Change of result

I recently reported on Brighton 1's game against Hastings 2 and gave the result as 3-2 to the Brighton team. After the match it was discovered that Hastings had accidentally fielded an ineligible player in their team. As a result Brighton's win has now been changed to the score of 3.5 to 1.5.

Open on Saturday 20th but ....

We are closed all Christmas week
and open again the evening of New Year's Day.

Robin Jones Vs GM David Howell

Robin Jones against (GM) David Howell from the London Chess Classic 2014.

Click on this link to view the live game; (Time control = 3 mins each)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQH4SXxEMIk

Thanks

Michael

Narrow win for Brighton 1 against Hastings 2

Last Thursday our first team was involved in a close match against a resolute Hastings second team. Four of the games ended up as draws and it was left to Simon Wilks to gain the all important win against a very experienced opponent. Like our last match against Lewes we scraped a 3-2 win. This means that we have won our first three matches, but it would appear that we must generally play better than this, if we are to stand a chance of retaining our title.

Christmas

We are closed on Christmas Day and Saturday 27th. We are open on New Year's Day, although anyone at a loose end may well be at Hastings instead.

Technically brilliant!

As most of you will know by now Sina Krause won her title match in October to become the Women's National Chessboxing Champion. Known in the ring as Zena the Technician, Sina joined us in the summer for the chess practice. You can hear her talking about the other side of things on Saturday Live on 15th November - listen from 37 to 43 minutes to hear the chessboxing piece. We are enormously proud to have her as one of only three women we currently have in the club. For more see LONDON CHESSBOXING.

Victorious first outing for knock-out team

There are ten teams playing in the MSCL knock-out handicap this season and the first time Brighton and Hove have entered a team. For finish-on-the-night three hour game enthusiasts this is essentially the one to join - no adjournments to alien computers or adjudications by ingenious experts, and no post-match negotiations before you lose on time in ten days rather than ten seconds. No - it's easy-peasy done and dusted, and captains can sleep in their beds, happy in the knowledge that a nightmare of neglected admin. won't wake them sweating in the night.

Tea and biscuits are for sissies in Staplefield where 'refreshments' are taken seriously. A merry time was had by all as our four-person team defeated theirs by 2½-1½ (with a default on board 5). The dreaded QPF wasn't needed by Rob who was first to win. The other three boards, on digital clocks, tried all moves in 60 minutes with a 30 second increment from move one. This seemed to work well, in spite of the automatic additions being somewhat baffling for an Arg. not used to digital. I was keen to try this, or, as it turned out, observe this and the Args. only needed the clocks to gamely give it a go.

		Argumentatives	KO 1		Brighton	KO 1
	Grade	Player	Result		Player	Grade
1.	159	Graham, Jim	1/2	1/2	Jones, Robin	163
2.	154	Kington, Paul	1	0	Cain, Michael	125
3.	105	Collard, Dennis	0	1	Brown, Terry	113
4.	102	Garson, Mike	0	1	Counsell, Robert	112

Hard-earned win for first team at Lewes

Last Tuesday our first team travelled to Lewes for a Mid-Sussex League match. Our hosts were without their first three nominated players including Dominic Lawson, the new ECF president. However, the match was very close and most of our players struggled to make an impact. In the end we scraped through 3-2. Wins were obtained by John, Simon and me while Paul and Geoffrey lost. A difficult match was followed by a difficult journey back. When we reached the outskirts of Lewes, we found that the road to Brighton was blocked. This meant that we had to take a long detour and we travelled north of the Downs through Ditchling. Normally there would have been some nice scenery to observe, but it was dark and the roads were wet. However, as we climbed over Ditchling Beacon there was a good view of the lights of the AMEX stadium in the distance.

World Chess Championship 2014 - watch games live !!!!

Hi Brighton Chess Club,

Carlson Vs Anand

You can watch the World Chess Championship rematch LIVE!!!!  using there either of these 2 links;

1. Offical Site:

World Chess Championship 2014 Calson Vs Anand Live

OR (better)

2. Chess Network Commentry;

chessnetwork

Enjoy

Thanks

Michael 

Dominic Lawson - Across The Board

Watch & Listen to Series 2 of Five games played by Dominic Lawson

including Magnus Carlson.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04mb80d#programme-broadcasts

Also Dont forget Calson is Playing Anand on Saturday in the start of the World Chess Champ rematch.

Come on Vishy...   ;-) 

Enjoy

Thanks

Michael

Wednesday club nights

So we don't waste our Wednesday nights, which are paid for to the end of March, there will be at least one or two committee members there for the next few weeks for anyone who'd like to come on Wednesday for an ordinary club night. Some home matches are scheduled (12th and 26th November) and other matches or just casual play are welcome. This guarantee extends from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. We're trying the extra night because of the lack of space on match nights last season - so this is a test to see whether we can sustain three meetings a week - at least in winter. Brian Denman also runs a junior class on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 which could still take one or two more younger players. So, if you prefer your fireworks over the chess board....... take refuge on Wednesday.

Club Tournaments 2014-15

The Club Championship, Plummer Knight and Tasker Tankard are now online.

There will be no Denman Cup this year, but a standard play Mega Open on the noticeboard at the club and the Rapidplay Ladder which will remain open to regular players and new members. These will allow the more casual player to play graded games against a wide range of graded and ungraded opponents. This is slightly experimental so we shall see if copes better with the comings and goings at the club. Join them if you're unsure how many graded games you want to play.

Don't forget you can now arrange with your opponent to play matches on a Wednesday night until the end of March. This should suit those who want to be sure of a table and a quiet room to play their match. But this is also experimental and won't be repeated unless it proves worthwhile, so - use it or lose it - like the corner shop.

Good start to the season for Brighton 1

Last night we won 3.5 to 1.5 in our home fixture against Crowborough 1. The visitors were without county president, Robert Elliston, but we are still missing our normal top board player, Luke Rutherford, through illness. We welcomed to the side a strong player in Simon Wilks. Wins were obtained by Geoffrey James and Paul Batchelor, and John Henshaw, Simon Wilks and I drew our games. This was a good start to the season, but many hard matches lie ahead.

First match of the season

On WEDNESDAY 22nd October we have our first match of the season when Robin's team - 2nd - are at home to Jan's - 3rd. This is also our first Wednesday match night! Please come and watch if you like and there should be space to play as well. We need to make use of Wednesday nights if we want to keep them.

The following day the first team are playing Crowborough 1.

Club Tournaments 2014 -15

We are proposing to run three all-play-all tournaments this year with an Open Tournament in addition.

The Open Tournament is open to all and there is no requirement to play all your games as there may be up to 24 entrants. The tournament chart is already on the notice board and will not be online. This will remain open to new entrants and is for new and ungraded members, members who can't commit to play 10/11 games and members who want to play more than 10/11 games.

Open Tournament Rules: To make this work all entrants must respond to challenges - you can't be picky about your opponents. You can, however, drop out at any time. Also you are under no obligation to set up matches and can just wait to be asked if you prefer. Contact details of entrants are on the noticeboard by the chart.

So far: 14 entrants. This competition is already underway.

All-Play-Alls These are more serious tournaments open to graded players committed to playing  a maximum of 10/11 matches before the end of June. Withdrawal is only permitted under exceptional circumstances (so as not to spoil the competition for the others).

Club Championship: over 160 with a maximum of five players playing each other twice.

So far: Brian, Mustapha, Callum, Geoff

Plummer Knight: 120-160 with a maximum of six players playing each other twice.

So far: Oli W., Julian, Jan, Peter, Kevin, Neil

Tasker Tankard: under 120 with a maximum of twelve players playing each other once.

So far: Rob, Andrew C., Oli L., Alaa, Andrew S., Sue, Bob, Terry, Grant

All entrants to all internal tournaments must be current members of both the club and the ECF. All the above are standard play and will be graded.

