Last match stalemate
At the start of the evening Nuneaton were second bottom and needing a point to be sure of staying up, while Leamington were second top and needing a point to be sure of maintaining that position. Despite the relative league placings though, Leamington, with regular number one Mark Page unavailable, were outgraded on all boards. In the end, all four games were hard fought but all ended in draws, so both teams got the point they needed.

Nuneaton A v Leamington A
Maurice Staples 0.5 Dan Aldridge 0.5
Colin Green 0.5 Andy Price 0.5
Mike Maher 0.5 Robin Killick 0.5
John Collins 0.5 Steve Burnell 0.5
(Andrew Price)

Solihull B 1.5 - 2.5 Leamington B, 26 March 2008
Solihull went ahead after Jason lost on three but then Joel managed to force a win after his opponent was stuck unfavourably in zugzwang. David had a slight advantage but settled for a draw on two and Guy was able to win his game after just making the first time control and then becoming a pawn and rook ahead. (Guy Greenland)

Stratford B 2.5 - 1.5 Leamington B, 20 March 2008
Joel, on one, took a draw after early fireworks petered out. Owen, on four, completed a gallant effort by keeping things complicated to achieve a draw after going a piece to a couple of pawns down. David was better on two but in time trouble so took a draw. With the match on a knife-edge, Guy, on three, somehow blundered when a draw in a bishop and pawn ending had seemed the most likely outcome. (Guy Greenland)

Ovi clinches win - 26 March
Ovi Bodnar made his second appearance for Leamington A, against Banbury. In the last game to finish he completed a typically clean win against Neil Staples to clinch the match for Leamington. Earlier Dan Aldridge won a technical endgame with doubled pawns for both sides against Nathan Manley, while Andy Price drew with Gary Jackson. Mark was unlucky to lose to John Vickers after his attack on the king was unsuccesful. Sadly this result did no favours for Banbury’s prospects of escaping relegation, but Leamington are still hopeful of retaining second place in the league. (Andrew Price)

19 Mar 2008 - Tough week
It was a tough week for Leamington A this week. On Tuesday we visited last year’s champions, Olton A. Then on Wednesday we were at home to Shirley & Lucas, champions elect this season.
A narrow loss to Olton was followed by a creditable draw against Shirley.

Leamington A v Olton A
M Page 0 P Holt 1
D Aldridge 0.5 A Lloyd 0.5
A Price 0.5 M Cundy 0.5
S Burnell 0.5 R Wallman 0.5

Leamington A v Shirley & Lucas A
M Page 0 D Mason 1
D Aldridge 0 I Galloway 1
A Price 1 D Thomas 0
S Burnell 1 E Ward 0
(Andrew Price)

Leamington B 1-3 Solihull Checkmates, 4 March 2008
Raw young talent squarely defeated us in this match. On one, Ovi was unable to stave off a surprise attack by Murray David, whilst on four, Guy had a comfortable win against Michael Weaving's centre counter. John with black on three, was defeated by Robert Statham's infiltrating rooks, and on two, Tom (who was playing Michael's son Richard), was beaten after losing a pawn early on in a queen's gambit. (Guy Greenland)

(U625 Cup) Leamington 2.5-2.5 Banbury, 27 February 2008
This was always going to be a tight match. Steve was unable to save his game on Board One but Paulo impressed again on Four to draw level. John then succumbed on Five which left us needing a win and a draw at least. Ovi however, eased to a win on Two and on Three, Joel had a complicated position but with his opponent short of time a draw was agreed. Despite an even score, we go through to the final under the count-back ruling. (Guy Greenland)

Daventry A 0.5-3.5 Leamington B, 13 February 2008
Ovidiu Bodnar obtained a win after going a piece up against Steve Willetts on one and Joel Murang got through to win against Andy Foulds on board three. A successful bid to avenge the previous result against Daventry was completed when Jason Madden grabbed a draw versus Roger Mendonca on three and Guy Greenland won after Andy Johnson lost his queen. (Guy Greenland)

Olton C 2-2 Leamington B, 29 January 2008
On Board one, Bodnar Ovidiu gained a well fought win in a tight rook ending against Gary Hope, whilst on two Joel Murang in a Caro- Kann lost out to Paul Hodgskin. On four against Mick Kerr, Guy Greenland was offered a draw in a French Winawer and Tom Haworth likewise took a half point in a Nimzo-Indian versus Paul Hunt. A good result seeing that we lost against Olton earlier in the season. (Guy Greenland)

Leamington A 2-2 Solihhull A, 6 February 2008
Solihull A were tonight's visitors to the Home Guard club. Steve led the way for Leamington A with a quick win on board 4 against K Harrison. Andy was always in trouble on board 3 against Ray Carpenter and resigned after losing a piece. Mark regained the lead with a mating attack against Matthew Tapp, but Dan was in difficulties against Tony Sadler and eventually ran out of moves. (Andrew Price)

