Stourbridge Chess Club was founded in 1852. This is an ongoing project to document the history of the club. If you have any information that you think may be relevant please send it to the webmaster.
Fred Tatler - 1928-2001
Fred had a heart attack whilst playing for Stourbridge at the Birmingham Chess Club venue on 6th February 2001. He was taken to hospital but sadly did not survive. Fred had played chess since at least 1949, because he was one of the original players in the Wolverhampton League. He also captained Worcestershire at one point and once beat the great Ritson Morry. In his time, Fred was a keen athlete, cross country runner, boxer and wrestler. He also won trophies for ballroom dancing with his wife Betty. Fred was a character who will be sadly missed by Stourbridge, Worcestershire and the BDCL. Approximately 120 people were present at the funeral, including players from Stourbridge, Halesowen, Hagley and various other clubs.
Tree Planting Ceremony By the Dudley Sports Group at the Weserterrassen on Friday 20th April 2001
A tree planting ceremony was held to mark the 25th exchange between Dudley and Bremen
Stourbridge Chess Club member Eric Horwill had participated in all 25 exchanges and gave a speech at the tree planting ceremony. To mark the occasion, Eric who is also an international walker, walked from Dudley to Bremen instead of travelling in the coach with the rest of the participants.
Text of Speech by Eric Horwill on Behalf of the Sport Dudley Group.
Sports friends from both sides of the North Sea:
In 1964, a young man from Bremen came to do a year's teaching at two schools in Dudley. While in the Midlands, he joined both Dudley Kingswinford rugby club and Dudley and Stourbridge Harriers Athletic Club.
The groundsman at the Athletics Stadium, the late Bill Mackintosh was instrumental in my meeting this new member of my club, and it was not long before the idea of exchanges between Dudley and Bremen was evolved.
During the 1970's there were a number of athletics, rugby and school exchanges. This led to the development of the first general sports exchange in Bremen at Easter 1979 followed by a return in Dudley in October 1979. The overall organisations were Dudley Sports Council (now renamed "Sport Dudley") and Bremen Sport Jugend. The sports/activities involved in this first exchange included rugby, table tennis, fencing and chess. Amongst those who worked on these foundations were Derek Aldridge, Karl Vennergeerts and Dave Jurrett.
The fact that in the 23rd year of the project, we are able to celebrate the 25th exchange shows that it has been built on very sound foundations. The theme was, and still is, to utilise sport and recreation to promote a greater understanding between the German and British peoples, and in particular to develop the genuine friendship between sports people of Bremen and Dudley. We are quite sure that great benefits come from living in each other's homes during these exchanges.
We regret the recent splitting of the exchange between youth and everyone else. We sincerely hope that this is only a temporary hiccup and that the exchange will continue as one unit towards the 50th!
I will now attempt to say a few words in German!
Wir freuen uns dass wir heute morgen in den Weserterassen sind. Dieser Baum stellt die echte Freundschaft zwischen den Sportsfreunden von Bremen und Dudley dar. Dieser Baum soll als Symbol unsere Hoffnung tragen für die Zukunft.
Sport für alle.
(We are very pleased that we are at the Weserterrassen this morning. This tree represents the true friendship between the sports friends of Bremen and Dudley. We hope it will symbolise our thoughts for the future as it grows to maturity. Sport for all)
[ Two plaques were presented and the tree was planted ].
[ A number of individual presentations followed. ]
- The young teacher from Bremen - my old friend (of 37 years) Bernd Hünerkoch.
- 2.When the politicians caused problems this year, there
was a very strong "grass roots" initiative on both
sides of the North Sea. The two people who led this response
were Adrian Hyde and Peter Verhaeg.
Adrian, please make this little presentation to Peter, as a token of our appreciation of all his good work.It is appropriate to mention that we have received three requests from groups for inclusion in future exchanges.
- The Chess group are particularly pleased with the choice
of venue for this morning's ceremony; the Weserterassen is the
headquarters of the B.S.G., our original hosts and the leading
chess club in Bremen.