Please contact Andrew, see post below, or me for any issues or late entries.

Tournaments

  The OT is now running. Members (with ECF membership) can join at anytime throughout the year.
  The other tournaments will soon be running. Entry to these is limited. Members are expected to play all their games in these tournaments. If you have not signed up at the club and you wish to enter you can contact me via email or phone 01273 699335. You need to be a member of the ECF and please contact me asap (as soon as possible).

Thursday 2nd October at 7:45 pm: Talk on Chess Problems

On Thursday 2nd October we are privileged to be welcoming Michael Lipton who has very kindly offered to give us a talk on chess problems. He is a past president of the British Chess Problem Society and a FIDE IM of chess problem composition. He is a retired Sussex University professor who is hoping for a game or two after his talk so I hope we will have some talent to take him on. The talk is free to members so please come along to this quite unique event. Please come in time for a 7:45 start.

My name is Chris Donlan and I write for Eurogamer, a games website based in Brighton. I was wondering if anybody attached to the club would like to spend an hour in our offices at some point playing a PC game called Chess 2, which expands on chess in some interesting ways. Ideally, I'd like to interview someone who really knows about chess to find out what they make of the game.

Please contact christian.donlan@eurogamer.net if interested.

IMPORTANT SUBSCRIPTION NOTICE FOR RETURNING MEMBERS

Subscriptions for returning members are still £50 ( £30 concessions) at the moment until 7th October, after which it will rise to the new rate or £55 ( £35 concessions).  Please pay promptly to get the discount.  You can pay any committee member ( if cash ask for a receipt), or by cheque payable to the club, or by bank transfer - see details on the application form under Membership on the website.

Geoff

Tuition classes for juniors

I am planning to start free tuition classes for juniors from about the ages of 7-14 at the Avenue Bridge Club on Wednesday 1st October from 6-7 p.m. It is hoped that these classes will then continue on a weekly basis until March next year. The classes are intended for young players, who have had some experience of playing friends at home or at school or have entered competitions in connection with the Sussex Junior Chess organisation. It is not necessary for juniors to be brilliant players and I am expecting a wide range of ability. However, I am afraid that it would be difficult to integrate anyone into the group who does not know the rules. Although the classes will almost certainly start on 1st October, I have to obtain the usual CRB clearance first.

Enquiries can be made using the box at the bottom of the Membership page of the club website. Please give name, age and chess experience of child.  Sue

News from Glastonbury

Carl has made an impressive start to a new chess career with the South Bristol Chess Club. Forget Star Baker, check out their Player of the Week!

Sinquefield Cup

Well 'Fabulous' Fabian Caruana finally slumped to a draw against Magnus Carlsen last night, leaving him with a paltry 7.5/8 in the strongest field ever assembled :-)

Seriously, this is an historic performance; apparently they've now calculated his current TPR (tournament performance rating)  around 3150. Caruana has already won the competition on +7 score with two rounds to go. At the start of the tournament the average rating of the field was 2801; Caruana has now taken his live rating to 2836, the third highest of all time and putting him in second place to Carlsen.

Of what I've watched last nights game against Carlsen was astonishing, and their earlier encounter was great viewing too, as Sue says, this is probably the most professional chess coverage ever, really good.

If you don't watch anything else, I'd recommend the interview with Carlsen after round 7, it isn't very long and it get's really funny at about 2'45" , had me laughing out loud :-)

http://new.livestream.com/chess24/sinquefieldcup

http://www.2700chess.com

Cheers, Kevin.

The strongest tournament ever held

Hope you are all following the 2014 Sinquefield Cup where Caruana is on 7/7 against 5 of the world's top nine. Statisticians are pinching themselves and the commentators are going dizzy with incredulity. He's playing Carlsen again tonight as white. The live video is also much better than any I've seen before - starts at 8:00 pm GMT.

AGM of the Sussex Chess Association

The Annual General Meeting of the Sussex Chess Association will be held at the Lewes CC, St Mary's Supporters Club, Christie Road, Lewes, at 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday 9th September.

The organisation started in 1882 and is responsible for arranging county fixtures and competitions. It also produces a magazine once a year, which coordinates chess within the county.

You do not have to be of county standard or even a strong player to attend. Anyone who is a club member is welcome at the meeting.

Michael's draw with a grandmaster in a simul

In May 2013 Ray Keene gave a ten board simul at the Hove Club in Fourth Avenue. He won eight of these games while Sue Chadwick and Michael Cain did well to obtain draws.

Ray won the British Championship in 1971 and represented England in eight olympiads. He gained the title of grandmaster in 1976 and in 1985 was made an OBE for services to chess. He also has a strong Brighton connection and is an honorary member of our club. To date he is the only grandmaster ever to have represented the club in matches. He organised the Brighton international tournaments from 1979 to 1985 and the publicity from this may have helped our club when we were trying to stay at our premises in Pavilion Buildings. Ray has been chess correspondent of The Times since 1985 and has written over a hundred books. He is also an exceptional organiser and was involved in the organisation of the 1986, 1993 and 2000 World Championships.

I know from playing Ray on a few occasions when I was a young player that he has a highly original, hypermodern style which is difficult to cope with.

I enclose the score of his game against Michael Cain in the above-mentioned simul. Ray would of course have been under pressure to move almost immediately and it would have been difficult to calculate anything complicated. On the other hand this is another example of Michael reserving his best chess for these occasions:

Play Online Chess

[Event "10 board simul in Hove"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "3.5.2013"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Raymond D Keene"]
[Black "Michael Cain"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nc3 O-O 5. Bg5 d6 6. Qc2 Nbd7 7. e4 {This move does not seem to lead to any significant advantage for White. After 7 e3 b6 we have reached the position of the 7th game of the 2nd World Championship match between Kasparov and Karpov played at Moscow in 1985. 8 Bd3 gave White the better game.} e5 8.
d5{Black has a comfortable position after this move, though the alternatives 8 a3 and 8 dxe5 do not promise much for White.} Nc5 9. Nd2 Bxc3{9...a5 was an interesting alternative.} 10. bxc3 h6 11. Bh4 g5 12. Bg3 Nh5 13. Be2 Nf4 14. Bxf4
exf4{14...gxf4 would have given Black a more compact pawn structure. It might seem that such a move would have weakened the king position, but, if 15 g3 Qf6 16 Rg1 Kh8, and Black is quite safe.} 15. Nb3 b6{Black might have tried 15...Nxb3 16 axb3 f5, though 17 Bd3 would have been a little better for White.} 16. Nxc5{16 g4 was better preventing Black from playing f5 and planning h4 without having to worry about the reply g4.} bxc5 17. h4{A mistake which gives Black a definite advantage. 17 g4 could be met with Rb8. 17 h3 is safe and about equal.} g4 18. f3{This move does not seem to help White, but it would be difficult to suggest a good alternative.} f5{Over elaborate. Simply 18...g3 would have given Black a very good game. Now White can gain counterplay along the b1/h7 diagonal and also eventually down the e file.} 19. Bd3{Also to be considered is the complex variation 19 fxg4 fxg4 20 e5 Bf5 21 Bd3 Bxd3 22 Qxd3 Kg7 23 e6 f3! and if 24 g3 f2+ while 24 Qe4 can be met by h5 and if 25 0-0-0 (25 e7 Re8) Qf6. In these lines White must play very carefully and Black seems to have an advantage.} Qe7{Loses a tempo as Black moves the queen to the better square of f6 three moves later.} 20. O-O-O fxe4
21. Bxe4 Bd7{21...Rb8. Qf6 and g3 were all to be considered.} 22. Rde1 Qf6 23. h5{23 fxg4 Bxg4 with a small advantage for Black was also to be considered.} g3 24. Bg6 Rab8 25. Kd2{White naturally plays his king to a safe place. However, a critical line, which indicates that White's play down the e file balances the danger of Black's rooks down the b file, goes 25 Re2 Rb6 26 Bh7+ Kh8 27 Rhe1 Rfb8 28 Re7 Rb1+ 29 Qxb1 Rxb1+ 30 Kxb1 Qxc3 31 Bc2, which seems equal.} Rb6 26. Rb1 Bf5{A mistake which gives White a definite advantage. Black was better after 26...Rfb8.} 27.
Bxf5 Qxf5 28. Qxf5 Rxf5 29. Rxb6 cxb6 30. Kd3 Re5 31. Kd2{A mistake. 31 Rh4 would have given White a substantial advantage. After 31 Kd2 Black has the equalizing move 31...b5. 1/2-1/2

Brunswick Chess Festival 2014

Hi Brighton Chess Club,

Thanks for everyone who came down to the Brunswick Festival on Saturday. Unlike the rain last year we enjoyed a warm breeze and wonderful sunshine.  It was great to see the general public showing interest, taking photos, watching the games and playing chess with us. I really enjoyed the day and hope you all did too.

