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.

Christmas

The club will be shut on Boxing Day and the following Saturday, 28th December. 
If it's too long for you to survive without a game or two then scoot over to Hastings for the kick-off of the legendary Hastings International Chess Congress where the Christmas Weekender starts at 9:30 Saturday morning.

Quiet match nights and new clocks

Now the season is well under way we are getting noise problems again on match nights. Therefore - on match nights - i.e. when any MSCL match is being played - the plan is to use the large through room, preferably with the screen doors open, for all the match and tournament games. Then there is enough room for two home teams plus any tournament games and spectators all in the same room. The poker room and the library will be used for friendlies, analysis and chat. If the folding doors in the large room are kept open people are aware if there are other games still going on, e.g. when a match finishes things can get very animated and disturb the players in the other half. Please remember this if you turn up early for an internal match (you can check the MSCL fixture list on the website if you're not sure).

Extra numbers also mean we were getting very short of usable clocks. Anthony has done a thorough inventory of what we have and mended what was mendable. Then we have bought six new analogue and five digital clocks for matches and released roughly the same number of older clocks for general use. Clocks and boards are now stored in one cupboard and sets in the other. We are expecting people to gradually get more used to using digital clocks so now there are plenty to practice with! Teams will have a choice of which to use.

Duke of York : Film: Computer Chess

Hi Folks,

A new film called Computer Chess is going to be screened at the Duke of York Cinema at 9pm next Friday the 15th November. 

Here is link to the film description;
http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Duke_Of_Yorks/film/Computer_Chess/

I think it would be great if we had a sort of chess club outing to watch this film. what do you think?

Also I am meeting Robin Jones at the Worlds End pub at 7pm a few hours before the film starts to play a few games of chess and a have a pint, please come and join us or meet at the Cinema.

Here is a link to the worlds end pub;

http://www.viewbrighton.co.uk/pubsandbars/worlds-end-maps-26388.html

see you all there.

Kind Regards

Michael

e2e4 Gatwick Congress

Seven of us went to the e2e4 Gatwick Congress at the weekend. The five in the U140 mostly played each other - when they weren't battling against the joint British Champion under 8s, plus one or two others. Rob did the best coming joint 3rd on 3½ - having played two of his colleagues and avoided the under 8s altogether. Mustapha came joint 4th in the U170 on the same score with Robin only half a point behind. A great tournament with great company, only the bar food pricey and abysmal.

First match this season [ First Team ]

Good win first match this season [4-1] over Knoll Knights.

Good to see Ron Nicholas in attendance and looking healthy

 after his health scare last season. Winners for Brighton & Hove 

 on the day were Geoffrey James, Luke Rutherford and Brian

 Denman. One down eight to go!. 

Chennai beckons

It's less than three weeks until the World Championship between Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen, an event most chess fans will be anticipating with relish.

Game 1 is scheduled to start on Saturday 9th November at 3pm Indian time.  The match is being played in Chennai, currently they are 4.5 hours behind the UK but as our clocks go back this weekend (take note) the games will start at 11:30 UK time by my calculation.

If it goes to 6-6 then November the 28th will be particularly exciting as it has been reserved for a play-off at rapid-play time controls - shame it falls on a week day.

I'd imagine a lot of people will be predicting that Carlsen will win without recourse to a tie-break, but it may not be as clear cut as people imagine; the fact is we haven't seen Magnus play in many (any?) match situations.

Anyone want to try to predict the result?

Let's hope that there will be a good live video feed and commentary.  Full schedule and other details from the official site.

http://chennai2013.fide.com/

BHCC Tournaments 2013-14 and MSCL home match starter

The Tournaments are now all up and running with early results already on the website (see http://www.brightonandhovechessclub.org/Tournaments.htm if you are reading this on Blogger). There are still spaces in all the tournaments which means they can remain open for as long as possible and regular players have the chance of entering two. All entrants should be able to use the link on the Tournaments page to contact their opponents (please let me know if you can't). Good luck!!

A very exciting evening last night as the second team took on the third in the first home match of the season. The second team won by 4-1 with draws by Paul Selby and Michael Hamilton making up the point for the third team. Only downer was that none of the ten players did any clearing up :-(. Please remember that the whole team should pitch in to assist their captain if they can, although I appreciate that some will leave if their game finishes early.

