No Chess Club on Christmas Eve

We are open as usual on Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons over Christmas and New Year, with the exception of this Saturday afternoon, Christmas Eve. (Any special holiday closures can also always be found on the How to Find Us page of the website.)

Merry Christmas !!

Daily lift to Hastings Chess Congress

Hi All,
just thought i'd let it be known to anyone signed up for the Hastings Congress (or still to sign up!) that i will be driving to and from daily. So if you are interested in the congress, and want a lift please let me know, the more the better. Just contact me and we can arrange pick up and drop off points to convenience.
Terry
07949203591

London Classic continued.......

Yes, it was another brilliant event. Carl and I were there on Sunday - lots of people - you never know who you might meet! 

London Classic

Just thought I'd mention that I visited Olympia for this on Monday and it was great, for £15 it's a bargain.  Get to sit in an auditorium and watch some of the worlds best players then once your done trying to figure out what's going on in their games you can breeze along to the commentary room and listen to a several GMs trying to figure out what's going on!  When I was there, Vladimir Kramnik was sitting out and I had the chance to ask him a question from the audience about chess computers, he answered fully and eloquently. In fact I've had the chance to listen to 'Big Vlad' both times I've been to the Classic and on both occasions have been impressed by what he has to say and by his sense of humour, he seems like a really nice guy.

As I am at work in London today I may pop along if I finish early enough, though I expect it will be busier on a weekend.  If not I am considering going up on Monday for the last day.  If you can't make it, they've been having  a few problems with their internet connection but when accessible the coverage is great, you can see it by clicking the link on the London Classic web-site which goes to the livestream link.

A crucial win in a vital match in the league

Well done everyone Saturday afternoon.Great wins to Luke and Geoffrey. Also solid draws with black by John and Brian. I won the toss but that may have been my greatest contribution in this one.The war was won but my battle lost. Well done everyone. Keep it up!

Carlsen v Howell

Following on from the last post, this is the 'game of the day' from the first round of the London Chess Classic - the only game that didn't end in a draw. How many of us remember David Howell at our last venue, kneeling on the chair to reach the far side of the board and moving faster than the eye could see? Driving seasoned old hands to grumpy despair at congresses?



I might be tempted to go for a day - although Monday and Saturday are out.

London Classic 2011

Starts tomorrow (Sat 3rd), press conference in an hour followed by a game against Twitter followers, not sure how that's going to pan out! Anyway, this is an historic event with four of Englands strongest GMs taking part in a field containg (gulp) four 2800-rated players, thanks goodness Nakamura is there to dilute the talent ;-) He is 'only' currently rated 2758 !!
David Howell is studying at University and his chess seems to have been suffering, it's a shame Matthew Sadler can't sub in, but maybe that's harsh, I hope Howell proves me wrong.

The live event was brilliant the time I went in 2009 and the online coverage is great, possibly only bettered by the US Chess Championship in my opinion, but this year the London Classic has a different format with a nine players, one of whom sits out each round to join the commentary, so a new level of excellence  is to be expected.

I keep changing my mind, but at the moment I am planning to use an afternoon off on Monday to attend the event, and may well be attending next Saturday (10th) as I am in London for work anyway. I'm vaguely considering Sunday 11th and Monday 12th but I expect two days will be enough.  I should be at the BHCC playing a match tomorrow if anyone would like to discuss meeting up, or just e-mail or call me on the day if you have my details.

Twice-yearly grading

The ECF is changing to a twice-yearly grading system. The end of the current grading period will be the end of December for grades which will be published in late January. Grades will then be published every six months, the next period ending at the end of June for grades due at the end of July. So, a month to go to either qualify for - a total of nine graded games - or improve your grade for 2012. All new members acquiring a first-time grade will be added to the Members page of the website.

PS See the News page for a short report on the e2e4 Brighton Congress at the weekend.

Bobby Fischer documentary

On BBC4 (tv) this Wednesday (November 30) at 9.00pm is a documentary about Bobby Fischer.I am unsure if it is the one released in cinemas recently.

Bursting!

There's a slight chance that bridge may overflow next Thursday and require some upstairs space. There's also a fourth team home match against Horsham. It should be OK but be prepared if you're arranging to play a club tournament game. (Of which not a great many are being played at the moment, especially in view of the numbers attending! Both main rooms were being used for friendlies and analysis last night, as well as a first team match in the match room. Perhaps we're just having more fun!!)

e2e4 Brighton Congress 25th-27th November

Don't forget the e2e4 Brighton Congress at the Old Ship Hotel is on the weekend after next. A dozen members are already down to play.

mscl div3 / horsham 5 v. b+h tm4

hi all, carl here. team 4 played a match versus horsham 5 on monday. the result was a draw, 2.5 to 2.5. in grading terms this result may be seen as a little disapointing, but i have to say the horsham team played very well. nerves on both sides were jangling with the score on 2 wins each, the last board to come in being an agreed draw in a very double edged position. i'd like to thank aurthur, robin, kevin and bob for making the effort to play in an away match on a cold, wet and dark night. well done and big thanks.

Prepare to be on camera tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the day for Britain in a Day, a BBC 2 project to be screened pre-Olympics next summer. You can take your camera to the club tomorrow, record your day and then submit your video to britaininaday@youtube.com.

In addition, please give a warm welcome to Javier Douglas, BBC director/producer/cameraman, whom I have invited to visit the club tomorrow to do some of the filming himself. (I won't be there tomorrow as playing in Horsham.) He is local and also genuinely interested in chess, so with a bit of luck we may get some of the club included in the final documentary. He intends to arrive sometime after 3:00 pm and will be filming discreetly with your permission. If you see this before tomorrow afternoon please tell others to expect him when you arrive at the club. Thanks.

Extra space and phones

Excellent news regarding the new playing area.

Regarding phones, thanks for the clarification Sue. Perhaps it is worth sending Eastbourne a gentle note? Also, maybe team captains should make a clear announcement before the start of the game emphasising that 'silent' mode may not be good enough.

Bridge Club gives us new Match Room upstairs!

As the Blue Room downstairs is being used for bridge on Thursdays for the foreseeable future, the 'poker room' has now been dismantled and set up for chess (or bridge). As the Blue Room was never officially part of our agreement with the Bridge Club this is a fantastic addition to our space upstairs. The 'poker room' is the room to the right of the kitchen, although I think we should now designate it the Match Room as it is perfect for league matches: a perfect size and completely self-contained and quiet.

Also, an important reminder, if you are picked to play for the league please aim to get there by 7:15 if you possibly can. The whole team is responsible for setting up and clearing up, not just the captain. Remember we are already short of captains, so please try and do at least one or the other if you want to see us continue to play in the league. Thanks.

