Club News

30th January 2012   Rushall v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 2
Playing Rushall is always a very competitive affair and this match didn't disappoint.
  Board 2, Tony fought hard against Calvin Styles, but his opponent seemed to be on a different level which shows in his new grade of 158.
  Board 1. Very enjoyable game, should have won but sometimes you just have to admire some great play, I thought I'd share the game with you although it's painful for me. Check it out.
  Board 4, Steve played quite a cagey, congested game which ultimately resulted in a draw.
  Board 3, Mike was last to finish and his game went down to the last few minutes for both players, it was closely contested but time dictated the drawn result.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 2 capt.

24th January 2012   Club Championship Results
A full schedule of matches have meant that the internal club competition has been put on the back burner but not forgotten, a further two matches were played tonight, playing for the coveted trophy.
  In Pool A, Catherine played white against Mike, who played solidly, until he went for the wrong aggressive strategy making Catherine's position at the top of the table more secure.
  In Pool B Matt played black against Patrick, an entertaining evening resulting from a very open King's gambit, led to Patrick having an almost certain win, unfortunately for Patrick one push of the wrong pawn spelled curtains in the end game and a relieved Matt won in the end.

17th January 2012   Rugeley v Boldmere St Michaels B, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Tonight we welcomed Boldmere with real belief we could gain something out of the match after drawing with their A team.
  Steve on board 6 finished first with a decisive win over Geoff Harman.
  On board 4, Tony beat N. McCormack in confident style.
  It was getting late at this stage and adjournments were looming, Matt was keen to finish his brawl with Sandy Wilson and bulldozed his kings defence, unfortunately Sandy lost on time.
  On board 1, I was playing Malcolm Phipps and although I seemed to have position and material advantage I couldn't see an obvious winning combination and therefore accepted a draw to secure the team win.
  Mike, on board 5, faced Bill Dixon and went for his normal aggressive style, but despite open lines and aggressive looking play was unable to gain the advantage and a draw was agreed.
  Rob on board 3, had an interesting game of pawns, I was wondering if this was the draughts opening! It looked like a deadlock and indeed that's how it ended, in a draw.
  So yet another victory under our belts and looking very secure in division 2, thanks to everyone who played.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 capt.

10th January 2012   Rugeley v Cannock, Cannock League Division 2
Rugeley played local rivals Cannock in a recent league encounter. Rugeley fielded a strong side and were in confident mood heading into this event.
  Board 1. Reigning Club Champion Cath, faced the ever improving Ray Dolan. In what looked to be a very open game with both playing launching fierce attacks, the lady fell! Yes Cath lost the Queen. From there it was all down hill. Ray seizing control and completing the win.
  Board 2. Rob, playing for bragging rights, faced usual team mate, Matthew Carr. Both players attacked, but with the board quite congested there was a period of accumulating presure. Matthew combined pieces to worry the cornered king. Rob facing a devastating knight fork then resigned. This proved premature in the continuation as cover was available to home players pieces.
  Board 3. Patrick faced a tough encounter in the form of Nick Crutchley, but seemed to control the game and was proved to have too much for his struggling opponent.
  Board 4. In confident mood, captain Tony developed quickly whilst his opponent made a number of pawn moves to try and control the centre. Although no material advantage Tony's opponent offered little in the way of threatening chess. Eventually, snaffling a couple of pawns Tony created a pinning check to secure a rook a advantage and soon completed victory to ensure the match was drawn.
  Thank you to those who played.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 2 capt.

5th January 2012   Three members of Rugeley Chess Club attend Lichfield's quickplay tournament.
There was a timed handicap system for grades that differed more than 20 points, and this increased in accordance with the grading difference.   My first game I had 15 minutes and my opponent had 25 which after a whirlwind game fizzled out in a draw with both under time pressure, my 2nd game was equal 20 minutes but I lost on time and my 3rd game I had 5 minutes and my opponent had 35 minutes and after many frantic moves I managed to win but credit to my opponent who nearly had me checkmated.
  Matt Carr was enjoying himself and managed to mirror my results although I'm not sure either Tony or Matt had the frantic 5' v 35' game.   A confident Tony was very pleased with his 10' v 30' win in the second round, having already secured a draw in the first game. Tony gained a bottle of wine for his commendable 2.5/3 score, the first prize of the year! Well done.

3rd January 2012   Rugeley were defeated by a very strong West Bromwich Team in the Chase Cup Trophy. 0-6

20th December 2011   Rugeley Chess Club All-Play-All Christmas blitz competition
Tonight was the third Rugeley Chess Club Christmas All-Play-All blitz competition held at Lea Hall.
  The format is now computerised thanks to Matt, and the time controls were 10 secs a move per player until the 40th move when it decreases to 5 seconds, which lead to a series of entertaining matches.
  Tony, dressed to impress, was feeling lucky! He benevolently accepted his nephews offer of a draw and then proceeded to beat me, Mike and Rob, and looked certain to win the champagne.
  Rob Fell won this competition last year, but stumbled in the first round to Mike, managed to beat Matt and should have easily beat Cath but when its 5 secs a move, mistakes are inevitable and Cath sneaked the stalemate, after then losing to Tony there was no way Rob was going to win the title this year.
  Mike had a fair tournament only losing to Tony on the night.
  Matt was in fine arbiter mode, which perhaps distracted him from his chess, he had a poor start but finished strongly.
  I was enjoying the madness, leaving pieces undefended and playing with gay abandon..I had the beating of them all (obviously!) erm I didn't win though.
  The clubs youngest member Connor was happy just to play in the spirit of it all and he enjoyed it. Especially proud of his Uncle Tony who won with 3.5/5.
  Congratulations to Tony and many thanks to Matt for organising the event, it was a good evening.
The competition match results are attached Rugeley Chess Club All-Play-All Christmas Blitz results
Catherine Hiley.

13th December 2011   Rugeley Chess Club Christmas meal
This evening saw the club members celebrating Christmas with a meal at The Horns pub in Slitting Mill.   A great evening was enjoyed by all, we learned a lot about stuffing, entertaining old biddies, and perhaps, most importantly, not playing bishop in front of the queens pawn in the opening! Many thanks to Rob for organising the dinner.

8th December 2011   Boldmere St Michaels A v Rugeley, UPDATE Wolverhampton League Division 2
  24 hours haven't even passed, and the match has now been concluded. My opponent accepted a draw and Mike conceded the game after Fritz's brutal analysis.   I'm delighted we drew the match having defaulted a board and being outgraded on every board by an average of 17 points, it's a credit to the team and a real boost to our confidence in our first season back in division 2.

7th December 2011   Boldmere St Michaels A v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Having a last minute default on the bottom board, things were looking rather gloomy, but on the positive side (for us) Boldmere A are out of form and lie bottom of the table with 2 losses.
  Rob was first to finish with an emphatic win over Leo Tsoi, an excellent start.
  On board 2 Matt turns up 30 minutes late with work commitments, says plenty of time to win.. and indeed proved to be right, an excellent victory over Andy Lake.
  Shortly after, Tony has secured another half-point against Mike Biddle and suddenly I start to realise we could get something out of this match.
  On board 1, I was playing Keith Thomas, it had been a topsy turvy encounter and having passed the 36th move and time approaching 10pm it didn't look as though we were going to finish tonight and so we agreed to adjourn.
  Mike, on board 5, faced Dave Brelsforth and again agreed to adjourn, Mike was a pawn down in the end game but was hoping for a draw.
  We are in a very healthy position of being 2.5 - 1.5 up, with 2 drawish-looking games to play.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 capt.

29th November 2011   Rugeley v Rushall, Cannock League Division 2
Although missing some key players, Rugeley met Rushall on Tuesday with Rob Fell accepting the challenge of board 1.
  Rob was heavily outgraded, fought valliantly, but circummed to the extra experience and power of his opponent.
  On board 2, was a great game, two old adversaries, again outgraded. It was a cagey start, Steve took control with quicker development. Gradually, after a couple of exchanges I began to attack. I lost a pawn and was under pressure with a weaker centre, with only a few minutes left, Steve missed a chance to win a piece, allowing me back in the game to win his unguarded rook.I then realised it was only to be regained a couple of moves later. Both players were left with seconds to play and the draw was inevitable.
  On board 3, Mike was not in confident mood heading into the match but knew that his previous encounters with Pete had been favourable. The game was typically open and aggressive, however Mike was behind on time and uncharacteristically lost on time in a complex end game.
  On board 4, Steve Heath was drafted in to complete the home quartet, and came into the team on good form. Steve quickly took control of the game and launched a number of attacks which eventually became too much for his opponent.
  Thank you to those who played.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 2 capt.

22nd November 2011   Rugeley v Stafford, Cannock League Division 2
Standing in for Tony Meakin as captain I was hoping for a good start to the Cannock Division 2 season. Stafford are normally formidable opponents so we all approached our games with respect but of course, little fear.
  On board 1, Cath was in total control until a lapse in concentration allowed her opponent to go a piece up and work his way back into the game.
  On board 2, I was attacking my opponent with gay abandon but unfortunately through great defensive play, it petered out, and a passed pawn left me facing defeat in the end game.
  On board 4, Mike agreed a draw after being ahead pretty much most of the game - his disappointment when relayed his opponents grade afterwards was painfully etched on his face.
  It was left to Patrick on board 3 to gain a great win after a bit of confusion with the clocks. After going a piece down in the middle game Patrick was able to snaffle a few pawns and then capitalise when his opponent made a mistake thus winning the material back.
  Thankyou everybody for playing and even though the result was not satisfactory, I know that the luck was not with us today.
Rob Fell, acting Cannock League Division 2 capt.

20th November 2011   *REARRANGED FIXTURE* Shifnal & Telford v Rugeley (Away) Wolverhampton Div 2 11th April 2012

17th November 2011   *NEW FIXTURE* Rugeley v West Bromwich (Home) in the Chase Cup on 3rd Jan 2012

15th November 2011   Mercia A v Rugeley (adjournment results), Wolverhampton League Division 2
After turning up a week early, Cath eventually gets to finish her match with Derek Perks.
  Rob's opponent resigned a few days earlier, and so the pressure was on for me to save the match.
  I had analysed the position and still managed to draw it out into a lengthy battle which lasted till the 70th move. Derek defended well, but it wasn't to be, I held on to win my game and gain a well-deserved point.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 capt.

1st November 2011   Rugeley v Bushbury, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Having won our last match, confidence was high as Matt asked where his next victim was.
  Tony was the first to finish again, although this time he overlooked a trap, and was beated by Robert Brodie.
  On board 4, Patrick offered Alf Schroeder a draw which was duly accepted, as there seemed to be little play left.
  Mike on board 6 had the upperhand on Simon Jones, and had a comfortable win in the end.
  On board 2, Matt declared a mate against Peter Baggott, and then looked again and realised it wasn't, my spirit sank as I thought Matt may have miscalculated, but I needn't have feared as he actually won a few moves later.
  I had been in the stronger position against Phil Staley for most of the game but when pieces were swapped off it looked fairly symmetrical and I was happy to accept his offer of a draw.
  So at this stage, we are 3-2 up and Rob had 3 linked passed pawns charging up the board, John Button wanted the adjournment but it was v.unlikely that he was going to come away with anything but a loss..and so conceded the game. We won 4-2 feeling very pleased, well done and thanks to all who played.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 capt.

25th October 2011   Rugeley v Kidderminster B, Wolverhampton League Division 2
After some uncertainty as to whether or not our opponents would be able to play, we got off to a good start having the first opportunity to field our strongest-graded team .
  On board 6, Tony didn't hang about and had another good win.
  On board 4, Rob Fell was on top form and beat C. Billinge.
  Patrick, on board 5 played a steady game against M. Kitchen, tried to open up the game but his opponent held firm and a draw seemed a fair result.
  Our board 2, Bill had his first match in months and over 2 hours had passed before they got to move 18 (ok that may be exaggerated!) Bill accepted T. Yate's offer of a draw.
  On board 3, a rather flustered Matt, unfortunately lost to M. Riley, but at this stage we were 3-2 up and I only needed a draw.
  On board 1, I played my first move and offered D. Close a draw, 34 moves later he finally accepted, securing our first team win.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 capt.

18th October 2011   Mercia A v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 2
I wasn't feeling over-confident as I arrived at Mercia, and I just hoped everyone enjoyed their games.
  Tony was the first to finish and although I never had the opportunity to watch a lot of the game it ended in a rather satisfactory draw.
  On board 5, Mike looked to have the better game and was unfortunate to be mated, John Phillips couldn't believe his luck.
  Steve on board 6 took another pleasing draw, gaining quite a few grading points in the process.
  On board 2, Matt looked to have a tough game, he put up a brave fight, but it wasn't to be this time around. and lost to David Jeffs.
  With 10:15 on the clocks the inevitable first (probably of many) adjournments arise for Rob and I, we're both in very strong positions and both looking to win our games. I'll keep you posted! Should we both win then we draw the match... happy days.
  The adjourned games are provisionally booked for 15th November, played at Rugeley Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 capt.

11th October 2011   Rugeley v Boldmere, Cannock Division 3
Tonight we were playing a match against Boldmere and confidence was pretty high. A quick look at our opponents grades got us quickly excited and a comfortable win was expected.
  On board 1 however, things didn't go quite to plan - I was playing slightly too passive and it wasn't long before I fell into a trap which not only resulted in losing a rook but another piece soon afterwards - my resignation soon followed!
  On board 2 Mike kept up his good form with steady play and managed to achieve another win.
  Another player in form, Steve Heath, also played well going a piece up early on and then slowly suffocating any realistic chance his opponent had of getting back in the game.
  Our board 4, Rob Matthews managed to claim a credible draw and then quipped afterwards that he'd be the new draw master.
  So congratulations to my team for letting a red-faced captain off the hook with a win - I promise to do better next time. (I'll Hold you to that Rob -ed)
Rob Fell, Cannock Div 3 Captain.

3rd October 2011   Rushall B v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Our first Wolverhampton league match and I'd just managed to secure a full side.
  I was playing on board 1, and let the team down by playing well below par and gave Peter Leary an easy win.
  On board 3, Patrick was having a very entertaining game and managed a beautiful combination with queen, rook and bishop all bearing down on Peter Broomhall's king, and duly resigned.
  Steve tried to open up the position against Josh Hennion, but his opponent managed to nullify every attack, resulting in a draw on board 6.
  On board 5, Mike had little opportunity to get the better of Nigel Parker and also accepted a draw.
  On board 4, Tony was upbeat after replacing his bathroom lightbulb at the weekend but some of his energy seemed to drain after going a piece down, John Grant must be disappointed to only gain half a point from the game through repetition.
  The last to finish was Matt whose normal aggressive style was stifled by Calvin Styles, who managed to gain the final point and win the match for Rushall 3.5 - 2.5.
  Thanks to everyone who played. The commitment from everyone was appreciated
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 capt.

