Woodbridge Chess Club’s lead in Division 2 of the Suffolk league was severely dented by a 3 – 1 defeat to second place Saxmundham A. Tim Wesson and Peter Gemmell managed draws with Sam Gaffney and Chris Skirrow losing to slightly stronger opponents. This leaves Woodbridge’s promotion bid in peril. While Woodbridge retain a 3 ½ point lead, Saxmundham A have a game in hand against much weaker opposition. Woodbridge’s other hope for silverware, the U1800 cup, also looks dicey with Woodbridge leading by 1 point with 4 matches left.
Club members have been active in local tournaments in the past few months. Special mention goes to Bernie Ross who scored 3.5/6 at the Norfolk Rapidplay. This brought his rapidplay rating to 1590, far exceeding his 1200ish standard play rating. Tim, Chris, Sam and Bernie also played at the East Anglian Chess Union Closed Championships in January. Congratulations to Chris on beating Tim and Sam for finishing joint 2nd in the U1950 section.
Woodbridge Chess Club meets for fun and competitive games at 7pm, on Wednesdays, in the Cherry Tree Inn. We are keen to welcome new players and help them improve. See if you can solve the puzzle below taken from Les Jones (Ipswich) – Sam Gaffney (Woodbridge), U1800 Cup 2022 Woodbridge vs Ipswich.
Black to play and win: