MALVERN began their Worcester and District Chess League fixtures with a 4-0 victory over newly-promoted Kidderminster Rooks.

The score did not reflect the well-contested nature of the individual games, which all went beyond the first-time control.

Ian Clarke won a pawn then a piece to gain Malvern’s first win. Geoffrey Herbert, Matthew Jordan and, in the last game to finish, Brian Turner all prospered in hard-fought endings.