West Midlands Area Online League Spring 2020
Worcester City club entered two teams, one in each division of the West Midlands Area Online League when it was formed in April. Rob Sutton took the captaincy after the first two matches. At each event there were two four-board matches played on the same night using the chess.com platform. That platform determined the team order based on games played by the players using chess.com. Players had two rapidplay games against the same opponent with colours reversed. Time control in the league was 15 minutes plus 10 seconds from move 1.
For these matches Droitwich joined forces with Worcester City with Arnold Kirkland and David Cleak playing useful roles mostly in the Division 2 team.
Worcester 1 in Division 1
| WMA Online Rapidplay League Division 1 Spring 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | For | Against | Points |
| South Birmingham 1 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 32 | 16 | 19 |
| Sutton Coldfield 1 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 29½ | 16½ | 18 |
| Solihull 1 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 27½ | 18½ | 16 |
| Rugby | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 21½ | 26½ | 9 |
| Redditch | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 18½ | 29½ | 9 |
| Worcester 1 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 29 | 7 |
| Greenlands | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 28 | 6 |
30 Apr. Worcester 1 drew one and lost one against Rugby.
7 May. Redditch won one and drew one against Worcester 1 who were a player down due to an IT glitch.
14 May. Worcester lost both matches against Sutton Coldfield.
21 May. Worcester lost both matches against Solihull.
28 May. Worcester drew one and lost one against Sutton Coldfield.
4 Jun. Worcester beat Greenlands in both matches.
| Board | Colour | Rugby | Thu 30th Apr 2020 | Worcester 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | Vishwanath Natraj, Ganesh | 1 - 0 | Sutton, Rob |
| 2 | W | Badley, Christopher | 0 - 1 | Mellor, Stephen D |
| 3 | B | Riley, David | 1 - 0 | Cleak, David |
| 4 | W | Malka, Nigel | ½ - ½ | Osbourn, Ed |
| 2½ - 1½ | ||||
| 5 | W | Vishwanath Natraj, Ganesh | 1 - 0 | Sutton, Rob |
| 6 | B | Badley, Christopher | 0 - 1 | Mellor, Stephen D |
| 7 | W | Riley, David | 1 - 0 | Cleak, David |
| 8 | B | Malka, Nigel | 0 - 1 | Osbourn, Ed |
| 2 - 0 | ||||
| Board | Colour | Worcester 1 | Thu 7th May 2020 | Redditch |
| 1 | W | Holmes, Matthew A | 0 - 1 | Morales, Miles |
| 2 | B | Mellor, Stephen D | 1 - 0 | Towers, Nigel S |
| 3 | W | Sutton, Rob | ½ - ½ | Smith, David |
| 4 | B | Default | 0 - 1 | Not Named |
| 1½ - 2½ | ||||
| 5 | B | Holmes, Matthew A | 0 - 1 | Morales, Miles |
| 6 | W | Mellor, Stephen D | 1 - 0 | Towers, Nigel S |
| 7 | B | Sutton, Rob | 1 - 0 | Smith, David |
| 8 | W | Default | 0 - 1 | Not Named |
| 2 - 2 | ||||
| Board | Colour | South Birmingham 1 | Thu 14th May 2020 | Worcester 1 |
| 1 | B | Pitcher, John | 1 - 0 | Sutton, Rob |
| 2 | W | Dighton, Simon | 1 - 0 | Kirkland, Arnold G |
| 3 | B | Walsh, Marcus | 1 - 0 | Collett, Ray A |
| 4 | W | Hazelhurst, Cory | 1 - 0 | Vernon, Colin G |
| 4 - 0 | ||||
| 1 | W | Pitcher, John | 1 - 0 | Sutton, Rob |
| 2 | B | Dighton, Simon | 1 - 0 | Kirkland, Arnold G |
| 3 | W | Walsh, Marcus | ½ - ½ | Collett, Ray A |