FIDE Article 12: The conduct of the players

12.3 b. Without the permission of the arbiter a player is forbidden to have a mobile phone or other electronic means of communication in the playing venue, unless they are completely switched off. If any such device produces a sound, the player shall lose the game. The opponent shall win. However, if the opponent cannot win the game by any series of legal moves, his score shall be a draw. ( E.I.01A. Laws of Chess)

This is always coming up - how many realise this is actually written into the laws of chess? Anyway, here it is for any future situations! Feel confident if you need to ask your opponent to turn it off. This is my understanding - without an arbiter actually present. Strictly speaking you could claim the game on the spot but, well, what do others think? The same situation might arise in an internal tournament game and not everyone knows the rule.

Mobile Phones and Chess

Question: Last night i was playing in a match against Eastbourne 2, my opponent during the game picked up his mobile phone are started typing a short text message, each time he pressed a key, there was an annoying peep which was irritating. He used his phone twice during the game to write 2 messages. Does anyone know what the rules are during a match and the use of mobile phones? is this behaviour allowed? Please Advise?

Many Thanks Michael

p.s. in the end i won my game.

Club Championship on Tournaments page

I have put the Club Championship knockout chart on the website in spite of the lack of any clarifying lines and brackets. I think it's fairly clear and means people can arrange their matches with time to spare, or play again if it's a draw. I'll update it once we have some winners. The whole thing depends on participants all sticking to the time schedule which is, apparently, both the virtue and the downfall of the knockout. I have followed a strict format so that the higher graded players emerge from each round to face each other, rather than meeting early on. Please prioritise this competition above the others to meet round deadlines.

Club Championship launched

The Club Championship knockout chart is now up at the club. Publishing it online is tricky without losing the formatting but I'll do something when I have more time. The preliminary round needs to be played before Christmas - this involves Charles v Marcus, Kevin v Jan, Andrew S. v Bob, Ian v Adrian and Callum v Sue. Please use the usual time controls, or adapt for 30 seconds per move added instead of QPF if you're using a digital clock, and toss for colours. People in the first round proper can go ahead as well if they're not dependent on a result from the prelim. - this 'first' round, which brings in everyone else, to be played by the end of January. Round deadlines must be strictly adhered to or knockouts will not depend on the results of games!

Grading Lists

A new development is that chess grades will now be published twice a year. At the end of February and the end of July.
All games played before 31st December can be entered for the spring grading list.
New players without a grade may wish to play nine games ( at the club or elsewhere ) and already graded players, to play more games so that an updated grade can be achieved by the spring.
This applies, both to long play and rapid play games..

Club Championship 2011-12

I have twenty-one entrants for the Club Championship Knockout Competition - see the list on the CC Tournament page on the website. This is a terrific response so thanks everyone for going for it - undaunted by the breadth of the competition. If I've missed anyone please let me know as soon as poss..

Brighton&Hove 5 v Brighton&Hove 4

Well done the 4th Team,in achieving a strong performance. Our first arranged afternoon match with the MSCL.
Thanks especially to Ian George for his effort although several games seemed to be close.
Good luck to both sides for the rest of the season.
5th Team 4th Team
Robert C Davies 0 Arthur De Silver 1
Ian George 0.5 Anthony Stanton 0.5
Robert Counsell 0 Martin Roe 1
Susan Chadwick 0 Grant Minshull 1
Andrew Caswill 0 John Smuts 1

Easy-peasy blogging for all

Welcome to the blog, Adrian!
Very glad to hear you found it easier than expected :-) 

After giving several 'tutorials' recently I'm getting the hang of the stumbling blocks with both the blog and the private online player list. This feedback has been very useful and I've further expanded on the clarifications given at the bottom of the website Tournaments page (see tab above or go to the website if you are viewing this as a blog only).

This blog now has twenty-five signed-up authors and there are thirty-three people with access to the player list, although I can't tell how many of these have actually accessed the list. Ideally this blog is an open forum for debate which can inform the committee when decisions need to be taken. According to the stats it has been read by people in France, Spain, Czech Republic, Guernsey, Malta, Philippines, United States, Panama and Australia.

hello

hi everybody,thanks sue for the tutorial about blogging,its not as hard as it looks.had a tough game against rob which he was victorious,i'll beat you one day mate.looking for more opponents in the e/c.....adi

Bang! Bang! ....... or how to make a GM cry

You're an FM two whole bishops down against a GM, is it time to resign? Apparently not! Why not just chuck in the queen and rook you've got left as well? Check out this perfect swindle played against Simon Williams on top board in the e2e4 Gatwick International this morning. I think the illustrated approach to notation has a great future as well!!

First results published

The club tournaments are now underway and results to date entered on the online charts. More people have entered the Club Championship and the list can be seen on the CC page. I can take more names tomorrow when B&H 5 are at home to B&H 4. It will be interesting to see what people think of playing league matches on a Saturday - is this the way to go?

Club Championship 2011-12

Please let me know by next Monday 31st if you would like to join in the Club Championship Knockout Competition (see email if you are a member with an email address). So far we have Kevin, Neil, Adrian, Geoff J., Charles, Sue, Paul B., Brian I. and Bob - a good spread across grades and an opportunity to play someone you might not meet in the other tournaments. The first round to be played before Christmas and the semi-final and final to be played with both colours.

Anyone for Hastings?

I have received the following email from Paul Buswell of Hastings:

Hastings & St. Leonards would be interested in friendly matches for our less strong players who might otherwise find it hard to get matches.

I am thinking of players in grade range 90 down to 20. 

Perhaps a standard time match or maybe even rapid play Scheveningen?    Graded, I suggest, but needn't be if you demur.

If interested please let me know.   Unfortunately we would probably have to suggest you come to us (open 7 days a week afternoon and evening) as we have no drivers in that group of players and our other drivers are already hard pressed to fulfil evening league fixtures.   (We are two minutes walk from Hastings station if that helps)

Paul Buswell

If anyone in this group is interested you might like to try and get a group together. I can let you have Paul's email address. Of course they could always get the train to Hove! Perhaps someone who might be missing out on league matches this year might like to liaise with Hastings to organise something? (Their club house is like a museum of chess and worth a look as well.)

PS Advance group Southern bookings can apparently be had for around £6.

Worthing 1 v Brighton & Hove 1 [17/10/11]

Well done everybody Monday evening. Hope this leads to bigger things.

Brighton 3rd Team vs 2nd Team

Congratulations to the second team beating the third team 4-1 last night.

Kevin Gee did save a little face for the Third Team scoring the only point beating Duncan Badham

(136) Michael Cain (c) vs (175) Paul Batchelor 0-1
(126) Arthur de Silver vs (156) Paul Selby 0-1
(127) Martin Roe vs (147) Brian Izzard (c) 0-1
(117) Kevin Gee vs (139) Duncan Badham 1-0
(114) Bob Davies vs (132) Peter Benson 0-1.

Good Luck for the rest of the season.

Note for technophobes

For anyone who may still be having difficulties with blogs and google documents I have just added a clarification to the bottom of the Tournaments page. If anyone is still fogged then please contact me directly. It all works like a dream once you get the hang of it!

Player needed for the Sussex U140s

Keith Osborne, captain of the Sussex Under 140 team, is still a player short for this Saturday if anyone would like to play. There are sixteen to a team (hopefully) playing Kent in Dartford. His number is 01323 492 158.

PK Match Saturday?

Would anyone like to play me in the Plummer Knight on Saturday?  If so, please get in touch. Kevin.

Fixture perfect

The Fixtures page has now been amended to take account of the five League matches which have been moved to a Saturday and all the Eastbourne 3 matches which have been deleted. All ready to go next Monday!

Kasparov - Short Blitz Match

Gary Kasparov and Nigel Short are playing a blitz match in Belgium on Sunday 9th October, plays starts 6pm our time if I have converted from CET correctly. Looks as if there will be online coverage, unfortunately I have other plans but I doubt I could keep up anyway!
More details can be found on  Chessvibes

Eastbourne 3 withdraw from the league

Please amend your diaries accordingly!
(The Fixtures page will be updated with all changes early next week.)

SCCA Competitions 2011-12

Entry for these has been extended to Saturday 8th October due to low turn-out so far. I circulated the original email several weeks ago but, in case you missed it, entry can still be made via the entry form on the SCCA website.

NB

It's no longer possible to access the Tournament Players' Contact Details using brightonchesslub@gmail.com. Invitations have been sent to players' own email addresses for simplicity, so that their google accounts will work for both the blog and the google document with the contact details. This way you can stay signed in to your one google account and have access to both.

Chess auction raises £100

The auction yesterday was a great success and raised £100 for the club - the money will be put towards the cost of hanging a thick curtain between the two upstairs rooms. Thanks to Carl for organising and effective auctioneering skills and to everyone who donated stuff. This may become an annual event!

The tournament charts are now up at the club and on the website. There has been a lot more demand this year than last and the charts are virtually complete with a waiting list starting to develop. Places have been reserved for those who put their names down but have yet to renew their membership, which can be done by cheque or online to guarantee a place. The invitation-only Players' Contact Details page has also been updated (see link at bottom of Tournaments page).

auction

hi all. just a quick reminder about the auction this saturday, 2.30pm. maybe people would like to bring along any donated items this thursday, giving potential bidders a chance to view the wares before the big day. this is completely optional of course, and we will be delighted to offer up anything that is brought along on the day. also, just a reminder that you are more than welcome to set a reserve price on anything you bring along.

Sunningdale

Great result Mustapha, well done!   Anthony, you are too modest, 3/5 is a good score, I suspect your tournament rating would be above your grade.

Tournaments ( 2011-2012 )

Members ( graded > 150 ) have another month to enter the Club Championship Tournament. The format of this tournament has yet to be decided.
The other tournaments will be displayed in the club after the auction on Saturday 1st October. Players will then be able to arrange their matches.

First place for Mustapha Othman in the Sunningdale Major

A fine performance by Mustapha who took equal first place with 4.5 points. Games from the Open and Major sections of e2e4 congresses can be viewed online (e.g. http://e2e4.org.uk/sunningdale/Sept2011/index.htm, then scroll to bottom of page) – fortunately not from the Minor section, sparing my regular embarrassment.

2011-12 MSCL Fixtures

The new fixtures list is now up on the Fixtures page. As you can see we have just five teams this year to make sure we can get to all our away matches easily - last year proved to be a bit of a struggle at times with six teams. (If you think we should have six teams to give more players a chance of playing for the league, it's drivers we're short of not players. Another regular driver is all we need to revert to six teams next year. Volunteer if you can.)

Please will captains let me know of any re-arrangements as they happen so the list is always bang up to date. It's also useful to know which teams will be playing at home on any particular date. Thanks.

New Clocks !

I will be at the Club this Saturday to explain how the New Chess Clocks work and how to set them up for match play.Any Captains,Team players, or Internal Tournament players welcome.These are the six new clocks purchased from Club Funds. Endorsed by Vladimir Kramnik.Come along if intersteted and i will do my best to help you understand how to operate these clocks.

Auction appetite whetter

I've got some chess items to go under the hammer (assuming I can find them) one of which is a Mephisto Advanced Travel Chess Computer (click for link) and comes in the original box.  As I now have rather a lot of computer gadgets that can play chess this has seen little use but it may be of interest if you don't have a computer or like to get away from screens for a while! It was rated 160BCF which I think is the old grading so it may be rated a bit higher, I will probably put a small reserve on this.

I would just like to add my thanks to Luke for his amazing performance on Saturday, I felt like I was being blitzed!

Luke's simul last Saturday

We had a very enjoyable simul with Luke on Saturday with eighteen people taking part. Luke whizzed round faster than a lot of us could think and still managed to win all but two: Chris Lowe won his game and Peter Benson managed a draw. Congrats and thanks again to Luke.

Tournaments

Entry for the tournaments will close on Saturday 24th September. The tournament charts will then be displayed in the club at the end of the auction on Saturday 1st October. Members should then be able to arrange their matches.
If any member is unable to be at the club and would like to enter a tournament please contact myself before Saturday 24th either via email or message on my answer phone ( 01273 699335)

auction

hi all. the auction is now to be held on sat october 1st at 2.30pm. please bring along anything you think others may be interested in, chess items especially welcome. you are more than welcome to set a reserve price on anything you donate. the money raised will be going towards a heavy curtain and rail to help with sound-proofing between the chess rooms. please come along and help make this event a success, have some fun, and pick up a bargain.

The view from across the water translated (quickly)

Olivier (italics are mine):

We quickly gained the first points with Marc and Jean-Pierre and we had two good positions with our young guns Guillaume and Arnaud but their attacks were stopped and they missed out on the points (NDLR: Dieppe wash-up showed how myself and Kevin dealt with the fast-playing tactic-totin' youngsters).

It was all to redo and fortunately Adrien and Jean-Charles drew slightly inferior positions.

Ouf (untranslatable outtake of breath), we regained the advantage with Richard who had to defend against an opponent keen to sac material (!). His attack was not sufficient. The games left were those of Yvain and Olivier which were not obvious how to play, Alain had an extra pawn in a better position and Gaetan had a positional advantage in a complex game and Cyril who was standing in for Yann had a crushing position and he won. Bravo.

Things were going well, we still needed a point and after more than 3 hours of playing, Gaetan blundered and Alain accepted a draw from his opponent. The score at this point: 4:3 in our favour.

At this moment in the match, Yvain and Olivier, suffering from fatigue, both had positions which were not easy to manage. We had some doubts, Yvain swapped queens and some pieces and reached an endgame with rook and opposite coloured bishop. My feelings were that the game was heading towards a draw.

So there I was on my own with an opponent who had managed a draw yesterday against Grandmaster Wirig. I could not afford to lose. I offered the exchange of queens and rook f4, a move I had not anticipated and I took several minutes and I ascertained it was not the correct move and I took advantage in a tactical position, the exchange up, a rook at first and zeitnot (each?) with 2 minutes less for my opponent and I knew he was fallen.

