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German V2 rockets were still falling on London and the South East when a group of chess enthusiasts got together to form the Wolverhampton Chess League in  March 1945 Teams from Wolverhampton and Walsall were amongst the founder members of the league which had hoped to celebrate the 75th anniversary by restaging one of the … Continue reading Anniversary ruined

It is always nice when a newcomer starts to make an impression after a bad start. Ray Sawyer had played a lot of computer chess when he joined this season and it showed when he played his first game and rattled off 60 moves in an hour- and duly lost. Once he realised he needed … Continue reading Surprise leader

Most of the lower divisions of the Birmingham Chess League contain players considerably stronger than one might expect. This is particularly true in divisions three to six which may contain smaller clubs who run only a couple of teams, but have two or three strong players. It is a factor which is thought to have … Continue reading A more even tournament

Lichfield treasurer, John Fryer, was the top player with the black pieces in the Wolverhampton League last season. He won four matches, drew three and lost only one game. Overall he was the 12th most successful player in the league with both black and white. Three Lions 1, Lichfield CC 0 The euphoria surrounding England … Continue reading Snippets

With one match remaining, Lichfield's chances of retaining Staffordshire's Jackson Cup looked remote. Many lesser determined players than Mike Hoare would have resigned on the spot, particularly as time was running out. A Knight and King endgame, a draw was needed for a Lichfield win over Meir, but Mike was down three pawns to five, … Continue reading An epic finish

It is usually with a little trepidation that club treasurers propose an increase in subscriptions at an annual general meeting That was the case when John Fryer presented his annual treasurer's report to Lichfield Chess Club members,  showing a loss of 200 pounds on the year and proposing an increase of three pounds. To his … Continue reading A shock for treasurer

Digital chess clocks are roundly disliked by a lot of players who are never sure how much time they have left to complete a game and are equally unsure that clocks have been set properly. Lichfield's Birmingham Division 6 fixture at Kynoch  ended in a dispute when the home team decided there was too much … Continue reading When chess clocks fail

Lichfield’s child protection policy has been enhanced by the formal appointment of secretary David Short as Safeguarding Officer. Brian Homewood is the deputy safeguarding officer and in the absence of both chairman Peter Collins will step in to deal with any incident that might arise. The club insists that juniors are accompanied by a parent … Continue reading Child protection

Lichfield won another Staffordshire County trophy with a 3-2  Jackson Cup win over Newcastle. Bernard Baptiste and Kevin Gallagher got the wins on boards three and five and Antony Allen on top board and David Fone chipped in with draws.