ½ ½ Danny Graham, Robert Perry 1 0 George E Hamilton
Wednesday saw the B team travel to Holmes Chapel with a chance to climb to the top of Division Two but a late unavoidable withdrawal from the team meant defaulting a board for only the fifth time in the club’s history. As a result, it was an uphill struggle for the team and they did extremely well to draw the match. Simon Edwards and Vlade Luzajic both won comfortably and a heroic draw on board four by Alex Cartlidge ensured that they brought a point back with them.
Scores:-
Holmes Chapel B 2½ 2½ Cheddleton B
Jon EW Blackburn 0 1 Simon R Edwards, Malcolm A Roberts 1 0 John Y Yee, Conor Gay 0 1 Vlade V Luzajic, Joseph L Morris ½ ½ Alex J Cartlidge, Sandra G Blackburn 1 0 default
There was a rearranged match on Friday evening at Westwood College, with the E team entertaining the F team in the Fifth Division. This ended with honours even and the not unusual situation of four wins by the players with the white pieces. Colin Abell and Emma Smith won for the F team and David Rose – scoring his second victory of the week – and George Hamilton for the E team.
Scores:-
Cheddleton E 2 2 Cheddleton F
Karol Grzybowski 0 1 Colin Abell, David M Rose 1 0 Paul Shelley, Danny Graham 0 1 Emma V Smith, George E Hamilton 1 0 Candice K Griffiths
28 November 2010
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
Three matches were played in the North Staffs and District Chess League on Friday evening at Westwood College.
In the Second Division, the B team failed to capitalise on its position in the League and was held to draw by visiting Meir A. The home team took an early lead when John Yee arose victorious from his game. He was soon followed by Alastair McFadden who also had an early success. At this point, however, the match began to turn around. Roger Edwards’ early advantage seemed to vanish and, after a long drawn-out struggle, the game was agreed a draw. This did not seem to matter too much as neither of the other games looked unwinnable at that point. Slowly but surely, however, the visitors began to take control and eventually won both games, leaving the B team in third place.
Scores:-
Cheddleton B 2½ 2½ Meir A
Simon R Edwards 0 1 Steven R Hill
John Y Yee 1 0 Clive N Ferry
Roger J Edwards ½ ½ David A Fuller
Colin Abell 0 1 Thomas W Healey
Alastair D McFadden 1 0 Stuart Green
Across the room, second placed C team were entertaining fourth placed Newcastle C in another Division Two match. This was another engrossing contest that looked for much of its course like a win for the visitors. After an early win by Bill Armstrong, the complexion of the match was changed completely by a masterly win by David Hallen who. in a vastly inferior position, covered all the threats from his opponent and proceeded to play on his own weakened defences. This produced a startling and inescapable attack to put the home team ahead. With draws from Phil and Karol, the C team were home and dry and albeit it probably not for long, on top of the Division.
Scores:-
Cheddleton C 3 2 Newcastle C
Matthew P Wyza 0 1 Alex Richardson
Philip N Birks ½ ½ Robbie J Coats
William G Armstrong 1 0 John R Day
Karol Grzybowski ½ ½ Samuel D Onions
David A Hallen 1 0 Peter Shaw
The final match of the week was a Fifth Division affair at Newcastle where Cheddleton H hosted Cheddleton G. The G team were at an immediate disadvantage when the board one player was caught up in traffic whilst travelling down the M6 and was unable to take his place at the board. Mike Boswell heroically volunteered to substitute for him but was always going to have a lot to do. Skye Wiggins had an excellent win on the bottom board for the visitors and Jack Healings and Josh Hollins fought out an honourable draw on the second board. Matthew Kelly eventually clinched the match for the home team.
Scores:-
Cheddleton H 2½ 1½ Cheddleton G
Conrad E Green 1 0 Michael A Boswell
Josh Hollins ½ ½ Jack Healings
Matthew Kelly 1 0 Jacob C Boswell
Oliver Hollins 0 1 Skye Wiggins
21 November 2010
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
It was back to the bread and butter of local League chess after last week’s forays into the bright lights of the National League. There were only three matches played in the North Staffs and District League.
On Tuesday evening, the D team visited Fenton B for a Third Division fixture. This was yet another match with every game evenly contested and fought to the last. At the end of the match at half past ten, the top three had all been agreed as draws and the two teams and the rest of the Fenton club were crowded around the bottom board. Karol suddenly found a startling knight fork that put him in the driving seat and won the match for the visitors.
Scores:-
Fenton B 1½ 2½ Cheddleton D
Daniel J Griffiths ½ ½ Roger J Edwards, John A Amison ½ ½ Keith Brownlee, Stephen J Emmerton ½ ½ David A Hallen, P Neal Davies 0 1 Karol Grzybowski
Friday night brought two matches at Westwood College, both in the Fifth Division, the F team entertained a makeshift H team and were soon embroiled in a blood-letting contest with advantage constantly swinging one way then the other. By the halfway stage, the F team had gone into a two-board lead with wins for Colin and Candice, but the other two games were looking decidedly difficult to call. 10-year-old Daniel Lomax, making his debut, fought every inch of the way and, much as his opponent put everything she had into the fight back, he finally came out victorious. Joe Jackson was made to fight even longer and, at one stage, his overpowering attack looked to be in danger of failing, but he kept his nerve to ensure that the two teams shared the points.