We are justifiably proud that chess is the one group that, though only small in numbers has taken part in ALL 25 exchanges. When we first came to Bremen, the organiser at B.S.G. was Manfred Breutigam. He is still very much involved in organising and promoting chess and has been a great supporter of the exchanges. - We are always indebted to the kindness and hospitality provided by our hosts. Two friends have worked for many years with the chess exchange. I'm sure that everyone knows that I am referring to our longstanding friends Martina Schlittgen and Neithardt Strasser.
All that is left for me to say is:
" See you in Dudley in 2002 and here's to the 50th"
N.B. The chess group also presented plaques to the Bremer Schach-Gesellschaft von 1877 and the Achim Schachgesellschaft during the chess competitions.
Eric Horwill
20-04-2001
End of Season report 2001
We won Wolverhampton division 3 and summer league division 2. We also won Birmingham division 2 1/13 and finished fourth in division 4.
Tony Evers match 2001
2001 Summer Tournament
It was a 5 round Swiss which with Dave Scriven and Julie Wilson coming equal first with 4 out of 5. The prize went to Dave as he has a lower grade. The grading prize went to Andrew Moore and the junior prize went to Emma Pearson.
Chess marathon 2002
Yet again, Stourbridge Chess Club's players (and friends) went to extraordinary lengths to raise money for the Mary Stevens Hospice on January 12th. 2002. A chess marathon organised by the evergreen Dr. Brain Dudley saw players old and new play through 12 hours from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Stourbridge Institute and Social Club. The target was 250 (10 minute) games and was reached by 8 o'clock and, indeed, this was surpassed by a total of 300 games before the twelve hours were up. This year's event was also supported by the Stourbridge Bridge Club who put on a marathon of their own. The occasion was well supported by local players and even players from nearby clubs. A special mention goes to Kevin Ryder (Halesowen), Bob Carrier ( Mercia) and Paul Thomas (Kidderminster) for their support. Thanks also goes to the staff at the Stourbridge Institute for their extra work and to the Committee for allowing us to use their facilities.
Dudley Bremen Lightning team tournament Results 2002
A team of chess players from Bremen visited us in April as part of the Dudley Bremen sports exchange. A lightning team tournament was one of the events held during their visit
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total | Place |
| 1. Stourbridge C | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6th | |
| 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 16 | |||
| 2. Bremen A | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 4th | |
| 2 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 4 | 22 | |||
| 3.Stourbridge B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9th | |
| 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 4 | 10 | |||
| 4. Wanderers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 5th | |
| 2.5 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1.5 | 4 | 20 | |||
| 5. Stourbridge A | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 1st | |
| 3.5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1.5 | 4 | 31 | |||
| 6. Bremen B | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8th | |
| 1.5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 14 | |||
| 7. Stourbridge D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7th | |
| 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 4 | 14 | |||
| 8. Halesowen | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 3rd | |
| 4 | 2.5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 28 | |||
| 9. Mercia | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 2nd | |
| 4 | 2 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 2 | 4 | 28 |
For each team, the top line gives the match results and the second line the board score. Stourbridge A won the play off
Board Prizes
Maureen Clarke Halesowen 8
Simon Smith Wanderers 7
AGM 2002
The 2001 – 2002 chess season is almost at an end. There have been mixed results for Stourbridge. However we now have a rapidly improving squad of young players who will stand us in good stead for next season and the seasons to come.
It was agreed that if players wish to play on after the time agreed for adjudication/adjournment they should consult with their captain first.
Ladder tournament
The ladder tournament was won by Andrew Moore
Wolverhampton league division 1 report
This season we were never really in contention and finished =7th with 2 wins 5 draws and 3 losses. The league winners were Lichfield. The star performer in the team was Julie Wilson with 4 wins one disputed loss and 4 draws. Steve Jukes also did very well and was unbeaten with 2 wins and 8 draws. Andrew Moore scored 2 out of 3.