27th September 2011   Rugeley v Wolverhampton, Cannock division 3
Rugeley battled against Wolverhampton in their first home game of the season.
  On board 1 Rob beat Bob Khoshnevis.
  Mike played Barry Lewis and cam away with an emphatic win.
  On board 4 Rob Matthews played a very closed encounter against Brian Walker and managed to stifle play which merited him with a well-deserved draw, after being a pawn down.
  On board 3 Steve played solidly and managed to beat Peter Hubbard, which secured our first win. Thanks to everybody who played in the match.
Rob Fell, Cannock Div 3 Captain.

20th September 2011   Club Championship Result
Matt and Patrick took the opportunity to play in our internal cup competition, having had our Wolverhampton league match postponed. I wasn't there to witness the game as it was over in 17 moves.. the only thing I can report, was that Patrick wasn't too happy!
  Congratulations to Matt for his first win in the competition.

13th September 2011   Lichfield v Rugeley, Cannock division 3
Going into our first match of the season it was unfortunate that we were having to default a board, although this couldn’t be helped due to work commitments and holidays. Still we arrived at Lichfield bursting with confidence, and a quick look at the grades of our opponents confirmed that we were right to do so – although the outcome was not quite as we expected.
  On board 1 I was playing a steady game against Ron Crellin of which the likely outcome would have been a draw if he hadn’t blundered a piece in the middle game.
  Tony on board 2 had fire in his belly and went at his opponent David Short with uncharacteristic aggression. Unfortunately this led to Tony being the exchange and a piece down in the middle game and although he put up a good fight a struggle ensured when the pieces were swapped off.
  Mike on board 3 had already offered his opponent John Fryer a knight sack for a better position which was duly refused and despite lively play and chances at both sides the game petered out into a draw.
  Thanks to everybody who played in the match; hopefully we will be able to field a full team and get off the mark with a win next time.
Rob Fell, Cannock Div 3 Captain.
  Catherine and Patrick played a championship match which resulted in a draw, please look at the games tab for the actual game.

9th September 2011   Rearranged and additional matches
Kidderminster requested a postponement of our first Wolverhampton league match and is now taking place on the 25th October 2011.
  Sutton Coldfield have now joined the Cannock 2 division and we play them in April, see fixtures for details.

6th September 2011   Cannock Lightening tournament
This event was organised by Matt Carr as a light-hearted, fun tournament, plenty of prizes were up for grabs. Catherine and Mike represented Rugeley and after lots of crazy games being played. Catherine finished 2nd to Arthur Hall (Lichfield) and left with a very nice bottle of wine and a medal.
  Thanks and congratulations go to Matt for being an excellent arbiter, everyone enjoyed the evening.

30th August 2011   Club Championship Result
Another match was played tonight in the club championship.   In Pool B Rob played white against Steve, it was almost decided on time as Steve was under enormous time pressure. Rob was lucky to have a draw agreed, but every point counts in what is proving to be a very competitive internal competition.

23rd August 2011   Club Championship Results
A further two matches were played tonight in the club championships.   In Pool A, Catherine played white against Matt who had done some sound preparation,as the battle continued Matt went for an all-out attack but Cath weathered the storm to gain all 3 points.
  In Pool B Rob played black against Tom, and almost lost the game quite quickly as Tom went for a beautiful "there's always a mate" combination, and almost pulled off a shock result, Rob managed to wriggle free, and once he escaped white's advantage dried up, and Rob won, entertaining to watch.

16th August 2011   Club Championship Results
The first two matches were played tonight in the club championships.   In Pool A Catherine managed to keep her nerve as she battles to retain the trophy, by beating Matt who was beaten by the clock.
  In Pool B Rob was on form and played a solid game against Tony, early days.. but Rob won't want to give up his lead in the table too easily.

29th July 2011   Rugeley Chess Club Pre-season BBQ
Now a regular feature of the chess club's social calendar, Patrick did a fantastic job as culinary chef, and he and his wife were exceptional hosts.
A great evening was enjoyed by all, we discussed the new gradings and finalised the Championship groups. We managed some general banter over wine-appreciation too.
We're looking forward to the new season and relish the challenges to come. Thanks again to Patrick for his hospitality.

20th July 2011   Bridgtown v Rugeley, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2
Rugeley went into our final match of the Summer League against Bridgtown with high hopes after fielding quite a strong team.
  On board 5 Rob Matthews was first to finish with a commendable draw against Craig Horobin further emphasising the great progress made this season.
  Next to finish was Patrick who managed to beat a below par Ray Dolan who was struggling with a bad cold.
  I then managed to claim a win against my opponent John Montague who was unlucky not to force a draw with a very sound sacrifice during the middle of our game.
  With only needing a remaining half point Mike duly responded by picking off Danny Torbica's threats resulting in going 2 pieces up and a comfortable won position.
  Cath tried to add the icing on the cake against one of Rugeleys newer players Matthew Carr but refusing to take a knight earlier on the game cost her dearly as Matthew sacrificed a few of his central pawns for an open attacking position which resulted in a rare win against his"nemesis".
  I wish to record my thanks for everybody that has played over the Summer League; I think winning 3 out of our 5 games was quite an achievement and we all look forward to the following season with high hope and expectation.
Rob Fell, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 Team Captain.

7th July 2011   Wolverhampton A v Rugeley, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2
We were playing our toughest opponents, comfortably top of the table, and we were outgraded on every board ranging from 12-58 points. It wasn't looking too hopeful for us.
  However Rob, on board 1, gave everyone hope as he brushed aside his opponent, M. Wootton with a confident victory.
  On board 3, Tony looked to be struggling having gone a piece down, it was a brave fight but in the end lost to F. Wood.
  I was on board 2 and was a little distracted as my car had broken down on the way to the match, I felt the pressure against P. Pearson-Jones, but managed to nullify his attack and I accepted his draw.
  On board 5, Tom had a crushing attack, and having briefly looked at the position, I could see various threats and typical Tom combinations of a mate, however his opponent found a lucky way out and managed to gain material advantage. Tom lost to B. Khodnevis but gave him a very good game.
  On board 4, Steve was playing G. Sands, and had the beating of him, but unfortunately Steve struggled with the time control, and ended up losing the game as a result. We lost to a very strong team 3.5-1.5 and Wolverhampton A are likely to be Division 2 summer league champions, Congratulations.
  Thanks to everyone who played. And yes I managed to get home safely but my car needs some attention.
Catherine Hiley.

26th June 2011   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - Leek Rapidplay Congress
  ***2nd Place in the U 145 Section***
This was our first rapidplay congress with the Fischer timings, Tony, Mike and Cath were Rugeley's hopefuls. It was a glorious day, and hopes were high and indeed we all got off to a flying start with a win each. Tony broke even at the end with 3/6, a little disappointed having lost the final 2 games. Mike was looking forward to a curry to finish off his respectable 4/6, and Cath left with a smile on her face having come joint 2nd with 5/6, and played 4 of the top 5 graded players. All in all a good day had by all, Matt Carr was arbiter for the U200 section and did a fine job. Well done.

21st June 2011   Rugeley v Brewood, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2
We needed to get back on a positive note after the last match, but with some of our higher graded players missing, it was looking increasingly difficult.
  On board 3, Tony appeared quite relieved to have his draw accepted by P.Crozet, although he may have had the advantage in the end.
  On board 1, I played J. Fenby and I was fortunate to get out of the opening unscathed, both sides played quite aggressively and open, but both attacks seemed to dwindle at the end and my draw was accepted, which seemed a fair result.
  On board 5, Tom had a good game against A. Davies, and played uncharacteristically cautiously, which to Toms credit, deserved a draw against a much higher graded opponent.
  On board 4, Steve looked on top for most of his game and claimed a victory after a solid performance.
  Again it was Mike's game on board 2 which would determine the outcome of the match and he didn't let us down. Rugeley won the match 3.5-1.5.
  Thanks to everyone who played, it was a great team effort.
Catherine Hiley.

6th June 2011   Rushall A v Rugeley, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2
With fresh optimism from our last match we went into the match against Rushall with high hopes of coming back with a result. A fairly strong side was selected taking into account the strength of depth that Rushall possessed and we all knew that a tough game was in store.
  On board 1 Patrick's game was going along pretty well against Steve Wilcox until a B7 pawn was sacrificed for counter play with devestating results leading to a loss for us.
  On board 2 I was also making positive positional strides until a weak Queen move lead me on the back foot with a swift counter attack from my opponent C.Styles and the game was virtually lost.
  On board 4 our Tony was enjoying a positional advantage against S.Cooksey which was further enhanced when a careless back rank mate was duly accepted to reduce our deficit.
  On board 5 Tom fought bravely against a tough opponent – N Parker but unfortunately went a piece down during the middle game and struggled to a loss.
  With the match already lost there was no time for Mike to repeat his heroics of the previous game and after refusing a draw early on he found himself in a lot of time trouble and his flag fell (although the game was already lost).
  Many thanks to everybody that played – I felt the overall result did not reflect the performances on the night and we could consider ourselves quite unlucky with the 4-1 loss.
Rob Fell, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 Team Captain.

4th June 2011   Rugeley Charter Fair
Interesting day out in gale force winds, Tony and Catherine need to thank Tom for coming to our aid erecting the gazebo that took off like a kite (quite literally), Tom managed to save the day by getting the apex fixed with the cover on. Matt, Tony and Cath had an eventful day trying to entice new blood to the club, we managed to gain some interest and hope to hear from some new members soon, fingers crossed.

17th May 2011   Rugeley v Bushbury B, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2
With Rugeley entering into a brand new season, our first game in the Summer League was against opponents whom we normally have quite a good record against - Bushbury B.
  On board 1 I was quite fortunate to be 2 pawns and the exchange up against J. Button which translated into a straight forward win in the endgame.
  On board 2, Cath was continuing her excellent run of form by beating the oldest player in the country Mr Alf Schroeder - no mean feat in itself! Probably the most attacking member of the club, Cath started to tear into her opponents defence, blasting it wide open and a victory soon followed.
  On board 4, Tony managed to get a lot of pieces swapped off and despite high hopes in the toilets, fell to defeat against S. Jones (who always enjoys playing at Lea Hall may I add)
  On board 5, Rob Matthews was putting up a good fight against D. Buckley but after falling a piece behind unfortunately lost his game.
  This all relied on our board 3 Mike to determine the outcome of the match - with which he duly responded with a cool win under time pressure against R. Brodie to win the match for Rugeley 3-2.
  Special thanks to everybody who played and lets hope we can continue this spirited play into our next match.
Rob Fell, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 Team Captain.

17th May 2011   Catherine Hiley volunteers for the recently-vacated Webmaster post. I can only apologise in advance! I know nothing about this and I have big shoes to fill.

15th May 2011   Paul Jackson resigns from the club - In a shock e-mail, Paul informs the club that he has decided to resign from the club with immediate effect, citing work and family commitments are his priority and feels a need to withdraw from chess at the present time. Everyone at the club would like to thank Paul for his major contribution to the club and only hope that he returns in the near future. He will be sorely missed.

10th May 2011   Rugeley Chess Club 2011 AGM
This evening saw the annual Rugeley Chess Club AGM held at Lea Hall in the usual chess room.   Biggest highlight of the evening was Catherine picking up both the Club Championship and Player-of-the-Season trophies.   Full meeting details to follow once the minutes have been finalised.   Many thanks to Catherine for organising the buffet.

03rd May 2011   Rugeley Chess Club End-of-Season meal
This evening saw the club members and guests celebrating a very successful 2010-11 season with a meal at the Yorkshireman in Rugeley.   A great evening was enjoyed by all.

26th April 2011   Rugeley Chess Club End-of-Season Blitz All-Play-All competition
Tonight was the second Rugeley Chess Club End-of-Season Blitz All-Play-All competition held at Lea Hall.   As before the time controls were a frantic 10 mins per player per match which led to a series of exciting matches.   With each round the lead at the top of the table changed hands and going into the final round of matches there were 5 contenders in with a shout to be the winner.
Tony (7 points) playing Rob (9 points) was the first to finish with a win giving him 10 points and the target to beat for the title: Tony sat as an interested observer looking at his chances from the other 2 boards.
Paul (9 points) vs Patrick (7 points) was a ding-dong affair with each going material and positionally ahead only to give it back.   However a carefully thought out end game gave Paul the victory and 12 points.
This left Catherine (on 9 points) needing a win against Mike - a repeat of this seasons club Championship Final - and in her usual style bossed the game to secure the win and also 12 points.
With 2 players on 12 points the result was decided by the result of their game in Round 1 which was a win for Catherine.
 
The competition match results and final table is attached Rugeley Chess Club End-of-Season Blitz All-Play-All results
 
Well done to Catherine for adding another trophy to a glittering season.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

16th & 17th April 2011   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - Staffordshire Congress
This weekend saw Tony carrying the flag alone for Rugeley Chess Club at the Staffordshire Congress.   Tony was showing great form and in the running for prize money throughout but unfortuantely ran into a familiar opponent from the Wrekin Congress, which was held at the start of the year, - like then the result was a loss for Tony and a satisfactory score of 3.5 from the 5 matches.   This time though 3.5 wasn't enough for a share of 3rd place unlike the success at the Wrekin event but even so a strong performance and well done to Tony.

Diary Update
The following dates have been agreed over the coming weeks:-
  - 26th April: End-of-Season blitz All-Play-All
  - 03rd May: End-of-Season club meal @ Yorkshireman @ 7:30pm
  - 10th May: Club AGM with buffet
  - End of May to early July Wolverhampton Summer League (fixtures to be confirmed)

12th April 2011   Rugeley v Brewood, Cannock League Division 3
At the start of the night I knew to win the league we needed a 4-0 result for outright victory or a 3-1 win to cause the league secretary ahuge headache in separating at least 2 if not 3 clubs on identical records at the top of the table.   I decided to keep this to myself to let the rest of the team play theirown natural game and would see what happens as the evening progresses.   As the match began the atmosphere was electric as the rest of the Rugeley Club members circulated round the boards watching the games progress rather than playing friendly games.
  Mike on board 1 fell a bishop for a pawn behind early on but managed to hang in through the middle game and came out on top with a rook & 3 pawns vs a knight and bishop.   Unfortuantely Mike missed a opportunity to swap the rook for the bishop which would have secured a probable win and ultimately lost on time.   My game was a steady affair which drifted into a draw with neither side having any distinct advantage.
  Board 3 was a very complex game which was finely balanced throughout.   Eventually avery balanced position was achieved where if either player forced an attack they would probably lose espcialliy with the time pressure they were under so a draw was a fair result.
  Finally Tom on board 4 was a disappointing affair as he was quickly material down and then his opponent slowly ground the win out with the advantage.
  Thanks to all who played for the team this season and we achieved a very creditable league position this season.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

05th April 2011   Club Championship Final - R2 Result
Tonight saw the second round of the 2010-11 Club Championship final and with colours reversed from the first round Catherine felty confident with a 1-0 lead and playing white.   Making the most of the white advantage Catherine forged a strong attack which Mike defended excellently with precision and skill.   During the middle game a series of exchanges occurred reducing the board to Catherines knight and pawns v bishop and pawns for Mike.   Unfortuantely for Mike the knight proved to be superior to his bishop and Catherine mopped up a couple of pawns.   With this advantage Catherine charged her pawns up the board, sacrificing a couple on the way in order to promote one to a queen which led to Mike's resignation.   Thus the best of 3 final was decided with Catherines win and a 2-0 lead.   Commiserations to Mike on the result but well done in getting to the final especially given his club ranking of 5th out of the 9 entrants.
Congratulations to Catherine for achieving both ambitions she set herself at the start of the season - (1) promotion as champions for her Wolverhampton Division 3 side and (2) winning the Club Championship.