I would like thank the people of Brunswick Festival for allowing Brighton Chess Club to take part. I spoke to the main organiser "Jon The Van" and he said Brighton Chess Club can take part again next year which is great news for the Chess Club.

Click link to see pictures; Brunswick Chess Festival Pictures

Also here is a short video clip, just to give you an idea of how busy it was during the day.

Short Video Clip

Thanks Again

Michael

Geoffrey's excellent result in British Seniors

Geoffrey James recently came second in the British Seniors at Aberystwyth with 5.5 points out of 7. This was his highest score in the competition, though in 2009 he came first equal in the event with 5 points. Geoffrey is the club's longest serving member having first enlisted in about 1960. He is at present the club treasurer, but has also carried out the duties of secretary and match captain in the past. He has won the county championship seven times and the club championship a record seventeen times. He has also made over 400 appearances for Sussex, second only to John Cannon of Horsham in county history. Geoffrey has kindly supplied notes to his win in round 6 of the British Seniors:

Play Online Chess

[Event "British Seniors at Aberystwyth"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "31.7.2014"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Geoffrey H James"]
[Black "Tom Bimpson"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Be3 Qb6 5. Rb1 Ng4 6. Bg5 e5 7. Nf3 h6 8. Bh4
Nd7 9. Be2 Qc7 10. h3 Ngf6 11. O-O Be7 12. a4 O-O 13. Qd2{13 b4 with a Q-side push might be stronger as in James v Har-Even Greece 2011} a6 14. Ra1 b6 15.
Bg3 Kh7 16. Nh4 g6 17. Kh1 Bb7 18. f4 b5 19. fxe5 dxe5 20. dxe5 Nxe5 21. Qf4
Nfd7 22. Bg4 Bg5{Stronger is 22...f5 23 exf5 g5 24 Qe4 c5 25 Nd5 Bxd5 26 Qxd5 gxh4 27 f6 Bxf6 with equality} 23. Qf2{If 23 Qxf7+ Rxf7 24 Rxf7+ Nxf7 25 Bxc7 Nf6 26 Nf3 Ng4 27 hxg4 and Black is O.K.} Nxg4 24. hxg4 Qb6 25. Nf3 Qxf2 26. Nxg5+ hxg5 27.
Rxf2 f6 28. Rd1 Rf7{28...Bc8 is forced.} 29. e5{The winning move} Nf8 30. Ne4 Ne6 31. Rd6 1-0

Dates for your diary

Saturday 16th August
The club will be transferred to the Brunswick Festival in Brunswick Square - weather permitting. The Bridge Club will be closed for the day.

Saturday 6th September @ 3:00 pm
The Annual General Meeting. Subscription renewal time. All current members will receive the relevant documents in the next couple of weeks.

Saturday 27th September
Home to Dieppe Chess Club for our annual friendly fixture. Score currently level so we are putting out the strongest team we can muster! (And so are they.)

Resourceful play by Michael Cain

Ezra Kirk gave a simultaneous display at the club on 21st June and did not lose a single game. He took on eleven players and was held to a draw by Michael Cain and Arthur de Silver, but defeated everyone else. In the 2012-13 season he won against grandmasters Keith Arkell and Tony Kosten to establish himself as the highest rated player in the country for his age. More recently he has played little competitive chess as he has been taking several exams. He is already a FIDE master and plans to spend a year entering chess competitions to try to become an international master before going to university. We wish him the best of luck in his quest, though he probably has the potential to become not just an international master but also a grandmaster. I enclose the score of Ezra's game against Michael Cain in the recent simul. It is very difficult playing eleven players at the same time particularly when one is expected to make every move very quickly. However, we must also give credit to Michael for a resourceful display. Michael seems to produce his best chess in simultaneous displays as he also drew last year with grandmaster Ray Keene in this form of chess. On other such occasions he has given Nigel Short and Luke Rutherford very good games before eventually losing.

Play Online Chess

[Event "11 board simul in Hove"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "21.6.2014"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ezra G Kirk"]
[Black "Michael Cain"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]
[A10]

1. c4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. d4 c6 4. Nc3 d5 {Sometimes called the Grunfeld-Slav Defence.}5. g3 {Not the best. If White wants to fianchetto his White-squared bishop, it is better to play 5 cxd5 first.} dxc4 {Correct, giving Black an advantage.} 6. a4 {To stop Black playing b5. If 6 Bg2 Nf6 7 0-0 0-0 8 e4 b5 or Bg4 are both better for Black.} Bg4 {The best move is probably 6...c5 attacking the White centre. If 7 dxc5 Qxd1+ 8 Nxd1 Na6 with the better game. If 7 d5 Bxc3+! 8 bxc3 Nf6 is also strong for Black. Finally if 7 e3 Nf6 8 Bxc4 0-0 9 0-0 Bg4 is still better for Black.} 7. Ne5 {Black gets a definite advantage now. Better was 7 e3.} Bxe5 8.
dxe5 Qxd1+ 9. Nxd1 f6 {Better was 9...Nd7 and, if 10 Bf4, then f6. In this line 11 exf6 could be met with e5.} 10. exf6 exf6 {Better was the developing move 10...Nxf6 with an advantage.} 11. e4 {A mistake which loses a pawn for nothing. Better was 11 Bf4.} Bf3 12. Rg1 Bxe4 13. Bxc4 Nd7 14.
Nc3 Bf3 15. Bf4 {Better was probably 15 Be2.} O-O-O 16. Kf1 {Again Be2 seems to be the best chance.} Re8 {The correct move was 16...g5 and if 17 Bd6 Nh6 18 Be6 Rhe8 19 Re1 Ng4 with a strong position.} 17. g4 {Better was 17 h4 to stop Black playing g5.} Ne5 {17...g5 was very strong. Now the game is more or less level.} 18. Bxe5 {White should have played 18 Re1 so that Black would have had to lose a tempo to break the pin by moving his king. After 18...Kd7 or Kd8 White could then have played Bxe5. This might seem similar to the game but White would benefit from his rook on e1.} Rxe5 {18...fxe5 was better and would have given Black a definite advantage. The f6 square would have been vacated for the Black knight and there was the potential to play e4.} 19. Rg3 Bd5 20.
Bxd5 cxd5 21. f4 Re6 22. Nxd5 Ne7 {The game now looks drawish.} 23. Nc3 {Possibly Ezra decided against exchanging knights as he still hoped to win the game. However, it could be argued that a Black knight on c6 would have been stronger than a White knight on c3 in this type of position.} Rd8 24. Rc1 {24 Re1 would have been more or less level.} Kb8 {24...Nc6 looks better.} 25. Rc2 {Again 25 Re1 was a safe drawing line.} Rd4 26. Rf3
Nd5 {26...a6 might have given Black an edge. The exchange of knights brings about a similar position to what might have happened if White had played 23 Nxe7.} 27. Nxd5 Rxd5 28. Rfc3 {Surprisingly this move seems to give Black an advantage as White has difficulty defending his pawns. 28 b3 looks better.} a5 {Much better than 28...a6 as it establishes a bind on White's queen side pawns and gives the Black king a little more space.} 29. Rc4 {29 b3 might still have been the best move.} h5 {Not the best move. Black could have got an advantage by 29...Rd1+ 30 Kf2 Rb6 because of the weakness of the White pawn on b2.} 30. h3 {30 f5 gxf5 31 gxh5 would have taken all the pressure off White.} h4 {Black could have played 30...hxg4 31 hxg4 Rd1+ 32 Kf2 Rb6 with perhaps a slight advantage - cf. my note to Black's 29th move. 30...h4 is a bold move with the potential for Black to seize control of the third rank with his rooks. White must now play very carefully.} 31. Kg2 {This seems to be a mistake. White should play 31 Rc8+ Ka7 32 R2c5. If then 32...Rd1+ 33 Kf2 Rd2+ 34 Kf3 Rxb2 35 Rxa5+ Kb6 36 Rac5, which looks drawish.} Re3 32. Rc8+ Ka7
33. R8c5 {33 Rf8 and 33 Rg8 both lead to complex variations in Black's favour.} Rdd3 34. Rxa5+ Kb8 35. g5 f5 36. Rb5 {36 Rac5 also comes into consideration, though here also White is in difficulties.} Rxh3 37. Rc6 {This move seems to lose. White may be able to draw by 37 Rc3 Rhg3+ 38 Kh2 Rd2+ 39 Kh1 Rxb2 40 Rxb2 Rxc3 41 a5 and if 41...Rc5 42 Rb6 Rxa5 43 Rxg6 Ra4 44 Re6 Rxf4 45 Re1. As Black's king is a long way away from White's passed pawn and White has a threat of Rg1, the position may be drawn.} Rhg3+ {It appears that this move wins for Black. A rather amusing finish would be 38 Kf2 h3 39 Rxg6 h2 40 Rg8+ Kc7 41 Rg7+ Kd8 42 Rbxb7 hi=N+, which mates in a few moves. White could play 42 Rg8+ and try to keep checking, but eventually Black's king escapes from the checks and his 'h' pawn will prove to be the decisive factor e.g. 42...Kd7 43 Rg7+ Ke8 44 Rg8+ Kf7 45 Rh8 Rh3 etc. Also if 42...Kd7 43 Rxb7+ Kc6 44 Rh7 Rh3 etc. These lines were not tested in practice as a draw was agreed.} 38. ½-½
1/2-1/2

