Malcolm Clarke’s regular chess news roundup: this week: Winchester’s woes; Salisbury’s good run; Chandler’s Ford D to the semi-final of the Division 5 Cup, and more.

It was not a good week for Winchester teams in the Southampton Chess League with all three teams losing and no individual player winning a game counting for league purposes.  Chandlers Ford D whitewashed Winchester D in the Division 5 Cup and play Chandlers Ford C in the semi final.  However Winchester’s Sam Rebdi won a game counting for grading purposes only. 

Winchester A were beaten 4-1 by a strong Ringwood B team with Jon Barnes and Alan Dyos obtaining the two draws from the match, while in the 3.5-1.5 defeat at the hands of Andover it was the three players playing with the black pieces Doug Beer, Steve Kitley and Bob Cleave who salvaged the draws.

Despite the fact that the only five players in the Chandlers Ford A v Salisbury match being graded below 140 were all on the Salisbury team, the match finished all square at 2.5-2.5 with Chandlers Ford’s two winners being David Holmes and Phil Overton both of whom played with the white pieces.  Peter Przybycin uncharacteristically lost on board 5 and it continued Salisbury B’s recent good record at Chandlers Ford having won on their previous two visits.

Chandlers Ford C were beaten 3.5-0.5 by Salisbury C with Peter Eales obtaining their only half point.