The 2026-27 season is up and running, and Macclesfield Chess Club could hardly have asked for a better opening fortnight.
Annual General Meeting
The club held its AGM on Monday 7th September, and it was pleasing to see a good turnout. All officer positions were re-filled with their incumbents, so the familiar faces remain at the helm: Anthony Brough continues as Chairman, Chris Riley as Secretary, and Marcus Fothergill as Treasurer, with Roy Gray and Denzil Lobo looking after the Club Championship and Quickplay respectively, and Tom Moitié keeping the website in order.
The one addition of note was the creation of a brand-new role: Marcus Fothergill takes on the newly minted position of North Staffordshire (NSDCA) B team captain. It reflects the club's growing presence across the leagues, and everyone wishes Marcus well as he gets the new team off the ground.
Macclesfield A 4 - 0 Alsager A
A week later, on Monday 14th September, the North Staffordshire & District Chess Association Division One campaign began in the best possible fashion, with a clean sweep against Alsager A.
On top board, Chris Riley (2037) got the better of Julien O'Grady (1871) to set the tone. On board two, John Paul Taylor (1851) edged past John Booth (1829) in the closest pairing on paper. Carl Gartside (1867) then saw off Alan Thomason (1771) on board three, and Connor Greenwood (1763) completed the whitewash with a win over Tim Twentyman (1755) on board four.
Macclesfield's evening was eased a touch by the absence of Alsager's Jonathan Blackburn, who has swapped league duty for the rather grander stage of the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. It's a marvellous privilege to represent at that level, and the whole club wishes him every success out there.
For all that it finished 4-0, the scoreline flattered the margins a little: Macclesfield were the higher-rated side on every board, but only just on two of them, with Taylor a mere 22 points above his opponent and Greenwood just eight clear on the bottom board. To turn those slender advantages into a full four points is a fine start indeed.
Onwards — a perfect opening to the league season, and plenty more to come.
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.