British Championship prize winners 2014

Two successes for club members at the British in Aberystwyth: Geoffrey James came second in the British Senior Championship on 5.5/7 and Callum Brewer came joint third in the Under 14s on 5/7. They can both be seen collecting their prize money between 23:30 and 26:00 at the closing ceremony. Congratulations young and old.

New ECF grades out

The new grades are now on the Members page of the website. Congratulations to Brian whose greater involvement in the club this year has resulted in both winning the Club Championship and making the top of the list. His interest and help with other people's games has also been much appreciated.

Brunswick Festival - 16th August 2014

Hi Brighton Chess Club Members,

A totally free day out that promotes your chess club. :-)

I am pleased to tell you about an up coming exciting event "The Brunswick Festival Chess Promotional Day" on Saturday August 16th from 11am to 7pm located at the prestigious Brunswick Square, Hove.

If you are interested in seeing last years photos; Last Years Pictures

To see where you go? click here to see map;  Map Of Brunswick Square

We have been allocated a space in Brunswick Square as part of the popular Brunswick Festival.
 Additionally the event organizer has kindly donated 2 large tables and chairs which we can use to play chess on during the day.

Would you be able to help participate with this event? (Yes/No/Maybe)

All you have todo is come down and play chess with each other and the general public.
If you are interested and are free on this day, please reply as I would really like to here from you? More people the better :-)

Thanks for reading this and will be great to see you between 11am and 7pm on Saturday the 16th August 2014 at the Brunswick Festival.

Good Skills

Michael

Tournaments

Congratulations to the following members in their recent tournament success.
        1)       Club Championship.
                        1st       Brian  Denman
                        2nd      Mustapha Othman
                        3rd      Geoffrey James.
        2)       Plummer Knight.
                        1st       Hussaini Ndakwo     Paul Selby
                        3rd      Julian Clark
        3)       Tasker Tankard
                        1st       Peter Benson
                        2nd      Terry Brown
                        3rd       Alaa Albadin             Kevin Gee
        4)      Denman Cup
                        1st        Oliver Loftus
                        2nd       Stan Chekhachyov
                        3rd        Sylvia Card              Andrew Shoulders           Dave Waldon

Members may wish to continue to play graded games in the following tournaments until the end of August.
         1)         The Open Tournament. Standard Play.
         2)         The rapid play Ladder.  The present rapid play chart will be removed. The present standard play ladder will just change to rapid play.
Both tournaments are open to new entries.

Weekend trips

If you're looking for weekend excursions there is a standard play tournament at Bexhill this Saturday and Sunday and the Weald Congress at Worth Abbey (near Crawley) the following weekend.

A message from Stan

I would like to inform you that I am not able to come anymore, because I am leaving UK next Wednesday. Unfortunately I will not finish my Open Tournament. I have to play one game against Neil Tasker, however a lack of time would not give a chance to do it. I am so sorry for unfinished tournoment!!!
  Also I would like to tell you and to all members of our club - GREAT THANKS for the time which I spent there. I wish all of you GOOD LUCK !!!

BEST REGARDS,

STAN

Ezra's simul on Saturday

All members are welcome to Ezra's simul on Saturday 21st June at 2:00 pm - a sighted simul this time so no limit on numbers - £3 a head. And a chance to find out about the course Ezra will be running at the club over a week in mid-August, which is open to all, members and others, although places are limited. Ezra is currently a FIDE master and the top-rated under 18 in the country.

Congratulations to John and Andrew!

It has now been confirmed that John Henshaw and Andrew Caswill will receive the Division 1 and Division 4 tankards respectively for the best individual results in those leagues. John obtained a score of 8 points out of 9 and Andrew 6.5 out of 7. Andrew will also receive an award for the best percentage score in all four divisions. It should also be mentioned that Michael Hamilton's commendable score of 7.5 out of 9, which included games in both Division 2 and 3, was the seventh highest in all of the divisions. The AGM of the Mid-Sussex League is to be held at the Lewes CC, St Mary's Supporters Club, Christie Road, Lewes on Tuesday 17th June starting at 7.45 a.m.

Tournaments

  A reminder to members that the DC, TT, PK, and CC tournaments finish at the end of this month.Please try to avoid leaving games to the last week, because players may be involved with other games or away.
  At the same time the 1st January to 30th June 2014 grading season finishes.
  The OT tournament continues until the end of September at the latest.
  Members who wish to play standard play graded games during the months of July, August, September may wish to write their names on the blank cards on the ladder and play Long Play Ladder ( LPL ) games.

Paul plays a captain's part.

