Luke Rutherford was the first to finish when he prevailed in a King's Indian Samisch Variation.
Next Brian Izzard in a Catalan Opening went down fighting.
Nadezda Somova agreed a draw with Bob Elliston.Their opening had been a Pirc Pribyl System.
My game had also been a King's Indian Samisch Variation and on Board Three i was able to prevail with the White Pieces against the strong Kent Player Chris Howell.
Geoffrey James won as black against Fancis Rayner.This must have come as a great relief to Geoff after a difficult season.This win meant we had crossed the finish line.
Now we all waited and watched for Adrian Pickersgill's game to finish.Unfortunately he was unable to defend the ending.
We had won by Three wins to Two with one drawn game.
Hastings & St Leonards Chess Club were our opponents in this Mc Arthur Cup Final.
As a footnote i hear from Brian Denman this could in fact be the last Mc Arthur Cup Final if the Association is unable to find suitable replacements for the out going Officers.
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Brighton 3 vs St Francis
Written by Kevin Gee.
The last game of the season against the team at the bottom of division 2, unfortunately Captain Michael Cain had to drop out at short notice and I took his place. Things started well when Felix beat David quite quickly then Brian Izzard and his opponent agreed a draw fairly early on. I didn’t see how Arthur’s game went but I think he said he blundered, in any case his game ended in defeat.
An interesting position arose in my game, my opponent played a very unusual (and probably suspect!) second move against my Scandinavian which allowed me to gain a tempo and I built up a very strong attack. Unfortunately at move nineteen I allowed my opponent to place his knight in on e5 and couldn’t see a way to maintain pressure. I was conscious that I lost initiative over the next few moves, but by this time I was under time pressure and on move twenty-five I made a fatal blunder allowing my opponent to capture my bishop for no loss, credit to him for spotting this tactic when under pressure. As they say ‘loose pieces drop off’ and leaving my queen undefended on e7 helped to create the right environment for a mistake. Interestingly it turns out that the way to refute 19. Ne5 is to capture the knight, the key idea being that if white’s queen doesn’t defend g4 black can play Ng4++ !! This as completely winning for black, I don’t think I should be too hard on myself for not spotting this, but I certainly wish I had !! Annoyingly I HAD seen some of the mating ideas such as Rxh3+ (if the h3 pawn is undefended) and Ng4 earlier, but I failed to extend this to exploiting the idea that white’s queen has to stay on the diagonal to cover g4. The game actually went on further than I recorded but as I was short of time that I stopped writing my moves down, I eventually resigned on move thirty-seven (the game is attached, I think it is worth a look). All very disappointing as I realised at the time I had a winning position but couldn’t see how to proceed.
This left Steve Thomas to save our honour and he certainly kept us on tenterhooks with a rook and pawn ending that went on past 11 o’ clock. When I started watching Steve was pushing a passed pawn but at the same time had to be careful as his opponent had a protected passed pawn (if memory serves). At one point I was convinced Steve had blown it but he played on coolly and eventually his opponent succumbed, nice work!
Cheers,
Kevin.
The last game of the season against the team at the bottom of division 2, unfortunately Captain Michael Cain had to drop out at short notice and I took his place. Things started well when Felix beat David quite quickly then Brian Izzard and his opponent agreed a draw fairly early on. I didn’t see how Arthur’s game went but I think he said he blundered, in any case his game ended in defeat.
An interesting position arose in my game, my opponent played a very unusual (and probably suspect!) second move against my Scandinavian which allowed me to gain a tempo and I built up a very strong attack. Unfortunately at move nineteen I allowed my opponent to place his knight in on e5 and couldn’t see a way to maintain pressure. I was conscious that I lost initiative over the next few moves, but by this time I was under time pressure and on move twenty-five I made a fatal blunder allowing my opponent to capture my bishop for no loss, credit to him for spotting this tactic when under pressure. As they say ‘loose pieces drop off’ and leaving my queen undefended on e7 helped to create the right environment for a mistake. Interestingly it turns out that the way to refute 19. Ne5 is to capture the knight, the key idea being that if white’s queen doesn’t defend g4 black can play Ng4++ !! This as completely winning for black, I don’t think I should be too hard on myself for not spotting this, but I certainly wish I had !! Annoyingly I HAD seen some of the mating ideas such as Rxh3+ (if the h3 pawn is undefended) and Ng4 earlier, but I failed to extend this to exploiting the idea that white’s queen has to stay on the diagonal to cover g4. The game actually went on further than I recorded but as I was short of time that I stopped writing my moves down, I eventually resigned on move thirty-seven (the game is attached, I think it is worth a look). All very disappointing as I realised at the time I had a winning position but couldn’t see how to proceed.
This left Steve Thomas to save our honour and he certainly kept us on tenterhooks with a rook and pawn ending that went on past 11 o’ clock. When I started watching Steve was pushing a passed pawn but at the same time had to be careful as his opponent had a protected passed pawn (if memory serves). At one point I was convinced Steve had blown it but he played on coolly and eventually his opponent succumbed, nice work!
Cheers,
Kevin.
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Brighton victorious in lastf ixture
Brighton 1 finished well winning their last fixture in Division 1.A Four-One victory enabling the team to leapfrog Hastings & St Leonards 1 into fourth spot in the league.Good wins were recorded with black by Geoffrey James and Adrian Pickersgill.Brian Denman and Paul Selby also won with the white pieces.Unfortunately the captain could not match the other player's feats.Nevertheless a Four-One victory and a slight improvement in the Team's standing in the Division.
Monday, 29 March 2010
4th Team Escape Relegation
The fourth team gained at least a draw in their match against Eastbourne 3 on Wednesday, with a possible win if Grant's game can salvage a draw on adjudication. This means we are clear by at least half a match point of any chance of relegation! Phew....
Thanks to all the members of the team for a really enjoyable year.
Thanks to all the members of the team for a really enjoyable year.
| Brighton & Hove 4 | Eastbourne 3 |
| Peter Benson 0 | Emilio Nunez ( 136) 1 |
| Arthur de Silver 1/2 | Steve Baldwin ( 120) 1/2 |
| Grant Minshull A | Doug Stevenson (119) A |
| Kevin Gee 1 | Chris Hutton ( - ) 0 |
| Susan Chadwick 1 | Alex Newland ( - ) 0 |
| TOTAL 2½ | TOTAL 1½ |
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Brighton 6th Team Wednesday 24th March
Brighton & Hove 6th Team v Woodpushers 2
| Brighton & Hove 6th Team | Woodpushers 2 |
| George Garside 0 | Julian Mitchell ( 150) 1 |
| Carl Rage 1/2 | Gary Charles ( 152) 1/2 |
| John Smuts (116) 1 | Julian Clark 0 |
| Andrew Caswill(103) 0 | Bob Davidson ( 125) 1 |
| Martin Roe 0 | Murali Ramachadran 1 |
| TOTAL 1.5 | TOTAL 3.5 |
This season we have won 6 games, drawn 1 and lost 2. A commendable performance considering this is the first season the club has entered a sixth team. It looks as if we should be in third position in Division 4 following Brighton&Hove 5th Team and Woodpushers 2.
Thank you to all those who have played for the team this season and contributed to its success.
Saturday, 20 March 2010
A good win despite some uneven form this season
Another good win to follow the other beating Crowborough 1 this season.At the end of the evening we were level with Hastings 1.Brian Denman drew with the black pieces versus Richard Almond.Grant Bucher lost but i didn't see a lot of this or in fact any of the games as i was generally preoccupied with my own.Geoffrey James made a welcome return to form winning with the black pieces against Stephen Blewitt.This left two unfinished games.Luke Rutherford was however quietly confident and Fritz 11 bore out his optimism giving him a healthy advantage.Hastings 1 decided not to contest this game.My own game ended in an ending with a pawn advantage to myself.This was also winning as it turned out.Hastings 1 decided not to contest this one either.This meant Brighton & Hove 1 won by Three wins to One with one drawn game.
