Worcester & District Chess League

Matches in chronological order

Malvern - Redditch			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Geoff Marchant Leigh Canham John Knee Matthew Jordan	½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½	Dan Lambourne Nigel Towers Glen Cox Peter Seeley
	Result	2 - 2	Played 20 Oct
Reported by Dan Lambourne. Seeley had an extra rook but was facing a knight and two very advanced pawns for it. Luckily he found a perpetual and was the first to finish. Meanwhile Cox and Knee agreed a draw in a locked position. On board 2 both players had only 5 minutes for their remaining 15 moves, but both emerged unscathed and agreed a draw after the time control in an equal position.. Lambourne blundered a pawn, but got a strong attack to recover material only to blunder another. After sacrificing a knight for two passed pawns in a time scramble, both players wanted out and agreed a draw.

Redditch A - Worcester Bishops			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Dan Lambourne Jon Vaughan Nigel Towers Glen Cox	½ - ½ 1 - 0 ½ - ½ 1 - 0	Peter Kitson Stephen Mellor Ray Collett Rob Sutton
	Result	3 - 1	Played 31 Oct
Reported by Dan Lambourne and Ray Collett. Worcester were without their regular captain and suffered without him. On board 1, Lambourne intended a King's Indian Defence, but Kitson's unusual move order soon led to a Pirc. Kitson obtained pressure in the middlegame, but Lambourne equalised. The Redditch player missed a chance to go ahead and nearly overpushed but was able to bail out to a drawn ending. Board 2 looked promising for Worcester for much of the game, but Vaughan took advantage of a slip in time trouble to gain a win. Collett played solidly against Towers' Caro Kann Defence and players agreed a draw by repetition. On board 4, Cox developed a powerful attack against Sutton's uncastled king to gain material and force a rook ending pawns up. This Redditch victory complements their B team's win last week and sees Redditch A top after a fine start to the season.

Redditch A - Kidderminster Knights			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Dan Lambourne John Vaughan Nigel Towers Glen Cox	½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0	Joe Watson Maurice Bissell David Close Dave Spowart
	Result	3½ - ½	Played 14 Nov
Reported by: Dan Lambourne

Kidderminster Knights - Malvern			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Joe Watson John Wrench Maurice Bissell David Close	0 - 1 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½	Lee Davis Ian Clarke John Knee Matthew Jordan
	Result	1½ - 2½	Played 22 Nov
Reported by John Knee: On board 1, Lee got pressure on the queen side and won material. Board 2 saw a bishop against knight ending, but careful defence gave Wrench a draw. Jardan and Close played a typical game in the classical Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defence and black achieved a draw. The final game to finish was on board 3 where Knee, although a pawn ahead offered Bissell a draw to secure the match points.

Malvern - Worcester Bishops			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Brian Turner Geoff Marchamt John Knee Matthew Jordan	½ - ½ 1 - 0 ½ - ½ 1 - 0	Alistair Macnaughton Jim Keene Ed Osbourn Rob Sutton
	Result	3 - 1	Played 15 Dec
Reported by John Knee & Jim Keene. Board 4 finished first putting Malvern a point up when Jordan won a piece. Next game to finish was on top board where players agreed a draw in a blocked position with bishops on opposite coloured squares. Keene faced an aggressive attack against his Scilian Defenceand Marchant applied sustained pressure throughout and the game ended on time with white having the better of the game and a slight material advantage. Knee and Osbourn fought to a knight and pawn ending and Osbourn's accurate defence secured the draw with three pawns against the knight..

Kidderminster Knights - Stourbridge A			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	John Wrench Joe Watson Maurice Bissell Dave Close	0 - 1 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½	Zibi Koncki Paul Sharratt Julie Wilson Sam Bradley
	Result	1½ - 2½	Played 20 Dec
Reported by Paul Sharratt and Joe Watson: Postponed from a week earlier because of snow.

Stourbridge A - Worcester Bishops			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Zbigniew Koncki Sam Bradley Tony Shaw Jeremy Humphries	0 - 1 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0	Peter Kitson Stephen Mellor Jim Keene Rob Sutton
	Result	2 - 2	Played 10 Jan
Reported by Jim Keene:

Worcester Bishops - Malvern			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Peter Kitson Nick Harris Jim Keene Ray Collett	½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½ 0 - 1	Brian Turner Leigh Canahm John Knee Matthew Jordan
	Result	1½ - 2½	Played 25 Jan
Reported by John Knee.