A couple of items from the AGM. Firstly, the league is becoming a non-smoking league. There will be no smoking at the board and immediate vicinity. There’s also a new rule with regard to claiming a draw during the last 2 minutes of a rapid play finish. Basically, if you want to claim a draw, you stop the clocks complete your scoresheet and send in a copy of the position as if it was being adjudicated.
Birmingham league
It was a poor season in the Birmingham league. We finished last in division 1 and second to last in division 4.
Dudley League
The club’s best results were in the Dudley league, where we are champions of divisions 1 and 3 and came 3rd in division 4.
Pictures
Wolverhampton Summer league
Congratulations to our Wolverhampton Summer league division 3 south team captained by David Scriven. The team have now played all their matches and the results of 4 wins and 1 loss put us in second place behind Halesowen. Phil Trevis and Steve Pearson both got best player awards for their performance . Both players scored 4 out of a possible 5.
2002 Monmouth Congress
Congratulations to Nic Fallowfield for winning the major section at the Monmouth congress. Nic drew his first game and then had 4 straight wins to finish equal first on 4½ out of a field of about 30. Ungraded Jeremy Fallowfield played well to finish with 50% in the minor section.
2002 Summer Tournament
It was a 5 round Swiss in which Nic Fallowfield beat Julie Wilson in the last round to be the overall winner with 4 points. Phil Trevis, Andrew Moore and Julie came equal second with 3½ points. The junior prizes went to Taz Matsumoto and Adrian Somerfield with 3 points. 13 players took part.
2002 Pre-season Tournament
The pre-season blitz tournament attracted 15 players and was a 14 round all play all tournament. Frank Pickett won with 11 and Eric Horwill and Steve Jukes came =2nd with 10½.
Mid Season Report 2003
Stourbridge Chess Club was well represented at the Wrekin weekend congress. Several players came back with prizes. In the U150 section, Steve Jukes came equal second with 3½/5 and Julie Wilson picked up a grading prize. Star performer for Stourbridge was Adrian Somerfield who won the U90 section with a perfect 5 out of 5 score. He was also awarded a best junior prize.
Meanwhile the Stourbridge second team in division 5 of the Birmingham league look certain for promotion. They beat Aldridge 4½ 1½ with wins from Eric Horwill, Roy Branford and Phil Trevis. In the match against south Birmingham we are 1½ - ½ up with 4 games adjourned and look set for at least a drawn match. This would then give us 5 wins and 3 draws. The first team in division 2 were unfortunate to lose against Olton and currently have 4 wins and one loss. They now face severe fixture congestion with 4 away matches in January.
End of Season Report 2003
Wolverhampton league division 1 2003
This season we were never really in contention and finished =7th with 3 wins 3 draws and 4 losses. The league winners were Kidderminster A. We were also never really in danger of relegation. However, next season, we need to watch out, as the division will be strengthened by the presence of Halesowen. A couple of times we had a disappointing results against lower graded opposition. The star performer in the team was Nic Fallowfield with an amazing 5½/6. Eric Horwill also played well with 5/8.
Birmingham league
We finished fifth out of 13 in division 1 and second in division 5 which earned us promotion to division 4
Dudley league
We came second in division 1, and came third out of six in divisions 2 and 3 in the newly formed dudley and district chess league.
2003 Summer Tournament
Following the closure of Dudley chess club, John Foxall joined Stourbridge and tied for first with Julie Wilson in the Summer tournament. Terry Aldworth came third.
Report March 2004
Birmingham division 2
In the Birmingham division 2, the first team are still leading the division. The match against Rushall was 1½ -1½ after the first session. When Eric Horwill and Geoff Thomas played their adjournments Eric won and Geoff’s opponent didn’t turn up, even though it was a home game, thus giving Geoff the win by default, and us the match 3½ - 1½ with Brian Dudley still to play. For the match against Birmingham we were missing three players but were able to field three strong reserves. We won the match comfortably with wins for Malcolm Hunt, Ian Howarth and Eric Horwill. Stourbridge lead the league with an excellent record of won 7, drawn 2. There are 3 matches remaining.