Paul Batchelor has shown great loyalty to the club by serving as first team captain for nearly fifteen years. It is no easy job to be a team captain. Boards have to be arranged, clocks set at the correct rate, refreshments arranged and teams selected. If any incident occurs in a match, the captain has to be on the spot even if he/she is concentrating on his/her own game. Paul is also the county U-180 captain, a post which he first undertook in 2009. As his grading is nowadays over 180, he cannot play in this team, although he still organises the players. Paul also helps Dix Roberts, the Open team captain, and plays himself in the first team. The improvement in his play is reflected in the fact that he won the Brighton CC Championship in 2010. In the recent McArthur Cup final against Hastings Paul played a captain's part by winning on board three against Ollie Willson, a very promising junior who won the British U-16 Championship last year. Paul had a won game by about move fifteen and he did not allow his opponent to obtain any significant counterplay. I enclose the score of this excellent win

Play Online Chess

[Event "McArthur Cup final"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "10.05.2014"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Paul A Batchelor"]
[Black "Ollie Willson"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 {The Veresov System named after Bussian master, Gavriil Veresov, who lived from 1912 to 1979. The opening is less explored than the regular Queen's Gambit lines.} d5 3. Bg5 Bf5 {A playable move, though 3...Nbd7 is the main line.} 4. Bxf6 exf6 5. e3 c6 6. Nge2 Nd7 7. Ng3 Bg6
8. h4 h6 {This move gives White space on the king's side. 8...h5 is better and if 9 Be2 Qb6 10 Rb1 0-0-0. White could then capture the 'h' pawn, though Black would have compensation because of his play down that file.} 9. h5 Bh7 10. Bd3 Bxd3 11. Qxd3 Qa5 12. O-O Nb6 {12...0-0-0 is better. After the move played the knight and queen get in each other's way.} 13. b3 {Most strong players would make this move, but better is 13 a3. If then 13...Nc4 14 b4 (14 b3 also gives White a good game) Qc7 15 e4 0-0-0 16 b5 Nb2 17 Qe2 Qa5 18 Qg4+ Kb8 19 Nge2 Na4 20 Qh3 is a complex line which gives White a strong initiative.} Bb4 {Not the best. 13...Ba3 would stop a3 possibilities for White and allow Black to castle safely on the king's side.} 14. Nce2
Qb5 {A mistake as the queen is now shut out of the game for a number of moves. Better was 14...0-0.} 15. Qf5 {White is probably now in a winning position as Black cannot castle on the king's side because of Qg4.} Nd7 {Planning to castle on the queen's side, but the king will not be safe there. 15...Ba3 was to be considered followed by Rg8 and Kf8.} 16. Qg4 {An amazing computer suggestion is 16 Rfb1 planning a3 and c4. There does not seem to be any good line against this.} Bf8 17. Rfc1 O-O-O 18. c4 dxc4 19. bxc4 Qg5 20. Qf3
g6 21. Nf4 Re8 {21..gxh5 gives more practical chances.} 22. c5 {A fine move restricting Black's counterplay.} f5 23. Rab1 {More decisive might have been 23 Qd1 and if 23...Rxe3 24 fxe3 Qxg3 25 Qb3 Bxc5 26 dxc5 Ne5 27 e4 Qxf4 28 Rab1 winning.} Qf6 {Black might have done better with 23...Qg4 exchanging queens but losing a pawn.} 24. Nd3 {Better 24 Qd1 followed by Qb3 or Qa4.} Qe6 {Black might have done better with 24..f4 giving up a pawn.} 25. Rb3 {The obvious move and clearly good. It is possible that 25 Rc3 was slightly better putting one rook on the 'a' file and other on the 'b' file. If 25...Qxa2 26 Qd1 is unpleasant for Black.} Nb8 {Passive, but it is difficult to find a better move. Perhaps 25...Kc7 could have been tried to transfer a rook to b8. White could force the king back by 26 Qf4+, but the queen has better squares than f4.} 26. Rcb1 Re7
27. Nf4 Qf6 28. d5 {A good move but 28 Qe2 followed by 29 Qb2 might have been more decisive.} Rg8 29. d6 Rd7 30. Nd3 {30 e4 might have been a little better.} Na6 {A mistake which gives White a quick win. Better was 30...Qe6.} 31. Rxb7 Rxb7 32. Qxc6+ Rc7 33.
d7+ Kd8 34. Qxf6+ 1-0

:

Fine win by Callum at Hastings

One might have expected that 13 year old Callum Brewer would have found the opposition daunting at his first Hastings Masters tournament, but instead he did well to score four points out of nine. His best game was in the first round, when he completely outplayed the Norwegian player, Joar Pettersen. I enclose the moves of this excellent win:

Play Online Chess

[Event "Hastings Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "28.12.2013"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Joar G Pettersen"]
[Black "Callum D Brewer"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ {The Bogo-Indian Defence named after Russian grandmaster, Efim Bogoljubov (1889-1952), who challenged Alekhine twice for the World Championship in 1929 and 1934, but lost on both occasions.} 4. Bd2 {A more critical line is 4 Nbd2 to try to keep the two bishops.} a5 5. Nc3 b6 6. g3 {If White wanted to fianchetto this bishop, it was probably better to have done it a move earlier. 6 e3 seems better.} Ba6 7. b3 d5 8. cxd5{If 8 Bg2 Black can play 8...dxc4 9 bxc4 Bxc4 and if 10 Ne5 Bd5 with a safe position.}
exd5 9. Bg2 O-O 10. O-O Re8 11. Re1 Ne4 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Ng5 {A mistake which puts this knight effectively out of play. White cannot play 13 Ne5 because 13...Bxd2 14 Qxd2 Rxe5 wins a piece. However, White could have done better with 13 Bxb4 axb4 and then 14 Ne5.} Bb7 14. Bxb4
axb4 15. h4 Nd7 16. Qc2 Nf6 17. Rec1 Re7 18. e3 Qd6 19. Bf1 {White is running out of ideas. Black has a bind over the position, which makes it difficult for White to form a plan.} h6 20. Nh3 Nd5
21. Bg2 f5 {Surprisingly this natural-looking move may not be best as it weakens the g6 square. White was not threatening to capture on e4 as Nxe3 would then have been a good reply. 21..Ra3 would have been very good for Black.} 22. Kh2 {Better for White was 22 h5 to try to hold up Black's g5 plan, though Black was still much better.} Kh8 {At this stage of the game it is not entirely clear where the Black king is best placed. Black could again have played Ra3, but the most critical move was 22...g5. Wild complications arise in the variation 23 hxg5 hxg5 24 Nxg5 f4! It would probably be beyond the human mind to calculate these lines with certainty in over-the-board play, but it appears that Black would have been winning in all variations.} 23. Rg1 {Again 23 h5 seems to have been the only chance.} Qf6 {Good enough, though Black could have played an immediate 23...g5 since 24 hxg5 hxg5 25 Nxg5 Rg8 looks like a clear win.} 24. Bf1 {If now 24 h5, Black wins by Qf7.} g5 25. hxg5 hxg5 26. Bc4 {26 Rh1 would have given more chances.} g4 {This fine move had to be calculated carefully.} 27.
Bxd5 Qh6 {Not 27...Bxd5 when 28 Nf4 brings White back into the game.} 28. Rh1 Rh7 {A very nice finish with White now losing a piece. A very mature game by one so young.} 0-1

Brighton retain the McArthur Cup trophy

Last Saturday the club's first team defeated Hastings 4-2 to hold the trophy for the sixth consecutive year. A few days ago we had received a setback when we heard that our top board player, Luke Rutherford, was ill and unable to take part in the match. We wish Luke a speedy recovery from his illness. When the match got under way, Hastings were unfortunate to lose on board two by default. We do not know why their player did not turn up, but this win took some of the pressure off the Brighton players. Draws were obtained by John, Mustapha, Chris and me and Paul gained an excellent win. Earlier in the year the club won the Mid-Sussex League first division and it has been a good season for the first team. Thanks are due to Paul for organising the side.

Hastings

A team of five players from DC and TT tournaments went to Hastings for the day on Saturday 10th May and played a similar team in rapid play games ( 59 minutes each ). Each player played two games and overall we won 7 points to 3 points.