Saturday, 13 March 2010
6th Team Friday 12th March
Brighton & Hove 6th Team v Bexhill College
| Brighton & Hove 6th Team | Bexhill College |
| George Garside 0 | Simon Lawrence 1 |
| Carl Rage 0 | Tom Minter 1 |
| John Smuts (116) 1 | Chris King) 0 |
| Andrew Caswill(103) 1 | Ralphe Mguni 0 |
| Martin Roe 1 | Roger Dunning 0 |
| TOTAL 3 | TOTAL 2 |
At the moment we have : 6 Wins ,1 Draw, 1 Loss. One final match to finish the season on Wednesday 24th march v Woodpushers 2.
6th Team Wednesday 10th march
Brighton & Hove 6th Team v East Grinstead 3
| Brighton & Hove 6th Team | East Grinstead 3rd Team |
| Carl Rage 1 | Alan Smith0 |
| Jamie Ritter 1 | Walter Avery0 |
| John Smuts (116)½ | Bob Dyke (96)1/2 |
| Andrew Caswill(103)1 | Dave Dawson(106)0 |
| Andrew Shoulders(46) 1 | Steve Diggin0 |
| TOTAL 4½ | TOTAL½ |
Another success by the 6th Team. Well done .
Thursday, 25 February 2010
6th Team Wednesday 24th February.
Brighton & Hove 6th Team v Hastings & St Leonards 3
| Brighton & Hove 6th Team | Hastings & St Leonards 3rd Team |
| Victor Thimonier 1 | Derek Cosens (120) 0 |
| John Smuts(116) 1 | Robert Smart (105) 0 |
| Andrew Caswill(103) ½ | Gregory Chandler(92) ½ |
| Martin Roe 0 | Martyn Sharrocks(91) 1 |
| Andrew Shoulders(46) 1 | Harry Stephens(50) 0 |
| TOTAL 3 ½ | TOTAL 1 ½ |
This was a good evening of chess from two sides which were fairly evenly matched. Well played Victor. John achieved a rook for a knight advantage and gradually obtained the upper hand.My game involved a long middle game struggle. I could not find an advantaged position and we eventually both willingly agreed on a draw. Martin played in his first match tournament. I'm sure he will have learnt greatly from the experience. No stopping Andrew at the moment.From his success at Hastings he continues to play a more solid game. He overwelmed his opponent by using extra pawns to eventually obtain a Queen advantage.
This season we have now: won 4, drawn 1, lost1.
This season we have now: won 4, drawn 1, lost1.
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Eastbourne 1 vs Brighton & Hove 3
| Eastbourne 1 | Brighton & Hove 3rd Team |
| M.Reddie(153) 0 | Stephen Thomas (153) 1 |
| L.Rhodes (152) 0 | Brian Izzard (138) 1 |
| W.Silber (150) ½ | Michael Cain (131) ½ |
| V.Ellis (146) 1 | Arthur de Silver (129) 0 |
| A.Chung (Ungraded) 1 | Kevin Gee (124) 0 |
| TOTAL 2 ½ | TOTAL 2 ½ |
Eastbourne 1 have not lost a match in the last 2 years so it was always going to be a tough old fight and i had a feeling lambs to the slaughter would have been a more appriate description of this match report.
But Brighton and Hove third team did an excellent job last night drawing and finally bringing the end to Eastbourne First Teams unbeaten record of 6 match wins in a row at the top of division 2.
Brighton and Hove 3 have now aquired 3 points out of 7 matches which looks good enough to stay in division 2 for next year.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Fourth team v Worthing 2
| Brighton & Hove 4 | Worthing 2 |
| Ron Nicholas (145) 1 | Matthew Payne (151) 0 |
| Arthur de Silver (129) ½ | David Chilvers (138) ½ |
| Kevin Gee (124) 0 | Don Banks (127) 1 |
| Susan Chadwick (112) 0 | Kevin Walsh (123) 1 |
| Duncan Roy (103) 0 | J Young (?) 1 |
| TOTAL 1½ | TOTAL 3½ |
Match on the 10th February.
Game submissions or positions welcome. (Please see Kevin's game which has now been added to the match report below.)
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Brighton and Hove 4 v Argumentatives
| Brighton & Hove 4th team | Argumentatives |
| Peter Benson (138) 0 | Peter Farr (195) 1 |
| Arthur de Silver (129) 0 | Jim Graham (174) 1 |
| Grant Minshull (128) 0 | Paul Kington (151) 1 |
| Kevin Gee (124) 1 | Dennis Collard (120) 0 |
| Susan Chadwick (112) 1 | Mike Card (121) 0 |
| TOTAL 2 | TOTAL 3 |
The Argumentatives arrived with a team which had the distinction of having the highest grading average for the division so far this season - 152 - against our 126. We pulled out the strongest team we could, given that this was a rearranged match from the height of the snow and now clashed with a third team match. Peter and Grant succumbed before I saw anything of their games. Arthur was battling to the end the exchange down. Kevin's match had a nice finish which he just managed to pull off with seconds to go - any chance of seeing the whole game Kevin? I was in a better position than my opponent but things definitely looked up when he blundered a pawn leading to a won end-game. The final 2 - 3 not a bad result against the possible division winners.
See Kevin's game against Dennis Collard.
(Keen observers will note that Kevin, ever anxious to reach the time control, put in an extra check before the mate on move 41.)
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Lewes 3rd Team v Brighton & Hove 6th Team, 12th January 2010 in Lewes
| Brighton & Hove 6th team | Lewes 3rd Team |
| Victor Thimonier (ungraded) 0 | Andy Chesworth (ungraded) 1 |
| John Smuts (116) 0 | Keith Osborne (131) 1 |
| Duncan Roy (103) 1 | Andrew Mayer (122) 0 |
| Andrew Caswill (103) 1 | Minori Davies-Arai (114) 0 |
| Moaid Almatoere (ungraded) 0 | Lori Fairhead (ungraded) 1 |
| TOTAL 2 | TOTAL 3 |
Luckily the match went ahead despite the poor weather. Unfortunately we had our first loss of the season. Victor played a strong game against a tough opponent. Andy Chesworth has not played for a couple of seasons and at the moment is ungraded. John feeling under the weather (with a bad cold) made a weak start with the result his game was continually under pressure. Duncan had an initial 15 minute time advantage (Andrew Mayer hoping another player would arrive) with the effect he played a good solid game resulting in a well deserved win. I won a piece by move 19 which led eventually, after a long struggle to a win. Moaid faced a tough player on board 5.
Overall a good evening of chess at the Lewes Club against a competent side. This season we have Won 3, Drawn 1, Lost 1.
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Brighton 6th Team
| Brighton & Hove 6th team | Uckfield Team 2 |
| Moaid Almatoere (ungraded) 0 | Simon McDonald1 |
| John Smuts (ECF Grade: 116) 1 | Arthur Mieczkolisko 0 |
| Duncan Roy (ECF Grade: 103) 1 | Ken Swanton 0 |
| Andrew Caswill (ECF Grade: 103) 1 | Steve Swanton 0 |
| Victor Thimonier (ungraded) 1 | Clive Beesley 0 |
| TOTAL 4 | TOTAL 1 |
Wednesday December 9th 2009.
Duncan achieved an early win followed by Victor. I followed having achieved a Queen/King fork on move 15.Moaid unfortunately went a piece down but played a good strong game. John had an end game where his final piece advantage gave him the final edge.
