BHCC General Blog

Blog Discontinued

2010-06-13T11:31:00.001+01:00

This blog has now been succeeded by a new general blog, which can be found at our club's website. Happy Blogging!

Peter Benson v Duncan Roy

2010-06-12T18:09:00.003+01:00

Yes folks, I'm so pleased to have got a draw against Peter Benson in a Challenge Shield match today that I'm blogging the game. Please note that you won't be able to see this game if you are viewing it from inside the club website: you have to view the blog on a separate page...

Buy my chess stuff

2010-06-11T14:52:00.003+01:00

I'd like to claim that the selling of all my property on eBay is for purely spiritual reasons - me turning Zen on y'all an' that - but the truth is that it is also motivated by financial reasons and practicalities.

For those of you who would like to chance to buy my chess stuff or the just plain nosey, I'm auctioning everything via this page:

http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/mr_duncan_roy/

There's a couple of chess books there already. I'm trying to put everything on a seven day auction. I expect that by the middle of next month everything I own but don't absolutely need (gotta say that or else some smart arse will ask why I am still wearing my trousers) will either listed for sale or sold.

Haste ye Back

2010-06-11T12:43:00.002+01:00

Does anyone know when the Hastings Weekend Congress is this year? If it is the first weekend of the year, I doubt very much whether I will bother to go because that would mean playing the first match a couple of hours after finishing the night before...

London Chess Classic 2010 Dec 8th-15th

2010-06-11T10:42:00.005+01:00

I know it is a long way off, but I do recommend attending this event if you can. Sue and I had a really good day there last year (this was my glowing report http://brightonchess.blogspot.com/2009/12/london-chess-classic.html) . To make things more exciting there is a change to the line-up this year, instead of Ni Hua will be the World Champ himself, 'Vishy' Anand! So the line-up is Anand, Kramnik, Carlsen, Nakamura, Adams, Short, Howell, McShane; as a British chess fan I don't honestly think one could wish for more, excepting possible the inclusion of the GingerGM ;-)

More details in the press release here:
http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/anand-carlsen-kramnik-in-london-chess-classic/

Brighton and Hove wins McArthur Cup second year in a row!

2010-06-08T20:34:00.010+01:00

For those who haven't yet seen the Match Reports Blog, Brighton and Hove have retained the McArthur Cup with a 3½- 2½ win against .... hmmm .... not sure exactly, can you enlighten us further Paul? Hastings and St. Leonards by any chance? Anyway, well done!!

PS Paul has confirmed that, as last year, their old adversary Hastings and St. Leonards were indeed the defeated finalists. Thank you, Paul.

2010-06-08T11:45:00.002+01:00

Yep, seeing all the updates here too. Thanks Duncan.

Denman Cup Chart

2010-06-08T11:40:00.001+01:00

Simon, just checked at this end and it looks okay to me. I presume that you did refresh your page? What is your ISP?

Competition Charts

2010-06-08T10:42:00.000+01:00

Thanks for doing these Kevin.

Duncan - The Denman Cup chart appears to have failed to update.

Thanks for doing the others.

Percentages PlayedDenman Cup: 61%Eric Cohen Cup: 73%Plummer Knight: 56%Challenge Shield: 45%Club Championship: 27%

2010-06-08T06:40:00.006+01:00

Thanks to Kevin Gee, our tournament controller, we have updated competition charts which are now online. We're now less than two months away from the closing date of the competitions.

Buster GM

2010-06-07T13:28:00.001+01:00

4th Weald Chess Congress 2010

2010-05-29T11:04:00.002+01:00

Jonathan Tuck asked me to draw attention to the 4th Weald Chess Congress being held in Copthorne Prep School on 10th - 11th July. I have some entry forms for the notice board.

Match against Dieppe 25th September

2010-05-28T19:08:00.006+01:00

Olivier has emailed with the names of the Dieppe team for September - there are fifteen names - so the eight people currently on the Brighton and Hove list are definitely in the team. Seven members of our team are still being sort so please contact me if you want to play.

PS Simon is also on the list. Still six places left. (Duncan please can you add Simon? Ta.)

MSCL AGM last night

2010-05-25T10:07:00.004+01:00

A productive AGM was held in Uckfield last night. Brighton and Hove were represented by Paul Selby, Simon Hayward and myself. (We could have had more but numbers generally were down on last year. Did some one mention football?) For a quick summary of what was passed and what wasn't see the MSCL website.

A note this morning from John Herbert of Hastings and St. Leonards reads:

I was disappointed that no concession was made to Hastings last evening.I would like to suggest that all Clubs be asked whether, irrespective of a hitherto unwrritten Rule, they would be willing for their teams to play Away fixtures v Hastings at Hastings. The response may be sufficient to keep Hastings in the MSL at least for another season.
I have not forgotten Bexhill, but at the moment Hastings is the big issue.

Perhaps league players would like to consider this one? We would obviously like to take your views into account when the committee considers our response. (It was pointed out at last night's meeting that the road to Hastings has been vastly improved in recent years.)

Dieppe Match web page

2010-05-24T17:53:00.002+01:00

I've updated the page for International Matches (under the News & Events menu tab), so that it has an up to date list of applicants for the team and links to the Dieppe Chess Club website, the original page and a translation of it. When will the team be announced Sue? It would be good to know when we'll know by sure whether we get into the team.

US Championship

2010-05-24T13:11:00.002+01:00

The US championship is coming to a close with a last round showdown today between Gata Kamsky and Yuri Shulman , these two players are a point ahead of the field.

Current champ Hikaru Nakamura yesterday lost his chance to remain in contention after going down to a killer move from Shulman. The position shown is from this game just before the axe fell. After being checked white has just played his king to h1, can you find the tactic for black?

Nakamura - Shulman, 2010 US Championship, St. Louis.

Position after 26. Kh1

From your International Correspondent

2010-05-20T09:03:00.002+01:00

Chessbase have published the first part of an interesting interview with Anand discussing who helped him prepare for his recent battle with Topalov. www.chessbase.com

Seminary

2010-05-17T08:36:00.002+01:00

I thought that the seminar (which I did make it in for after all) was excellent! Well done Sue! Here's to the next one...

Seminar this afternoon

2010-05-15T10:29:00.003+01:00

This afternoon's seminar will still be going ahead in the table tennis room for anyone interested - 2:00 pm start. Please bring something to share, anything will do: game, position, puzzle, technical wizardry, world championship analysis (!) etc.. The demo board can be used and refreshments will be available.

seminary

2010-05-15T08:16:00.003+01:00

Have woken up this morning sneezing, spluttering and generally feeling more sorry for myself than the cold I have probably justifies. Anyway, I fell crap and, sorry, but I'll be missing today's seminar which I previously said I'd contriute for.

