The Shrewsbury Town Championship Cup
Tournament controller – Paul Billington – [email protected] or 07849 203603
Summer 2025 Championship
Rules of the competition
PART ONE
This competition will be governed in accordance with the competition rules of the Shropshire Chess Association – available here.
PART TWO
This is a five round Swiss tournament for the titles Shrewsbury Town Champion (overall winner), Shrewsbury Town U1700 Champion (highest score by a player graded under 1700), and Shrewsbury Town U1400 Champion.
This is an OTB competition, which can be played at any venue with the necessary arrangements and facilities. The person listed first in the pairing is white and will have responsibility for contacting their opponent to arrange the game. Juniors should always play at their home club.
The time format will be 1:25 mins with 10 sec increments. Touch move/touch take. Matches to be notated. Normal chess playing etiquette should be adhered to.
Please let me know how you get on by emailing me on [email protected] or phone or text : 07849203603
To be eligible to enter you must be a member of one of the town’s chess clubs and of the ECF. Entry is free and games played count towards your ECF rating.
The first game will be played during May, and I will make the second round draw at the end of May, ready for the second round to be played during June, and so on until the Tournament finishes at the end of September 2025.
The overall winner will be the person with the highest number of points at the end of the 5th round.
IN THE EVENT OF THERE BEING TWO PEOPLE on the same points at the end of September there will be a tie-break game in early October. If that tie-break game is a draw, then the person who played the opponents with the highest rating points (all added up) is the winner.
There really is a chance for anyone to gain recognition for playing well with this format, so may I wish each and everyone the best of luck!
Good luck to all and feel free to contact me at any time – Paul Billington.
Update 22/08/25 by Paul Billington
Playing for the Shrewsbury Town Trophy. – U1700 Trophy (to keep) – U1400 Trophy (to keep) – Top female player trophy (to keep) I am just getting ready for the very last round of the Shrewsbury Town Championships 2025 The last round is round 5 and it starts on 1.9.25 and the trophies will be given out, about the first week of October. I will award the person with the highest points in each category then even if there are games outstanding as the Season will have just started, and there are other competitions starting at the same time too. Thank you for copying me in when you are arranging the outstanding matches. I love seeing the results come in, as some results are quite unexpected! Please continue to keep me informed as this competition will close at the end of September. Obviously, those who have played all 5 games by then will have the best chance of winning a Trophy! There are 4 trophies in contention, the main one is the large silver cup currently looking like it may go to one of the front runners, Archie, Dan or John B, all on 3 points at the moment. The under 1700 trophy and the under 1400 trophy is still being contested as is the top finishing Ladies Trophy. Thanks again for keeping me informed, I have to end the Tournament on Sept 30th 2025, so please don’t miss out on a trophy!
Update 17/09/25 by Paul Billington
Here are the very latest cumulative totals. The winners will be announced formally at the end of the month but I must say well done to Paula. If Will wins his last game he would draw level with Daniel on 3 points. John Bashall has won the U1700 section but he may win the whole thing, so no official announcements yet. As you can see there will be a tie-break match to be played, which will be arranged once Fred and Shane have played their last game.
Update 20/09/25 by Paul Billington
John Bashall v Dan Hilditch-Love will be the tie-break match for the championship title. John will play White, as he had Black against Dan in their earlier meeting in the championship.
If the game between Shane Greenwood and Fred Bench ends in a draw, the winner of the John–Dan match will be crowned Shrewsbury Chess Champion 2025. However, if either Shane or Fred wins, there will be a three-way tie-break, with John and Dan.
The overall winner will be the player with the most points after these games.
Update 22/10/25 by Paul Billington
There is a 3-way tie being played out to see who is the overall trophy winner.
Watch this space to see if it will be John Bashall, Dan Hilditch-Love or Fred Bench. These Gentlemen are in the process of organising their 3-way tie play off.
Update 20/12/25 by Paul Billington
Dan and Fred will arrange a suitable way to conclude this. They have both had 4 white games so far. I will keep you informed.
Tie-break results
| White | Result | Black |
| John Bashall | 0-1 | Dan Hilditch-Love |
| Dan Hilditch-Love | 0.5-0.5 | Fred Bench |
| Fred Bench | 1-0 | John Bashall |
| Dan Hilditch-Love | 5.5 |
| Fred Bench | 5.5 |
| John Bashall UNDER 1700 CHAMPION 2025 | 4 |
Summer 2025 table and fixtures
Last update 22/10/25 (NP)
Grades are May ECF OTB, where available.
