1.
Spirit of Atticus in
Chester/ Spirit of Chester by John Carleton
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Town Crier - Chester Chess Club |
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Over the Summer 2011 we decided that we should be
playing more chess and looked at some alternatives. Should we form a
new club? Should we join an existing club that would take the five
or six of us available? Once we decided against the first option
[plenty of time for that when we start to get old] and a serious
attempt at joining a Merseyside club fell by the wayside, I decided
to take up an offer to play for Chester Chess Club in the Chester
and District Chess League.
I was initially approached to consider joining
Chester by David Hulme, a good friend from a shared time in Wallasey
many years ago, and his approach was endorsed by Graham Bromley. I
was pleasantly surprised to find that there was reckoned to be space
for as many clubless refugees who might wish to join Chester as
could be mustered. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that one
of our number, Mike Driscoll, was already committed to joining
Chester. The players from his previous club Capenhurst had been
absorbed as a Chester unit following problems with their venue. I
was staggered to find that the two smooth talking fellows above [who,
I have gradually come to realise, are just two particularly
chess-mad and well-organised luminaries amongst a chess-mad and
well-organised club] somehow pushed the idea that it would be a good
for me to captain a team in each of the local leagues in which
Chester compete. I was even more staggered to find myself agreeing
but very pleased and proud to find myself captaining Chester 1 in
both the Chester and District Chess League [C&DCL] and in the Wirral
Chess League [WCL].
Once the season was underway there scarcely
seemed time for us to catch our breath. Our first two matches saw us
playing Chester 2, once in each League. It was quickly apparent that
we had plenty to learn regarding the 5 board matches. The first game
saw us victorious by a very flattering score line [4½-½] and we were
relieved to have the first match under our belts. The second
match, with both teams near full strength saw us struggling to stay
afloat. We had suffered an early setback at the hands of Graham
Bromley [a Chester 2 man in the WCL] but this was equalised quickly
by Dave Robertson [also] with a sweeping demolition of a Sicilian. A
steady draw by Richie Noonan saw us level with two games in play:
myself under pressure against Chris Doran and Steve Connor's
position on a knife edge. Steve delivered the full point in vintage
style and my only discernible advantage, on the clock, persuaded
Chris to stop the torture and allow me a draw [and a win by 3-2 for
Chester 1]. The relief of getting the first game over was magnified
here in the second as we knew just how close we had come to getting
"sorted out" by our new club-mates.
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The next game, and we were still only in the
third week of September, proved another critical encounter; we were
up against last season's [and indeed for the previous two seasons]
champions of the C&DCL, Wrexham, who have the potential to put out a
team outgrading us on every board. In the event they were not quite
at full strength and the teams were evenly matched so far as ratings
went and the early play indicated a very close encounter.
The final
score however, did not represent the ebb and flow of the battle. We
were able to hold two games in which we were under pressure and
victory followed in the two games where we had gained an advantage.
This left Dave Stuttard in play, and from a dismal position from the
opening Dave, calling on all his experience, powers of mischief and
optimism wore his young opponent down and landed an unlikely win to
put a scarcely credible gloss on the scoreline for Chester 1 [4-1].
Looking back on the first half of the season from
the safety of the Christmas holidays there are many other dramatic
moments for us to reflect upon. For example, the long journey down
to Colwyn Bay in mid-October saw us one down with three games in
play. We were on top in two of the three games in play but Richie
was a piece down with, it appeared to the watching captain at least,
at best, just a slight chance of holding the draw.
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White to play
and win |
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Richie Noonan v Joshua Pink,
2011 |
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Solution:
g5! and there is no way
to
stop Rg4 mate. |
Richie's winning
coup was a bolt from the blue for his opponent and indeed everyone
in the room except for Richie himself. Steve and Graham Bromley [one
of our super subs for the C&DCL] completed the 3½-1½ victory for
Chester 1. Late in the same month we played the reigning champions
of the WCL, Penyfford, and gained an important victory by 3-2. For
once we were disappointed by the final score having half
expected/hoped for a 4-1 scoreline. However time scramble
uncertainties and the fighting spirit of the champions thwarted us
and once again it was a [very late] sub, Jeff Smith who scored the
winning convincing victory to land us the match. Nor were we
beguiled by our good friends from Penyfford, many well known from
the 4NCL, who said it "was our league" now. Firstly it was only our
second game in the competition and secondly, recent history [last
season] saw the Chester team who beat Penyfford in their individual
encounter ending up losing up the league on "goal average".
The final memory that springs to mind features
another super-sub performance in our last game before the festive
season, against Wallasey 3 in the WCL. This time with the score at
2-2, Gary Gillespie, from the depths of a fairly murky position,
kept his cool and brought in an invaluable victory.
We anticipate many tough battles in the second
half of the season as we know many of our new chess friends will be
keen to turn us over. In addition, as the cup competitions warm up,
we look forward to the chance to showcase what we hope will turn out
to be some strong "United Chester" teams and performances.
For those who wish to follow the unfolding season
may I recommend the two excellent web sites linked into this [Spirit
of Atticus] site: The
Wirral Chess League and the
Chester and District
Chess League sites are straightforward, comprehensible,
comprehensive and up to date. Many thanks to the web masters Dave
Hulme and Steve Lloyd for their enthusiastic and thorough work on
behalf of the Chess community.
John Carleton
January 3rd
2012