The table tennis room has been booked for the seminar. However, our club will have to put the table tennis table back exactly where it normally sits, in the middle of the room, afterwards, correctly set up. Otherwise, the Railway Club may stop us from using the table tennis room. Also, it's not possible for the Railway Club to police what goes on in the table tennis rooms (no cctv or staff on the top floor), so it is incumbent on us to diplomatically control the space.

2010-05-13T16:07:00.001+01:00

As the ICC put it veni, vidi, Vishy. Good on him.

See you Saturday

Topalov

2010-05-12T11:03:00.002+01:00

Yep, love him or loathe him you've got to feel for the guy. He carried on scrapping to the end. Or should that be scraping ;-)

Wot a blunder

2010-05-11T18:53:00.000+01:00

Wow! How awful for Topalov. I see some people are pointing out that the combination playing on the queenside and then noodling about with the kingside pawns creates lots of opportunities for blunders.

Still, i know how that feels in a club competition, so imagine how it must feel in a world champ match.

Well done Anand, oldest world champ since Botvinnik.

2010-05-11T17:36:00.002+01:00

Topalov has resigned, Anand remains the champ, great match! Commentators are already talking about Carlsen :-)

2010-05-11T16:16:00.002+01:00

Wow .... 16:15, move 37. Looks as if Topalov has blundered, a high pressure tactical finish to come.

World Championship - game on!

2010-05-11T10:39:00.003+01:00

The score is 5.5 - 5.5 in the Anand - Topalov match and today is Game 12, the last of the classical games. A big, big game as the winner will be world champion; a draw will lead to a tie-break situation with rapid play games and then blitz. Topalov has the advantage of the white pieces so there is much speculation as to what opening will be played. The general assumption is that 1.d4 will be played as it has been (I think) by white in all bar game 11 when Anand played the English (1.c4), it would be exciting to see 1.e4 but that seems unlikely at this stage with so much at stake. The replies from Anand so far have been either a 'Kramninkian' Slav defense or the Grunfeld, which has typically led to sharper play, or at least more mistakes/opportunities.

Kick-off is at 13:00 BST and online coverage is very good. My preference is a combination of the official site and other sources of analysis. The official site tracks the live game and also has a web-cam feed so that you can see what the players are doing.

http://www.anand-topalov.com/

In addition I have been following ICC commentary (this requires paid membership) . Chessdom amongst others provides ongoing comment on the game, but recently I have found that Susan Polgar's live comments are pretty good http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/ .

PS I haven't forgotten the seminar on the 15th, as I haven't seen many of you for a while it would be nice to catch up and perhaps share a few jars, if you can tear yourselves away from the footie ;-)

Books, Videos and DVDs

2010-05-07T20:45:00.003+01:00

Ron Nicholas has donated 55 chess books and a hoard of DVDs and videos too. We effectively now have a video library. I have locked them in the cupboard in the match room.

You are all welcome to borrow them, however I will put a borrowing limit of 3 weeks on the DVDs and vids, as I do not want them to just disappear!

Many, many thanks to Ron for his kind donation.

2010-04-30T20:37:00.002+01:00

Please note: although the website looks like it is up, it is only pretending. There may be one or two more outages in the coming 72 hours. I have changed web hosts and domain name registrars. All sorts of things become possible under the new regime, when migration is finished, so it will be worth it. Once again, I'm sorry if anyone is inconvenienced by any outages. Horrible word that but it is here to stay so I might as well use it.

2010-04-30T18:40:00.003+01:00

The website is down again. I hope this doesn't inconvenience anyone? It will be up again soon. There is another propagation issue. I hope this will be the last time it is down, ever. Famous last words.

Mid Sussex Chess League AGM: Agenda, Rules Changes & Guidance on Rules

2010-04-30T08:16:00.003+01:00

The following has been sent to me from the Mid Sussex Chess League. Our club gets 6 votes at the AGM because we have entered 6 teams into the league. Members other than those delegated to vote by our committee can attend, if they wish.

MID-SUSSEX CHESS LEAGUE
Annual General Meeting
7:30 pm, Monday 24th May 2010
Main Hall, Luxford Centre, Library Way, Uckfield TN22 1AR

AGENDA

1. Chairman’s opening remarks and apologies for absence.
2. Minutes of 2009 AGM (previously circulated).
3. Secretary's Report and matters arising.
4. Treasurer's Report and matters arising.
5. Fixtures Secretary’s Report and matters arising.
6. Match Recorder’s Report and matters arising.
7. County Adjudication Secretary’s report and matters arising.
8. Presentation of Trophies.
9. Election of Officers:

i) Chairman
ii) Secretary
iii) Fixtures Secretary
iv) Treasurer
v) Match Recorder
vi) Webmanager
vii) Auditor

10. SCCA Matters relating to the League and its clubs.
11. Management Committee's proposals for rule changes on nominations. (Rule 4.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3 and 4.2.2)
12. Management Committee's proposals for rule changes on defaults. (Rule 6.2)
13. Management Committee's proposals for interpretation of rules. (Rule 8.1)
14. B&H's proposal to extend the playing season to 14th May and hold the AGM in June. (Rule 2.1 and 14.1)
15. Horsham's proposal to increase first teams to six boards. (Rule 4.1.1 and 5.1)
16. If 15. is rejected then Management Committee's proposal to abolish second division winners' option to decline promotion. (Rule 1.3)
17. Vote on whether to hold 2011 AGM in Uckfield or Lewes.
18. Any other business.

Proposals for Rule Changes 2010 with amendments in red

Agenda Item 11:

There is a problem with a much higher rate of teams in fulfilling their fixture obligations. We suggest part of the cause is the lack of restriction on nominations on those clubs with the highest number of teams.

Declaring nominations

4.1.2 .... a minimum of its next 4 strongest players for its second team. ........... a minimum of its next 4 strongest players for its 3rd team, and so on.

4.2.2 .... may appear on a match score card twice for higher teams....... Upon appearing on a match score card a 3rd time for any higher team.....

New 4.1.3 It is recognised that a player’s grade may not be the best guide to current form. However, the Management Committee may require changes to be made where there is sufficient discrepancy between gradings and nomination order.

An alternative would be no nominations. Clubs must schedule their players in strength order for allocation to the teams. Once a player has played three times for a team they are automatically debarred from lower teams.

Agenda Item 12:

6.2 Seriously defaulting teams A team that postpones or rearranges a match other than in accordance with Rule 2.6 or has insufficient players....

Agenda Item 13:

In the light of issues that have arisen in recent years the MC consider that the above rules require amendment. In some areas it appears to the MC that additional material will be beneficial to assist clubs in interpreting the rules and ensuring consistency. We believe this would best be covered as guidance material appended to the rules which we have drafted.

New rule 8.1 (ie before the current 8.1) The FIDE laws apply in general and the MC will utilise the version produced by the Chess Arbiters Association for interpretation of the various aspects of these laws in the context of the MSCL.

