Match Report & Results 24/11/25

Match Report: by Captain Ken Hunt
Bolton 2 – 3.Eccles

https://lms.englishchess.org.uk/lms/fixture/125093
2nd Division- Bolton League

Chess Is a Tough Sport. (This has to be one of the most entertaining match reports I have ever read!)

In anticipation of Monday’s showdown between Bolton and Eccles, I had spent hours…no, days, meticulously preparing to play as White. Endless memorisation of 1.e4 lines. Sicilians, Caro-Kanns, the French, even a brief and terrifying journey into M. Surtees’ Weird Opening Games Archive (a place no one should enter alone).

I was ready. Calm. Centred. There was nothing Black could throw at me.

Until I arrived… and the rules changed.

Instead of playing White, I was greeted with:

“Let’s toss for colours….Ah yes, you’ll be Black tonight.”

Panic. Pure existential panic.

How do you even play as Black? I’d spent three straight weeks only pushing the e-pawn and pretending the queenside didn’t exist.

My entire opening repertoire collapsed like a poorly defended f7 square.

We shook hands and I confidently started White’s clock.

Or… did I? Suddenly nothing made sense. Time felt fake. Chess clocks felt like quantum devices obeying no physical laws. A quick check from the Bolton team captain confirmed that yes, I had indeed started White’s clock, and yes, it was ticking down, and no, it wasn’t an hallucination.

Across the room, boards 2, 3, and 4 sat empty as the Eccles players were delayed. A calm, dignified silence filled the hall, broken only by the quiet internal screaming of someone (me) trying to remember literally any Black opening.

My opponent played 1.e4. I responded with 1…e6, because when in doubt, French it out.

Twenty minutes passed with the three empty boards still waiting for their players. In my own game, I struck first, winning a pawn early. I then immediately overplayed the position so badly I nearly donated it back with interest. My opponent launched an uncomfortable attack, and I spent several moves wondering whether I actually understood how chess worked. Fortunately, his attack fizzled, and he resigned in a late middle game that Stockfish would probably score as “equalish but deeply silly.”

On board 5, Johnny secured a win and then graciously gave his opponent a mid game seminar on How to Notate Moves: A Survivor’s Guide.

The match was officially won after we picked up the point on board 4. Lawrence fought hard but lost a tight endgame where the pawns apparently decided to unionise against him.

Board 1 finished last, with Darren battling under extreme time pressure. Despite heroic resistance, he eventually had to resign.

All in all, a great evening: friendly hosts, entertaining games, and only mild psychological damage from playing the wrong colour.

Bolton were excellent, welcoming opponents and Eccles lived to fight another day.

Thank you Ken, I have not laughed so much in ages and you had to be nominated as Man of the Match.

Man of the Match: Captain Ken Hunt
(Well, it would be rude not to…)

I asked Ken why he accepted the offer of tossing for colours, especially considering everyone in his team had been practising their openings all week. He simply said, “Hey, let’s do it — mix it up a bit and add some excitement to the game.” I thought, um adventurous decision… then yeah, why not? I’m not sure what the other Eccles players thought at the time, but the captain’s decision is always final.

The games began — albeit two, or was it three players down. I’m glad Eccles won, otherwise Ken’s life wouldn’t have been worth living! Joking aside, it was nicely played by both teams.

This morning the Bolton Juniors team captain, Julian Clissold, messaged me: “You did very well.” I thought that was really nice — it’s always good to receive encouraging comments from Julian. He also said on the matchcard, “Big thank you to Eccles who reorganised their team when advised that Bolton had three new, young players playing their first match in the League, also a Big thank you to Bolton for not starting two clocks when two Eccles players were late.

“This was the spirit in which League matches should be played,” he said. Thank you, Julian; this really means a lot, and we really look forward to locking horns over the boards sometime very soon.

So all told, what a lovely tale to tell — when life was changed by a mere toss of a coin. Sometimes in chess, it’s better to be lucky rather than clever. Well played and well done!

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Next Match Result:

Wilmslow 2 – 4 Eccles
A Division, Stockport League

Next Match:

Thursday 27/11/25
Macclesfield vs Eccles
B Division, Stockport League

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Club Nights!

Monday:

From 6:45pm: Ladies & Entry-Level Players (with mentoring)

From 8pm: Learn How to Play Better Chess

Wednesday:

Chess is Fun for Everyone — from 7pm until late

Free refreshments · Free local parking · All donations gratefully received
21 Church Street, Eccles, M30 0DF

Website: https://eccleschess.com
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