Victory fell on us and cheers to our English friends who accepted battle until the very end.

And see Echiquier Dieppois for a view from the other side.

Michael's Dieppe photos

More of Michael's photo collection, featuring the classic car rally and life beyond the matches.......  

Dieppe pictures

Susan has posted what she feels are the best of the pictures she took over the weekend, you can view them by clicking on the link below.  If anyone would rather have their picture removed just let me know, likewise if anyone would like a copy we are happy to oblige.

http://flickr.com/gp/dylanthedog/55sFx4/

PS There is a button to the right of the titles that will run a slideshow, and the last picture is actually a video of the closing speech by Olivier (I think).

(Actually the new president of Dieppe, Gaetan. ed.)
Oops, sorry Gaetan!  Fast work Sue, I just came back to add the label.

The Dieppe Trip 2011

A fantastic weekend was had by all in Dieppe. Thanks to the French for their generous hospitality and wonderful good-humour over the weekend. Thanks also to John Smuts for numerous phone calls to the hotel in advance of the trip and for helping us all with translations throughout the visit.

On Saturday we played French GM Anthony Wirig 2499 who was playing on 24 boards. He won on all but two, drawing with Paul Batchelor and a young French player, Paul reaching a position that looked a lock-down of immovable pawns and frustrated bishops. Rob Counsell held out the longest before getting outmanoeuvred in the one-to-one, an exciting finish that was applauded by the mass of spectators.

On Sunday afternoon we played a twelve board match at which we were heavily outgraded. We were not hopeful and fearful of a whitewash. However determined play produced a very close match. The results are below. Particular congratulations are due to those who overcame a large grading difference to achieve their result.

We shall be going over some of the games on the analysis board this Thursday for everyone who would like to see them, hopefully with some analysis from Geoff.

EXCITING STUFF - COME AND WATCH!

DIEPPE			BRIGHTON
YVAIN BOIZANTE	2165	½-½	GEOFF JAMES	2210
OLIVIER DELABARRE	2018	1-0	PAUL BATCHELOR	2000
ADRIEN CECCALDI	1900	½-½	MICHAEL CAIN	1688
RICHARD LEFEBVRE	1932	1-0	ARTHUR DE SILVER	1608
ARNAUD PLESSIS	1930	0-1	JOHN SMUTS	1608
JEAN-PIERRE GUILLAUMAT	1898	1-0	GRANT MINSHULL	1592
ALAIN MELIOT	1862	½-½	CARL RABEY	1536
GUILLAUME LEHANRANGER	1797	0-1	KEVIN GEE	1536
GAETAN DEREGNAUCOURT	1631	0-1	BOB DAVIES	1512
MARC ROUSSELIN	1629	1-0	ROB COUNSELL	1464
JEAN-CHARLES LANNAUD	1541	½-½	SUE CHADWICK	1456
CYRIL LEHARANGER	1450	1-0	ANDREW CASWILL	1448
		7  5

Barack Obama Against the World

.......which is just an excuse to announce we have our own simul with Luke on Saturday 17th September. Luke, the reigning Sussex Champion, has generously agreed to repeat this popular event for club members. I will be putting a list up at the club tomorrow for all to sign - except there will be an upper limit on numbers so first-come first-served. Taking the black pieces is obligatory, assuming enemy persona is not.

Bobby Fischer Against the World

A reminder that this is a one-off screening (next Tuesday DoY's 18:30) and likely to be a full house so advance booking is recommended, so I'm told. See Duke of York's for easy online booking.

Subscriptions

A reminder as well that subscriptions fall due on 1st September. They have been increased slightly to £50 for adults, £30 for full-time students and income support (no increase) and £15 for under 18s. The increase is to help meet the increase in both rent and MSCL match fees. (Our constitution states that subscriptions are due in advance of the AGM, although they can be paid on the day if you haven't had a chance to pay before.) If any of your details have changed please fill in a membership form, see link at the bottom of the Membership page, or pick one up at the club.

AGM Agenda

All club dates are on the News page under Calendar of Club Events, they disappear so quickly on the blog (AGM date has literally been there for months! :-)). People can suggest items for the AGM at any time during the year, before the date I need to give two weeks' notice of the agenda. Anyway I haven't sent it out yet so still time to send something if you do it in the next 24 hours. (The News page is always up to date, eg please see all the latest on Dieppe. Other pages get updated too!)

AGM

Blimey, that was a small window for responses .....  do we have a date for the AGM ?

AGM Agenda

Please send any items for the AGM by Monday 22nd as the agenda will be going out to members later next week. Thanks.

Bobby Fischer v The World

I've just booked my ticket for this at the Duke of Yorks on Tues 30th Aug, I see plans are already afoot to meet up and do some recruiting for the club, just hope I get home from work in time.

For those that are planning to go,  please don't bring any chess computers, it might give away the ending ;-)

Tournament results

All the internal club tournaments are now officially closed (except the ladder which just carries on) and the results entered on the online charts. If any results are deemed to be missing or incorrect please contact me or the tournament controller asap.

PS To anyone who has difficulty seeing the last column of the charts on their computer - the all-important final results column - try Zoom under View and zoom out.

Charts

All the charts are bang up to date. If your result isn't on the chart let me know and I'll add it.

Tournaments.

1) Mustapha Othman is the winner of the Holcombe Handicap, runner up is myself.Due to the kind generosity of Charles, Mustapha will receive a prize of £75 and myself £25 at the AGM. This new competition, instigated by Charles, has now been recognised as a great way for weaker players to possibly give stronger players a tougher game.
2) Great to see so many games being completed in the tournaments. Deadline Saturday 13th August.
3) Over the next few months, members can play rapid games in the ladder tournament. Details on the noticeboard. The person who is top of the ladder on 31st August will receive a prize from myself at the AGM.Unfortunately due to finances I am unable to compete to the same level as Charles!!

Bobby Fischer Against the World - Tuesday 30th August

A date for your diaries, people: on Tuesday 30th August at 18:30 the long-awaited Bobby Fischer Against the World is being shown at the Duke of York's. As I am sure you will all want to go it is proposed we form a gaggle in the bar area about half an hour before. Then we can all go in as a posse and take over the cinema, or maverick fans can inhabit dark corners of their own, knowing they're in good company. We can take some flyers with the intention of descending on any unsuspecting members of the audience who happen not to belong to a chess club, ie whom we don't recognise. Not to be missed!

Tournament Deadline

Due to a last minute rush, the tournament deadline has been extended to Saturday 13th August. This will allow some players to complete more of their games and thus enable a fairer comparison to be made in each tournament.

Tournament results

With the last minute scramble to play tournament matches quite a few are being played outside the club. If you email or text the results to me I can add them to the charts straight away and Andrew can monitor the current position. They should be written up at the club as well for grading but that can be done anytime. (My contact details are on the list accessible to competitors via the Tournaments page.)

