Worcester & District Chess League
2011-12 Season Division 1 match details
| Worcester Bishops - Headless Cross | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Steve Mellor Peter Kitson Ray Collett Jim Keene |
1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 |
Ashley Davis David Richardson Terry Radford Mark Hore |
| Result | 4 - 0 | Played 15 September | |
| Match report from Ray Collett and Mark Hore. | |||
| Headless Cross - Kidderminster Knights | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Ashley Davis Jason Cole David Richardson Terry Radford |
½ - ½ 0 - 1 ½ - ½ 0 - 1 |
Jim Friar Craig Evans Frank Pickett Maurice Bissell |
| Result | 1 - 3 | Played 26 September | |
| Match report from Jim Friar and Mrak Hore. A good start to the Knight's campaign, Jim reports that it was probably the quickest match he has played in. On board 2 Jason Cole sacrificed a piece for some play, which Craig Evans defended and later Jason left a mate on. On the bottom board, pieces flew all over the place as both sides attacked with vigour. Terry Radford missed a tactic which led to an elegant mate with a bishop by Maurice Bissell. Frank Pickett won a pawn in the middle game, but with some excellent defence by David Richardson he was unable to capitalise his advantage. Finally, board 1 agreed a draw with equal material. | |||
| Headless Cross - Redditch 1 | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Ashley Davis Glen Cox Jason Cole Dave Richardson |
1 - 0 0 - 1 1 - 0 1 - 0 |
Tom Robinson Rob Mitchell Andrew Wiggins Rob Bricknell |
| Result | 3 - 1 | Played 3 October | |
| Match report Mark Hore and Tom Robinson | |||
| Redditch I - Malvern | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Tom Robinson Jason Cole Dave Spowart Rob Bricknell |
½ - ½ 0 - 1 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 |
Brian Turner Geoffrey Herbert Tony Shaw Barry Stone |
| Result | 2 - 2 | Played 11 October | |
| Match reported by Brian Turner. | |||
| Worcester Bishops - Kidderminster Knights | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Peter Kitson Nick Harris Ray Collett Jim Keene |
½ - ½ ½ - ½ 0 - 1 ½ - ½ |
John Wrench Charles Higgie Frank Pickett Maurice Bissell |
| Result | 1½ - 2½ | Played 13 October | |
| Match reported by Jim Friar. Kidderminster board 4 player's name corrected 20 Oct. | |||
| Worcester Bishops - Malvern | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Peter Kitson Nick Harris Ray Collett Jim Keene |
½ - ½ 0 - 1 0 - 1 ½ - ½ |
Brian Turner Geoffrey Herbert Ian Clarke John Knee |
| Result | 1 - 3 | Played 20 October | |
| Match reported by Ray Collett. | |||
| Headless Cross - Malvern | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Ashley Davis Dave Richardson Terry Radford G Hunter |
0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 |
Brian Turner Geoffrey Herbert Ian Clarke Tony Shaw |
| Result | Played 31 October | ||
| Match reported by Brian Turner. | |||
| Malvern - Kidderminster Knights | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Brian Turner Geoffrey herbert Ian Clarke John Knee |
1 - 0 0 - 1 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ |
Jim Friar Charles Higgie Frank Pickett Maurice Bissell |
| Result | 2 - 2 | Played 18 November | |
| Match reported by Jim Friar and Brian Turner. |
|||
| Worcester Bishops - Redditch 1 | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Steve Mellor Peter Kitson Nick Harris Ray Collett |
1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 ½ - ½ |
Tom Robinson Rob Mitchell Rob Bricknell Andrew Wiggins |
| Result | 3½ - ½ | Played 1 December | |
| Match reported by Ray Collett. For this match, Worcester mustered its top line-up. Nick Harris, Worcester, was the first to finish. During complications he won two pieces for a few pawns and finished cleanly. Shortly before the end of the first session, the players on board 4 agreed a draw after Collett failed to press home a slight initiative. This was followed by Kitson's win on board 2 to make sure of the match. The top board struggle lasted into the dying minutes of the final session. After Mellor's trademark Caro-Kan Defence, the game entered a blocked middlegame position. By the time both players had entered the "five minute zone" before the second time control and were no longer writing moves, material was still equal with all major pieces on the board. Mellor had an initiative with rooks teed up along a semi-open file and his queen had penetrated Robinson's back lines. A flurry of moves led to a rook and multi-pawn ending where Mellor marched his king across the board to gain a queen-side pawn. While Mellor's king was absent, Robinson's rook swallowed all three of Mellor's king-side pawns. Making instant moves, both sides' pawns marched to promotion with Mellor winning that race. Mellor had seen that Robinson's king was on the same file as the new queen and an x-ray check captured her. Robinson resigned with both players having fewer than two minutes on their clocks. | |||
| Kidderminster Knights - Redditch I | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Jim Friar John Wrench Frank Pickett Maurice Bissell |
0 - 1 1 - 0 ½ - ½ 0 - 1 |
Tom Robinson Rob Mitchell Dave Spowart Rob Bricknell |
| Result | 1½ - 2½ | Played 4 January | |
| Match reported by Jim Friar. | |||
| Malvern - Redditch I | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Brian Turner Geoffrey Herbert Ian Clarke John Knee |
½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0 ½ - ½ |
Tom Robinson Dave Spowart Rob Bricknell Jason Cole |
| Result | 2½ - 1½ | Played 13 January | |
| Match reported by Tom Robinson and Brian Turner. | |||
| Kidderminster Knights - Headless Cross | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
