BDCL Div 2 28/11/2013: Shirley & Wythall v Wolverhampton

BDCL Div 2: 

               Shirley & Wythall vs Wolverhampton

David Thomas (151)         1 – 0    Mike Townsend (187)

John Freeman (148)        0 – 1    Parminder Sanghera (e187)

Louis Rawson (143)         0 – 1    Dave Wightman (165)

Peter McGuirk (141)       0 – 1    Phil Bull (154)

Robert Purcell (140)    0.5 – 0.5 Jonathan Hunt (153)

Gordon Christie (133) 0.5 – 0.5 Frank Wood (151)

Wolverhampton went to table-topping Shirley & Wythall with high hopes, bringing a full strength team for only the second time this season.  However, three of the team arrived substantially late due to unprecedented traffic.  In a fine display of sportsmanship by the hosts, the start was delayed for as long as possible and so the minimum time disadvantage was experienced by the affected parties.  Once play began, Phil Bull quickly went a piece up and managed to treble his opponent’s pawns in return for an attack on the white king that was quickly neutralised.  Parminder Sanghera gained a pawn and began to build an attack against the black kingside.  With the time control looming, Frank Wood went a pawn down, but Jonathan Hunt went a pawn up.  Phil Bull exchanged into a won ending and Parminder Sanghera’s attack broke through shortly afterwards for the second win of the night in quick succession.  Jonathan Hunt agreed a draw but, emerging from a time scramble a piece ahead, Dave Wightman was able to win to secure the match.  Frank Wood recovered the pawn to draw on Board 6, leaving just Mike Townsend to finish.  He had sacrificed two pawns for an attack on the white king but, when the defences held, the game was lost for an overall score of 4 – 2 to the visitors on the night.  The win pushes Wolverhampton up the league table and, more importantly, greatly relieves the concerns over potential relegation.  Thanks are due to Shirley & Wythall for bearing with the late arrivals, and for some tightly contested matches.  Good luck for the rest of the season.

By Dave Wightman

BDCL Div 2 14/11/2013: Wolverhampton v Sutton Coldfield

BDCL Div 2 Wolverhampton vs Sutton Coldfield

Mike Townsend (187)                 1 – 0     Marek Soszynski (162)

Dave Wightman (165)                 1 – 0     Glenn Windows (146)

Phil Bull (154)                            1 – 0      Arthur Kent (132)

Jonathan Hunt (151)                   1 – 0      Keith Lawson (131)

Peter Pearson-Jones (140)         0.5 – 0.5 Chris East (129)

Peter Griffith (Ung)                     1 – 0     Default

                                                  5.5 – 0.5

Wolverhampton, looking for a return to form following back-to-back indifferent performances, were buoyed by receiving a head start in the form of a default on Board 6.  With the additional advantage of nearly 20 grading points per board, the team soon moved ahead.  Dave Wightman and Jonathan Hunt won early pawns, with Jonathan developing a strong attack.  Phil Bull sacrificed a bishop for two pawns in order to break through to the black king.  In the end a 5 -2 pawn majority on the kingside proved to be unstoppable.  Mike Townsend won a rook for a bishop and Dave Wightman went a further pawn ahead, winning shortly afterwards.  Jonathan Hunt broke through to win and Peter Pearson-Jones agreed a draw in a gridlocked position, leaving Mike Townsend to close out the match for a 5.5 – 0.5 win.  Thanks are due to Sutton Coldfield for some interesting matches and good luck for the rest of the season.

By Dave Wightman

BDCL Div 2 28/10/2013: S Birmingham A v Wolverhampton A

BDCL Div 2 – South Birmingham A vs Wolverhampton

Martin Smyth (162)                1 – 0     Dave Wightman (165)

Tim Lane (159)                      0.5 – 0.5  Phil Bull (154)

Simon Williams (158)             1 – 0      Jonathan Hunt (153)

Aloysius Lip (148)                 0.5 – 0.5  Frank Wood (151)

Paul Swatridge (140)            0.5 – 0.5  Phil Porter (136)

Derek Stockhall (134)           0.5 – 0.5   Gordon Sands (120)

                                               4 – 2

South Birmingham A and Wolverhampton were both sitting comfortably in mid-table prior to this encounter.  Frank Wood was the first to break ranks, with a complex position in the centre seeming to give both sides some sharp attacking chances.  Phil Porter suffered the embarrassment of having his mobile go off during the game but, in another display of good sportsmanship, his opponent did not claim the game and a draw was agreed shortly afterwards.  Gordon Sands went a pawn down, but built a strong attack against the white king.  Jonathan Hunt succumbed to a well executed mating attack, putting the match score at 1.5 – 0.5 to the home side.  Frank Wood’s position grew progressively more complex, while Gordon Sands recovered the pawn and Phil Bull drew.  Frank Wood reached the end game a rook for bishop and pawn up, but with shattered pawns on both sides and facing lots of counter play.  Dave Wightman’s centre collapsed, putting the match position to 3 – 1, but Wolverhampton were unable to convert either of the two remaining games, agreeing draws in both cases.  Thanks to South Birmingham for some interesting games, and good luck for the rest of the season.