A good think. Better?

Geoff on 2/3 in the British Seniors in Sheffield.

Well, the best time to look happy in chess is when it's over!

British Senior Championship

I noticed a familiar face half way down this report from Chessbase!  Geoff doesn't look very happy, perhaps this was taken during one of the last two games which were drawn, let's hope he leaps back into contention with a win today.

Eight days to go!

I've just updated the tournament charts so it's clear who still has whom left to play. Eight days left to go before the finish with some winners already emerging. You don't have to play at the club if you can organise something in your own time and space.

British Championship

Great to see most of the country's top players are competing this year, it's Short v Howell on top board today. Personally I think it's a shame Luke McShane isn't there, I think he may have gone back to a 'proper' job - more's the pity - but koudos to Jovanka Houska, nice to see a woman in the mix. I dare say a few in the club - myself included - will be rooting for Simon Williams, unfortunately the GingerGM is lagging a bit at the moment, let's hope for some more fireworks from him at some point.

It looks as if our own Geoffrey James commences his campaign for the Senior Championship tomorrow, good luck Geoff !

Rob Counsell is new club secretary

After a committee meeting last night I am very pleased to announce we have a new secretary! The post has been vacant for most of the year so we were delighted to accept Rob's offer to take it on. We co-opted him until the AGM when, if not traumatized by last night's minutes, he will be happy to stand again. I think he will be excellent at all aspects of the post.

2011 Grades Are Out

The new grades are out and on the Members page of this website. Two rising young players appearing for the first time are Owen Joyce-Coughlan on 143 and Mustapha Othman on 176, the latter just beating Paul Batchelor and Grant Bucher to fourth place in the club. New junior, Martin Roe, also makes an impressive first showing on 127. With more new appearances sprinkled through the lower half of the list, it bodes well for the continued performance of a strong sixth team in the MSCL next season. Congrats to all who have successfully struggled to improve over last year's grade, even if at the expense of those who haven't!

Missing results from last year

Hi All,

It has become apparent that a results sheet may have gone missing last year, as a result I believe some games for the last week of July (the last week of our internal tournaments) may not have been submitted for grading.

Results have been submitted for games up to and including Sat 24th July 2010, but we have no results after that until August.  As 31st July last year was a Saturday, and the closing date for internal tournaments, it seems very unlikely to me that no games were played that week.

We might still be able to submit the results for grading if we can get them to Julie Denning in the next few days, so if you want to check your scoresheets for games played 25th-31st July 2010 and e-mail them back to me quickly I will forward them on and see what can be done.

As this oversight occurred during my tenure as Tournament Controller please accept my apologies, hopefully it will not affect anyones grading too seriously.

Regards, Kevin.

End of Tournaments.

The tournament deadline has been extended by one week. Hopefully this will allow some people an extra opportunity to play some final games before the end of our season. Several games were being played today as members finish off their last remaining matches.
The deadline will be Saturday 6th August. Please try and complete as many games as possible so that a good coverage occurs in all tournaments.

"Your move... to chess club" The Argus

"Fans of pawns, knights and bishops are being invited to join a chess club....."

We succeeded in getting a mention in the Argus yesterday advertising our open day and giving our venue and website addresses. Our new venue means nearly everyone who comes now does come back and join. Thanks to all the people who turned out to support the event.

New Members' Special Welcome this afternoon

The club will be open to new and prospective members this afternoon, 2nd July, between 2-6 pm. Old members also needed to meet, greet and compete.

McArthur Cup Final Match Report 2011

This Final was played with a new set of Match Pieces. I was somewhat nervous as to what would be the possible outcome with the new acquisition. However i need never have feared as the Team rose magnificently to the occasion, played some fine chess and at the end of the day when 'the dust had settled' had achieved a hat-trick of consecutive victories in the McArthur Cup.
Adrian Pickersgill was pitted against the highly experienced Bernard Cafferty. What's more he had to defend with the Black pieces.The Opening was a Closed English. His defence proved strong enough and the game was duly agreed drawn.This was a valuable result to Brighton & Hove.The advantage of the First move had been negated on Board Five.
In a Pirc Defence Nadezda Somova was playing another very experienced player in the Sussex County Chess Assocition President Robert Elliston. Robert snatched a pawn,hung onto it and in the end Nadezda was forced to resign.This was Nadezda's first loss in this competition over the Three years she had participated in it.
Geoffrey James was seated opposite Richard Almond. Richard opened with his customary 'd' pawn and the game went into a Nimzo-Indian Classical Variation. Geoffrey managed to defend with great accuracy limiting his opponent to the smallest of advantages. As the game developed Geoffrey continued to play accurately and the game was agreed drawn in a level position. This was another draw with Black and had furthered the Club's cause.
My game against Christopher Howell had been a Veresov Opening. The game eventually went down to a Rook and Three Pawns against a Rook and Two pawns. I had believed i should be able to defend this ending. However my nerves were tested to the limit as Christopher strove for another Forty Moves to win the game.Eventually this game was agreed drawn upon Christopher's proposal.
Luke Rutherford was to play an opponent against which he had lost in the Mid-Sussex League earlier this year. Francis Rayner opened with the 'e' pawn and the game developed into a Sicilian. Luke sacrificed an Exchange and managed to net Two Pawns as well. This was followed by a Third. Then slowly and with great care Luke was able to advance his Pawns in the centre generating all sorts of threats. Eventually faced with no defence Francis called it a day.
One game remained.Brian Denman was playing John Sugden. Brian had the White Pieces.The Opening had been an Open Sicilan.Late in the game and with both players quite short on time. John Sugden was to blunder a piece. Brian captured the Piece. With less than Ten Seconds left on his Clock John Sugden resigned. The match had finished.
When the points were tallied up it was revealed Brighton & Hove Chess Club had beaten Hastings & St Leonards Chess Club by the scoreline 3.5-2.5.
Thanks to everybody who represented Brighton during this competition,not forgetting Club Preident Sue Chadwick who played in an earlier round.

A.G.M. of the Sussex Chess Association

The Annual General Meeting of the Sussex Chess Association will be held at the Bridge Club on Tuesday 19th July at 7.30 p.m.

The Sussex Chess Association, which was formed as long ago as 1882, promotes chess throughout the county and is reponsible for the county competitions as well as the county teams. This year the Brighton Chess Club has won the McArthur Cup, the county teams' competition, and club members have won individual events. Luke Rutherford has won the county championship, Adrian Pickersgill came first in the East Sussex Queen and Geoff James shared the Sussex Veterans' Championship title.

Brighton CC members are encouraged to come along to the AGM - it does not matter how strong a player you are!

Six weeks left.

There are just six weeks remaining until the tournaments finish. There are stil plenty of games left to play.
It would be great if competitors could try and arrange as many remaining games as possible. Then a high percentage of games will have been completed in each tournament and a fair comparison made between the players.
One final effort please between all of us.