McArthur Cup final preview

125 years ago Lewes defeated Horsham in the first ever McArthur Cup final. The competition, which began in the 1888-89 season, was named after Sgt. Major William McArthur of the Royal Sussex Regiment. He had been a founder member of the Chichester CC in 1877 and was a keen composer of chess problems as well as a prominent correspondence player. He had been a secretary of the Sussex Chess Association and following his death in 1888 a halt was called to competitive chess in the county for about a month as a mark of respect. Next Saturday, 10th May, Brighton play Hastings at Hove to decide who will win the trophy. In the early years of the competition Brighton and Hastings clubs were not allowed to field players of county strength and this led to a number of the smaller clubs lifting the trophy. It was not until 1965 that the competition was opened to all players and from that time the winners have usually been Brighton or Hastings. Teams from Brighton and Hastings first started playing each other in 1882 and few years have passed without such a match taking place. In the first World War difficulties in travel meant that Brighton and Hastings players were forced into playing each other by correspondence. In World War II Brighton and Hastings managed to play several friendly matches despite the fact that the Hastings CC suffered war damage. We welcome our visitors from Hastings next Saturday and the usual close match is expected. The teams are well-matched and it would be very difficult to predict the result.

Library

We have been fortunate to receive a donation of books from the library of the late Sir John Cornforth, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, who belonged to the club and was a noted correspondence player. The books include collections of games of well-known players and books on World Championship matches, as well as other items of interest. These are available for three week loan and form part of our Reserve collection, now in the glass fronted cabinet in the library. You will need my countersignature to borrow a Reserve book, and either Sue or I can unlock the cabinet.
Anthony

Anthony has also taken over the Library page of the website and updated our catalogue. Sue

How Dona toppled a giant!

Dona Strauss lived in Hull for many years before she came to Brighton. In 1996 Michael Adams, who is one of the best players in the world, came to the Yorkshire city to give a simultaneous. Out of forty one games he lost only three, one of which was against an inspired Dona. We must make allowance for the fact that the grandmaster was taking on so many players at the same time, but Dona deserves credit for enterprising play. The game was published in the Hull Chess Club magazine (November/December 1996 issue) with annotations by club champion, Stuart Brown, but computer analysis has come a long way since 1996. I have tried therefore to update his comments. Please contact me, if you want a game published on the club website.

Play Online Chess

[Event "41 board simul at Hull"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "04-11-1996"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Michael Adams"]
[Black "Dona Strauss"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]
[B01]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. c4 e6 {The Icelandic Gambit, in which the Black player hopes that good piece development and pressure on the d4 square will provide compensation for the pawn sacrificed.} 4. dxe6 Bxe6 5. Be2 {A cautious move, which does not contest Black's pressure on the d4 square. 5 d4 or Nf3 are more normal.} Bc5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. d3 O-O {A sound move. Also to be considered was 7...Qe7 followed by 0-0-0.} 8.
O-O Nd4 {8...Re8 may have been more accurate to meet 9 Be3 with Bxe3 10 fxe3 Bg4 with approximate equality. After 8...Nd4 White could probably have gained an advantage.} 9. Nxd4 Bxd4 10. Nc3 {Better was 10 Nd2 followed by 11 Nb3 or f3 challenging the d4 square.} c6 11. Be3 Re8 12. Qd2 {We do not know if Michael deliberately sacrificed the pawn back to gain development. White is struggling to gain an advantage because of Black's occupation of the d4 square. He could have tried 12 Qb3 b5 13 Bf3 Rc8, but Black's position was solid.} Bxe3 13. fxe3 Bxc4 14.
Kh1 {A cautious move. 14 Rf3 was a little better.} Be6 15. Rf4 Qe7 16. Raf1 Nd5 {16...Rad8 looks better. The knight on d5 might become a catalyst in allowing White to advance his central pawns - as actually happened in the game.} 17. R4f3 Rad8 18. d4 {White naturally tried to advance his central pawns, though they soon came under attack. 18 Rg3 might have been a little better.} c5 19. e4 Nf6 {The clearest path to equality seems to have been by playing 19...cxd4 20 Nxd5 Bxd5 21 exd5 Qxe2 22 Qxd4 f6. In this line 21 Bb5 can be met with 21...Bc6 with complex play, which is in Black's favour.} 20. d5
Nxe4 {The crucial point in the game. 20..Bd7 was playable with perhaps a slight advantage for White. Instead Dona plays a bold and imaginative move, which probably came as a great surprise to her illustrious opponent. The complex variations might have been in White's favour, but Michael would not have had the time to enter into complicated calculations.} 21. Nxe4 {A losing move. Stuart Brown in the Hull CC magazine gives as his main line 21 Qf4 Bxd5 22 Nxd5 Rxd5 23 Bc4 Nf6 24 Bxd5 Nxd5 25 Qxf7+ Qxf7 26 Rxf7 Ne3 with a draw as White has no good move for his rook on f1. Stuart does not consider other queen moves for White. 21 Qd3 loses against 21..Nxc3 and 21 Qe3 is met by 21...Bg4 22 Rxf7 Qg5 with the better game for Black, but more challenging is 21 Qc2. Black's best reply would seem to be 21..Bg4 when 22 Rxf7 Qh4 23 Nxe4 Bxe2 24 Qxe2 Qxe4 25 Qxe4 Rxe4 26 Rxb7 h5 27 Rxa7 Rxd5 28 h3 Re2 is more or less equal. More dangerous for Black is 24 Rxg7+ Kxg7 25 Qc3+ Kg6 26 Rf6+ Kh5, but amazingly Black's king cannot be mated!} Bxd5 {White is now lost in all variations and Dona mops up in convincing style.} 22. Nf6+ Qxf6 23. Rxf6 Bxg2+ 24. Kxg2 Rxd2 25. Rxf7 Rexe2+
26. Kg3 Rg2+ 27. Kh4 Rxh2+ 28. Kg4 Rdg2+ 0-1

 

Pretty mate by John Henshaw

John gained a vital win for the first team in our recent match against Horsham 1. This season in the Mid-Sussex League he has scored 8/9 which makes him a contender to hold the tankard for a year, which is awarded for the highest individual score in the division. Not everyone knows that John won the county championship in 1972 and regularly played on a high board for the club and Sussex for many years. He took a break from chess in 1996 and it is no coincidence that the first team has fared better in the three seasons since he returned to the game. In this game an attractive sacrifice on move 26 allows penetration on the black squares. John has kindly supplied the comments to the game.

Play Online Chess

[Event "Mid-Sussex League"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "20.03.2014"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ian S Comley"]
[Black "John C Henshaw"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]
[20.03.2014]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. Nge2 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d3
a6 9. a3 Rb8 10. Rb1 b5 11. cxb5 axb5 12. b4 cxb4 13. axb4 Bd7 {White's variation is extremely solid - albeit drawish. It is difficult for Black to inject any dynamics/asymmetry in the set-up he has adopted.} 14. Bg5{?! Better I think is 14 h3 with Be3 & Qd2 and/or f4 & f5.} h6 {?! This does weaken both h6 and g6, but I wanted to avoid Qd2 with Bh6 to follow.} 15.
Bd2 Kh7 {Will be needed anyway.} 16. Qb3 {?! Not really relevant. 16 h3 with f4 & f5 to follow looks better. 16 d4 is also playable.} Ne5 {!? Trying to exploit the slight lack of co-ordination of White's pieces, but also risking speeding up f4-f5.} 17. Nd4 {The computer might prefer 17 Qc2, but this is more human.} Qb6 {17...Nd3 is fine, but I didn't want to give White a passed b-pawn after 18 cNb5.} 18. Be3 {?! cNe2 definitely better.} Neg4 19. Nc2 Nxe3 20. fxe3 {? 20 Ne3 - but Black is very comfortable then.} Be6 {OK but bRc8 is better.} 21.
Nd5 Bxd5 22. exd5 Rbc8 {The idea of Be6 was to dominate the Black squares.} 23. h3 {? But here 23 d4! holds albeit Black has reasonable chances after 23...Rc7 & fRc8.} Nh5 {! White's position falls apart quickly.} 24. g4 Rc3 25. Qa2 Rfc8 26. Rf2 Rxc2 27.
Rxc2 Qxe3+ 28. Kh1 Ng3+ 29. Kh2 Be5 {This was the idea when I played Nh5, but 29...Rc2 30 Qc2 Qf4 is brutal but effective.} 30. d4 {If 30 Rc8 Ne2+ 31 Kh1 Qg3. 30 d4 delays the end. White sportingly allows a mate.} Bf4 31. Rf2 Ne2+ 32. Rxf4 Qxf4+
33. Kh1 Rc1+ 34. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 35. Kh2 Qg1# 0-1

MSCL AGM

The Mid Sussex Chess League AGM will be hosted by Lewes Chess Club and will take place on 17 June. Please take this as a final reminder that any proposals for rule changes should be submitted to me by 12 May 2014.

