Lincolnshire Chess Association

U120 Counties Competition Open Team (2017-18)

MCCU U120 Counties Championship Open
Position Teams Pl W D L Match Pts
1 Leicestershire 6 4 0 2 8
2 Nottinghamshire 6 3 3 6
3 Warwickshire 6 3 0 3 6
4 Derbyshire 6 3 0 2 6
5 Staffordshire 6 3 0 3 6
6 Lincolnshire 6 3 0 3
7 Worcestershire 6 2 0 4 4

MCCU U120 Counties Championship Match Results
Date Match Result
19 Nov Lincolnshire v Leicestershire 3-9
6 Jan Lincolnshire v Worcestershire 6½-5½
20 Jan Warwickshire v Lincolnshire 4½-7½
3 Feb Staffordshire v Lincolnshire 6½-5½
10 Mar Derbyshire v Lincolnshire 4½-7½
24 Mar Lincolnshire v Nottinghamshire 0-12

Lincolnshire v Leicestershire

Date: 19/11/17
Venue: Lindum Group, Lincoln
Lincolnshire (Home team) Leicestershire (Away team)
Board Colour Name Club Grade Score Name Club Grade
1 W Kishore Murugesh Horncastle 119 0-1 Barrie Cooper Wigston 118
2 Mark Newstead Horncastle 118 0-1 George Worrow-Goodin Leicestershire Juniors 106
3 W Paul Fischer Lincoln 117 0-1 Rakym Serik Leicestershire Juniors 108e
4 B Charles Moss Lincoln 115 0-1 Mike Griffiths Ashby 106
5 W Andrew Watson Horncastle 110 0-1 David Gamble Latimer 107
6 B Frank Robinson Spalding 109 1-0 Granville Hill Latimer 105
7 W Christopher Cumbers Grantham 106 0-1 Paul Mottram Melton Mowbray 105
8 B Tom Stokes Kings School Grantham 89 0-1 Vijay Gulab Braunstone 105
9 W Adam Cook Louth 87 0-1 Mike Thornton Oadby 104
10 B John Pocock Grantham 81 1-0 Stuart Hollingworth Syston 100
11 W Kieran Burt Horncastle 65 ½-½ Les Corlett Wigston 99
12 B Amogh Pilani Louth 58 ½-½ Neil Roberts Ashby 85
          3-9      

Lincolnshire v Worcestershire

Report from John Grasham

Lincolnshire got their second match of the season underway in the new year with a tough looking match against Worcestershire. However hopes were high after we were able to field a strong team. Early defeats for Chris Cumbers and Kieran Burt were cancelled out by wins for Frank Robinson and Paul Fischer. Kiat Huang won on his debut for the county after coming through a tight knight and pawns endgame. Then defeats for Robert Stokes and John Grasham who lost from a superior position and a pawn up left Lincolnshire behind. Paul Rutter was able to convert a rook and three pawns against a rook and one pawn and Kishore Murugesh from a king and four pawns each put us ahead at 5-4. However four fewer pawns meant a defeat for Mark Newstead and then Terry Bennett agreed a draw in a level position. This left the match hanging on the result of our youngest player Adam Cook. He had a very big time advantage and a rook for three pawns. He was eventually able to pick off all the pawns and his opponent’s time ran out. This gave Lincolnshire the win by the narrowest of margins. However we cannot rest on our laurels with our next match only two weeks away against Warwickshire.

Date: 6/1/18
Venue: Thurmaston Old School, Leicester
Lincolnshire (Home team) Worcestershire (Away team)
Board Colour Name Club Grade Score Name Club Grade
1 W Kishore Murugesh Horncastle 119 1-0 Jeremy Humphries Stourbridge 114
2 Mark Newstead Horncastle 118 0-1 Michele Clack Redditch 108
3 W Paul Fischer Lincoln 117 1-0 Richard Collett Greenlands 107
4 B Robert Stokes Scunthorpe 114 0-1 David Cleak Droitwich 106
5 W John Grasham Louth 111 0-1 Monty Woodhouse Worcestershire 100
6 B Kiat Huang Louth 110 1-0 Paul Thomas Kidderminster 99
7 W Frank Robinson Spalding 109 1-0 Terry Radford Droitwich 98
8 B Terry Bennett Spalding 108 ½-½ Peter Hodkinson Mercia 95
9 W Chris Cumbers Grantham 106 0-1 Tony Taylor Halesowen 94
10 B Adam Cook Louth 87 1-0 Brian Allsop Greenlands 93
11 W Paul Rutter Horncastle 74 1-0 Terry Pountney Kidderminster 85
12 B Kieran Burt Horncastle 65 0-1 John Hesketh Worcester 71
          6½-5½      

Warwickshire v Lincolnshire

Report by John Grasham

After a strong performance in our last match, Lincolnshire went into their fixture against Warwickshire in a confident mood. Early draws for Mark Newstead, Terry Bennett and Adam Cook got us off the mark and captain John Grasham put Lincolnshire ahead after his opponent failed to move a rook that was being attacked. The score was levelled after Chris Cumbers poor run of form continued. Chris has promised me that he is saving himself for later matches! Soon after draws for Kishore Murugesh and Paul Fischer as well as wins for Andrew Watson and Kiat Huang left us in a strong position at 5½ to 3½. The match was decided in our favour when Amogh Pilani took advantage by taking a rook that was protected by a pinned pawn. Paul Rutter tried to attack down the kingside in a two rooks and pawns endgame and this cost him his game. However John Pocock made the score look convincing after winning a piece and exposing his opponents king and she couldn’t stop his devastating attack. Yet again we have a match in two weeks time, this one is against Staffordshire.

