Alex Richardson Wins Newcastle Summer Half Hour Tournament

Well done to Alex Richardson on winning the Newcastle Summer Half Hour tournament with a score of 5/6.

New Grading List Published

The new ECF Grading List has just been published. Click here to see the Fenton grades.

Fenton Chess Club Internal Championship 2012/2013

Entries for this year's Club Championship should be made by Monday 24th September. Click here to view the rules of the competition. I have asked Martyn Harris from Newcastle Chess Club to act as Tournament Controller again but all entries should come to me in the first instance.

The Fenton Mafioso

The National Minor Club Championship team that contrived to lose the Final on board count. If anybody says that Rob looks like he was on drugs that's because he probably was !! Although he was so far behind on time at the end that it obviously wasn't speed.

From left to right : Rob Taylor, Steve Emmerton, Derek Whitehurst, Derrick Wallace.

Club Championship

There will be a change to the way that the Club Championship is being played this year. Instead of cramming it all in during the summer months it will now be played during the normal playing season. It will continue to be a 6 Round Swiss event with one round per month, starting in October. Allowing for some delays over Christmas and the New Year this should allow us to finish the competition by the end of April. The only other change of any note is that, for the first time, all Club Championship games will be submitted for grading.

South Potteries Chess Challenge

I have now added a potted history of the South Potteries Chess Challenge to the website. This includes all of the results and match score cards since it's inception in September 2004. Please scroll to the foot of the page to read it.

Fenton Lose Out In National Final

Fenton unluckily lost out in the Final of the National Minor Club Championship against Forest Of Dean on Sunday afternoon. The match itself ended all square at 2-2 but Forest Of Dean won it on board count. Derek Whitehurst got us off to a good start with a win on Board 4, closely followed by a draw on Board 2 for Derrick Wallace. Unfortunately yours truly cost Fenton the match when, having been under severe pressure for most of the game I squirmed my way out of trouble and won a Knight for a Pawn in the process. However, I then got over excited and blundered and lost a Rook and, a few moves later, the game. This left the score level at 1.5 - 1.5 and needing a win from Rob on Board 1 to give us the match. Unfortunately it wasn't to be as he was a Pawn down in an ending with Rook, Knight and 4 pawns against Rook, Knight and 5 Pawns. He had little option but to accept a draw and give Forest Of Dean the match. However, I think that we can all be very proud of the fact that we reached a National Final at the first time of asking so well done to everybody who took part in both the Final and the Pool stage of the competition. You can click here to view the full score card from the Final.