The winner of the 2025–26 Colin Roberts Memorial Trophy has been chosen. It is Oswestry player Gary Slegg, whose victory over Edmund Stell in the London League Congress was the judges’ choice.
One judge said: “It’s quite powerful and shows how one mistake can unravel a position. It also shows Gary following a plan through to a conclusion without any inaccuracies or mistakes, which in the moment of a game isn’t always easy to do. I just really enjoyed watching this one unfold as he smashes open the position and checkmates his opponent.”
Another commented: “This was a very exciting match that exploded with a great move of the knight. This gave White a real advantage. However, it was not finished. White had to play some really good moves, including sacrificing a rook. It was so easy for White to have gone wrong and ended up worse off.”
Arrangements will now be made to present the trophy, which is a brilliancy prize for the best over-the-board game by a Shropshire player during the season.
Gary’s game was the top choice of two of the three judges and the runner-up choice of the third.
The judges were Daniel Lockett, Keith Butler, and Steve Wilson, chosen to provide input from players representing the full span of Shropshire league divisions.
Gary’s game, along with the other entries, is available to play through on Lichess.