Friday, October 27, 2017

Staying up in the league and more games at home!

Congratulations to the fourth team on beating the third team last night - the exact result is still subject to some analysis. Although this might seem like bad news for the third team, it's great for the club as it increases the chances of the fourth team staying up. We would like a fifth team in the fourth division again next year - one that would give some league experience to lower graded players - but this year the fourth team will aim to pick the strongest players available in an attempt to avoid relegation.

So, what are the rest of the club going to do? We are making some changes to the internal tournaments to significantly increase the number of graded games you can play at the club throughout the year. There will never be more than one league match taking place on a Thursday this season (sole exception - 22nd March) and when there is a league match the whole of the through room will be available for the match and tournament games. This will allow more graded games to be played on a Thursday as well as a Saturday.

We have increased the number of internal tournaments and reduced the time available to complete them in - this is to make tournament play a more regular reason to visit the club rather than on the odd occasion you have something arranged. In future we may bring in internal fixtures - as many other clubs do - but for now we're leaving it to you to get through the games you've committed to. (Although internal fixtures might sound too overbearing they might actually lead to a simpler life!)

The other element we're seriously trying is to offer you the chance of playing in a second tournament after Christmas - a place in the tournament above the one you're in - if you can demonstrate your commitment to playing regularly enough to finish both tournaments before the end of April. This earlier finish date is so we can wind up the tournaments in time to try something else over the summer - when our membership has shifted slightly and we find new members with nothing to do and regular members having lost their unplayed opponents. So please expect to see tournament gaps being filled and your opponents increasing before the end of the season.

All this represents quite a shift in thinking if people take it on board and commit to playing more games at home - if they want to of course. It's part of the overall aim of attracting and planning for new members and getting some of our Thursday juniors playing in the senior tournaments. It's hard to get the balance right but we hope anyone wanting to play at a higher level than they're currently placed will jump at the opportunity to double their games and play some different people. There are still two whole months left to play half a tournament and qualify for two - for more details see the Tournaments tabs above.

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Dieppe Vs Brighton Chess Club Match Report 2017

We had a fantastic trip to Dieppe this year, although we lost the match 6 to 5. The team played very well considering Brighton was outgraded on every board by some margin.

We had such a fun trip, i really hope this continues for many years to come. A big thanks to the French team who treated us so well, not to mention getting in there cars and coming to pick us all up after the taxi company failed to show up...




Also everyone enjoyed the Doubles speed chess match on the ferry and congrats to Mikolia winning the chocs.

Anyway here are a few pics and video clips;
Video Links Below

1 - Before the match

2. Meet the Team

3. The Match

4. Congrats to the French

5. Simon vs Callum Bullet Game



Match Result

Thanks

Michael