If you have corrections or know scores of other matches in this season, please contact Ray Collett

Kidderminster win u1650 Summer Cup

22 Aug 2024. Kidderminster whitewashed Worcester in the final for the u1650 Summer Cup. See match card. 15 Aug 2024. Worcester and Longbridge share the lead after the first of two rounds in the jamboree for the Towers Cup held at Meadow Farm, Redditch. Both teams have 2½ points, while Malvern has 2, and Redditch and Kidderminster each have 1½ points. Any team can win so there is all to play for in round 2. See scores. Just before the start of play, county president Ray Collett presented Joe Friar with the Bennett Cup for his win this season. 8 Aug 2024. Worcester and Kidderminster through to finals. In the semi-finals for the u1650 summer cup played at Meadow Farm Redditch, Worcester beat Longbridge and Kidderminster beat Redditch. Lonogbridge and redditch have agreed to play for third place on 22 Aug. See scores. Picture shows Association President at Meadow Farm presenting Joe with the Bennett Cup he won earlier in the season

New chess club at college

21 Aug 2024. Lecturer in Esports and Computing at Heart of Worcestershire College, Colin Vernon is setting up a club in the St Andrew's Building, Deansway Worcester and it will start next term. Colin recently gained the World Chess Federation Lead School Instructor qualification and will coach players under the age of 18 for entry in next season’s Delancey UK School Chess Challenge.

Kidderminster quickplay tournament

17 Jul 2024. Joe Friar was won all 10 games to finish first ahead of new player Jay Haycock on 9 and John Wrench on 8 points. Twenty members of the club took part

Joe Friar new county champion

14 Jul 2024. Joe Friar (Kidderminster) who narrowly missed out last year, made certain of gaining the Worcestershire individual achampionship by winning the first three round games and then drawing in the final round with Welsh international player Lee Davis (malvern). Julie Wilson (Stourbridge), a former Welsh international player retained the women`s title as did senior champions Darren Whitmore (Longbridge), Veteran champion Lee Davis (Malvern) and Minor Champion Chris Lee (Worcester). The new junior champion is James Allsopp (Malvern). The county chess association is most grateful to The King`s School Worcester for the use of the venue. The tournament was organised by Scott Oxtoby (Worcester) and the tournament controller was Aiden Griffiths. Full results.

 

Four county players qualify as arbiters

11 Jul 2024. Aiden Griffiths (Worcester), Scott Oxtoby (Worcester), David Smith (Redditch) and Colin Vernon (Worcester) qualified as ECF level 1 arbiters.

New rapidplay competition in county and one more online team

25 Jun 2024. There will be two rapidplay tournaments in 2024-5. The existing rapidplay league would continue and a second for players rated below 1650 will start. Officials made this decision at the annual meeting held at Droitwich to provide more opportunities for Worcestershire players to engage in quick play league chess. A proposal to make the Championship league a competition for teams of six players received no support. Members also decided that all standard play matches should have the same time control, 45+30. Two online teams in the Four Nations Chess League were promoted to Division 3 and their success persuaded the meeting to approve an entry of four team next season. Members agreed to end the fee "holiday" for team and individual entry to competitions and break even within the next two years. The county will enter two teams in the Midland counties competitions next season. The meeting also agreed that Chief officials of the association were re-elected.

County officials promote Midlands inter-counties matches

22 Jun 2024. President Ray Collett, secretary Paul Sharratt and delegate Aiden Griffiths travelled to Derby for the annual meeting of the Midlands Counties Chess Union in an attempt to re-invigorate county matches in the region. The Union would organise Open and u1650 competitions and invite entries much earlier than last year. A new county competitions controller Steven Smithson (Staffs) was elected. He would recommended a shorter time control of 110+10 for the u1650 competition. Worcestershire delegates also suggested that a janboree might be more satisfactory than individual matches between counties. Paul Sharratt was re-apponted as honorary finance director and Ray Collett as editor for the MCCU website.

Worcestershire players at Birmingham Rapidplay

9 Jun 2024. In the open tournament, Joe Friar gained 3 points from his 7 games.

Joe Friar wins Bennett Cup

6 Jun 2024. Joe Friar playing black won the final in a game at Worcester. Ian tried 1.Nc3 to which Joe responded 1...c5 leading to a Sicilian type position. Unfortunately Ian blundered a piece in the late opening and Joe cleaned up.

Chess player wins draughts tournament

4 June 2024. Tony Boyle, former first team player for Worcestershire won the nine-player Sammy Cohen draughts tournament at Warrington.

Arnold Kirkland receives award for services to Worcestershire Chess 30 May 2024. President of the association presented to Arnold Kirkland the Friar Award for services to Worcestershire Chess at Worcester City Club’s annual meeting. President Ray Collett said, "Arnold has made an outstanding contribution over many years as a player and organiser. He helped to organise Worcestershire Closed and junior chess congresses in the 1990s. He was secretary and team captain for Droitwich Chess Club between 1989 and 2017."

Alex Holowczak FIDÉ appointment

22 May 2024. IA Alex has been appointed Technical Administration Panel chair for the Chess Olympiad to be played in Budapest in September.

Worcestershire League completes 2023-4 season

22 May 2024. The last match of the Worcestershire League season saw Stourbridge with a home win in the Challengers League. Malvern are league champions. Malvern also topped the Challengers League. The District League was won by Kiddermister, the Rapidplay League by Longbridge and the Wheatley Cup by Redditch. See the 2023-4 season results.

Worcestershire lose to Surrey

18 May 2024. In the national quarter finals for u1650 teams Worcestershire played Surrey at Cumnor, Oxon. The final score was 6½-9½ with junior James Allsopp (Malvern), David Cleak (Worcester), Giles Stanton (Redditch), Steve Alcock (Stourbridge) and Aiden Griffiths (Worcester) winning their games. See full results.

Bennett Cup finalists decided

16 May 2024. The finalists are Ian Calrke (Malvern) and Joe Friar (kidderminster). In the second semi-final, Ian played a French Defence and outplayed Ray Collett (Worcester).

Worcestershire’s bid for semi-final place just fails

11 May 2024. The county first team travelled to Abingdon for the Minor Counties quarter final. Although early results were encouraging, Sussex took the honours. Lee Davis (Malvern), Ben Attwell (Redditch), Joe Rastall, Ray Collett and Dorin Luca (all Worcester) won their games. See full results of an exciting match.

