League Leaders Macclesfield Maintain Perfect Home Record

Monday night saw a busy evening at the Queen's Hotel with league action and internal competitions both taking centre stage.

North Staffordshire League - Macclesfield 2.5-1.5 Crewe C

Macclesfield hosted Crewe C in Division 1 of the North Staffordshire & District league, looking to maintain their unexpected position at the top of the table. Having been promoted this season and with the sad loss of Geoff and Gary's move away, expectations had been modest, but the team has defied predictions.

The match featured strong, competitive chess with three hard-fought draws on boards 2, 3 and 4 before Chris Riley (2057) sealed the victory on board 1. Carl Gartside (1797) on board 3 had an early draw against Andrew Raeburn (1848) after most pieces were swapped off, leaving a lifeless position. Phil Cattermole (1793) on board 4 maintained pressure throughout against Karl Lockett (1759) but couldn't convert his advantage, whilst Colin Gibson (1930) on board 2 with the white pieces appeared to gain an edge against Kamil Zak (1963) before his opponent found a tactical resource that had gone unnoticed.

The deciding game came on board 1 where Chris had the advantage from the opening and early middlegame, winning material. However, playing too passively allowed his opponent fully back into the contest. In a tense finish, Chris managed to snare his opponent's king in a surprise mating net, securing not only a personal victory against Lee Farrington (1995) but also a 2.5-1.5 match win for Macclesfield.

The victory keeps Macclesfield top of Division 1, though Chris was quick to note that the team have played more games than some of the stronger sides. Even so, it's not a position the newly promoted team expected to find themselves in. Well done to all those who have contributed to what has been a memorable start to the season.

Club Championship - Riley Maintains Lead

In the Club Championship, John Paul Taylor (1802) defeated Denzil Lobo (1569) with the white pieces to close the gap on leader Chris Riley. Meanwhile, Ant Brough (1761) and Joachim Trier (1737) played to an amicable draw. Chris maintains his lead in the competition, but John Paul is now just half a point behind in second place, setting up an intriguing battle for the championship as the season progresses.

Pomeroy Cup - Three-Way Tie at the Top

The Pomeroy Cup saw some decisive results with Connor Greenwood (1631) defeating Tom Moitié (1603), Jake Darlington (1590) overcoming Andy, and Jenny Gartside (1324) securing victory against David Waterson (1500). Tom will want to quickly forget his particularly disastrous outing, losing in just under 30 minutes.

These results have created a three-way tie for the lead with Connor, Jenny and Tom all level at the top. Marcus Fothergill is yet to begin his campaign in the competition.

Looking Ahead

Next week sees Macclesfield B travel to Altrincham in the Stockport District Chess League Division 3. The B team will be looking to build on their early season form as they continue their campaign.