Kelly's Heroes continue 100% start to season

Aside from the over-the-board goings-on, there was good news as Fruithill are fielding a second team, taking the place of one of the withdrawn QUB teams in Division 2. It is expected that the team will be comprised of players on loan from Ballynafeigh, as well as players surplus to their first team.

Division 1

• Muldoons 1 4.5-0.5 Civil Service
• The A Team 1-4 Strand 1
• Strand 2 3-2 Ballynafeigh 2

Early leaders Civil Service went into their match against 2015/16 champions Muldoons 1 without Peter May or David McAlister and slumped to a heavy defeat, with only Danny Roberts taking a half-point off Stephen Morgan. Richard Gould, returning from Belfast South, beat Jim McLean while Nicholas Pilkiewicz, Danny Mallaghan and Stephen Wood also picked up wins. Strand 1 also got their season off to a good start as they beat The A Team 4-1. The Malone Road side's sole point came from Bobby Thompson (1458) as he pulled off the upset of the week against John Bradley (1663), but his teammates were all firmly outmatched by a team that will take some beating in the Silver King chase. The most tightly-contested match of the week was between Strand 2 and Ballynafeigh 2. Daniil Zelenchuk drew with Robert Lavery and Ross Harris drew with Eoin Carey before John O'Doherty opened up a lead for the visitors as he beat Michael Sheerin. Dmitry Zelenchuk levelled the score with a win over Colin Fenton, and so all eyes were on the board 4 clash between Edward Khanzharov and Ballynafeigh debutant Nigel Telford. Telford had won a pawn in the middlegame and appeared to be heading for victory, but Khanzharov put up stiff resistance and Telford soon found himself in time trouble. He maintained his advantage on the board, but it was to no avail as he lost on time, handing the match to Strand 2.

Division 2

• Ballynafeigh 3 1-4 Strand 4
• Kelly's Heroes 5-0 Strand 3

Kelly's Heroes continued to run riot in Division 2 as they helped themselves to another whitewash, this time against Strand 3. The Malone Road side are still to be seriously tested as their board 5 (Bernard Jaffa) outrated Strand 3's board 1 (Adrian Dornford-Smith) by nearly 300 points. Strand 4 got off the mark with a 4-1 win over Ballynafeigh 3. Cathan Gormley, joining from QUB, won on board 1, and Geoff Hindley, Dexter Harris and Adam Fitzsimons also won their games. Nick Todd got the sole point for Ballynafeigh 3 with victory over Brian Fitzsimons.