Apr 15th
Malvern won Division One of the Worcester and District Chess League with a victory over closest rivals Worcester City in the final match of the season. John Knee and Brian Turner drew their games on the lower boards, leaving the match to be decided by two hard-fought games on the upper boards. Stubborn resistance and well-timed counterplay gave Geoff Marchant a draw on board 2. In the last game to finish, Lee Davis held on to a small material edge into the endgame and eventually won on time to secure the match for Malvern. Malvern last won the Worcester and District League in 2012.
Apr 1st
Malvern held onto the lead in the Worcester and District Chess League with one match to play, after a victory over last year's champions, Redditch. Lee Davis drew with a strong opponent on board 1 and Ian Clarke's careful defence defused his opponent's attack and gave him a win to give Malvern the lead. As the end of the session approached, Geoff Marchant, a pawn in arrears, salvaged a draw and Brian Turner, who had gained material early in his game, won a long endgame to give Malvern a 3:1 win.
Mar 18th
Malvern finished their County League season as they had begun it with a drawn match against league champions Halesowen. Brian Turner won rapidly and Malvern's lead was consolidated with draws from John Knee and Geoffrey Herbert. Lee Davis and Ian Clarke were defeated in hard-fought positional games: however, Geoff Marchant won a fine, combative game to draw the match for Malvern. Malvern will come second or third in the League, depending on the result of the final match.
Mar 9th
Malvern defeated Kidderminster Rooks in the Worcester and District League after a close match. Lee Davis and John Knee could not develop any advantage in their games and Ian Clarke's edge was insufficient to win. Fortunately, Brian Turner recovered from a poor opening and middle game to win a long endgame. Malvern now head the League with two matches remaining, albeit against strong opponents.
Feb 26th
Malvern kept their challenge in the Worcester and District League alive with a close victory over League leaders Kidderminster Knights. First to finish was Lee Davis on board 1, who sacrificed material for a winning attack. On the lower boards Ian Clarke lost and Brian Turner, a pawn in arrears, somehow scraped a draw. The stage was set for a tense finish on board 2 where Geoff Marchant's earlier pressure had gained a pawn. With both players short of time, Geoff's threat to queen the pawn proved decisive.
Feb 12th
Malvern were eliminated by Shirley and Wythall in the Wheatley Handicap KO Cup. To overcome the handicap, Malvern needed to win by 3½ : 1½. Malvern's highlight was a fine positional win by John Knee. Leigh Canham did well to hold the draw and Michael Butcher put up a a strong resistance in his first competitive match for the club. The final score was indeed 3½: 1½. - unfortunately, the wrong way for Malvern!
Jan 28th
Malvern scored their first win in the Worcestershire League with a 4-2 victory over Kidderminster. Ian Clarke withstood time pressure to win a well-controlled game over a dangerous opponent. Lee Davis and Geoff Marchant looked to be in some difficulty but drew their games, John Knee pressed hard but could not overcome strong resistance and Brian Turner's game also simplified to a draw. Leigh Canham played a calm positional game to win material and the match was clinched for Malvern when his opponent courteously resigned the adjourned position.
Jan 16th
Malvern's first match of 2016 hangs in the balance after their fixture with Worecester City in the County League. Although Brian Turner lost quickly, Matthew Jordan and Geoffrey Herbert won convincingly on the lower boards to give Malvern the lead, which was consolidated with a draw from Ian Clarke. However, at the end of the session, Geof Marchant had a poor position which he later resigned and the outcome of the match depends on Lee Davis's double-edged adjourned position on board 1.
Dec 18th
Malvern finished 2015 with a decisive win over Kidderminster Rooks to leave them in second place in the Worcester and District League at the half-way stage. Geoffrey Herbert won his opponent's queen to score Malvern's first point, followed by Brian Turner's piece sacrifice for a winning attack. Malvern's new player, Geoffrey Marchant, won a piece early on board 1, but had to overcome dogged resistance by his opponent to score the full point.
Dec 11th
Malvern played Worcester again but did better this time and recorded their first win of the season. In a game full of tactics, Lee Davis gained revenge for his earlier loss, winning his opponent's queen and the game. Brian Turner and John Knee had small advantages in their games but could only draw as did Ian Clarke to leave Malvern with a narrow victory in a 4-board match.
Dec 3rd
Despite fielding a strong team, Malvern suffered a heavy defeat over six boards in the County League, scoring only a draw from Brian Turner and a fine win from John Knee, who won material early in the game and defended skilfully to hold off a dangerous attack.
Nov 13th
Malvern's latest match in the Worcestershire County League hangs in the balance after a hard-fought contest against Kidderminster. Leigh Canham and Matthew Jordan pressed hard for wins, but were unable to break through. Ian Clarke drew a well-controlled positional game and Brian Turner somehow escaped from a dire position to draw. John Knee lost a piece and fought back well but eventually succumbed to a mating net. Lee Davis had a clear material advantage at the end of the session, but there is still work to do when the game is resumed if Malvern are to draw the match.
Nov 3rd
Malvern continued their Worcester and District programme with a draw against last season's champions, Redditch. John Knee drew a quiet game and, in a game enlivened by time trouble, Lee Davis drew on board 1. Redditch won a well-played game on board 4, but Ian Clarke developed strong pressure and won on time to equalise the match.
Oct 21st
Malvern Chess Club suffered a setback in their first match in the Worcester and District League, losing to Kidderminster in a match of fluctuating fortunes. Brian Turner drew in a quiet game. Lee Davis and Geoffrey Herbert both had potentially winning positions but unfortunately both lost. By contrast Ian Clarke, defending resolutely under strong pressure all evening, won his game on time.
Oct 6th.
Malvern started their league season with a draw at County League champions Halesowen. Lee Davis made an impressive debut on board 1 for Malvern with a well-controlled positional victory. Leigh Canham won on time after an excellent exchange sacrifice which won three pawns and gave him lasting pressure whilst Matthew Jordan won a closely-fought endgame. Brian Turner, Geoffrey Herbert and John Knee lost their games.