Agenda Item 14:

2.1 Season The season will commence with the distribution of Fixture Lists in accordance with rule 2.5. All matches, other then additional matches [see rule 12], should be completed by 14th May, unless permission has been obtained from the League Secretary to play the game at a later date.

14.1 Annual General Meeting The Annual General Meeting of the League will be held in June each year. The League Secretary shall circulate the AGM agenda to clubs at least 14 days before the date of the meeting in order that clubs have time to consider proposed rule changes. The business of the meeting shall include reports from league officers, submission of annual accounts and election of officers for the forthcoming season, and may include proposals for rule changes and consideration of other matters of concern to the league."

Agenda Item 15:

5.1 Team size Teams in the first division shall have 6 boards. Five-board matches shall be played in all other divisions.

4.1.1 Each club entering two teams where at least one team is in the first division must nominate a minimum of its 5 strongest players for its first team. If the club does not have a team in the first division it must nominate a minimum of its 4 strongest players for its first team.

Agenda Item 16:

1.3 Promotion & relegation From season to season, promotion and relegation shall operate on a two-up, two-down basis across all divisions. Each team that wins promotion must take their place in the higher division next season, (DELETE with the exception of teams in the second division, who may decline promotion.) Other adjustments may also be made by the Management Committee from time to time as teams enter or withdraw from the League.

GUIDANCE NOTES

1. Purpose, Status and Amendment of Guidance Notes.

The Rules of the League cannot expect to address every situation that might arise. Indeed, attempting to do so would risk the Rules becoming ever more extensive and overly prescriptive. However, as in any competitive activity, inconsistent interpretation or application of the Rules by or to participants can create problems. These Guidance Notes should be read in conjunction with the relevant Rules, but they do not have the status of Rules. Rather, they give guidance to members on how the Management Committee are likely to exercise their responsibilities under Rule 16.1 (“Interpretation of the rules”). Guidance Notes may be issued or amended from time to time by the Management Committee as the need arises. They are not intended to require approval at a General Meeting, but participants in the League are invited to raise comments on them, either directly with Committee members or through the Forum facility on the League website.

2. Multiple Team Entries and Home Venues. (See Rules 1.1, 2.3 and 2.5)

With the playing season running from mid-October to mid-April, there are approximately 21 weeks available, after allowing for holiday periods, to fit in all the match fixtures. With typically 9 or 10 teams in each Division, each team can expect to have 4 or 5 home matches. Consequently, if a club’s home venue can only accommodate 1 match per evening, it is highly unlikely that entering more than 4 teams can be catered for. Even with 4 teams, experience shows that some compromises may arise over trying to fit everything in and give a reasonable spread of matches throughout the season. The more a team takes advantage of the right under Rule 2.5 to declare up to 15 “blackout dates” when they do not wish to be scheduled to play a match, the more this situation will be exacerbated. With more than 4 teams, and one home match night per week, a venue with facilities to accommodate at least 2 matches simultaneously will be necessary. Alternatively, a club might consider designating more than one match night per week. In any event, the ability to accommodate 2 or more matches simultaneously can greatly ease the task of arranging the fixtures list within the constraints of the playing season.

3. Fixture Changes and Penalties for Defaulting Matches. (See Rules 2.6, 6.2 and 8.4)

Rule 2.6 requires that any requests to make changes to match fixtures are to be agreed with the opposing team(s) within 14 days of the fixture lists being circulated. After then, changes are only permitted under ”exceptional circumstances”. The Rules do not attempt to define what might constitute “exceptional circumstances”. The Management Committee will exercise a degree of discretion in this matter. However, circumstances that reflect lack of planning rather than force majeure are unlikely to be considered “exceptional”. Severe weather, particularly snow, has traditionally been accepted. A car transporting the majority of the away team breaking down on the way to the venue has also been accepted. On the other hand, shortage of players or lack of a driver would not normally be accepted.

Requests to postpone matches more commonly originate from the away team. Given the facility to declare “blackout dates” before the start of the season and, that with typical division sizes, there are unlikely to be more than 4 or 5 away fixtures per season for each team, expecting clubs to fulfil their commitments to the League is not unreasonable. Not only can it be difficult to accommodate re-arranged matches in the overall match schedule, but doing so can disadvantage other teams who do fulfil their match commitments, even if it means sometimes fielding a below strength team, or are requested to agree to a new date at short notice.

Clubs need to bear in mind the rather onerous penalties imposed on “seriously defaulting teams” under Rule 6.2. These involve a 1 match point penalty and the requirement to re-arrange the match for a date convenient to the team defaulted against. Failure to replay the match results in all the defaulting team’s matches for the season being declared void and automatic relegation for the following season. Simply conceding an all-boards loss by default is not permitted under League Rules. These penalties associated with “seriously defaulting” can apply under any of the following circumstances:

- the entire team fails to turn up at the appropriate venue without warning or valid reason (e.g. car breakdown or accident en-route to the venue)

- a team notifies their opponents that they are unable to make the match on the scheduled date, but the reason for this does not satisfy the “exceptional circumstances” criterion of Rule 2.6, as discussed above

- a partial team turns up, but with insufficient players to win a match, by the deadline established under Rule 8.4 (again, excluding exceptional circumstances such as car breakdown or accident en-route)

4. Determining Playing Strength for Declaring Nominated Players or Team Order. (See Rules 4.1, 4.3 and 5.2)

Clubs entering more than 1 team are required to nominate a certain number of players for each team except the lowest, in accordance with Rule 4.1. These “nominated players” are then ineligible to play for a lower team that the one for which they have been nominated. Under Rule 5.2, all teams must play in descending order of playing strength. While a player’s grading is the most readily quantified guide to playing strength, both these Rules acknowledge that grading alone is not necessarily the only or best guide. Reasons for deviating from strict grading order might include a junior player whose current playing strength is judged to have increased noticeably over a short period of time, or a player whose grading might have been based on a minimal number of games and been unduly influenced by just a few abnormally good or bad results. The League depends upon the judgement of the player’s club to exercise this discretion.

Where a club has 2 or more players with similar gradings, their nomination order might also be influenced by the desire to enable a particular player to act as a playing captain of a particular team, or because the player is generally relied upon to provide transport to away matches. While perhaps not directly permitted under the Rules, the Management Committee is unlikely to make an issue of small grading “discrepancies” for reasons such as this. (It is interesting to note that for the 2004 / 05 season, one club nominated a player for their second team to enable him to play as captain even though his grading exceeded those of 2 players nominated for their first team. The grading discrepancy was up to 22 points. This was accepted, but a special condition was imposed on this player preventing him from playing for the first team.)

Another issue that can arise is that of a player who is recognised to be relatively strong but who, for whatever reason, does not have a current ECF grading. Again, the judgement and discretion of the player’s club is called upon to respect the spirit of these Rules.

Clubs must also take note of Rule 4.3 in the case of any new players joining during the season and slot them into teams accordingly.

