Peter Kitchen

Shropshire & Friends have given themselves a huge chance to avoid relegation from division three west of the Four Nations Chess League after securing two crucial victories. Coming into the latest weekend at Daventry bottom of the table, Charles Lowick Higgie’s side beat fellow strugglers MK Phoenix 2 5-1 on the Saturday before dispatching higher-rated […]

A ruthless display from Telford A saw them clinch promotion back to the top flight of Shropshire Chess League for the first time in five years. The Dawley-based side whitewashed a Newport B side with ambitions of reaching the top two themselves to rack up a 10th win in 10 division two matches.  It means

The race to become the chess champions of Shropshire has taken a few extra twists and turns – after both of the top two failed to win their matches. Defending champions and current leaders Maddocks A were surprisingly held to a 2.5-2.5 draw by bottom-of-the-table Telepost B. But that came a couple of days after

Shropshire’s chess-playing community has been left saddened following the death of former county elite player Ray Cox. Ray’s best achievements included being part of four title-winning Shrewsbury teams in the 1970s – the first success of which dates back more than 50 years. Despite spending several years away from the game, he returned to Shrewsbury

A tournament for junior players is returning to the Shropshire chess calendar for the first time in almost a decade, it has been revealed.  Shropshire Junior Chess Congress will be the latest chance for aspiring young players to show off their talent and gain valuable experience and is another short in the arm of the

They used to be a fixture in every chess club in the country – but much like the compact disc, video cassette and typewriter they’ve become obsolete today. The constant ticking of analogue chess clocks amid the surroundings of an otherwise-silent playing hall was a sound many of today’s chess players grew up with. But

Teenager Sam Hollands was the county’s shining light as he won one of the top prizes at Shropshire Chess Congress. The 14-year-old, who plays for the Shrewsbury-based Telepost club, shared first place in the Minor section of the competition – an especially impressive performance considering it was his first ever weekend tournament. Hollands won his

A record-breaking entry is helping this year’s Shropshire Minor Individual Chess Championship to be the most competitive yet. A number of first-time entrants are included in the field of 21 players – and two of them are right up there among the early pacesetters.  Telepost’s James Holyhead is the current outright leader with a perfect

Telford Chess Club is taking Shropshire Chess League division two by storm – with its A and B teams occupying the top two spots at Christmas. Telford A won their top of the table clash with Telepost C 3.5-1.5 to make it five wins from five, while Telford B leapfrogged Telepost by winning 3-2 away

Maddocks B put the disappointment of being stripped of their only previous league win of the season being them by defeating Telepost B in a key Shropshire Chess League division one relegation scrap. The Oakengates side triumphed 3-2 over their rivals on the same night as a league appeal committee dismissed their appeal against a