- Tom Moitié
- Jun 1
The 2025–26 season has drawn to a close, and what a campaign it proved to be. There were near misses aplenty in the leagues, a heart-stopping cup triumph, and the club secretary claiming the biggest internal prize of all. Macclesfield Chess Club bows out for the summer with silverware in the cabinet and plenty to reflect on.
In the Leagues
Macclesfield A could not quite carry their bright early-season form through to the finish, eventually placing 4th of five in Division 1 of the Stockport & District Chess League. It was a tighter affair than the final table suggests, with the side doing just enough to steer clear of relegation — survival secured, if not the heights once hoped for.
Down in Division 3, Macclesfield B enjoyed a thoroughly competitive campaign, finishing comfortably mid-table in a division where very little separated the pack.
Over in the North Staffordshire & District Chess Association, the Macclesfield side went agonisingly close to the Division 1 title. A third-place finish hardly tells the story: the team ended level on points with runners-up Crewe A and just three points adrift of champions Alsager A. A handful of half-points here or there across the season, and the trophy might well have been heading back to the Queen's Hotel.
Cup Runs
There was cup drama in abundance. In the Charnley Cup, the Stockport league's knockout competition, Macclesfield A battled through to the final but came up just short against a strong Eccles outfit.
The sweetest moment of the season, though, belonged to the club's under-1850 side, who lifted the Geoff Laurence Trophy in the Stockport league — a new competition established in memory of the late Geoff Laurence, which lent the win an extra measure of meaning. The final against Northenden could scarcely have been closer, finishing all square at 2½–2½. Anthony Brough and Joachim Trier won their games and Connor Greenwood held firm for a draw, while John-Paul Taylor and Tom Moitié were edged out by Ethan Parker and Jim Morris respectively.
With the match deadlocked, it all came down to the last game on the clocks. The 1726-rated Joachim Trier conjured a stunning cross-pin to bring home the point that levelled the scores — and with the tie resolved by bottom-board elimination, it was Macclesfield who emerged victorious. A nerve-shredding way to win a trophy, but they all count just the same!
Internal Competitions
Congratulations go to club secretary Chris Riley, who added the Club Championship to his collection. The club's top-rated player on a standard rating of 2053, Chris proved a class apart in Macclesfield's premier classical event.
The remaining silverware is still to be decided. The Pomeroy Cup awaits its final results before a winner can be crowned, while the Laurence Cup is set to run on into September. The club's late-season rapidplay event — formerly the Secretary's Quickplay — now carries the name of the late Geoff Laurence, this being the first running under his name.
Through the Summer and Beyond
Although the competitive season is over, the chess certainly isn't. The club will keep its doors open through the summer for casual and friendly games — the perfect chance to try out a new opening or two away from the pressure of the league table.
Macclesfield Chess Club will then officially reopen on the first Monday of September for the AGM, with a fresh season of competition to follow. New and returning faces are always welcome. See you there!
Macclesfield enjoyed a tremendous fortnight of cup success, winning semi-finals in both the SDCL Charnley Cup and the Geoff Laurence Trophy (U1850) to book their places in two finals.
Charnley Cup Semi-Final
Macclesfield A pulled off a shock victory in the SDCL Charnley Cup on 20th January, winning 4-2 away in their semi-final against Stockport and booking their place in the final against Eccles on 14th April. The match got off to a promising start, with wins for both Colin Gibson (1931) on board 2 against Joshua Pink (2053), and J-P Taylor (1834) on board 3 against Gareth Griffiths (1821). However prospects on the remaining four boards did not look too hopeful with difficult positions all round.