Overall a very pleasing result. Well done team.
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Eastbourne 2 v Brighton and Hove 4
Match played on 4th Dec.. This was always going to be a tough one with Eastbourne 2 the second strongest team in the division after the Argumentatives. They had a grading average of 133 with an ungraded player on board two putting their real average ever higher. (Ours was 119.)
In the event the result is a good one with Arthur holding a solid draw in a rook and pawn ending and Bob swindling a brilliant win with only seconds on his clock. (When is it your swindle and not his blunder? When it's so tempting he doesn't even see it coming!) I hope Bob will be sending his game.
| Eastbourne 2 | Brighton and Hove 4 |
| Hugh Osbourne (ECF Grade: 141) ½ | Arthur de Silver (ECF Grade: 129) ½ |
| Angel Chung (ungraded) 1 | Grant Minshull (ECF Grade: 128) 0 |
| John Moore (ECF Grade: 132) 0 | Bob Davies (ECF Grade: 121) 1 |
| Michael Elgin (ECF GRADE: 131) 1 | Sue Chadwick (ECF Grade 112) 0 |
| Robert Williams (ECF Grade: 128) 1 | Duncan Roy (ECF Grade 103) 0 |
| TOTAL 3½ | TOTAL 1½ |
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Brighton and Hove 4 v Crowborough 4
This was a match rearranged from the 18th Nov. when Crowborough couldn't muster enough players. Unfortunately school matters still come first with the juniors and Crowborough managed only the minimum again tonight. With two games already in hand we were gifted another when Crowborough's top board forgot to turn his mobile off and conceded the point very early on. Kevin managed a checkmate, although it wasn't quite the one he thought he was going for. Grant's game was still looking murky by the end and Fritz will be consulted.
I will put any games here anyone wishes to send.
I will put any games here anyone wishes to send.
| Brighton & Hove 4 | Crowborough 4 |
| Arthur de Silver (ECF Grade: 129) 1 | Gary McCullock (ECF Grade: 136) 0 |
| Grant Minshull (ECF Grade: 128) A? | Caroline Campion (ECF Grade: 128) A? |
| Kevin Gee (ECF Grade: 124) 1 | Don Grant (ECF Grade: 88) 0 |
| Bob Davies (ECF GRADE: 121) 1 | Default 0 |
| Sue Chadwick (ECF Grade: 112) 1 | Default 0 |
| TOTAL 4 | TOTAL 0 |
Friday, 27 November 2009
A fine effort!
In our recent home match versus Crowborough 1 we were able to emerge victorious by the narrowest of margins.
First to finish was Luke Rutherford.The position reached was akin to a Queen's Indian.Luke Rutherford was able to outplay his opponent Gareth Anthony.Grant Bucher gamely played a King's Gambit.He agreed a draw when he knew a draw was enough to win the match.This despite being a pawn up.
Brian Denman drew solidly as Black.I managed to win a somewhat wild Queen's Gambit versus Gerald Michaud.This made the score 3-1 with one game to go.Geoff looked at his position and decided not to contest.
So a 3-2 win for Brighton & Hove 1 in their third Mid-Sussex League fixture this season.
First to finish was Luke Rutherford.The position reached was akin to a Queen's Indian.Luke Rutherford was able to outplay his opponent Gareth Anthony.Grant Bucher gamely played a King's Gambit.He agreed a draw when he knew a draw was enough to win the match.This despite being a pawn up.
Brian Denman drew solidly as Black.I managed to win a somewhat wild Queen's Gambit versus Gerald Michaud.This made the score 3-1 with one game to go.Geoff looked at his position and decided not to contest.
So a 3-2 win for Brighton & Hove 1 in their third Mid-Sussex League fixture this season.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Brighton & Hove 6th team v Clarendon Bumbles, 18th November 2009
I acted as captain in lieu of Andrew Caswill for this match in the 4th division of the Mid Sussex Chess League. Clarendon Bumbles won the toss and elected to have the white pieces on boards one, three and five. The results were as follows:
| Brighton & Hove 6th team | Clarendon Bumbles |
| Moaid Almatoere (ungraded) 0 | Mike Ruxton (ECF Grade: 100) 1 |
| John Smuts (ECF Grade: 116) 1 | Matthew Hunter (ungraded) 0 |
| Duncan Roy (ECF Grade: 103) 1 | Barnaby Rogers (ECF Grade: 92) 0 |
| George Garside (ungraded) 1 | Danny Barratt (ungraded) 0 |
| Victor Thimonier (ungraded) 1 | Adrian Hickling (ECF Grade: 81) 0 |
| TOTAL 4 | TOTAL 1 |
I thought that Moaid Almatoere had a won game on his hands which Mike Ruxton was skillfully defending according to the theory of eternal resistance. Unfortunately, right at the end of the game Moaid blundered. Mike nearly blundered too but he didn't actually let go of his rook and, noticing the almost imperceptible gasps from onloookers, he was able to make the best move, at which point Moaid sensibly resigned. An important lesson there for observers - we must bite our tongues!
John Smuts could never be accused of rushing a game and this match was no exception. Long after all the other games were completed, John and Matthew battled on. I looked in on them about half an hour after the end of my game and found that they were still on move 26. Consequently they both got into time trouble but it was John who prevailed, with Matthew losing on time; they were both well short of the 42 moves required for additional time. You can join the match here in the tense (but amiable) last minute and a half:
Barnaby Rogers opened with d4 against myself but then didn't seem to have a positional strategy to back it up, playing both a3 and h3 early on in the game. Follow this match by clicking here.
George Garside's opponent seemed to have more difficulty than most following the etiquette of orderly match play, by talking quite a bit at the start and by failing to follow the instructions regarding how to open and close the door quietly. I didn't get a chance to see George's game against him (due to my lack of experience as a team captain, I concentrated on my own match and forgot about my team) but it seemed to be over quite quickly.
Victor Thimonier played a fairly long game against Adrian Hickling, with the latter offering a draw when they were down to pawns and rooks. Betting on his central passed pawns Victor declined the offer and fought on. Imprecise play by his opponent towards the end probably assisted Victor but the win was deservedly his anyway. Adrian Hickling made no attempt to write his moves down from the start, ticking the moves off instead. Since Victor was likely to win, I made no objection to this but I had understood this to be in breach of the rules.
Well played to everyone and commiserations to Moaid for having played so well without the satisfaction of victory.
John Smuts could never be accused of rushing a game and this match was no exception. Long after all the other games were completed, John and Matthew battled on. I looked in on them about half an hour after the end of my game and found that they were still on move 26. Consequently they both got into time trouble but it was John who prevailed, with Matthew losing on time; they were both well short of the 42 moves required for additional time. You can join the match here in the tense (but amiable) last minute and a half:
Barnaby Rogers opened with d4 against myself but then didn't seem to have a positional strategy to back it up, playing both a3 and h3 early on in the game. Follow this match by clicking here.
George Garside's opponent seemed to have more difficulty than most following the etiquette of orderly match play, by talking quite a bit at the start and by failing to follow the instructions regarding how to open and close the door quietly. I didn't get a chance to see George's game against him (due to my lack of experience as a team captain, I concentrated on my own match and forgot about my team) but it seemed to be over quite quickly.
Victor Thimonier played a fairly long game against Adrian Hickling, with the latter offering a draw when they were down to pawns and rooks. Betting on his central passed pawns Victor declined the offer and fought on. Imprecise play by his opponent towards the end probably assisted Victor but the win was deservedly his anyway. Adrian Hickling made no attempt to write his moves down from the start, ticking the moves off instead. Since Victor was likely to win, I made no objection to this but I had understood this to be in breach of the rules.