Birmingham and District Chess League – Division 4
During February the B4 team were only scheduled to play one match, but it was an important top-of-the-table clash against Tamworth. Surprisingly Tamworth defaulted but both teams are still likely to be promoted.
Wolverhampton and District Chess League – Division 1
Our chances of avoiding relegation received a significant boost when we defeated Shifnal & Telford ‘B’ in our ‘must win’ match. Despite fielding a weakened team the score at the adjournment time was 2-2. Geoff Thomas was significantly ahead and thus showed his opponent the sealed move and the winning line that was to follow, so his opponent resigned. Eric Horwill’s game was adjudicated as a win.
Wolverhampton and District Chess League – Division 3
We won our only match of February when Bushbury defaulted. They were apparently unable to get a team to Stourbridge for the match. Though we are not yet mathematically assured of promotion, it should just be a formality.
Birmingham and District Chess League - Individual Tournament
Dave Scriven faced Halesowen’s Don Curry. The first game was a draw but in the second game Dave blundered and lost.
End of Season report 2004
Brian Dudley took over as secretary of the club from Ian Howarth.
Wolverhampton league
We finished eighth out of 11 in division one and easilywon division 3 with a record of won 9 lost 1. Dave Scriven was the top white player with 4 out of 4. Kevin Humphries was elected president of the WDCL.Birmingham league
We had a good season in the Birmingham league. We came second in division 2 and following on from our pronotion from divsion 5 we won division 4
Dudley league
We won division 1, and came third out of six in divisions 2 and 3.
Tony Evers match 2004
We had a very enjoyable evening at the Tony Evers memorial match, which we won against a lower rated Halesowen team. We would like to thank Halesowen for being such good sports. It was a 10 board match.
Pre-season tournament 2004
The pre-season lightning tournament attracted 17 players which may be a record. We did not have a pairing sheet for 17 players so we played in 2 groups according to grading. Jeremy Fallowfield won the top group with a superb 7 out of 7. Steve Jukes, Andrew Moore and Dave Scriven tied for first in the second group with Andrew winning the play-off.
Report February 2005
February was a great month for the club. The Birmingham division 1 team guaranteed survival in division 1 with a win against South Birmingham.
The division 3 team are favourites for promotion following a draw against a strong Solihull team. they also reached teh Terrill trophy semi-final by beating Redditch 4½-3.
The Wolverhampton division 1 team improved their chances of survival by beating another relegation candidate Shifnal & Telford 'B'.
The Wolverhampton division 2 team won both ther matches and are now top of the divivion but the teams behind them have 4 games in hand and are likely to overtake them.
In the Worcestershire league division 2 we beat local rivals Hagley.
n the Worcestershire trophy, quarter final, the handicap system saw us start with a 3½ point advantage so we needed only 1 point to progress. Mark Pritchard and Andrew Moore both drew to ensure we progressed to the semi-final.
AGM 2005
The folllowing officials were elected:
- President : Dr. Brian Dudley
- Chairman : Dr. Brian Dudley
- Secretary : Dave Scriven
- Social Secretary : Julie Wilson
- Treasurer : Ian Howarth
Captains:
- Birmingham Div. I : Ian Howarth
- Birmingham Div. III : Dave Scriven
- Dudley Div. I-II Manager : Eric Horwill
- Wolverhampton Div. II A : Julie Wilson
- Wolverhampton Div. II B : Andrew Moore
- Worcestershire: Mark Pritchard
Dave Scriven won the president's trophy for services to the club.