Date: 20/1/18
Venue: Thurmaston Old School, Leicester
Warwickshire (Home team) Lincolnshire (Away team)
Board Colour Name Club Grade Score Name Club Grade
1 B Warren Archibald Olton 118 ½-½ Kishore Murugesh Horncastle 119
2 Mike Johnson Solihull 114 ½-½ Mark Newstead Horncastle 118
3 B Simon Weaver Coventry Chess 115 ½-½ Paul Fischer Lincoln 117
4 W Dave Reeves Olton 114 0-1 John Grasham Louth 111
5 B Peter Oliver Sutton Coldfield 112 0-1 Andrew Watson Horncastle 110
6 W Paul Davies Stratford 111 0-1 Kiat Huang Louth 110
7 B Paul Kelly Olton 111 ½-½ Terry Bennett Spalding 108
8 W Jason Madden Leamington 111 1-0 Chris Cumbers Grantham 106
9 B Denis Horsley Solihull 106 ½-½ Adam Cook Louth 87
10 W Penny Wood Solihull 103 0-1 John Pocock Grantham 81
11 B Paul Silverman Solihull 102 1-0 Paul Rutter Horncastle 74
12 W Peter Stiff Stratford 96 0-1 Amogh Pilani Louth 58
          4½-7½      

Staffordshire v Lincolnshire

Report by John Grasham

Lincolnshire were dealt a blow ahead of their match against Staffordshire when board 2 Kishore Murugesh had to withdraw due to illness before the match and we had to play with 11 players. Quick defeats for Chris Cumbers and Amogh Pilani left us 3-0 down, with a mountain to climb. A draw for Paul Rutter got us off the mark and then wins for Adam Cook and Terry Bennett got us back in contention. Defeat for Charlie Moss left us two behind but my intense pressure on top board to force home a passed c pawn and Kiat Huang winning put us level. Paul Fischer’s queen advantage put us ahead but an extra bishop told in Andrew Watson’s endgame to draw level. A very tight endgame with opposite coloured bishops should have meant honours even in Mark Newstead’s game but under time pressure and going for a win meant Mark lost and so did Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire’s next match is an away game in Derbyshire on the 10th of March.

Date: 3/2/18
Venue: Thurmaston Old School, Leicester
Staffordshire (Home team) Lincolnshire (Away team)
Board Colour Name Club Grade Score Name Club Grade
1 B Andrew Leadbetter Stafford 118 0-1 John Grasham Louth 118
2 Alberto Gissi Newcastle-under-Lyme 112 1-0 Mark Newstead Horncastle 118
3 B Nicholas Wright Newcastle-under-Lyme 112 1-0 Andrew Watson Horncastle 114
4 W Joe Alcock Cheddleton & Leek 108 0-1 Paul Fischer Lincoln 112
5 B Simon Jones Bushbury 104 0-1 Kiat Huang Louth 110
6 W Andrew Barker Alsager 103 1-0 Charles Moss Lincoln 106
7 B Fred Biles Lichfield 102 0-1 Terry Bennett Spalding 104
8 W Peter Evans Stafford 86 1-0 Chris Cumbers Grantham 102
9 B Robert Perry Meir 80 0-1 Adam Cook Louth 94
10 W Stuart Green Meir 79 ½-½ Paul Rutter Horncastle 77
11 B Andrew Davies Brewood 84 1-0 Amogh Pilani Louth 66
12 W R Arthur Hall Lichfield 107 1-0 Default    
          6½-5½      

Derbyshire v Lincolnshire

Report by John Grasham

For the second match running, Lincolnshire started a match with only 11 players after Paul Rutter withdrew due to work commitments. Derbyshire started 1-0 up and with a very strong team. As my match was the last to finish, I saw very little of the other games however we had already won the match. Mark Newstead, Paul Fischer, Terry Bennett, Frank Robinson and Amogh Pilani all won and Andrew Watson, Kiat Huang and Charles Moss drew left us with an unassailable lead. John Pocock and Adam Cook both lost. Back to the captain, whose London system involved castling queenside and pushing a pawn to h5 forced the king into the centre and a couple of pins saw be go two pawns ahead. Swapping down to an opposite coloured bishop and pawns endgame left me with a defended pawn on the seventh rank which allowed my king to maraud around the board winning an extra pawn and forcing a win. A 7.5 to 4.5 win means that a win or a draw in our last match against Nottinghamshire means we will qualify for the national stages.

Date: 10/3/18
Venue: Rolls Royce Leisure Centre Pavilion, Derby
Derbyshire (Home team) Lincolnshire (Away team)
Board Colour Name Club Grade Score Name Club Grade
1 B Graham Pace Spondon 122 0-1 John Grasham Louth 118
2 Ron Harrison Belper 121 0-1 Mark Newstead Horncastle 118
3 B Roger Walker Belper 113 ½-½ Andrew Watson Horncastle 114
4 W Nigel Marshall Rolls Royce Derby 113 0-1 Paul Fischer Lincoln 112
5 B Craig Harrison Derby 113 ½-½ Kiat Huang Louth 110
6 W Edward Brown Belper 113 ½-½ Charles Moss Lincoln 106
7 B Andre Cockburn Derby 111 0-1 Frank Robinson Spalding 105
8 W Alan Holden Belper 111 0-1 Terry Bennett Spalding 104
9 B Tomasz Adamski Rolls Royce Derby 101 1-0 Adam Cook Louth 94
10 W Herbert Loomes Spondon 101 1-0 John Pocock Grantham 85
11 B Harry Madden Rolls Royce Derby 101 0-1 Amogh Pilani Louth 66
12 W Leslie Fancourt Derby 107 1-0 Default    
          4½-7½