29th March 2011   Rugeley v Bridgtown, Cannock League Division 2
The team's final game of the season and I was looking forward to signing off in style.   Unfortunately work got in the way on Monday so I had to reshuffle the team and ask Tony/Catherine to manage the match for me on the Tuesday evening.   Thanks to Tony for the match report as follows:-
 
Board 1 was the game of the night seeing the battle of wills between Catherine and Matthew Carr.   Catherine, buoyed by the success of her Wolverhampton Div 3 side the week before, was in the mood to throw the kitchen sink at Matthew who wilted under the ferocity of this sword wielding chess demon.   Catherine built a strong attack which culminated in her pinning Matthews Rook and Queen with her Bishop, from then on she crushed the remainder of his spirited defence.
Rob's match on board 2 was never going to be easy, but he managed to win a piece and snaffle a couple of pawns to build up pressure.   Then Rob met some tough resistance to his 2 past pawns but eventully succeeded in squeezing them home to gain the win.
Tony stepping up to the plate for me on board 3 had a poor opening boxing himself in, mounted a flimsy attack which just forced his opponents queen onto a good square.   Having castled queen side Tony lost a pawn and was fortunate when his opponent refused the chance to pinch another.   Finally, breaking out, Tony mounted a strong attack and then played the combination the wrong way round and lost a further piece.   Tony was then forced back as his opponent brought all pieces into play but he managed to cling on and then just as the match result was decided on other boards he was about to resign when Tony took control of the open file.   His opponent was distracted to attack the piece allowing Tony to check on the back rank, K-h2, R-h1 support by the Bishop (mate) - Tony was almost embarassed to win in the end.
Steve Heath on board 4, returning to the club after a few years away, had a cagey match where both players cancelled each other out.   This carried through to the end where a draw was forced by perpetual / repetition.
Fantastic result with a 3.5 - 0.5 win, the perfect way to end the season for the Cannock League Division 2 team.
 
It has been a widespread team effort with 8 of the 10 available club members turning out for the team over the season with the side ending up in a brilliant 3rd place in the league.   Throughout the season we have won all the matches against teams below us in the league and put in very credible performances against the 2 exceptionally strong sides above us in the table.   In fact we were the only side to take any points off the top Rushall team, who have won all their other matches in the league, with our away draw.
Thank you again to everyone involved with this side this season.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

22nd March 2011   Mercia B v Rugeley , Wolverhampton League Division 3
We eagerly headed off to Mercia with high hopes of a victory to secure Champion status of division 3 when I get a call from our board 1 Rob, who was stuck on a bus and not very happy!   Fortunately Tony was happy to fill in at the last minute.   I was feeling a bit nervy on board 1, however this didn't last long as Tony finished quickly and decisively on board 5, closely followed by Matt who had complete control in his game on board 2.   By this time Mike on board 4 was a piece up and after most exchanges had taken place we had a distinct advantage!   I relaxed and told Paul to take a quick draw and we could go and celebrate ... not wanting to let his captain down ... Paul went for the attack, unfortunately it was met with good resistance and in the end Paul lost, but happy that the team won.   I waited for my opponent to move, his options were very limited, but after much puffing and blowing he resigned as checkmate was imminent.   We left securing Champion status and I could have skipped out of the room.   We celebrated with a beer and I'm confident that the end of season meal will be rather celebratory too!
Thanks to all the Rugeley club members for their contribution to this successful season, it was a great team effort and we deserve to be back in division 2.   Well done.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team Captain.

21st March 2011 Ode to the Rugeley Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team
Who are the kings of the chequered board?
There is Mike with his sac and Catherine with her sword.
They charge into battle each night with a scream,
for top of div 3 is the collective dream.
Rugeley Chess Club is the team they all fear,
although Patrick, Rob and Bill alone live near.
Paul is the man with his hands on the cup,
yes Rugeley Chess Club is definately on the way up!
Tony Meakin, Rugeley Chess Club Poet Laureate

20th March 2011   ECF funding proposals
The ECF have proposed a big shake up of funding of chess in England as a result of the loss of its government funding.   The proposals will have a large impact on chess players and the costs to compete in leagues and competitions.   As a result it is recommended that all players read the proposals and feed any comments or points of view to the league and county ECF reps.
The proposals can be found at the following link on the ECF website under the news article titled "First Council papers"   www.englishchess.org.uk

19th March 2011   Staffordshire U140 v Warwickshire U140, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
This Saturday saw the final fixture for the Staffordshire U140 team in the MCCU Stage Inter-county competition.   As in previous rounds of the competition Mike has been ever present in the team and had yet another tough game with his opponent outgrading him.   However Mike played very well and got a hard fought draw which helped the Staffordshire U140 team to 8.5-7.5 victory over Warwickshire U140 to end this season's competition on a high.

18th March 2011   Rugeley Wolverhampton League Division 3 side are PROMOTED!!!
Last night Lichfield faced Boldmere St Michaels in Wolverhampton League Division 3 with Boldmere requiring a win to prevent Rugeley team securing promotion.   Lichfield comprehensively won the match 4 - 1 meaning that both Stafford and Boldmere now can't catch Rugeley at the top of the league table.   With promotion secured the match away at Mercia B on Tuesday night will go a long way to decide on whether Rugeley are Division 3 Champions or promoted as Runners-up.

17th March 2011   Wolverhampton v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 3
With Tony away in Scotland I was asked to stand-in as captain for this match on the night after Tony had selected the side to compete with Wolverhampton.   The match promptly got underway and in a blink of an eye Catherine had secured a win on board 1 in a dozen moves, a great tonic for her stressful week!!   Looking round the boards I was fighting to hold my e pawn but had wonderfully active knights and manouvred them to secure mate in 1 and a resignation.   Rob on board 4 was playing solidly against a very aggressive opponent and weathered the initial storm.   An insignificant queen move (which to everyone looked fine at the time) ultimately left it stranded out of the game and the opponent unfortunately gained the advantage and the win.   Finally Tom on board 3 as white had a good king side attack but was unable to find the winning combination.   Falling slightly behind in the end game a draw was duely offered by Tom and then surprisingly accepted securing the match win for Rugeley.
Thanks to the team, well done in securing the win and Tony should be pleased when he returns from his holiday.
Paul Jackson, Deputising Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

15th March 2011   Rugeley v Stafford, Cannock League Division 2
This was to be a tough match against a very good Stafford team with only a win good enough for Rugeley to keep in the hunt to be Division 2 league champions or Runners-up.   With 2 league games this week sides were organised to give everyone a game whilst maintaining competitiveness in the 2 divisions.   Patrick was the first to finish in an uninspiring game to watch where both players cancelled each other out and the draw duely arrived.   Mike on board 4 was getting well stuck into his match and soon got his opponent into great difficulties and forced home the win.   That left Bill and Rob playing until the end but in seemingly different scenarios; Bill looked to have achieved parity in his match but Rob having charged all his pawns up the board was in all sorts of difficulty.   Unfortunately as the games played out the results turned to 2 losses and with it the match win for Stafford.
Well done to Mike and Patrick for continueing their good run of form and thanks to all who played.   One match still to play this season and we are guarenteed 3rd place the same as last season, lets end the campaign on a high and beat our nearest neighbours Bridgtown in a fortnights time.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

09th March 2011   Boldmere St Michaels v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 3
Rugeley win the away match 1 - 3 to complete a good week for Rugeley against Boldmere St Michaels Chess Club.   It was so close to a perfect result as Tom was unlucky to lose a rook in his match which was the deciding factor in the game.   However there was another excellent result for Rob achieving back-to-back league wins.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

08th March 2011   Rugeley v Boldmere St Michaels B, Wolverhampton League Division 3
Tonight was very entertaining and tense match between two teams at the top of the division.   Bill finished first followed by Patrick with a couple of draws in games I wasn't able to observe closely.   Rob, on board 3, looked like he was losing, indeed he shook his head to me as to say 'Sorry Cath' and then I heard Matthew offer a draw... I quickly scurried over and said I could do with a win!   Minutes later Rob's opponent offered a draw, Rob snapped his hand off and duly showed him the error of his offer!   Lucky draw, I couldn't believe my ears and quickly scurried off to Matthew to say it's ok to draw now, as I was feeling more confident of a win at this point in my game.   So it was all down to Matthew on board 5 in a very close game with a knight and pawn against his opponents bishop and pawn.   Matthew had seconds left and all he had to do to secure the draw was check king with knight and take pawn next move ... everyone saw it apart from the Matthew under immense time pressure and unfortunately his opponent still had the pawn on the board when Matthews flag fell.
Good result for the league table against one of the two sides manouvering to beat Rugeley to promotion and the league champions.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team Captain.

01st March 2011   Rugeley v Rushall C, Wolverhampton League Division 3
With promotion in sight the team arrived at Lea Hall full of confidence looking to push home our advantage at top of the league table in the match against the bottom team in the division.   Once underway, after the two deputising captains had muddled through the paperwork, Matthew on board 4 had already won his game in the blink of and eye in a quick fire 14 moves.   Rob and Patrick then vied to be the next to finish each pushing for a win, both of which duely arrived almost simutaniously.   That left boards 1 and 5 still playing long after the other 3 games had finished.   Bill was always in control and secured the win but Paul on board 5 was drifting towards a drawn game until his opponent finally succumbed in a rook pawn end game.
Thanks to Rushall for the match, well played to all of the team who pushed us a major step closer to promotion and with the 5-0 result it has greatly improved our board count over the other teams if it becomes required.
Paul Jackson, Deputising Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team Captain.

22nd February 2011   Club Championship Result
In a catch-up of remaining pool matches Paul and Catherine played their outstanding game in Pool B.   A poor opening left Paul in all sorts of trouble and at move 12 Catherine had a choice of material and a commanding positional advantage or a potential mate combination.   Continueing her favoured aggressive style of play Catherine opted to try for the mate but unfortunately the combination wasn't completely sound and Paul wriggled out of the position.   Despite being a pawn down Paul slowly gained an advantage and pushed it home with a well thought out knight move opening up Catherines kings side.   Ignoring a queens side pawn charge by Catherine, Paul capitalised to force the resignation with mate in 2.   An interesting game for all, but an opening for both to forget for differing reasons.

16th February 2011   Boldmere St Michaels B v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 3
Confidence filled the team as we took our seats with even a supporter in Paul hovering in the background watching the 5 matches with great interest.   The games started promising on 4 boards and Patrick the only one in apparent difficulty having been offered the greek gift of a bishop by his opponent.   Bill was the first to finish with his game in a very balanced even position and both players agreed a draw.   Patrick was next to finish, also with a draw, having gained parity and a series of exchanges removing most of the major pieces from the board.   About this time Rob won a knight for a pawn and despite spirited counter attacking from his opponent slowly ground out a win and being the last to finish sealed the match.   Mike, more envigorated than the previous nights match - see below, threw the proverbial kitchen sink at his opponent and soon was the third to finish with a won game.   My game was steady and despite having a slight positional advantage I wasn't happy with the placing of my rooks so was content to take a draw from the game.
Well played to Boldmere who fought hard despite being outgraded on every board but in the end it was a great result for the team bouncing us back to top of the league above Stafford and one step closer to promotion.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team Captain.

15th February 2011   Rugeley v Lichfield, Cannock League Division 3
Tonight saw the re-arranged match from November, when we were in the midst of a spell of wintry weather, against Lichfield in Cannock League Division 3.
At the start of the night Mike feeling the pressure offered to be rested but due to the exchanging of matchcards had to play the game.   Finding it a long night Mike developed some good "open lines" although in doing so became an odd pawn down and got another one isolated.   As the night progressed Mike's game was last to finish and he accepted the offer of a draw in his game to share the spoils in the match.
Myself on Board 2 wasn't really at the races almost falling for a trap when pawn pinching, managed to spot the problem halfway through a combination and avoided the error.   After that the game became very clogged up and despite a slight positional advantage was glad to agree a draw and call it a night.
Tom, playing on a board higher than normal, seemed to be holding his own and I was hopeful of a positive result for him.   Unfortuantely the game just seemed to drift away from Tom, a real pity.
Finally Rob on board 4 had a great evening, being the first game to finish when his opponent resigned after Rob manufactured 2 extra pawns.   Cracking result for Rob.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

08th February 2011   Rugeley v Bushbury, Cannock League Division 2
An evening of anti-climax with Bushbury not only turning up with a side which would be considered very weak for Cannock League Division 3 but their board 4 was also a no show.   I was going to sit out the game rotating club members into the side so couldn't take the default, many thanks to Patrick for offering to step aside and take the defaulted game.   After exchanging the matchcards the three remaining games got under way in what seemed to be a very one-sided contest especially with Rugeley already 1-0 ahead.   Bill was the first to finish with a draw after his opponent played very well to block up the board.   Catherine and Rob set about their opponents with gusto and soon had them in difficulty, duely despatching them with little trouble.   Thanks for all who played and Patrick for sitting out the match, no doubt the next match against Stafford will be far more challenging than tonight!
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

06th February 2011   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - 25th Stockport Rapidplay   ***3rd Place in the Intermediate U140 Section***
The first Rapidplay trip for Rugeley Chess Club in 2011 saw a fabulous turn out with 6 members of the club and 2 cars heading north to Stockport.   En route hopes were high with 5 people entered to be in the U140 Intermediate section and Paul a bit of a dark horse in the U110 Minor section due to a very low Rapidplay grade.   However when reaching the venue it turned out that the organisers had upgraded Patrick to the U170 Major section which saw him playing in a seperate room against adifferent calibre of opponent.   The 6 rounds came thick and fast throughout the day with time controls of 30mins per player per match.   Highlights of the rounds were:-
  Round 1 - A steady start to the competition with all 6 members playing white and gaining draws apart from Rob who had an unlucky game
  Round 2 - Tony rode his luck again with a 2nd generous offer of a draw from his oppenent
  Round 3 - Mixed round with 3 wins and 3 loses, Catherine at the halfway point on a great 2½
  Round 4 - Patrick gains a great win in the Major section
  Round 5 - Great round for the club leaving Paul, Tony and Catherine all in the hunt for prize money
  Round 6 - Similar to Round 1 with 5 draws but this time Catherine was the odd one with a win
Once the games were finished there was eager reading of the scoreboards to see where we had finished up.   Unfortunately the draws for Paul and Tony saw them finishing just outside the prize money missing out by ½ point in 7th and 8th place respectively.   Catherine's win on the other hand propelled her into a great score of 4½ and third place in the U140 Intermediate section - fantastic result.   Patrick's hard graft in the U170 Major section was rewarded by 1st prize in the raffle and a glass chess set.   The day was extended by dinner and drinks in the Stags Leap back in Rugeley to celebrate the successes and continue the banter.
Well done everyone and thanks for a great day out which was a lot of fun.

