Summer League Report

Last year Rugeley Chess Club proudly lifted the Lichfield Summer Championship trophy. This year, despite our best efforts, we decided to give someone else a turn—congratulations to Burton Chess Club on becoming this year’s worthy winners.

It may not have been a successful title defence, but it was still a thoroughly enjoyable competition and a great tournament to be part of. At times it felt like we were playing not only our opponents, but also the fixture list, with cancellations, postponements and rearranged matches keeping everyone on their toes. Somehow, we still managed to get all five rounds completed.

Representing Rugeley this year were Darren Mountford, Steve Heath, James Perks, Alan Salmon, Oliver Johnson, Dan Turner and Tony Meakin, with Bob Edgar, Bill Hulley and others ready to step in whenever needed. A big thank you to everyone who made themselves available.

Over the five rounds we found ourselves outgraded in almost every match, and most of our players were effectively competing a board higher than they would normally expect. Despite that, every member of the team either recorded a win or earned a hard-fought draw during the tournament—a fantastic achievement and something everyone should be proud of.

As always, the matches were played in an excellent spirit, and it was a pleasure to visit some of the county’s clubs and discover a number of excellent venues, both locally and a little further afield.

While the trophy won’t be making a return trip to Rugeley this year, we gained plenty of experience, enjoyed some hard-fought games, and represented the club with determination throughout.

Congratulations to Burton Chess Club who had won the Trophy by Round 4!!!!

Here’s to coming back stronger next summer.