Ed Higgs wins Ball Cup final

9 May 2024. Worcester’s top junior Ed Higgs beat John Varilone (Kidderimster) to win the 2023-4 Ball Cup competition. On the same evening at Worcester, the first semi-final of the Bennett Cup was played. Joe Friar (Kidderminster) beat Lee Davis (Malvern).

Redditch win 2024 Wheatley Cup

1 May 2024. David Smith’s Redditch team needed to win 3-1 against a much lower rated Worcester team led by Chris Lee. In the end, it was not the underdog’s evening and only Worcester’s captain escaped with a draw. See full result.

Worcestershire Wolfpack A team are 4NCL Main Online Division 4 champions

30 Apr 2024. The A team had a hard time with Worcestershire Wolfpack B. The underdogs seemed to be confirming their reputation with the first result, but went on to draw the match with junior Samuel Thomas (Worcester) winning for the B team on board 4. The final score was 2-2, the board count was 5-5, but the second tie-break - elimination of the lowest board - gave the A team its victory (See full result). Both A and B teams get promotion to Division 3 for the next season that starts on 10 September. If you would like to play online standard play chess, please contact the Worcestershire Wolfpack squad’s co-manager Ray Collett.

Dudley & District Division 2 champions are South Birmingham

30 Apr 2024. The Division 2 champions were decided in a match at South Birmingham where Kidderminster drew, and become runners-up. See full result.

County players at David Dunn memorial Rapidplay 27 Mar 2024. Joseph Friar (Kidderminster) shared first place in the Open with 5½ points from seven games with Elis Dicen (Coventry). The other county player in the Open was Harry Evans (Redditch) with 5 points. Three players entered the Intermediate (u1750) tourament: Mark Riley (Kidderminster) and David Smith (Redditch) scored 4 points and John Varilone (Kidderminster) scored 3. The event was organised by Terry Walker and the arbiter was Matthew Carr and held at the Moseley All Services Club, Birmingham. See full results.

Worcestershire teams are Wolverhampton League champions and runners-up

18 Apr 2024, John Wrench reports. Kidderminster and Halesowen teams faced each other to battle for the league championship. The match was a 2-2 draw with all the games being draw. This result makes Halesowen champions on 14 match points and Kidderminster runners-up on 13 match points. John Wrench wrote that Kidderminster "As a promoted team ... didn't really expect to be in a title race!". Wolverhampton League Division 1 comprises 9 teams from Staffordshire, Shropshire, and Worcestershire.

Online teams win semi-finals in 4NCL

13 Apr 2024. The A team faced Charlton Cobras C and won 2½ - 1½. The B team played a higher rated Atticus team from Liverpool and also won 2½ - 1½. Team members who won their games were Ed Higgs (Worcester), Jim O'Dell (Kidderminster), Stephen Woodhouse (Longbridge) and Ray Collett (Worcester). This result should mean that both teams are promoted to Division 3 for the next season starting in September 2024 and the Division 4 Championship final will be an all Worcestershire match between the A and B teams played on lichess on Tuesday 30 April. See full results and links to games.

Longbridge win Rapidplay League

18 Apr 2024. Longbridge had to win at least one of the two legs of their fixture against Worcester Knights to overcome Redditch’s single point lead. Longbridge made certain of their rapidplay title by winning both legs. See score card.

Online Worcestershire Wolfpack to play in semi-finals

16 Apr 2024. Worcestershire teams stood top of both groups in Division 4 of 4NCL Main Online before the final normal round of the Spring 2024 season. Team A won 4-0 beating Dundee City F. Team B drew 2-2 with Bromley. Both teams play in Division 4 semi-finals on 23 April and there could be an all Worcestershire final the following week. The Cadets team lost to Bishop Blunders and completed the season in 16th position out of 33 teams. See full results and links to games.

Malvern secure Championship League with a match to spare

10 Apr 2024. Malvern beat Redditch in the fixture at Alvechurch increasing their leading the table. This result puts Malvern out of reach of second placed Longbridge.

Association former president and Droitwich CC secretary dies

6 Apr 2024. It is with sadness I report the death of Bill (WW) Watson, formerly secretary of Droitwich CC. Bill suffered a stroke two years ago bringing to a close a long playing career for Droitwich and Worcestershire. The earliest record of Bill's contribution to the association was in 1972 when he was elected treasurer, a post he held until 1976. Bill was President of Worcestershire Chess Association in 1989 and 1990. HE was team captain for the Worcestershire team in the Midland Counties correspondence tournaments in the 1980s. He played regularly over-the-board for Worcestershire II team in the 1970s and then in the u125 and u120 teams until 2016. He is survived by wife Wendy and two sons and two daughters.

Malvern have unassailable lead in Challengers League

3 Apr 2024. Malvern, with two matches yet to play, cannot be caught by either Longbridge or Worcester Rooks in the Challengers League. See result of latest Redditch Malvern fixture.

Online teams successful again

2 Apr 2024. Worcestershire teams again chalked up three match wins in the 4NCL Online season 9. Worcestershire Wolfpack A beat Cozy Tomatoes (an international team) 3-1; team B beat Wessex Some Stars F 2½-1½; and the cadets team beat War & Piece Nimrod 4-0. The Cadet team’s opponents this round included an ex-Worcestershire player Alan Ruffle. The A and B teams are top of their groups in Division 4 and it’s possible that there will be an all Worcestershire final if both teams again win in the final ordinary round of the Spring 2024 season. The Cadets team are thirteenth out of 33 teams in Division 5. See full results with links to games.

New chess club in Bewdley Library

25 Marc 2024, John Wrench reports. The club meets every Thursday afternoon 2:30 to 4:30 pm in the library at Dog Lane, Bewdley DY12 2EF.

Draw for Bennett Cup semi-finals

24 Mar 2024. Brian Turner reports. Joe Friar (w) plays Lee Davis and Ray Collett (w) plays Ian Clarke.

County team just miss promotion

22 Mar 2024. Worcestershire finished just half a game point below Essex C in Division 3 of the of the Districts and County Correspondence Chess competion for the Butler Thomas trophy.