Well played to everyone and commiserations to Moaid for having played so well without the satisfaction of victory.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
How to Beat Michael Cain at Chess!
Here is the final position of my game against Luke Rutherford.
To watch the game click on this link
Luck Rutherford (White) vs Michael Cain (Black)
To watch the game click on this link
Luck Rutherford (White) vs Michael Cain (Black)
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Club Champion Luke Rutherford v 16 opponents simultaneously
The Champion of Brighton & Hove Chess Club, Luke Rutherford, took on 16 opponents from the rest of the club simultaneously. His opponents were:
1. Sue Chadwick
2. Bob Davies
3. Nathan Gregg
4. Andrew Shoulders
5. Simon Hayward
6. Arthur De Silver
7. Michael Cain
8. David Langridge
9. Brian Izzard
10. Victor Thimonier
11. Felix Haxby
12. Jack Icaza
13. Dona Strauss
14. Ian George
15. Charles Holcombe
16. Duncan Roy
Luke beat all his opponents except the youngest, Felix, who won his game. Here's the video of the occasion:
Saturday, 14 November 2009
Uckfield (2nd team) v Brighton & Hove (5th team)
On 11th November 2009 our team travelled to Uckfield for this 4th division fixture. Our team was led by stand-in captain Bob Davies (in lieu of Simon Hayward who had an appointment with some virus instead). Charles Holcombe played second board against a player who had been absent from the game for some time but had hitherto been quite a strong player. Jamie Ritter, one of our club's latest recruits took third board. John Smuts played on fourth board and I (Duncan Roy) played on bottom board. Charles lost his game but all the rest of the team won theirs, making the score 4-1 to Brighton & Hove. At the time of writing I don't have a note of the other team's names. Here's a short video of the occasion, narrated by Bob:
Here is a poster found in the Uckfield area some years ago, reprinted here for the benefit of the public.
Thursday, 12 November 2009
St Francis & Haywards Health 1 and Vs Brighton and Hove 3
Match Report - Monday 9th November 2009
Result 3 – ½ (1 game sent for adjudication)
Michael Cain v Robert Fitzgerald
Thomas Fitzgerald v Duncan Roy
Dona Strauss v Jeffrey Boardman
| St Francis & Haywards Heath 1 | Brighton and Hove 3 |
| Felix Kwiatowski (198) 1 | Felix Haxby (139) 0 |
| Jeffrey Boardman (169) A | Dona Strauss (150) A |
| Carl Blinco (154) 1 | Ron Nichlolas (145) 0 |
| Robert Fitzgerald (151) ½ | Michael Cain (131) ½ |
| Thomas Fitzgerald (144) 1 | Duncan Roy (103) 0 |
Result 3 – ½ (1 game sent for adjudication)
Well it was always going to be tough match for the out-gunned Brighton Third Team. Not to mention it was difficult to know how to deal with a player rated 198 on top board, and for this task I selected Felix Haxby to take on the mighty Felix Kwiatowski. My thoughts were that it did not matter who I was going to play on board one, they were going to get blown away. Sorry team mates.
So I decided it would be good for Felix Haxby to play someone very strong, he is not afraid and win or lose it would be good for his game and he would hopefully take something from it. Additionally I felt the Grade for Felix who is only 12 years old of 139 does not reflect his playing strength and has shown this by beating a 160+ player in the last match, therefore I count Felix as our strongest player.
Unfortunately Ron, Duncan and Felix lost and we ended up losing the match with Dona Strauss and her game going to adjudication and my game a draw. But we have claimed the Win for Donas game. Finally you will find Donas interesting game included below. Any comments on this would be much appreciated.
Can I just say one more thing, one of my chosen chess players could not play on the night and contacted me with ONLY 5 mins to go before hand which left me with very little time to find a replacement!
Thankfully Duncan Roy was able to step in at the last moment and play for us. Thank You Duncan.
Duncan Roy has provided the following video of the trip that sums up our errr… magnificent performance!!!
The words Slaughter and Blood Bath spring to mind. Please Note: This is not for the faint hearted, Otherwise Enjoy!
Here are 3 games from the match. Please click on the link and then press the PLAY button and you will see the game played out for your pleasure...
Michael Cain v Robert Fitzgerald
Thomas Fitzgerald v Duncan Roy
Dona Strauss v Jeffrey Boardman
Thursday, 29 October 2009
A 3-2 win for the sixth team.
Tuesday 27th October v Horsham (away)
A good victory was achieved against Horsham 6.
George Garside 0
Duncan Roy 1
Andrew Caswill 0
Moaid Almatoere 1
Victor Thimonier1
Although George had an unfortunate loss, it was still a good performance from our three new members.Moaid and Victor achieved convincing wins within the hour. Duncan played a good solid game from a d4 and c4 opening placing his opponent under constant pressure, which resulted in a final check mate attack involving Queen, Bishop and Rook.I fell victim to a f4, g4 , h4 pawn attack on my castled position.
We returned with a feeling of a good win against a club who can find strong players to field at the sixth team level.
A good victory was achieved against Horsham 6.
George Garside 0
Duncan Roy 1
Andrew Caswill 0
Moaid Almatoere 1
Victor Thimonier1
Although George had an unfortunate loss, it was still a good performance from our three new members.Moaid and Victor achieved convincing wins within the hour. Duncan played a good solid game from a d4 and c4 opening placing his opponent under constant pressure, which resulted in a final check mate attack involving Queen, Bishop and Rook.I fell victim to a f4, g4 , h4 pawn attack on my castled position.
We returned with a feeling of a good win against a club who can find strong players to field at the sixth team level.
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Brighton and Hove 3 lose first match.
The Brighton Third Team had a tough first match against the much stronger Brighton Second Team, and lost 3 ½ to 1 ½ although out graded by an average of 20 per player it was no surprise that Brighton 2 won this match but good for Brighton 3 to not be totally blown away and manage to salvage some points. Kevin and Michael have provided there games for viewing which i hope you will find of some interest. Learn from your mistakes, every time you lose you get stronger.
Please find chess games from this match in the links below (please click on each link to view the chess game.)
Kevin Gee (128) (white) 0 vs Brian J Izzard (138) (Black) 1
http://brightonandhovechessclub.org/c-html2/viewer2/pgnviewer/ltpgnboard.html?Init=&ApplyPgnMoveText=1..
Duncan Badham (153) (white) ½ Michael Cain (131) (black) ½
http://brightonandhovechessclub.org/c-html2/viewer2/pgnviewer/ltpgnboard.html?Init=&ApplyPgnMoveText=1.
Brighton and Hove 3 (657) vs Brighton and Hove 2 (750)
Felix Haxby (139) 1 Nadia Somova (161) 0
Michael Cain (131) ½ Duncan Badham (153) ½
Arthur de Silver (130) 0 Dona Strauss (150) 1
Grant Minshull (129) 0 Paul R Selby (148) 1
Kevin Gee (128) 0 Brian J Izzard (138) 1
Match Result: 1 ½ 3 ½
Grade Average: (131.4) (150)
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Brighton & Hove 1 v Knoll Knights[21/10/09]
A win for the home side.
L.Rutherford drew with the black pieces against the Knoll Knights captain Donald Macfarlane in an English opening.
Next to finish myself, managed to win a Bishop versus Knight ending.
Grant Bucher on debut drew with Black against Ian Kelly.
Geoffrey James managed to generate mating threats before his opponent Laurence Butt conceded the game.
Brian Denman drew against Mike Nicholas in what appeared to be an Alekhines defence.
Brighton & Hove 1 won the match conceding just one and a half points.
