Giantkiller Maydew is County champion

Simon Maydew is Shropshire’s new king of chess after a giantkilling performance in the county’s individual championship. Maydew won five games in the seven-round tournament and drew the other two to finish on six points, making him outright winner, half a point clear of the rest of the field. He receives a £45 first prize.

It was a storming display as he faced some of Shropshire’s strongest players, being on paper heavily outrated in many of the encounters, although nobody would have underrated him – he held a master player to a draw at the county’s chess congress a few years ago. He clinched the title with a 20-move victory in the final round over Steve Tarr, a teammate at the Oakengates-based Maddocks chess club.

Joint second, on 5.5 points, were Nick Rutter and Nat Paul, who won £17.50. The prize for best performance by a player graded under-160 went to Matthew Clark on 3.5 (£30), and the under-140 prize was shared by Kate Walker and John Westhead, both on three points. (£15)

The competition was played online, but with the easing of the coronavirus situation over-the-board chess has made a comeback with the launch of a new summer individual competition, in which players are being encouraged to play their games at The Limes Hotel in Vineyard Drive, Wellington. It is a seven-round competition with a round a week, with a first prize of £50.