Library

The library catalogue has been updated. Please remember to write in the Loan Book when you take a book out. If you want to take out one of the 'Reserve' books please could you let me know and I will countersign the loan book entry. There is a disparity between the number of books on the shelves and the number listed in the catlogue - some books may have been lost. I will make further updates when I can. As always, if anyone has a chess book that they no longer use languishing on their shelves, do think of donating it for the benefit of the club.

Introducing the 2013/14 CC, PK, TT, DC and Open Tournaments

We may have dropped back to five teams in the MSCL but.....
we are running FIVE internal tournaments this year, not just the usual four.

All the tournaments will have an absolute upper limit of 12 players each so all entrants must be prepared to play a maximum of 11 games before the end of June.

The difference is that the usual four will be limited to graded players only. This is to ensure that all the tournaments are fair and we're not trying to guess the grades of new members to fit them in. Plus we have so many new members this season that four tournaments won't be enough.

The graded tournaments will be as follows:

The Club Championship - reserved for players graded 160 and above
The Plummer Knight - U160
The Tasker Tankard - U125
The Denman Cup - U100

The numbers have been carefully worked out so I'm afraid electing to play in a higher tournament than the one your grade suggests will not be permitted or others may not get to play at all. But, we are introducing the new.....

Open Tournament which will be open to all, high and low, graded or not. All new ungraded members are invited to enter this tournament if they wish to play graded games. This tournament also gives graded members a choice, and the most reliable and dedicated tournament players can enter two and play twice as many games over the year.

The tournaments will begin as soon as two players have entered the same tournament - I will put up ghost charts tomorrow. If you want to accept your offer of a place in the graded tournaments - and you are up to date with both BHCC and ECF memberships - you can ink your name in over the pencil and begin. Please let me know if you don't want your pencilled-in offer of a place and you will be left out of the printed version. Ungraded players - BHCC and ECF members - can just write their name into the Open tournament.

As another plus to this new system it's possible for new members who get off to an early start to get a grade at the end of January. They will then become eligible for any remaining spaces in the graded tournaments. Similarly, ambitious graded players on the cusp of a higher tournament may hold back in hopes of a grading increase come January (although they risk missing out if the tournament is full).

I trust you're all still with me because I'm hoping this will all run like clockwork and everyone will have the best chance to play more games, win their tournament and be generally very satisfied with life!

Subscriptions are due

I have added the club's bank details to the Membership Form. Previous members can renew their membership this way but please set up the payment with your name as payee reference. New members please pay with the Membership Form at the club.

Ezra's Simul on Saturday 21st

Ezra has agreed to give us a simul this Saturday afternoon. It will be £3 each to paid-up members of the club (you can renew on Saturday). There will be no upper grading limit and he hopes to take on all-comers. Starting at 2:00 pm.

BHCC AGM on Thursday, 5th September at 8:00pm

As everyone should have already received the agenda and last year's minutes there won't be more than a handful of paper copies at the meeting. In the absence of any further nominations the elections will be as follows:

• President (Sue Chadwick, standing for re-election)
• Treasurer (Geoff James, standing for re-election)
• Secretary (Rob Counsell, standing for re-election)
• Tournament Controller (Andrew Caswill, standing for re-election)
• Librarian (Bob Davies, not standing for re-election. Anthony Stanton standing)
• Publicity (Michael Cain, standing for re-election)
• Ordinary member (Carl Rabey has moved away. Robin Jones standing)

Our teams for the coming season will be captained by the following:

• First Team: Paul Batchelor
• Second Team: Brian Izzard
• Third Team: Michael Cain
• Fourth Team: Jan ten Sythoff
• Fifth Team: Andrew Caswill

Our teams depend on the willingness of captains to organise both the home matches and the away transport. Geoff is the regular driver for the first team. If you would like to see us back up to six teams again next season you need to propose a captain, any level, willing and able to take this on.

Annual subscriptions are due at the AGM and should be paid, preferably by cheque, to Paul Selby who will be acting as temporary treasurer: £50 full membership, £30 concessionary (if in receipt of means-tested benefits) and £15 for U18s. Please remember to bring this with you to the meeting.

You will also be able to sign up to play in an internal club tournament (current ECF membership a requirement - annual subscriptions run from 1st September).

Hope to see you at the AGM for another good year at the club!