News

Holmes Chapel A have had a lively and hard‑fought start to their 2025/26 NSDCA Division 1 campaign, mixing early momentum with some tough mid‑season battles. With six league matches now played, the team has shown flashes of real strength, particularly in the opening fixtures while also facing stern resistance from the division’s strongest sides.

Our A team opened their season in style on 2 October, delivering a confident 3–1 home win over Crewe B. It was the ideal launch: solid boards, controlled play, and a statement that the team intended to be competitive from the outset.

Momentum continued later in the month with a gritty away performance on 28 October, where Holmes Chapel edged Crewe A 2½–1½. Winning away at Crewe is never straightforward, and this result underlined the team’s resilience and depth.

On 13 November, Holmes Chapel hosted Macclesfield in what is always a key Division 1 fixture. The match finished 2–2, a fair reflection of a tightly balanced contest. Both sides had chances, but neither could land the decisive blow. The draw kept Holmes Chapel in the upper half of the table and maintained their unbeaten run at that stage.

After the Christmas break, Holmes Chapel returned with purpose. On 26 January, they travelled to Northwich and produced a composed 3–1 victory, their third win of the season and a valuable haul of points on the road. At this point, the team looked well‑placed to push for a top‑three finish.

February brought a challenging run of fixtures against two of the division’s strongest sides.

- 5 February – Holmes Chapel A 1–3 Alsager A

Alsager A, strong title contenders this year, proved too strong on the night. Despite competitive boards (although both teams were missing their FM top board!), Holmes Chapel couldn’t quite convert their chances.

- 12 February – Holmes Chapel A 1½–2½ Crewe A

A narrow defeat in a match that could easily have swung the other way. Crewe A edged the key moments, handing Holmes Chapel their second loss in as many weeks.

The final fixture so far saw the team fall 3–1 away to Crewe B, rounding off a difficult spell that has tightened the mid‑table battle.

Looking forward to the final games, Holmes Chapel A’s season has so far been a tale of two halves: a confident, disciplined start followed by a tougher run against return fixtures. The team has shown they can win both at home and away, and their early‑season form proves they are perennial title contenders.

With several fixtures still to come, there’s plenty of opportunity to climb the table again. If the team can rediscover the sharpness of October and January, a strong finish is absolutely within reach.

Holmes Chapel B

As the leaves fell and the nights grew colder, Holmes Chapel B warmed things up with a string of matches that delivered everything: heroic last stands, tactical fireworks, suspicious middlegames, and at least one opponent who apparently believed stalemate was a human right.

Here’s the roundup…

Thu 6 Nov – Holmes Chapel B 2½ – 1½ Crewe H

With both myself and John Hicks away (no rumours please!), John Turner and Nigel Scott stepped in to help us out.  Their efforts helped secure a tight win and goes to prove that Holmes Chapel Chess Club is growing in members with cover from the A and C team!

Tue 11 Nov – Gables A 1 – 3 Holmes Chapel B

A strong team performance… minus one small detail: I was the only one to lose. Mike, John, and Nigel all played confidently against young, energetic opponents who probably calculate faster than our laptops. Still, a 3–1 win is a 3–1 win, and I’m taking full credit for motivating the team by demonstrating what not to do.

Thu 20 Nov – Holmes Chapel B 4 – 0 Kidsgrove A

Our second whitewash of the season! Highlights included:

A “nice” endgame win from me after a suspect middlegame that can only be described as educational.

Malcolm winning so fast that nobody actually saw it happen. We assume it was legal.

Two more solid wins from the rest of the team, proving that sometimes steady chess really does beat chaos.

Thu 18 Dec – Holmes Chapel B 3½ – ½ Alsager D

This match had everything: tactics, sacrifices, bloodbaths, and one man’s quest for stalemate immortality.

I managed to beat the higher‑rated John Booth after a neat middlegame tactic to win a piece.

Malcolm agreed a quick draw after an opening that looked like a scene from Game of Thrones.

Mike went two pieces up after his opponent tried to pry open his king like a tin of sardines. He survived and converted—eventually.