Weekend winners

Congratulations on retaining the McArthur Cup! I hope the visitors were duly impressed with our new venue and whiz new team sets. See their website Forum for a Hastings and St. Leonards match report.

Mustapha, Anthony, Terry and I all enjoyed a very good e2e4 Gatwick Congress. Mustapha equalled the joint thirds on an impressive 4 out of 5 in the Major but was awarded the marginally more lucrative 'over 1820' prize (best performance relative to rating). It was flawlessly organised and had a very genial atmosphere. I wonder whether this was in part due to the lack of any aggro over splutter finishes because of the 30 seconds a move addition. It was also fun to watch endgames being played out at a steady pace - rather than at breakneck speed and impossible to follow.

Hat-Trick in McArthur Cup for Brighton & Hove

Brighton & Hove Club did it again by completing three consecutive wins in the McArthur Cup Final. We won the Match by the scoreline 3.5-2.5. Wins to Luke Rutherford and Brian Denman.More detailed match blog to follow.Well done everybody and thanks for turning out to support us again.

Charts updated

Thanks, Kev, for updating our computer. No passwords needed and help is at hand for the nervous. Our library is all up and running now. Only members can borrow books and only one book at a time. All borrowings to be written in the book in the library.

I've updated all the tournament charts on the website and will replace the paper versions on the noticeboard tomorrow. Six weeks left to play all your games. To contact your opponents see Contact Details link on the Tournaments page - contact me if you want a reminder about how to use it. (You can contact me via the box on the Membership page if necessary.)

A rather disappointing meeting of the MSCL last night, I thought, but then the League has never been known for its progressive tendencies. Paul Selby, Rob Counsell and I attended from Brighton. Key decisions have already been posted by Julie on the MSCL website.

More bits, less Bobs

Further to my previous post, apparently Bob's main assistance with putting up the shelving for the library came from Arthur. Thanks Arthur!

On the subject of bits (with segues like that I should have been a DJ), on Saturday I installed Fritz 12 and Chessmaster onto the club PC, the software having been recently donated to us. To run these just turn the PC on and log in as the general club user, no password should be needed.  Fritz 12 has a different interface to previous versions so it can be a bit tricky even for experienced users, but it does have some nice features.  It is worth noting that this copy came with a year's premium memebership to Playchess.com so it should be possible to play online on the Playchess server or to view Chessbase's multimedia broadcasts.  If any members are interested in these features please give it a try, I can offer some assistance if I am around though I don't intend to conduct individual teaching sesssions!  If there is a demand I may consider a group seminar on using Fritz, though I am not completely up to speed on version 12 myself yet.  If there are any errors running the software please let me know.

Last chance for Gatwick

The e2e4 Gatwick congress is filling up - 145 places out of a maximum of 150 now gone.

The Week Ahead

Tuesday 14th June 7:30 pm: Mid-Sussex Chess League AGM
at St. Mary's Social Centre, Lewes. Any member of the club can attend this. We have six votes, one for each team in the League. The club has no agreed line on any of the agenda issues this year so it's up to individuals how they vote. See MSCL.

Friday 17th - Sunday 19th June: e2e4 Gatwick Congress
A large and well-organised congress with only two of our members on the list so far and still space for more. You can enter and pay online. See e2e4 Chess.

Saturday 18th June 2:15 pm: McArthur Cup Final
Our top six players battle it out against Hastings and St. Leonards' top six, upstairs at the club. An important match so spectators and others are requested to please maintain a total silence in both rooms upstairs. The Blue Room downstairs will be available for friendly games and chat.

Anyone wanting to report on any of these events can publish to the blog - it would be good to have some comment and analysis. If you've not registered for the blog yet please ask me and I can re-issue you with an invitation. We have fifty-two members with only fifteen so far registered - everyone else's original invitation has now expired (apart from new members). It would be especially good to see the game viewer embedded from the Resources page - anyone?

Bits 'n' Bobs

The 'Bobs' in question being Bob Davies and Rob Counsell - nice work on the library chaps, not forgetting Carl, and I think Sue also helped out. On a grumpier note, now that the library is accesible could people please return books to the shelves after browsing, there were half a dozen books left lying around last night.

With regards Dieppe, I now have alternate accomodation so for you late bookers there is still a single room available at Les Galets if you whisper in John's ear, preferably in French ;-)

All the Latest

Thanks, John. I hope Les Galets are appreciating having an agent d'echecs en 'ove. Geoff has gone for Etap and Paul Selby is still dependent on the goodwill of the PO. This seems mainly sorted now - don't forget your passports!!

In case this is all getting a bit complicated I have made use of the News page to put a calendar of upcoming club events.

Communal life en France

To recap:
8 rooms booked for Sat 3 and Sun 4 Sept (prices per night):

• Sue, single room, 32eu
• myself, as above
• Arthur, single, 40eu (bigger bed)
• Kevin, as above
  
• all remaining 4 are double rooms at 50eu: Andrew and Vicki; Paul B and Carl; Dona and partner; Rob and Bob.

With all the commission, I'm off to Montserrat.

New Members' Special Welcome Saturday 2nd July

We are having a New Members' Special Welcome on Saturday 2nd July from 2-4 pm. The idea is to welcome prospective and recently-joined members to the club, tell them how it works, answer questions and give them a game or two. I hope old members will support this event in providing any new-comers with a spread of chess ability and people to talk to. If it seems to work we'll try it again in September. (See also Jan's post of 28th April under New Members label.)

Bring on the books!

 

Bob organised the setting up of our library on Saturday with the help of Arthur, Carl, Rob and me. The shelves Bob had got for us fitted in perfectly and we now have an amazing new space and no clutter! See Bob for borrowing.

echecs

And then there were 8. Sue asked me to book Kevin a single room which is his with a 'grand lit' for 40eu per night. That's all the single rooms taken in Les Galets now. Other people looking to stay there will have to share in rooms of 2-six people.

Tonight

We will only have half the upstairs tonight as a bridge event has been booked which will need the other half. This is a teething problem involving an outside booking and Julian will make sure it doesn't happen again. If you have a match planned for tonight it might be an idea to reconsider if you want perfect quiet.

Dieppe update

A merry band of 7 are now duly signed into the affordable but perfectly salubrious and ideally located Hotel Les Galets for Sat 3rd and Sun 4th Septembre. As well as myself, Sue, Andrew and Vicki are added Arthur, Carl and Paul (Batchelor). Arthur, your room is 40 eu per night, but it was the penultimate single room on offer. Paul, you said you would be ok sharing and I have booked you and Carl together into a room which will cost 50eu per night between you. I wouldn't think either of you are into climbing over the hotel entrance gates in the early hours of Saturday morning. I am sure you will both get a good night's pre-match sleep.

There is one single room available at 40eu per night. The receptionist said she was exceptionally busy this week due to a week's holiday for Pentecote. It might be worth other players who have yet to book in anywhere to have a word with Sue, Neil or Charles about alternative accommodation in e.g. Hotel Aguado or Hotel Windsor.