Wheatley Cup finalists decided

20 Mar 2024. Redditch beat Kidderminster and will play Worcester in the final. See Wheatley competition results.

11 Mar 2024. Worcester beat Shirley & Wythall on handicap and will play Kidderminster or Redditch in the final.

Online teams all successful

19 Mar 2024. All three teams won their round 5 4NCL matches. Worcestershire Wolfpack A beat East Kilbride E; Worcestershire Wolfpack B beat Charlton Cobras; and Worcestershire Wolfpack Cadets beat West Wickham. In Division 4, team A is 2 points clear of their nearest rivals in Group B, team B is 4points clear of nearest rivals in Group A. The Cadets team is placed 18th out of 33 teams in Division 5. See full results with links to games.

Worcestershire teams lead Wolverhampton League

14 Mar, John Wrench reports. Halesowen are at the top of Wolverhampton League Division 1. In second place is Kidderminster’s promoted team with two matches in hand.

Worcestershire player beats grandmaster

13 Mar 2024. Several county players travelled to Hereford to play GM Keith Arkell in a simultaneous exhibition. Only Scott Oxtoby (Worcester) was successful. Keith’s overall score was +33 -4 with no draws. The event was organised by Lee Davies. See more.

County teams in national quarter-finals

12 Mar 2024. All three Worcestershire county teams will be playing in the ECF national stages. Dates for the quarter final finals are 11 May in the Minor Counties and the u1450 competition and on 18 May for the u1650 competition. All semi-finals will be on 8 June and the finals on 6 July. This is the first year that Worcestershire has had three teams in the national stages.

Sad loss of county stalwarts

9 Mar 2024. Longbridge clubs has announced the death of Brian Allsop, aged 67. His funeral will be held at 2pm on Wednesday 17 April at Waseley Hills Crematorium. Brian represented Worcestershire in 23 county matches between 2016 and 2019. A tribute to Brian has been posted to Longbridge Club’s website.

2 Mar 2024. Halesowen has reported the death of Joyce Evans. Joyce played for Worcestershire in over 40 county matches between 2008 and 2020 and had been a member of Halesowen club since 1977. Her funeral is 11am on Tuesday 26 March at Stourbridge Crematorium. There is a tribute to her on the ECForum.

County online teams in 4NCL

5 Mar 2024. The county teams won two matches and lost one in the 4NCL online League in round 5. In Division 4, Worcestershire Wolfpack A team beat Chess Challengers A 3-1; Worcestershire Wolfpack B beat Hebden Bridge Three 3-1; and Worcestershire Wolfpack Cadets team lost 1½-2½ to Settle. At the end of the evening, A and B teams stand top of their groups in Division 4 and the Cadets team are placed 25th out of 36 teams in Division 5. See full results with links to games.

20 Feb 2024. In round 3 in Division 4, the A team beat Atticus from Liverpool 2½-1½ and the B team beat Bishop Trojans from Bishop Aukland 4-0. The Cadets team lost their Division 5 match against Calstock Killers 1-3. See full results with links to games.

Worcestershire players at Coventry

18 Feb 2024. The Open was won by former Halesowen player Finaly Terry-Bowcott, but now affiliated to Solihull in Warwickshire. Harry Evans and Ben Attwell playedat the congress and bot ended mid-field in their sections. See full results.

Former County correspondence team captain and Hagley Chess Club secretary

8 Feb 2024. The death is reported of Tony West at the age of He was for many years secretary and treasurer of Hagley Chess Club until it closed in 2016. Tony was also team captain for the Worcestershire Correspondence Chess team competing for the Brown Pond trophy in the Counties & Districts Correspondence Chess Championship. Jim Keen, Worcestershire’s current correspondence team captain wrote: "He was a team captain for the 2nd team Correspondence Chess for many years and assisted me in obtaining interested players. He only stopped playing [correspondence chess in 2014 when the county decided to enter one team only] ... Always very helpful and enthusiastic and loved the game in both formats."

County online teams progress

6 Feb 2024. In round two teams A and B won their matches and the cadets team drew, but progress was marred by two defaults. Fortunately, the Cadets team's opponents also defaulted a board. See match score cards with links to games.

23 Jan 2024. In round 1 of the ninth 4NCL online season, there were wins from all three teams in spite of problems with logging on in the Cadets team. New player Dorin Luca (Worcester) won his game in the B team. See match score sheets with links to games.

Worcestershire players in Kidlington Congress

4 Feb 2024. Mike Hadley (Halesowen) finished mid-field in the Open as did Stephen Chadaway (Olton) in the Major and Peter Hughes (Mutual Circle) in the Minor.

County players at Birmingham Rapidplay

28 Jan 2024. IM Yichen Han (NED) won the Open outright with 6½ from seven games. Three county players entered the Open with Jo Friar (Kidderminster 4½ points), Kata Toma (Worcester, 3½ points), Harry Evans (Redditch, 3 points). Nigel Towers played in the Major (u2000) scoring 3½ points. Two Redditch players entered the Intermediate (u1750): Giles Stanton (3 points) and David Smith (3½ points). Five county players were in the Minor (u1500) with four of them scoring 4 points: Jon Asbury, Kim Gillbert, and Nigel Foster (all Shirley & Wythall). Andy Tipper (Longbridge) also score 4 points while Eddy Parton (Redditch) scored 3½ points. The event was organised by Alex Holowczak and 140 players competed. See full results.

Worcestershire u1650 lose to Linconshire

20 Jan 2024. The county u1650 team travelled to East Goscote, but lost 6½-9½. John Loynes made a welcome return to the team and won his game. Other winning players were: John Varilone (Kidderminster), David Cleak and Simon Berry (both Worcester). See full results.

Worcester & District League in the bag for Kidderminster

10 Jan 2024. In the District League, Kidderminster can now no longer be caught by second-placed Worcester after the latter lose an away match to Redditch.

First match results of 2024 are in

3 Jan 2024. Halesowen beat Redditch in the Championship League and in the Rapidplay League Redditch and Longbridge a match each in their fixture.

2 Jan 2024. Dudley and District Division 2 match between South Birmingham and Oscott was a draw.

Online team results

1 Jan 2024.Worcestershire Squad scored 17 points in Division 2 of the Juniors Counties’ team battle

5 Dec 2023. Worcestershire Wolfpack A and the B team won their 4NCL matches, but the Cadets team lost. Teams A and B were both placed third in their groups and will not play a semi-final for promotion. The Cadets team is sixth in Division 5. This means that teams can gain promotion only if teams placed higher in the tables do not compete next season beginning in January 2024. See full results with links to games.