| 4 | B | Hazelhurst, Cory | 1 - 0 | Vernon, Colin G |
| 3½ - ½ | ||||
| Board | Colour | Solihull 1 | Thu 21st May 2020 | Worcester 1 |
| 1 | W | McCumiskey, Andrew P | 1 - 0 | Mellor, Stephen D |
| 2 | B | Summerfield, Julian H | 1 - 0 | Holmes, Matthew A |
| 3 | W | Gibbon, Eric | 0 - 1 | Sutton, Rob |
| 4 | B | Joy, Praveen | 1 - 0 | Collett, Ray A |
| 3 - 1 | ||||
| 1 | B | McCumiskey, Andrew P | 1 - 0 | Mellor, Stephen D |
| 2 | W | Summerfield, Julian H | ½ - ½ | Holmes, Matthew A |
| 3 | B | Gibbon, Eric | 1 - 0 | Sutton, Rob |
| 4 | W | Joy, Praveen | 1 - 0 | Collett, Ray A |
| 3½ - ½ | ||||
| Board | Colour | Worcester 1 | Thu 28th May 2020 | Sutton Coldfield 1 |
| 1 | B | Mellor, Stephen D | 0 - 1 | Stepanyan, Henrik |
| 2 | W | Holmes, Matthew A | ½ - ½ | Owen, Neil J |
| 3 | B | Sutton, Rob | 1 - 0 | Soszynski, Marek J |
| 4 | W | Kirkland, Arnold G | 0 - 1 | Mesesan, Mircea-Marius |
| 2 - 2 | ||||
| 1 | W | Mellor, Stephen D | 1 - 0 | Stepanyan, Henrik |
| 2 | B | Holmes, Matthew A | 0 - 1 | Owen, Neil J |
| 3 | W | Sutton, Rob | 1 - 0 | Soszynski, Marek J |
| 4 | B | Kirkland, Arnold G | 0 - 1 | Mesesan, Mircea-Marius |
| 2 - 2 | ||||
| Board | Colour | Greenlands | Thu 4th Jun 2020 | Worcester 1 |
| 1 | B | Stern, Robert C | ½ - ½ | Mellor, Stephen D |
| 2 | W | Woodhouse, Stephen V | 0 - 1 | Holmes, Matthew A |
| 3 | B | Dance, Joseph | 0 - 1 | Sutton, Rob |
| 4 | W | Truscott, Ian M | 0 - 1 | Collett, Ray A |
| ½ - 3½ | ||||
| 1 | W | Stern, Robert C | 1 - 0 | Mellor, Stephen D |
| 2 | B | Woodhouse, Stephen V | 0 - 1 | Holmes, Matthew A |
| 3 | W | Dance, Joseph | 0 - 1 | Sutton, Rob |
| 4 | B | Truscott, Ian M | 0 - 1 | Collett, Ray A |
| 1 - 3 |
Worcester 2 in Division 2
| WMA Online Rapidplay League Division 2 Spring 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | For | Against | Points |
| Warwick University | 18 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 48 | 24 | 36 |
| South Birmingham 2 | 18 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 44 | 26 | 31 |
| Isle of Wight | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 39½ | 32½ | 26 |
| Stourbridge 1 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 35½ | 34½ | 22 |
| Coventry Chess | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 37 | 35 | 21 |
| Stourbridge 2 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 32½ | 37½ | 21 |
| Mutual Circle | 18 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 32 | 40 | 19 |
| Sutton Coldfield 2 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 34½ | 35½ | 15 |
| Worcester 2 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 30 | 42 | 13 |
| Solihull 2 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 49 | 11 |
23 Apr. Worcester 2 drew one and lost one against Warwick University.
30 Apr. Worcester 2 lost both matches against Mutual Circle.
7 May. Worcester 2 drew one and lost one against Isle of Wight.
14 May. Worcester lost both its matches against Stourbridge.
21 May. Worcester 2 beat Coventry Chess in both matches.
4 Jun. Worcester 2 drew one match and lost the other against Stourbridge in spite of our opponents being a player down.
25 Jun. Worcester 2 came off worse against Sutton Coldfield 2. There were only three boards because the chess.com platform did not allow one of the Solihull players to join the match.