05th February 2011   Staffordshire U140 v Derbyshire U140, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
This Saturday saw the re-arranged fixture for the Staffordshire U140 team MCCU Stage Inter-county competition.   Unfortuantely due to a mixture of illness and unavailability of the 5 Rugeley Chess Club members selected for the match only Mike was able to participate.   As in previous rounds of the competition Mike had another hard game which saw him get the edge but unable to find the combination to convert the draw into a win.   Well done to Mike with another great result.

01st February 2011   Club Championship Final - R1 Result
Tonight saw the first round of the 2010-11 Club Championship final and after choosing colours it saw Mike playing white in the best of 3 matches conclusion to the inaugural competition.   The final is expected to be very close as it has this seasons two most inform players within Rugeley Chess Club going head-to-head and duely the first round match turned out to be so.   Going into the end game, with each player a minor piece and pawns, it saw Catherine manoeuvre Mike into a poorly positioned bishop and then push home the advantage looking to promote a pawn.   After a series of exchanges, leaving Catherine's 3 pawns as the only pieces remaining on the board, Mike had no choice but to resign and give Catherine a 1-0 lead in the final.   Well done to both players for an interesting match to watch and it all lies in Catherine's hands to win with white and the lead in the final going into the second round.

29th January 2011   Staffordshire U140 v Worcestershire U140, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
This Saturday saw the second fixture for the Staffordshire U140 team and again saw two Rugeley players selected for the line-up, Tony on board 15 and Mike on board 10.   Tony (outgraded by 15 points) had a hard game but was able to force a decisive position and secured an excellent win.   Mike had an equally hard game but managed a very creditable draw.   Well done to both players which saw Staffordshire draw the match 8 - 8 with Worcestershire.

25th January 2011   Rugeley v Stourbridge B, Wolverhampton League Division 3
Having drawn against Stourbridge earlier on in the season we were hoping for a win this time round, having the added incentive of going top of division 3.   The teams were very similar to last time apart from board 1, which now featured Patrick who has had a recent run of better form finding it difficult to capitalise on a tricky end game, and after prophesising a team victory opted for the draw.   Rob and I sealed a double win over Stourbridge leaving the last two boards requiring one draw between them.   Unfortunately Mike blundered away a piece in one of those 'Why did I do that?' situations, and subsequently lost.   It was now down to Paul, who was at this point in time, a piece and a pawn down.   But plucky Paul calculated to sack his last piece for his opponents last pawn and challenged him to beat him in 5 mins or within the 50 move law.   His opponent had nothing to lose, and therefore declined the draw ... an eager crowd watched the knight, bishop and king trying to force a mate, not an easy task even for the strongest of players.   In the end a draw was the outcome after his opponents flag fell.   A tense finish to an important match, credit has to be given to Stourbridge for battling it out with 3 ungraded players, they fought well.   Well done to Rugeley lets hope we can maintain our position at the top.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team Captain.

20th January 2011   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - 11th Wrekin Congress Update   ***3rd Place in the Minor Section***
Due to the topsy turvey nature of the results in the Minor section Tony has been confirmed as joint 3rd in the Minor section on his score of 3.5 points.   Well done to Tony for this success and especially for coming close to retaining the title for Rugeley Chess Club after Paul's victory in this Congress last year.

18th January 2011   Rugeley v Rushall, Cannock League Division 2
Prior to the start of the match we thought this would be the hardest match of the season and Rushall did not disappoint with their amazingly strong team selection.   Heavily outgraded on the top 3 boards it was going to be hard to get any thing from the match and after loses on boards 1 & 3 the writing was on the wall.   However when looking over at the game on board 2 it gave rise to some hope as Catherine had gained a very strong upper hand being a knight and pawns up, a tentative glance at Mike on board 4 further lifted spirits as it appeared we stood a chance as Mike was positionally ahead.   Catherine duely converted the game with a fantasticly comprehensive winning position and all eyes turned towards board 4 which was drifting to a more and more equal position.   Unfortuantely Mike wasn't able to halt the shift in fortunes in the game and agreed a draw confirming a win in the match for Rushall.
Well done to Catherine for a classic win which will appear shortly on this website in the Games section and thanks to the whole team for playing, we can only take it as a compliment that Rushall need to field such a strong side to feel they can win the match
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

18th January 2011   Club Championship Results
With Dave Tindley's withdrawl from this season competition the amended results in Pool A have produced a winner of this section.   Mike on an unassailable 13 points tops Pool A and is now set to play Catherine (the winner of Pool B) in the final serries of matches to decide the ultimate Club Champion for the 2010 - 2011 season.   Please see the Club Championship page for more details.

15th January 2011   Staffordshire Bulldogs U120 v Lincolnshire U120, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
This Saturday saw the third fixture for the Staffordshire Bulldogs and again saw two Rugeley players selected for the line-up, Tony on board 3 and David on board 7.   Tony had a hard game on board 2 which was a well earned drawn but embarassingly for the Bulldogs and Rugeley Chess Club David was a no show therefore defaulting his game thus handicapping the Bulldogs with 1 point to Linciolnshire before the games started.   Well done to Tony for a combative draw to help the Bulldogs to a drawn match leaving them well placed in the MCCU table on 2 wins and a draw.

11th January 2011   Rugeley v Lichfield, Wolverhampton League Division 3
Great start to the year resulting in a good team performance, and an emphatic victory over Lichfield.   Some very interesting open victorious games apart from Paul's game, which was an unusually closed affair with little opportunities for either side and a draw was the logical outcome.   Many thanks to all the team and Tony for being our lucky supporter for the night!
One very happy captain.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team Captain.

10th January 2011   Rugeley v Lichfield, Cannock League Division 3
The postponned home match against Lichfield in Cannock Division 3 from November has now be re-arranged for Tuesday 15th February 2011.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

08th & 09th January 2011   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - 11th Wrekin Congress
As in previous seasons the Wrekin Congress was the first congress of the year to be attended by players from Rugeley Chess Club.   Paul unfortunately was unable to defend the Minor championship which he won last year due to his increase in grade competed in the Major section, however Tony (entering the congress for the first time) was in the Minor section trying to retain the title for the club.   After the 2 days and 5 rounds of chess both went home happy with their showing.   Paul (playing people graded between 144 - 152 in all the rounds) managed a return of 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses which was seen as a success expecially as it was only 0.5 of a point of the sections grading prize.   Tony was equally satisfied with his score of 3.5 points from his 5 matches; but on another day the draw and loss of Saturday afternoon/evening could have been better results as there were chances missed during the games which could have propelled Tony into top reaches of the prize money.

04th January 2011   Club Championship Results
Tonight was to see 2 matches played in the Club Championship but only the one between Tony & Mike was able to be played.   This game was a topsy turvy affair with the advantage passing back and forth until Mike seized the initative with a decisive finish.   Well played to both especially Mike who now moves to joint top of Pool A in this season Club Championship.

01st January 2011   Happy New Year from everyone at Rugeley Chess Club

25th December 2010   Rugeley Chess Club wishes everyone a Merry Christmas

21st December 2010   Rugeley Chess Club All-Play-All Christmas competition
Tonight was the second Rugeley Chess Club Christmas All-Play-All blitz competition held at Lea Hall.   As before the time controls were a frantic 10 mins per player per match which lead to a series of exciting matches.   Tony made the running for the first 3 rounds with straight wins but after losing to Patrick in round 4 set up an exciting finish to the evenings competition.   With Patrick, Rob F and Tony all on 9 points the final round pairings of Rob F v Tony and Patrick v Mike was a fantastic stroke of luck in the random ordering of the matches.   Rob F made quick work of Tony and was left to watch the Patrick v Mike match which Patrick went on to win to create a tie at the top of the tables between Rob F and Patrick.   Rob F was the winner by virtue of beating Patrick in Round 3, a game which Rob had the better of until near the end when Patrick found a trick and queened with a few seconds left - not quite enough to remove Rob's pawns, let alone find mate: this eventually decided the fate of the prize.
 
The competition match results and final table is attached Rugeley Chess Club All-Play-All Christmas Blitz results
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

14th December 2010   Rugeley Chess Club Christmas meal
This evening saw the club members and guests celebrating Christmas with a meal at the Talbot in Rugeley.   A great evening was enjoyed by all and many thanks to Tony for organising the dinner.

07th December 2010   Rugeley v Stafford B, Wolverhampton League Division 3
Second home game of the season in Wolverhampton Division 3 and the last before the Xmas break which was going to be very tough against the runaway league leaders Stafford.   Catherine was still unfortunately unwell so I was asked to stand-in as captain for the evening and unusually for this season both teams were present in full before the time the match was to begin.   Looking round the boards after 40 mins I felt a surge of confidence, Tony on board 5 (playing what appeared to be Blitz) had reached the time control already material up and looked like it should be a win.   Mike on 4 was similarly ahead, I had positional advantage despite playing black and was confident of forcing a mistake and Patrick on 1 was a pawn up in a tight match.   The only blot on the copy book was Rob on board 2 who was facing a relentlessly attacking position and duely resigned.   In my game the mistake came and I went a rook up and a few moves later had mate lined up before the oponent resigned.   I was quickly followed by Tony then Mike in converting their positions to wins and the match was sealed, leaving Patrick to play out his game almost to the last minute before sealing his own victory.
Thanks to the team for an excellent evening and get well soon Catherine.
Paul Jackson, Deputising Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team Captain.

30th November 2010   Rugeley v Lichfield, Cannock League Division 3
Tonight due to the bad weather Lichfield postponned the match due to the wintry weather.   The match will now be played in 2011 with the date still to be confirmed, the website will be updated as soon as the date is agreed by both clubs.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

25th November 2010   Website Revised - new Guestbook function
As well as updating the website with this weeks match details additional functionality has been added with a Guestbook included.   Please leave us any comments you might have regarding the club.
Paul Jackson, Webmaster.

23rd November 2010   Rugeley v Mercia B, Wolverhampton League Division 3
First home game of the season for the Wolverhampton Division 3 team 5 games into the fixture list.   Unfortunately having been unwell for a few days I had to admit defeat late Tuesday afternoon and ask Mike to step in to play and Paul to deputise as captain.   I managed to get down to Lea Hall after 8pm and all the games seemed to be going well for Rugeley but it quickly well downhill with blunders from Paul and Patrick as well as a missed opportunity from Rob.   Mike then raised spirits with a confident win and was followed by draws on boards 1 & 3 by Bill and Rob.   Unfortunately Paul and Patrick couldn't turn their games round despite Paul fighting to the last second before losing on time.
Thanks to all for playing especially to Mike for standing in at the eleventh hour and winning his game.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team Captain.

16th November 2010   Club Championship Results
A further two matches were played tonight in the club championships.   In Pool A Tony pulled off another surprise and over turned a 23 grading points diferential to beat Patrick and make the table even tighter with 5 games left to play.   Pool B saw a titanic battle which had Rob's hope relying solely on a victory against Catherine, unfortunately it wasn't to be and Catherine came away victorious.   Well done to Catherine for winning Pool B with 4 matches left to be played in this section.

15th November 2010   Rushall v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 3
It was our turn to face Rushall with the other Rugeley league teams unbeaten against strong Rushall teams so the pressure was on.   However we outgraded Rushall on the top 3 boards so were full of confidence as the games started.   Mike gained a strong win as his opponent went pawn pinching as Mike lined up a mating combination.   Better result and performance than we gave against Bridgtown in our first match so well done to the team for finally getting the season up and running.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

13th November 2010   Staffordshire Bulldogs U120 v Nottinghamshire U120, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
This Saturday saw the second fixture forthe Staffordshire Bulldogs and two Rugeley players in the line-up, Tony on board 3 and David on board 7.   It was a Saturday afternoon of mixed fortuantes with a good win for Tony but a disapointing loss to a lower graded player for David.   However the result overall was a comprehensive win for the Bulldogs by 8½ - 3½ setting them up nicely in the MCCU table.

09th November 2010   Club Championship Results
Two matches were played tonight in the club championships, both in Pool A, which saw no change in the table as both games ended in draws.   Mike v Patrick and Tony v Dave were good games but no one was able to make and convert a decisive position into a victory.

08th November 2010   Rushall C v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 3
We headed off to Rushall with a strong side, we outgraded our opponents on every board and so the pressure was on to secure another victory.   Again Rob was the first to finish, he had the upper hand towards the end but his opponent blundered his queen away and instantly resigned, Mike quickly followed with a comfortable win, I managed to pin my opponents queen against his king resulting in resignation and we were now 3-0 up.   Bill's game was full of incidents, his opponent was in big time trouble and after touching his own queen and Bill's pawn started to panic and withdrew the move, later on, he then declared the game a draw x8, he had 30 secs left on the clock but Bill had the dominant position and secured a won position only for his opponent to resign after his flag fell.   Bill definitely deserved his win.... leaving Paul struggling to find an opportunity to secure a 5-0 victory and thus agreed a draw which on reflection was a fair result.   We left Rushall with a spring in our step, hoping to continue our dominance in the next match.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team Captain.