End of Season Report 2005
Wolverhampton league
This season we were relegated from division 1 to division 2. The season was marred by the fact that our top players were unable to play for us on a regular basis. In fact if Edward Small had not joined the chess club things would have been very dire indeed. Next season we are going to try out a different system of team selection for the Wolverhampton league where players who are able to turn out for us regularly will be more likely to be selected that the part- timers. This means we will have a consistent regular squad and players will not find themselves playing on board 5 one week and then board 1 or 2 the next. Within the team there were one or two good performances. John Foxall, the team vice captain played in all 10 matches and scored an excellent 50%. Steve Jukes also performed well with 3.5 out of 6. Star performer was Brian Dudley with 5 out of 7 71%.In division 2 we finished third out of 11, so both teams will be in this division next season. We won the major section of the lightning tournament.
Birmingham league
We finished tenth out of 13 in division 1 and won division 3, earning us our third promotion in succession.
Dudley league
We came second in divisions 1, 2 and 3!
Worcestershire league
We won division 2 and the knock-out trophy (the final was played in August !
Registrations for the 2005/2006 season
| Name | Grade | BDCL | WDCL | Worcs | Dudley | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malcolm | Hunt | 168 | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | Geoff | Thomas | 161 | 1 | 2a | - | - |
| 3 | Frank | Pickett | 154 | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | Maurice | Bissell | 148 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 5 | Jeremy | Fallowfield | 148 | 1 | 2a | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | Nic | Fallowfield | 145 | 1 | 2a | 2 | 1 |
| 7 | Edward | Small | 141 | 1 | 2a | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | Brian | Dudley | 139 | 2 | 2a | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | Ian | Howarth | 135 | 1 | 2a | 2 | 1 |
| 10 | John | Foxall | 135 | 2 | 2a | 2 | 1 |
| 11 | Julie | Wilson | 132 | 2 | 2a | 2 | 1 |
| 12 | Eric | Horwill | 125 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 1 |
| 13 | Dave | Scriven | 125 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 1 |
| 14 | Doug | Tranter | 125 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 1 |
| 15 | Steve | Jukes | 122 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 1 |
| 16 | Mark | Podlesak | 122 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 1 |
| 17 | Ron | Evans | 122 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 1 |
| 18 | Adrian | Somerfield | 117 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 2 |
| 19 | Phil | Trevis | 112 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 2 |
| 20 | Mark | Pritchard | 110 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 2 |
| 21 | Ken | Durnell | 103 | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| 22 | Andrew | Moore | 103 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 2 |
| 23 | Harry | Small | 102 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 2 |
| 24 | Fred | Freshwater | 86 | - | 2b | 2 | 2 |
| 25 | John | Pearce | 83 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 2 |
| 26 | Nicolai | Peremezhney | 72 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 2 |
| 27 | Malcolm | Pritchard | 0 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 2 |
| 28 | Paul | Lamont | 0 | 2 | 2b | 2 | 2 |
Worcestershire Cup Final
| Board | Stourbridge | grade | Kidderminster | Grade | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edward Small | 141 | 1 | 0 | John Wrench | 160 |
| 2 | Dave Scriven | 125 | 0 | 1 | Frank Pickett | 154 |
| 3 | Mark Podlesak | 122 | 0 | 1 | Jim Friar | 149 |
| 4 | Adrian Somerfield | 117 | 1 | 0 | Maurice Bissell | 148 |
| 5 | Harry Small | 102 | 0 | 1 | G. Link | 134 |
Heavily outgraded, we received a 2.75 point handicap. This meant we needed 1.5 points from the match e.g. 3 draws. In the order we finished: Edward (with Black) had a piece for 3 pawns. He then won another piece. B+N for 3P. It was just a matter of technique from then on. 1-0 What a superb start. This meant we needed just a half from the other four games.
Unfortunately, only Adrian appeared to have drawing chances. Mark lost. He appeared to be a lot of material down. Harry lost. From a lost position it looked very likely he was about to lose on time, but he resigned.