Ian Comley
Hon Secretary

If anyone would like the club to propose a rule change please discuss it here or let the committee consider it. Individuals can submit their own proposals but having the support of your club will carry more weight.

Fireworks from Michael Hamilton

Rapidly improving Michael recently won an exciting game in the Brighton 3 v Horsham 2 match. Faced by a very experienced opponent in Peter Harbott, he sacrificed a bishop, then a rook and finally a rook for a bishop before mating the enemy king. The comments in the enclosed game are Michael's and mine and are based on computer analysis. If members of the club want a game published on the blog, please contact me.

Play Online Chess

[Event "Mid Sussex League Div 2"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "08.04.2014"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Peter Harbott"]
[Black "Michael J Hamilton"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 {A rather drawish way to play against the French
Defence} 3... exd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Bd6 6. h3 {White's opening moves signal
that he is aiming for a simple, quiet position with everything under control.
With 6.h3 White wants to prepare Nf3 without allowing any Bg4 pins. However,
delaying development can be surprisingly risky in the French Exchange due to
the rather open pawn structure.} 6... Nf6 7. Nf3 O-O 8. O-O Ne4 {This and
Black's next move form an ambitious plan to unsettle White.} 9. Re1 f5 10.
Qb3 Kh8 11. Kf1 {This puts the king on the vulnerable 'f' file. Better 11
Nbd2.} 11... Ne7 {Better 11...Na5} 12. Ne5 {White is in trouble after this. 12
c4 was better.} 12... c5 {A good move, but 12...Bxe5 13 dxe5 Ng6 was even
better.} 13. Bxe4 {Opens the 'f' file for Black, which cannot be healthy.
Better 13 Qd1, though White has a poor position.} 13... fxe4 14. Bg5 Bxe5 {A
good move, but probably better (although leading to complex variations) was
14...Qe8. If 15 Bxe7 Qxe7 16 Qxd5 Qh4 17 Re2 Bxe5 followed by Bg4 wins for
Black. White also has 17 Nf7+ Rxf7 18 Qxf7 Bxh3 19 Nd2 Rf8 20 Qxf8+ Bxf8 21
gxh3 Qxh3+ when Black is probably winning. 14...c4 and Be6 are also very good
for Black.} 15. dxe5 Bxh3 {A splendidly imaginative sacrifice, but
unfortunately White does not have to take the bishop. 15...h6 and Rf5 were
both strong for Black.} 16. gxh3 {This seems to lose. The correct move was 16
Qxb7, when 16...Rf7 (16...Bd7 17 e6)17 gxh3 Qf8 (17...Rb8 also seems to lead
to a draw)18 Bxe7 Rxf2+ 19 Kg1 Rg2+ is a draw. White can also try 18 Nd2 h6 19
Be3 (19 Bh4 e3! and 19 Bxe7 Rxf2+ 20 Kg1 Qf4 winning)Nf5 20 Bxc5 Rxb7 21 Bxf8
Rxf8 with a slight advantage for Black and 18 Kg1 Ng6 19 Qxd5 Rf5 with
compensation for the material sacrificed.} 16... Qd7 17. c4 Rf3 18. Re3 Qxh3+
19. Ke1 Qh1+ 20. Ke2 Rxf2+ {Another pretty sacrifice.} 21. Kxf2 Rf8+ 22. Kg3
Nf5+ 23. Kf2 Nd4+ 24. Kg3 Qg1+ 25. Kh4 Nxb3 26. Rxb3 h6 27. Bd2 d4 28. Rg3
Qh2+ 29. Rh3 Rf4+ {A final sacrifice.} 30. Bxf4 Qxf4+ 31. Kh5 Qg5# 0-1

Using the Game Viewer to post games on the blog

I have used the game viewer on the Resources page of the website to post one of the games Michael linked to in his post below. This can be done by anyone if you click on IMPORT PGN to load the game from your chess programme, then copy the embed code which appears in the box on the game viewer and paste it into your blog post. You need to look at Options before you publish and click on Interpret typed HTML and then publish even though it looks like a white box on the edit page.

Play Online Chess

[Event "Sample Game"]
[Site "?"]
[Date ""]
[Round "?"]
[White "Nadya Samova"]
[Black "Michael Cain"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. c5 Be7 7. Nf3 O-O 8.
Bd3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. Na4 bxc5 11. bxc5 Ba6 12. O-O Bxd3 13. Qxd3 Nc6 14. a3
Nd7 15. Bf4 f6 16. Rfe1 e5 17. dxe5 Nxc5 18. Nxc5 Bxc5 19. exf6 Rxf6 20. Bg5
Rxf3 21. Qxf3 Qxg5 22. Qc3 Nd4 23. Rad1 Ba7 24. Rxd4 Qf6 25. Red1 Rf8 26. Qd2
Bxd4 27. Qxd4 Qxd4 28. Rxd4 Rd8 29. Kf1 Kf7 30. Ke2 g5 31. h4 h6 32. hxg5
hxg5 33. Kd3 Kf6 34. Ra4 Ra8 35. g3 Ke5 36. Ke3 Ra6 37. Rg4 Kf5 1/2-1/2

1st Bexhill Rapidplay Congress, Saturday 17th May

Kill two birds with one stone!
Play chess and support the restoration of a beautiful neo-Gothic church in Bexhill. 
See the details at http://sussexrapidchess.blogspot.co.uk for a day out playing chess by the seaside!
Jeremy Hudson

Player Games History

Brian Denman requested I have provided a demo of how historic games could be displayed on the website. Here are 3 previous games i have played against Duncan Badham, Nadya Somva and Luke Rutherford. please click here to see an example. All the best Michael

First team wins MId-Sussex League championship

Last night the first team drew its match against Hastings 1, which was enough for us to win the first division championship for the third year in succession. The team finished with 8 points out of 9 with Hastings 1 coming second with 7 points. Not long after the start of the match a mobile phone belonging to Hastings player, Paul Kelly, went off and according to the rules John Henshaw could have claimed a win. However, he sportingly declined to do so and after a few more moves won the game. John has had a particularly successful season in the league scoring seven wins and two draws in nine games. After John's win,  draws were obtained by Paul, Geoffrey and me before Luke lost a complex game against Welsh international player, Francis Rayner.

Teams in the first division of the Mid-Sussex League compete for the Mowatt Cup. Godfrey F Mowatt, a preacher and Justice of Peace (c. 1874-1958), presented the trophy for the first Mid-Sussex League in 1923. The original competition, which came to an end in 1939, was for clubs centred around Haywards Heath. The league was revived in the 1967-68 season and at first followed the pattern of the first competition with clubs in the middle of Sussex taking part. Grading restrictions were also applied in the early years. Gradually the league allowed clubs from outside the central area of Sussex to take part and from 1993 it was clearly established that clubs could field their strongest teams. Another barrier was taken away in 2011, when Hastings (and presumably other clubs situated a good distance from the middle of the county) were allowed to play home fixtures. The league is thriving nowadays with four divisions and includes clubs from all parts of the county with the exception of the extreme south western area.

First team defeats Horsham 1

Last night the first team won 3-2 against Horsham 1 in the Mid-Sussex League. Wins were obtained by John and me and John conjured up a pretty mating position. Geoffrey and Paul both obtained strong positions, but were thwarted by resourceful defending by their opponents and drew their games. Luke lost against the very strong player, Gavin Lock.