| Name | Grade | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Byes | Points |
| Dan Hilditch-Love | 1982 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| John Bashall | 1636 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Fred Bench | 1861 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Archie Flavell | 1775 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.5 |
| Matthew Clark | 1759 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Stephen Priestley | 1745 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Shane Greenwood | 1651 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Daniel Tamanyan | 1314 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Keith Tabner | 1629 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Steve Wilson | 1429 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
| Peter Kitchen | 1819 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 |
| Mark Smith | 1731 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 |
| Ethan Parker | 1777 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 |
| Mike Etchells | 1583 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
| John Westhead | 1601 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2.5 |
| Paula Sharp | 1191 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2.5 |
| Gabriel Tamanyan | 1249 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2.5 |
| Rudi Bedford | 1668 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
| Richard Vernon | 1336 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
| Will Millward | 1211 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| David Edwards | 1526 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Martin Ayres | 1264 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Ellis Sharp | 1273 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Tina Teearu | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Kate Walker – withdrawn | 1710 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cesar Pileggi – withdrawn | 1499 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.5 |
| Nick Holmes – withdrawn | 1496 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Freddie Wyatt – withdrawn | 1090 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Round Five
| White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|
| Fred Bench | 1-0 | Shane Greenwood |
| Dan Hilditch-Love | 1-0 | Archie Flavell |
| John Bashall | 1-0 | Daniel Tamanyan |
| Ethan Parker | 1-0 | David Edwards |
| Matthew Clark | 0.5-0.5 | Stephen Priestley |
| Mark Smith | 0-0 | Peter Kitchen |
| Steve Wilson | 0-1 | Keith Tabner |
| Mike Etchells | 0.5-0.5 | John Westhead |
| Will Millward | 0-1 | Richard Vernon |
| Paula Sharp | 0.5-0.5 | Gabriel Tamanyan |
| Rudi Bedford | 1-0 | Martin Ayres |
| Ellis Sharp | 1-0 | Tina Teearu |
Round Four
| White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|
| Archie Flavell | 0.5-0.5 | Fred Bench |
| Peter Kitchen | 0.5-0.5 | Ethan Parker |
| Stephen Priestley | 0.5-0.5 | John Bashall |
| Gabriel Tamanyan | 0-1 | Dan Hilditch-Love |
| Keith Tabner | 0.5-0.5 | Matthew Clark |
| John Westhead | 0.5-0.5 | Mark Smith |
| David Edwards | 1-0 | Will Millward |
| Shane Greenwood | 1-0 | Rudi Bedford |
| Richard Vernon | 0-1 | Mike Etchells |
| Daniel Tamanyan | 1-0 | Paula Sharp |
| Martin Ayres | 1-0 | Ellis Sharp |
| Tina Teearu | 0-1 | Steve Wilson |
Round Three
| White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|
| Ethan Parker | 0.5-0.5 | Dan Hilditch-Love |
| Matthew Clark | 0-1 | Archie Flavell |
| Fred Bench | 0.5-0.5 | Peter Kitchen |
| Mark Smith | 0.5-0.5 | Keith Tabner |
| Rudi Bedford | 0.5-0.5 | Stephen Priestley |
| John Bashall | 1-0 | David Edwards |
| Mike Etchells | 0-1 | Shane Greenwood |
| Gabriel Tamanyan | 0-1 | Daniel Tamanyan |
| Paula Sharp | 0.5-0.5 | Richard Vernon |
| Ellis Sharp | 0-1 | John Westhead |
| Steve Wilson | 1-0 | Martin Ayres |
| Will Millward | 1-0 | Tina Teearu |
| Freddie Wyatt | 1-0 | Bye |
Round Two
| White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Hilditch-Love | 0.5-0.5 | John Bashall |
| Archie Flavell | 1-0 | Rudi Bedford |
| Stephen Priestley | 0.5-0.5 | Mark Smith |
| Kate Walker | def-1 | Matthew Clark |
| Shane Greenwood | 0.5-0.5 | Ethan Parker |
| Keith Tabner | 0-1 | Fred Bench |
| Peter Kitchen | 1-0 | Mike Etchells |
| John Westhead | 0.5-0.5 | Steve Wilson |
| David Edwards | 1-0 | Cesar Pileggi |
| Nick Holmes | def-1 | Gabriel Tamanyan |
| Richard Vernon | 1-0 | Tina Teearu |
| Martin Ayres | 0-1 | Paula Sharp |
| Will Millward (online) | 1-0 | Ellis Sharp |
| Freddie Wyatt | 0-1 | Daniel Tamanyan |
Round One
| White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Hilditch-Love | 1-0 | John Westhead |
| Rudi Bedford | 1-0 | Will Millward |
| Fred Bench | 1-0 | David Edwards |
| Cesar Pileggi | 0.5-0.5 | Peter Kitchen |
| Ethan Parker | 1-def | Nick Holmes |
| Steve Wilson | 0-1 | Archie Flavell |
| Matthew Clark | 1-0 | Richard Vernon |
| Daniel Tamanyan | 0-1 | Stephen Priestley |
| Mark Smith | 1-0 | Martin Ayres |
| Gabriel Tamanyan | 1-def | Kate Walker |
| Mike Etchells | 1-0 | Ellis Sharp |
| Paula Sharp | 0.5-0.5 | Shane Greenwood |
| John Bashall | 1-0 | Freddie Wyatt |
| Tina Teearu | 0-1 | Keith Tabner |
Champions Roll of Honour
| Overall | U140/U1700 | U100/U1400 | |
| 2024 | Competition not held | ||
| 2023 | Nigel Ferrington | Alex Brims, John Casewell, Shane Greenwood | Rudi Bedford |
| 2022 | Nigel Ferrington | Stephen Priestley | Alex Brims |
| 2021 | Nathanael Paul | Stephen Priestley | Martin Ayres |
| 2020 | Not held due to covid | ||
| 2019 | J Hopkins / T Brotherton | John Westhead | James Birch |
| 2018 | J Hopkins / P Kitchen / D Everington | John Westhead | Nick Holmes |
| 2017 | Trevor Brotherton | Steve Kempsell | Shane Sweeney |
| 2016 | Nigel Ferrington | Peter Kitchen | |
| 2015 | Nigel Ferrington | Steve Kempsell | Nick Holmes |
| 2014 | Trevor Brotherton | Keith Tabner | Nick Holmes |
| 2013 | Nigel Ferrington | Ivor Salter / Keith Tabner | Kate Walker |
| 2012 | Nigel Ferrington | Ian Davies | Shane Sweeney |
| 2011 | David Everington | Ivor Salter | John Casewell |
| 2010 | Jamie Hopkins | Keith Tabner | John Casewell |