Leamington A 2.5-1.5 Olton A, 19 December 2007
Current champions Olton A were beaten by Leamington A this evening, for the first time in living memory. Olton A are accustomed to topping the league and rarely drop a single point, let alone 2, when playing Leamington. It was a hard-fought match with Mark just holding out for a draw with Alan Lloyd on board 1, On board 2 Dan bravely turned down an early draw offer but eventually took the half point against Rob Reynolds. Meanwhile Steve won a fluctuating game on board 4 against David Brown, allowing Andy to agree a comfortable draw on board 3. With the league so closely contested, this year, there is all to play for in the second half of the season. (Andrew Price)

Leamington B 3-1 Solihull B, 11/12/2007
On Board one, Bodnar Ovidiu's rich vein of form continued when he managed to get two pawns up in rook endgame and won with some ease. On two, Paulo found himself the exchange down and unfortunately never recovered. On three, John Gould launched a storming king-side attack which left his opponent stunned when checkmate was inevitable (a possible best game entry here I feel). Guy, on four, enjoyed an exciting tactical battle which proved to be worthwhile when his opponent gifted him a piece after overlooking a simple combination. 3-1 (Guy Greenland)

Kenilworth A 2.5-1.5 Leamington A, 12 Dec 2007
Leamington went down to 3rd from bottom Kenilworth this evening. Andy drew a fairly uneventful game with Bernard Rogers on board 3. Then Steve drew with Phil Wood on 4 in a quiet Queens pawn game. At one stage Mark on board 1 and Dan on 2 looked to have good positions, but the time factor came into effect and Dan eventually had to scramble for a draw with Carl Pickering. Mark was even less fortunate and lost a bishop to a knight fork in an unbalanced position. (Andrew Price)

U625 Cup Leamington 3.5-1.5 Stratford, 13/11/2007
A solid team performance saw us gain a welcome Cup win. A succession of draws by firstly Steve Burnell (our worthy Board one) against Andy Chowne, then debutant Bodnar Ovidiu against Jonathan Rashleigh on Board two, and finally Guy versus Karl Brough on Board five, meant that all eyes were on Joel Murang's and David Hodgkins' games. Joel had easily enough material advantage to steer his endgame to victory against Phil Bennett and David won on time as his passed pawn proved a real headache for Brian Vince. (Guy Greenland)

Leamington B 4-0 Stratford B, 27/11/2007
A team victory, perhaps inspired by the recent Cup result, was secured with an all-too-rare perfect score . On Board one, Bodnar Ovidiu gained a superior positional advantage ( a favourite style of his) and never let go to get his first B team point, then Joel Murang, on two, converted his overwhelming position into a comfortable win. On four, Guy managed to win a pawn and wreck his opponent's other pawns in the opening, then simplify to a won ending. Stratford unfortunately defaulted Board three. (Guy Greenland)

Shirley v Leamington, 3 Dec 2007
Leamington suffered their first loss of the season when the match ended Shirley 2.5 : Leamington 1.5. Mark won on board 1 against Don Mason, when he found a winning tactic in a complicated position. Dan was gradually pressed back in a symmetrical game and eventually had to concede. Andy had a fluctuating struggle with Dave Thomas which ended with a draw by repetition in a mutual time scramble. Steve lost to Eric Ward after overlooking a tactical resource. (Andrew Price)

Leamington A v Olton B, 7 Nov 2007
Leamington regained their winning form with a comfortable win against Olton B. Dan on board 2 and Steve on 4 wrapped up early draws against Richard Reynolds and Dave Cheshire respectively. Andy won a P in a complicated game but had to sidestep some devious traps before winning through in his opponent's (Trevor Holt) time trouble. A mass exodus then left Mark Page battling it out against Olton newcomer Richard Smith with only Steve Burnell for an audience! Mark took advantage of the relaxed atmosphere to win a piece and the game. (Andrew Price)

Chipping Camden A V Leamington B, 1/11/2007
I accepted a 'grandmaster' draw on Board four after the Queens were exchanged early and gained survival and parity after my opponent's early attack. On Board one, Joel, with the white played to an endgame the exchange down but was just unable to salvage a draw. Paulo, on two, launched an early queen-side attack which got repelled and in the melee Paulo suffered a fatal loss of material. David, on three, played an excellent game and sacrificed a piece for a monster pawn. He was rewarded with a win on time after his opponent ran out of checks. 1.5 - 2.5 (Guy Greenland)

Leamington B 1.5-2.5 Olton C, 23/10/2007
Early on, prospects were looking good as on Board three, John Gould launched a successful attack and gained a fine win against his much higher graded opponent. On Board one, Joel, with the black pieces was never uncomfortable and accepted a draw. On four, Jason Madden made his season debut. In a Centre Counter, Jason's attack involving a couple of piece sacrifices was very interesting, but his opponent held on to win. Finally, with the team score level, David, against Dave Cheshire on two, exchanged a piece for three pawns but lost in the endgame. (Guy Greenland)