MSCL AGM 14th June

The MSCL AGM Agenda is now out there and can be accessed via the MSCL website. Nothing very controversial, unless the Hastings travel issue counts. Remember any member can attend but it's only one vote per team in the League.

Dieppe team list

There are now round about a dozen people planning to go to Dieppe in September. The list on the notice board at the club can be used for anyone wanting to arrange room sharing. We look like having a good team again. (Details are on the News page).

Star quality

I've been away for a bit getting in touch with my feminine side, ie mostly dreaming and dawdling and wondering why I'm here, but you will all be relieved to know that the intense debate about stellar quality in chess has not passed me by. I offer the following deep thoughts:

Twinkle, twinkle, chess club star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above with grade so high,
When I play I wonder..... why?

Hope that explains everything.

Dieppe timings

We play Dieppe chess club on Sun 4th Sep. One idea is to go over on Sat 3rd to make a full weekend of it, stay both Sat and Sun and return on Mon eve.

Can someone confirm what date/time the Dieppe match is please?

Stella

It's all about quality, innit !?

Stellar

Wonder what cut off grade you have to have scaled to make it into the exclusive set 'star' category? I know it's probably well above 125 but I think we should be told.

Thanks, John. Could some one please put a list up on the notice board as I shan't be at the club 'til next week? Places in the team are limited as we need to keep some available for our star players to have any chance of winning.

Dieppe update

I've booked rooms for Sue, Andrew and Vicki and myself in Les Galets hotel.

Was told there are 2 rooms with two separate beds at 50eu (each price indicated is cost per room per night); a room for two people in a single bed at 50eu; room with 4 beds at 72eu; room with 5 beds at 77eu; and two rooms with 6 separate beds at 82eu. Imagine the late night blitzing and match analysis seconding in a room of 6. Any takers?

Following a conversation with Sue this evening, a list will be put on notice board at club. Anyone interested in going to Dieppe can sign up. There is a ferry leaving Newhaven at 1030am on Sat 3 Sep and a return ferry leaving Dieppe at 6pm ETA Newhaven 9pm local time on Mon 5 Sep.

Booking for Dieppe

Thanks for doing this, John. I rather liked the The Pebbles with it's twisty corridors and bumpy floors - better than big blocks of glass and concrete. Please count me in. I'll put a list up next week or would members please email or text me if they'd like to play (see also News page of website), letting me know what they've decided to do about accommodation.

Dieppe accommodation on Saturday 3rd Septembre

Hi all,

Just rang 'Les Galets' (The Pebbles) in Dieppe. This is the new name for what was formerly known as 'L'Hotel Tourist' where several Brighton chess club members have stayed in the past when doing chessic (sic) battle with the French.

The receptionist told me 'il y a de la place, pour l'instant': 'there are rooms available, for the moment'. 12 rooms have already been taken by other French chess players playing in the tournaments held in Dieppe that weekend.

She quoted the availability of 2 single rooms for 32euros.

Double bedrooms at 50 euros.

Family rooms are available, in which 4 people share for 70euros for the room.

She indicated that she may be able to offer discount rates if we book in as a group.

I asked for the hotel website and she gave me: www.hotel-lesgalets@orange.fr , however, this site is hard to find, you are far more likely to find info on the hotel from sites offering a range of accommodation in Dieppe. A little bit of research I did a couple of weeks ago gave reviews for 'Les Galets' ranging from 'clean and tidy, thank you very much, you get what you pay for' to 'it was dirty', so you takes your pick. People who have stayed at different places in Dieppe in the past can share their info and experience by blog for the benefit of others in the club to have enough info to make an informed choice. It might be worth people doing their own searching around for alternative accommodation in Dieppe and seeing what they come up with and sharing it.

As I indicated in an earlier blog, I would prefer to make a group booking in the minimum number of phone calls for those wanting help with booking. For those wanting this assistance, we may need to talk about how the deposit(s) are going to be paid.

Thought I would send this 'heads up' about booking sooner rather than later.

John

Tournament Contact Details

I have added the Holcombe Handicap and Ladder players to the list accessible via the Contact Details link at the bottom of the Tournaments page. New players who weren't on this list before will be sent the password via email (and anyone else who has forgotten it is welcome to ask me for a reminder).

Ladder Tournament ( Rapid Play )

This tournament will start on Thursday 19th May and end about the middle of October. i.e When the new tournament lists are posted.
a) All games are rapid play and players decide on a time for each clock from 15 to 59 minutes.
b) At the moment seven players have entered and they have been arranged in reverse alphabetical order.
1) Neil Tasker 2) Anthony Stanton 3) Andrew Shoulders 4) Mustapha Othman
5) Charles Holcombe 6) Rob Counsell 7) Andrew Caswill
c) New players may join at anytime by writing their name on a white card placed on the ladder.The next player will be number 8.
d) If 7 players are in the tournament one may challenge a player 4 places above them.
If 8 : : : 4 : :
If 11 : : : 6 : :
i.e Divide total number of players by 2 and round up to nearest whole number.
e) Players choose for choice of colour and then alternate if future games are played.
f) If a lower player wins then just swop the two cards over.
g) Please enter the results on the score sheet. Competition ; Ladder and enter time agreed at start for each individual clock.
h) A person playing at least nine games will achieve a rapid play grade in 2012.
Good luck.

Exchange between Dieppe and Brighton Chess Club

This is a proposal I have received via email from a mother in Dieppe:

I had your address by Olivier Delabarre from the Dieppe chess club : "l'Echiquier Dieppois".
My son, Yoan Waucampt, is 15 years old now and he plays chess in this club. He is going to visit Brighton next August in order to improve his English and his chess performance. He has the intention of practising chess in your club. Is it possible? If yes, I would like to propose you an exchange. I have a big house in Dieppe down town and I can receive a teenager here, for example, in the period of Dieppe International Championship (the end of August 2011). Do you know a family that could receive Yoan in Brighton from August 16th to 26th?
Hoping to hearing from you soon, thanks for your attention,
Sincerely,
Dionisia Waucampt

I can pass on the email address if anyone is interested.

NB The Gatwick event is free!
Well, it is for most people - only males have to pay.

e2e4 Gatwick 17th-19th June

Unfortunately one of my friend's has inconsiderately decided to get married on the 18th of June so I have had to withdraw from this event, but I thought I'd post a reminder to the rest of you.  Those that entered/kibitzed the recent Brighton event will know that it was well organized in pleasant surroundings so I no reason to assume this one will be any different.

http://www.e2e4.org.uk/gatwick/jun2011/index.htm

Regards, Kevin.

Charts updated

Drrrrr....... two weeks without the internet and it was a loose connection at the end of the road the Virgin Media man finally put right in two ticks on Thursday. Yesterday Blogger was off. However, things are now working again and I have updated all the tournament charts. There are still quite a few games to play before the end of July so check out whom you still need to play via the Tournaments page. The player Contact Details link is there as well - let me know if you need the password reminder. We have some very interesting results from quite a few new and ungraded members. Remember as well, if this is your first year, you need to play at least nine graded games before the end of May to get an ECF grade for next season.

