Welcome to Ashfield Chess Club, formed in 1965 and is still going strong, we are members of the Nottinghamshire Chess Association and currently have five teams playing in the NCA League. We also hold other events such as Club Championship and rapid-play tournaments.We welcome new members, directions and additional information can be obtained from the "Find Us" page. |
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| Upcoming Fixtures & Events. View All Fixtures. | |
| Fri 11/09/26- Junior Club Night-6.00pm | Sun 13/09/26- In-House Rapidplay-11.00am |
| Wed 16/09/26- Ashfield 3 v Ashfield 2 | Fri 18/09/26- Junior Club Night-6.00pm |
| Tue 22/09/26- 4NCL Round 2 Online | Wed 23/09/26- Ashfield 5 v West Nottingham 4 |
Latest Club News
| 08/09/26. Sutton-in-Ashfield Library Chess Club
Phil Morgan will be participating in a new initiative that will start Monday, September 21st, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visit us to enhance your skills, discover new adversaries, and simply enjoy yourself. Chess expert volunteers on hand to assist. Additional details, including forthcoming dates, available here. |
| 08/09/26. 14th 4NCL Online Round 1
Round 1 of the 14th Online 4ncl will take place tonight from 7.30pm, anyone interested in following the action/results please visit 14th 4NCL Online Results & Pairings Scheduled Fixtures are as follows- View Scorecard :- Ashfield Anonymous 'A' 2 -2 Wessex 'B' View Scorecard :- Bromley 4 - 0 Ashfield Anonymous 'B' |
| 31/08/26. Nottinghamshire Chess Association Fixtures Added
The Club Calendar and Fixtures webpages now show our fixtures for NCA 2026/27 season, the links on the left sidebar have also been updated. Our first fixture for Ashfield chess club will be on Wednesday 16th September. We have 5 teams represented in Divisions 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the Nottinghamshire Chess Association League. If you are interested in over the board chess, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our club is welcoming and open to players of all levels. |
| 17/08/26. - Upcoming Events
New Junior chess club starting Friday 11th September at the Coronation Club, 6.00 p.m. to 7;00 p.m. The Coronation Club will host this year's In-house Rapid-Play on Sunday, September 13, 2026, with a start time of 11:00 a.m. Additional information will be provided as soon as possible. New members welcome, from beginners to experts, recruiting now for the Notts League Season 2026/27. Whether you are just starting your journey from online play or seeking to enhance your skills further, join us, engage in some games, and discover for yourself the rewarding nature of OTB chess. |
| 07/08/26. Notts Chess Association County Blitz Tournament
The County Blitz competition takes place on Tuesday 18th August and entries are still open. See the link here for online entry: :- https://congress.org.uk/congress/793/home A fun and friendly evening of chess is on offer, with only £5 entry fee - payable in cash on the night. A relatively gentle time limit of 7 minutes + 2 seconds players of any age and any speed of reflex can compete. Get your entries in asap! Regards Nick London (gen. secretary) |
| 27/07/26. Nottinghamshire County Championship 2026 Report by Phil Morgan
The event took place on the weekend of 25-26 July at Selston Parish Hall. 7 players entered the Championship event. Alexandr Klimchik of Lincoln retained the title with a perfect score of 5/5. He defeated his two main rivals, Mike Barnes of Gambit and Peter Ackley of Mansfield, who shared the runners-up position on 4/5. There were 12 entrants in the Under 1850 Section, including seven players from our club. Eddie Bromilow of West Bridgford retained this title with 4/5. Bob Taylor set the pace on Saturday with 3 wins which put him a point clear of the field. Bob was pegged back on the Sunday and finished on 3.5. After losing to Bob on the Saturday, I recovered with 2 wins on the Sunday to share the runner-up spot. All our players had their moments. Dale claimed two good scalps of very experienced, higher rated players. Andrew had the toughest of draws. The tournament was played in a very friendly spirit. The venue was excellent. The event, as we would expect, was very well run by Neil, resuming a role, in which he has so much experience at many levels. View Tournament Cross-table. The gambit chess club website has also been updated with a comprehensive report. |
| 15/07/26. - Club Night
No chess club tonight – members are welcome to attend the Coronation Club to watch the football. |
| 13/07/26. - Club Night Wed 15/07/26.
