WELLS Chess Club has had a prolific couple of months in the Somerset Chess League, making up for lost match time over lockdown. They have played eight matches in two months, including a three-week break for the festive season. It is testament to the strength in depth at the club that Wells has often been able to field two teams a week for this period.
The results were positive too with two drawn matches, two losses and four wins. There were two very closely fought matches against Weston either side of the Christmas break which both ended in a 2-2 draw. The sides were clearly well matched. Wells will be pleased to peg back Weston who are currently top of Division 2 West although Wells have a game in hand on them.
In Division 2 East, Wells have had a run of three wins in a row to lift them into second place behind a strong Yeovil side. On January 16 Wells travelled to Frome and came away with a 3.5 to 0.5 victory, their best result of the season. Chris Strong outplayed a higher rated opponent on board 1 while Paul Humphreys’ clever positional play quickly dispatched his board 2 opponent. Matt Goatcher’s tactical strength showed through as he won an board 3, while on board 4 Jon Rossi held his composure in a tricky rook and pawn endgame to draw a hard-fought match.
In Division 3 Wells have struggled against a consistent Bath team but have had good wins against Trowbridge. Before Christmas they narrowly won a home tie against Trowbridge by 2.5 points to 1.5. Greg Roome missed out on a win on board 1 after a tough match, but wins for Solomon Hayes and Ben Jukes on boards 2 and 4 and a draw for Jon Rossi on board 3 gave Wells the points on the night. Wells will need to win their two remaining matches and hope that Bath stumble if they are to win this division.
Wells also start their 2023 Online Chess campaign at the end of January with two sides in the National 4NCL League. The A-Team narrowly missed out on promotion last time round and will be hoping to make amends.
Wells has a thriving chess club playing both competitive and social chess. Club nights on a Wednesday evening at the Globe Inn on Priest Row are a great opportunity to meet other players and enjoy a vibrant and growing club. Anyone interested in joining for social or competitive chess can find them on Facebook or at wellchessclub@outlook.com.