22/07/2026
Another enjoyable trip down to Pembroke saw the club renew its annual friendly match against the West Wheels team. Last year they travelled to visit us, while the previous year we made the journey to meet them. This year, once again, we were the away side.
Although a number of closely contested and enjoyable games were played, Pembroke ultimately secured the overall victory by a score of 3–1.
Some notable performances included Advigk who remained on Board 1 throughout the match and scored an impressive 3½ points from 4 games. Misha won the second of her two games with a nicely executed checkmate. Although she is not yet a league player, she played soundly throughout and took her time well in each game.
Ethan's aggressive attack in his first game saw him recover from being a piece down to finish with an excellent checkmate against a 1380-rated opponent.
There were several other games that could easily have gone either way. Had the first match result been just one point different, the overall outcome would have been a draw.
It should also be noted that, as Castell Nedd travelled with a larger squad, we fielded weaker teams in two of the matches to ensure that everyone had the opportunity to play. This is the preferred approach in our friendly fixtures, as it allows all players to gain valuable experience and time at the board rather than having reserves sitting on the sidelines.
It is always a pleasure to travel to Pembroke—not just because of the McDonald's stop on the way home! The hosts are invariably friendly and welcoming, and they provide an excellent venue for chess. We look forward to meeting them again next year when we will have the opportunity to host them in Neath.
Congrats to Advik, Aarush, Jakob, Virat, William, Oscar, Ethan, Misha and Cae who took part in this year's roadtrip!