03rd November 2010   Bushbury v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 2
We arrived at Bushbury with our strongest team possible to find it all in a bit of upheval.   Bushbury had 2 matches on and a functiuon had taken the main match room so we ended up playing our games in the foyer.   On the exchange of matchcards we discovered that Bushbury were playing a very weak side who would have struggled even in Division 3 on grades alone.   However you have to beat the people in front of you and the team set too the task in hand.   As a non-playing captain tonight I watched the games unfold and the different approaches taken.   Rob was straight on the attack with a marauding queen after 8 moves, reached the time control after 15 mins of his time and put the clocks back the 20 mins to finally win 10 mins latter.   Catherine played the game steady, slowly upping the pressure on her opponent with every move made, the game was only going to end one way and Catherine duely won seconds after Rob's match finished.   Up on boards 1 & 2 progress was slower and with greater difficulty.   Patrick on board 2 was the next to finish agreeing a draw in a marginaly advantageous position having swapped off the major pieces to be a bishop & 7 pawns v a knight & 7 pawns position.   Finally moments later Bill also gained a draw, despite being an exchange down, to give the side a 3 - 1 win.   The whole match was finally done and dusted in only just over 1 hour which must be close to a league record.
Well done to everyone tonight, thank you to all who have played and/or assisted with this team so far this season.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

02nd November 2010   Club Championship Results
A match in each of Pool A & B were completed tonight in the club championships.   Rob came out victorious in Pool B against Tom but there was more excitement watching the Patrick v Dave game in Pool A.   Despite a 32 grading differential between the two players Dave came away with a victory after Patrick tried to force a win in what looked a drawn position - well done Dave.

27th October 2010   Stourbridge B v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 3
We arrived at Stourbridge with our strongest graded team, and we outgraded our opponents on every board.   I was feeling optimistic aboutthe evening watching Rob's game on board 3 with interest.   He had anamazing attack on the f7 pawn, lots of lovely combinations resulting inmaterial advantage and a weakened castled King... Rob won!   Patrick then followed suit and got strangled in a four pawns King's Indian.   Bill also had lots of lovely combinations which would have seen us 2-0 up, however,uncharacteristically, Bill went for the wrong option and unfortunately resulted in defeat.   Paul was playing against someone ungraded but his opponent played well, Paul accepted the draw which meant it was down to the captain to win to save the match.   My opponent played well above his grade as did all the Stourbridge team, I had a pawn advantage in the end game but my opponent lost on time.   We were unlucky not to win but credit must be given to Stourbridge who managed to draw.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team Captain.

22nd - 24th October 2010   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - 34th Scarborough International Chess Congress
First congress of the season and Rugeley sent a strong contingent to the 34th Scarborough International where Mike and Tony entered the U126 Minor section and Paul, graded 126, stepped up for the first time into the U146 Intermediate section.   Arriving in Scarborough in plenty of time despite a small diversion they managed to check-in to the B&B and get dinner prior to the Friday night match.   Friday's first round of matches proved to be great for the lads with Tony winning and the other 2 getting a draw.   Saturday soon arrived and with high hopes battle was joined for rounds 2 & 3 of the congress.   Results were so so but all 3 were still optimistic with Tony standing on 2 points, Mike on 1.5 and Paul on 0.5 from the 3 rounds.   After a good breakfast and checking out of their B&B it was off to the Scarborough Spa Complex for the remaining Rounds 4 & 5 of the congress.   Round 4 saw a sparkling win by Paul against a 140 graded opponent (see the games page for a review of this match), a draw for Tony and a loss for Mike.   Mike made amends in Round 5 with a win whilst the other 2 could only lose.
This left Mike and Tony on 2.5 points out of 5 and feeling it was a little disappointing, while Paul on 1.5 (but having played all 5 opponents from the top third of the draw) despite being at the bottom of the grading band felt quite pleased with his play.
A great weekend with a lot of fun and some very interesting games of chess.

19th October 2010   Bridgtown Social v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 2
First match of the season for the Cannock Division 3 side and we were confident as a team settling down to the games.   Catherine made amends for her defeat against Carr senior last week by beating Matthew with a confident controlled game.   That unfortunately turned out to be the limit of our successes as the other 3 boards succumbed to defeat.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

19th October 2010   Club Championship Result
Along side the Cannock Div3 match (see report above) Rob and Paul played out their second match in Pool B.
Despite playing black Paul had the tempo and pressure in the opening going into the middle game.   Then came a daft pawn move by Paul which Rob seized on and took the initiative to seal the win.   Well done to Rob who now sits joint top of Pool B making it an interesting finish to this section.

16th October 2010   Staffordshire Bulldogs U120 v Staffordshire Terriers U120, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
With Paul and Tony swapping grades for 2010-11 compared to last season there was a similar exchange in the Staffordshire County sides.   This saw Tony taking part in the first match of this season for the Bulldogs replacing Paul on Board 2 with a difficult act to follow.   Despite being outgraded on 11 of the 12 boards the Bulldogs set to work in maintaining the bragging rights over our Northern cousins.   Tony managed a good win over Dennis Nesbitt from Stafford Chess Club (he drew with Catherine earlier this season) and set the tone for a team win with the final score of 7 - 5 to the Bulldogs.
Well done Tony, hopefully he can lead his team to a similar win in the Cannock Div 3 match on Tuesday.

13th October 2010   Bridgtown Social v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 2
Third consecutive week and match for the Cannock Division 2 side saw us still looking for a win.   With a loss and a draw against our name we were after the elusive win to get our league position moving up the table.   Again we all arrived before a full oposition team with even a cheerleader - minus the pom poms and frilly skirt - to spur us on (Tony turned up to discuss the league fees, scout out the oponents for next weeks Cannock Div 3 match against Bridgtown Social and to see how we did in this match).   On seeing the team line-ups I felt confident that the win would happen if Rugeley played to form.   First to finish was Rob with a comfortable victory on board 2, followed by Catherine making the pace and on top but made a wrong choice in a complex middle game which unfortunately resulted in being 2 pawns down and despite fighting hard couldn't get it back.   I was next to finish with a steady win leaving Patrick to avoid defeat to bring home the match result.   Playing white Patrick had the tempo and tactical advantage all the way through his game so the win duely came.
Three weeks until the next match so great to go into the break with this result.   Well done all and the result moves us up niceley into second in the league table.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

12th October 2010   League Tables
League tables updated today.   The Wolverhampton League are as the latest update but in the absence of any official Cannock League tables the Division 2 details are taken from the various club websites to build the data from match results.

07th October 2010   Stafford v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 2
Another tough game but after last weeks result hopes were high of getting something from the match.   All the games started well and I was a piece for a couple of pawns up after 10 moves, unfortunately I bungled on move 15 which turned the game and it was soon over as a contest.   Tony escaped with a draw and then with in a very intersting game Patrick followed suit.   This left Catherine in a complex which was very drawish trying to force a win but it wasn't to be.   Many thanks to the team for playing and apologies especially to Catherine for making try to win her game for a team draw after bungling my excellent opening position.   Hopefully I can make amends next week against Bridgtown Social.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

27th September 2010   Rushall v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 2
What a match to start the league season with against one if not the strongest team in the division.   We were all at the venue with plenty of time for the start beating all but the opponents captain which resulted in the match starting a little late.   First glance at the team line ups highlighted the difficulty as Rob and Catherine on boards 1 and 2 were outgraded by 30 points, all square on board three and Mike higher graded on board 4.   Team target at the start was a drawn match.   Rob worked hard on board 1 but was slowly strangled out of the game, Catherine made the running and had a chance of a great result but got caught out on the counter attack.   I played a solid game as white, got material up and set-up a pawn + knight v king end game to get the win.   This left Mikes game to decide the team result and it went down to the wire with seconds left on both clocks.   Mike fought through to a pawn end game and pulled off a win on time to get the team draw.   Many thanks to the team for their fighting spirit and a fantastic result, not many other clubs will take any points off Rushall with this line-up.   Special thanks to Catherine for skipping tea to make the match.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

16th September 2010   Lichfield B v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 3
We fielded our strongest team grade-wise against Lichfield and with their top 2 boards graded at 146 it was going to need a good team performance.   Rob on board 3 was the first to finish, and bizarrely it was due to his opponents flag dropping!   Rob had a strong position and was confident of a win had it not been decided on time, Paul finished next with an emphatic victory leaving his opponent with little opportunity to get back into the game.   I'd had a bad day but was cheered up once I gained the exchange and shortly after my opponent resigned.   Bill executed a beautiful combination with his rooks and queen which sealed another win.   All it took now was for Patrick to win, but his game looked very drawish and it was a nervy ending, with time-pressure for both players.   Unfortunately the heat got to Patrick (quite literally) and he conceded the position.   We walked out of the guild hall with our heads held high having bagged our first Division 3 victory of the season with a hope that it would be the first of many.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team Captain.

08th September 2010   Stafford B v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 3
We headed up to Stafford for the first game of the season, arrived nice and early even setting up the chess sets for the home team!   I was feeling confident that we could get something out of this game even though we were fairly evely matched grade-wise.   However it ended up being a nervy night with Tony and Rob giving Stafford the advantage, Mike refused his opponents first offer of a draw but eventually agreed.   Paul made a solid start and had the advantage in the middle game but it dwindled towards the end and he settled for another draw.   I had a superb opening game and was winning for most of the game, it was filled with sacrifices, undefended kings, mate threats and passed pawns.   Lots of fun, but agreed a draw in the end.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 3 Team Captain.

31st August 2010   Club Championship Results
Tonight was a very busy night for the Club Championship with 4 matches being played across both pools the maximum possible under the 2 pool format.   All four games produced wins with full details on the Club Champs page of this website.   Congratulations to Catherine, Dave, Mike and Rob F.

29th August 2010   Revised ECF Grades Out
This morning saw the revision of the 2010 ECF Grading Database list which now finalises players grades for competitions in the upcoming 2010 - 11 season.   Full details for club members have been added to the " Players " page on this website.

17th August 2010   Club Championship Results
Tonight was a busy night in the Club Championship which started with the arrival of the trophy which had been donated by Patrick and the excitement that created.   With renewed energy in the Club Championship caused by the trophy a raft of matches were arranged for the coming few weeks and Paul v Rob F battled it out in Pool B.   Rob was the victor with the key moment being the loss of whites d pawn on move 14 which opened the file for black who capitalised to graft out a win 30 moves latter.
Many thanks to Patrick for the donation of the trophy for the Club Championship.

15th August 2010   Pre-season Club Summer BBQ
This Sunday was the 2010 Pre-season Summer BBQ which saw the majority of the club along with respectives partners / families descend upon Patricks house.   Given the poor weather over the preceeding few days the gods were on our side and the sun shined throughout the afternoon.
Many thanks to Patrick and Jean for a great afternoon which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.

10th August 2010   Club Championship Results
Over the last few weeks the first few rounds of games have been played in the Club Championship.   After some aborted attempts to play games Catherine has got off to a flying start with two wins in Pool B and Patrick - Tony played out a very interesting drawn in Pool A.   Hopefully over the coming weeks further games will be played in the competition before the 2010 - 11 league season starts.

09th August 2010   Website fully updated
The website has now been fully updated to archive the 2009-10 season and also the details for the coming 2010-11 season have been added.
Paul Jackson.

28th July 2010   Final Wolverhampton Summer League Tables
The final tables are now available for this years Wolverhampton Summer League, full details for Division 2 have been added to the " Tables " page on this website.
Paul Jackson, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 Team Captain.

25th July 2010   ECF Grades Out NOW!!!
This morning saw the initial version of the 2010 ECF Grading Database, full details for club members have been added to the " Players " page on this website.   As ever there were winners and losers on this years list, as a result there is an almost complete shuffle round of club members in the board orders for the coming season.
Well done to Paul and Rob F who are both +8 and Patrick +7 compared to last years grades.

14th July 2010   Bushbury B v Rugeley, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2
The final game of the Summer League and indeed the 2009 - 10 season for Rugeley Chess Club was played away at Bushbury this evening.   As ever two evenly graded teams lined up for the match which included on board 2 for the Bushbury team the eldest competitve chess player, Alf Schroeder, in the UK graded 140 at the age of 96!!!   Indeed the first game to finish was board 2 which saw a win for Alf, followed by draws on boards 4 and 1 in that order.   Despite making the running through most of the match I eventually lost a pawn game ending although came close to a stalemate.   As the match was then lost Tony's decision was simpler on board 3 in a complicated ending and he accepted the offer of a draw.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped and played throughout the Summer League this year in what was a relatively succesful, but certainly eventful, programme of matches.   Have a good summer all and see you back refreshed in September raring to go for next season.
Paul Jackson, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 Team Captain.

13th July 2010   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - Newcastle Jamboree,   ***U130 Section Winners***
Mike, Tony and Paul, joined by Dennis Nesbitt from Stafford Chess Club, made up a team for the U130 section of the Jamboree (which took the format of 2 rounds of 30mins per player) playing under the banner of Stafford.   Round 1 saw comfortable wins for Paul and Dennis but Tony in a good position sucumbed due to time pressure.   That left Mike to hang on to win on time and put the team on top spot in the U130 section by 0.5 point.   After a 10 minute refreshment break battle was joined again for the second round which had a strong sense of de ja vu about it.   All four results were the same apart from Mike who gained a stylish mate rather than a win on time to bring home the trophy for the team.   Final result was a win with 6.0 team points with Newcastle in second place back on 4.5 points.   A great night well done to the team and thanks to Martyn Harris of Newcastle-under-Lyme Chess Club for organising the event and Matthew Carr for adjudicating the U130 section.
Taken from the Newcastle-under-Lyme Chess Club website the competition match results and final table is attached.
Newcastle Jamboree
Paul Jackson.

13th July 2010   Wolverhampton A v Rugeley, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2,   ***Complaint adjudication result***
A decision by the league has been reached today on the complaint raised by Rugeley Chess Club over the board 1 player of Wolverhampton A.   The complaint centred on the eligibility of the player as he was considerably above the 145 grading limit for Division 2 as declared by Wolverhampton Chess Club in other competitions.   The result of the adjudication has been that the complaint by Rugeley Chess Club is upheld in fact and far more importantly is fully in line with the spirit and ethos of the Wolverhampton Summer League.   However this is a moral victory only as the minimal league rules do not allow for any penalty to be applied to Wolverhampton A and so the board 1 game and team match results stand.   The Wolverhampton Summer League organisers have committed to tighten the rules for future competitions.   The result of the complaint as detailed above is fully accepted by Rugeley Chess Club as have the apologies received from the Wolverhampton Summer League organisers and Wolverhampton Chess Club themselves.
This should now draw a line under the issue and all can focus on the remaining games in this years Summer League competition.
Paul Jackson, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 Team Captain.

