A New Season Begins: AGM and a Flying Start in Division One

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.