Due to the football, this week's club night is currently uncertain and pending confirmation. |
| 10/07/26. Report by Phil Morgan
The Rascals turned up a player short, which meant defaulting two game points, but still went away with the win, scoring maximum points on Boards 1 and 3. The Rapidplay format may not suit Sam's strengths, and Malcolm came up against a dangerous top board. The bright spot for us was a good result for Anthony who won his duel against a very experienced and solid League player. View Scorecard :- Ashfield Anonymous 3½ - 4½ Radcliffe Rascals |
| 09/07/26. Summer League U1500
Visitors, Radcliffe Rascals put up stiff resistance last night, despite defaulting the bottom 2 boards. Unfortunately only Anthony playing on board 2 for Ashfield Anonymous could add to the scoreline with a win and a draw, this wasn't enough to effect the final result, ending the match with a narrow defeat. View Scorecard :- Ashfield Anonymous 3½ - 4½ Radcliffe Rascals |
| 07/07/26. Report by Phil Morgan
Our first visit to Long Acres Art Gallery in Bingham, the host club's third venue of the season. The evening started well as we won the first round of fixtures by a 3-1 score-line. Bingham fought back with purpose, determination and skill in the second round with colours reversed. Decisively outplayed, we 'bombed' and as the home team executed the 'avenging', we wilted in the heat. Steve did well on his first outing this season in the Summer League. View Scorecard :- Bingham Bombers 4½ - 3½ Ashfield Avengers (U1800) |
| 03/07/26. County Championships 2026
Ashfield Chess Club – 60 Years Old! Nottinghamshire County Championships 25th – 26th July 2026 Parish Hall, Selston Details to follow shortly, Meanwhile, a flyer has been posted on the NCA Website |
| 25/06/26. Report by Phil Morgan
On the hottest June day in recorded history, we might have expected a listless draw but were rewarded with 8 decisive games. Jerry on the night was no match for FM Michael Barnes. I shared the spoils with Drag. Dan and Neil each scored two commanding wins to give us a cosy victory. View Scorecard :- Oxclose Oldies 3 - 5 Ashfield Avengers U1800 This turned out to be a one-sided encounter, like the Scotland-Brazil World Cup game which followed. John, Trevor and Sam each notched a brace of wins. Well done to Anthony who scored two hard-fought draws to get his team on the score-sheet. View Scorecard :- Ashfield Anonymous 7 - 1 Ashfield Aces U1500 |
| 23/06/26. BBC Casting Call
The following message has been sent by the BBC, anyone interested can use the link below.- My name is Louise and I’m currently casting for the travel series DX for the BBC. I came across your club online and wondered if you know of any members who might be interested in the TV series I am casting for? We are looking for new players to join Rob Brydon and board the X Bus! (This is a genuine casting call, you can also find all the info on the BBC take-part website) You could have the experience of a lifetime and be in with a chance to win an eye watering cash prize! Filming takes place for approximately 4 weeks between September and October 2026. If you have a sense of adventure and love to travel, fancy yourself as an amateur detective and are skilled at spotting clues and solving puzzles - then apply for the world’s most exciting guessing game! In the box that says ‘what team member approached you’ please pop my name "Louise Denny" in the box! APPLY NOW:- www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/take-part/travel-show |
| 23/06/26. Summer League U1800
Tonight's U1800 match against Oxclose Oldies has been rescheduled for tomorrow at Ashfield. View Scorecard :- Oxclose Oldies v Ashfield Avengers U1800 |
| 18/06/26. Report by Phil Morgan
The Club's AGM held on 17/6/26 was well attended. Reports were given of a successful season on and off the board. The highlights were the first team's third place in Division 1, and the third team winning Division 3. At least 5 teams will be entered in the Notts League again next season. 74 club League matches took place in 2025-6 without a single board default. Phil thanked team captains and drivers, and players who had stood in at short notice. Club awards were announced. Glenn Halfpenny won the Player Of The Year Trophy for his 10.5/12 League score. Terry Nabbs won the Most Improved Player award. His last ECF grading over 10 years ago was 160 i.e. 1900 equivalent. This rating has climbed in his comeback season to 2005. Play will continue at the club over the summer. Visitors are welcome. |