4 Dec 2023. County juniors in the Worcestershire Squad organised by Nigel Towers and Simon Berry scored 42 points in the ECF Division 2 team battle and were placed fifth. See lichess for results and links to games.

Worcestershire in near miss for Midlands Team Championship

3 Dec 2023. Captain Paul Sharratt has accepted an MCCU nomination to play in the national stages of the Minor Counties Championship in April next year.

2 Dec 2023. Led by WGM Kata Toma and team captain Paul Sharratt, the county team travelled to Sharnford, Leics to play for the Midlands County Championship against Lincolnshire. Worcestershire lost narrowly in a closely fought match where half of the games were drawn. Kata Toma (Worcester) and Phil Maddocks and Gavin Cartwright (both Longbridge) won their games. See full score card.

County players at Birmingham Congress

23 Nov 2023. Six county players entered the lists in this five round weekend congress held at King Edward VI Five Ways School, Bartley Green. Current county senior champion Darren Whatmore (Shirley & Wythall) scored 2½ points in the Open: Nigel Towers (Redditch) scored 3 points in the Major: Seamus Flynn (Worcester) scored 2 points in the Intermediate: Muhammed Mehmood (Mercia) scored 3½, Peter Hughes (Mutual Circle) scored 3 and Elias Angel (Longbridge) scored 2 points in the Minor tournament. The event attracted over 150 players and was organised by Alex Holowczak.

Joe Conway Lees wins Staffordshire Junior Championship

19 Nov 2023. Joe Conway-Lees, who plays for Stourbridge Chess Club, won the Staffordshire Junior Chess Championship. In a field of twenty players, Joe won all his games to finish undsputed champion.

Online team results

21 Nov 2023. Team A won, Team B drew and the Cadets team had their first defeat this season. At the end of the evening Worcestershire Wolfpack A are fourth in Group A and Team B are third in group B of Division 4. The Cadets team are second out of 32 teams in Division 5. To get into the semi-finals, Team A will need to win their round 7 match and Cozy Tomatoes will have to lose against Lenzie Basilisks. Team B cannot now make the semi-finals. See full score sheets and links to games.

7 Nov 2023. Worcestershire Wolfpack teams lost two matches and won one with the Cadets team winning against War & Piece Nimrod in Round 5 of 4NCL Main Online. The Cadets now stand top of Division 5. Worcestershire Wolfpack A are fourth in Group A of Division 4 and the B team are third in Group B. In spite of the less succesful night, the Cadets are good position for promotion and both Division 4 teams could still get promotion. See full score sheets and links to games.

Kata Toma appointed as new ECF Director

1 Nov 2023. WGM Kata Toma (Worcester) has been appointed to a voluntary Non-Executive Director post. Stephen Woodhouse (Redditch) writes: "Kata will bring her playing and wider international experience to bear when advising the [ECF] Board and working with the other Directors."

League leaders

27 Oct 2023. After the first two months of the season, Longbridge are top of the Championship League and Kidderminster top of the District League.

Worcestershire online teams successful again

24 Oct 2023. In 4NCL division 4, Worcestershire Wolfpack A beat Shropshire & Friends 5 in group A and Worcestershire Wolfpack B beat a team from Bishops Aukland, Bishop Trojans in group B and the teams are 3rd and fourth in their groups. Worcestershire Wolfpack Cadets drew against Witney in Division 5 and stand second out of 32 teams. Robin Hayles and Tony Shaw (both Worcester City) made welcome returns to the squad. See full score cards and links to games.

Bennett and Ball Cup competition entries up

23 Oct 2023. The Bennett Cup attracted nine players who play in two groups in the preliminary stage, which concludes before Easter. Pool A includes Edward Higgs (Worcester), Lee Davis, the current holder of the trophy (Malvern), Ray Collett (Worcester), and David Waud (Kidderminster). Pool B players are: Joe Friar (Kidderminster), Chris Lee (Worcester), Aiden Griffiths (Worcester), and John Varilone (Kidderminster). Finals and semi finals between the top two players from each pool should be completed by the end of June.

22 Oct 2023. In the Ball Cup seven players compete and play a six round all-play-all round robin tournament throughout the season and the top two placed players will face each other in a final. Entrants are: Peter Hughes (Longbridge), Chris lee (Worcester), Colin Vernon (Worcester), Giles Stanton (Redditch), John Varilone, last year’s winner (Kidderminster), Edward Higgs (Worcester), and Aiden Griffiths (Worcester).

Redditch third at Hull

22 Oct 2023. Redditch players Dan Lambourn, Harry Evans, David Smith , Nigel Towers and Giles Stanton travelled to Hull for the national club championships. They entered the u2000 competition and were placed 3rd on tie-break. The u2000 tournament was won by Hulll Chess Club.

Worcestershire players at Birmingham Rapidplay

22 Oct 2023. WGM Katarzyna Toma (Worcester) was placed third and scored 5 points from 7 games in the Open. In the Major (u2000), Joseph Friar (Kidderminster) was 3rd with 5 points and club mate John Wrench scored 3½ points in the same section. Worcester club mates Tony Shaw scored 3 points in the Intermediate and Simon Berry scored 4½ points in the Minor.

Worcestershire u1450 suffer big defeat by Staffordshire

21 Oct 2023. New captain Aiden Griffiths (Worcester City) had a baptism of fire when the team travelled to Newcastle-u-Lyme for the Midlands u1450 team final with Staffordshire. Captains agreed to play over eight boards and Staffordshire won 7-1. The only Worcestershire player to score was Aiden. See details.

ECF re-elects Home Director and combines membership categories

15 Oct 2023. There were two contested elections for ECF directorships. Nigel Towers (Worcs), the incumbent Director for Home Chess, won an overwhelmingly. The vote for a vacant Non-Executive Directorship was much closer with WGM Katarzyna (Worcs) losing with 99 votes to WIM Sarah Longson (Greater Manchester) gaining 125 votes. A proposal from the ECF Board to merge silver and gold membership categories starting in September 2024 was narrowly accepted by 136 to 122 votes.