L.Rutherford drew with the black pieces against the Knoll Knights captain Donald Macfarlane in an English opening.
Next to finish myself, managed to win a Bishop versus Knight ending.
Grant Bucher on debut drew with Black against Ian Kelly.
Geoffrey James managed to generate mating threats before his opponent Laurence Butt conceded the game.
Brian Denman drew against Mike Nicholas in what appeared to be an Alekhines defence.
Brighton & Hove 1 won the match conceding just one and a half points.
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
A 3-2 win for the fourth team
| East Grinstead 2 | Brighton and Hove 4 |
| Robert Fisher 1 | Arthur de Silver 0 |
| player? ½ | Grant Minshull ½ |
| Kevin Hemmings 0 | Kevin Gee 1 |
| Daryl Brooks 0 | Bob Davies 1 |
| Norman Hawkins ½ | Sue Chadwick ½ |
Friday, 16 October 2009
Fifth team perspective
I would just like to add that this was a really tough match for the 5th team. A real baptism of fire. My game V Andrew Caswill was a bitter struggle for me, I made a couple of bad moves and was relentlessly punished for them, I was very glad of the draw.
It was great to see so many strong new players at the club, Jamie, Moeid, George, although a bit of a worry since I seem to be improving so slowly! Will I be playing for the 7th team next year?
It was great to see so many strong new players at the club, Jamie, Moeid, George, although a bit of a worry since I seem to be improving so slowly! Will I be playing for the 7th team next year?
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Sixth Team v Fifth Team, Wednesday 14th October 2009 - Result DRAW
| Brighton & Hove 5th Team | Brighton & Hove 6th Team |
| Bob Davies 1 | George Garside 0 |
| John Smuts 0 | Jamie Ritter 1 |
| Simon Hayward ½ | Andrew Caswill ½ |
| Duncan Roy 0 | Moeid Almatoere 1 |
| Nathan Gregg 1 | Andrew Shoulders 0 |
A pleasing result for the 6th team, which recruited three new club members.They will be an asset to the club in future MSCL games.It is great to be able to welcome them to the club.
Sun. 30th Aug. Dieppe vs Brighton and Hove 5-5
Geoff James, Duncan Badham, Dona Strauss, Paul Selby, Felix Haxby, Bob Davies, John Smuts, Sue Chadwick, Duncan Roy and Tom Haxby were the final team who crossed the Channel on Saturday morning for our annual match against the Dieppe Chess Club. We played the match on Sunday in the luxurious setting of the seafront Grand Casino, where Bond could have happily wandered through the rooms of green baize and a pier-load of gambling machines rattled away in the basement (a passport was needed for entry here!).
Unfortunately we didn't quite manage to pull off the hoped-for victory (although we would have won on board count) but ended with a drawn match with no drawn games. After the match we were treated to a reception and buffet in the Congress Rooms opposite, where our opponents presented us with a pictorial plaque commemorating the match and every player, winner or loser, chose a chess book to take home.
It was a beautiful long weekend with the sun shining and the beach crowded. Our team spent the rest of their time exploring Dieppe and surrounds and working their way diligently through menus of shellfish and unfamiliar beers. We stayed in our favourite economically-priced hostelry and managed to bag our special giant round table both ways on the ferry where everyone could sit and play or analyse, or just catch up with the sport.
Altogether an excellent trip which we hope will become a biennial fixture on our club calendar. A big thank you to everyone who participated - on both sides of the Channel - for making this such an enjoyable event.
(Apologies for being out of sequence - this was originally posted on the general blog.
For Duncan Roy's accompanying video and individual results see News and Events.)
(Apologies for being out of sequence - this was originally posted on the general blog.
For Duncan Roy's accompanying video and individual results see News and Events.)
Sunday, 6 September 2009
GLCC Match
A successful home match was held on Saturday 5th September against the Greater London Chess Club.
The final result was a win for us by 10 points to 5 points.
Individual results were:
L Rutherford 1 B Denman 1/2 G James 1/2 P Batchelor 0
D Badham 1 D Strauss 1/2 P Selby 0 R Nicholas 1
P Benson 1 D Langridge 1 A De Silver 1 K Gee 1/2
B Davies 1 C Holcombe 1 I George 0
J Smuts and A Caswill were unable to play because at the last minute GLCC could only field 15 players.
Thank you very much to all those who took part. It seems everybody enjoyed the occasion, particularly those who won their games.Jim Robinson ( GLCC Captain ) hoped that in the future this could become a regular fixture in both clubs calendars.A tentative agreement was suggested that a repeat would occur on the first Saturday of September 2010.
A special thank you to all those who helped in the setting up at the start and taking away at the end.In particular a special thank you to Geoff and Paul who supplied extra clocks.
At the end Jim Robinson mentioned about the great help given by Neil Tasker in the early arrangements for the match. He was very grateful for Neil's original help.The whole meeting expressed concern about Neil's recent accident and everybody hoped he would soon make a speedy recovery.
The final result was a win for us by 10 points to 5 points.
Individual results were:
L Rutherford 1 B Denman 1/2 G James 1/2 P Batchelor 0
D Badham 1 D Strauss 1/2 P Selby 0 R Nicholas 1
P Benson 1 D Langridge 1 A De Silver 1 K Gee 1/2
B Davies 1 C Holcombe 1 I George 0
J Smuts and A Caswill were unable to play because at the last minute GLCC could only field 15 players.
Thank you very much to all those who took part. It seems everybody enjoyed the occasion, particularly those who won their games.Jim Robinson ( GLCC Captain ) hoped that in the future this could become a regular fixture in both clubs calendars.A tentative agreement was suggested that a repeat would occur on the first Saturday of September 2010.
A special thank you to all those who helped in the setting up at the start and taking away at the end.In particular a special thank you to Geoff and Paul who supplied extra clocks.
At the end Jim Robinson mentioned about the great help given by Neil Tasker in the early arrangements for the match. He was very grateful for Neil's original help.The whole meeting expressed concern about Neil's recent accident and everybody hoped he would soon make a speedy recovery.
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Brighton Victorious
We were pitted against old adversary Hastings & St Leonards First Team in the final of the McArthur cup.I must say i thought us the underdogs in this most recent of our matches.
First blood to Brighton was a default shortly following the hour on board Two to Brian Denman.
Our next success came when Luke Rutherford was able to outplay Patrick Donovan as black in a Colle-Zukertort Opening
Next Geoffrey James was able to draw solidly as black against Chris Howell.
Board Six was next to finish.In the battle of the ladies Nadya Somova was able to outplay her opponent in an Advance French Opening.
Adrian Pickersgill drew as white against Richard Almond.Scoreline now 4-1.
Alas we did not end on a great note as i lost as black versus Bernard Cafferty.
However,despite personal disappointment for me,the team had won 4-2.
The McArthur cup will be coming back to Brighton after an absence of five years.
First blood to Brighton was a default shortly following the hour on board Two to Brian Denman.
Our next success came when Luke Rutherford was able to outplay Patrick Donovan as black in a Colle-Zukertort Opening
Next Geoffrey James was able to draw solidly as black against Chris Howell.
Board Six was next to finish.In the battle of the ladies Nadya Somova was able to outplay her opponent in an Advance French Opening.
Adrian Pickersgill drew as white against Richard Almond.Scoreline now 4-1.
Alas we did not end on a great note as i lost as black versus Bernard Cafferty.
However,despite personal disappointment for me,the team had won 4-2.
The McArthur cup will be coming back to Brighton after an absence of five years.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
2nd Team Roundup
A disappointing last two matches for the second team or at least match 7. Against Horsham 3 we were very evenly matched on grade slight favourites even so I was expecting at least a draw. However to paraphrase Brian Clough we don't play chess on paper and took a beating 1.5 - 3.5 . This was three draws, two losses and in largely we were guilty of wanting too much, all the games were at least equal and so a bit of common may well have seen the match won by just a single decisive game. Two good positions became losses in time trouble.