Scores:-
Cheddleton F 2 2 Cheddleton H (Hassell)
Colin Abell 1 0 Danny Graham, Peter P Tomczak 0 1 Joseph H Jackson, Emma V Smith 0 1 Daniel JP Lomax, Candice K Griffiths 1 0 Andrei J Mihai
In the other Fifth Division match, a young Cheddleton G team edged out the visiting Meir side. With the team 1-0 down, eight-year-old Jacob Boswell sacrificed a bishop to gain a perpetual check in a game that looked completely lost. Matthew Wyza then duly completed a neat win on the top board and Jack Healings was left again to fight it out on board two and win the match for the home side.
Scores:-
Cheddleton G 2½ 1½ Meir C
Matthew P Wyza 1 0 Raymond F Rhodes, Jack Healings 1 0 Michael J Judd, Jacob C Boswell ½ ½ Anthony D Cooling, Skye Wiggins 0 1 Stuart Green
14 November 2010
THE NATIONAL CHESS LEAGUE
The 2010-2011 National Chess League campaign began for Cheddleton last weekend at Daventry in Northamptonshire.
The National Chess League is called the 4NCL – the Four Nations Chess League - and consists of three divisions. Of these three divisions, the First Division is professional and contains many of the best players in Europe.
As most of the teams in the League come from the South East of England, this season the League has decided to run a Northern Division which is about equivalent in strength to the main Third Division.
Cheddleton were promoted last season to the First Division and have also decided to run a second team in the Northern Division this time. Matches are played at a central venue with two matches in a weekend each of seven hours duration.
Cheddleton started their season with the most difficult match when they came up against Pride and Prejudice who are one of the strongest teams in the UK. Against Cheddleton, they turned out seven grandmasters and outgraded their opponents by a considerable amount on each board. On paper, anything better than an 8-0 defeat was a major success.
As it turned out, the Cheddleton team almost matched them on every board and turned in one of their best displays ever as they took four draws off them. All the Cheddleton team bar one were members of the squad which achieved promotion last time. The new recruit was Dutch International Arlette van Weersel who played on board seven. She played a remarkable game against GM Aaron Summerscale and held him for most of the day before finally going down late in the evening. Robert Bellin, Paul Wallace and David Eggleston were magnificent in forcing draws from the opposition but pride of place must go to Jon Hawkins on the top board who for most of the day seemed to have a slightly superior position over GM Sergei Tiviakov and finally settled on a draw. Cheddleton’s two GMs – Danny Gormally and Keith Arkell – came up against old enemies and after ding-dong battles through the day, were forced to acknowledge defeat in the evening. Meanwhile, on the bottom board, Jason McKenna fought all day without success against Norwegian International Sheila Sahl.
Scores:-
Pride and Prejudice 6 2 Cheddleton 1
Sergei Tiviakov ½ ½ Jonathan Hawkins, Mark L Hebden 1 0 Keith C Arkell, Gawain CB Jones 1 0 Daniel W Gormally, Glenn C Flear ½ ½ Robert Bellin, John M Emms ½ ½ David J Eggleston, Christopher J Ward ½ ½ Paul A Wallace, Aaron P Summerscale 1 0 Arlette van Weersel, Sheila B Sahl 1 0 Jason P McKenna
On Sunday, the opponents were Grantham, who are sponsored by Pandora’s Box of Nottingham.
This was a very different match. Cheddleton were fired up by the great display on Saturday and were to be a match for anyone. Apart from a miscalculation by Arlette, which was decisive in her game and a slight relaxation by Jon after his exertions on the Saturday, all other boards were won in style. The final score does no justice to the excellent Grantham team but showed Cheddleton for what they are – one of the better teams in the country.
Scores:-
Cheddleton 1 6½ - 1½ Pandora’s Box Grantham
Daniel W Gormally 1 0 Nigel R Birtwistle, Keith C Arkell 1 0 Alan Tate, Jonathan Hawkins ½ ½ Martin P Burrows, Robert Bellin 1 0 Paul A Cumbers, David J Eggleston 1 0 Kevin C McCarthy, Paul A Wallace 1 0 Claudio Mangione, Arlette van Weersel 0 1 Daniel J Wells, Jason P McKenna 1 0 Katie A Martin
The Northern Division had started its first season at the same time in Darlington.
Cheddleton began with a tough fixture against the York team, Jorvik. This ended with victories for Alex Richardson, Malcolm Armstrong and new recruit Will Taylor. Draws by Bill Armstrong and John Yee completed a well-crafted victory for the local side.