Dave lost..Dave gave up the R for B exchange to try and create some space. This did give Dave some counter-play that initially worried Frank, but after surviving that Frank just crushed Dave. This meant the whole final was now on Adrian. He was a pawn down, but the heavy material was still on the board. It eventually reached Q+R+2P against Q+R+3P. Even under normal circumstances and no time limit, Maurice would have done well to claim the point. With Adrian having less than 5 minutes, Maurice had 20, but the match situation dictated Maurice had to get the win. He tried. He used up his time, but he was never going to get through and eventually his flag fell with Adrian having less than a minute left. 3-2 to Kidderminster, but we win with the handicap. CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wolverhampton division 2 A vs. B
With both Wolverhampton league teams now in division 2 they had to play each other at the start of the 2005/06 season.
January report 2006
Birmingham league
Following a 2-4 loss to Tamworth who travelled to Stourbridge with a full strength team, we are now in a division 1 relegation battle.
In our worst ever team performance we lost to a weak Redditch team.
To make matters worse we have also been knocked out of the trophy.
Wolverhampton League
In division 2 our 'A' team thumped Walsall Kipping and are serious promotion candidates.
Our 'B' table is mid table but has some tough matches ahead.
Worcestershire league division 2
This team is used to give our lower graded players some extra games. However, we have done very well so far and have won 3 and drawn 1.
Dudley league
In division 1 we are on 50% with 3 matches played and in division 2 we are on 100% also from 3 matches.
End of Season report 2006
Wolverhampton league
In both the Pittaway and Humphries cups we lost in the final.
In the 2nd division, our A team came thrid and the B team did very well to finish 5th.
Birmingham league
This was a disastrous season with us finishing bottom of divisions 1 and 2 so a double relegation.
Dudley League
We finished second out of 4 in divisions 1 and 2
End of Season report 2007
Dave Scriven became club secretary.
Wolverhampton league
We finished 7th in division 1 and fifth in division 2
Birmingham league
We finished 4th in divsions 2 and 3.
Dudley League
We finished second out of 4 in divisions 1 and first in divison 2. This league is allocated into divisions based on grade so there is no promotion or relegation and Stourbridge uses it to give members some mroe competitive games.
Tony Evers match 2007
The annual Summer friendly against Halesowen with a raffle and buffet supper
Press report 2nd September 2007
The 2007- 2008 chess season starts this week with Stourbridge Chess Club playing their first matches in the Dudley league and Humphreys cup.
Fifteen club members played in the pre-season lightning tournament. Steve Foster won the ‘A’ group on 5 ½ out of 7 and John Pearce and Jeremy Humphries came equal first in the ‘B group.
Throughout the Summer, Chess club members have kept in form by playing in the hotly contested Stourbridge Summer tournament. This was won by Nic Fallowfield with grading prizes going to Jeremy Humphries and Adrian Somerfield. Several club members played in the Hereford congress over the August bank holiday weekend. New member Ricky Brookes showed his form by coming equal first in the minor tournament on 5 out of 6. Fellow club member John Loynes was also in contention up to the last round when he lost to Welsh international and British under 13 champion Megan Owens. In the major section Julie Wilson was awarded a grading prize and Nic Fallowfield playing against strong opposition in the open section scored a commendable 3 out of 6.
Report November 2007
Our first team faced Olton twice, once in division 2 of the Birmingham league which we drew with wins for Nick harris and Julie Wilson and also in the the Homer trophy which we won 5-3½ helped by a 2½ point handicap advantage.
In Wolverhampton division 1, following on from a win against Warley Quinborne we faced newly promoted Boldmere. We were held to a draw with John Foxall and Nick harris both winning. Our next match was against Stafford where we were outgraded on every board but still managed to win the match. Brian Dudley won his game and the rest of the team all drew. We had expected to struggle in this division but to our surprise we we are now 2nd in the division. View Brian's match winning game.
We use the Wolverhampton division 2 team to give our less experienced players a game so did not expect to much in the way of good results. However we were pleased to win aginst Bushbury with wins for Ricky Brookes and Jeremy Humphries. This was followed by a loss against Rushall with Jeremy winning again.