However, instances may arise where the Management Committee are called upon to review apparent discrepancies in nominations or team order. This may arise from their own scrutiny of match records or from a complaint raised by another club. Deviations from strict grading order of up to 10 grading points, in either player order within a team or overlap of gradings of nominated players between successive teams, would normally be considered as lying within the reasonable judgement of the club or team captain involved. Where any such deviation exceeds 10 grading points, the club or team captain, as appropriate, should notify the Management Committee of their reasons for this.

5. Laws of Chess and Conduct of Matches. (See Rule x.x)

In general, the FIDE Laws of Chess apply to all games played in the League. However, a limited number of deviations or interpretations are appropriate to suit the circumstances of MSCL matches being played without an independent arbiter and in regular club venues with other chess activities taking place in close proximity. The following specific points are noted:

- use of Descriptive Notation is permitted as an alternative to algebraic notation. (Article 8.1 of the FIDE Laws refers.)

- where a player has a good reason to leave a mobile ‘phone or other communication device on (e.g. on call or a sick relative) this should be notified to the opponent and agreed between the team captains before the match starts. (Article 12.3 b)

- all those present at the match venue must observe and respect normal chess etiquette. All noises should be kept to a minimum. Players should not be disturbed in any way. No discussion of the conduct or status of a game, or concerning the clock or time limits, should occur with either player or between spectators within audible range of either player. In particular, the home team must ensure that this is understood by all their members or supporters who are present but not involved in the match. However, it applies equally to the away team with respect to anyone accompanying them. (Article 13.7)

The satisfactory conduct of League matches relies heavily upon the self-discipline and goodwill of all involved. Where any dispute or infraction of the Laws of Chess is alleged or suspected, every effort should be made to resolve this between the players involved and / or the team captains. This should be done without disturbing other games. Team captains playing on other boards and who become involved in attempting to resolve any such incident may stop their clocks while they do so. If the situation cannot be resolved locally, it will need to be referred to the Management Committee. However, this should be a last resort as it will inevitably be difficult for anyone not present at the time to ascertain the full facts and circumstances.

Whether at local level or by the Management Committee, the latest version of the FIDE Laws of Chess with comments and advice from the Chess Arbiters Association, obtainable via the ECF website, should be consulted in the event of any dispute. To this end, it would be useful for all clubs to have a copy available at their venue.

Website Up

2010-04-30T08:13:00.002+01:00

The website is back up. Propagation has occurred, methinks. If you experience any problems with it, let me know; please post thoughts/problems here. There may be some teething issues to with directory structures and URLs, i.e. you may have difficulty linking to individual pages from elsewhere. I encourage everyone to link to our homepage anyway because it helps our ranking in Google. Link using the words, "Brighton & Hove Chess Club" - that is ideal.

Website down

2010-04-29T21:44:00.007+01:00

The website is down at the moment, due to maintenance work. Very sorry. I'm switching from my usual web hosting provider (which I've been using since early 1998) to a new one, erm, myself. This will save the club some money. I expect the website to go back up soon but if it doesn't, please complain here! However, please be patient because some of the problem is a propagation issue, if you know what I mean.

2010-04-28T16:30:00.002+01:00

That's it, Anand is a game up after game 4, nice win.

http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt/ very funny comment from Mig Greengard here regarding the post-match handshake ;-)

Go Anand !

2010-04-28T15:53:00.002+01:00

Wow, Anand has just gone for a killer attack, Topalov is on the ropes in game 4.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

2010-04-28T13:02:00.002+01:00

Well done the 2nd team!

Glad Anand pulled back straight away, he played a solid black yesterday so let's hope has a suprise planned with white today.

What with work and other committments I am struggling to make it to the club at the moment but I will try to pop in at some point if only to have a chat and pick up the latest results sheets. I definitely plan to be at the seminar on 15th May, hopefully I'll appear before then !

Excellence by the 2nd team!

2010-04-28T08:48:00.003+01:00

Well played db and everyone in your team! Yes, it was Queen's Gambit played on the mountain... well spotted, although it is well known I play nothing else.

Gadget

2010-04-27T14:11:00.002+01:00

At first I thought it was a screw cap bottle opener from innovations magazine, then it hit me, it's a Mk3 Sonic-screwdriver.

Nice to hear a quote from The Pyramids of Mars, it was a fave of mine.

Is that a Queens Gambit on the mountain?

Anand blunders first game then fights back...

Oh and the second team are promoted.

This year's match against Dieppe

2010-04-26T14:31:00.002+01:00

Sue is running this year's match - please apply to her to be in the team. Details are on the website: see 'News & Events' on the menu and select 'International Matches'.

Chess in extremis

2010-04-26T12:46:00.001+01:00

For those who have been asking what I did on my holidays, see here.

2010-04-21T13:44:00.002+01:00

Glad you're on media watch, Kev. We won't be able to follow the game live in our seminar on 15th May then, but we may be able to pick over the entrails. The large demo board and magnetic pieces are all fixed and ready to go.

2010-04-21T12:38:00.003+01:00

A one-day postponement to the World Championship has been agreed, it seem's likely that a rest day will be dropped so most of the schedule will be unchanged. It apparently took Anand's team 40 hours to drive from Germany to Sofia, I hope Anand settles in quickly.

15th May seminar and World Championship

2010-04-19T09:49:00.002+01:00

The cloud of volcanic gas has caused Anand and his team to be held up in Frankfurt en route to Sofia for his match against Topalov. The All-India Chess Federation has requested a three-day delay to the start of the match. If this happens a new schedule might mean that if there is a tie-break situation it would occur on the 15th, the day of our planned seminar, which would add another topic of interest.

Duncan's Computer Repair Shop

2010-04-16T17:58:00.001+01:00

Slogan:-

"Deactivating a generator loop without the correct key is like repairing a watch with a hammer and chisel. One false move and you'll never know the time again."

(From Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars)

2010-04-16T13:40:00.002+01:00

Kevin's almost right - the red item was a Sony Walkman WM-28, not quite as cool as the one he named.

2010-04-16T12:28:00.003+01:00

No, I think he's lost that sense of connection between the pieces - they're just not working well together and everything has fallen apart. And isn't the red thing a device for holding paper - AHHH - we don't do paper, antiquated stuff.

2010-04-16T09:16:00.003+01:00

Duncan, I think the main problem may be that your right-click button is stuck down.

I believe that red device is an early cassette-based Sony Walkman, perhaps a TPS-LT2 ?

Caption Competition

2010-04-15T15:58:00.007+01:00

People ask me if I can help them when there is something wrong with their computer but they cannot remember precisely when the problem occurred. I'm not a magician, I find myself thinking.

However, now that I find myself in a similar situation, suddenly I understand the predicament. Before going on holiday, my laptop unexpectedly stopped working for no reason whatsoever. I'm at a total loss as to what the problem could be? Perhaps I played too much online chess on it? So, I thought I'd ask if anyone could help. Here's the broken machine:

I'll buy a drink for the most helpful answer (clue, we're looking for geeky jokes here). Also, there'll be a special mention for the first person to spot the stowaway retro-gadget in the picture.

