Division two of the 4 Nations Chess League could not have been closer and when the final rounds had been concluded at the West Bromwich Moat House the three front runners could only be separated on game points. North West Eagles I, Numerica 3Cs I and Warwickshire Select all scored eighteen match points but the Eagles won more individual games and were declared the winners. The three leaders were all promoted to Division 1.

It was even tighter at the bottom of the division and the 4NCL Chief Arbiter Richard Furness had to quote the rule book as Athenaeum were relegated with South Wales Dragons II and Ads II. In the last round Athenaeum could only draw with ADs II who were already doomed and they finished exactly level on match points and game points with another team from central London, Kings Head. The league rules showed that the ties had to be split by the result of the individual match between the teams and this had gone in Kings Head's favour in the first round.

Barbican III also had a lucky escape and emulated their second team who avoided the drop from the first division one by one game point. Barbican III finished on seven match points but had scored 37½ game points against Kings Head and Athenaeum's 36.

Northwest Eagles will be a match for most in Division one next season particularly with former Scottish Champion John Shaw on top board. Shaw lays siege to the d5 pawn and when it falls Black suffers greater material losses.

/ Written by IM Malcolm Pein, The Telegraph 2003 /