John finished with two queens, a bishop, and a small army of pawns against an opponent who simply refused to resign. The stalemate dream was real, but John kept his cool and closed it out.

Thu 11 Dec – Holmes Chapel B vs Alsager C – Postponed

Illness struck, so this one will be rescheduled for the new year. On the bright side, it gives us more time to prepare… or panic. Either works.

Final Thoughts

That's it for the B team this year (A and C team 2025 wrap up's to come!), resuming next year on the 16th Jan when the B team travel to Cheddleton to face their B team.  It’s been a cracking run of matches, full of laughs, lessons, and the occasional miracle. If you’ve been thinking about dusting off your chess set, joining the club, or simply fancy watching grown adults argue about whether a knight was really hanging… now’s the time - join us each Wednesday at the Kings Lock from 7pm, resuming next year on the 7th Jan.

What a start to the season for the new Holmes Chapel C Team!

October was a busy month, and this fresh squad—featuring three new members transitioning from the Middlewich social club to competitive chess—absolutely rose to the challenge. Their results have been phenomenal: 3 wins and a narrow 1½–2½ loss against the current league leaders.

Our players are making headlines already:

• Reece has been our star, remaining undefeated! He even sealed his debut game with a thrilling queen sacrifice, only to promote a pawn and win quickly. Talk about a confident start!

• Chris is going from strength to strength, improving with every game and finishing October with two impressive wins in a row.

• Matthew grabbed a comfortable win for the team in his only October match on board 2.

• Nigel had a great start, boasting three wins and one draw in his four matches. 

Considering how new this team is, their performance is more than brilliant—it’s inspiring!

The new season kicked off in style for Holmes Chapel Chess Club, with great displays across all 3 teams...here's how they got on.

Division 1: A Team Triumphs Over Crewe B

Holmes Chapel A Team hosted Crewe B in their Division 1 opener and emerged with a solid 3–1 victory. The match was marked by the long-awaited return of FM Stuart Clarke on Board 1, making his first competitive appearance in five years. Despite a promising position, Stuart fell victim to the clock, conceding the only loss of the night.

The rest of the team delivered with poise:

• Board 2: Pat – Steady and clinical, securing the exchange and the win

• Board 3: John E – Played with precision to claim victory after exchanging down to a King + 4pawns vs. King ending

• Board 4: John T – Closed out the match with a composed performance with solid positional play proving too much for his opponent. 

The result sets a confident tone for the A Team’s campaign in Division 1, with Stuarts return adding depth and experience to an already formidable lineup.

Division 3: B Team Dominates Alsager D Away

Meanwhile, the B Team traveled to Alsager D and delivered a clean sweep, winning 4–0 in their Division 3 debut. The games started slowly, but Holmes Chapel’s players found their rhythm and finished strong.

• Board 1: John E – Dominated from early on, ending many pieces up.

• Board 2: Malc – Converted a tense middlegame into a win via Queen promotion so quickly i didnt get to see much of the game!

• Board 3: James (me) – Navigated a long, strategic battle to a satisfying victory with a double piece sacrifice to fatally open up the opponents king.

• Board 4: John H – Also sealed the deal with a Queen promotion, showcasing sharp endgame technique.

The B Team’s performance was a masterclass in patience and calculation, proving that slow starts can still lead to emphatic finishes.

Division 5: C Team succumbs to a promising loss hosting Meir.

Finally the C team hosted Meir for their first ever match as a team with two players new to competative chess.  The pressure was on to make it a tripple headliner start to the season!

• Board 1: Nigel - Stepping up to captain the team this season, Nigel found himself up 1 pawn (3v4) in a Queen ending which turned out to be a draw.

• Board 2: Reece – In his second competative game after covering the B team last year, Reece finished off his game in style with a fantastic Queen sacrifice drawing immediate resignation!

• Board 3: Chris – Found himself in a strong middlegame position catching his opponents king in the centre with no escape.  However having thought he had his opponents counter play under control fell to a sniper bishop cutting off his kings escape

• Board 4: Vishy – Playing a drawn out strategic manouvering game and with both players down on the clock it was only a matter of time before someone blinked which turned out to be Vishy. 