The last round was against Eastbourne 1 so no disgrace losing there and nobody was smashed. The only bright point of that match was an excellant draw for our sub Arthur de Silva.
I said it was a disappointing end to the season but overall it was an improvement on a few years of struggle and almost being relegated. As with the great promotions of teams 3 and 4 this shows the increased strength of the club as a whole. Team 2 finished fifth on game points though equal fourth on match points. I believe that given at some stability in the current availability of players w can be a match for anyone and would have a chance at least of promotion
Thanks to all who played. They are: Paul Selby, Dona Strauss, Brian Izzard, Neil Tasker, Kevin Gee, Felix Haxby, Nadya Somovar, Arthur de Silva and Micheal Caine in the McArthur Cup.
See you next season,
Anyone for a pint?
db
The last round was against Eastbourne 1 so no disgrace losing there and nobody was smashed. The only bright point of that match was an excellant draw for our sub Arthur de Silva.
I said it was a disappointing end to the season but overall it was an improvement on a few years of struggle and almost being relegated. As with the great promotions of teams 3 and 4 this shows the increased strength of the club as a whole. Team 2 finished fifth on game points though equal fourth on match points. I believe that given at some stability in the current availability of players w can be a match for anyone and would have a chance at least of promotion
Thanks to all who played. They are: Paul Selby, Dona Strauss, Brian Izzard, Neil Tasker, Kevin Gee, Felix Haxby, Nadya Somovar, Arthur de Silva and Micheal Caine in the McArthur Cup.
See you next season,
Anyone for a pint?
db
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Semi-Final Victory
Brighton & Hove were pitted against an opponent who previously had beaten the Second Team on their home turf.However their success did not continue further.Nadya Somova who was playing her debut for the First Team,got us of to a fine start.She won her game in under One hour from the start time.The game lasted a dozen moves or so.
Next to finish was Adrian Pickersgill crashing in with a King-side attack following his opening move of E4.Two-Nil up and things were looking quite rosy.
I was quite nervous in my game having lost my last three competitive matches.However i was able to conquer any initial nerves and even win!This is much more satisfying than losing!So that made the running score Three-Nil.Technically though it would still have been possible to lose on Board Count.
Luke Rutherford had played a subtle ending with Queen,Knight and Pawns.This he was able to convert.Now it became Four out of Four.The Match at this stage had already been decided in our favour.
Geoffrey James was trying to convert an ending Two Pawns up.This he managed.His opponent did say however he had made a bad mistake to lose material.This must have come as a relief to Geoff who had in previous encounters in this competition Twice drawn with Keith Davies.Five out of Five with one to go.
Brian Denman had attacked gamely from the White side of an Open Sicilian.His opponent surprised him with a move or Two and was able to wriggle out with a draw.
Not quite a White Wash but a sufficiently competent result to progress to the next stage of the McArthur Cup.
Next to finish was Adrian Pickersgill crashing in with a King-side attack following his opening move of E4.Two-Nil up and things were looking quite rosy.
I was quite nervous in my game having lost my last three competitive matches.However i was able to conquer any initial nerves and even win!This is much more satisfying than losing!So that made the running score Three-Nil.Technically though it would still have been possible to lose on Board Count.
Luke Rutherford had played a subtle ending with Queen,Knight and Pawns.This he was able to convert.Now it became Four out of Four.The Match at this stage had already been decided in our favour.
Geoffrey James was trying to convert an ending Two Pawns up.This he managed.His opponent did say however he had made a bad mistake to lose material.This must have come as a relief to Geoff who had in previous encounters in this competition Twice drawn with Keith Davies.Five out of Five with one to go.
Brian Denman had attacked gamely from the White side of an Open Sicilian.His opponent surprised him with a move or Two and was able to wriggle out with a draw.
Not quite a White Wash but a sufficiently competent result to progress to the next stage of the McArthur Cup.
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Third Team Goes Down To The Wire In Desperate Promotion Bid
We traveled up to Horsham for our last match of the season rather anxiously on Tuesday; we needed at least a draw if our dreams of promotion to the second division were to be realised. (Uckfield 1, with two matches in hand against weaker teams, is expected to come top.) The Horsham fourth team had a grading average of 113 over the season whereas our team average was only 99 on the night (stronger than our 93 for the season so far thanks to Neil now playing top board).
Everyone sat down with the realisation they could be responsible for the fate and future of their team, but whereas the home team needed a win, we could be cautious - and were. Michael, Arthur and I settled for draws while Neil and Kevin battled on to judgement day at move 42. Both looked like draws but neither were accepted by a team hanging on by a thread. Neil's was a rook and pawn ending with equal material, and Kevin's opponent, Julie Denning, had an extra pawn, doubled, to Kevin's passed pawn, with a knight each and opposite coloured bishops. Neil's looked solid but we were nervous about Fritz's opinion on the second. Michael has provided the graphic showing final positions. The Fritz analysis looks promising but not certain.
A good performance against stronger players, but the outcome will be appealed all the way. Should Horsham win the match 3-2 we will be dead level on 5½ match points and 23 game points each with promotion at stake, and the extra twist that both Julie and myself are potential decision-makers comprising half the management committee of the MSCL. Is there a precedent? If there is, and I suppose there must be, I am sure Julie will proceed with the detachment of Solomon.
Everyone sat down with the realisation they could be responsible for the fate and future of their team, but whereas the home team needed a win, we could be cautious - and were. Michael, Arthur and I settled for draws while Neil and Kevin battled on to judgement day at move 42. Both looked like draws but neither were accepted by a team hanging on by a thread. Neil's was a rook and pawn ending with equal material, and Kevin's opponent, Julie Denning, had an extra pawn, doubled, to Kevin's passed pawn, with a knight each and opposite coloured bishops. Neil's looked solid but we were nervous about Fritz's opinion on the second. Michael has provided the graphic showing final positions. The Fritz analysis looks promising but not certain.
A good performance against stronger players, but the outcome will be appealed all the way. Should Horsham win the match 3-2 we will be dead level on 5½ match points and 23 game points each with promotion at stake, and the extra twist that both Julie and myself are potential decision-makers comprising half the management committee of the MSCL. Is there a precedent? If there is, and I suppose there must be, I am sure Julie will proceed with the detachment of Solomon.
Brighton&Hove 5 v E.Grinstead 3.
Home Match Weds 18th March 2009. Result-Lost 2-3.
Last match of the Season.
In board order.
Ian had a long duel but unfortunately lost during the end game.It looked as if he had chances of queening a pawn when I observed. Perhaps a general point could be made here.Some players may not wish to be observed by a crowd of their supporters because it could be off putting.I'm open to discussion on this in the future.
Overall a great season by Ian for the team. 4W, 2D, 2L.
Duncan played The Sicilian, dealing with a variation where white plays bishop C4 on move three.By the middle game he had a pawn up and the white pawn structure was broken.Finally a blunder by white led to a knight fork between rook and king, and a win for Mr Roy.
Overall the best individual performance for the team this season.5W, 2L.Excellent Duncan. Well done.
I started with a good position but unfortunately made a weak f3 move on move 12. Black then started an attack from which I never recovered and it was a final check mate for white on move 44.
Overall for the season. 4W, 2D, 3L.
Michael played an excellent game. A pawn up and superior position resulted in a great advantage resulting in his opponent losing a queen. Michael could then afford to play a knight sacrifice in a check mate attack.