08th July 2010   Wolverhampton A v Rugeley, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2
This was always to be a tricky match against a team who was 4 wins from 4 games but in preparation for the match it was discovered that Wolverhampton A had been using a player on board 1 above the Division 2 grading limit.   Details were lodged with the league before the match and when the team arrived at Wolverhampton's venue it was confirmed he was again selected to play on board 1.   Details of the complaint were raised with Wolverhampton A but an impasse was soon reached with regards to tonights match, this was finally broken when Rugeley agreed to play the match under protest and make a formal complaint after the match.   The match therefore eventually starting seeing every player on the Rugeley team outgraded by between 8 and 40 points.   Catherine, our board 1 player affected by the situation, played valiantly against the e177 graded player (max limit in Division 2 is grade 145) but was slowly strangled out of the game.   Patrick and Rob gained very creditable draws on board 2 & 3 whilst I lost a pawn end game having lost some of my concentration during the discussions prior to the start of he match.   Dave on board 5 went almost to the end of the time controls and came away with a very good draw against his opponent.   The final result on the night was a 3.5 - 1.5 win for Wolverhampton A subject to the result of the complaint over Wolverhampton A's board 1. Many thanks to all for playing in this difficult match, hopefully next weeks final summer league match will be more enjoyable for all concerned.
Paul Jackson, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 Team Captain.

07th July 2010   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - Newcastle Jamboree
Mike, Tony and Paul have been invited to join an invitational team along with players from Stafford Chess Club to enter into the Newcastle Jamboree on Tuesday 13th July.   This 30 minutes rapidplay event should be an interesting and exciting evening competition.   Good luck to the Rugeley players.

07th July 2010   Cannock Leagues 2010-11 Fixtures Conference
Tonight was the Fixtures Conference for the Cannock Leagues 2010-11 and attended by Tony and Paul from our club.   Details were confirmed of the club's entry into Divisions 2 & 3 of the league for the coming season which will see both sides with slightly fewer fixtures compared to last season given the composition of the divisions.

29th June 2010   Staffordshire Chess Association AGM,   ***Rugeley is the Staffordshire "Club of the Year" 2010***
Tonight was the Staffordshire Chess Association AGM held at the Stafford Chess Club and was attended by Paul and Tony from the club.   Along side the presentation of the county cups were the Player and Club of the Year awards for 2010 and we had nominations in both sections.   Unfortunately Paul Jackson, despite a very successful season both for the club and also personnally at congresses, from the club was not successful as the "Player of the Year" being beaten by Andrew Davies for his tireless work for county chess, running their website and support for junior chess across the county.   However in the catagory fo the "Club of the Year 2010" Rugeley were successful and took away the trophy.   Prior to presenting the trophy to Rugeley Chess club it was recognised of our:-
- Commitment to league chess, fullfilling fixtures throughout the 2009-10 season without defaulting a single match board.
- The number of members who have for many years played in the very successful U120, U140 and U160 Staffordshire County teams.
- The level of congresses entered across England and Wales by the club and the number of our members who took part in these competitions with several successes.
- All of the above made more impressive given that it is one of the smaller clubs in the county.
Well done everyone at the club.   This is a fantastic accolade for the club and very well deserved given all the effort put in by everyone.

22nd June 2010   Halesowen A v Rugeley, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2
Tonight was the third match for Rugeley in this years summer league competition, and our first in a series of three away games, against a team who were playing their last match in this competition with a 100% record so far.   Despite it being the furthest away trip the team arrived a good 30 minutes early to the venue and settled down to a quick team talk.   The games started dead on 19:30 and in what seemed to me no time at all there started a flurry of draws from boards 1 , 2 and 3 in that order.   Rob, on board 4, seemed to have plenty of the pressure and be on top in his game but unfortunately when he opened up some attacking lines it allowed his opponent in and his king got trapped behind his pawns.   That just left my game on board 5 still playing, with about 80 mins in total left on the clocks, and the position got more and more drawish with a pawn & knight against my opponents pawns & bishop endgame.   Given the need for a game win to make achieve a team match draw I opted to play on as long as possible without repetition or my opponent claiming a draw.   Neither of these happened so my knight circled the board looking for an opening until with 75 seconds left the chance came and after 10 quick moves latter the opponents king was all alone and I had a pawn on either side of the board heading for to the 8th rank.   After queening the f pawn and shepherding the black king into a corner mate was finally achieved with 5 seconds left on the clock - what an adrenilin rush for all of the team with this and tense exciting finish.   A close match result and hopefully we can now kick on with the last 2 matches to capitalise on the good league position.   Very well played the whole team tonight a great result against a team who had won all their other matches in the summer league.
Paul Jackson, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 Team Captain.

10th June 2010   Wolverhampton Leagues 2010-11 Fixtures Conference
Tonight was the Fixtures Conference for the Wolverhampton Leagues 2010-11 and attended by Catherine and Paul from our club.   Details were confirmed of the club's relegation to Division 3 of the league and although it will be a competitive league next season it should be one from which Rugeley aspires to gaining promotion from at the first attempt back to Division 2.

08th June 2010   Rugeley v St Mary's A, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2
Our second match in the summer league competition and our last home game of the 5 matches.   We all arrived with a sense of expectation but it turned into an evening of "Why did I do that?".   Highlights of the match was Rob's quick win on board 5 and then Tony's final win on board 4 securing the draw for the team.   Thanks for all who played after we had some shuffling of team throughout the day.   To end of a high note the draw maintains Rugeley at the top of the Division 2 Summer League table.
Paul Jackson, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 Team Captain.

26th May 2010   Wolverhampton Leaguee AGM
This evening saw the holding of this years Wolverhampton League AGM at the Bushbury Community Centre and was attended by Catherine and Paul from the club.   Our entry was confirmed for next season and we wait to see which league we are in after some extra entries and league restructuring will occur prior to the fixture conference in June.

25th May 2010   Rugeley v Rushall B, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2
Today was the first game in this years summer league competition and as usual against Rushall it was going to be a tough start.   All five boards got off to a good start and there was a quick flurry of wins for Mike, board 3, Patrick, board 2, and then Tony on board 4.   Catherine had a storming attack going kings side and Tom was in a promising postition making the running in his match.   After careful play from Catherine, making the most of her 65 minutes, the 4th win was secured and all eyes turned to Tom to see if the white wash could be achieved.   Unortuantely an out of character pawn move from Tom turned out to be the deciding move of the game and his position fell apart.   Well played to everyone an excellent start to the competition, lets see if we can carry this on against our local rivals St Mary's in a couple of weeks time.
Paul Jackson, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 Team Captain.

22nd May 2010   Staffordshire Bulldogs U120 v Lancashire U120, ECF Inter-county competition Quarterfinals
This Saturday was the ECF Quarterfinals of the U120 Inter-county competition and it saw the Staffordshire Bulldogs facing Lancashire.   Paul was again been selected for the Staffordshire team maintaining his ever present run on board 2 this season.   With a depleted team the Bulldogs knew it was going to be a tough 4 hours of play and so it proved.   Paul got a hard fought draw after boxing both his knights in but after 20 mins of thinking found a way out through a serries of exchanges.   The rest of the Bulldogs were finding play equally tough but most games were ending up as draws, however the 2 or 3 matches where a win was found it proved to be the Lancashire players with the result.   Well done to Paul who ended his 1st county campaign with 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss from the matches.

19th May 2010   Cannock League AGM
The Cannock League AGM was held at the St Mary's venue Bridgetown Social club, Walsall Road, Cannock starting at 7.30pm and attended by Mike & Paul from the club.   At the AGM the Division 2 team was confirmed in 3rd place and the Division 3 team in 2nd place - excellent result for both teams.   The Rugeley Chess clubs entries into Divisions 2 & 3 were confirmed for the 2010 - 11 season along with the appropriate league fees.   The other point of note which affects Rugeley Chess Club was the election of Paul Jackson to the position of league Vice President, this role is usually for a term of 2 years after which he will assume the role of league President for a further 2 years.

18th May 2010   2010 - 11 Rugeley Chess Club Championship
Last night saw the drawing of the pools for the group stage of the 2010 - 11 Rugeley Chess Club Championship.   With a double round robin in the group stage (games as black and white against all opponents) it promises to be an exciting and close competition.
The pools as drawn for the group stage were:-

Pool A: Patrick (seeded), Roy, Mike, Tony & Dave
Pool B: Catherine (seeded), Rob M, Rob F, Tom & Paul

Please see the newly created "Club Champs" tab for full details of the competition as it progresses over the 2010 - 11 season.

15th May 2010   Staffordshire U140 v Suffolk U140, ECF Inter-county competition Quarterfinals
This Saturday was the ECF Quarterfinals of the U140 Inter-county competition and it saw Staffordshire facing Sulfolk played near Corby, Northamptonshire a midway location between the two teams.   Staffordshire qualified for the quarterfinal after winning their Preliminary Round last month and were up against the previous years winners.   Taking part in this very close match were Alan and Tony from Rugeley Chess Club and they recorded an excellent draw and win respectiveley.   Unfortuantely despite   Alan and Tony's results the county side couldn't force a win and finally lost by the narrowest of margins 8.5 - 7.5.   Well done to Alan and Tony for todays games and to them and Mike for their performances in the U140 team this season.

11th May 2010   Rugeley End-of-Season meal
This evening saw the End-of-Season meal for the 2009 - 10 season held at the Talbot.   Many thanks to all Tony for arranging the meal with the venue.

04th May 2010   Rugeley AGM
Today saw the 2010 Rugeley Chess Club AGM held at Lea Hall and was attended by the vast majority of club members.   The AGM followed the traditional agenda with the club officers reviewing the 2009 - 10 season, election of the officers for the 2010 - 11 season, league/cup entries for the 2010 - 11 season and finishing off with AOB.   The main point of note was the unanimous decision to hold the annual subs for the 4th year running at a very modest £17.00 which includes the membership to Lea Hall Sports & Social Club with all its benefits.   Many thanks to all present and extra thanks to Catherine for arranging the buffet.

27th April 2010   Staffordshire Chess Association 2010 award nominations
Today we have heard that both the club and our member Paul Jackson have been nominated for the Staffordshire Chess Association Club and Player of the Year awards for 2010 respectively.   Winners of these awards will announced at the Staffordshire Chess Association AGM on the 29th June to be held at Stafford Chess Club.
Fingers crossed for a successful evening in June.

27th April 2010   Rugeley AGM & End-of-Season meal
Reminder that the club AGM is a week today at Lea Hall followed by the usual club night time permitting.   Also the following week is the Club End-of-Season meal at the Talbot Inn in Rugeley, details to be finalised at the AGM.

23rd April 2010   Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 fixtures released
Today the initial details for this season Wolverhampton Summer Leagues has been released.   Rugeley, entering Division 2 of the competition, have had their 5 matches drawn as two home games followed by three away matches.   All details have been added to the website and can be found to the right of this page.
Paul Jackson, Wolverhampton Summer League Division 2 Team Captain.

17th April 2010   Staffordshire U140 v Yorkshire A U140, ECF Preliminary Round Inter-county competition
This Saturday was the ECF Preliminary Round of the U140 Inter-county competition and it saw Staffordshire facing Yorkshire A by virtue of their league position in the MCCU competition aiming for a place in the ECF Quarter Finals away to Suffolk.   Selected for this match were again the usual 3 Rugeley Chess Club members of Alan, Mike and Tony in the 16 board team.   All 3 were outgraded by their opponents and results were a loss for Mike on Board 5, similarly a loss for Alan on Board 10 but Tony according to John Day, the Staffordshire U140 team captain, got an excellent draw seeing the team home to a 9 - 7 win.   All 3 Rugeley members now wait to see where they must travel to for the away Quarter Final on 22nd May.   Well done to Mike, Tony and Alan.

13th April 2010   Rugeley Chess Club End of Season Easter Blitz competition
Tonight saw the inaugural Rugeley Chess Club End of Season Easter all-playt-all Blitz competition held at Lea Hall.   As with the Xmas competition there was a good turn out creating a competition which was again fierce and franetic with the 10 min time controls.   The highlight of the evening was Mike's match against Catherine which saw him miss a queen & king mate, followed by moving the king as if it was a queen and finally stalemating Catherine in the corner.   With a perfect score Rob was the clear winner with a game in hand and claimed the champagne.
Many thanks to all who took part and made it such an enjoyable evening.
The competition match results and final table is attached Rugeley Chess Club End of Season Easter Blitz Results
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

10th & 11th April 2010   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - Staffordshire Congress   ***U140 Grading Prize Winner***
This weekend was the local Staffordshire Congress in Bloxwich and 3 club members took part (Tony & Catherine in the Major and Paul in the Minor).   Paul had a poor performance by his standards this season picking up only 2 wins from the 5 matches.   Tony the lowest graded player in the Major section (graded 126 in the U160 group) gained a very good 1.5 from the 5 games which saw a few great games some of which are in our online library or matches.   The great news was Catherine's performance gaining 3 wins out of 5 and the U140 grading prize in the Major section.   Again some of the games are in the online library and after playing 4 of the top 5 graded players in the section it was a superb result to finish what has been a very difficult season for her.
Well done Catherine (and she backed the winner of the Grand National on the Saturday!!!).