While it wasnt the win hoped for, everyone showed they can hold their own and it should be a good first season for the team (and Reece has alot to live up to in his next game!).

Looking Ahead

With the A & B teams off to winning starts and the C team expected to leave a mark on the new Division 5, Holmes Chapel Chess Club is poised for an exciting season. The blend of returning veterans and steady hands across the boards promises competitive edge and club-wide momentum. Whether in Division 1, 3 or 5, the message is clear: Holmes Chapel is here to play—and win.

Stay tuned for more match reports and behind-the-scenes insights as the season unfolds.

St George’s Hall in Liverpool was buzzing from July 31st to August 10th as the 111th British Chess Championships unfolded in all its glory. With grandmasters, giant chessboards, and even a chess film festival, the city pulled out all the stops to host what’s been dubbed the “strongest ever” championship in its 121-year history.

And yes—Middlewich and Holmes Chapel were absolutely part of the action. Kind of.

♟ Blitzed in the Blitz, Rattled in the Rapid

Two of our club players descended on Liverpool for two key events:

- Blitz Open Tournament – Thursday 8th August

- Rapid U2000 Tournament – Saturday 9th August

Let’s just say... we didn’t exactly storm the podium. Scores were modest, spirits were high, and many beers were consumed after matches to dull the pain.

🥉 Nigel’s Medal Mystery

Now, here’s the twist worthy of a Netflix docuseries: Nigel, who didn’t play in either the Blitz or Rapid, somehow walked away with a medal.

How? Social chess. At Liverpool ONE. Possibly while sipping a latte and chatting about pawn structures with a tourist.

We’re still investigating whether this was:

- A clerical error

- A brilliant act of passive participation

- Or just Nigel being Nigel

Either way, he’s now officially our club’s most decorated player of the weekend. Congratulations, Nigel—you’ve redefined what it means to “win without playing.”

🏛 Liverpool’s Chess Renaissance

Beyond our own adventures, Liverpool truly embraced chess this year:

- St George’s Hall hosted elite tournaments in its iconic Great Hall

- Liverpool Holiday Inn welcomed amateur players for weekend congresses

- Outdoor chess, masterclasses, and film screenings turned the city into a chess lover’s playground

It’s been a joy to see chess celebrated not just as a competitive sport, but as a cultural and social force. And despite our average scores, we were proud to be part of it.

📸 Final Thoughts & Future Moves

We may not have brought home trophies (unless you count Nigel’s mysterious medal), but we brought back stories, laughs, and a renewed love for the game.

Next year, we’re considering entering Nigel into every category—just to see what happens.

Until then, keep your rooks sharp and your bishops sneaky.

Want to share your own Liverpool chess tales or theories about Nigel’s medal? Drop us a message or join us at the next social chess night on Wednesday at the Kings Lock Middlewich.

🧠♟🍻

The first match of the season for Holmes Chapel Chess Club was in Division 1 of the Stoke League against Newcastle, at home . The Club exists mainly for competition against other clubs rather than for social chess between members, and competitive chess looks like the picture on the left.

The electronic box is a chess clock, which contains two timers. You make your move, then hit the lever on your side of the clock, which stops your timer and starts your opponent’s timer. When he makes his move, he hits the lever on his side of the clock, so that his timer stops and yours starts. The clock measures the time that each player spends thinking about his moves.

In blitz chess, each player has five minutes thinking time, and the player whose time runs out first is the loser. The game cannot last longer than ten minutes and the pace is fast and furious, particularly in the last few seconds. It’s actually good to watch and is frequently hilarious.

In the Stoke league,  all the moves have to be played in 90 minutes, so the game cannot last longer than three hours. This is suitable for league chess on a weekday evening when time is limited by the venue – usually a social club or an upstairs room in a pub. However, this time control is still a bit quick. Tournaments played on weekends usually have a slower playing speed, allowing for games to take up to five hours.

Also on the table are score sheets and pens. Both players must record their moves, so that any dispute about the game can be resolved by playing through the score. It also enables the players to use a computer to study their game later.