| 11/06/26. Report by Phil Morgan
This was the opening week of the Summer Rapidplay League. We have entered three teams, two in the U1500 (Average Rating) Section and one in the U1800 Competition. Ashfield Anonymous got a battering at the Lincolnshire Poacher on Tuesday. In two home matches on Wednesday, Ashfield Aces, including debutants, Anthony and Josh, who both scored well , and a welcome return by Bob, drew with Radcliffe Rascals. In the top competition Ashfield Avengers, spearheaded by Jerry and Terry, well-supported by John and Dale, a late call-up, won their opening fixture. The second of the 4 rounds in this League will be played in a fortnight's time. View Scorecard :- Ashfield Aces 4 - 4 Radcliffe Rascals View Scorecard :- Ashfield Avengers 5 - 3 Nomads |
| 10/06/26. 2026 Summer Rapidplay League Kicks Off
Last night, Ashfield Anonymous began their rapid play season with a loss to hosts, “New Poachers”. Alan Shaw's victory was the sole consolation, as it prevented a complete rout. View Scorecard :- New Poachers 7 - 1 Ashfield Anonymous U1500 |
| 04/06/26. Club Annual General Meeting 2026
This year's Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 17th June at the Coronation Club. |
| 20/05/26. Rating v Position
Drag Sudar (Gambit chess Club) has collated a statistical report on this season's League play and results. This identifies averages rating strength of teams, with finishing positions. We can see from this that most teams have performed broadly in line with rating strength. For our club, finishing positions of Ashfield 2 and Ashfield 5 match rating. Ashfield have finished one spot above rating expectation. Well done to Ashfield 4 who have finished three places above rating expectation. Across the League of 42 teams, one team has achieved the exceptional feat of winning its division, despite having the lowest average rating. This is of course Ashfield 3, the team of the season. The only other team who came close to this was Gambit 5, runners-up in Division 5, five places above their rating expectation. How did these teams achieve this sorcery? A Good Team is Worth More Than A Sum Of The Parts. We'll have to wait for Alan's Memoirs before he spills the beans. He is reportedly considering a consultancy role with Sheffield Wednesday next season. by Phil Morgan |
| 16/05/26. 4NCL Weekend 5: Rounds 9-11 Results
Neil Graham's comprehensive report on the Division Three Knights and Division 4 games played from May 2–4, 2026, has been added to the 4NCL Fixtures webpage. View Report & Results. |
| 15/05/26. Report by Phil Morgan
This was our club's final fixture of the season. Visitors defaulted the bottom two boards. The three boards played were closely contested. Jerry and Terry played patiently, applied pressure and were able to make winning breakthroughs. Eddie Bromilow was able to hold the draw on top board. This concludes a successful return to Division 1 and a third place league finish. Terry has had an outstanding season, scoring 73% on the higher boards. Jerry, Neil and myself have made 16 appearances between us averaging 60%. Effectively this has given the team the extra player needed to support the return to 5 board team play over 16 rounds. View Scorecard :- Ashfield '1' 4½ - ½ West Bridgford '1' |
| 07/05/26. Reports by Phil Morgan
A tight draw from a match which could have gone either way. Nigel agreed an early draw. My game went from a losing position to a winning position which I failed to convert. Glenn scored his tenth win from 12 against an opponent who played very well. Jerry with little time left, and most pieces still on the board went all out for the win and paid the price. His attacking surges floundered against Nick's rock-like defence. View Scorecard :- Ashfield '2' 2 - 2 Radcliffe & Bingham '2' Richard's team returned to form after two losses dented their promotion hopes. Wins from Trevor and Andy, backed up two draws secured a comfortable win and a third place league finish. View Scorecard :- Ashfield '4' 3 - 1 Radcliffe & Bingham '4' |
| 06/05/26. Notts League Result
Ashfield 5 concluded their season with a narrow loss in a highly competitive match against Gambit 7 last night, despite three draws. Our new fifth team, which was established with the primary objective of providing less experienced players with valuable playing time, ended the season in mid-table with 8 wins and 2 draws. Very well done to all. View Scorecard :- Gambit '7' 2½ - 1½ Ashfield '5' |
| 04/05/26. 4NCL Weekend 5: Rounds 9-11 Results