Andrew played The Birds Opening with f4 giving his opponent some good opening questions. However by the middle game he was two pawns down from which he never recovered.
Overall for the season. 2W, 2L.
We ended the season on a sad note.A draw would definitely have been a fairer result from this match. However it appears we should be around the middle of Division 4 when all the results are finalised.So the general feeling is, that a good start has been made by Team 5 for their first season in Division 4.
Well done and thank you to all those who have supported the team throughout the season.We look forward to next year.
Last match of the Season.
In board order.
Ian had a long duel but unfortunately lost during the end game.It looked as if he had chances of queening a pawn when I observed. Perhaps a general point could be made here.Some players may not wish to be observed by a crowd of their supporters because it could be off putting.I'm open to discussion on this in the future.
Overall a great season by Ian for the team. 4W, 2D, 2L.
Duncan played The Sicilian, dealing with a variation where white plays bishop C4 on move three.By the middle game he had a pawn up and the white pawn structure was broken.Finally a blunder by white led to a knight fork between rook and king, and a win for Mr Roy.
Overall the best individual performance for the team this season.5W, 2L.Excellent Duncan. Well done.
I started with a good position but unfortunately made a weak f3 move on move 12. Black then started an attack from which I never recovered and it was a final check mate for white on move 44.
Overall for the season. 4W, 2D, 3L.
Michael played an excellent game. A pawn up and superior position resulted in a great advantage resulting in his opponent losing a queen. Michael could then afford to play a knight sacrifice in a check mate attack.
Andrew played The Birds Opening with f4 giving his opponent some good opening questions. However by the middle game he was two pawns down from which he never recovered.
Overall for the season. 2W, 2L.
We ended the season on a sad note.A draw would definitely have been a fairer result from this match. However it appears we should be around the middle of Division 4 when all the results are finalised.So the general feeling is, that a good start has been made by Team 5 for their first season in Division 4.
Well done and thank you to all those who have supported the team throughout the season.We look forward to next year.
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Away Tie Versus Horsham
Luke Rutherford had to defend a Torre Attack as Black.This he did successfully.So Board one was a draw for Brighton & Hove.Brian Denman seemed to have another wild looking game.Attacks on both King's made it fairly entertaining.However Brian's opponent played with such resource that Brian was forced to cease hostilities with a perpetual attack.Draw on Board two for Brighton & Hove.My own game was quite a slow positional one.I blundered a pawn and was not able to save it.That was a loss for Brighton & Hove on Board five.
At the close of play Both Geoffrey James and Adrian Pickersgill had not reached a result.After further research Geoffrey had to concede that his position was drawn.That was a draw on Board three.The final remaining game where only a win would do to tie the match was conceded without the need for adjudication.Adrian had been a sound exchange up and naturally was intending to claim had his opponent elected to go the next stage.So a win on Board four for Adrian Pickersgill secured Brighton the Tie in this match.
It will still be possible to finish in the top three if we acquit ourselves reasonably well from now on in.I hope we win at least one more match.
At the close of play Both Geoffrey James and Adrian Pickersgill had not reached a result.After further research Geoffrey had to concede that his position was drawn.That was a draw on Board three.The final remaining game where only a win would do to tie the match was conceded without the need for adjudication.Adrian had been a sound exchange up and naturally was intending to claim had his opponent elected to go the next stage.So a win on Board four for Adrian Pickersgill secured Brighton the Tie in this match.
It will still be possible to finish in the top three if we acquit ourselves reasonably well from now on in.I hope we win at least one more match.
Friday, 13 March 2009
Brighton 4 vs Crowborough 4
This was really the crunch match for us, win this and we really should win the division; lose and we would finish second if we were lucky. Fortunately for us we thumped Crowborough 4 around the back of the head and ran off with their wallets.
Duncan Roy blundered twice, but fought back bravely each time and ended up with a draw.
Bob Davies was very mean to his young opponent, and despite yet another mad scramble for the time control won comfortably.
Charles managed only a draw and later admitted that he though he had not played his usual exciting chess.
I won comfortably on board 2 with my opponent seemingly unable to play against a Scheviningen Sicilian.
Arthur De Silver lost the exchange only to come through with a draw by repetition.
I felt sorry for our opponents; they had played well all season only to find themselves unable to field their strongest team for this vital match. Caroline Campion, the opposing captain looked visibly disappointed as we left. Nonetheless, a point is a point, and now, providing we can get a good result in our remaining two matches we stand an excellent chance of winning our division.
Final score 3½ - 1½
Friday, 6 March 2009
Last Week In The Third Team
Click here for Kevin's match against his Worthing 2 opponent on Monday. The apostrophe that's missing from the title stopped this from showing the moves, after I had carefully extracted all Kevin's commentary. I will attempt to put the commentary back in. Durrgh......
No, it doesn't like commentary. This is all it will take.
Kevin says: Horrible start, but once I got over that my opponent let me off the hook and I didn't do badly. I made such a hash of the start that I think he thought he had an easy win on his hands!
Is there a neat way of showing an annotated game on the website? I think this is probably as good as it gets - the commentary has to come separately. Variations also cause confusion. But the game itself is very easy to follow.
We won the match 3-2 on Monday and (probably) 3.5-1.5 against St Francis and Haywards Heath 2 on Wednesday. With one match still to go promotion is still a strong possibility.
No, it doesn't like commentary. This is all it will take.
Kevin says: Horrible start, but once I got over that my opponent let me off the hook and I didn't do badly. I made such a hash of the start that I think he thought he had an easy win on his hands!
Is there a neat way of showing an annotated game on the website? I think this is probably as good as it gets - the commentary has to come separately. Variations also cause confusion. But the game itself is very easy to follow.
We won the match 3-2 on Monday and (probably) 3.5-1.5 against St Francis and Haywards Heath 2 on Wednesday. With one match still to go promotion is still a strong possibility.
Brighton&Hove 5 v Crawley 2
AWAY MATCH THURSDAY 5th MARCH RESULT DRAW
A journey through the labyrinth of Crawley was helped by Ian's previous knowledge and so luckily we were there plenty of time ahead of the start.
In board order.
Arthur De Silver. A tough match for Arthur with an opponent grade of 132.This resulted in a strong struggle and unfortunate loss for Arthur.
Ian George. Another great win.Ian opened with The English which transposed into The Queen's Gambit. A strong careful performance by Ian where he eventually had two rooks and five pawns against a rook, bishop and seven pawns.The two rooks gave the edge with a final win for Ian.
Duncan Roy An unfortunate error left Duncan a piece down early on, from which,although putting up a strong fight he never really recovered.
Myself. I opened with The Queen's Gambit which although initially led to good development, nevertheless led to a final closed game where we both had two rooks,Queen and seven pawns.It all became a very closed game and a final draw was agreed.
Harri Edwards. Harri played The Sicilian.By the late middle game he was two pawns up and Queening pressure finally forced his opponent to capitulate. Well down Harri. Three wins from three games.
Unfortunately only a draw, but are opponents like us, are also in the middle of Division 4, so overall we were satisfied with our trip to Crawley.
A journey through the labyrinth of Crawley was helped by Ian's previous knowledge and so luckily we were there plenty of time ahead of the start.
In board order.
Arthur De Silver. A tough match for Arthur with an opponent grade of 132.This resulted in a strong struggle and unfortunate loss for Arthur.
Ian George. Another great win.Ian opened with The English which transposed into The Queen's Gambit. A strong careful performance by Ian where he eventually had two rooks and five pawns against a rook, bishop and seven pawns.The two rooks gave the edge with a final win for Ian.
Duncan Roy An unfortunate error left Duncan a piece down early on, from which,although putting up a strong fight he never really recovered.