2010-04-15T11:34:00.002+01:00

Welcome back, the Old Forge looks like my kind of pub ;-) Thanks for updating the charts so promptly.

Extreme Chess

2010-04-15T10:34:00.002+01:00

Grant Minshull & I thought we'd start a tradition of playing chess in unusual places and recording the evidence of our efforts here. So in early April we climbed the 1,500 feet to the top of Mam Barrisdale, which is a pass between mountains in the remote Scottish wilderness region of Knoydart...

Luckily there was a small gap in the hail storm which allowed us to play.

Then we made our way back down the other side, as the weather worsened. We headed for Inverie, the largest settlement on the British mainland not connected to road and celebrated our unusual game with a pint in the Old Forge!

Having returned from my holidays, I have updated the competition charts on the website. Thanks to Kevin Gee, our tournament controller, for his regular updates on the charts. I've also changed the Ladder page, noting that competition is now open for players.

Seminar

2010-04-14T12:12:00.003+01:00

Count me in for the 15th too!

Here's a warning story regarding the peril's of postal correspondence chess.
http://maxxwolf.tripod.com/woody.html

2010-04-13T18:10:00.000+01:00

Count me in for the 15th May!

Seminar: Saturday 15th May 2:00pm

2010-04-13T14:33:00.011+01:00

Now the summer's here and we've played most of our games (well some of us have!) and we've finally got the use of the table tennis room (!) we're going to hold the long-awaited seminar/analysis session. The first will be on Saturday 15th May. The idea is to set up the demo board and give everyone a chance to do a turn, so please come prepared with something - a game, a continuation, an endgame conundrum, or just your best swindle or worst blunder. Be prepared for audience participation - you don't have to be Chris Ward or have all the answers, although some one else might. Or just come and participate.

It would be helpful to get some idea of numbers in advance so please let me know if you're thinking of coming. Refreshments will be provided!

2010 Ladder

2010-04-13T10:38:00.003+01:00

Amidst little ceremony this year's ladder competition was opened on Saturday. There are currently only eight people entered, but if you feel you are missing out please don't worry, just contact me (Kevin Gee) and I will add you to the bottom.

Grant Minshull being distracted from chess by the splendour of Glen Coe and Rannoch Moor

2010-04-10T16:58:00.001+01:00

* NEIL IS ON THE MEND *

2010-04-09T16:20:00.006+01:00

An email from Jodie including a message from Neil. I don't want to put his email address here but it hasn't changed from what it was before: *****@uwclub.net (please ask or email me if you haven't got the first bit). Great to hear from Neil himself and to know that he'll be back! I'm sure he'll be inundated with good wishes.

Please find below an email to you all from Neil. I have also cc’d Neil on this email so you have his email address but please understand that you may not get a speedy response as he will explain.

Hello there,

I am on the mend at last.

I am now up in a wheelchair for 8+ hours a day and I can slowly scoot about. It also means that I can type with 1 artificial finger. Feeding is also progressing well but learning to voice activate my PC is slow though.

So far I’ve had 4 sessions in the pool and should have only 1 swim per week at the most until my discharge date - which is estimated as 14 July. Then I will be back in Brighton where I hope to find a permanent residence, and get a few swims per week. Plus a couple of sessions a week at the chess club to keep the mind active. Oh, I’ve also had a single session of wheelchair dancing but that’s another story!!!!!

Bye for now,
Neil

Neil is now busier during the week with rehab so weekends are the best days to visit. I’m still managing the visitors rota so please let me know if you want to be booked in.

Jodie x

2010-04-06T22:52:00.001+01:00

I would like to apologise, it would appear that I may have misrepresented Sue's position on membership subscriptions.

Clarification

2010-04-06T19:02:00.008+01:00

We will need to increase our membership subscriptions if we are to keep the club supplied with enough decent equipment and meet other increases in expenditure without eating up all our savings. I will be proposing or supporting this at the AGM. The point about the increase in the space we need is to accommodate the extra members we've already got, ie older members won't have to pay more towards the table tennis room, not that subscriptions can remain the same. Hope this is now clearer!! A comprehensive breakdown of our finances will of course be supplied by Geoff at the AGM.

Also, if anyone else is puzzled as to why there appear to be no results on the results charts then you are still looking at the old website and should go here instantly. (The blogs are separate and therefore you won't have the problem with them.) This was the problem Ron was having.

Sorry to hear you have definitely decided to stand down as secretary, Duncan. It will be a hard act to follow but I hope and trust some one will come forward to step into your shoes.

jack icaza, subscriptions, me standing down as secretary and a request to enter the ladder

2010-04-06T12:01:00.002+01:00

Jack Icaza has contacted me and said that he intends to return to England in early May but he doesn't know how to access the competitors contact details inside Google shared documents anymore. Perhaps those of you who have oustanding games against him can email him to fix up matches? His address is still on the list.

I'd like to clarify the situation regarding our accomodaton with the Railway Club. We now have use of the back room upstairs with the gas fire, the front room upstairs with the noticeboard, both on Wednesdays and Saturdays at our normal times. We retain exclusive use of the library - the walk-in cupboard where the books are and the match captains cupboard in the room with the gas fire. In addition to that we can book the basement room should it be reqired. We also have the use of the cloak room which is a small room on the 1st floor in between the toilet and the double doors. We have put a table. In there and it is big enough for 2 match games to be played. I personally don't thinl the noise of the boiler is significan but members will have to make up thee own minds. We can still play casual chess in the bar.

On top of all that, we can use the table tennis room on Wednesday evening and on Saturday afternoon on condition that we do not damage the table and netand that we put the table tennis table back in the centre of the room after every time we use the room. The table is heavy and I would suggest that if you are uncomfortable with the idea of moving it back into position, you do not dismantle it. In order to regain use of the table tennis room we have had to offer the Railway Club more rent. I prefer not to say here how much more rent because our club's finances are not a matter for public consumption. However, if members request our accounts from me privately, they have the right to see them according to our constitution. There is an ongoing debate amongst the committee members about membership subscriptions but, as was explained at the AGM, the previous decision to raise the subscriptions was based on the principle that a £10 rise in all adult subs was required (since there hadn't been a rise in about 12 years) but that rise would be staged over two years. Hence the £5 rise last year. I shall be voting for the remaining rise to occur this year. No-one wants to raise our subscriptions but our costs have increased steadily and the rent has been increased to get what most members want - the table tennis room back. There is an alternative point of view, which Sue appears to hold now, which is that our membership will rise and that will cover our shortfall incurred by the raised rent. She may well be right but it is too early to tell.