Scores:-
Cheddleton 2 4 2 Jorvik
Alex Richardson 1 0 Jos Wooley, Craig M Whitfield 0 1 Paul M Hopwood, Malcolm J Armstrong 1 0 Martina Flint, John Y Yee ½ ½ Richard B Mounce, William J Taylor 1 0 Anastasios Nezis, William G Armstrong ½ ½ Paul W Anderson
Sunday brought a match against local rivals Holmes Chapel. A trip to Darlington to play them seemed a bit beyond the call of duty but you have to take what comes. Holmes Chapel are always a strong side and had strengthened their squad for the 4NCL.
Newcomer Will Taylor was the first to finish with a neat victory on board five and Malcolm Armstrong settled for a draw in a very tied-up position. Simon Edwards travelled up to the venue on the day and was rather tired for his match, which went against him. Alex and Craig on the two top boards were magnificent and timed their games perfectly for both to achieve success. This left Bill Armstrong settling for a draw on the bottom board.
Scores:-
Holmes Chapel 2 4 Cheddleton 2
Jonathan LB Blackburn 0 1 Alex Richardson, Patrick J Bennett 0 1 Craig M Whitfield, John M Turner ½ ½ Malcolm J Armstrong, John A Gorman 1 0 Simon R Edwards, David A Bennion 0 1 William J Taylor, Ian W Bates ½ ½ William G Armstrong
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
This week, five matches were played in the North Staffs and District Chess League, which was more satisfying after the rash of cancellations in recent weeks.
On Wednesday, the C team, who are amongst the leaders in Division Two, travelled to Holmes Chapel to play the home B team who are known as the Rooks. The players in the home team gave a very good account of themselves and kept the result to a very narrow score. The C team must have felt that good fortune had smiled at them as they returned home. Bill Armstrong and Jacob Boswell never seemed in a great deal of trouble but the other three games were all exceedingly and dangerously close. In the end, Keith Brownlee scrambled to a drawn position in his game and Dave Buxton then settled for another in his game to ensure the capture of the points.
Scores:-
Holmes Chapel B (Rooks) 2 3 Cheddleton C
Jon EW Blackburn ½ ½ David E Buxton, Sandra G Blackburn 0 1 William G Armstrong, Paul G Clifford ½ ½ Keith Brownlee, Conor Gay 1 0 Karol Grzybowski, Joseph L Morris 0 1 Jacob C Boswell
Meanwhile, the X team who were narrowly in the lead in Division Four, visited pointless Kidsgrove B on Wednesday and came back empty-handed. Alex Cartlidge played out a comfortable draw with all the other three games looking to be in the bag when suddenly, inexplicably, all turned round and the bottom two boards were both lost. Phil Birks played his usual captain’s innings to save some of the blushes with an excellent win on the top board.
Scores:-
Kidsgrove B 2½ 1½ Cheddleton X
Derek H Northage 0 1 Philip N Birks, Julian P Cook ½ ½ Alexander J Cartlidge, David S Johnson 1 0 Frank D Bruce, Steven P Nixon 1 0 Jacob D Cartlidge
Four teams were in action at home on Friday.
The B team, who are also within sight of the top of the Second Division table, entertained Holmes Chapel C – known as the Knights – and seemed to have the upper-hand from quite early in the match. The visitors fought valiantly and kept the match going for well over two hours, but they were always staving off the inevitable. Simon Edwards was the first to finish and was soon followed by Vlade Luzajic. There was then a lull in proceedings before John Yee broke through his opponent’s defences. Colin Abell and Alastair McFadden’s opponents stuck to their guns before bowing to the inescapable conclusion.
Scores:-
Cheddleton B 5 0 Holmes Chapel C (Knights)
Simon R Edwards 1 0 Ian B Chester, John Y Yee 1 0 George J Scattergood, Vlade V Luzajic 1 0 Benjamin Scattergood, Colin Abell 1 0 Sandra G Blackburn, Alastair D McFadden 1 0 Joseph L Morris
The other two matches were both in the Fifth Division where the club has five teams all struggling for supremacy.
Karol Grzybowski continued his recent good run with a fine victory on the top board of the internal match between Cheddleton E and Cheddleton I. Danny Graham and George Hamilton both had early wins for the E team but the result of the match still remained in doubt for a long time as the other two games both almost went the distance. On board two, Joe Jackson employed all his wiles against his nemesis, Dave Rose, but again fell to defeat in the last game to finish. He showed sufficient skill and fighting attitude to suggest that a win will not be too far away in the future.
Scores:-
Cheddleton E 4 0 Cheddleton I
Karol Grzybowski 1 0 Roger J Edwards, David M Rose 1 0 Joseph H Jackson, Danny Graham 1 0 S Ali Arshad, George E Hamilton 1 0 David D Kay
The remaining match where Cheddleton G entertained Fenton D was probably the most entertaining of the week with, once again, nothing settled until the very end.
The earliest games to finish were on the bottom two boards with Skye Wiggins having a handsome win and eight-year-old Jacob Boswell clearly suffering from his late night exertions on Wednesday. Jack Healings fought hard to pull back into a game that looked at best drawn and then went on to win leaving Matt Wyza who had gone somewhat astray in his game coming back to look certain of victory when he finally settled for a draw.
