Defeat for Lichfield 'A' against strong Shirley & Wythall heightens relegation worries

Birmingham & District Division 1

Any doubts about the magnitude of the battle facing Lichfield's Birmingham Division 1 side this season were quashed by their second 5-1 defeat of October. Playing away against Shirley & Wythall, Lichfield were faced with an opposing team where all but their bottom board were higher rated than Ben Nevett-Farman on top board for Lichfield. As in their opening match against Redditch, it was time trouble for Lichfield players that made the decisive difference in a number of the games.

John Staniforth, playing Black on Board 5, was the first to finish. Uncharacteristically, he missed a tactic and lost a piece in the middlegame. Unable to generate any meaningful counterplay, he was forced to resign.

Adam Routledge, playing Black on Board 3 against a 2100-rated opponent, played a closed system, and managed to get the Queens off early and equalise as Black. He forced a draw by repetition when in a marginally better position; a very creditable result for him against a player graded more than 200 points higher.

David Hulme, White on Board 6, was a pawn down going into a Queen and Pawn endgame but skilfully managed to also navigate his game to a draw with a series of checks.

The remaining three games, however, were all at least partially decided by time trouble issues for Lichfield players fighting for points against higher-rated opponents. Both Tony Green (White on Board 4) and Maurice Staples (White on Board 2) had steady and promising positions but, under pressure, flagged and lost.

Ben Nevett-Farman, playing Black on Board 1, was the last to finish. He built a strong position, but time trouble in a complex middlegame contributed to him missing an 'only' move to retain his advantage, and his position worsened. Defeat followed, leaving Lichfield on the wrong side of a 5-1 loss.

The battle for Division 1 survival continues on Thursday 22nd October, when Lichfield play South Birmingham B.

(Match played: 15 October 2026)