Match Reports: 01/12/25 – 04/12/25
Monday 01/12/25
Macclesfield 4.5 – 1.5 Eccles
A Division – Stockport League
http://www.stockportchessleague.org.uk/season/div1fixturesandresults.htm
Macclesfield were in excellent form, finishing the night unbeaten with two wins and draws across the remaining boards. A solid performance and well-earned victory—well played, Macclesfield!
Man of the Match: John Paul Taylor (Macclesfield Captain)
Eccles faced early difficulties when three of their players, travelling in the same car, set off late and were then misled by their sat-nav, resulting in a 40-minute delay.
Captain John Paul Taylor showed exceptional sportsmanship. Although he could have claimed all three games by default, he chose to allow the delayed Eccles players to play their games to completion.
Two Eccles players, Mike Surtees and Mick Conor, unfortunately lost on time, and Jordan Freeley accepted a draw from a winning position.
Lesson learned: Always allow extra travel time—10 to 15 minutes can prevent unnecessary stress and disruption.
Well played Macclesfield, and commiserations to Eccles.
2nd Match Report:
Tuesday 02/22/25
Atherton 2 – 3 Eccles
Warrington C Division – Limit League 7500
https://lms.englishchess.org.uk/lms/fixture/97099
This was one of two 7500-limit league matches played this week, and balancing ten boards within that limit is always a challenge. With late dropouts and availability issues, the final team selection required major last-minute juggling, but Eccles ultimately fielded the strongest lineup they could.
Man of the Match: Oliver Wilson (Eccles)
Oliver made his league debut for Eccles—and was unexpectedly promoted to top board after our regular top-board player became unavailable. Despite the pressure, Olly delivered a superb performance, winning his game in just 12 moves.
A fantastic debut—welcome to the team, Olly!
3rd Match Report
Tuesday 02/12/25
Eccles 3 – 2 Bury
2nd Division Limit 7500 – Bolton League
https://lms.englishchess.org.uk/lms/fixture/125096
It was a pleasure to welcome the Bury team, who arrived full of smiles, handshakes, and good spirits. Eccles have always enjoyed friendly relations with Bury, and it was great to see them again.
Team selection proved difficult, with a last-minute illness withdrawal and another Eccles team playing simultaneously at a similar rating level. Balancing two squads fairly was a mathematical headache, but the final line-ups produced a closely contested match that could easily have gone either way.
Man of the Match: Stephen Press (Bury)
Stephen Press, a well-known and respected player on the local chess circuit, delivered an outstanding performance to defeat Andy Beswick —despite a 160-point rating gap. A fantastic achievement.
Eccles were pleased with the narrow 3–2 result and equally pleased to see Bury secure two well-earned wins. We look forward to the rematch in March, and with advance notice of their likely team, we’ll try to field players with closely matched ratings.
Chess isn’t only about winning; it’s about providing fair, competitive games. With two teams out at the same rating band, it isn’t always easy—but enjoyable, hard-fought matches were had by all.
4th Match Report:
Thursday 04/12/25
Eccles 4 – 1 Ormskirk
Kalmer Cup Match – Warrington League
https://lms.englishchess.org.uk/lms/fixture/97238
This was the final match of an exceptionally busy week, and Eccles were fortunate to be able to field the team they did. Thanks to Sean Murphy, Ormskirk captain and fixtures secretary for the Warrington League, who understands better than most the difficulties captains face when organising teams.
Man of the Match: Caleb Harris Reeve (Eccles)
Caleb joined Eccles just three months ago as an entry-level player and has since become a full-blown chess enthusiast. His dedication and rapid progress have been impressive.
Caleb earned MOTM due to the significant rating difference between himself and his opponent—Ormskirk captain Sean Murphy—as well as the high quality of his play.
Caleb’s reflections on the game:
Sean had a very incremental game in which I won a pawn early and slowly simplified the position layer by layer. I took very little risk and managed my time well. I had two vulnerable pawns on the A and B files (I was Black), which I had to consider in almost every move.
I had just learned a new opening 48 hours earlier when my opponent played directly into my prep.
In the end I sacked one pawn to create a passer and my opponent resigned. There were just queens and pawns left on the board—I offered several queen trades but all were declined.
The opening I had just learned was the Scandinavian. Nice opening!”
Great work, Caleb – keep studying and keep playing!
This was also Aram Marsh’s debut playing for Eccles who is the Eccles junior coach and a bit of a local celebrity playing in local chess leagues. Hi Aram, it was great you could play.
Next Week’s Fixtures:
Tuesday 09/12/25
Eccles vs Swinton
2nd Division Cup Match (Bolton League)
Tuesday 09/12/25
Eccles vs Altrincham
B Division (Stockport League)
Thursday 11/12/25
Eccles vs Stockport
A Division (Stockport League)
CLUB NIGHTS:
Monday:
Ladies, learners, and entry-level players – 6:45pm–7:45pm followed by playing more chess and coaching.
Wednesday:
Chess is Fun for Everyone – from 7:00pm until late. All welcome.
Another busy week ahead!
Chess in the Community – Keeping Chess Live!!