Scores:-
Cheddleton G 2½ 1½ Fenton D
Matthew P Wyza ½ ½ Stephen J Emmerton, Jack Healings 1 0 Peter R Tideswell, Jacob C Boswell 0 1 Philip Grocott, Skye Wiggins 1 0 John A White
7 November 2010
There were again only two matches played in the North Staffs and District Chess League this week, due to a number of cancellations.
On Tuesday, the F team somewhat belatedly opened their Fifth Division campaign at Fenton D. Colin Abell, on the top board, had the better of the opening and afterwards was always positionally slightly better. Slowly but surely, he converted this into victory. Peter Tomczak on the second board got involved in a closed and difficult position, which was easier to settle on being drawn. This left the two debutants, Emma Smith and Candice Griffiths to show what they were made of on the bottom two boards. A neat combination won Emma her game whilst Candice played for almost the full two and a half hours in a remarkable fight against a very useful and wily opponent. This was a fine performance by the whole team.
Scores :-
Fenton D 1½ 2½ Cheddleton F
P Neal Davies 0 1 Colin Abell, Peter R Tideswell ½ ½ Peter P Tomczak, John A White 0 1 Emma V Smith, Derek Whitehurst 1 0 Candice K Griffiths
The only match left after three cancellations on Friday was an internal match between the H and I teams also in Division Five. In this match, there were three debutants in Mike Boswell, Andrei Mihai and David Kay and again, all three acquitted themselves well. With the score at 2-1 to the I team, Mike Boswell was in control of his game with a drawn match looking inevitable but then Joe Jackson had his second wind and fought back to win an amazing struggle.
Scores:-
Cheddleton I 3 1 Cheddleton H
Joseph H Jackson 1 0 Michael S Boswell, Jacob C Boswell 1 0 S Ali Arshad, George E Hamilton 1 0 Andrei J Mihai, David D Kay 0 1 Skye Wiggins
31 October 2010
Two matches were played in the North Staffs and District Chess League this week.
In the First Round of the Intermediate Cup at Newcastle on Wednesday, the Cheddleton team took on the holders and comfortably eased their way into the next round. Keith Brownlee, playing his third game in a week disposed of his higher graded opponent and was soon followed by Karol Grzybowski and Alastair McFadden who were both at similar grading disadvantages. Alex Cartlidge held on against neatly constructed attacks by his opponent and came out with a hard-earned and long-fought victory. This was a very heartening display and probably the best performance by any of the club’s teams this season.
Scores:-
Newcastle 1 4 Cheddleton
Watson Fuller 0 1 Keith Brownlee, Peter Shaw 0 1 Karol Grzybowski, Paul Clapham 1 0 David M Rose, Nicholas PA Wright 0 1 Alastair D McFadden, Prabhath Amarasinghe 0 1 Alex J Cartlidge
The other match played was a Fifth Division internal match between the G and E teams. This was a very up-and-down match and all four games could have gone either way. The first two to finish were the two bottom boards, one going to each side with Jacob Boswell and George Hamilton being the winners. The top board, which looked for most of the game like a win to the G team, suddenly turned around completely to give Karol Grzybowski his second win of the week. This left the second board to determine the result of the match. The early advantage had been to young Jack Healings but part way through the evening, the complexion of the game changed and David Rose took control. It was then up to Jack to hang on as best he could and eventually salvage a draw. This gave a narrow win to the E team.
Scores:-
Cheddleton G 1½ 2½ Cheddleton E
Vlade V Luzajic 0 1 Karol Grzybowski, Jack Healings ½ ½ David M Rose, Jacob C Boswell 1 0 Danny Graham, Skye Wiggins 0 1 George E Hamilton
24 October 2010
Four matches were played in the North Staffs and District Chess League this week.
In the Second Division, the C team visited Meir A on Monday evening and came back with both points. Both sides were without key players, but the visitors slowly gained the upper hand and held on for a narrow win. Phil Birks featured in a fascinating tight-fought epic on the top board and Keith Brownlee – as dependable as ever – took another draw on board four but Bill Armstrong and Karol Grzybowski were in commanding form and made sure of victory.
Scores:-
Meir A 2 3 Cheddleton C
Stephen R Hill ½ ½ Philip N Birks, Clive N Ferry 1 0 Carl Gartside, David A Fuller 0 1 William G Armstrong, Thomas W Healey ½ ½ Keith Brownlee, Robert Perry 0 1 Karol Grzybowski
The B team were also away from home in a Second Division match on Wednesday and were also hit by absences. They, however, were up against a full-strength Newcastle B team. Only Vlade Luzajic was in winning form whilst David Hallen, as stand-in captain, played a captain’s innings to hold a half-point on the bottom board. The team gave a good account of itself but victory was not to be.
