Wellington Chess Club UK

Next chess social occuring this coming Saturday evening (21st)
Green dragon pub in wellington
Tables booked for chess from 7!
♟️🍺🍻♟️

Everyone welcome
Any queries comment here, message the page or get in touch with Alex
Cheers all!

The later parts of the summer months have seen all sorts of social and casual games happening. Everyone seems to be enjoying their Wednesday evenings at wellington chess club lately

If you enjoy a social game of chess the next pub chess social looks is being arranged for the 21st September Saturday evening green Dragon wellington from 7pm
Message the page or Alex for more info
Comment to show you're interested and coming!!!

Our Summer Swiss Tournament continued this week for members who want to keep up their OTB game during the off-season. 24 players have played at least one game with Marco Marassi, Rowan Burrow, Alan Stonebridge, Vanessa Delbo, Pawan Pranay and Kym Sanders leading the field.

In session at the green dragon 👌 all welcome
Just give the page or Alex a message if you're joining late in case we have moved at all

Alex is due to play everyone in a simultaneous on Wednesday evening. He hopes for a good turnout

A summer chess social evening is now booked for this coming Saturday the 3rd of August

Tables booked, at the green dragon pub in wellington which should be well suited to a chess session. Food is also possible there, arrive from 7.

Given the timings of these two events Alex is prepared to offer to buy anyone a drink at the pub on Saturday if they snag a draw or better on Wednesday evening! Hope that grabs some attention for both events.

An under 18 prize equivalent will also be on offer

Cheers all

Our Summer Season continued this week with a study evening on the Catalan. If you missed it, here is the tutorial video we watched and practiced from.

How to play the Catalan | 10-Minute Chess Openings ➡️ Get My Chess Courses: https://www.chessly.com/➡️ Get my best-selling chess book: https://geni.us/gothamchess➡️ My book in the UK and Europe: https://bit....

This week, we hosted a Quickplay tournament. 15 competitors, 6 games each, 10 mins on the clock. This put lots of us to the test but really allowed some of our faster thinkers to shine. The night was dominated by Alex Conway who almost achieved a perfect score but for his unexpected draw with Ben Hughes which earned Ben a burst of applause.

Its all part of our Summer Season offer -- why not join us every Wednesday?
Alex and Ben are pictured after their great performances.

Our annual ☀️Summer Tournament☀️ began tonight, giving members a chance to keep their game sharp between seasons. Other summer events have been announced and emailed to members.

The Wellington Chess Club AGM was held last week.
We agreed a range of club items including:
- Our membership rate remains one of the lowest in the county and free to U18s.
- The Somerset Chess league arrangements are yet to be finalised (watch this space!)
- We will offer a Summer Competition and other special events over the summer. These will be listed here soon.

Message us if you have any questions. New members are always welcome, all year round ♟️😀

Wellington chess club hosted Glastonbury in their last home fixture of the season in the West Somerset League Division Two. Glastonbury used to be a real force in Somerset Chess but have fallen on difficult times and could only produce a team of two players to take on Wellington. Sportingly Wellington agreed to play the game over two boards rather than enforce the league rules that matches are to be over a minimum of four boards and claim two points by default.

Wellington were without the services of Alex Conway on board 1 so John Morrison in his excellent debut season moved up to top board with the experienced Simon Pickard on board 2. John played the opening flawlessly and had all his pieces nicely developed enabling him to get on top. He pressurised his opponent into a disastrous blunder which cost him his rook. There was only going to be one result after that and John soon ran out an easy winner.

Simon Pickard was heavily outgraded by his opponent but did not allow this to put him off his game. Despite being level on material Simon kept up the initiative throughout forcing his opponent to eat heavily into his time allowance. As the game reached the endgame stage although the players were level on material, Simon had joined up pawns which were capable of defending themselves but his opponent’s pawns were scattered and harder to defend. Eventually Simon’s opponent found it impossible to find a way to avoid defeat and lost on time with defeat staring him in the face. This result leaves Glastonbury bottom of the league with Wellington in mid table.

