Anstey Chess Club has been making waves across the county this summer, with teams competing in the Harrod, Wylie, and Chapman Cups. The latest round of fixtures brought mixed results, but plenty to be encouraged by as the tournaments progress.

On Wednesday 23rd July, both the Harrod and Wylie teams were in action — and both delivered impressive away wins. In the Harrod Cup, Anstey secured a convincing 5½ – 2½ victory over Loughborough, a result that lifts the team to 8th in the table and keeps hopes alive for a strong finish. Meanwhile, over in the Wylie Cup, Anstey swept past Thurnby with a commanding 6 – 2 win, consolidating an excellent 2nd place position and keeping the pressure on the leaders.

A few days earlier, on Thursday 17th July, our Chapman Cup side faced a tough challenge against a well-prepared Wigston team. Despite battling hard, the match ended in a 4½ – 1 defeat. Still, the team holds 3rd place in the standings — a solid position as we head into the latter stages of the competition.

All in all, it’s been a competitive and exciting summer so far, with plenty of promising performances and more chess to come.

Want to be part of the action? Join us every Thursday evening from 7.30pm at Anstey Methodist Church — whether you’re a seasoned player or just curious to give it a go, you’re very welcome.

The summer chess season is underway, and Anstey Chess Club has begun its campaign in both the Wylie and Harrod Cups with spirited performances against strong opposition.

Wylie Cup: Honour Shared with Loughborough

Anstey’s Wylie Cup team faced a tough opening fixture against Loughborough, featuring a well-balanced match that ultimately ended in a 4–4 draw. The Anstey line-up of Alan, Julian, Ted, and Rob delivered a display full of character and resilience.

On top board, Alan encountered the formidable young Leicestershire talent Kajus Mikalajunas. Despite a determined effort, Alan was unable to halt Kajus’ momentum, the Loughborough player securing a deserved point in both games. Julian’s duel with Stephen Morris proved to be a fascinating “cat-and-mouse” battle, with both players tactically alert and positionally sharp—two hard-fought draws were the fair outcome.

Ted, continuing his excellent upward trajectory, delivered a commanding performance against Glyn Ward, giving his opponent no opportunities to recover and securing a full point with both colours. Meanwhile, Rob’s double-header against Kajus’ father, Mindas, ended with honours even—both players taking one game apiece in a well-contested bout.

The final scoreline of 4–4 reflected the closely matched nature of the fixture and leaves Anstey well-placed for the next round.

Harrod Cup: Narrow Defeat Against Market Harborough 1

In the Harrod Cup, Anstey took on a strong Market Harborough 1 side, with the final score narrowly tipping in the latter’s favour at 4.5–3.5. Despite the defeat, the match marked a historic moment for the club as the Mehta sisters—Sophie and Zara—featured together for the first time in the same team.

Sophie, on board 1, faced the experienced David Curran. In a pair of games that showcased strategic clarity and defensive precision, both players prevailed with the black pieces, ultimately splitting a point each. Mike, on board 2, met the ever-rapid Graham Heilbuth and mirrored Sophie’s result, each player capitalising when playing white.

On board 3, Zara was unfortunate against Dan Talbot, who managed to secure the win in both games. On the bottom board, Jakub produced a fine win with the white pieces against Rene Butler, but had to settle for a draw when playing black.

Despite the narrow 3.5–4.5 loss, the team showed excellent depth and promise, with strong individual performances and a commendable debut for the Mehta duo within the same line-up.

As the summer cups continue, both Rapid-format Anstey sides will look to build on these performances, carrying momentum and optimism into the coming rounds.

If you want to feel the thrill of rapid chess, or just want to watch the action as it happens (in-between few friendlies), pop down to the Anstey Methodist Church every Thursday from 7.30pm.

11/7/23

On a muggy Tuesday evening Anstey’s junior side travelled over to Wigston’s second team in the Harrod Cup 3rd round. This is the only Summer rapid play that Anstey have entered (the Chapman/Birstall Cup is classical time controls) and the format is 20 minutes plus 10 second increments (bonus time per move). Each player plays two games over 4 boards, one game with the black pieces and one game with the white pieces.

Wigston (like Anstey) have other commitments and were struggling to host on their usual Thursdays so it was agreed that the match would be played on a Tuesday night instead. In the end, it was more a case of Wigston Juniors v Anstey Juniors as both teams looked to give opportunities to the juniors in their ranks in a format that favours the younger mind.

Board 1 – Laurence Norton v Yuvraj Sadhra
Score: 2-0
In another battle of two players on the more quiet side, the Silent Destroyer took on Laurence Norton and this time it was Yuvraj with the shorter straw. Laurence is a very good player and yet another rising star in the County with the future looking good for the County in terms of young players coming through. Yuvraj fought very hard in both games but lost in both, with the black pieces losing material early on and getting his Queen trapped for a Rook with the white pieces.

Board 2 – Shiv Purshottam v Curtis Blunt
Score: 0.5-1.5
Registering 1 and a half points on the night, Curtis was the star of the show. With the white pieces in the first game, he mated his opponent out of the blue in less than 15 moves (more like 10 moves I think) with a bizarre looking Queen move, trapping the King on the same diagonal as the check and no escape squares, Curtis seemingly suckering his opponent into a trap. A much more attritional game second time around with a level Rook and pawn ending leading to a draw being agreed.

Board 3 – Jakub Mazurkiewicz v Jakub Miler
Score: 1-1
In the battle of the Jakubs on board 3, honours were even in two very one-sided games. Anstey’s Jakub took the lead with a superb game leading to a resignation from Wigston’s Jakub with an inevitable mate on the board and heavily down on material. Roles were reversed in the next game as Wigston’s Jakub played much better and was able to win material and subsequently the game as more pieces were traded off. There was mild hope for Anstey’s Jakub with a passed a pawn but once the extra Bishop blockaded the pawn, the end was inevitable and Anstey’s Jakub gracefully resigned.

Board 4 – Filip Kwiatkowski v Reidan Minhas
Score: 1-1
Playing on a Tuesday night allowed Reidan Minhas to make his debut for the junior side. Rising through the ranks of the softly sessions ran by your author and now with the County setup with Alan Agnew, Reidan’s progress is obvious. Being such a talented lad, he is in demand with other activities so it was good to have him on board. Unfortunately, whether it was nerves, apprehension or lack of thinking, Reidan lost out quite heavily in the first game, losing material and consequently the game. After some words to slow down from your author, he played MUCH better in the second game, inflicting to his opponent what he had done to him in the first game, forcing a resignation.

Overall a wonderful fight shown by the Juniors and it bodes very well for the future as we continue to give juniors the opportunity to develop and play competitive chess. Unfortunately, the junior side prop up the Summer league, but it isn’t for want of trying and giving a good account of themselves.