Scores:-
Newcastle B 3½ 1½ Cheddleton B
Martyn J Harris 1 0 John Y Yee, Geoffrey S Lee 0 1 Vlade V Luzajic, Alan M Paling 1 0 Roberto Moruzzi, Samuel D Onions 1 0 Allan R Beaumont, Prabhath Amarasinghe ½ ½ David A Hallen
Friday saw two more matches both at home. The D team opened their account in Division Three with a comfortable win over Kidsgrove A. Roger Edwards had a comfortable win on the top board but then had to wait some time before anything else happened. Keith Brownlee had to fight hard to scramble a draw but then, with the scores level and everyone gathered around the last board, Alastair McFadden found the winning line to complete a majestic victory for both self and team.
Scores:-
Cheddleton D 2½ 1½ Kidsgrove A
Roger J Edwards 1 0 Simon R M Elliott, Roger W Walker 0 1 Christopher K Ford, Keith Brownlee ½ ½ Julian P Cook, Alastair D McFadden 1 0 Matthew Burndred
The X team had a valiant fight in Division Four where, unusually, all four players with the black pieces recorded wins. Every game was reasonably close, with advantage on boards two, three and four swinging first one way and then the other. In the end, Phil Birks and Liam Dimmick were both successful to hold a drawn match.
Scores:-
Cheddleton X 2 2 Newcastle E
Philip N Birks 1 0 Paul Clapham, Alexander J Cartlidge 0 1 Derrick W Jones, Liam J Dimmick 1 0 Scott J McGowan, Jacob D Cartlidge 0 1 Hamid Shabani
17 October 2010
There were only two matches this week in the North Staffs and District Chess League – both on Friday night.
In the Second Division Macclesfield visited the C team and went home empty-handed. A strong Macclesfield team was spoiled by the absence of Tony Soames on the top board who had mistaken the night, but, even then, the team was extremely strong and the whole match was in the balance throughout. Eventually, Phil Birks and Bill Armstrong pulled ahead to ensure victory for the home side. David Hallen then settled for a draw and the points were safe.
Scores:-
Cheddleton C 3½ 1½ Macclesfield
Matthew P Wyza 1 default, Philip N Birks 1 0 Philip J Cattermole, William G Armstrong 1 0 Anthony R Brough, Roberto Moruzzi 0 1 Raymond J Pomeroy, David A Hallen ½ ½ Alan Sime
The E team travelled to Newcastle Bridge Club where the H team are playing their home fixtures this year and had another extremely close-fought match. Conrad Green took charge of his game early on, but the others remained unclear. Danny Graham then began to take control of his game and, late in the match, Oliver Hollins overcame a good position by George Hamilton and made the result begin to look like a home win. The other game between David Rose and Josh Hollins had sunk into a difficult position where if either player attacked he was in danger of losing and a draw was agreed, giving the points to the H team.
Scores:-
Cheddleton H 2½ 1½ Cheddleton E
Conrad E Green 1 0 Karol Grzybowski, Joshua Hollins ½ ½ David M Rose, Matthew Kelly 0 1 Danny Graham, Oliver Hollins 1 0 George E Hamilton
10 October 2010
There were four matches this week in the North Staffs and District Chess League.
The week started with a Fifth Division match at Meir on Monday evening between Cheddleton I and Meir C. Roger Edwards gave a good account of himself on the top board and this was soon followed by an excellent victory by eleven-year old Jacob Cartlidge – his second in four days. It then only needed ten-year old Daniel Holland to garner a valuable half point on his debut for the club on the bottom board and the team were safely home to victory.
Scores:-
Meir C 1½ 2½ Cheddleton I
Raymond F Rhodes 0 1 Roger J Edwards, Edward D Burke 1 0 Frank D Bruce, Anthony D Cooling 0 1 Jacob D Cartlidge, David Hackney ½ ½ Daniel Holland
On Tuesday evening, the E team also played in the Fifth Division, visiting pre-season Championship favourites Fenton D. This was an epic match with little between the teams and the drawn result was about right. Karol Grzybowski and David Rose ground out intricate draws on the top two boards and Danny Graham won in typically flamboyant style on board three thus securing the point.
Scores:-
Fenton D 2 2 Cheddleton E
P Neal Davies ½ ½ Karol Grzybowski, Ernest Wilkinson ½ ½ David M Rose, Peter R Tideswell 0 1 Danny Graham, Joszef Orsolics 1 0 George E Hamilton
Friday night saw Stafford A visiting a much-depleted A team but their task was never easy as the A team fought every inch of the way. The highspot was the victory of Simon Edwards over Pavlo Nefyedev which came late in the evening in a game that had swung one way and then the other but draws by Dave Buxton and John Yee were of the highest class.
Scores:-
Cheddleton A 2 3 Stafford A
Simon N Gilmore 0 1 Lee A Grinsell, David E Buxton ½ ½ Malcolm J Armstrong, Simon R Edwards 1 0 Pavlo Nefyedev, John Y Yee ½ ½ Roger VH Butters, William G Armstrong 0 1 Stephane SG Pedder
The H team which is made up of players from the Hassell club and plays its home games in Newcastle also had a resounding win over Fenton D in the Fifth Division, with wins by Conrad Green and Josh Hollins added to a draw by Matt Kelly.