Wellington’s club championship looks like being a closely contested affair this season. Six players have fought their way into the final stages and will all play each other once with the champion being the player with most points. John Morrison and defending champion Alex Conway are setting the pace at present both with two wins from two matches but Ed List with two points from three games is still in the reckoning. Ed’s loss was to Alex Conway so he will need other results to go his way to keep his chances alive.

Wellington have seen a large increase in membership numbers and there is a field of seven juniors who have their own championship. This is a very closely contested tournament this year as junior players can be inconsistent with surprise results occurring from time to time. At present Max Kaye leads with three points from four game closely pursued by Eric Wall and Isaac Pickard with two points from three games. However it is fairly early at present to make any firm predictions about the eventual winner.

2023 East Devon Chess Congress Friday 14 April - Sunday 16 April 2023 at Exeter Corn Exchange

Wellington chess club hosted Yeovil last week in a match over four boards in Division 3 of the West Somerset League. It has been an up and down season playing wise this winter and this match was a down with a capital D. Wellington fielded a relatively strong team but Simon Pickard on top board made an uncharacteristic shaky start and found himself two pawns down in the opening.

Team captain David Smith also lost pawns in the opening and both he and Simon struggled to try to restore parity in their games. Their opponents played to a consistently high standard, making no mistakes and closing down any thoughts of a comeback eventually forcing the Wellington players to resign almost simultaneously to put Yeovil 2-0 ahead.

Alan Stonebridge was Wellington’s third player to lose his game. Alan started off well, playing strongly but failed to gain a winning advantage. When his opponent launched a pawn rush attack supported by his rooks, Alan was unable to counter this attack and was forced to resign.

It was left to John Jeremiah to try to salvage some consolation for Wellington. Unfortunately this was not to be. John had been playing well but one oversight left him with his king trapped in a corner under attack from queen, rook and bishop. There was no escape and John had to resign. 4-0 to Yeovil.

Wellington have now completed their league season and face the prospect of possibly finishing at the foot of the league. The are level on points with bottom club Weston but Weston need just one draw from their two remaining fixtures to leave Wellington finishing bottom.

There were Wellington Major and Junior fixtures tonight.
After four games, the Major Division One is being led by Jon Kerr, Division Two by Marco Marassi and the Junior Championship by Max Kaye.

Wellington chess club hosted local rivals Taunton last week in a West Somerset League Division 3 fixture over four boards at Chelston Chapel. Wellington were out for revenge having been heavily beaten by 4-0 at Taunton last November.

Alan Stonebridge was unavailable for selection so team captain drafted in Ollie Sells for a rare appearance giving him the responsibility of playing on board 2. Ollie is a very attacking player and likes nothing more than boldly sacrificing material to enable him to carry out an attack. This is just what he did in this match trading material for an advantageous attacking position and before his mystified opponent knew how serious his position was Ollie checkmated him with a rook and Queen attack.

Taunton levelled the match when Wellington’s Chris Montag had a tough time against an opponent who seemed to be able to counter all Chris’s attacks while slowly gaining small advantages. The small advantages became one big advantage and Chris resigned in a hopeless position.

Team captain David Smith then played a captain’s game to restore Wellington’s lead. After coming out from the opening moves in a level position both players had useful looking lines of attack. However David got on top when he managed to support a passed pawn with rook and knight putting pressure on the opponent’s king leading to David winning material and causing the Taunton man to resign.

At 2-1 up John Jeremiah on board 1 needed only a draw to secure a win for Wellington. John played what his captain described as his usual cavalier opening against a formidable foe. The outcome of the match remained in doubt until late in the encounter but John’s aggressive play pinned the opposition king on the back row making it vulnerable to John’s rook and knight assault with the inevitable check mate ensuing, giving Wellington a 3-1 win.

Wellington chess club travelled to Sedgemoor last week for a match in
Division 3 of the West Somerset League. Despite growing membership numbers once again Wellington found themselves unable to field a full team of 4 players and travelled a man down, starting the evening one point down as a result with one match forfeited.

Wellington’s three musketeers, John Jeremiah, Alan Stonebridge and David Smith once again took up the cudgels on behalf of the club and although their efforts were not enough to gain the club a win on the night the team came away with a respectable draw.