Myself. I opened with The Queen's Gambit which although initially led to good development, nevertheless led to a final closed game where we both had two rooks,Queen and seven pawns.It all became a very closed game and a final draw was agreed.
Harri Edwards. Harri played The Sicilian.By the late middle game he was two pawns up and Queening pressure finally forced his opponent to capitulate. Well down Harri. Three wins from three games.
Unfortunately only a draw, but are opponents like us, are also in the middle of Division 4, so overall we were satisfied with our trip to Crawley.
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
1 st TEAM versus Hastings 2
Luke Rutherford almost scored two points for the home team this match.First his opponent's Mobile phone rang.However he decided to waive his right to claim the game.Fortunately or should i say skilfully he managed to prevail over the board which meant we went one-nil up.
Adrian Pickersgill managed to equalise quite comfortably with Black.After thirty moves or so the game was agreed drawn.
There remained at the end of the three hour playing session three unfinished games.Brian Denman's game looked to me at least to have been a rather wild looking affair.Which i thought could have gone either way.Following a thorough analyses by both players this was agreed a draw.
Geoffrey seemed to think he had much the better of it at the close of play.This proved to be so as the Hastings Club chose not to contest the game further.Another win to Brighton for Geoff.My own game which had swung around a bit ended in a position where it was judged i had sufficient play for the Pawn deficit.This was also agreed drawn.
The result a win for the Home team.
A summary of the match position read Brighton & Hove 3 1/2 Hastings & ST Leonards 1 1/2.
Adrian Pickersgill managed to equalise quite comfortably with Black.After thirty moves or so the game was agreed drawn.
There remained at the end of the three hour playing session three unfinished games.Brian Denman's game looked to me at least to have been a rather wild looking affair.Which i thought could have gone either way.Following a thorough analyses by both players this was agreed a draw.
Geoffrey seemed to think he had much the better of it at the close of play.This proved to be so as the Hastings Club chose not to contest the game further.Another win to Brighton for Geoff.My own game which had swung around a bit ended in a position where it was judged i had sufficient play for the Pawn deficit.This was also agreed drawn.
The result a win for the Home team.
A summary of the match position read Brighton & Hove 3 1/2 Hastings & ST Leonards 1 1/2.
Monday, 23 February 2009
A Message from the Webmaster
Due to popular demand, I have turned on the comments facility on this blog. This means that anyone can post a comment to each message on the blog and give feedback on the match reports.
These comments are not moderated by me because I don't have the time. If I find that abusive or otherwise inappropriate comments are posted on our blog, then I'll have to rethink whether commenting will be allowed.
Since it can be very difficult to notice that a particular post on a blog has acquired a comment, especially if the comment is put on an old message, I have set up the new facility so that our 5 team captains and myself will be automatically emailed a copy of all new comments. If the teams captains would prefer to have these comments emails turned off, just let me know.
Can I also take this opportunity to remind team captains that they should only use the following labels for their team reports: 1st team, 2nd team, 3rd team, 4th team and 5th team. Use of other labels to describe which team is involved unecessarily complicates the self-maintaining indexing system. Use of other labels to describe other things, e.g. opening systems, venues etc., is encouraged. Really pleased to see this match reports blog taking off. Happy blogging!
These comments are not moderated by me because I don't have the time. If I find that abusive or otherwise inappropriate comments are posted on our blog, then I'll have to rethink whether commenting will be allowed.
Since it can be very difficult to notice that a particular post on a blog has acquired a comment, especially if the comment is put on an old message, I have set up the new facility so that our 5 team captains and myself will be automatically emailed a copy of all new comments. If the teams captains would prefer to have these comments emails turned off, just let me know.
Can I also take this opportunity to remind team captains that they should only use the following labels for their team reports: 1st team, 2nd team, 3rd team, 4th team and 5th team. Use of other labels to describe which team is involved unecessarily complicates the self-maintaining indexing system. Use of other labels to describe other things, e.g. opening systems, venues etc., is encouraged. Really pleased to see this match reports blog taking off. Happy blogging!
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Brighton&Hove 5 v East Grinstead 2
AWAY MATCH TUESDAY 17th FEBRUARY.
An unhurried journey across the Ashdown Forest still gave us time for a quick drink in a local pub, so that we were ready and well primed to do battle.
In board order.
Arthur De Silve. A hard game all the way through with his opponent keeping the upper hand.However towards the end of the middle game his opponent missed a pawn fork against knight and queen and from then on Arthur could steal the initiative and go onto win.
Ian George. An even game resulting from The Centre Counter opening until his opponent made a blunder. From then on Ian was able to take charge and win.
Myself. I played The Dragon Variation of the Sicilian.For a long while he had his black bishop on h6 while mine was on h8. A complex attack occurred with white using in addition his queen and knight attacking my king side castled king.However the attack was thwarted and finally a drawn position arose in the end game.
Duncan Roy. The Queens Gambit opening led to black surprisingly playing h6 and even g5 to drive away Duncan's black bishop. This early development was a setback for black from which white niggled away at until securing a final victory.
Harri Edwards. Harri played the Slav Defence, unfortunately losing material in an early exchange. However careful development and steady long term play gave Hari the initiative and final victory.
FINAL RESULT BTN&HOVE 4.5 E. GRINSTEAD 0.5.
A very pleasing result. Well done team.
An unhurried journey across the Ashdown Forest still gave us time for a quick drink in a local pub, so that we were ready and well primed to do battle.
In board order.
Arthur De Silve. A hard game all the way through with his opponent keeping the upper hand.However towards the end of the middle game his opponent missed a pawn fork against knight and queen and from then on Arthur could steal the initiative and go onto win.
Ian George. An even game resulting from The Centre Counter opening until his opponent made a blunder. From then on Ian was able to take charge and win.
Myself. I played The Dragon Variation of the Sicilian.For a long while he had his black bishop on h6 while mine was on h8. A complex attack occurred with white using in addition his queen and knight attacking my king side castled king.However the attack was thwarted and finally a drawn position arose in the end game.
Duncan Roy. The Queens Gambit opening led to black surprisingly playing h6 and even g5 to drive away Duncan's black bishop. This early development was a setback for black from which white niggled away at until securing a final victory.
Harri Edwards. Harri played the Slav Defence, unfortunately losing material in an early exchange. However careful development and steady long term play gave Hari the initiative and final victory.
FINAL RESULT BTN&HOVE 4.5 E. GRINSTEAD 0.5.
A very pleasing result. Well done team.
Video Report:
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
2nd team versus East Grinstead1
Arriving this time without suffering any blizzards of snow and taking the route north and across which does seem preferable to the Lewes route, if not so pretty; we faced a slightly weaker team than anticipated. For this reason we were favourites on paper and so it is slightly disappointing to have only drawn the match. Yours truly being fuzzy headed with a cold made the first blunder by calling heads, I never do this, ask my pool playing buddies. Anyway it lost, black again, ho hum. Paul drew comfortably on board one meanwhile Dona, moved up a board as both sides had late players, was going for it. A good sacrifice of the h pawn was followed by an exchange sac that she thought afterwards was bad. I'm not so sure but have not been able to talk to Dona about this since. Either way her opponent consolidated and an endgame was reached with Dona Rook for minor piece and pawn down. She defended this superbly, it was a pleasure to watch. Brian looked to be holding but in the last few minutes a couple of pawns dropped and so did a point. Neil was looking good and travelling back we were optimistic unfortunately in the harsh light of day the two extra pawns were not enough, opposite coloured bishops... . I picked up a fairly easy point but all in all this makes our chances of taking second place fairly low though it could still all turn on a last match decider if we do the biz against a good Horsham 3 next week. Watch this space or come to club and watch there.
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