Scores:-
Cheddleton H 2½ 1½ Fenton D
Conrad E Green 1 0 Robert West, Joshua Hollins 1 0 Ernest Wilkinson, Matthew Kelly ½ ½ Philip Grocott, Oliver Hollins 0 1 John A White
3 October 2010
The new North Staffs Chess season started well on Friday evening with two titanic struggles at Norbury House.
In the Second Division there was an internal match with Cheddleton C playing host to Cheddleton B. All five games were hard-fought end-to-end battles, several going the full three hours, but, in the end, the B team sneaked the victory. There were two drawn games where it was impossible to force a win and in the others, the player with the black pieces took the points. John Yee and Colin Abell were successful for the B team and David Hallen for the C team.
Scores:-
Cheddleton C 2 3 Cheddleton B
David E Buxton ½ ½ Simon R Edwards, Matthew P Wyza 0 1 John Y Yee, Paul Shelley ½ ½ Vlade V Luzajic, Karol Grzybowski 0 1 Colin Abell, David A Hallen 1 0 Jacob C Boswell
In the other match, the quaintly-named X team entertained Kidsgrove B in the Fourth Division. Jacob Cartlidge gave the home side an early lead and it was not long before the points were safe with a win for Phil Birks on the top board and draws by Alex Cartlidge and Liam Dimmick who both had the better of their games.
Scores:-
Cheddleton X 3 1 Kidsgrove B
Philip N Birks 1 0 Julian P Cook, Alexander J Cartlidge ½ ½ Matthew Burndred, Liam J Dimmick ½ ½ David S Johnson, Jacob D Cartlidge 1 0 Paul A Staples
26 September 2010
The Annual General Meeting of the Cheddleton and Leek Chess Club passed without major incident at Norbury House on Friday evening when there was a great deal of discussion about the direction in which the club would be moving in the future. It was decided that the annual award to the club personality of the year should this year be awarded to the four members of the Hallen family – David, Cathy, Philip and Peter - who all continue to contribute so much to the club week after week. All the officers were re-elected, notably Roger Edwards as President, Robert Milner as Chair and Ray Poole as Secretary and Treasurer.
THE KNACKERED-KNIGHT COMPETITION
After the AGM, the annual contest for the Knackered Knight took place at the club. Many of those who came for the meeting stayed on to take part and there was a useful entry of twenty-seven. This year, instead of using a buzzer to time the moves, the technology-conscious Roger Edwards induced the clocks to cope with the moving pattern and the event suddenly became much quieter.
After a long and arduous tournament of five rounds, the joint winners were both old hands who have won the famous trophy on many previous occasions.
With one round to go, last year’s winner, Dave Buxton, and 2007 winner Rob Shaw were the only two players with four points each. They agreed on a draw and shared the trophy – the first time in its twenty-five year history that it has been shared.
Three players shared third place with four points, Rob Moruzzi who only lost to Rob Shaw, Alex Richardson who only lost to Philip Hallen and Alex Cartlidge who only lost to Dave Buxton. This was an excellent result by thirteen-year-old Alex Cartlidge. There were then seven players in equal sixth place with three points including eight-year old Jacob Boswell and eleven-year-old Jack Healings.
Although the new format was a bit of a gamble, all present considered it a great success and the whole tournament set the new season off on the right track.
Scores:-
| 1= | Rob Shaw | 4½ |
| 1= | David Buxton | 4½ |
| 3= | Alex Cartlidge | 4 |
| 3= | Alex Richardson | 4 |
| 3= | Rob Moruzzi | 4 |
| 6= | Keith Brownlee | 3 |
| 6= | Jacob Boswell | 3 |
| 6= | Philip Hallen | 3 |
| 6= | John Yee | 3 |
| 6= | Colin Abell | 3 |
| 6= | Jack Healings | 3 |
| 6= | Peter Hallen | 3 |
| 13= | George Hamilton | 2 |
| 13= | David Hallen | 2 |
| 13= | Jacob Cartlidge | 2 |
| 13= | David Kay | 2 |
| 13= | Frank Bruce | 2 |
| 13= | Joe Jackson | 2 |
| 13= | Daniel Holland | 2 |
| 13= | Michael Boswell | 2 |
| 21= | Liam Dimmick | 1 |
| 21= | Andrei Mihai | 1 |
| 23 | Steve Holland | ½ |
Simon Edwards, Matthew Edwards, Matthew Wyza and Danny Graham did not complete the course.
19 September 2010
2010 LEEK AUTUMN CHESS CONGRESS
The ninth annual Chess Congress took place over three days at the end of last week at the Westwood College. Players from as far afield as the South Coast, the North East, Carlisle, the East Coast, North Wales and Poland took part and it was good to see so many juniors taking part once more. It was a long and gruelling competition, with most of the prize-winners uncertain up to late in the tournament and the final decision on the top event not decided until the following day. This year, the top tournament was an Internationally-rated event with the winner qualifying to play in the 2011 British Championship. As it turned out, there was a tie for first place which could not be resolved by normal tie-breaking procedures and so the English Chess Federation agreed to enter both joint winners in the Championships next year.
