We are delighted to announce that the current Leominster Chess Club Champion, Stephen Priestley, is the new Herefordshire County Champion! Stephen played Hereford Chess Champion Henry Spedding over four games of sharp tactical chess.
Henry was victorious in the first classical game, but Stephen was able to score a win in game two and level the match. This took us to rapid games where Stephen was able to get the edge, winning both, and with it the Herefordshire County Championship!
Below we will share the first two classical games and the final decisive rapid game.
Classical game one:
Classical game two:
With the match tied after these two close games, Stephen won the first rapid game, bringing us to the decisive game:
Huge congratulations to Stephen and to Henry for an excellent showcase of chess. We believe this to be the first time a player from Leominster Chess Club has won the County Championship, so a historic achievement for which we all share a little pride – well played Steve! 🏆