Press Report 28th May 2021

The Chess Playing season is now coming to an end. South Hams Chess Club has had a successful first season of playing online at chess.com with an amazing amount of games being played. Having now reached the final stage of the Homan League, it has seen Steve Levy, at present the club champion, again making the final play off place, after a tough two game semi-final against Phil McConnell. With Steve winning the first game it seemed just a matter of course that he then would just have to turn up for game two, but Phil was having none of that and outplayed him in many parts of the game, and maybe should have won. Somehow Steve’s end game play earned him a draw, which gave him overall victory. The consolation for Phil is the great improvement in his game he has shown on online. If he continues this over the board he is going to be a big threat when the club returns to the Regal Club in September if Covid rules allow.

David Archer, having already won the knockout Cookworthy Cup and still the only player to have beaten Steve Levy this season, beat James Schofield with some great and entertaining attacking play in game one of the other semi-final.

In their fixture against the Woodpushers from the Isle of Wight, the Woodpushers completed the double against the South Hams with a 9-6 victory. Having won last season, with the shorter game of 25 mins plus 10 sec, the Woodpushers out graded the South Hams on all boards except Steve Levy on top board. Amazingly he lost both his games - more than he’s lost all season, but at the other end Ken Ashby played out of his skin and won both of his; the only player to win maximum points in the whole match along with the Woodpushers board 1. Well played Ken. Other South Hams players who all scored in every match were James Fowler, Phil McConnell, Clifford Peach, Quentin Thwaites, Trevor Hurt and Chris Willcox, with Alan Davies doing a great job as none playing match captain and organiser.