Results for Division Three Knights and Division 4, played between 2nd May -4th May, 2026 added to the 4NCL Fixtures webpage. View Results. |
| 01/05/26. Captain's Log
Stardate- Wednesday 29th April 2026, a big night in the Ashfield 3 teams “history”, a great win over Uni 2 by 2.5/1.5 means that the team are promoted for a third straight season (well done boys). But more importantly, it marked a more poignant milestone for one of our team, Andrew Thompson played his final game for the team. Andrew joined in 2023 as did John Amison, Joe Whalley and myself. We were put together as then Ashfield 4 in Division 5. The first thing I noticed about Andrew as that someone must’ve set his amplifier to 11 and broken off the volume knob, that and the “Alan, Alan, Alan” chant I would hear every time he saw me. He was also a big lover of Judit Polgár and Selma Hayak, though I didn’t know Selma was that good a chess player. Andrew was invaluable in that season on board 2, we all contributed to the teams success and moved to Division 4. Division 4 wasn’t as tough as I expected, mainly because I had John and Andrew who both produced, Joe and I chipped in and again won promotion and became Ashfield 3 in the process. In Division 3, this was a different story, Joe left, and Rob Jarvis moved in, and fitted in with all of us. This really was a tough season, but for a team that should have been underdogs, John, Rob, and Andrew “mucked in” to get the results we needed, I pitched in the best I could, and incredibly we won the league. Andrew, with his new job and shift commitments decided that it would be too difficult to continue with Ashfield Chess Club and is moving to Worksop Chess Club, dare I say it is their gain and our loss. Andrew is still at volume 11, we can’t find that damned volume button, I still occasionally hear “Alan, Alan, Alan”, but not as frequently, it will be a lot quieter now he has moved on, but I will be a little bit sadder that he won’t be a regular fixture at club and match nights. I think I can say without doubt, he will be missed by the club, his team and especially myself. Good Luck with your future chess exploits and no doubt some of us will see you in the future. (By Alan Shaw) |
| 30/04/26. Au Revoir, Andrew Thompson
The team captained by Alan has now won 2 titles and collected 3 promotions in three seasons. Andrew has been a regular team member over this time. This is likely to be his last season for our club, and offers a high note to bow out on. He's looking to play for a club nearer home in Worksop. Andrew has made his mark for us not just with his League play. What stands out is his enthusiasm for chess. He's interested in the theory of chess and enjoys playing League and Congress Chess. He's possibly currently the most active club member on the Congress Circuit. His enthusiasm has helped to inspire newer members of the club, and encouraged them to sample Congress play. He has always been very generous in his praise to opponents, and current and past club mates. Good Luck, Andrew in your continuing chess journey! (By Phil Morgan) |
| 30/04/26. Reports by Phil Morgan
An incredibly tight contest against the Champions-elect. A late stand-in, I secured a solid early draw. Oliver put us ahead with a spanking win from being two pieces up. The top boards agreed a draw to leave us one up with two in play. These looked level on the board and on the clock. Grantham summoned up their champions' qualities to fight back. Jason pressurised Terry to pick up a key central pawn. From that point on his conversion was excellent, inflicting on Terry his first defeat of the season. This left in play an epic battle between Steve and Nigel, which went the distance. Objectively the position was drawn, with opposite colour Bishops, but Nigel was able to prolong the pressure. With a pawn on the seventh, there were always Zugzwang tactics. Through force of will, Nigel eventually broke down Steve's resistance to secure what had seemed an unlikely match win. Nigel is no longer Grantham's team captain, but his sheer competitive will -to-win has helped to drive the team's success this season. View Scorecard :- Ashfield '1' 2 - 3 Grantham '1' With final games to be played we stood third in the division. Defeats for the two teams above us opened a door of opportunity. We knew a draw in this match would secure the runner-up spot, and a win would land the title. We seized the moment. Captain, Alan, who has come to the fore in the run-in, scored the decisive first win. Rob followed up with a second win, to secure the team's first objective, A draw was needed from our last 2 games to clinch the title. Andrew lost out in a wild game. John for once was last to finish. He had to scramble after a dicey opening, but fought back in the endgame to achieve parity, and offered a draw to secure the Division 3 title. Bravo! Congratulations to the team on winning the title, and their third successive promotion. (previous two achieved as Ashfield 4.) View Scorecard :- University '2' 1½ - 2½ Ashfield '3' |
