Stockport League A team
Season 2024-25
(Click here to view previous seasons)| Date | Competition | Opponents | H/A | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07/10/2024 | League Div 2 | Glossop | H | Won | 5-0 |
| 17/10/2024 | League Div 2 | Marple | A | Lost | 2-3 |
| 22/10/2024 | League Div 2 | Stockport B | A | Won | 3½-1½ |
| 05/12/2024 | Charnley Cup | Urmston | A | Lost | ½-5½ |
| 11/12/2024 | League Div 2 | East Cheshire B | A | Lost | 2-3 |
| 03/02/2025 | League Div 2 | Wilmslow | H | Lost | 2-3 |
| 03/03/2025 | League Div 2 | Macclesfield B | H | Won | 3½-1½ |
| 24/03/2025 | League Div 2 | Macclesfield A | A | Lost | ½-4½ |
| 07/04/2025 | League Div 2 | Northenden | H | Draw | 2½-2½ |
Full details of all matches and league tables can be found on the Stockport League website
07/04/2025 - Altrincham 2½ Northenden 2½
Wins for Simon Calvert and Nicolas Rojas, a draw for Nick Lowe, and defeats for myself and Sheraz Khalil.Simon avoided a pitfall in the position below. If Black plays ...b3?? then White simply gives up his Bishop with Bxb3, and the game is drawn because Black has the 'wrong-coloured' Bishop, so cannot force the White King out of the corner. Instead Simon played ...Bc4 and won quickly.
24/03/2025 - Macclesfield A 4½ Altrincham ½
After our win against Macclesfield B, our next match was a somewhat trickier task against their A team. I was the only one of our team to 'trouble the scorers' with a 22 move draw on board 1. Tony, Simon, James and Steve Douglas all lost to opponents rated over 150 points higher on average. This victory means Macclesfield are almost guaranteed to win Division 2, needing only to avoid defeat by more than 4-1 in their final match to clinch the championship.
03/03/2025 - Altrincham 3½ Macclesfield B 1½
A comfortable win, with Tony, Vijay and I all winning our games, with a draw from Nick.
03/02/2025 - Altrincham 2 Wilmslow 3
Wilmslow have been strengthened this year with the addition of two young players on boards 3 & 4 who are performing around 1700-1800 level. Honours were even on the bottom three boards, where Nick lost, Sheraz drew, and Simon Calvert got his first win for the club. On the top 2 boards Tony and I had big rating deficits, and Tony did well to draw against an opponent rated 200 points higher. For once Tony used less time than his opponent! My opponent was 300 points higher, and I was unable to hold a draw in a pawn down opposite colour Bishops ending, having missed a drawing line.
11/12/2024 - East Cheshire B 3 Altrincham 2
A very close match, with the team ratings being very similar. We lost 3-2, with our latest recruit James Lawrence getting his first win for the club, to level the scores after Steve Douglas lost. Steve commented "Alas, this is one I really should have won, being ahead with a strong position. Unfortunately I allowed my opponent to trap my Queen, giving it up for a Rook and Knight. After missing a chance to get a draw in the endgame his Queen proved too strong." There followed draws for Reg and Sheraz, so the match rested on Tony Lane's game, which seemed to be heading for a draw until Tony blundered in time trouble.
05/12/2024 - Urmston 5½ Altrincham ½ (Charnley Cup)
A heavy defeat, making a hat-trick of knock-out defeats this year, having lost by the same score in both the Summer League and Manchester League knock-outs. We were significantly out-rated, particularly myself. I had the rare experience of facing a titled player in FM Paul Macklin, almost exactly 5 years since our previous meeting. Needless to say I lost again, though I did manage approximate equality for about 25 moves before caving in. Tony Lane was the only one to avoid defeat, whilst Sheraz, James, Steve Douglas and Vijay were the other unsuccessful players.
22/10/2024 - Stockport B 1½ Altrincham 3½
We actually managed to win a couple of games with the White pieces! (myself & Bill). Draws by Tony, Sheraz and AJ on boards 2-4. We were fortunate that Stockport's 1st team had a Manchester League match, so a couple of players who would have been eligible for their B team were otherwise engaged, giving us a small rating advantage.
17/10/2024 - Marple 3 Altrincham 2
The 'advantage' of the away team having White on three of the five boards did not do us much good, with every game resulting in a Black win! Tony and Bill won on boards 2 & 4, whilst I, Vijay and Faris lost on boards 1, 3 & 5.
07/10/2024 - Altrincham 5 Glossop 0
The opening match for our first team in the Stockport League ended in a 5-0 win over Glossop, in the first ever meeting between the two clubs. The Glossop club started only last year, finishing a respectable 3rd in the Limit League. This season they have also entered a team in the tougher arena of Division 2 - hopefully this defeat won't put them off too much!Tony, Sheraz, Richard and Vijay all had comfortable wins. I (Reg) also had a big advantage, a piece up, but after allowing my opponent some unnecessary counterplay and running short of time I blundered away the extra piece. At this point my opponent made an illegal move, but the 2 minute penalty was not much consolation as my advantage had gone. But now I got lucky - 6 moves later the position below was reached, with me (Black) to move. After 40...fxg6+ my opponent completely overlooked the discovered check and quickly played 41.Rxg6, his second illegal move, and an automatic loss.
