Report by Charles Higgie
Shropshire are fielding no less than 7 teams in the 4NCL Online Chess League. Last season Shropshire fielded 5 sides, but they have merged with most of the Malpas & Oswestry & Friends squad to form “Shropshire & Friends” with Matthew Clark from Shrewsbury and Charles Higgie from Malpas running the sides.
Tuesday September 7 was the second round of matches. It was another good night for most of the Shropshire & Friends squad!
In Division 2:
The first team had another good win, 3.5 to 0.5, following up on their 4-0 win in the first round. They are now top of their group. The second team had a 4-0 win, after their 2-2 draw last week, and move up to third in their group.
In Division 3:
The third team won 2.5-1.5 to make it two wins out of two and are top of their group.
In Division 4:
The fourth team lost 2.5-1.5. They drew their first fixture and are now 6th out of the 8 teams in their group. The fifth team won 3.5-0.5 and after also winning in round one, they now top their group.
In Division 5:
The 6th and 7th teams both lost again, but as this Division is played on the Swiss system (unlike the other Divisions which are all-play-all) both the teams should be paired against other teams which have lost both opening fixtures, so hopefully both teams will have easier opponents next round.
The squad is looking for new players to strengthen the squad and to field an extra team for the next season of 4NCL Online, starting in January 2022. If anyone is interested they should contact Matthew on mdhc@shrewsbury.org.uk or 07730 031758 or Charles on higgiecharles@gmail.com or 01948 860083. The teams play every other Tuesday.