Worcestershire 4NCL online teams

10 Oct 2023, Round 3. The 4NCL online, there were two match wins and a draw. Paul Evans (Halesowen) played his first game for the squad. In Division 4, Worcestershire Wolfpack A won their match against Dundee City F in Division 4 and are fourth in group A: the B team drew their match against The Hemel’s Gambit and are fourth in Group B. The Cadets team in Division 5 beat Irish Jazz and stand second out of 31 teams.

Kidderminster chess champions 5 Oct 2023. President John Wrench won the 2023 club championship, his twefth time of winning after a tough final with Joe Friar. For Joe it was a rare defeat because he won five other trophies: the President’s Cup, The Shuttle Shield KO, Quickplay and Lightning championships, and the Graham Bunn trophy for the highest number of points scored playing for Kidderminster’s league teams. Dave Spowart won the club’s Handicap tournament and 14-year-old Henry Cameron (RGS Worcester) won the Minor Club Championship for the second time.

Nigel Towers second at Derby Congress

24 Sep 2023. Nigel (Redditch) played in the u2000 tournament at Derbyshire’s inaugural congress and was placed second with 4 points from his five games.

Worcestershire 4NCL online teams

26 Sep 2023. The second round saw another two wins for the teams. Worcestershire Wolfpack A beat Cozy Tomatoes, an international team with a titled player on board 2. Stephen Woodhouse (Longbridge) won his game against WFM Kueh and the match was won 3-1. Worcestershire Wolfpack B had ill-luck in their match against Calstock Killers when one of our player was unable to join the match and another player overlooked a mate in 1. The Cadets team saw new junior player Edward Higgs (Worcester) win his board 4 game in the match against Crowthorne A. Alan Ruffle and junior player Carlos Patterson-Navarro also won their games to give Cadets victory 3-1. See score sheets and links to games.

12 Sep 2023. In the first round of Season 8, two of the Worcestershire Wolfpack teams won. Team A lost to Lenzie Basilisks ½-3½ and team B beat East Kilbride B 3-1 in Division 4. The cadets team in Division 5 beat Chess Challengers C 3-1. Two Stourbridge players joined the squad: Hossam Aboushady, and Jeremy Humphries. At the end of round 1 in Division 4, Wolfpack A are near the bottom of group A and Wolfpack B are in the middle of Group B. The Cadets in Division 5 are ninth out of 28 teams competing. See score sheets and links to games.

David Pugh, President Longbridge CC

22 Sep 2023, Steve Crees reports. With great sadness, the death is reported of David Pugh, President Longbridge CC. David had been president of both Greenlands and then Longbridge CC. Steve has written a tribute to David on the Longbridge CC website.

Opening night for Worcestershire League season

7 Sep 2023. There were two fixtures on the opening night. In the Challengers, Stourbridge beat Longbridge and in the District League Worcester beat Longbridge, a good start to retain the District title. See ECF-LMS for details.

County team fixtures announced

7 Sep 2023, Paul Sharratt reports. Worcester play Lincolnshire for the MCCU county title on Sat 18 Nov at home. The two counties also face each other in the u1650 team tournament, but the u1650 team plays away on 17 Feb 2024. Worcestershire u1450 play Staffordshire away on 14 October.

Fast county players at Coventry

3 Sep 2023. John Pitcher (South Birmingham) was placed 2-3rd in the Rapidplay tournament scoring 5 points from his seven games. Redditch players Nigel Towers, Mihai Zbircea (both Redditch) scored 3½ points as did Chris Evans (Stourbridge). Seamus Flyn (Worcester) scored 3 points.

2 Sep 2023. Three county players from Redditch competed in the fourteen-round Coventry Blitz tournament. Dave Smith 7½, Mihai Zbircea 6½, and Nigel Towers 6 points.

County teams in 2023-4

Worcestershire over-the-board teams

18 May 2024. Worcestershire u1650 team travelled to Oxford to play a national quarter final against Surrey, but lost 6½ -9½. Junior player James Allsopp (malvern), David Cleak (worcester), Giles Stanton (Redditch), Steve Alcock (Stourbridge) and Aiden Griffiths (Worcester) won their games. See full results.

11 May 2024. Worcestershire first team playing in the national quarter finals of the Minor Counties championship lost 7½-8½ to Sussex in an exciting match at Abingdon, Oxon. See full results.

20 Jan 2024. Worcestershire u1650 team lost 6½-9½ playing away to Lincolnshire. John Varilone (Kidderminster), David Cleak and Simon Berry (both Worcester) and John Loynes (Stourbridge), making a welcome return to the team, won their games. See score card.

2 Dec 2023. In the fixture to decide Midland Counties' chateam championship, Worcestershire lost narowly to Lincolnshire. The match was played at a neutral venue in Leicestershire. WGM Kata Toma (Worcester), Gavin Cartwright and Phil Maddocks (both Longbridge) won their games. See score card.

21 Oct 2023. Worcestershire u1450 team lost heavily to Staffordshire at Newcaste-u-Lyme. Only captain Aiden Griffiths was able to score. It is likely that WCA will be asked to enter a u1450 team into the national stages as the second MCCU nomination. See results.

19 Jul 2023. At the annual meeting of the association it was agreed to enter three otb teams and Aiden Griffiths (Worcester) was elected captain of the u1450 team. The captains for 2023-4 are: First team - acting captain Paul Sharratt (Stourbridge); u1650 Paul Sharratt (Strourbridge); u1450 Aiden Griffiths (Worcester).

9 Sep 2023. There were a disappointing number of entries for the Midland championships and Worcestershire’s teams play for the Midland titles on the folllowing dates:

• MCCU championship, Worcestershire First team play Lincolnshire on 18 November at home over 16 boards.
• The u1650 Midlands Championship. The u1650 team plays Lincolnshire away on 20 January 2024 over 16 boards.
• 1 Sep 2023. Worcestershire have entered three teams in the Midland Counties Chess Union competitions: The first team in the Open tournament, the u1650 and u1450 competitions.

Worcestershire online teams

At the start of September there were three 4-board Worcestershire Wolfpack teams playing in Divisions 4 (teams A and B), and Division 5 (Cadets), of the 4NCL Main Online. The A and B teams just missed out on promotion. See results in 4NCL season 8. In the 4NCL season starting in january 2024, Teams A and B both finished in the top 4 and gained promotion to 3. Team A had a tough fight to beat Team B in the final for Division 4. See results in 4NCL season 9. The teams were managed by Ray Collett and Colin Vernon.

