County Champions

Taken from the Shropshire Chess website:

Thomas Henry Chetwynd came to Hereford in 1924 . he was three times Individual Champion of Herefordshire & runner up on several occasions, on one of these occasions he played the redoubtable E. F. FARDON, he lost the first & seventh games and there were five draws in between.  He was a member of the British Team in a 1000 Board Contest by Correspondence against U.S.A. (1937) obtaining a draw,and played against Sir George THOMAS (twice British Chess Champion) in 1944 at 84 years of age. He retired from competitive chess for Hereford in 1952 at age 92.   He wrote bookes of poetry about the Herefordshire district, and died in 1957 Hereford. 

EF Fardon – TH Chetwynd [C20] Herefordshire Championship, 1938 

The Herefordshire Championship was played as an open event each year and, unlike the Shropshire Championship at that time, the holder participated from the start. 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Ng5 Launching the Fegatello Attack against the Two Knights Defence 4…d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Ke8?? The only reasonable move here is Ke6 aiming to hang on to the extra material 8.Bxd5 Qf6 9.Bxc6+ bxc6 10.Qe2 Simply Qxf5 leaves white a safe pawn up with black’s doubled pawns a millstone around his neck for the endgame. 10…Bc5 11.Nc3 Bf5 12.d3 h6 13.0–0 Kf7 14.Be3 Bb6 15.f4 Rhe8 16.fxe5 Qxe5?? 17.Ne4?? Played on move 14, 15, or 16 this would have been strong. Now however it allows black to fight back and salvage the draw. Much stronger was 17.Bxb6 axb6 18.Qxe5 Rxe5 19.d4 Rea5 20.b4 Ra3 21.Rxf5+ Kg6 22.Rf3 and white wins 17…Kg8 18.Bxb6 cxb6 19.Rad1 Bxe4 20.dxe4 Qxe4 21.Qxe4 Rxe4 22.Rd7 a5 23.Rff7 Rg4 24.Rb7 b5 25.Rfc7 Rg6 26.Rb6 Rd8 27.Rcxc6 Rd1+ 28.Kf2 Rd2+ 29.Kf3 Rgxg2 30.Rxb5 Rgf2+ 31.Ke3 Rfe2+ 32.Kf3 Rf2+ 33.Ke3 Rfe2+ 34.Kf3 Rf2+ A fine draw by the 78 year old Chetwynd against a strong opponent. ½–½