John Jeremiah’s late arrival meant the Alan Stonebridge and David Smith were promoted to boards 1 and 2 respectively. Alan was on his usual excellent form playing his favourite Queens Gambit which proved to be a wise decision as his opponent struggled with this opening. Alan won a piece, and in doing so gained a good position. Alan then uncharacteristically blundered a piece away himself but gained two pawns as compensation. With Alan playing the endgame accurately he ended up checkmating his opponent. Score 1-1.

David Smith was the next to finish. David struggled against his opponent’s lively attack. He defended stoutly but eventually went down to put Sedgemoor 2-1 ahead.

John Jeremiah had to win to draw the match for Wellington and got involved in a real scrap. The endgame approached with each player having two minor pieces and several pawns. However as two of John’s pawns were passed pawns he was able to put pressure on his opponent as they threatened to be promoted to queens. John’s opponent could not find any counter threats and eventually had to resign, leaving the match all square on the night.

Wellington chess club set off to Wells last week with their team of 6 to take on the home team for a Division 2 match in the West Somerset League. Before the team arrived at the match venue things already started to go wrong. The board 3 team member was unwell and had to withdraw leaving Wellington facing the prospect of starting the match one point down before a piece had been moved.

However Wells sportingly left out one of their own players instead of claiming one board by default so the match was played over 5 boards. They then proceeded to show why they didn’t need a one board start as they proceeded to give Wellington a tough evening.

This season Wellington have come to rely on their top player, Alex Conway, to give them at worst parity on top board. Alex is a superb chess player and has an instinctive feel for the right moment to take a gamble in his play. This time for once it didn’t come off as Alex made a bold but sound move but failed to follow it up correctly and ended up in all sorts of difficulties, eventually losing the game.

Alan Stonebridge on board 4 was heavily outgraded and his opponent soon took control of the game with a pin on Alan’s queen and finished off the game comfortably.
Wellington then completed a loss on the night when John Jeremiah succumbed to an attack on his king which was trapped in the middle of the board.

David Smith the Division 3 captain was called into the side, once again loyally answering the call to help put out a full team. David, as ever, put up stubborn resistance but went into the endgame a pawn down. His opponent gradually increased the pressure until he had three pawns to David’s none, forcing David to resign.

With Wellington trailing 4-0 Jon Morrison on board 2 for Wellington ensured there was not going to be a whitewash for Wells. He was in the rare position of playing an opponent graded below him. Jon always looked in control in his game. He claimed Wellington’s only victory, winning a bishop and following this up with a clever attack.

Wellington chess club hosted league leaders and local rivals Taunton at Chelston Chapel in a Division 2 match in the West Somerset League. The venue was full to bursting with Wellington’s increased membership creating a really positive atmosphere for chess. Taunton and Wellington both prefer to have the team size to be more than the minimum of four to give as many as possible an opportunity to represent their club in the competitive atmosphere of a league match.

As a result this fixture was played over six boards, giving Wellington the opportunity to give Jon Kerr and promising 14 year old Max Kaye an opportunity to play on the bottom two boards. Aithough Wellington were without Jon Morrison and Ed list, with Alex Conway who is having a terrific season on top board there was a sense of optimism as to the outcome of the match.

Max Kaye finished his match with a creditable draw on board 6 wisely agreeing to split the points. Despite being a knight for two pawns up, the pawns become much more powerful in the endgameafter the other pieces are swapped off the board. Max would have been unable to control the opposition pawns had he pushed for a win. So the decision to settle for a draw showed great maturity on Max’s part.

Wellington’s chances of winning collapsed as Simon Pickard, Jon Jeremiah and Alan Stonebridge all lost on the middle boards to enable Taunton to reach the magic 3.5 points for a win on the evening. Despite the match being lost there was pride still at stake and Alex Conway on top board secured a fine win. Alex won a pawn and he was still a pawn ahead going into the endgame phase. Although this position can often result in a draw particularly if any mistakes are made by the player with the advantage.
In this case Alex’s technique was sound. He shut the door most effectively on any hopes his opponent had of saving the game and forced his opponent to resign.

Finally a word for Jon Kerr who battled manfully all evening on board 5. Jon was behind on material but refused to give in hoping that his opponent might make an error. Jon eventually conceded but can feel proud of his never say die performance .