I have a lot more things to post but they'll have to come separately as I catch up with everything - two weeks is a long time in chess!!

Present difficulties

Things are very slow at the moment as I haven't had the Internet for over a week. It feels like being blinded and then being allowed to see bits of things very slowly through a keyhole (thank heaven for my iPhone). Now they tell me that waiting for permission to dig may be causing the continual deferments (!) - it's a 'general outage' not a personal one - and that I may get it back next Tuesday. So apologies if things seem to be grinding to a halt somewhat or I'm slow in responding to things - all will be well, I hope.

Another glorious evening .....

at BHCC. Not total glory as I made an honouroble draw with Arthur, but it is soooo nice in the new venue :-)

Holcombe Handicap

Fourteen people have entered the above knockout competition.
All details of this competition will be displayed on the club notice-board from Saturday 7th May.
Each game is a maximum of 3 hours and the lowest graded player is white.
Neil Tasker140, and Peter Benson 137, have been omitted from the first round.
To enable the tournament to run smoothly the first round must be completed by Saturday 4th June. If a game is NOT played by this date, the higher graded player can write their name on the chart and move to the next round.
Players without a grade have been placed in one of three categories, 50, 100, 120.
The time handicap ( depending on grade difference ) will be shown on the chart against each game.
Details are shown below so that players can start to arrange their games.
The prize money generously given by Charles Holcombe is £75 for the winner and £25 for the runner up. Charles is hoping to win his money back !!
In alphabetical order: 1) A Caswill v R. Counsell. 2) B. Davies v D. Hards 3) A. Hickling v C. Holcombe 4) O. Joyce-Coughlan v K. Moberly 5) M. Othman v C. Rabey 6) A. Shoulders v J T Sythoff.

MSL end of season matches

Don't want to cramp the captains' style but I thought I'd point out that the 4th and 5th teams both appear to have a home game on Thursday 12th May, so I guess we should make use of the ground floor room for one of them if that is possible?

Nice article Brian, thanks. I'm a bit worried about my match with Arthur tomorrow now ..... ;-)

Second team helps first team.

On Thursday last the club's second team fought hard against Horsham first team in the Mid-Sussex League first division. The Horsham side included four players, who regularly compete in the Four Nations Chess League, and it was that same team which earlier in the season had won 4-1 against our first team. On this occasion Horsham needed to win the match 5-0 to be the sole occupiers of the second position in the league, while a score of 4.5 to 0.5 would mean that they would share second place with the Brighton first team.

As it happened, a determined display by our second team enabled our first team to take the second place in the league. Nadya Somova on top board was playing Gavin Lock, who is graded about 35 points above her. Although at times she seemed to be in difficulties, she nevertheless obtained an honourable draw. Nadya might not be in Brighton next year, but she has done very well in her period at the Brighton Chess Club and this season in particular has performed creditably against some formidable opposition. Dona Strauss was Black against a strong opponent in James Mansson and unfortunately lost a piece in the opening. After that she was clearly lost, though she soldiered on until near the end of the session. Chris Lowe, has recently rejoined us, and for a long time he maintained a very solid position. Unfortunately, as problems with time pressure developed, the experienced Philip Stimpson gained a substantial endgame advantage and at the end of the game appeared to be winning. Duncan Badham soon found himself in a very passive position. His opponent, Dix Roberts, the Sussex secretary, had a definite advantage, but allowed one side of the board to be blocked. This gave Duncan chances of stemming White's initiative and he defended tenaciously. In the final position Dix Roberts still had the advantage, but Duncan has chances of a draw on adjudication. On board 5 Arthur De Silver, who has at times this season played well above his grade, recovered from what might have been a rather shaky opening to take the initiative against Anthony Higgs. Arthur won a pawn and had potentially a won position. Unfortunately out of deference to his opponent's grade he agreed a draw.

The second team has therefore obtained at least one point against Horsham, which means that our first team have finished second in the league. Although the first team failed to win the league, they obtained 32 games points altogether, which was more than any other team.

Brian Denman

New members

Hi everyone,

The other day Andrew Caswill asked me how I felt about the welcome to the club as a new member since last September. I responded that it was 'fine', but on reflection I think I was somewhat fortunate in being able to attend the annual meeting early on when many things were clarified for me. Therefore might it be worth slightly formalising the process for new members, which might include: being shown around the club/ where things are, provided an overview of internal and external tournaments, introduced to some members (of similar standard perhaps?), walked through the website/ blog..., announced on the blog?

What do you think?

Holcombe Handicap

First, a big thank you to Sue and Michael, for what must have been an incredible effort at producing this website.
Entries for the Holcombe Handicap close on Saturday 30th April. Members who wish to enter may sign up on the club notice-board or enter their request on this blog. This competition is a knockout event, where a time handicap will occur for the highest graded player.

Vive la difference

Salut, I'm happy to help people book a room in a hotel for the Dieppe trip. Ideally I would like to do this in one fell swoop. Perhaps we should set a time limit to determine when players are committed to going over and then they will know if they want help with the bookings. Two years ago people were confirming they wanted help with room bookings at different times.

It might be worth having a go at booking a room yourselves in the first instance. If the hotel doesn't speak any English I will be happy to help out.

Bon weekend,

John

Hi Everybody

I'm in ur blog, making new posts.

NB Easy Access to the Blog

I see that some people are joining the blog with a new gmail.com or googlemail.com email address. Just a reminder that you don't need a gmail.com or googlemail.com address to register for the blog, you just need a google account. Access to the blog will work more smoothly if you use the same email address as the invite.

Rapid Play on Wedding Day?

RAPID PLAY: THE NEXT WEEKEND FIXTURE ORGANISED BY THE HASTINGS & ST. LEONARDS CHESS CLUB IS TO BE HELD ON FRIDAY 29TH APRIL 2 pm START
7 Round Swiss of 10 minutes per game plus 5 seconds per move. Results will be submitted for ECF rapidplay grading. Non-members are most welcome to participate. Modest and many prizes available to be won by players at all levels. Entrance numbers limited to twenty – advance booking is essential. Prize giving is expected to be finished by 6:30 pm. Members may book by paying the entrance fee to John Driver on a Friday evening. Non-members and out-of-town members may book by contacting Paul Buswell on email paulbuswellchess@aol.com. £2.50 entrance fee for members who pre-book. £5 for non-members. Light refreshments are included in fee.
If interested, pre-entry - by 26 April - is ESSENTIAL.
From Paul Buswell

Welcome to the Blog

Members of the Club, please use your email invitations to register for the blog so you can post here. It works more smoothly if you register with the same email address as the one used for the invitation. If you would like to use a different email address, please let me know and I will send you another invitation. Previous non-bloggers, don't despair, do it now! The invitations don't last forever.