Ant Brough (1736) on board 5 succumbed to Andy Coe (1815) following an ambitious piece sacrifice, but Chris Riley (2098) managed to salvage an unlikely half point on board 1 despite at his own admission being dead lost from move 11 when his opponent Sarah Longson (2028), possibly fearing Chris's counterplay in time trouble, agreed to a draw! Now with the score at 2.5-1.5 and with lower-board elimination being used as a tie-breaker in the event of a 3-3 draw, this left Macclesfield just needing a draw from either of the remaining two games - although with Joachim Trier (1737) on board 6 down a piece and Phil Cattermole (1793) on board 4 under tremendous pressure this looked far from certain!
Joachim was the first to finish, generating sufficient counterplay with his two passed pawns that his opponent Jeff Mason (1732) had to settle for a draw despite the extra piece advantage. With Macclesfield's place in the final now secure, all eyes turned to the remaining game on board 4 where both players were playing out a tricky rook and pawn ending on increment. Under tremendous time pressure, Phil's opponent Andy Stoker (1908) missed a mate threat and Phil pounced to complete an extraordinary comeback, and finish the match with a final score of 4-2 to Macclesfield!
The full result saw Sarah Longson draw with Chris Riley on board 1, Colin Gibson defeat Joshua Pink on board 2, J-P Taylor beat Gareth Griffiths on board 3, Phil Cattermole overcome Andy Stoker on board 4, Ant Brough fall to Andy Coe on board 5, and Joachim Trier hold Jeff Mason to a draw on board 6.
Geoff Laurence Trophy Semi-Final
Just two weeks later on 3rd February, Macclesfield B secured another cup final berth with a 3-2 away victory over Stockport in the semi-final of the Geoff Laurence Trophy (U1850). In a curious twist of fate, Joachim Trier found himself facing Jeff Mason on board 1 once again, though this time the result went the other way with Mason claiming victory. Denzil Lobo also suffered defeat on board 4 against Phil Clare, but victories for Ant Brough over Anthony Prime, Connor Greenwood against Mohammed Rohmann, and Tom Moitié defeating John Kelly were enough to see Macclesfield through.
Other Recent Results
Macclesfield continued their strong form in the North Staffordshire & District Chess Association Division 1 on 2nd February, defeating Northwich 3½-½ at home. Chris Riley, Colin Gibson and Phil Cattermole all secured victories, with Northwich unfortunate to lose on time on boards 1 and 4. Ant Brough fought his way to a hard-earned draw with a white-squared bishop endgame despite being a pawn down against Peter Hamill-Stewart.
The Macclesfield A team faced stiffer opposition in the Stockport & District Chess League Division 1. On 27th January they went down 4-2 away at Chorlton, with Chris Riley, J-P Taylor, Phil Cattermole and Joachim Trier all drawing their games whilst Colin Gibson and Ant Brough suffered defeats. Earlier in the month on 12th January, Macclesfield A bounced back with a 4-2 home victory over East Cheshire A. Despite losses on the top two boards for Chris Riley and J-P Taylor, Phil Cattermole, Ant Brough, Joachim Trier and Connor Greenwood all won to secure the match.
Competition Standings
The race for honours in the Stockport & District Chess League Division 1 is heating up, with just one point separating the top three teams - Stockport, Eccles and Macclesfield A - and just under half the games left to play. It promises to be a thrilling finish to the season.
Meanwhile Macclesfield B find themselves in mid-table in Division 3, with Stockport B and Altrincham B soaring ahead at the top.
In the North Staffordshire & District Chess Association Division 1, Macclesfield hold the lead, but with Alsager and Holmes Chapel just two games back and more than half the fixtures left to play, there is all to play for.
Internal Competition Update
The Club Championship race is going down to the wire with Chris Riley and J-P Taylor level on points at the top. Chris holds a crucial game in hand and still has to play Colin Gibson and Jason Rice, whilst J-P has only Jason remaining.
In the Pomeroy Cup, Tom Moitié holds a half-point lead after Jake Darlington defeated Connor Greenwood. With only one game left to play for each of the top three, it's Tom's to lose!
The club continues to meet every Monday at 7:30pm at The Queen's Hotel on Albert Place, and new members are always welcome.