The full results were as follows:-
Alton Towers (Open)
| Martin Brown | Grappenhall/St. Helens | 4 | 1= |
| Michael J. Surtees | Bolton | 4 | 1= |
| Ian D Thompson | Crowthorne | 3½ | 3= |
| Paul AG Dargan | Tynemouth | 3½ | 3= |
| Ryszard Maciol | West Bromwich | 3½ | 3= |
| Harry Russell | Louth | 3½ | 3= |
| Michael J. Rabbitte | Heywood | 3½ | 3= |
| Oliver A. Jackson | Poynton | 3 | 8 |
| Alex Richardson | Newcastle | 2½ | 9= |
| Patrick J. Bennett | Holmes Chapel | 2½ | 9= |
| Robert Shaw | Cheddleton and Leek/High Peak | 2½ | 9= |
| Ali R Jaunooby | Three Cs | 2½ | 9= |
| Liam F. Rabbitte | Heywood | 2½ | 9= |
| Gavyn A. Cooper | Newport/Durham City | 2½ | 9= |
| Dominic M. Rabbitte | Heywood | 2½ | 9= |
| Christopher D. Doran | Chester | 2½ | 9= |
| Nathan J Taylor | Bolton | 2 | 17= |
| Anthony R. Soames | Macclesfield | 2 | 17= |
| Lateefah Messam-Sparks | West Nottingham | 2 | 17= |
| Simon R. Edwards | Cheddleton and Leek | 2 | 17= |
| Raymond J. Ilett | Peterborough | 2 | 17= |
| Steven A Jones | Padgate | 1½ | 22= |
| Malcolm J. Armstrong | Stafford | 1½ | 22= |
| William G. Armstrong | Cheddleton and Leek | 1½ | 22= |
| John M Turner | Holmes Chapel | 1 | 25 |
| Graham W Blackmore | Scarborough | wd |
Prize List
1st = Mike Surtees
1st = Martin Brown
3rd = Ian Thompson
3rd = Ryszard Maciol
3rd = Paul Dargan
3rd = Michael Rabbitte
3rd = and Slow Starter Harry Russell
A H Brooks and Co (Main Major)
| Kevin J Dalley | Derbyshire | 4½ | 1 |
| David E. Buxton | Cheddleton and Leek | 4 | 2 |
| John Y. Yee | Cheddleton and Leek | 3½ | 3 |
| Peter J. Mercs | Nottingham Gambit | 3 | 4= |
| Matthew P. Wyza | Cheddleton and Leek | 3 | 4= |
| Edward J Keogh | Preston | 3 | 4= |
| Martyn J. Harris | Newcastle | 3 | 4= |
| Dean M. Hartley | Amber Valley | 3 | 4= |
| Chris Vassiliou | Chorlton | 3 | 4= |
| Robert Clegg | Huddersfield | 3 | 4= |
| George V. Glover | Carlisle Friars | 3 | 4= |
| Stephane S. G. Pedder | Stafford | 2½ | 12= |
| Mark S. R. Radford | Nottingham Central | 2½ | 12= |
| John-Paul J Taylor | Warwick University | 2½ | 12= |
| Douglas J. Barnett | Alsager | 2 | 15= |
| Stephen M. Chadaway | Olton | 2 | 15= |
| Janos J. Wagenbach | Mansfield | 2 | 15= |
| Alexander B Taylor | Newport | 2 | 15= |
| Vlade V. Luzajic | Cheddleton and Leek | 1½ | 19= |
| Christopher D Lewis | Newport | 1½ | 19= |
| Michael I. Connor | Great Lever | 1½ | 19= |
| Jon E. W. Blackburn | Holmes Chapel | 1½ | 19= |
| Carl Gartside | High Peak/Cheddleton and Leek | 1 | 23 |
| Marc Jouannet | Macclesfield | wd | |
| Simon J. Crowley | Cheddleton and Leek | wd | |
| James F. Shemilt | York R.I. | wd |
Prize List
1st Kevin Dalley
2nd David Buxton
3rd John Yee
Slow Starter Martyn Harris
Westwood College (Main Intermediate)
| Nathan Atkins | Spondon | 4½ | 1 |
| Roger W. Walker | Belper/Cheddleton | 4 | 2= |
| Ronald S. Harrison | Belper | 4 | 2= |
| Stephen R. Cooper | Newport | 3½ | 4 |
| Karol Grzybowski | Cheddleton and Leek | 3 | 5= |
| Ian B. Chester | Holmes Chapel | 3 | 5= |
| J. Stuart Ridgway | Wilmslow | 3 | 5= |
| Peter Brace | Spondon | 3 | 5= |
| Steven J. Rush | Rhyl/Stockport | 3 | 5= |
| Paul Clapham | Newcastle | 3 | 5= |
| George J. Scattergood | Holmes Chapel | 2½ | 11= |
| Sandra G. Blackburn | Holmes Chapel | 2½ | 11= |
| Alan P. Millward | Macclesfield | 2½ | 11= |
| Brian A Crofts | Chesterfield | 2 | 14= |
| Peter Shaw | Newcastle | 2 | 14= |
| David C. Dunne | West Nottingham | 2 | 14= |
| John A. Simmons | Rhyl | 2 | 14= |
| Richard P Hickling | Spondon | 2 | 14= |
| David A. Hallen | Cheddleton and Leek | 2 | 14= |
| Ebrahim H. Arshad | Cheddleton and Leek | 2 | 14= |
| Patrick N. Coleman | Lytham Ex-Service | 1½ | 21 |
| Alexander J Cartlidge | Cheddleton and Leek | 1 | 22= |
| Ben Scattergood | Holmes Chapel | 1 | 22= |
| Paul Shelley | Cheddleton and Leek | wd | |
| Alastair D. McFadden | Cheddleton and Leek | wd |
Prize List
1st Nathan Atkins
2nd = Roger Walker
2nd = Ron Harrison
