News Archive

RICHIE REMEMBERS: CHESS MASTERS FINALIST'S STORY

In a world exclusive, Richie Kelly recounts his experiences as a contestant on the BBC's Chess Masters series in October 2024. His detailed, humorous and sometimes poignant account lifts the lid on one ex-serviceman's campaign to capture the silverware (or was it chinaware?!) for club and country.

Due to technological issues, Richie's reminiscences will be serialised, but we think that makes them even more exciting! So, without further ado, here is...

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CHESS MASTERS: AN ENDGAME ODYSSEY

by Richie Kelly

Part 1

Prologue

It is …...

WALLASEY PLAYERS TAKE ON THE “BRITS”

The British Chess Championships came to Liverpool from 31 July to 10 August, for the first time since 2008 – an opportunity too good to be missed for Wallasey, being one of the biggest clubs in the region. Over the course of 11 days of competition, 19 of us competed, making 25 entries across 12 events, variously held in the splendour of St George’s Hall and the smart modern surroundings of the Holiday Inn across the road.

On the first evening, before the official opening ceremony had even happened, Thomas Moran kicked off our participation, scoring a very creditable …...

CREWE WIN TROPHY BACK IN STYLE

The fourth annual “WC Challenge” match between Wallasey and Crewe was played on Monday 21 July, to round out our 2024/25 season. This unique fixture sees the away team provide a teamsheet and the home team select players to match them.

Following Wallasey’s first victory in the series last year, Crewe’s captain Dave Price was determined to win the enormous trophy back and compiled the biggest team yet. Wallasey captain Alan Kelly and vice-captain Saul Marks managed to rustle up an excellent set of opponents and, after several days of players dropping out on both sides and others subbing in, …...

SEASON CONCLUDES WITH AGM

Last Monday (7 July), members gathered for the club’s Annual General Meeting and presentation of awards.

A total of 42 members and 11 guests attended, who were welcomed by President Ron Champion, after which proceedings were chaired by Secretary Craig Jones. A reports pack was provided, so attendees could read the thoughts of the President, Secretary, team captains and Tournament Secretary.

Treasurer Mark Spriggs presented the accounts and it was agreed not to change annual subscriptions for the coming year.

The only change on the committee saw outgoing Club Captain Mike O’Mahony thanked for his year in office and …...

11-YEAR-OLD THOMAS WINS DRAMATIC BLITZ

11-year-old Thomas Moran snatched victory in the final round of the annual Blitz Tournament last night (1 May) to finish with a perfect score of 5/5 after a dramatic night of chess.

But not all went smoothly. This was the first time the club has trialled the Swiss Manager software, used in the running of so many tournaments worldwide. Saul Marks took on the task of making it all work and, after prior testing, all seemed to be on track. But the first problems came when Saul’s laptop refused to connect to the Internet, despite various methods being tried. This …...

END OF WINTER SEASON REPORT 2024/25

The 2024/25 internal winter league season came to an end last night (28 April) after eight months of gruelling combat, involving 94 players across four divisions and an incredible 1,093 games of chess (not including the two knockout cup competitions). Let’s review how things panned out since the run-in report of 1 April…

CHAMPIONSHIP

As expected, Mike Coffey sealed the Championship on 7 April, ultimately finishing with 24 wins from his 31 games, amassing 74 points, which is a record for the club’s top flight.

Already by far the most decorated player in the club’s history, in …...