Duncan Roy v Andrew Caswill

In the spirit of the game, I thought that I would share the match I played with Andrew Caswill recently - click here to view it. Full instructions for how to create on the fly pages like this are in this post, at point 8.

Chess Happenings

Spectrum Chess have a congress in Tunbridge Wells 0n 21st and 22nd November.





The London Chess Classic is a super-tournament where:
England's four leading Grandmasters; Nigel Short, Michael Adams, Luke McShane and David Howell will be pitched against a world class field that includes a former world champion Vladimir Kramnik and 18 year old Magnus Carlsen ranked world number two and widely seen a future holder of the world crown. One of China's finest players; Ni Hua and the US Champion Hikaru Nakamura, complete the field.

Neil

I've just had a long conversation with Jodie about Neil. He is receiving the best possible specialist care but progress is very slow and his spirits are very up and down. Flick is by his bedside all the time. He is expected to be in Salisbury for about a year but prognosis is difficult; everyone is different and it is partly up to Neil how much progress he is able to make. The key thing at the moment is learning to breath unassisted. However he is very excited about the idea of playing chess via the correspondence blog and Jodie is going to get this set up asap and will help him with making moves etc. when she visits. He has a magnetic set she may be able to hold above him for him to see. I also told her about the website for news of matches and competitions which Neil is interested in following. She can take her laptop to read things off to him and show him the videos. He is very much cheered by visitors and wants to hear any news, but needs to be in his chair which will not be for a few more weeks yet when the breathing and speaking will hopefully have improved. She is fairly sure he must have got the card we sent but everything is in a box at home and he can remember little anyway because of all the drugs he was on.

I said we were all still thinking about him and hoping for the best and to give him our best wishes, and that we are looking forward to being able to communicate directly via the blog.
Our thanks to Duncan Roy and Jodie for enabling this genius idea.

10 places left - 14th November - Simultaneous Match - The Club v Luke Rutherford, Club Champion

1. Charles Holcombe
2. Duncan Roy
3. Brian Izzard
4. Nathan Gregg
5. Simon Hayward
6. Bob Davies
7. Andrew Shoulders
8. Dona Strauss
9. Michael Cain
10. David Langridge
    

Correspondence with Neil

I told Neil's family about the correspondence blog and they said they would get back to me 'after the weekend' but that was two weeks ago. I sent another email but have had no reply. I'm reluctant to harass them about this but cannot advance it any further without them...

... Sue perhaps you could ask again about the card? After all, 17 of us signed it!

Corresponding with Neil

I asked about the card we sent some time ago but no response - I guess the family have a lot to deal with. Neil is now in a specialised rehabilitation unit in Salisbury but any messages or cards can be sent to him care of Jodie Hague at 22 Perrylands, Charlwood, Surrey, RH6 0BL or emailed to her. (Everyone who knows Neil was forwarded an email from Jodie on 19th Oct. which included contact details.) Neil's progress is necessarily very slow and he is still horizontal and struggling to breath without the ventilator. Talking is difficult and he has asked for only very close friends and family to visit, but news is very welcome. The correspondence blog Duncan Roy has set up will be amazing for him I think once it gets going and we can all get back to playing Neil again and passing on our news and messages.

Correspondence Chess Blog for Neil

John, we don't know yet how to send messages directly to Neil. I've set up a correspondence blog for us to play chess with Neil but his family haven't set it up at their end. When they have done so, I'll open it up to one and all. We also don't know if the card we all signed ever got to him. Sue?

signed card for Neil?

Hi again, on a roll here. I may not have been at the club when a card was signed for Neil. I could get one to the club for Sat 7th Nov. It would boost his morale to see a lot of messages from people at the club as we must mean a lot to him given his commitment to organising the competitions, his attendance, going over to Dieppe etc etc . He is my big scalp as I have beaten him twice in club competitions and will miss the chance of improving my grade were I to beat him again. Is there a way of electronically sending him a message where he currently is (by this I mean keeping him informed of more up to date ongoings at the club)?

Thanks for the easing of communication re: competitions

Thanks to Kevin Gee, Duncan Roy and whoever else had input into putting competition info on blog site. It's made it much easier to get info on people I am due to play. I have limited time on net in a cafe and am more likely to spend it emailing and on chess.com but I don't want to take the quality of info on our site for granted.

Bob 'the Biscuit' Davies

What do you reckon on the nickname, has a nice ring to it don't you think (sorry Bob) ?

Let them eat biscuits

Bob Davies had generously declared that he will be bringing top notch biscuits and £10 for Luke Rutherford to give to his best opponent.

14 places left - 14th November - Simultaneous Match - The Club v Luke Rutherford, Club Champion

1. Charles Holcombe
2. Duncan Roy
3. Brian Izzard
4. Nathan Gregg
5. Simon Hayward
6. Bob Davies
   

Roll Up, roll up, sensation seekers. We had to move the date of this grand fixture due to diary clashes with the Railway Club, perhaps confusing some of our own diaries but surely more can declare their hands?

Simul

Good to see Duncan spreading the gospel according to chess.

I thought I had put my name down for the simul, but now I am not so sure. Could I post notice here that I wish to play?

Chessic train journeys

Placing the morning's study materials on the table I took a seat on my usual London-bound train. "That looks like a chess set" said the man sitting to my left, looking at the small wooden box in front of me, "It is" I replied, he turned to me, "Oh really, do you fancy a game?".
I generously awarded my opponent the white pieces and battle commenced. I soon realised that I had to take this seriously, he was certainly no mug, "I used to play a lot" he later admitted. White's position was cramped, I had him under pressure and gained a pawn. "I'm winning!" I thought, then reminded myself that these are the moments I often go wrong. As London Bridge approached we sped up a bit, but I was unwilling to risk making a mistake at speed and as often happens in my games we ran out of time. My opponent smiled and shook my hand, 'You'd do well in a club" I told him, "You obviously do" he replied. What a nice chap.

Neil update

Jodie writes:
Neil has been settling in to his new home in Salisbury for a week now. He was disorientated for the first few days and got sick and tired of being prodded and poked by a steady stream of doctors and physiotherapists but he is in very good hands.

One of the first things Neil asked upon arrival at Salisbury was when he can get in the pool to which the Dr pointed out that all of the apparatus he is attached to is not waterproof!! Also, Prince Andrew toured the hospital last week and visited Neil’s bed which I am sure this would have been very motivational had Neil realised who it was.

Neil no longer needs to wear the neck collar and is delighted about that and he has been allowed to have the bed raised slightly so he can see around the ward a little better…he has even been watching the odd bit of television.

Neil continues to be weaned off the ventilator and they do at times give him a voice box which allows him to speak but he finds this very tiring so he only uses it briefly.

Neil did develop another painful chest infection on Saturday which has set him back but he is feeling better as of today.

Match Season Begins

I've put the Denman Cup, the Eric Cohen, the Plummer Knight and the Challenge Shield cross tables online and will take a printed copy of each to the club tonight. Kevin Gee is our tournament controller - refer all questions to him!

Kasparov training camp

Chessbase have a good translation of an interview with Magnus Carlsen (sorry I know I keep going on about him but he IS big news at the moment, at least within the chess world and Norway).

I've seen the picture showing Kasparov in his vest before, but the caption got a guffaw from me.

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5846

Neil goes to Salibury

I have had an email about Neil to say he was at last able to transfer to the rehabilitation unit in Salisbury yesterday. He is free of infection and feeling a lot brighter, although still flat on his back and with the tracheotomy. It's expected that the more intensive physiotherapy he will get there will help him get more movement back. There will be some more news when he is settled in.