KO Cups

Bill Hewitt has now published the draw for the various sections of the West Wales KO Cup. The Stan Fortt Cup is for players of any grade; the R.E. Jones Trophy is for players graded under 1800; and the A.D. Nicholson Shield is confined to players graded under 1400. Player eligibility is based on the July 2013 grading list and the draw is given on this site under the appropriate fixture group.

Kevin Staveley has coincidentally published the draw for the Welsh Chess Union KO Cup and the West Wales Chess League is represented by White Knights and Morriston. In the Open section White Knights go straight through to the semi-finals and will be at home to either Barry or Abergavenny. The Under 1800 cup sees Morriston at home to Newport for a place in the quarter finals while White Knights get a first round bye and will play either Bridgend or Abergavenny away for a place in the semi finals. In the Under 1500 Cup only 4 teams have entered and Morriston are at home to Newport for a place in the final.

League

A 4.5-0.5 win over Port Talbot sees White Knights A head into the New Year with a miniscule half a game-point lead over rivals Nidum A. Both White Knights A and Nidum A are a clear 4 points ahead of the chasing pack and both have a match in hand. A two horse race which is likely to be neck and neck for the rest of the season. In their match against White Knights the Port Talbot team defaulted their two bottom boards despite playing at home and have now collected a penalty point. The other two matches saw Falcons go down yet again - this time 4-1 to White Knights B while Nidum B overcame White Knights C 3.5-1.5. The middle order remains unchanged.

In their second meeting of the season Merlins defeated Giants 3.5-1.5 and moved 4 points ahead of them in the bottom half of the table; in the top half of the table Brunel had a comfortable 4-1 win over a weakened Morriston B team. Emperors still head Division 2 but Brunel are just 1 point behind. and since only 4 points separate the top 4 it is probably still a bit early to write-off either Morriston B or White Knights D.

The one match played in Division 3 saw Ferrymen beat Tribunes by a comfortable 4.5-0.5. Ferrymen are now only 1 point behind the leaders Morriston C but with two matches in hand Morriston C are still looking secure.