Kidderminster Knights - Redditch A			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Joseph Friar Joe Watson John Wrench Maurice Bissell	0 - 1 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½	Jonathan Vaughan Nigel Towers Glen Cox Steve Crockett
	Result	1½ - 2½	Played 31 Jan
Reported by Nigel Towers & Dan Lambourne. Joe Watson played the Catalan with an early g3 and Nigel exchanged his dark squared bishop for the knight on c3. When watson started pushing the queen-side pawns it allowed Towers to lock the centre. With neither player able advance pawns, a draw was agreed. On baord 2, another draw was agreed in a blocked position. Bissell played the London System and Crockett held him to a draw. Board 1 also saw a London System, but an unusual variation of it. Friar pushed his pawn to e4, but later on missed a combination that allowed his opponent win it. Vaughan continued his attack and Friar went short on time and when Jon won another pawn his opponent resigned to give anaway win.

Worcester Bishops - Stourbridge A			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Peter Kitson Stephen Mellor Nick Harris Jim Keene	1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 ½ - ½	David Scriven Paul Sharratt Julie Wilson Tony Shaw
	Result		Played 1 Feb
Reported by Ray Collett: The evening ended with a time scramble on board 3. Harris, with more time and an advantage made sure of a full point.

Malvern - Stourbridge A			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Lee Davis Geoff Marchant Ian Clarke John Knee	½ - ½ 1 - 0 0 - 1 ½ - ½	Dave Scriven Paul Sharratt Hossam Aboushady Tony Shaw
	Result	2 - 2	Played 23 Feb
Reported by John Knee. Scriven worked up an advantage against Lee, but the Malvern player was able to hold a slightly inferior ending. Marchant won by pressing in the centre and got a winning position with major pieces on the seventh rank. Aboushady had bishops against knights in a fairly equal ending and profitted from a blunder at the end. Although Knee got a spacial advantage over his former team-mate on board 4, Shaw was able to exchange pieces to a drawn position.

Worcester Bishops - Redditch A			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Peter Kitson Stephen Mellor Nick Harris Alistair Macnaughton	½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0	Dan Lambourne Nigel Towers Steve Crockett Rob Bricknell
	Result	3 - 1	Played 15 Mar
Reported by Ray Collett and Dan Lambourne. Board 1 was agreed drawn after reaching the time control. While the draw was being considered, Harris beat Crockett. Macnaughton went into the end game with a better position. His opponent missed the most accurate defence and Macnaughton converted. Mellor defended a poor position and short of time, Towers walked into a perpetual.

Malvern - Kidderminster Knights			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Dominic Goodwin Leigh Canham Matthew Jordan Miroslaw Woron	1 - 0 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 0 - 1	Joe Watson John Chester David Close Clive Billinge
	Result	2½ - 1½	Played 23 Mar
Reported by John Knee. On board 1 Goodman established a strong position, won the exchange and penetrated with major pieces forcing his opponet's king into the open. The board 2 game was quiet only a pair of minor pieces being exchanged before the draw was agreed. On board 3, Jordan had to advance his centre pawns. His opponent's king became exposed, and Jordan won a piece with a fork. Woron playing his first game for Malvern won the exchange, but an inaccuracy allowed Billinge to stage an effective queen-side counter-attack.

Stourbridge A - Kidderminster Knights			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Julie Wilson Sam Bradley Tony Shaw Richard Wikinson	0 - 1 ½ - ½ 0 - 1 0 - 1	Joe Watson John Wrench James Friar David Close
	Result	1 - 3	Played 28 Mar
Reported by John Wrench

Worcester Bishops - Kidderminster Knights			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Peter Kitson Nick Harris Jim Keene Phil Smith	1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 0 - 1	Joe Friar David Waud Alan Preece David Close
	Result	3 - 1	Played 5 Apr
Reported by David Close and Jim Keene:

Redditch A - Malvern			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Dan Lambourne John Vaughan Nigel Towers Glen Cox	½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0	Lee Davis Geoff Marchant Ian Clarke John Knee
	Result	2½ - 1½	Played 10 Apr
Reported by John Knee and Dan Lambourne. Redditch having won the National Club Championships Intermediate Plate over the weekend, put a strong side out for their top of the table clash with Malvern. All games were close. On Board 1 Davis had a strong initiative at one stage, but lost the advantage in the time scramble at the end of the session. Marchant pressed for a win in the endgame. Althought winning a pawn, the simplified position allowed Vaugan to draw. Clarke had queen side pressure, but had to be content with a draw. In the decisive game, Cox had pressure throughout. He took control of the centre and won material in the endgame and then the game.