By  Dave Wightman

Rock Cup Round 1 success for Dave Wightman

Tues 15 Oct 2013

Rock Cup Round 1:

Steve Heath (117) vs Dave Wightman (165)

Dave Wightman travelled to Rugeley with some trepidation, to open this year's  assault on the Rock Cup, having gone out of the competition at the same stage last year.  As a result, he was probably unnecessarily cautious in the opening, which led to a modest space and development advantage as white, but nothing concrete.  As the middle game developed, black enjoyed attacking chances against the advanced white centre and sacrificed a pawn in order to build up a dangerous attack.  With the white king still trapped in the centre, black centralised his rooks and then sacrificed a piece in order to break the position open.  In the ensuing carnage, white was fortunate to emerge unmated and with a rook for bishop material advantage.  The position remained complicated but, with time running out, black misplaced a rook and resigned immediately.  However, the narrowness of the winning margin belied the theoretical grading differential in what was in reality a very closely fought game.  Thanks to Steve for an excellent game and good luck in the Bidgood Cup.

By Dave Wightman

County Chess : Wolverhampton Chess Club members

Sat 05 Oct 2013

County Match – Greater Manchester vs Staffordshire

Dave Wightman took part in Staffordshire’s first county match of the season away at Greater Manchester.  The teams were very evenly matched and so a close contest was in prospect.  Dave got the better of the opening, as black, and left white with an isolated pawn in the centre.  However, he was unable to capitalise on the position and could never bring sufficient pieces to bear on this structural weakness.  Over time, white was able to stabilise and eventually dominate the centre and, with the time control approaching, he broke through to win the exchange, albeit at the cost of the lone pawn.

Dave held on, blockading the centre with his bishop pair and preventing white’s rooks from getting into the position.  As white manoeuvred for the win, his clock ticked down to a dangerous position, at which point the draw was agreed.  This was one of eight draws.  There were wins for David Anderton, John Staniforth and David Pritchard but, with a total of five losses, the match was lost 9 – 7.  Well done to Greater Manchester for some fine games played, and to the caterers for a fine spread including a wide selection of cakes.

By Dave Wightman

BDCL Div 2 10/10/2013: Wolverhampton battle against South Birmingham B

BDCL Div 2 Wolverhampton vs South Birmingham B

10 October 2013

Mike Townsend (187)   1 – 0      Faraz Malik (152)

Dave Wightman (165)    1 – 0      Ralf Weber (151)

Phil Bull (154)                0 – 1      Sean Ralph (151)

Frank Wood (151)        0.5 – 0.5  Terry Walker (149)

Phil Porter (136)            0.5 – 0.5   Mark Drugan (148)

Gordon Sands (120)      0 – 1       Derek Stockhall (134) 

                                                3 – 3

Wolverhampton’s third match began badly, with Gordon Sands going an early pawn down and losing quite quickly.  The remaining games remained level for much of the evening.  Dave Wightman eventually managed to convert a superior pawn structure into a pawn advantage and was able to close out the win to level the match.  Mike Townsend went a pawn ahead in the run up to the first time control, but this advantage was neutralised soon afterwards.  Phil Porter went a pawn ahead, as did Phil Bull, leading to some optimism of a positive result to the match as the second time control approached.  Mike Townsend finally managed to win on Board 1, in a multiple passed pawn ending.  Frank Wood drew but Phil Porter was unable to queen the last remaining pawn and the game ended in a draw.  So, 3 – 2 ahead and a pawn up in the ending of the last match,  Phil Bull was unlucky to miss a key defensive move which allowed one of the black passed pawns to queen and the game was lost.  A 3 - 3 draw on the night, which was probably a fair result given the similarity in grades between the teams, leaves Wolverhampton comfortably mid table.  Thanks to South Birmingham for some interesting games and good luck for the rest of the season.

By Dave Wightman

WDCL Div 1 match 1 23/09/2013 at West Bromwich

		Match Number:			102
		Date:			Mon 23/09/2013
		West Bromwich			Wolverhampton A
1	190	Walker Nick A			Townsend Michael P	187
2	174	Crump John E	1	Def	Sanghera Parminder
3	152	Davies Dave M	0.5	0.5	Wightman Dave R	164
4	138	Wesson Geoff			Bull Phil	157
5	132	Uddin Moin	0	1	Hunt Jonathan B	153
6	98	Bryant Carlos	1	0	Wood Frank (Cap)	151
	884		2.5	1.5		812

Wolverhampton went to West Bromwich for the first match of the new campaign, but got off to the worst possible start when their Board 2 player failed to turn up.  Nonetheless, they enjoyed a significant grading advantage on four of the five boards played and so hopes remained high that a result might still be obtained.  Frank Wood started well, winning a pawn, and Mike Townsend soon followed suit on Board 1, but the remaining games remained evenly poised for much of the evening.  Jonathan Hunt finally broke through on Board 5 to level the match but, shortly afterwards, Frank Wood succumbed to a knight fork of king and rook and the West Bromwich lead was restored.  Dave Wightman drew on Board 3, leaving the score at 2.5 – 1.5, so a draw and a win was required from the remaining two games in order to secure a match point.  Unfortunately, in a bishop and pawn ending on Board 4, white was able to push through a passed pawn and force a bishop for pawn exchange.  The resulting adjourned position will require some careful defence from either side.  Mike Townsend adjourned still a pawn ahead, but in a complicated position.  Good luck to West Bromwich for the rest of the season.