I am still on holiday, mountaineering and prefer it if no-one called/texted me until at least April 12th, because my mobile batteries might well be a lifeline I can't afford to squander. The weather here in Scotland has been extreme, as you may know. Emails are fine though (although, unless your enquiry genuinely requires secrecy, I would prefer it if you shared the conversational thread with us all on the blog). Ron Nicholas, you did telephone me and I asked you to email me but I haven't received any message from you. I understand that you may have had a problem viewing the competition charts on the website but without knowing what URL (web address) of the offending page, it is difficult to address your problem.

Finally, I would like to announce that I have decided to stand down as secretary at the end of the year, by which time I will have done the job for two years. I'm saying that now to give all our members a proper chance to consider whether they would like to stand. I've really enjoyed being secretary but I do think it is important for the posts which run the club to be occupied by as many members as possible, for the health of the club. I'd like to remind members that all those aged over 18 can stand for any of the named posts or for the 5 unnamed posts (under our constitution, team captains are appointed by the committee and do not have automatic committee places). If the committee wishes me to continue to be webmaster, I'd love to continue that role, which does not need to be performed by a committee member. That said, I might consider standing for one of the other posts on the committee - watch out, other committee members! ;-)

I'll be devoting my time (the time I was spending on being secretary) to Pieces of Fate, which is a local charity aiming to secure a permanent venue for chess players in Brighton & Hove. I've been secretary during a particularly busy time for the club but future secretaries should not have so much to do, even though the club continues to grow. For those who might be considering standing, broadly speaking the duties include: attending 4 committee meetings per year, attending the AGM, minuting all meetings, handling all external communications and sending swift replies to emailed enquiries from potential new members. Web literacy is a must and all candidates will need to be able follow the committee's conversations and debates via a password protected blog.

Finally, Kevin, could you please enter my name on the Ladder?

2010-04-05T09:16:00.002+01:00

Great news Sue, we can crack on and plan some events! I was gratified by your enthusasiam for the Anand-Topalov match so perhaps we should plan for one or both of those Saturdays. I guess we need to get some more tables ?

Good news on table tennis!!

2010-04-03T14:59:00.005+01:00

The committee took a decision to try and resolve the issue of the table tennis room by offering to up our rent in return for the extra space and quiet on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I am very pleased to announce that this offer has been accepted and we now have the extra space for matches, tournaments or seminars. Our increased membership covers the extra expense so we are still excellent value for money. This is very good news for league match games and for any summer events.

Anand-Topalov

2010-03-31T13:49:00.005+01:00

Mmmm.... interesting idea Kev. I see the 12 game match goes on until 10th May - see website. Where's Chris Ward when you need him? Still, we could use the demo board with the magnetic pieces and see what Fritz thinks of it all. Saturday 24th April is game two, Saturday 1st May is a rest day and Saturday 8th May is game 11. The games start at 15:00 Eastern European summer time, which I think means 13:00 BST, so it would be a perfect time for a Saturday afternoon. Altogether brilliant idea Kev! Shall I ring up and book the table tennis room for a match between Anand and Topalov? (One of them must be a member of the Railway Club surely?) We could bring a selection of our own quick games or positions to fill in any mega-thinks by A/T.

(Personally I can't manage the first date but I think the second is OK.)

Smyslov RIP

2010-03-29T10:04:00.003+01:00

Smylsov passed away at the weekend, I won't pretend to understand his ability but the fact that he played to such a high level into his later years is tribute enough to his skill (when he made it through to the candidates' in 1984 final, losing to 21-year oldKasparov, I think Smylsov was 63).

Leonard Barden has written an obituary for the Guardian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/mar/28/vasily-smyslov-obituary

Speaking of World Champions, the Anand-Topalov match starts on April 23rd, perhaps we should make use of the table tennis room and arrange to follow one of the games? There are a couple on Saturdays and as they are playing in Buglaria the time difference won't be too bad.

The Ladder rises again!

2010-03-26T15:59:00.005Z

Let the escalation of ladder related puns commence .....

I will be posting a sign-up list for the ladder competition on the noticeboard this weekend so please sign up ASAP or if you have my contact details just let me know if you would like to be included. Late entry is possible though you will start at the bottom of the heap as penance for making me shuffle all the names around. Depending on how long it takes me to assemble a suitable number of names I am aiming to start the weekend after Easter.

For those new to this, the ladder competition is a a casual quickly play competition (59mins or less on the clock, agreed by the players) in which you can challenge people up to four places above you, if you win you hop up to their position. I will be trying out a different starting grid this year, entrants will be placed in reverse order with the highest grades at the bottom, so they will have to fight their way throught the lower stratosphere to ascend to the clouds ... or something.

Amber 2010

2010-03-26T10:34:00.005Z

Ivanchuck and Carlsen yesterday tied for 1st place in the Amber 2010 tournament which has been held in Nice over the last couple of weeks. The Amber (formerly Melody-Amber until one of the sponsors dropped out) is an interesting format, each day the paired opponents play a blindfold game, then later play a rapid game against the same opponent.

Ivanchuck has attended every one of these events since it's inception 19 years ago, and the last time he won it was on the first occasion 19 years ago!! His last game was a rapidplay with white against Gelfand, and boy did he finishwith a bang! The game is well worth a look, one doesn't often see a lovely tactical finish such as this at high level, let alone 'Super GM' level.

The game can currently be seen at http://www.amberchess2010.com/PGNViewer/live.html

By the way,

2010-03-25T09:15:00.002Z

I shall be on holiday until April 19th.

2010-03-23T23:56:00.007Z

It's not too late - depending on when you're reading this - to whizz over to Lewes in the morning and put a bid in for this:

Fine Art, Antiques & Collectables - Sale LMAR10 - Lot 2

Lot 2
A fine mid 19th century Jaques Staunton pattern turned ivory chess set, one side stained red, the other natural, the white king stamped Jaques London to the underside of the base and two rooks and two knights with crown stamp to top, with a papier mache Cartonpierre box, the underside with a red Staunton ivory label, box 8.25ins, Kings 3ins
Estimate £7,000-10,000

2010-03-22T10:49:00.002Z

Here's my recent game against Andrew Shoulders, which I won only by the skin of my teeth and is clear proof that he is probably the most improved player in the club this year!

2010-03-19T13:41:00.002Z

I'll put something together Sue

Dieppe 2010

2010-03-19T13:08:00.018Z

The 2010 return match against the Dieppe Club is booked for 25th September in the Friends' Meeting House, Ship Street. Please can you let me know if you would like to play. The final selection will depend on how many and who we get to play from Dieppe, but early recruits will be given priority over late entrants.

Olivier has also sent me a link to their 6th International Festival from 22nd to 29th August. Anyone interested in going over to Dieppe for this is welcome to let me know and I can keep a list so that you know who else might be thinking about it.

Duncan, does this merit a page yet, or a new section on 'International Matches'?

