Basingstoke Chess Club concluded a successful league season with its A team winning Division 2 of the Southampton Chess League and its B team finishing second in Division 3, writes David Graham.

The A team won the league on the final match of the season with a 3.5-1.5 win over Hamble A. The top points scorers for the season were captain Jamie Chilton with 7 points, Steven Jones with 5.5 points, Ivan Stipcevic and Graham Phillips with 4 points each.

The B team secured second place in Division 3, a remarkable feat as four of the regular players were from the club's juniors. Harry Smith remained unbeaten with 5.5 points out of 6, Ralph Morley gained 4.5 points, Liam Durangparang 3 points, and Megan Birch 2.5 points. Newcomer Charles Oluwadare playing on top board did well to achieve 4 points against strong opposition.

Both the C and D teams were used to provide match experience for the large number of club newcomers wishing to play league chess. The C team struggled in Division 4, but the D team achieved a mid-table position in Division 5 with good form towards the end of the season.

The final monthly chess event for the season will be held at the Discovery Centre on Saturday, May 20. The start time is 10.30am and it continues until noon. The event is free and all are welcome.

Basingstoke juniors well represented in upcoming Delancey Mega Finals

A capacity entry of 24 entered the qualifiers at Basingstoke Chess Club for the upcoming Delancey Mega Finals. The qualifiers were divided into three groups, with Edison Brown winning Group A, Yosung Rai winning Group B, and Alex Ardei winning Group C.

The Hampshire Mega-finals will be held at Winchester College on June 25. All of the qualifiers from Basingstoke Chess Club are expected to do well in the finals.