- Tom Moitié
- Dec 12, 2025
Macclesfield secured their place in the semi-finals of the Stockport & District Chess League Charnley Cup with a convincing 4-2 victory over Wilmslow at The Queen's Hotel on 8th December. The win sets up a semi-final clash away at Stockport, with the date to be confirmed.
The match began with early setbacks for the home side as Carl Gartside on board three and chairman Anthony Brough on board five both suffered defeats, leaving Macclesfield trailing 0-2. Carl's game against David Mowat finished first, followed shortly by Ant's loss to Dylan Prothero. Ant reflected on his game: "I unfortunately let my b pawn go to his queen thinking that I had a good knight attack on the other side of the board but alas it didn't come to fruition and once Dylan had covered this attack he systematically ground out a route to my king and won a rook."
However, the tide turned when Joachim Trier (1734) struck back on board six against Ernie Chiu. Playing a Queen's Indian Defence, Joachim gained a pawn advantage in the opening and showcased his endgame technique. "I managed to win a pawn during a Queen's Indian opening and could converted it in a not too difficult endgame after all the pieces were traded off," he explained. With the score at 1-2, momentum shifted decisively in Macclesfield's favour.
The final three games concluded in quick succession, all going Macclesfield's way. On board one, club secretary Chris Riley (2076) demonstrated his class with a commanding performance against Michael Lamb. Riley controlled the centre from the opening, creating a dangerous passed d-pawn that tied up his opponent's pieces. "I pushed it forward tangling up my opponent's pieces. Then a couple of tactics using my advanced pawn on the 7th lead to me winning a piece and my opponent resigned," Chris noted.
Colin Gibson (1937) secured a crucial point on board two against Kevin Moran in what appeared an evenly balanced contest for much of the game. "Fairly tight/even for the first 20 or so moves then he made some errors that first dropped a pawn and then allowed me to trade down eventually to an easily won pawn ending," Colin reported.
The match's most dramatic encounter came on board four where Phil Cattermole (1785) earned himself the nickname "Houdini" with a remarkable escape against Mustafa Merchant. Facing a Marozy Bind against his Accelerated Dragon, Phil found himself in what looked like a resignable position as his opponent skillfully increased the pressure. But chess has a way of rewarding those who fight on. "With the last throw of the dice I made a bluff and a threat, and he suddenly started playing more defensively, and then mistakenly trapped his bishop offside by advancing a pawn," Phil explained. The material swing proved decisive as Phil coordinated his Queen, Rook and Dragon Bishop to attack the exposed white King. "Very fortunate indeed!" he added modestly.
Charnley Cup Quarter-Final Result:
Macclesfield 4-2 Wilmslow
Board 1: Chris Riley (2076) 1-0 Michael Lamb (2057)
Board 2: Colin Gibson (1937) 1-0 Kevin Moran (1901)
Board 3: Carl Gartside (1770) 0-1 David Mowat (1691)
Board 4: Phil Cattermole (1785) 1-0 Mustafa Merchant (1661)
Board 5: Anthony Brough (1746) 0-1 Dylan Prothero (1592)
Board 6: Joachim Trier (1734) 1-0 Ernie Chiu (1465)
Pomeroy Cup Update
The same evening also saw two crucial Pomeroy Cup matches played at The Queen's Hotel. Tom Moitié strengthened his position at the top of the table with a victory over Marcus Fothergill, whilst Connor Greenwood kept pace with the leader by defeating David Waterson.
Tom's win over Marcus was particularly significant, extending his lead at the summit. With four wins from five games, Tom now sits on four points, a full point clear of Connor Greenwood who maintains a perfect record of three wins from three games. However, Connor's 100% record and two games in hand mean his momentum poses a significant threat to Tom's position at the top. The result leaves Marcus in third place on 2.5 points from four games, followed by Jenny Gartside also on 2.5 points from five matches, with Jake Darlington on one point from three games.