Worcestershire correspondence team

Worcestershire played in Division 3 of the Counties and District Correspondence Chess Championship for the Butler-Thomas trophy by web server in an eight board match where each player had two games with colours reversed with the same opponent. Worcestershire finished third. Match pairings and results.

Major news items for League in 2023-4

Summer Cup competitions

27 Jul 2024. The u1650 competition will be a KO as last season, and losing semi-finalists teams will be encouraged to play for third place.

18 Jul 2024. Rules for these competitions were agreed by team captains with the controller

12 Jul 2024. It was agreed by competing teams that the open competition would be a two round jamboree and Dan Lambourne has agreed to be controller for the competition.

8 Jun 2024. The county association formally approved running the 2024 Summer Cup competitions and Ray collett was asked to co-ordinate arrangements.

27 Apr 2024. Malvern will enter a team in the open competition

12 Apl 2024. Kidderminster, Longbridge, Redditch, and Worcester are likely to enter teams.

First 2023-4 league winners

10 Jan 2024. In the District League, Kidderminster can now no longer be caught by second-placed Worcester after the latter lose an away match to Redditch.

First league fixtures in 2023-4 season

3 Jan 2024. Two matches in the first encounters of the New Year in the Championsip and Rapidplay Leagues.

7 Sep 2023. Stourbridge in the Challengers League and Worcester in the District League had the first match wins of the season.

League team competitions

5 Sep 2023. The controller considers that pleminary ratings, P category, are unreliable and an estimated rating for league play should be agreed by secretaries with the controller for Worcestershire League play in the 2023-4 season for players on rating-limited boards. The controller has also written to captains: "Please note also, in respect of using players out of strict descending order of rating in matches, a tolerance of 75 rating points is the acceptable limit."

1 Sep 2023. The Championship League hss the same teams as last year. Kidderminster have dropped out of the Challengers League and put a team in the District League instead. The Rapidplay league has one extra entry from Longbridge. Longbridge and Worcester play the 45+30 time contol at home matches in the Championship League and Longbridge starts home matches at 7:15pm..

19 July 2023. The annual meeting of the association decided to continue the structure for the leagues used for the 2022-3 season. The ad hoc agreement by captains last season to restrict the District League to players rated below 1650 was formalised and carried into the new season.

Championship League 2023-4

Malvern league champions
Longbridge runners-up

Team captains:

• Halesowen, capt John Edge
• Kidderminster, capt Joe Friar
• Longbridge, capt Stephen Woodhouse
• Malvern, capt Brian Turner
• Redditch, capt Dan Lambourne
• Worcester, capt Rob Sutton.

2023-4 Championship League news

Latest news at top

29 Apr 2024. Redditch beat Halesowen and lifted themselves from the bottom of the table on the last Championship fixture of the season.

25 Apr 2024. Worcester beat Longbridge and go up the table to midway.

16 Apr 2024. Longbridge have been forced to concede their home match against Malvern because the venue at Longbridge is unavailable confirming Malvern’s Championship title achieved without a match loss.

11 Apr 2024. Worcester beat a weakened Kidderminster to lift themselves from the foot of the table.

10 Apr 2024. Malvern further increased their lead by beating Redditch and this result puts them out of reach for second placed Longbridge.

8 Mar 2024. Malvern extended their lead in the Championship league by beating Worcester City. Junior player Joshua Clarke demonstrated his increasing maturity by winning a complex minor piece ending. Joshua allowed his opponent to promote a pawn, but the new queen was powerless to stop a mate of the cornered opponent king with knight and bishop. If Malvern win or draw in their next match, they will be 2023-4 league champions.

29 Feb 2024. Halesowen beat Longbridge overtaking Kidderminster and going into third position.

28 Feb 2024. Tail-enders Redditch and Worcester played and Worcester achieved their first match win.

23 Feb 2024. Malvern beat Longbridge to forge further ahead in the table.

19 Feb 2024. Kidderminster beat Halesowen halting their surge and putting Kidderminster into third place.

15 Feb 2024. Longbridge stumbled in their pursuit of Malvern. They drew at home with bottom-of-table Worcester.

31 Jan 2024. Longbridge continued their 100% match record, beating Kidderminster.

29 Jan 2024. Although Worcester fielded its highest rated team this season, they went down to Halesowen who go one place up in the table above Kidderminster.

24 Jan 2024. Longbridge smash Redditch in their away fixture to jump to second place in the table. The two leaders have yet to play and the league title may well depend on the result of the last championship match this season

17 Jan 2024. Malvern beat Halesowen away to re-confirm Malvern’s position at the top of the table.

3 Jan 2024. In the first match of the new year, Halesowen beat Redditch

20 Dec2023. Redditch drew with Kiddermister leaving team positions in the table unchanged.

6 Dec 2023. Malvern beat Kidderminster putting them further ahead in the title race.

30 Nov 2023. Worcester went down at home playing Redditch putting Redditch third in the league table.

26 Nov 2023. Malvern beat Redditch and Mlavern put distance between themselves and second-placed Kidderminster.

15 Nov 2023. Halesowen suffered a second defeat, this time at the hands of Kidderminster who leap up to second place i the table.

2 Nov 2023. Worcester scored their first match point in a home draw with Malvern.

26 Oct 2023. Malvern had a convincing away victory against Kidderminster

19 Oct 2023. Two matches tonight. Halesowen travelled to Worcester and won a hard fought match. Meanwhie Longbridge, in a home match, defeated Kidderminster.

11 Oct 2023. Kidderminster score a home win against Worcester

13 Sep 2023. First match results in a victory for Redditch.

5 Sep 2023. The controller considers that August 2023 P category ratings (preliminary) are unreliable and an estimated rating for WCA league events will be agreed with captains and secretaries for such players. Where a player has a reliable standard rapid otb rating, the estimated value for Worcestershire Champiuonship League play will be set to the rapid play rating. The controller has also written to captains: "Please note also, in respect of using players out of strict descending order of rating in matches, a tolerance of 75 rating points is the acceptable limit."