Wellington chess club hosted Weston last week in a Division 2 match over four boards in the West Somerset League. Wellington were hit by the unavailability of Alex Conway and the late withdrawal of Jon Morrison, their top two players and brought in Simon Pickard and Alan Stonebridge as replacements. This was all very hard on Wellington’s teenager Ed List who was thrown in the deep end and promoted to board 1. Ed had the unenviable task of playing against Weston’s best player ranked 200 points above him.

Ed put up a good performance but it was not enough to prevent his opponent from gaining the first point of the evening for Weston. Wellington showed their battling qualities as Alan Stonebridge on board 4 played a very controlled game gradually gaining the ascendancy over his opponent and turning his small advantage into a winning position, levelling the match at 1-1.

Wellington’s hopes of a win on the night were dashed when team captain John Jeremiah found himself in all sorts of trouble in his game with just one pawn to his opponent’s seven, a hopeless position from which John resigned. Still cometh the hour cometh the man. Up stepped late replacement former captain Simon Pickard on board 2 to gain a superb victory to tie the match on the night. Simon was involved in a tricky endgame situation with just pawns on the board but used all his experience and know how to get the better of the situation and gain the win to leave the final score 2-2.

Just a reminder that chess club returns this Wednesday, 3rd Jan, at Chelston Chapel. All members and newcomers welcome for an evening of friendlies.

We are planning to start the second stage of the Club Championships on the following Wednesday (10th Jan).

Happy New Year!

Wellington chess club travelled to Glastonbury last week for a five board match in Division 2 of the West Somerset League. Wellington had a fairly strong team available with only Simon Pickard missing and were determined to make the most of their advantage in grading over their opponents.

It is a long time since every member of the team won for Wellington so Wellington’s 5-0 victory was a cause for celebration. The first game to finish was on Board 5 where Alan Stonebridge always looked to be on top, increasing his advantage and running out a comfortable winner. 1-0 to Wellington

Teenager Ed List showed that his earlier fine performances were no fluke as he wrapped up his game on Board 3. Ed played a knight sacrifice in the opening, playing it well to go a piece up. From then on he comfortably converted the finish. 2-0 to Wellington.

With the score in Wellington’s favour attention turned to Alex Conway’s game for Wellington on Board 1. Alex was in a slightly better position than his opponent and was tempted to offer a draw. However after looking at the remaining two games where team captain John Jeremiah and Jon Morrison both looked to be in trouble he decided to play on. John Jeremiah was the exchange down (a rook for a minor piece) but he rescued himself setting a trap which his opponent fell into leaving him completely lost. 3-0 to Wellington.

Alex Conway’s decision not to offer the draw was later rewarded. He found a most complex continuation when the game looked like it might end in a draw with the result that his opponent position crumbled and Alex took the win. 4-0 to Wellington.

The final match to finish involved Jon Morrison on board 2 who has made such a fine impression with his strong play in his first season at the club. John looked to be in trouble having two minor pieces for a rook but was four pawns down.and facing checkmate threats. For some reason his opponent released the pressure of the mating threats allowing Jon to get his rook active and make threats of his own. One more weak move from his opponent left him with a hopeless position and a win for Jon followed. 5-0 to Wellington.

Although Glastonbury fielded a side weaker than they have done in the past this was still a tremendous performance from the whole Wellington team and a fine finish to 2023.

Wellington chess club hosted local rivals Sedgemoor in a Somerset League Division 3 match over five boards. Without a single league point from their first two games captain David Smith did not panic with his team selection. He moved himself up to board 3 and had youth on Boards 1 and 5 in Ollie Sells and Max Kaye respectively.

Chris Montag (pictured) played on board 2 and totally dominated his opponent from the off. Chris won his opponent’s queen, the most powerful piece and from that moment on there was no doubt that he would win. Most opponents would resign in this situation but Chris had to keep on playing until checkmating his opponent to put Wellington 1-0 ahead.

Max Kaye had a similar situation, totally dominating his opponent and found himself two queens ahead towards the end of the game. Max is a brilliant player but very inexperienced and it was that lack of experience that cost him a win. He allowed his opponent to get himself where he wasn’t in check but had no legal moves available and therefore according to the rules of chess the game ended in a draw.