18 Jun. Worcester 2 fared badly against a strong South Birmingham 2 team losing both matches.
11 Jun. Worcester lost both against Solihull and Sourbridge 2 lost both matches against Warwick University.
| Board | Colour | Worcester 2 | Thu 23 Apr 2020 | Warwick University |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | Holmes, Matthew A | 1 - 0 | Munns, James |
| 2 | W | Kirkland, Arnold G | 0 - 1 | Goodall, Jaspar |
| 3 | B | Vernon, Colin G | 0 - 1 | Coldwell, Matthew |
| 4 | W | Berry, Simon | 0 - 1 | Huffer, Jack |
| 1 - 3 | ||||
| 5 | W | Holmes, Matthew A | 1 - 0 | Munns, James |
| 6 | B | Kirkland, Arnold G | ½ - ½ | Goodall, Jaspar |
| 7 | W | Vernon, Colin G | 0 - 1 | Coldwell, Matthew |
| 8 | B | Berry, Simon | ½ - ½ | Huffer, Jack |
| 2 - 2 | ||||
| Board | Colour | Mutual Circle | Thu 30 Apr 2020 | Worcester 2 |
| 1 | W | Wells, Phil | 0 - 1 | Holmes, Matthew A |
| 2 | B | Evans, Christopher J | 1 - 0 | Kirkland, Arnold G |
| 3 | W | Singhal, Sumeet | 1 - 0 | Berry, Simon |
| 4 | B | Ishaq, Wahhaab | ½ - ½ | Vernon, Colin G |
| 2½ - 1½ | ||||
| 5 | B | Wells, Phil | 0 - 1 | Holmes, Matthew A |
| 6 | W | Evans, Christopher J | ½ - ½ | Kirkland, Arnold G |
| 7 | B | Singhal, Sumeet | 1 - 0 | Berry, Simon |
| 8 | W | Ishaq, Wahhaab | 1 - 0 | Vernon, Colin G |
| 2½ - 1½ | ||||
| Board | Colour | Worcester 2 | Thu 7 May 2020 | Isle of Wight |
| 1 | B | Kirkland, Arnold G | 0 - 1 | Williams, AD (Tony) |
| 2 | W | Cleak, David | 1 - 0 | Clark, Seth |
| 3 | B | Hayles, Robin | 0 - 1 | Stritton, Louis (Sandy) |
| 4 | W | Berry, Simon | 0 - 1 | Pither, N |
| 1 - 3 | ||||
| 1 | W | Kirkland, Arnold G | 0 - 1 | Williams, AD (Tony) |
| 2 | B | Cleak, David | 1 - 0 | Clark, Seth |
| 3 | W | Hayles, Robin | 0 - 1 | Stritton, Louis (Sandy) |
| 4 | B | Berry, Simon | 1 - 0 | Pither, N |
| 2 - 2 | ||||
| Board | Colour | Stourbridge 1 | Thu 14 May 2020 | Worcester 2 |
| 1 | B | Humphries, Jeremy | ½ - ½ | Cleak, David |
| 2 | W | Scriven, David | 1 - 0 | Berry, Simon |
| 3 | B | Foxall, John | ½ - ½ | Hayles, Robin |
| 4 | W | Seeley, Peter | 1 - 0 | Duke, Dillan |
| 3 - 1 | ||||
| 1 | W | Humphries, Jeremy | ½ - ½ | Cleak, David |
| 2 | B | Scriven, David | 1 - 0 | Berry, Simon |
| 3 | W | Foxall, John | 1 - 0 | Hayles, Robin |
| 4 | B | Seeley, Peter | 0 - 1 | Duke, Dillan |
| 2½ - 1½ | ||||
| Board | Colour | Worcester 2 | Thu 21 May 2020 | Coventry Chess |
| 1 | B | Kirkland, Arnold G | ½ - ½ | Johnson, Mike J |