Guinness and chess

2010-03-18T09:27:00.003Z

I thoroughly enjoyed a St.Patrick's evening of Guinness and chess in the club last night, so thanks to all present, with a special mention to newcomer John and returnee Michael. I choose to blame the beer for my defeats, though this dishonest analysis may hamper my improvement!

As for those that went on to Zuma ... hope you had fun but I won't expect a response until later in the day ;-)

Website Update

2010-03-16T18:15:00.003Z

Our Tournament Controller, Kevin Gee, has once again updated our internal competition charts. They've been slightly modified so that each chart now shows the percentage of games played. I've uploaded all the charts to their relevant pages on website.

Chess table on offer!

2010-03-13T13:47:00.004Z

Dear fellow members,

I am having a clear out and would like to find a home for this chess table. Close inspection shows some flaws in workmanship but it is a nice table. It stands about 23” (58cm) high, the pictured chess set has a king height of 3” (76mm). This table is free to any BHCC member, it doesn’t include pieces but I will deliver it if you are struggling for transport and not too far from Hove.

If you are interested contact Kevin Gee.

6th team

2010-03-11T11:30:00.003Z

A vacancy occurs for the next 6th Team match v Bexhill at Eastbourne on Friday March 12th. If any member of the club would like to be considered for this match then please contact me a.s.a.p.
Telephone: 01273 699335 or e-mail: aicaswill@yahoo.co.uk. I can arrange transport.

Mr. Roy you are on

2010-03-04T16:20:00.002Z

Duncan, consider the gauntlet taken up, I think we still have an Eric Cohen to play seeing as I accidentally entered you in nearly every competition :-)

2010-03-04T16:09:00.002Z

I'm up for a match game on Saturday, if we've still got one to play, Kevin?

2010-03-04T15:55:00.001Z

Ditto

Match Sat 6th March ?

2010-03-04T09:51:00.002Z

If any of my prospective opponents would like a game on Saturday I would be pleased to oblige if you would like to get in touch.

2010-03-02T09:49:00.001Z

I have requested we be put on the map.

Putting Chess Clubs on the map

2010-03-02T07:18:00.003Z

The ECF are launching a google map on their website which will hopefully pinpoint every chess club in England. You can see how many have been added so far here and for how to do it see ECF website under Club map - update, 1st March. Duncan, as our secretary and webmaster, please can you put us on the map?

Double Dutch

2010-02-23T17:37:00.004Z

Cor, well spotted Kev. That is indeed moi chatting and losing to the lovely partner of the ginger GM himself, as well as everyone else in the room bar one - well, they were rather good. It was a seven round blitz where we all had to play 1. d4 f5 - cycling in clogs might have been easier. Afterwards there were many 'Dutch' prizes including not only the DVD but beers, cheeses and bunches of tulips (moi again - had to donate them to my landlady to avoid having to play all my last day's tournament games with a bunch of tulips). Thought it was great fun and something we could do in the table tennis room or even the bar in the summer perhaps?

Sue goes Dutch

2010-02-23T14:08:00.004Z

And I don't mean she has started wearing clogs and cycling a lot, though she may have done. I just spotted her in a video clip of the launch event in Hastings for Simon Williams's new DVD on the Dutch opening http://www.gingergm.com/

I have returned from West Wales

2010-02-20T23:49:00.003Z

The up to date charts are now online. Am very disappointed that the senior players, some of whom made a big noise against the previous structure of the club championship, actually haven't played the many matches in the league that they apparently wanted. Unless there is a rush to play games in that competition I will be in favour of a return the knock-out which at least gives players who want to play games a chance to become club champion. Note that our previous tournament controller, Neil Tasker, introduced the previous structure - the knock-out - for precisely the same reason, i.e. that the senior players simply didn't play their matches.

Chart updates

2010-02-19T10:39:00.002Z

Thanks for that Sue.

Paper versions of the latest charts showing results up to Wed 10th Feb. are up on the notice boards so you can see your outstanding games. There has been a bit of a rush of games in the new year (since it stopped snowing) so stick to those healthy New Years resolutions and keep them coming please!

One slight blot on the landscape is new format Club Championship, so this is a call to the senior players, can we have more games played please!

CHART UPDATE IMMINENT

2010-02-17T13:03:00.007Z

The updated charts are now in the hands of the webmaster and will be online soon after he returns from the wilds at the weekend. Don't forget all the competitors' contact details are on the private online list so please be kind to your tournament controller and don't neglect to play your matches, especially if you don't want to be chasing them when the sun is shining or when your opponent has decamped to the south of France. We want results!!

Calling Stephen Thomas

2010-02-11T09:33:00.001Z

Calling Stephen Thomas,

If anyone see Stephen Thomas can they ask him to phone Michael Cain.

I would like to invite Steve to play for the Third Team on Friday the 19th FEB.

My mobile is 07976 739911.

Steve if you see this, can you phone me, I did send you an email 3 days ago but you have not responded.

Thanks

Michael

Player needed for tonight

2010-02-10T13:45:00.005Z

There's an opportunity to play for the fourth team tonight at home against Worthing 2 . (Grant has had to withdraw due to unavoidable work commitments.)
Please ring 01273 699078 / 07957 397150 or email me if you'd like to play.

Neil update

2010-02-05T16:22:00.005Z

Here is the latest news about Neil with what looks like an excellent visiting plan. The journey only takes a couple of hours to a very pleasant modern hospital unit this side of Salisbury - the best place in the country for Neil's specific injury, Jodie says.

We have always said that we would be in touch whenever we had news about Neil and no news meant no change. Unfortunately poor Neil has been very unwell with an infection since Boxing Day and has not been allowed out of bed since then but he does finally seem to be recovering from it.

The big news is that earlier this week Neil had the tracheotomy reversed and he is delighted to be able to talk normally again. Also, he is now recommencing his rehab into a wheelchair. It is slow progress and he is only out of bed for 30 minutes a day but this will increase little by little. As a result of his illness he has lost even more weight and muscle but the good news is that having the trachy removed has really lifted his spirits. He still has limited movement in his hands and arms and no strength so can’t hold anything and is still totally reliant on people to care for him.

So many of you enquire about Mum so I wanted to let you know that she has been living at the hospital and caring for Neil ever since he relocated to Salisbury and has been doing an amazing job. Obviously this is no comparison to what Neil is going through but she is under nourished, exhausted and feeling very depressed and isolated – basically she needs a break (even though she may not see this herself right now). The hospital have said that they can no longer offer her accommodation more than three days a week and even this cannot be guaranteed. Mum is distraught about this as I can count on one hand the amount of times she has returned home as she feels that Neil must have someone to care for him.

I was chatting to Neil about this yesterday and he told me that Mum has been a great help to him but equally that even he can see how exhausted she is. I asked how he felt about spending a day or two on his own and of course he put on a brave face and said that he’d be fine but later admitted that he really does need someone with him as sometimes the nurses are so short-staffed that they often forget to give him a drink of water for example. He also said that the boredom is driving him mad and he finds it painful sitting in the chair and when he has friends and family to chat to it really does take his mind off things.