Sedgemoor hit back to level the match when Jon Kerr got into difficulties in his game but did his best to try to gain a vital draw. Each player threatened checkmate however Jon was unable to keep his opponent at bay and eventually went down to an unfortunate defeat.

It was now down to Ollie Sells and David Smith who were both playing on higher boards than usual. Ollie was up against a very experienced opponent who has many Wellington scalps in his record. However Ollie played with great maturity and gained a well deserved draw to keep the match level with one game outstanding.

This final match was a battle between the team captains. Wellington’s David Smith withstood his opponent’s attacks with solid defence but could not find any attacking opportunities of his own. After frustrating his opponent for most of the match David accepted the offer to a draw from his opponent to leave the score at 2.5-2.5.

As 2023 draws towards a close Wellington chess club are looking forward to 2024 with healthy optimism. The big surge in membership means the club now has around 20 or so attending each week and they have all been at the club regularly for several months and look to be there for the long run.

There is a healthy number of promising juniors now amongst the membership with teenagers Ed List and Max Kaye having tasted success in cup and league matches. Added to the experience of the more senior players there is a great positive atmosphere at the club with the older players passing on their experience to the younger ones.

Despite all these positives success in league matches has been elusive. Wellington have two league teams, one playing in Division 2 and the other in Division 3 of the West Somerset League. In Division 2 Wellington field their strongest team and have played four matches, drawing two and losing two. Alan Stonebridge and Chris Montag have the best playing record of 75%. The club’s top player, Alex Conway has 2 points from 3 games. Ed List and John Morrison have a 50% record but all the other team members have lost their games.

The Division 3 team is largely made up of the club’s lower graded players and is used as an opportunity to give promising new members a chance to experience the pressure of playing league chess. Max Kaye and Marco Marassi have made their club debut this season. The club sit bottom of the table but experience is being gained and this can only bode well for the future.

The very one bright spot was Wellington’s convincing win in the Somerset Cup away to Sedgemoor. Wellington are due to travel to Weston before Christmas to try to secure a semi final spot. Despite the club’s increase in numbers new members are always welcome at their Chelston home base.

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Wellington chess club hosted Yeovil last week for a West Somerset League Division 2 fixture over 6 boards. The increase in team size meant that in the absence of Ed List and Simon Pickard Wellington brought in Robert Harris and 14 year old Max Kaye who fully deserved his chance after impressing recently in Wellington’s Division 3 team.

Alex Conway once again had the task of taking on the top player from the opposition on board 1 and showed all his skills in keeping his higher graded opponent at bay coming away with a well earned draw.

After that things quickly went downhill for Wellington. Max Kaye got into all sorts of difficulties in the opening exchanges leaving his king exposed. Max fought as hard as he could to give his opponent all sorts of problems but eventually he was overwhelmed and went down to defeat. Robert Harris was the next to lose. One minor error put him on the back foot then two serious blunders left him with no choice but to resign.

Wellington now had to win all the three remaining games to win on the night but it was not to be. Jon Morrison on board 2 confessed after his game that he was very disappointed with his performance. He had given up a pawn early in the game and was well beaten. Wellington’s captain John Jeremiah spent much of his game on the attack but was undone when his opponent grabbed a pawn, checking John’s king and undermining John’s position. Despite this John launched an all out attack but this failed when John lost a second pawn and was unable to recover.

With the match well and truly lost the bright spot was the performance of Alan Stonebridge. It is well known that you have to play well to beat him as he is so steady and reliable in his play. His opponent has a similar reputation and was graded over 200 points above Alan, a massive gap in class. Alan defended resolutely when his opponent attacked with queen and rooks. However after these were swapped off each player was left with 5 pawns. Alan’s king was better placed than that of his opponent and that small advantage was enough to enable Alan, with careful play, to promote a pawn to a queen and win.

A 4.5-1.5 defeat was probably a fair reflection of the evening’s play but the big plus was Alan Stonebridge’s performance.