Slow Starter Peter Brace
Leek United Building Society (Main Minor)
| Brian Slater | Bolton | 4½ | 1 |
| Stephen Szwajkun | Newport | 4 | 2 |
| Stuart E Wood | Boldmere St. Michael | 3½ | 3= |
| Louise E. Brace | Spondon | 3½ | 3= |
| Colin G Mace | Wellington | 3½ | 3= |
| Richard Szwajkun | Newport | 3½ | 3= |
| Jacob C Boswell | Cheddleton and Leek | 3½ | 3= |
| Derek Brent | Urmston | 3 | 8= |
| Sellick L. Davies | Newport | 3 | 8= |
| Liam J. Dimmick | Cheddleton and Leek | 3 | 8= |
| Ellen Scattergood | Holmes Chapel | 3 | 8= |
| Jack Healings | Cheddleton and Leek | 3 | 8= |
| Alex P. Rabbitte | Heywood | 2½ | 13= |
| Sumit Raisinghaney | Stafford | 2½ | 13= |
| Arthur Banks | Whitchurch | 2½ | 13= |
| Jacob D Cartlidge | Cheddleton and Leek | 2 | 16= |
| Patrick V. Curr | Stockport | 2 | 16= |
| Celeste K McCrann | Cheshire | 2 | 16= |
| Andrew P Davies | Brewood | 2 | 16= |
| Gary L Davison | Spondon | 2 | 16= |
| Paul G. Rabbitte | Heywood | 1½ | 21= |
| Daniel Holland | Hassell | 1½ | 21= |
| Skye Wiggins | Cheddleton and Leek | 1½ | 21= |
| Derrick W. Jones | Newcastle | 1 | 24= |
| Thomas Robson | Cheshire | 1 | 24= |
| Matthew Edwards | Cheddleton and Leek | ½ | 26 |
Prize List
1st Brian Slater
2nd Steve Szwajkun
3rd = Stuart Wood
3rd = Colin Mace
3rd = Richard Szwajkun
3rd = Louise Brace
Slow Starter Jacob Boswell
The team prize went to Spondon Chess Club
BRAILLE WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP
Recently, Bill Armstrong of Ladderedge played in the World Chess Championship for visually impaired players. The event, which was organised by the International Braille Chess Association, was held in Belgrade, Serbia, and lasted from 25th August to 5th September. One hundred and twenty one players, seventeen of whom had International titles, were representing thirty-three countries spanning four continents
and they each battled their way through nine rounds before final victory went to Yuri Meshkov of Russia. With 7.5 points, Meshkov won on a tie-break from the Polish Master Piotr Dukaczewski. Another Russian, Sergei Smirnov came third with 7 points.
For the event, Bill was generously supported by donations from Leek Town Lands and Staffordshire Masonic Charities. Prior to the event, he was seeded as low as sixty-second, thus demonstrating the exceptional strength of this event. His final score of 4.5, therefore, was way beyond expectations and made it a very satisfactory expedition. He took a valuable half point from three games against highly ranked opponents and a very creditable four from the six games against less formidable opposition.
Although he was amongst the older entrants, this was the first time that Bill had played in the World Championships and he describes it as “a really great chess experience, even though it was mentally exhausting at times.”
5 September 2010
2010 LEEK CHESS CONGRESS
The new chess season gets under way on Friday evening with the opening of the annual Leek Chess Congress at Westwood College.
This is the ninth Leek Congress and the event will have players from all over the country as it is a British Championship Qualifying Tournament – a status it enjoyed for a few years but which it has not had since 2006.
The main sponsors are again Alton Towers, which is sponsoring the Open Section, and A.H. Brooks and Co. who are sponsoring the Main Section. The generosity of these two organisations cannot be stressed enough as both have been associated with the event for many years.
The Congress consists of five rounds, the first round being on Friday evening, the second and third rounds on Saturday morning and afternoon respectively and the last two rounds on Sunday.
Amongst the Control team will be David Welch of Liverpool who is Britain’s senior arbiter and Chief Controller of the British Championship.
A book stall be on hand at the event, run by Chess Direct and anyone wishing to purchase any chess books or equipment is welcome to visit.