| 23/04/26. Report by Phil Morgan
A thriller of a match. John secured a super-solid draw with Black. Andrew battled well to hold an unfavorable ending with a Rook against two Bishops. Alan put us ahead with a dominant win. We needed a draw on my board to clinch the win. Low on time and under strong attack, I somehow clung on to the draw with a King and Rook against a King, Rook and two connected pawns. It was a theoretical loss, but the resolution to hold shown by Andrew and myself typified the spirit shown by the team this season. View Scorecard :- Ashfield '3' 2½ - 1½ Gambit '4' |
| 22/04/26. Report by Phil Morgan
A close match. Glenn kept up his winning run. We came into difficulty on the lower boards. Our opponents played more enterprisingly, and set problems we could not answer. Fortunately, Jerry slipped into top gear, and somehow, well down on time, turned a drawn position into a win to draw the match. View Scorecard :- West Nottingham '1' 2 - 2 Ashfield '2' |
| 22/04/26. Notts League Result
View Scorecard :- Gambit '6' 3 - 1 Ashfield '4' |
| 16/04/26. Notts League Result
Adam and Samuel added to their recent string of wins last night with wins on board 3 and 4, Plus with Ben playing on board 2 bouncing back to winning ways, the victory was assured. View Scorecard :- Ashfield '5' 3 - 1 Newark '3' |
| 14/04/26. 13th 4NCL Online Round 7
Round 7 of the 13th Online 4ncl will take place tonight from 7.30pm, anyone interested in following the action/results please visit 13th 4NCL Online Results & Pairings Scheduled Fixtures are as follows- View Scorecard :- Dundee City 'C' 2½ - 1½ Ashfield Anonymous 'A' View Scorecard :- Wessex 'B' 3½ - ½ Ashfield Anonymous 'B' |
| 14/04/26. Report by Phil Morgan
The teams could not be separated on the night. Dan won quickly. Newark fought back with Oliver slipping to defeat. The last 3 games were drawn. We possibly came closer to winning. Terry was within a whisker of a win. My opponent came within a second of a flag fall. The draw edges us back into third in the table. With two games left, we are still contesting a virtual podium finish. View Scorecard :- Newark '1' 2½ - 2½ Ashfield '1' |
| 09/04/26. Notts League Result
With home advantage, our fifth team kept up their recent good form with a narrow win over Radcliffe & Bingham '5' last night. Ray, a seasoned member of the club, emerged victorious on board 2, while Adam and Sam, who were respectively playing on boards 3 and 4, also emerged victorious. View Scorecard :- Ashfield '5' 3 - 1 Radcliffe & Bingham '5' |
| 02/04/26. Report by Phil Morgan
A set-back to our team's promotion chances. Malcolm went a piece down to his strong opponent and suffered a loss, and we were unable to fight back in a match the visitors dominated. Richard was spotted, battling on, two pieces down. Trevor's draw got us on the score-sheet. We remain in third place with 2 games left to play, but second place West Nottingham 2's next fixture is away at Grantham 4. We're still in the race. View Scorecard :- Ashfield '4' ½ - 3½ Grantham '4' |
| 01/04/26. Report by Phil Morgan
A very tight match. Gambit struck first. Dan lost a very brisk game to Drag, reversing their recent, first team encounter. Glenn was sitting on a win for some time. Nigel secured a good draw. The match outcome hung on my game, which looked bleak. I'd been outplayed, and was clinging on until, playing quickly, my opponent hung his Rook. My impending loss turned into a win a few moves later. Glenn sealed the match win with his eighth win from ten games. This fortunate win sees us move up from sixth to fourth, with two games remaining. View Scorecard :- Gambit '3' 1½ - 2½ Ashfield '2' |
| 01/04/26. Notts League Result
Ashfield 5 maintained their recent form with victory over Central 3 last night. Adam and Samuel won on boards 3 & 4, respectively, Ben drew on board 2 securing the points. View Scorecard :- Central '3' 1½ - 2½ Ashfield '5' |
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