By Dave Wightman

BDCL Div 2 match at Boldmere.

BDCL Div2 Boldmere St. Michaels vs Wolverhampton

K. Thomas (166)      0 – 1 M. Townsend (187)

J. Fagan (165)           0 – 1 P. Sanghera (e185)

A. Hickey (161)        0 – 1 D. Wightman (165)

A. Lake (153)            1 – 0 P. Bull (154)

L. Tsoi (151)              1 – 0 J. Hunt (153)

L. Bennett (146)     0 – 1 F. Wood (151)

                                     2 – 4

Wolverhampton went to north Birmingham for the second match in the 2013 – 14 campaign, still looking for their first points following a narrow defeat by Olton in their first game. Dave Wightman won an early pawn in the centre as black, but all games remained evenly balanced well into the middle game.  Frank Wood developed a promising attack on Board 6, while Parminder Sanghera secured a protected passed pawn on the queen side.  Frank Wood was able to convert his advantage whereas, on Board 5, Jonathan Hunt succumbed to a sharp combination. Parminder Sanghera went a pawn up, breaking through on the queenside, while Dave Wightman gained a knight but only as a result of a sacrifice which completely exposed the black king.

Mike Townsend edged a pawn ahead in a complex position on Board 1. Dave Wightman managed to weather the onslaught and, once his king was had escaped to the relative safety of the queenside, Board 3 was won.  Phil Bull succumbed to a neat mating combination on Board 4, brought about by a rook pair on the seventh rank, to leave the match poised at 2 - 2.  Mike Townsend was eventually able to force the extra pawn through to win, but Parminder Sanghera had lost his passed pawn and was facing a seemingly drawn position.  However, he battled on and was eventually able to snatch another pawn, which proved decisive as his opponent’s time drained away.  4 – 2 on the night and Wolverhampton’s campaign is under way.  Thanks are due to Boldmere for some interesting matches, and good luck to them for the rest of the season.

By Dave Wightman

Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 Champions

Wolverhampton Summer League News 19/07/2013 : Wolverhampton WSL Div 2 Champions 2013 (4rth consecutive year).

Conngratulations Captain Gordon Sands and his team. Peter Pearson Jones, Jonathan B Hunt, Phil Porter, Gordon Sands, Geoff Rosser.

Wolverhampton Chess Club : Chess in The Park/Sun 2013

Wolverhampton Show 2013 : Chess in the Park.

Sat 13 & Sun 14 July 2013 11am til 6pm, Wolverhampton, West Park, (entrance gate 3 Lansdowne Rd WV1 4AL. Chess stall on field 3 on the right opposite entrance).

Wow what a scorcher on possibly the hottest weekend in years!

Wolverhampton Chess Club's fifth consecutive year at the huge and ever popular Wolverhampton, City Show. Chess in The Park 2013 turned out to be be the best ever!

Don't miss Chess in The Park and the ultimate outdoor Chess Experience all being well next year at the Wolverhampton Show 2014.

Chess In The Park 2013 what a scorcher on possibly the hottest weekend in years; Chess in The Sun! A total contrast to last year's
cold, wet weather and Chess in the mud. 

Giant Chess, Standard, Time odds (public had at least double time!),
displays and the New Midland Counties Chess Union (MCCU) CEO
Ray Dolan attended , played the public and supported Chess in the
Park/Sun on both days!

A massive thankyou to you all and well done Wolverhampton Chess Club
for making another year of Chess in The Park 2013 a reality. Chess to
the masses and tremendous fun and enjoyment
ofthe great game of Chess.

Thank you to all the members of the public who visited our stall and enjoyed the outdoor chess experience.  Also a special thank you to Dave Wightman for printing posters, flyers etc and giving feedback,  those who set up/dismantled, to Richard as he drove from Sheffield in a hire car to support Chess in the Park, Ray Dolan MCCU CEO and wife Eunice and the many members  Frank Wood, Barry Lewis,  Phil Porter, Peter Pearson Jones, Peter Tudor,  Gordon Sands,  Dave Wightman and finally those members who helped or just turned  up in support Phil Bull, Tomasz Sygnowski, Parminder Sanghera.   

Great to see everyone. Hope to see you all soon at Wolverhampton Chess Club!

(Chess in The Park /Sun 2013 gallery will appear soon.