| 2 | W | Cleak, David | 0 - 1 | Goodwin, Ed H |
| 3 | B | Hayles, Robin | 1 - 0 | Sanchez, Margarita |
| 4 | W | Duke, Dillan | 1 - 0 | Weaver, Simon |
| 2½ - 1½ | ||||
| 1 | W | Kirkland, Arnold G | 0 - 1 | Johnson, Mike J |
| 2 | B | Cleak, David | 1 - 0 | Goodwin, Ed H |
| 3 | W | Hayles, Robin | 1 - 0 | Sanchez, Margarita |
| 4 | B | Duke, Dillan | 1 - 0 | Weaver, Simon |
| 3 - 1 | ||||
| Board | Colour | Stourbridge 2 | Thu 4 Jun 2020 | Worcester 2 |
| 1 | B | Fallowfield, Nicholas | 1 - 0 | Kirkland, Arnold G |
| 2 | W | Wilson, Julie C | 1 - 0 | Cleak, David |
| 3 | B | Woodall, Colin | 1 - 0 | Berry, Simon |
| 4 | W | Default | 0(def) - 1 | Duke, Dillan |
| 3 - 1 | ||||
| 1 | W | Fallowfield, Nicholas | 1 - 0 | Kirkland, Arnold G |
| 2 | B | Wilson, Julie C | 1 - 0 | Cleak, David |
| 3 | W | Woodall, Colin | 1 - 0 | Berry, Simon |
| 4 | B | Default | 0(def) - 1 | Duke, Dillan |
| 3 - 1 | ||||
| Board | Colour | Worcester 2 | Thu 11 Jun 2020 | Solihull 2 |
| 1 | W | Kirkland, Arnold G | 1 - 0 | Byrne, Nigel |
| 2 | B | Hayles, Robin | 1 - 0 | Mitchell, George |
| 3 | W | Berry, Simon | 0 - 1 | Green, John |
| 4 | B | Duke, Dillan | 1 - 0 | Default |
| 3 - 1 | ||||
| 1 | B | Kirkland, Arnold G | ½ - ½ | Byrne, Nigel |
| 2 | W | Hayles, Robin | 1 - 0 | Mitchell, George |
| 3 | B | Berry, Simon | 1 - 0 | Green, John |
| 4 | W | Duke, Dillan | 1 - 0 | Default |
| 3½ - ½ | ||||
| Board | Colour | South Birmingham 2 | Thu 18 Jun 2020 | Worcester 2 |
| 1 | B | Kasafir, Nathanael | ½ - ½ | Hayles, Robin |
| 2 | W | Lane, Tim A | 1 - 0 | Cleak, David |
| 3 | B | Little, Matthew | 1 - 0 | Berry, Simon |
| 4 | W | Nalabotu, Viswamedha | 1 - 0 | Duke, Dillan |
| 3½ - ½ | ||||
| 1 | W | Kasafir, Nathanael | 1 - 0 | Hayles, Robin |
| 2 | B | Lane, Tim A | 1 - 0 | Cleak, David |
| 3 | W | Little, Matthew | 1 - 0 | Berry, Simon |
| 4 | B | Nalabotu, Viswamedha | 0 - 1 | Duke, Dillan |
| 3 - 1 | ||||
| Board | Colour | Sutton Coldfield 2 | Thu 25 Jun 2020 | Worcester 2 |
| 1 | W | Mildenhall, John | 1 - 0 | Hayles, Robin |
| 2 | B | Czopek, J Wojciech | 1 - 0 | Collett, Ray A |
| 3 | W | Oliver, Peter J R | 0 - 1 | Cleak, David |
| 4 | B | Marks, Robert | 1 - 0 | Berry, Simon |
| 3 - 1 | ||||
| 1 | B | Mildenhall, John | 1 - 0 | Hayles, Robin |
| 2 | W | Czopek, J Wojciech | 0 - 1 | Collett, Ray A |
| 3 | B | Oliver, Peter J R | 1 - 0 | Cleak, David |
| 4 | W | Marks, Robert | 1 - 0 | Berry, Simon |
| 3 - 1 |