1 Sep 2023. The same teams as last season compete. Most fixtures start at 7:30pm, but please note that Longbridge home matches start at 7:15pm and Worcester’s home games will use the shorter playing session.

19 Jul 2023. Teams have five boards and the time control is 60 min + 30sec or 45 min + 30 sec if a there is a shorter period of play requested by the home club. Teams play home and away.

Challengers League 2023-4

Malvern were Challengers League champions
Worcester Rooks were runners-up

Team secretaries and captains

• Kidderminster, secy David Waud, capt Terry Pountney
• Longbridge, secy & capt Steve Crees
• Malvern, secy Brian Turner, capt John Knee
• Redditch, secy Dan Lambourne, capt David Smith
• Worcester secy, Ray Collett, capt Scott Oxtoby.

2023-4 Challengers League news

Latest news at top

22 May 2024. In the last match of the Worcestershire league season, Sourbridge had a home victory against Worcester.

15 May 2024. Redditch and Stourbridge drew.

8 May 2024. Longbridge beat Stourbridge.

24 Apr 2024. Playing at home, Stourbridge beat Redditch lifting Stourbridge off the bottom of the table.

17 Apr 2024.Worcester make sure of their second place in the league with an away win at Redditch.

4 Apr 2024. Worcester Rooks beat Longbridge and go into second position.

3 Apr 2024. Malvern beat Redditch. Malvern are now 8 points clear at the top of this league and neither Longbridge nor Worcester can catch them.

22 Mar 2024. Malvern beat Stourbridge and move further ahead at the top of the table.

15 Mar 2024. Malvern draw with Longbridge. Longbridge nudge into second place on game points above Worcester Rooks.

28 Feb 2024. Worcester Rooks applied the brakes to Malvern's progress when the teams drew.

9 Feb 2024. Malvern confirm their lead of the division with a smashing win over a three-board Redditch team.

31 Jan 2024. Malvern beat Strourbridge and go to the top of the table to displace Longbridge.

13 Jan 2024. Malvern beat Worcester to take Malvern off the bottom of the table.

10 Jan 2024. Redditch and Longbridge drew and Longbridge head the table on game points.

14 Dec 2023. Longbridge and Malvern drew their match

7 Dec 2023. Playing away, Redditch beat leaders Worcester Rooks.

2 Nov 2023. Longbridge beat Redditch and jump to second place.

28 Sep 2023. Worcester Rook achieved their second victory, this time away, at Longbridge.

21 Sep 2023. Worcester Rooks under new captaion Scott Oxtoby beat Stourbridge.

7 Sep 2023. In the first match, Stourbridge beat Longbridge.

5 Sep 2023. The controller considers that August 2023 P category ratings (preliminary) are unreliable and an estimated rating for WCA league events will be agreed with captains and secretaries. Where a player has a reliable standard rapid otb rating, the estimated value for Worcestershire Champiuonship League play will be set to the rapid play rating. The controller has also written to captains: "Please note also, in respect of using players out of strict descending order of rating in matches, a tolerance of 75 rating points is the acceptable limit."

1 Sep 2023. Five teams compete, Kidderminster having dropped out for this season: Longbridge, Malvern, Redditch, Sourbridge and Worcester. Most fixtures start at 7:30pm, but please note that Longbridge home matches start at 7:15pm. Teams play each other home and away. Worcester’s home matches will use the shorter playing session.

19 Jul 2023. The annual meeting agreed to continue last season’s rating restriction on board 1 on which players shall be rated below 1850 in the Challengers' League. A player of any rating may play on board 1. Teams have four boards and the time control is 45 min + 30sec or 60 min + 30 sec with duration of the session deterimed by the home club.

District League 2023-4

Kidderminster are District League champions
Worcester bishops are runners-up

Team captains:

• Kidderminster, Dave Close
• Longbridge, Steve Crees
• Redditch, Giles Stanton
• Worcester Bishops, Aiden Griffiths

2023-4 District League news

Latest news at top

10 Apr 2024. Redditch beat Longbridge to complete the season's fixtures in the District league.

21 Mar 2024. Worcester Bishops had a home victory against Kidderminster with both clubs completing their 2024 campaigns. This was the first time Kidderminster had suffered defeat, but they are still guaranteed to be District League champions.

13 Mar 2024. Kidderminster beat Longbridge and go further ahead of second placed Worcester Bishops.

7 Mar 2024. Worcester Bishops beat Longbridge.

10 Jan 2024. Redditch beat Worcester Bishops in the first match of District League in 2024 to move above their opponents into second position in the table. This result now means that Worcester cannot catch Kidderminster this season.

20 Dec 2023. Kidderminster whitewashed Redditch, putting the Kidderminster team on course to win the District League. Worcester Bishops still have a mathematical chance to overtale Kidderminster, but the odds for Kiddrminster winning the league must be high. Kidderminster need only one more win to clinch the title.

23 Nov 2023. Longbridge drew at home with Redditch.

22 Nov 2023. Kidderminster, in a home match, thrashed Worcester Bishops but team positions remain the same.

26 Oct 2023. Redditch and Worcester drew their match and Kidderminster remain in the lead.

19 Oct 2023. Kidderminster notch up another win, this time playing away against Longbridge to go top of the table.

10 Sep 2023. Kidderminster beat Redditch and at the end of the evening all teams have played one match and Worcester Bishops lead by a nose.

7 Sep 2023. Worcester make a good start to defend their title with a win against Longbridge.

5 Sep 2023. The controller has confirmed that August 2023 P category ratings (preliminary) are unreliable and an estimated rating for WCA league events will be agreed with captains and secretaries. Where a player has a reliable rapidplay otb rating, the estimated value for Worcestershire Championship League play will be set to the rapid play rating. The controller has also written to captains: "Please note also, in respect of using players out of strict descending order of rating in matches, a tolerance of 75 rating points is the acceptable limit."

1 Sep 2023. Four teams entered: Kidderminster, Longbridge, Redditch and Worcester. Teams play each other home and away with most starting at 7:30 pm. Longbridge home fixtures start at 7:15 pm.

19 Jul 2023. The annual meeting confirmed that last season's informal agreement by captains will be continued into 2023-4 season and the rules were amended. All players must have a reliable standardplay rating below 1650 in the ECF August 2023 rating list or an assigned estimated rating for WCA league play below 1650. Teams had 4 players and the time control was 45 min + 30 sec.