Kidderminster Knights - Worcester Bishops			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	John Wrench Maurice Bissell David Waud John Gittus	1 - 0 0 - 1 ½ - ½ ½ - ½	Ed Osbourne Peter Kitson Alistair Macnaughton Rob Sutton
	Result	2 - 2	Played 11 Apr
Reported by Peter Kitson. Osbourn blundered in the opening losing a piece. Although he conjured up some attack, John defended coolly, and that game was the first to finish. Macnaughton sacrificed a pawn early on for attacking prospects and open lines for his pieces but shattered pawns. Activity compensated for material and position and agreed a draw in a level simplified position with the queens still on. On board 4 there was a chaotic game. At one stage, Sutton was two pawns up with an unacceptable knight pseudo-sacrifice, but later he was struggling and agreed a draw in a materially level knight v. bishop endgame. Kitson defended a Queen's Pawn Bishop Game with an early exchange of queens. Both players had doubled pawns and Kitson mobilized his Q-side pawn mass to win the game. Scores on boards 1 and 2 corrected 13 Apr.

Redditch A - Stourbridge A			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Dan Lambourne Jon Vaughan Nigel Towers Glenn Cox	½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0	Nic Fallowfield Paul Sharratt Hossam Abou-Shaady Jeremy Humphries
	Result	3 - 1	Played 17 Apr
Reported by Paul Sharratt & Dan Lambourne. Redditch were in good mood, buoyed by the news from the previous night that Stourbridge's loss in Birmingham Division 2, had given Redditch promotion to Division 1 for the first time in several years and a play-off chance to win Birmingham Division 2. Stourbridge, at least had the consolation of winning the Terrill Trophy last week. Board 1 equalised very quickly, and Lambourne was offered the draw, but he got up to find board 2 slightly in favour of Stourbridge, and board 3 slightly in favour of Redditch, with board 4 level, so he played on. Towers converted his extra pawn advantage to a win. Sharratt was unable to convert his advantage and walked into a perpetual because he couldn't work out if escaping it walked into a trap. Board 1 hadn't changed, but on seeing board 4's positional advantage, Lambourne offered the draw, so that he could watch Cox win with an exchange sacrifice leading to mate.

Stourbridge A - Malvern			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Nic Fallowfield Julie Wilson Hossam Abou-Shaady Richard Wilkinson	0 - 1 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0	Geoff Marchant John Knee Matthew Jordan Michael Butcher
	Result	2½ - 1½	Played 25 Apr
Reported by John Knee. With several strong players unavailable, Malvern suffered a second close defeat. On board 1 Marchant attacked on the queen's wing and in the centre encouraging a tactical error from his opponent. Board 2 saw a carefully played game. Wilson gained a slight advantage of of bishops against bishop and knight, but a draw as agreed as the time control approached. Abou Shady benefitted from a tactical error and gained material. Wilkinson won a pawn and weathered a counter attack to win

Stourbridge A - Redditch A			Division 1
Board	Home team	Score	Away team
1 2 3 4	Paul Sharratt Julie Wilson Sam Bradley Eric Horwill	½ - ½ 0 - 1 ½ - ½ 1 - 0	Dan Lambourne Nigel Towers Glenn Cox David Smith
	Result	2 - 2	Played 30 Apr
Reported by Paul Sharratt and Dan Lambourne. Time scrambles provided the excitement. Lambourne turned down the chance to exchange bishop for three pawns to make the game interesting. Towers had only a few seconds for 10 moves yet contrived to win on time. Board 4 was a huge ding dong . Horwill had more time , but lost the exchange. His opponent tried to win with much less time on the clock and walked into a mate.