South Potteries Chess Challenge Cup

Fenton beat Meir by 5.5 - 3.5 in last night's South Potteries Chess Challenge Cup, the 5th year in succession in which we have won it. A late request from Meir to add an extra player meant that the match was played over 9 boards instead of the usual 8, necessitating the Finance Director having to step in to play on board 9 for Fenton. Ray Hyde and Brian Birchall made their debuts for Fenton on boards 1 and 4 respectively, both games ending as draws. Tony Holdford, the Prodigal Son, also made a rare appearance on board 3, coming away with a relatively easy win. The match was a lot closer than the score suggests, with draws being agreed in a couple of games where a result either way was a more likely outcome. Last night's match was the 10th anniversary of the playing of this annual fixture and the score for the series now stands at 5 - 5. Click here to view the full match score card.