Rapidplay League 2023-4

Longbridge were Rapidplay League champions
Redditch were runners-up

Team captains

• Kidderminster, capt Dave Spowart
• Redditch, capt,David Smith
• Stourbridge capt Paul Sharratt
• Worcester, capt Chris Lee.

2023-4 Rapidplay League news

Latest news at top

23 Apr 2024. Kidderminster and Stourbridge fought each other to an overall draw in the last league fixture of the season. Both teams won a match in this fixture.

18 Apr 2024. Longbridge defeated Worcester Knights in both legs of their fixture at Worcester. These results put Longbridge at the top of the table and runners-up Redditch have already completed their fixtures in this league.

17 Apr 2024. Stourbridge won the first leg of their rapidplay match at Redditch, but lost the second. Redditch stand top of the table after their last fixture this season, but Longbridge have a match in hand and coul yet trump them.

10 Apr 2024. Longbridge won both legs of their fixture away to Stourbridge. Longbridge now lead the Rapidplay League by a single match point and the rapidplay championship will go to the wire.

28 Mar 2024. Redditch won both legs of the crucial fixture between Longbridge and Redditch go top of the table three points clear, but Longbridge have a fixture in hand.

27 Mar 2024. Worcester and Kidderminster drew both legs of their fixture with the same results on each board.

20 Mar 2024. Redditch and Kidderminster won one leg each of their fixture.

13 Mar 2024. Redditch won both legs of their home fixture against Worcester Knights. Redditch displaced Worcester from their second place in the table and are just 3 points behind Longbridge.

6 Mar 2024. Stourbridge lost one and drew the second leg against Redditch.

22 Feb 2024. Worcester Knights drew the first leg and lost the second against Stourbridge to give Stourbridge their first victory.

8 Feb 2024. Longbridge thrashed Stourbridge and go to the top of the table, displacing Worcester Knights.

25 Jan 2024. Worcester Knights won the first leg easily, but Kidderminster fought back to draw the second leg. Worcester displace Longbridge from the head of the table. The match on 7 March looks crucial for both Longbridge and Worcester.

3 Jan 2024. Redditch and Longbridge won a match each in their New Year fixture. Longbridge now head the table, a match point ahead of Worcester Knights.

28 Nov 2023. Stourbridge and Kidderminster met with both teams winning one match, but Kidderminster had the larger aggregate.

16 Nov 2023. Worcester Knights, playing away, had an emphatic win against Stourbridge to displace Longbridge from the top of the table.

5 Oct 2023. Worcester Knights drew the first leg and won the second against Redditch.

21 Sep 2023. Longbridge drew with Kidderminster.

14 Sep 2023. In the first rapidplay match Longbridge beat Worcester.

5 Sep 2023. The controller has confirmed that August 2023 P category ratings (preliminary) are unreliable and an estimated rating for WCA league events will be agreed with captains and secretaries. Where a player does not have a reliable rapid otb rating, the estimated value for Worcestershire Championship League play will be set to the standard play rating. The controller has also written to captains: "Please note also, in respect of using players out of strict descending order of rating in matches, a tolerance of 75 rating points is the acceptable limit."

1 Sep 2023. Four teams entered: Kidderminster, Longbridge, Redditch and Worcester. Teams have fixtures with each other home and away (a total of 4 rapidplay matches). Most fixtures start at 7:30pm, but plaesenote that Logbridge home matches start at 7:15pm.

19 Jul 2023. Teams have four players. Players on boards 2, 3, and 4 must have an August 2023 rapidplay K category rating below 1850 or an approved estimated rating below that value. The time control is 20 min + 10 sec. The two matches of a fixture are played on the same night and scored separately with the away team having white on odd numbered boards in the first leg of the fixture.

Redditch win 2023-4 Wheatley Cup

Latest news at top

1 May 2024. Worcester travelled to Redditch for the final. Redditch had a much higher rated team and needed to win by at least 1½-2½. Only the Worcester captain was able to get a draw, so Redditch win the 2024 Wheatley Cup.

20 Mar 2024. Redditch beat Kidderminster in the second semi-final. Redditch needed at least 3 points to win on handicap and this they did with style.

11 Mar 2024. Worcester achieved an over-the-board draw at Wythall and having a lower rated team of players proceed on handicap to the final where they play Kidderminster or Redditch in the final.

5 Feb 2024. Four teams entered: Kidderminster, Redditch, Shirley & Wythall, and Worcester

22 Jan 2024. Entries for the 2024 competition were invited.

19 Jul 2023. Ray Collett was asked to invite teams to compete and act as controller for this tournament. This team handicap tournament has teams of four players. Players should be registered with the controller and player ratings are based on the Feb 2024 ECF revised standardplay list. Where a player does not have a K or A rating, the controler will consult the WCA rating officer to allocate a rating for this competition.

Wheatley Cup 2024

Summer Cups 2023-4

Longbridge win Towers Cup
Kidderminster win u1650 Summer Cup

2023-4 Summer Cups news

27 Jul 2024. The u1650 competition was a KO as in the previous season, and losing semi-finalists teams will be encouraged to play for third place.

18 Jul 2024. Rules for these competitions were agreed by team captains with the controller

12 Jul 2024. It was agreed by competing teams that the open competition would be a two round jamboree and Dan Lambourne has agreed to be controller for the competition.

8 Jun 2024. The county association formally approved running the 2024 Summer Cup competitions and Ray collett was asked to co-ordinate arrangements.

27 Apr 2024. Malvern will enter a team in the open competition

12 Apl 2024. Kidderminster, Longbridge, Redditch, and Worcester are likely to enter teams.

Towers Cup news

29 Aug 2024. Round 2 saw the least successful teams in round 1 get the better of their opponents in round 2. Longbridge were biggest beneficiaries and ended up overall winners with 6 points from thir eight games.

15 Aug 2024. Round 1 of the Jamboree competition for the Towers Cup was played at Meadow Farm, Redditch. Kidderminster and Worcester share the lead.

Summer u1650 Cup news

22 Aug 2024. Kidderminster overwhelmed Worcester in the final winning 4-0

8 Aug 2024. In the semi-finals for the u1650 cup, Worcester beat Longbridge and Kidderminster beat Redditch.