This win means that we are now one match point and three game points ahead of Hastings 1 and an interesting match between the clubs is expected next Thursday. If my maths is correct, Hastings must beat us 4-1 to tie first with us and 4.5 to 0.5 to become outright champions. Although we are ahead on points, we must not become complacent as Hastings are very worthy opponents.  In 2009 they needed to win 5-0 in their last match in the league to share the first place and they achieved just that.

As I said previously, spectators are welcome. They must, however, be willing to be silent in the match room and to ensure that doors are shut firmly on entering and leaving the room.

Sussex University

    A good connection was made between the two clubs on Saturday. An enjoyable afternoon occurred between teams of seven players.
    Our club won 4.5 to 2.5. Winning boards being, Miles Miller, Sylvia Card, Stan Chekhachyov, myself and a draw with Alan Preston.

Tournament game etiquette

     Please keep to the agreed starting time and aim to arrive with time in hand. If you are not present after 15 minutes, from the agreed starting time, your opponent is entitled to start the clocks.
     He/she can the win by default. Your grade will not be effected only your tournament result.
     If one cannot make an agreed arrangement, please give your opponent at least 24 hours notice.
     Any problems or genuine excuses can be discussed with  myself.

Sussex University

On Saturday 15th march at 2.00pm a team of seven from Sussex University will be playing a friendly match v our club. This means are tournament games will probably occur alongside this match.

New and improved!!

The digital clock setting instructions Anthony has produced have been further amended to meet our particular time settings and can be seen via the yellow tabs above. These make clock setting a piece of cake for even the most traumatised of techno-phobes. Paper copies will be appearing at the club for hands-on use - so no excuses for not setting your own clock! (Anthony and Michael Cain have also offered expert help if you're stuck.)

Also Anthony, Geoff, Ian and Rob have re-sorted the sets and put many of them into new drawstring bags which are more secure and easier to carry and store. Please try and keep them sorted by counting your set back into its bag and putting any strays or interlopers into a specially-marked box. No more playing with assorted shades of antiquated cream and only vaguely related pieces - this is proper tournament style for 2014!

First team progress report

The first team have played two matches since my posting last week and these have involved travelling to both Crowborough and Horsham. Our Mid-Sussex League match against Crowborough 1 resulted in a 3.5 to 1.5 win for us. Our hosts were missing three strong players and wins were obtained by John and me, while Luke, Geoff and Paul drew. This win gives us a total of 6.5 points out of 7, but Hastings 1's 4-1 win against Lewes 1 means that they are still only half a point behind us. Our last two games are at home against Horsham 1 and Hastings 1 later this month and it is going to be a tough battle to win the first division championship.

Our other match was played against Horsham in the semi-final of the McArthur Cup, the Sussex knock-out competition which was first won by Lewes in 1889. Because the matches are decided over six boards and we had only one car, it was necessary for one player to travel by train. Thanks are due to Paul and Luke for sharing this duty. Horsham are a very strong team and we were at one time in a difficult position. After Luke drew his game and I lost, the remaining four players knuckled down to the challenge and all did well to win. The winners were Geoff, Paul, John and Mustapha, who all faced strong opposition. The 4.5 to 1.5 win means that we face Hastings in the final who defeated Haywards Heath by the same score.

New In Chess Magazine - iPad version

Hi All,

New In Chess Magazine (NIC) is probably the most nicely produced Chess magazine there is, though I've found I can't justify the expense of subscription as I never get round to playing through all the analysis, they usually have great interviews though!

NIC have recently released an iPad version, if you are lucky enough to own an iPad they are also giving away a free copy of one of  the recent issues to try out. It looks very good and they've done a great job of integrating a game player so that you can play through game analysis on the iPad as you go throughout the magazine, nice.

All in all I think it's a great way to 'consume' a chess magazine, it's a shame the electronic version isn't any cheaper. (This seems to be the way of the publishing world these days, I do think that digital versions should be cheaper then 'hard' copies).

Cheers, Kevin.

All to play for

The first team now faces a tough set of fixtures within a short space of time. Last season we won the McArthur Cup and the Mid-Sussex League first division, but we shortly face challenges in both competitions. In the league we have 5.5 out of 6 and are in the lead, but our last three fixtures are against Crowborough 1 away and Horsham 1 and Hastings 1 at home. In the McArthur Cup we have drawn Horsham away in the semi-final in a competition which is played over six boards. The winners meet either Hastings or Haywards Heath in the final. Spectators are always welcome, but please make sure that doors are shut tightly when entering and leaving rooms. It would be very unfair if a player in time trouble were to lose their game because of noise in the room.

Tournaments

Please note again the tournament deadline is 30th June 2014.
I do suggest you aim to have all your games played by the 31st May.
If you leave games to be finished in June you may find your opponent is either, a) away, b) on holiday,c) ill,d) extra work commitments,e) games arranged with other players etc.
The winner of each tournament is the one with the highest score irrespective of the number of games played.
Please do not leave games to the last minute. Please play all your games to make it a good competitive tournament.

Easy instructions for setting digital clocks

After buying the new clocks we have been able to 'release' some of the older digital clocks for general use. This has meant a fast learning curve as we all learn how to set them - but worthwhile as we begin to appreciate the benefits of automatic time addition, precise timing and visible seconds. Setting them is easy when you know how (!) so Anthony has produced easy-peasy notes for each one, so you can set them to club tournament time controls without wading through 70 pages of instruction booklet and six languages to find the right bit. The tabs at the top of the Blog link to these notes and sheets will be available at the club. Please try to get the hang of them, particulary if you're a league player, as you need to be able to set your own clock rather than leave it to the captain to set them all and have to deal with any problems. (Being captain is stressful enough!) Once converted to digital you'll never go back!

New grades

I have updated the Membership page of the website to show the new January grades.

Anyone not listed either

•  isn't a current member of the club,
•  hasn't played any graded games for or at the club (they may be listed under another club) or
•  hasn't played enough games to qualify for a grade.

Room availability 6th February

Please note that Julian will be using the small room on 6th February for teaching. Therefore the larger room will be divided into matches and friendly games: please keep the noise down for those playing tournament games.

Many thanks,

-Jan

Bexhill-on-Sea

First Bexhill Weekend Congress 22nd - 23rd March. Close to Bexhill railway station.

Playing Area Rules

There has been some concern expressed recently over noise levels at the club, and perhaps a lack of clarity about expectations and ettiquette. We have to balance the needs for concentration and relaxation, which we do by defining part of our space as 'the playing area' (a FIDE term) and the rest as social. The 'playing area' at the club is defined by whichever area is currently in use for serious, graded games. If there are teams playing this is usually the combined area of both the larger rooms, otherwise it is the smaller room.

 Playing Area Rules

1. Complete silence when games are in progress, the only exception being when a player has to whisper something crucial to his opponent.
2. The playing area includes the corridor outside where noise can still be heard.
3. Players and spectators may wander in and out but please do so as quietly and as infrequently as possible, remembering to close the door quietly each time.
4. Any noise from a mobile will lose you the game - it should be turned off completely.
5. If others are still playing when your game finishes, leave the pieces where they stand and leave the room quietly. Do not pack up, analyse or discuss the game until you are well outside the playing area. 
6. Please stay reasonably quiet even when in a social area as the noise can still carry.

Please have a look at the FIDE Rules for further information about conduct of play. We aim to follow these and base our rules on them as far as possible. Without an arbiter present the onus is on the players and other members of the club to ensure everything passes peaceably, so thanks for your help in ensuring this happens.

Saturday 25th January

Please note that on Saturday 25th January, from 2.00pm, the 5th Team are at home to Hastings&St Leonards 4. This means the long room will be occupied for the MSCL match and tournament games.