06th April 2010   Rugeley v Wolverhampton B, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Rugeley's final game of the season was the postponed match against Wolverhampton B, they fielded a strong team and again we were outgraded on most boards which has become a regular theme for us this season.   Alan drew first, unfortunately the rest of the team weren't so lucky .... Rob managed to gain a win after thinking it was a drawn game.   It has been a difficult season for the team and the results reflect that, hopefully next season will see a fightback and return to division 2 where I strongly believe we belong.   Many thanks to everyone who played and supported the team through a difficult season. Hope you all have a great summer.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

31st March 2010   Boldmere St Michael v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 2
Arriving at Boldmere full of expectation the team sat down to start the match facing only 3 opponents, eventually board 4 was sorted out after a few minutes and the games started in earnest.   Rob as ever finished quickly with a win followed hot on his heels by Patrick with a draw and the attention was focussed on my game on board 4 which was swiftly concluded as a win securing the match win for Rugeley.   Catherine fought hard to almost the end of the time control (which looked to ever extending with a dodgy set of clocks) before she had to resign.   Overall a very pleasing and successful first season for the new Cannock 2 team and big thank you to all who have played and helped the team this year.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

30th March 2010   Rugeley v Brewood, Cannock League Division 3
Another match and another draw.   Overall this draw was quite disappointing as we were expecting a win from the match.   High point of the evening though was Tom's second win on the bounce for the club.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

23rd March 2010   Rugeley v Bushbury, Cannock League Division 2
One week on from last weeks away match and it was Bushbury's turn to travel to Rugeley for the return league match.   Both teams made 2 changes to the previous weeks sides which resulted in Bushbury outgrading Rugeley on 3 of the 4 boards.   Despite the changes the final result was the same with a 2.5 - 1.5 win for Rugeley with good performances on all 4 boards.   Best display of the night was from Tom who had a commanding attacking victory - this match has been added to our games library online.   One more league game to go for the season next Wednesday away at Boldmere, looking forward to keeping the good run going and ending the season on a high.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

17th March 2010   Bushbury v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 2
We all arrived early at Bushbury full of confidence for this match which we had high hopes for a win.   Rugeley got off to a flyer with a win for myself on Board 4 followed closely by Rob on Board 3 who cruised to another win despite going a piece down.   Tony was out manouvered on Board 3 in a very tactical game but the team win was secured by Catherine who eased to a draw on Board 1.   Great result all round and thanks to all who have played, lets see if we can repeat the result next week in the return fixture at our place.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

16th March 2010   Rugeley v St Marys, Cannock League Division 3
Tonight saw a very close top of the table match against St Marys which would see the winner within touching distance of being the league champions.   Tom was the first to finish in a close game which swung away from him to a loss, Dave and Mike then finished in turn each with drawn games.   This left Tony playing Matthew Carr needing a win to gain a draw for Rugeley.   Tony fought hard to an end game of a queen and 2 pawns vs a knight and 2 pawns.   Then as the clocks moved from hours, to minutes and into seconds the position became complicated and a 3rd draw in the match was agreed.   Final match for this season in 2 weeks time against Brewood which will hopefully end the season on a high.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

13th March 2010   Nottinghamshire U120 v Staffordshire Bulldogs U120, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition   ***Championship Winners***
This Saturday was the final round of the MCCU U120 competition and Paul continued his ever present run on Board 2 for the Staffordshire county side.   Staffordshire Bulldogs at the start of the day were 4 wins from 4 matches and secure in 1st place in the table so this is a dead rubber for the team.   However Nottinghamshire were one of three teams on 4 points vieing for the minor places in the league table and so it proved to be a competitive match as Nottinghamshire aimed for the ECF stages with a win.   Unfortuantely Board 3 was a no show for the Bulldogs so the team was up against it from the start.   Paul got a creditable draw against a similarly graded opponent and going into the final game the two sides were separated only by the defaulted board and it couldn't be turned round by the remaining board 7.

09th March 2010   Rugeley v Lichfield, Cannock League Division 3
Tonight saw a comfortable win for the team setting up what could be a league championship decided against St Marys next week.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

05th - 07th March 2010   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - 34th Blackpool Chess Conference   ***3rd place in the Minor Section & U120 Grading Prize Winner***
This weekend Paul took part in the prestigious 34th Blackpool Chess Conference which is reputed to be the biggest congresss in the UK.   In all there was 253 entrants into this years conference with 84 (exactly a third) in Paul's Minor Section with the remaining entries split over the other 4 sections.   With time controls of 40 moves in 1hr 40mins then back 20mins there was plenty of time to ensure your best standard of play in each of the 5 rounds.   Paul got off to a flier on Friday night with a solid win and returned Saturday to pull out a win in the morning match and a draw in the afternoon game.   Sunday saw a repeat of Saturdays results to leave Paul on 4.0 from 5 just 0.5 behind the two winners in 3rd place. The result was also good enough to ensure the U120 grading prize for the competition.   Whilst Paul was busy over the board his wife and kids enjoyed a weekend by the sea in some glorious sunny weather taking in the usual Blackpool attractions such as the tower complex, building a few sand castles on the beach and a walk round the Sealife Centre.

06th March 2010   Staffordshire U140 v Shropshire U140, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
This Saturday was the final MCCU Stage Inter-county U140 match of this seasons competition which saw Staffordshire in need of a win to progress to the ECF national stage.   Selected for this match was 3 Rugeley Chess Club members in the 16 board team.   Mike on Board 6 and Alan on Board 10 gained comfortable wins but unfortunately Tony on Board 9 was not so successful and lost his game.   The final result was a 10½ - 5½ victory for Staffordshire guarenteeing them a top 3 finish and entry into the ECF stages but Alan, Mike and Tony will have to wait a further week to see in which position they end up as Nottinghamshire & Worcestershire face each other next weekend in their final MCCU match to decide whether is 2nd or 3rd place in the table for Staffordshire.   Both places in the table require Staffordshire to play a Preliminary round before the main ECF Quarter-finals, however the prefered 2nd spot will see a home tie against the runners-up in the Northern championship whilst 3rd spot a long distance away match to Sussex who finished themselves 3rd in the Southern championship.

02nd March 2010   Rugeley v Rushall, Cannock League Division 3
A most unsatisfactory evening as the team assembled for our first match in 5 weeks but our opponents failed to show.   The only plus side was that the match counts as a win for the league table and for the first time in 2010 there was a club night with no match being played at the same time.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

27th February 2010   Staffordshire Bulldogs U120 v Worcestershire U120, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
Today was the last match in the 4th round of games in this seasons MCCU championship and going into the match the table was very tight with 5 of the 6 teams able to qualify for the ECF National Stages.   Paul continued his ever present run in this years competition on Board 2 for Staffordshire and playing white was the last to finish.   The game was very close throughout but the key moment proved to be when Paul was able to exchange queens and in doing so double up his opponents e and f pawns.   Going into a rook and pawn end game this proved decisive as Paul got his a & b pawns up to the 7th whilst blocking off the doubled f pawns with his king.   The win crowned the victory for Staffordshire giving the county side a record of 4 wins from 4 matches and clear at the top of the table on 8 points.   With only a single round of matches to go in the championship and the sides lying in 2nd - 4th on only 4 points each todays win secured the title in style for the Staffordshire Bulldogs.   Paul and the rest of the Bulldogs team now wait to see who will finish as runners-up in the Northern championship as it will be this side that they will face at home in the quarter finals of the ECF national stages on the 22nd May.

23rd February 2010   Rugeley v Bushbury B, Wolverhampton League Division 2
With the top two players in the club unavailable for this crucial match it was going to be a difficult ask to get the much needed result.   Despite starting the match outgraded across the team by 52 points things looked promising with a win on board for (Rob) and a draw on board 1 (Patrick).   Unfortuantely as the evening progressed the stronger Bushbury players took command to win the remaining boards clinching the match.   Despite the final match score the results by Patrick and Rob were very impressive continueing their great run of form.   Thanks to all who played.
Paul Jackson, Deputising Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

16th February 2010   Rugeley v Rushall, Cannock League Division 2
A second difficult match in a row, following on from last weeks match against the run away leaders of the Division, as last night we faced Rushall who are firmly in 2nd place hot on the heels of St Mary's.   However 2.5 hours later and some great chess across the whole team we had a win 2.5 - 1.5 win nicely reversing the result from the away leg before Xmas.   Highlights were the wins for Patrick and Rob continuing their good form for Rugeley.   The club should take heart from these last two results and hopefully take this boost into next weeks 'do or die' match in the Wolverhampton League.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

11th February 2010   Walsall Kipping B v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Well results haven't been going our way and so we really needed to gain something out of this match especially as this an opportunity at least grade-wise to get a point.   Evenly matched on most boards I felt confident of at least a point, however it wasn't to be and I could blame the arctic conditions in the playing room but it was the same for both teams.   We lost 3 - 2 in the end which was very disappointing.   Hope to pick up a few points from the next 2 games otherwise we maybe facing relegation.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

09th February 2010   Rugeley v St Marys, Cannock League Division 2
This match promised to be hard fought as St Mary's were 5 wins and a draw (against Rugeley in the return fixture at the start of the season) from their 6 league games to date.   And so the match turned out to be with the game finely balanced going into the last playing board which saw Tony defending a rook and pawn ending on Board 3.   Ultimately time was the deciding factor as Tony's clock ran out and the match was drawn.   Thanks to all for playing and getting a very creditable draw for the club, play like this shows promise for the remaining 4 league games.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

08th February 2010   NEW Games section of the website
Today the website has been enhanced with the creation of a Games tab showing matches of note from the club over the years.   This section will be built up over the weeks as games are added for your review.   We hope you enjoy the games.

07th February 2010   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - 24th Stockport Rapidplay Congress
This coming Sunday saw the next leg of the Rugeley Chess Club 2009 - 10 tour of UK chess congresses with three entries into the Stockport Rapidplay event.   Due to the grading limits all three were entered into the Intermediate section with moderate success, both Cath and Tony scored a respectable 3/6 and Paul (playing up a section) scored a 2.5/6. The event was as ever well organised but the competition strong than other Rapidplays entered this season.   A very entertaining day out ended with a good curry on the way home.

06th February 2010   Staffordshire U140 v Nottinghamshire U140, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
This Inter-county U140 match saw 2 members of Rugeley Chess Club representing the county in the 16 board team.   Alan (board 10) and Mike (on board 7) were both out graded and after tricky games eventually lost.   Unfortuantely this wasn't a great weekend for the Staffordshire team eventually losing the match 6 - 10, their first loss of the season.

04th February 2010   Rugeley v Stourbridge A, Wolverhampton League Division 2   UPDATE
Today, Patricks win from Tuesday match was confirmed following his opponent resigning the adjudication position after analysis.   Well done again to Patrick for this stunning win against an opponent 30 grading points higher at 163.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

02nd February 2010   Rugeley v Stourbridge A, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Another hard fought game against very strong opposition, again each board faced an average grading disadvantage of 27 points.   Statistically we should have lost 5-0 but we put up a brave fight and lost 4-0 on the night with Patrick's game pending adjudication, but it looks likely that he will be victorious.   It's no disgrace that we lost, Stourbridge were worthy winners.   We can put this behind us and look forward to our next match.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

27th January 2010   Boldmere St Michaels v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Boldmere fielded a strong team, they had an overall grading advantage of 77 points, so we were going to have to be at out best to get anything from this match, unfortunately the captain lost rather spectacularly in 8 moves and resigned after gifting the opponent a queen.   The rest of the evening was an uphill struggle, respectable draws coming from the bottom two boards but the result 4-1 defeat tells its own story.   Hopefully the captain will have a bit more stamina for the next match and boost team morale.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

26th January 2010   Rugeley v Wolverhampton, Cannock League Division 3
It was a tough Knight for all and a disappointing loss to follow up last weeks win.   The next match isn't until March, then like buses we have 3 consecutive weeks of games, so there is plenty of time for practice.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

23rd January 2010   Staffordshire Bulldogs U120 v Warwickshire U120, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
Paul Jackson was again selected today for the inter-county U120 match against Warwickshire at Bushbury.   The match result was a further win for Staffordshire putting them top of the table outright with a perfect score of 3 wins with 2 matches to play.

19th January 2010   Brewood v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 3
First competitive match for the club in 2010 and a thumping vistory for the Cannock League 3 team.   Mike on board 1 had a comprehensive win but missed out on the champagne finish.   My draw on board 2 was bland, boring and instantly forgetable.   Board 3 saw another win for Dave who was in complete control from the start.   Finally Tom on Board 4 sacrificed his queen but managed to escape to victory draw.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

11th January 2010   Rugeley v Wolverhampton B, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Tomorrows nights match at home to Wolverhampton B in the Wolverhampton League 2 has been cancelled due to the wintry weather.   An alternative date of the 06th April has been agreed for this fixture.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

09th & 10th January 2010   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - 10th Wrekin Congress   ***Winner of the Minor Section***
This was the first congress of the year to be attended by players from Rugeley Chess Club and saw some great chess played.   Best performance of the weekend went to Paul Jackson who won the Minor section with 4.5 points from the 5 rounds.   Even the graveyard round starting at 6.30pm was overcome with the draw against the top graded player in the section.   Lets hope this is a sign of things to come in 2010 for the club.

06th January 2010   Walsall Kipping B v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 2
An alternative date of the 11th February has been agreed today for the postponed match away at Walsall Kipping from the 09th December 2009.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

05th January 2010   Rugeley v St Marys, Cannock League Division 3
Tonights match at home to St Marys in the Cannock League 3 has been cancelled due to the bad wintry weather.   An alternative date of the 16th March has been chosen for this match.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

01st January 2010   Happy New Year
Rugeley Chess Club would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year.
May you and your families have a wonderful 2010 full of health and happiness.

24th December 2009   Merry Christmas
Wishing all club members, their families and the wider chess community a very Merry Christmas.

22nd December 2009   Rugeley Chess Club Christmas Blitz competition
Tonight saw the first Rugeley Chess Club Christmas Blitz competition held at Lea Hall.   All bar 2 club members entered and competition was fierce albeit franetic with the 10 min time controls.   Catherine and Patrick ended the 7 rounds of games on 13 points each with the winner decided by the result of their match in Round 1.   Patrick was duely crowned the winner and claimed the champagne.   Many thanks to all who took part and made it such an enjoyable evening.
The competition match results and final table is attached Rugeley Chess Club Christmas Blitz Results
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

15th December 2009   Rugeley Chess Club Christmas meal
This evening saw the club members and guests celebrating Christmas with a meal at the Yorkshireman in Rugeley.   A great evening was enjoyed by all and many thanks to Tony for organising the dinner.

09th December 2009   Walsall Kipping B v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Tomorrow nights match away against Walsall Kipping B has been cancelled due to the opposition venue being unsuitable for a chess match due to a noisy event taking place.   As soon as details of the re-arranged date is known details will be posted on the website.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

07th December 2009   Rushall v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 2
Firstly, many thanks to all who played this match especially to Catherine for standing in as captain as I was unable to play due to work commitments.   Another tough game which had many positives but ultimately not enough to prevent a defeat for the side.   Thank you to all who have played and helped out in the first half of the season with this new side entered by Rugeley for the 2009-10 season.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

03rd December 2009   Stafford v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 2
This match started promisingly with Rugeley 1.5 - 0.5 up about 75 minutes into the match with a draw on Board 3 closely followed by a win on Board 2.
  Unfortunately Boards 1 & 4 weren't able to consolidate on this position as the games slowly slipped away to lossess.   The next game is soon upon us, away on Monday at Rushall, giving us an opportunity to make a better ending to the first half of the season. Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

24th November 2009   Rugeley v Stafford, Cannock League Division 2
A disapointing default win for Rugeley in this fixture as Stafford were unable to put up a team again in this already re-arranged match.   Lets hope we can get a similar result over the boards next week in the return fixture at Stafford.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

23rd November 2009   Rushall v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 3
Key to the match was bad timing all round!!!   Late arival at the venue, when to accept/offer draws and when to attack or consolidate the position.   Not a great end of the year for the team and definately a match to put behind us before the next fixture in the first week of January 2010.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

19th November 2009   Wolverhampton v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 3
Mike, The Old Master now has a new name - Multi-sac Mike!   Sacked a rook for a bishop to get open lines and then sacked the bishop for a couple of pawns - sounds familiar?   Tony, poor opening.   Sacked a pawn to pin the queen to the pawn - and he fell for it.   Dave, a pieve up but his opponent had a 3 centre passed pawns so agreed the draw which gave Rugeley the points.   Tom, a devastating lesson in attacking chess to his young pretender.   Doubled rooks and all!   Good first win for the season for the team, looking forward to the next match on Monday away at Rushall.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

16th November 2009   Cannock Division 2 Match v Stafford re-arranged for 24th November
This postponed match has been re-arranged to be at home on Tuesday 24th November.

