Frantic chess action sees Telepost triumph

The Shrewsbury-based team swept away all opposition in the competition in which players had only 15 minutes to make all the moves of their game.

Telepost won all their 10 matches to top the league table seven points clear and to take the title.

It was a team triumph built on some remarkable personal performances. Top board Nigel Ferrington was the only player to finish with a 100 per cent record, and on the few occasions opponents put him on the back foot he was still able to find Houdini-like ways of winning.

Phil Zabrocki and Ethan Parker both scored 8.5 out of 10 while Dan Hilditch-Love finished on 8 out of 10.

The tournament was played at Maddocks chess club in Oakengates and attracted six entries – Telepost, Newport, Mad Wolves (a mix of Maddocks and Wolverhampton players), Telford, Shrewsbury, and Maddocks.

While Telepost, fielding by far the strongest team, were firm favourites, there was hot competition for the runners-up spot, which was taken by Newport, last season's winners.

Toby Neal, in his last tournament before stepping down from organising a competition he founded about 13 years ago, said: "Frantic chess action are not often words you see together, but that is what rapidplay chess brings.

"While the competition is serious, it's an exciting and fun format as players down to their last few seconds on the clock find themselves having to move instantly to avoid losing on time, bringing games to a frenetic climax in which pawns and pieces can sometimes go flying.

"It was great to see a good number of junior players taking part."