Leamington B report, 20/10/2007
So far, mixed results for the team. The first match saw us play newly promoted Daventry A. Debutants Joel Muranga and Paulo Santos took boards one and two respectively. Whilst Paulo rapidly pulled off an impressive first win, Joel over-pressed his attack and lost to a steely Steve Willetts. John Gould lost in a long and tough game on board three and Guy showed a bit of rustiness by blundering a piece on four. Our second match brought David Hodgkins back into our line-up against Kenilworth B. David on three fought an exciting draw against Mike Johnson whilst Paulo's raking bishops and Joel's Nimzo-Indian produced outstanding wins on the top two boards. Guy was outgunned on four by Paul Mills after losing the exchange. The third match played was against Solihull Checkmates. Indeed, with Roy making his season debut, I thought we were easily strong enough. However, Paulo lost a piece and the game to Murray David on one. On board two, David could not hold off Richard Weaving and Roy was beaten by an excellent performance by Deborah Jarvis in a Benoni variation on four. Guy stopped the white-wash by accepting a draw on three against Robert Statham after coming out of a complicated Kings Gambit Declined a pawn up but becoming short of time in the ensuing knight and pawn ending. (Guy Greenland)

Leamington 2-2 Nuneaton, 17th October 2007
With Mark Page absent Leamington A faced a tough task against a strong Nuneaton A team. Dan kept Maurice Staples at bay for a long time and survived a time scramble to get an opposite-coloured bishops ending, but Maurice had enough extra pawns to win through. Andy was always struggling on Board 2 against Joey Stewart and resigned a R ending when 2 pawns down and about to lose on time. Fortunately, newcomer Robin Killick, who had earlier declined a draw offer from John Collins, won through in the end. Steve also won a close game against Oliver Cosham. So the points were shared. Leamington still top the league with 2 wins and 2 draws. (Andrew Price)

Leamington C
The team is off to a flier - we have won three matches out of four. Beating Stratford C, Nuneaton B and Kenilwoth E all in the space of three weeks since the start of the season. A quick start when you see that the B team only played their first match in October. We did however lose local pride as the team lost to Leamington D. So far on a personal note it's been a great year as I've managed to win four games out of four which is more than I won in the whole of last year! Roland has won 2 matches and David 2. (Simon Harris)

Solihull A v Leamington A - Wednesday 26 Sept.
Coming into this match with two wins from the first two matches, the Leamington A Team were hoping to continue their run of good form. However, in Solihull A they came across a strong and determined team, and the eventual result was perhaps no great surprise! Solihull's top three boards were all graded in the 150's, and proved to be stern competition. On Board one, Mark drew with Matthew Tapp, a repeat of the result of their game at the end of last season. Board Two saw another draw with Dan and Tony Saddler playing out a rather solid game resulting from the Colle System which white adopted. Board three was a very exciting game, with Steve sacrificing a piece for two pawns, only to go wrong in the ensuing tactics and eventually losing to Ray Carpenter. Board four, saw a new Leamington player Joel making his debut. He had a great win against Julian Summerfield and was in fact the first to finish. We look forward to more wins in the same style in future from our newest player! (Steve Burnell)

Text Book Win - Banbury 1 Leamington 3, 18th Sept 2007
Newly promoted Banbury played host tonight to Leamington, who were not sure what to expect. Banbury won the second division at a canter last season and topped that by winning the Open cup, beating Division 1 winners Olton in the final. In the end it was a text book win for Leamington, 2 wins with white pieces and 2 draws with black. First to finish was Andy who played his best game for many a while to beat Gary Jackson. Then Mark wrapped up a typically clinical win against John Vickers, leaving Dan and Steve needing just a draw between them to win the match. In fact, Steve was pressing for a win but his opponent, Mal Waddell had enough counter chances to hold the draw. Dan had to be careful in an ending against Nathan Manley, but steered his way through safely. (Andrew Price)

Leamington A v Stratford A, 12th Sept 2007
Mark Page was the match winner tonight in Leamington’s first match of the season. Playing on board 1 against the very strong Paul Johnstone, who doesn’t lose many games, he won a piece for 2 pawns. One of the pawns was passed, so converting the material advantage to a win was by no means a simple task but Mark was able to simplify the position and win the game. On board 2 Dan Aldridge struggled against the tricky Richard McNally and eventually had to concede. The battle of the 2 Andys (Price versus Chowne) on board 3 ended in a peaceful draw quite early. Last to finish was captain Steve Burnell’s game on board 4 against Jonathan Rashleigh. Steve managed to win the exchange and was ahead on time. Despite Jonathan’s attempts to complicate the game, Steve kept cool and eventually won. A good start against one of the top teams in the league! (Andrew Price)