15th November 2009   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - 28th Bolton Rapidplay Congress
This Sunday saw 4 club members entering into the Bolton Rapidplay Congress with 6 rounds of intense chess in the Knights or U140 competition.   Catherine and Tony placed the highest of the club members with 4.0 points and it could have been a prize for Tony if he had avoided defeat in the final round of matches.   Paul and Tom had mixed fortunes thoughout the day ending up on respectable 3.0 and 2.5 points respectively from their 6 matches.

14th November 2009   Staffordshire U140 v Derbyshire U140, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
This Inter-county U140 match saw 3 members of Rugeley Chess Club representing the county in the 16 board team.   Alan (board 11), Tony (board 8) and Mike (on board 6) all gained draws contributing to a great 10½ - 5½ victory for Staffordshire.   The victory for Staffordshire puts them firmly top of the Midland Counties Chess Union's league table with 3 wins out of 3 in the 6 round competition.

14th November 2009   Staffordshire Terriers U120 v Staffordshire Bulldogs U120, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
Staffordshire have 2 sides which take part in the U120 Inter-county competition the Bulldogs and the Terriers.   Generally the Bulldogs are represented by players from the southern half of the county and the Terriers by those from the northern region.   This was the first match of the season for the Bulldogs (Leicestershire forfeited the previous fixture) and Paul from the club was selected for the team.   Playing on board 2 Paul had a comprehensive win contributing to a 5½ - 6½ victory for the Bulldogs putting them in command of the Midland Counties Chess Union's leaguetable with 2 wins from 2 matches in the 5 round competition.

09th November 2009   Cannock Division 2 Match v Stafford on 10th November
This match was postponed tonight by Stafford due to illness within their club.   The re-arranged date will be added to the website as soon as it has been agreed.

02nd November 2009   Stourbridge B v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Thanks to everyone who made the long journey to Stourbridge, Tony's sat nav made sure it was particularly long!   Last season we lost to them despite them defaulting a board, and so we were hoping to make amends.   Unfortunately the drivers of both cars showed marked tiredness in their play as they made their moves with poor vision.   It was up to the others to drag a point out of somewhere, and then finally it was down to me, the captain, to win, and I bottled it, having a pawn advantage in the endgame.   In the end, it was a 3-2 defeat but it was close.   Better luck next time.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

31st October 2009   Warwickshire U140 v Staffordshire U140, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
This match saw 2 members of Rugeley Chess Club representing the county in the 16 board team.   On board 8 Mike got a great win and Alan, although slightly outgraded on board 10, continued his sequence of draws for Staffordshire sides this season.   Both of the above preformances contributed to a great 4 - 12 victory for Staffordshire putting the team top of the MCCU U160 table with 2 wins from 2 matches.

29th October 2009   Inaugral Rugeley Chess Club real ale festival
Today, to celebrate the good start to the 2009 - 10 season, various members of the club will be taking part in the first Rugeley Chess Club real ale festival sampling the various beers available in pubs of Chasetown.

27th October 2009   Rugeley v Kidderminster B, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Well done to the team, we fought hard to gain a well deserved draw.   Special thanks to Paul who managed to spare the captains blushes after losing quickly on top board, by securing a win.   A consistent result in the end as we drew with them last year, I hope the team continues the good form on Monday when we pay a visit to Stourbridge to play their B team.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

23rd - 25th October 2009   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - 33rd Scarborough International Chess Congress
This last weekend saw the Three Musketeers journey to the North East to do battle in the Scarborough Congress (reputed to be the second biggest in the UK).   After 5 games of serious chess, copious amounts of food and much frivolity there was mixed fortunes for the musketeers.   Mike and Tony, playing in the Intermediate Section, gained 1.0 and 2.5 points respectively; whilst Paul (who was in the Minor Section) collected a creditable 3.0.   Concensus on the way home was that it had been a great weekend and one definately to be repeated in 2010, perhaps even with a larger contingent from the club.

21st October 2009   Rugeley v Boldmere St Michaels, Cannock League Division 2
The second match in the season for the team and another well deserved draw.   Solid draws on Boards 1 & 3 with wins traded on boards 2 & 4.   Thanks to all who played and hopefully we can acheive a similar result against the more challenging Stafford team in 3 weeks time.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

17th October 2009   Lincolnshire U160 v Staffordshire U160, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
Today saw Alan take part in the first match for the Staffordshire U160 team (previously this was the U150 before the grading adjustments this season) of the 2009-10 season.   Alan scored another great draw despite being outgraded on Board 14 of 16.

12th October 2009   Rushall A v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Rushall A was always going to be a difficult match and with board 4 playing against a grade of 153 we were outgraded by a significant margin.   In the end it was a fairly close encounter but we lost 3-2.   Hopefully our next match will bring better fortune.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

06th October 2009   Rugeley v Rushall B, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Disappointing first defeat of the season, the score fails to acknowledge how close some of the games actually were.   At least the games that were   lost were due to Rushall's good play rather than Rugeley's bad play.   We shall take it on the chin, and move forward with another tough match on   Monday against Rushall 'A' .... we need to be on top form to gain anything out of the match.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

03rd October 2009   Lincolnshire U140 v Staffordshire U140, MCCU Stage Inter-county competition
Today saw Alan take part in the first match for the Staffordshire U140 team (previously this was the U125 before the grading adjustments this season) of   the 2009-10 season.   Alan scored a solid draw on Board 8 of 16 helping the county to a 7 - 9 victory.

30th September 2009   St Mary's v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 2
A promising start for our newly created Cannock League Division 2 for the 2009 - 10 season.   All 4 boards were in the running during the evening and on another day the match result would have been a win.   Looking forward to the next match and building on this result.
Paul Jackson, Cannock League Division 2 Team Captain.

29th September 2009   Cannock League Division 2 match date changed
Following a request from Bushbury the Rugeley home match in the Cannock League Division 2 which was originally arranged for the 01st December 2009 has been re-arranged for Tuesday 23rd March 2010.   Fixture lists and club calendar's on this website have been updated accordingly.

22nd September 2009   Mercia A v Rugeley, Wolverhampton League Division 2
Very pleased with team's performance last night, it was a very close encounter but the win was sealed with a victory from Paul with the other   4 boards accepting draws.   Well done to everyone who played, keep up the good work.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

15th September 2009   Rugeley v Brewood A, Wolverhampton League Division 2
A good start to the season with a great draw against Brewood A who finished 4th in the league last season.   Looking to build on the result and hopefully play the same team next week away at Mercia A.
Catherine Hiley, Wolverhampton League Division 2 Team Captain.

13th August 2009   Rugeley Chess Club on tour - Leamington Rapidplay Congress
This Sunday saw 5 club members entering into the Leamington Rapidplay Congress with 6 rounds of intense chess.   Catherine placed the highest of the club members with 3.5 points from 6 (it could have been 4 points but for a generous draw offered in the final round).
Much fun had by all and maybe next year for some silverware ......

10th September 2009   Lichfield v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 3
This evening was the 2nd consecutive away match in the league, this time slightly futher afield in Lichfield.   Mike on Board 1 gave a valliant effort whilst hugely out graded.   However undeterred, decided to play by his own rules.   Board 2 saw Tony strangling life from his opponent’s game plan and took control in true captain style.   Making his season debut Paul playing Board 3 was confident and produced an emphatic win including a queen sack to alleviate the boredom.   Tom, again on Board 4, gave a fine effort in playing a good opponent.   Went for the kill but left a few pieces behind.   The final team result was another 2 - 2 draw.   Again, pleased overall a with a point but still wanted a win.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

02nd September 2009   St Mary's v Rugeley, Cannock League Division 3
Today saw the first 2009 - 10 competitive league match for Rugeley Chess Club.   On Board 1 Mike was always on top and produced a very professional performance to win his game with good counter play when threatened.   Board 2 saw a regulation draw for Alan, against Rugeley old boy John Montague, after pinching a central pawn to go material up.   Tony, starting the season on Board 3, had a poor opening to the game but recovered to claim a draw after going a piece up for a pass pawn on the 06th.   Board 4 was a competitive affair with Tom showing some good attacking play in the middle section, however finally succumbing in a rook and pawn end game.   The final team result saw a 2 - 2 draw. Overall a pointed gained, cobwebs brushed off after the summer break but we should have won the match.
Tony Meakin, Cannock League Division 3 Team Captain.

30th August 2009   Finalised 2009 ECF Grade List released
The revised ECF grading list was released today and saw most club members grades be increased by varying degrees.   These revised grades will now be used for all competitions in the 2009 - 10 season.
See the Players page of this website for further information.

11th August 2009   2009 ECF Grade List released
After much anticipation and delays the ECF Grading list for 2009 was finally released this morning.   The 2009 grading list has been great news for club members and reflects the strong 2008-09 season performances.   Top movers up the rankings were the clubs player of the season Mike Page but also Tony Meakin.   See the Players page of this website for further information.

09th August 2009   Pre-season summer BBQ
Today saw the 2009 Rugeley Chess Club Pre-season summer BBQ.   Much fun, food and drink had by all.   Congratulations to Tony for a near perfect record in the 20 minutes round robin.   Thanks to all who came along, helped with the food & drink and especially to Catherine for slaving over the hot BBQ.
Paul Jackson.

30th July 2009   We're back.
After 4 weeks being unavailable on the net the Rugeley Chess Club website is back!!!
ISP provider problems have hopefully now been resolved.

08th July 2009   Bushbury B v Rugeley, Wolverhampton Summer League
Last night the 2008 - 2009 season drew to a close with the final match in the the Wolverhampton Summer League away at Bushbury.   The match result was a disappointing 4 - 1 defeat which saw 3 lost games and 2 draws for Rugeley.   However, overall the Wolverhampton Summer League matches saw Rugeley acheive a respectable 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats.   Many thanks to all who played in this years competition and congratulations to Catherine for being the clubs top summer league player this year.
Hope to see you at club nights over the summer, Paul Jackson (Summer League captain).

02nd July 2009   Warley Quinborne B v Rugeley, Wolverhampton Summer League
Last night saw the penultimate match for Rugeley in this seasons Wolverhampton Summer League.   The 3½ - 1½ defeat scoreline doesn't do justice to the team performance accross all 5 boards especially under the venues playing conditions.   Special thanks to Mike, who as the last game to finish declined a perpetual check draw in attempt to make the match score all square.
Paul Jackson, Summer League captain.

01st July 2009   Cannock League 2009-10 Fixtures Conference
Please see the updated club calender which now includes the details of these fixtures as well as those for the Wolverhampton League.   The 2009 - 2010 calendar can be found to the right of this webpage or the Players webpage.

16th June 2009   Rugeley v Stafford B, Wolverhampton Summer League
Last night saw a very creditable draw against Stafford in the Wolverhampton Summer League.   Highlight of the evening, and winner of the KitKat award, was Catherine on Board 1 who gained a rare win against Stafford.
Paul Jackson, Summer League captain.

11th June 2009   Wolverhampton League 2009-10 Fixtures Conference
Please see the updated club calender which now includes the details of these fixtures.   The 2009 - 2010 calendar can be found to the right of this webpage or the Players webpage.

08th June 2009   Rugeley v Wolverhampton A, Wolverhampton Summer League
Disappointly Wolverhmapton have defaulted tomorrow nights match in the Summer League as they are unable to raise a team.   Tomorrow night will now revert to an ordinary club night, hope to see you down at Lea Hall.
Paul Jackson, Summer League captain.

01st June 2009   Rushall A v Rugeley, Wolverhampton Summer League
Last night saw the first match in the Wolverhampton Summer League and an excellent 1½ - 3½ win for Rugeley.
Many thanks to all who played, Paul Jackson (Summer League captain).

31st May 2009   Rugeley v Wolverhampton A, Wolverhampton Summer League
This fixture has been re-arranged for Tuesday 09th June.
Paul Jackson, Summer League captain.

20th May 2009   Wolverhampton League AGM
The Wolverhamtpon League AGM was held last night and attended by 2 members of the club.   At the AGM Rugeley tabled two proposals for consideration by all members of the league with mixed results.   By the narrowest of margins (a single vote!!!) the proposal to reduce the Division 2 teams to 5 boards from 6 was passed.   However, the proposal to change all matches to a blitz finish from the current adjournment/adjudication rule was defeated.

20th May 2009   Cannock League AGM
The Cannock League AGM was held last night at St Mary's Chess Club and attended by 4 members of the club.   Importantly for Rugeley Chess Club entering a team into Division 2 (along side the Division 3 team) was accepted.

17th May 2009   Rugeley v Wolverhampton A, Wolverhampton Summer League
Wolverhampton are unable to raise a team for Tuesday night so the match has been postponned - rearranged date to be confirmed.   Tuesday night will now revert to an ordinary club night, hope to see you down at Lea Hall.
Paul Jackson, Summer League captain.

12th May 2009   Rugeley Chess club AGM
Last night saw the chess club AGM held during the first half of the club night.
Reports were heard from incumbant Officers and elections held for the 2009 - 2010 season posts (see Players webpage for details).   Given the level of club membership it was decided to run 3 teams for the 2009 - 2010 season (Wolverhampton Div2, Cannock Div 2 and Cannock Div 3).   Finally, subs for the 2009 - 2010 season (includeing membership to Lea Hall) was held at the very reasonable £17 to be paid by the end of August.

06th May 2009   Rugeley v Wolverhampton A, Wolverhampton Summer League
This fixture has been re-arranged for Tuesday 19th May as the original date conflicts with the Rugeley Chess Club AGM.
Paul Jackson, Summer League captain.

02nd May 2009   Wolverhampton 2009 Summer League Fixtures
Details of this seasons Wolverhampton Summer League fixtures have now been received.
Please see the updated club calender which now includes the details of these matches.
The 2009 - 2010 calendar can be found to the right of this webpage or the Players webpage.

Upcoming events in 2012

Club nights continue every Tuesday from 7.30pm at Lea Hall even on match nights

Thurs 9th February   -   Stafford (away) Cannock league div 2

Tues 15th February   -   Bushbury (away) Cannock league div 3

Tues 21st February   -   Halesowen B (home) Wolverhampton league div 2

Tues 28th February   -   Walsall (home) Wolverhampton league div 2

For the full club diary please click on the link below
2011 - 12 Calendar