Wellington chess club played their first Division 3 match of the season at home to an experienced Weston side over four boards in the West Somerset league last week. Wellington have a policy of giving a chance to as many players as possible who show signs of having the potential to become valued match players. Accordingly the team comprised two debutants who have been at the club for less than a year and two experienced players on the top two boards in father and son combination Rupert and Ollie Sells.

Father and son competed on the top two boards. Ollie on board 1 played in his usual attacking style but his attacking play was countered by a wily experienced opponent and a draw was eventually agreed. Rupert did not fare so well in a game which he admitted was enjoyed by both players. Rupert was a piece down but then captured his opponent’s rook and felt he might be on for a win. However Rupert felt he was outplayed in the endgame and finally lost the match.

Of the debutants, first Marco Marassi on board 4 went down to defeat in 25 moves after losing a knight for a pawn in the opening. He was unable to regain parity and eventually resigned when on the verge of being check mated. The big bright spot of the match however was the excellent performance by 14 year old Max Kaye. Max has already impressed with his performances at the club and was well deserving of an opportunity to play in the league team. Max outplayed his very capable experienced opponent and romped to a brilliant win.

So Wellington lost by the narrowest of margins but the bonus on the night was undoubtedly the performance of young Max

Wellington chess club travelled to Wembdon last week to take on Sedgemoor over five boards in Division 2 of the West Somerset League. Sedgemoor were out for revenge after Wellington had knocked them out of the Somerset Cup and fielded a very strong team.

Wellington had Alex Conway on top board who had gained a creditable draw in the cup against an opponent graded so high that he is a titled candidate master. Alex really excelled himself this time and gained one of his best ever wins, forcing his opponent to resign after just 24 moves.

Sedgemoor drew level with a defeat for Alan Stonebridge of Wellington. After playing an excellent game to go two pawns up Alan overlooked his opponent’s move checking him on the back rank with checkmate inevitable. Wellington went ahead again when Chris Montag (pictured) played a well thought out game gaining a positional advantage over his opponent and using this advantage to force an excellent win.

Meanwhile John Jeremiah and Jon Morrison were slogging it out for Wellington against opponents both graded above Wellington’s top player. Jon Morrison had a tremendous game and eventually agreed a draw after several exciting exchanges. Wellington were a point ahead but sadly John Jeremiah was unable to hold on for a draw, losing out in a very close end game. Final score Sedgemoor 2.5. Wellington 2.5.

Being a member of any club isn't just about improving your game. Its about making friends and sharing your passion. Here we are at our recent social evening -- chess with the addition of beer and bubbles!

Wellington chess club hosted reigning champions Wells at Chelston Chapel last week in a Division 2 match over 5 boards in the West Somerset League. The size of the task confronting Wellington was made much larger by Wellington’s top player Alex Conway’s late unavailability due to work commitments. Jon Kerr was brought in to play on the bottom board while the rest of the team all moved up one board and as a result faced a higher graded opponent than they would otherwise have done.

With this big advantage Wells set about building a 2-0 lead in the first two matches to finish. Wellington went one down when Ed List, playing board 2 lost his game. Ed had had excellent victories in his first two games for the team but this time he suffered his first defeat. Ed was a piece down but resisted with great skill trying all he knew to avoid defeat. However his opponent overcame the problems Ed had cleverly posed and ran out the winner.

Jon Kerr then lost his game. Jon calculated that by giving up a knight he might be able to promote a pawn to a queen. His opponent managed to find a counter to this plan trapping Jon’s rook in the process. This was enough to force Jon to resign.

Wellington then started their fight back through Jon Morrison (pictured) and Alan Stonebridge. This is Jon Morrison’s debut season for the club and he showed what an asset he will be, stepping up to top board and gaining a superb victory over a very capable opponent.

Alan Stonebridge’s game went right down to the wire. Alan was a pawn up in a rook and pawn endgame but then lost two pawns. However his opponent was in desperate time trouble and Alan managed to win his rook which settled the game in Wellington’s favour.

The fight back finally ended on board 3 where team captain John Jeremiah put up tremendous resistance despite being a rook for a bishop down. His opponent kept up the pressure and gradually got on so much top that John was forced to resign.

Although Wellington lost it was a really close match with two fine wins and battling performances from those who were defeated. If every match is this close it will be an exciting season.