Our dudley division 1 team won against West Bromwich with wins for Eric Horwill and Julie Wilson.
Meanwhile in Dudley division 3 we beat Hagley with wins for Towan Kosten, John Pearce and Dan Alford. Towen also won again against halesowen but we lost the match.
Report February 2008
In the Homer cup semi-final we beat Warley Quinborne 3½-2½ but in division 2 of the Birmingham league, we drew against bottom of the table Shirley & Lucas and are now in danger of relegation! However our second team in division 3 are in contention for promotion!. This month we won by default against South Birmingham, then lost against Shirley& Lucas but won against Mutual Circle.
In Wolverhampton division 1 we were severely outgraded when we played away against Lichfield but we still managed to beat them with wins for Julie Wilson and John Loynes and draws for the rest of the team. We now have chances of finishing third in division. one. Meanwhile the second team drew against Wolverhampton in division 2. They also drew with Walsall Kipping in the under 110 cup but go through to the final on board count.
End of Season report 2008
Wolverhampton League
We won the Humphries cup.
Birmingham League
division 2 6/13 and division 3 2/13
Dudley League
We finished second out of 5 in division 1, and won division 2 out of seven teams. We used division 3 to give some games to less experienced players so finished 8th out of 9 teams.
End of Season report 2009
Wolverhampton League
We finished 10th out of 11 teams in division 1 and were duely relegated.
Birmingham League
Both teams played in division 2. The first team finished 7/13 and the second team finished 12th and were relegated.
Dudley League
We finished second out of 4 in division 1, and finished third in division 2 out of seven teams. We used division 3 to give some games to less experienced players so finished 7th out of 7 teams.
Tony Evers match 2009
The annual Summer friendly against Halesowen with a raffle and buffet supper
Wolverhampton league success 7/3/2010
Stourbridge Chess Club first team have just clinched the division 2 championship of the Wolverhampton and district chess league. With one match left to play they are 3 points clear of their nearest rivals Rushall who have already played all their matches. Their amazing record is played 10, won 9 and drawn 1. If the team carries on like this they could be contention for the division one title next year. Team captain John Foxall is delighted with the team’s performance. He himself put in an excellent performance with 7 wins out of 8. Star player for the team was the board one player Jeremy Fallowfield who scored a near perfect 6½ out of 7. Also in the Wolverhampton league’s knock-out trophy, the “ Pittaway cup”, the team is now through to the final. In the semi-final against the strong division 1 Lichfield team, the Stourbridge team played solidly to draw all 8 games! This means that Stourbridge go through to the final on handicap as they are a division 2 team.
End of season summary 23/5/2010
The 2009-2010 chess season has drawn to a close. It brought mixed fortunes for Stourbridge Chess Club .
The best team performance by far was the first team playing in the Wolverhampton league division 2.They won the division outright with a near perfect record. They won 10 matches and drew 1. Next season should see them finishing near the top of division one. Meanwhile the second team also in division 2 did not fare so well and have been relegated to division 3. However, this may not be such a bad thing as the team often fields less experienced players in order to give them match experience.
In the Birmingham league division 2, our first team did not play to their full potential and were lucky to escape relegation. We’re hoping for better things next season when the team should be vying for promotion to division 1.
The second team in Birmingham division 3 put in a good performance to finish mid table.
AGM 2010
At the club’s AGM the following awards were made:
- The Presidents Cup, awarded for services to the club, was presented to Dave Scriven for the 6th consecutive year. Dave puts in a tremendous amount of work as both club secretary and treasurer.
- The Denis Fernihough Trophy, awarded for most improved player, was also presented to Dave Scriven. Dave had a fantastic record last season. He played 29 matches for Stourbridge, winning 16, drawing 11 and losing only 2.
- The Sydney Willets Trophy, awarded to the best club player, was presented to Jeremy Fallowfield who put in an excellent performance as board one for the first team in both the Birmingham and Wolverhampton leagues.