John Wrench Frank Pickett Maurice Bissell Mark Riley |
0 - 1 1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 |
Ashley Davis Dave Richardson Terry Radford Mark Hore |
| Result | 3 - 1 | Played 25 January | |
| Match reported by Mark Hore and JimFriar. | |||
| Malvern - Worcester Bishops | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Brian Turner Geoffrey herbert John Knee Tony Shaw |
½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½ |
Peter Kitson Nick Harris Jim Keene Ray Collett |
| Result | 2 - 2 | Played 27 January | |
| Match reports from Brian Turner & Ray Collett. Brian says it was more exciting than it looks! Collett agreed a draw in a in endgame where he had an initiative advantage in time thinking his Board one was winning. Computer anaysis, however, suggests best defence secures the draw | |||
| Headless Cross - Worcester Bishops | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Ashley Davis Terry Radford Mark Hore Ron Thompson |
1 - 0 ½ - ½ 0 - 1 0 - 1 |
Steve Mellor Peter Kitson Nick Harris Ray Collett |
| Result | 1½ - 2½ | Played 6 February | |
| Match report from Ray Collett. On paper it should have been an easy victory for the bishops. Indeed it looked that way after about an hour's play. Collett taking advantage of a slip had smashed his opponent's king side, while Harris and Kitson had large material advantages. Only on top board was Ashley Davis holding firm for Headless Cross. Collett won first after forcing a favourable king and pawn ending, but then Kitson blundered to hand a draw to Hore. Nick Harris made good the match for Worcester while the board 1 tussle continued. After the time control players had three minor pieces, rook and five pawns each in a complex position. Mellor had an intiative and engineered a pawn grab, but by the players were down to their last five minutes. In the ensuing scramble, Mellor won two pieces for a rook and then a pawn, but Davis moved quickly, avoided knight forks and Mellor's flag fell to give Headless Cross their sole victory of the night. | |||
| Kidderminster Knights - Worcester Bishops | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
John Wrench Craig Evans Jim Friar (Snr) Frank Pickett |
0 - 1 1 - 0 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ |
Peter Kitson Steve Mellor Nick Harris Ray Collett |
| Result | 2 - 2 | Played 15 February | |
| Match reported by Jim Friar and Ray Collett. This crucial match might determine the league championship with both teams just behind Malvern in the table. The score line suits Malvern! The evening began inauspiciously for Worcester with their board 2 was missing. Worcester's number 2 arrived late, but started with a massive time-deficit. First to finish was the draw on board 3 where the players had a balanced Indian formation. Board 2 went to Kidderminster's new player Craig Evans a few moves after the Kidderminster player had offered a draw. The other two games saw time scrambles. Peter Kitson continued his good form and exploited an oversight. On bottom board, Ray Collett had mishandled the defence of a Sicialian Grand Prix Attack, but his opponent's pieces lacked courage to follow through. The Worcester player developed his own attack and a tactical motif on h3 led to a wide-open game where white's king was chased to the centre. Collett was short of time and allowed exchanges resulting in a rook and opposite coloured bishop ending but refused the offer of a draw. After the first time control Collett blundered a pawn, and Pickett played on but overlooked a tactical move that gained Collett a pawn on g2. In the final minute there was a flurry of checks and both players feared they would lose on time. This time they were happy to agree the draw so drawing the match. | |||
| Redditch 1 - Worcester Bishops | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Tom Robinson Rob Mitchell Dave Spowart Andrew Wiggins |
0 - 1 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0 |
Peter Kitson Nick Harris Andrew Farthing Roger Yates |
| Result | 2 - 2 | Played 28 February | |
| Match reported by Andrew Farthing. | |||
| Kidderminster Knights - Malvern | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Jim Friar Craig Evans Maurice Bissell Dave Close |
0 - 1 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½ |
Brian Turner Ian Clarke Geoffrey Herbert John Knee |
| Result | 1½ - 2½ | Played 14 March | |
| Match reported by Jim Friar and Brian Turner with notes from Brian. The lower two boards ended quietly with balanced weaknesses on board 4 and no creative possibilities for either player on board 3. The upper boards were very hard-fought. Ian Clarke held out in an inferior endgame against Craig Evans, but the match was decided in a truly chaotic game on board 1 in which Jim Friar's sterling defensive efforts in the middle game eventually shown to be just insufficient to survive in a tense endgame | |||
| Malvern - Headless Cross | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Brian Turner Ian Clarke Geoffrey Herbert John Knee |
½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 |
Ashleigh Davis Terry Radford Mark Hore Ron Thompson |
| Result | 3½ - ½ | Played 30 March | |
| Match reported by Brian Turner. Redditch beat Headless Cross 2.5-1.5 1. Robert Mitchell 0-1 Ashley Davis 2. Andrew Wiggins 0.5-0.5 David Richardson 3. Giles Stanton 1-0 Mark Hore 4. Irena Amelkina 1-0 John Holmberg | |||
| Redditch 1 - Headless Cross | Division 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Home team | Score | Away team |
| 1 2 3 4 |
Robert Mitchell Andrew Wiggins Giles Stanton Irena Amelkina |
0 - 1 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0 |
Ashley Davis David Richardson Mark Hore John Holmberg |
| Result | 2½ - 1½ | Played 17 April | |
| Match reported by Tom Robinson. | |||