Malpas and Oswestry made two achievements recently without a single piece being played.

In the Chester and District Chess League, Malpas and Oswestry 2nds were due to play Rhyl and Prestatyn 2nds on Thursday with a win or a draw securing them the league title. But the previous Sunday saw the Rhyl and Prestatyn captain phone his Malpas and Oswestry counterpart Charles Lowick Higgie to say that they couldn't raise a side and so were conceding. So the Third Division Championship is heading back to Malpas.

In the same way, Malpas and Oswestry advanced to the semi-final of the Wirral League Knock-out Cup. In the quarter-final they were due to be away to Atticus, in Liverpool, but the Merseyside club didn't reply to any of the emails sent by Higgie offering various dates and in the end the league controller defaulted Atticus. Malpas and Oswestry are now at home in the semi-final to the powerful Chester 1sts side on Wednesday, April 18.

The club did manage one match last week when they drew 2.5-2.5 at home to Chester 2nds on Thursday. First to finish was board five where David Thomas played the black side of a modern defence and resigned as he was losing rook for bishop in an inferior position. Charles Lowick Higgie then drew on board three with the black side of a Sicilian defence. Malpas and Oswestry 1sts then won with white on board two, where Brian Whyte won, followed by a win by David Bennion on four. Unfortunately in the last game to finish Richard Bryant lost with black on one.

Full result: Malpas and Oswestry 1sts 2.5, Chester 2nds 2.5

One: Richard Bryant (178) 0, Phil Crocker (190) 1; Two: Brian Whyte (173) 1, Rokas Valantinas (187) 0; Three: Charles Lowick Higgie (176) 0.5, Chris Doran (179) 0.5; Four: David Bennion (167) 1, Graham Bromley (158) 0; Five: David Thomas (100) 0, Paul Watson (150) 1.