Inverclyde Central Chess Club lost a tough battle with local rivals Paisley in their latest match in the Glasgow League Chess League First Divison. In previous seasons Inverclyde and Paisley had been in different leagues, with Inverclyde in the top division, and Paisley in the divisions below. They had played several "Renfrewshire Challenge" friendlies, all of which Inverclyde had won.
For this match, though, Inverclyde would not be favourites. Paisley had been promoted from Division 2, and had managed to attract several very strong players to play for them, including International Master Stephen Mannion. Inverclyde, on the other hand, had a weaker player pool than last year. Paisley held grading advantages on six of the eight boards, and were soon to make this tell.
A good win from Inverclyde's Stephen Doherty and a creditable draw from Stephen Hilton were consolation for Inverclyde, as Paisley swept five of the remaining six games, with Marc Sheridan also drawing for Inverclyde on board 8.
The result, Inverclyde's fourth defeat in four Glasgow League matches, now leaves Inverclyde facing a difficult fight to avoid relegation.
Full Result:
| Bd | Grade | Paisley A | (8) | vs | (7) | Inverclyde | Grade | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2370 | Mannion, Stephen R (IM) | 1 | - | 0 | McDonald, Kevin | 2069 | Home Win |
| 2 | 2071 | Buchanan, Walter F | ½ | - | ½ | Hilton, Steve H | 1822 | Draw |
| 3 | 1950 | Moultrie, George B | 1 | - | 0 | Logue, David | 1696 | Home Win |
| 4 | 1902 | Cochrane, Richard | 1 | - | 0 | McPheator, Gary | 1690 | Home Win |
| 5 | 1881 | McGregor, Douglas R W | 1 | - | 0 | Bolln, Carsten | 1667 | Home Win |
| 6 | 1868 | Maiolani, Paul F | 1 | - | 0 | Curran, Andrew D | 1666 | Home Win |
| 7 | 1566 | McFarlane, Alex H | 0 | - | 1 | Doherty, Stephen | 1671 | Away Win |
| 8 | 1344 | Fraser, Roland | ½ | - | ½ | Sheridan, Marc | 1479 | Draw |
| 6 | - | 2 | ||||||