Therefore, I have volunteered to start a visitors booking in system!! Please don’t misunderstand me as it is not that Neil has many visitors but more that I want to try to organise for someone to be with him the days Mum is going to be away. The best days to visit are Friday, Saturday and Sunday but also Monday’s and Thursday’s are good as we need to have consecutive days for visitors enabling Mum to return home (if you want to see Mum too then Monday’s, Thursday’s and some Sunday’s are best). We’ve got this weekend covered but otherwise only have Zia visiting on 19 February. Therefore, if you are able to visit then please let me know what date works for you – you can book as far in advance as you like…in fact that’s a great help to Sharon, Tam and I who are going to between us cover whenever he has no one there so it will help us to plan things.

Jodie x

2 players needed for home match this wednesday

2010-02-03T06:47:00.001Z

Message Posted On Behalf of Michael Cain (who is a naughty boy for posting this onto the wrong blog!)

Hi,

The Third team needs your help for a HOME game this Wednesday against Horsham in the second division.

So far I have Me, Dona and Felix playing but we need 2 more players.

If you can play, please phone Michael Cain on 07976 739911.

Many Thanks

Michael Cain

Table tennis room ours on Saturdays!

2010-01-31T09:40:00.003Z

In our long-running negotiations with the Railway Club to regain our use of the table tennis room we have at last got permission to use it on Saturday afternoons! (We are still trying for Wednesday evenings.) It's not automatic - it has to be booked in advance - but this means we can start to organise the seminars and other events on Saturdays. Thank you for the feedback already supplied on this - we now have some idea of what you might prefer - and please continue to watch this space and take part in the discussion. This is a venture which can only succeed if enough members are interested in branching out from the usual pattern of Saturday afternoons.

Member of the Month: Grant Minshull

2010-01-29T15:18:00.002Z

Grant Minshull has fixed our electric heaters so that the chess club can continue through the cold winter months - thanks Grant! If you ever want a Brighton & Hove Electrician - ask Grant.

chess.com

2010-01-28T15:45:00.002Z

Just thought I'd mention chess.com . One of the prime uses for this site is to play 'correspondence' chess i.e. 3 days/move (I know some of you use the Facebook add-in, but the two systems don't seem to be connected as far as I can see) but another feature I like is the tactics trainer. The free membership gives you three tactics problems per day which are solved against a timer. You get a plus/minus rating score for each one, a graph displays your ratings history and your highest ever score. It adds a bit of spice having to solve against the clock and trying to bump your rating up. If you do register feel free to challenge me to a game!

Publicity Campaign

2010-01-27T16:27:00.002Z

Two very nice guys from the cafe "Ikaya Craft Coffee Shop" have agreed to put up a poster advertising our club.

I return I said that I would say a bit about them.

They are a new cafe, situated near the bus stop for the "5" buses at Preston Circus. They have a wide variety of tea and coffee and they also do cakes and sandwiches.

They also hand-make a variety of crafted items such as bags and jewelery.

Best of all they have a chess set in the cafe that you are welcome to use!

Corus

2010-01-26T16:51:00.002Z

Kramnik just took out Carlsen to cruise into joint first place, nice win!

6th Team. Match Postponed.

2010-01-25T09:23:00.002Z

6th Team match at home against E. Grinstead 3 on Wednesday 27th January has been postponed.The E. Grinstead team cannot make this occasion. Our individual team members have been informed.

Safety

2010-01-24T18:32:00.002Z

Hi all,

A quick note about being safe at the club (yaaaawn). Seriously though:-

1. Please do not set up kettles on the floor, this is an accident waiting to happen, this could result in a serious lawsuit against the club in the event of an accident.

2. Please be careful when setting up the electric fires. The legs on them have a habit of coming off. As you can see in the skittles room there are burn marks on the carpet where the fire has been placed directly on the floor in the past. I for one do not want a headline in The Argus saying "Brighton Chess Club decimated by fire". Please ensure that the legs are attached before turning them on.

Thanks for reading. I realise this is common sense to most members, so apologies to those I am lecturing needlessly.

Simon H

Club Librarian

2010-01-18T12:34:00.002Z

Hmm, apologies to Simon for cancelling at such short notice for Tuesday. Nathan, I am expecting to be back in Brighton for Wednesday and our match.

Message for Simon Hayward & Nathan Gregg

2010-01-18T07:24:00.004Z

There's a possibility that I won't make Tuesday's team game against Hastings (captained by Simon) or my match game on Wednesday (against Nathan). A close friend's Mother has just died and they're over in Portsmouth. I might go and help out. Should know later today. Will keep you posted as soon as I know.

Sue's Ideas

2010-01-14T12:12:00.001Z

My choices would be:-

ii) Analysing games from a league match, or any games, with members presenting their own games.

iii) Higher-graded members offering to run an analysis session or comment on games presented.

iv) Paying a high-graded member or external genius to run seminars.

In that order.

Failing that we run away when the snow clears but not to Hayward's Heath because of you-know-who.

Happy New Year

2010-01-14T10:18:00.003Z

Sue, of the ideas you suggest my favourites are;

iii) Higher graded player running analysis/training
iv) Seminar by high graded/external genius player
v) Blitz / Rapid tournament

Other ideas that I/we have mooted before:

Following GM games/ commentary when a big game falls on a Sat/Sun afternoon (this might be combined with fun events as in your point (i)
A presentation to help teach people to use chess related software.

May health, happiness and increased grades find you all !

Happy New 2010!!

2010-01-11T16:52:00.008Z

Hi people - hope you are all enjoying the snowy new year rather than suffering from it and are recovering by degrees from the annual chessplayers' orgy of excitement known as "Hastings". As we smugly contemplate our finer moments and try to erase all memory of those embarrassing blunders, I have been thinking about seminars and the like to jolly up the bleakness and withdrawal symptoms you must all now be suffering from. I'm thinking about Saturday afternoons as league matches make space and people availability an issue on Wednesdays. I would like some feedback on what members might like to see happen, or whether you detest the very idea of anything that isn't just playing chess.

Ideas are as follows:

i) Run fun events with a demo board along the lines of "my craziest game ever", "my meanest swindle", "spot the mate in 15" etc. with everyone having a five-minute spot. Possible prizes would go according to popular vote.

ii) Analysing games from a league match, or any games, with members presenting their own games.

iii) Higher-graded members offering to run an analysis session or comment on games presented.

iv) Paying a high-graded member or external genius to run seminars.

v) Don't-care-what-happens Blitz tournament.

vi) Run away to Haywards Heath as soon as the snow clears.

Comments welcome.

Offers to contribute to any of the above even more welcome!

Other ideas welcome (but preferably not this:)

vii) ChessTabletennis though.....?