Redditch visited Sutton Coldfield on Monday in Division Two of the Birmingham League - the club's final match before entering the Christmas break. Pushing for promotion, Sutton Coldfield posed a real danger to struggling Redditch - a situation not helped by Redditch unfortunately missing Dave Spowart and Jason Cole.
The first game to finish was on Board 1 where Dan Lambourne's French Defence against John Mildenhall led to a Rook and Bishop endgame where the interlocked pawns proved too much of an obstacle for either player and a draw was agreed. With Dan holding a 19-point grading superiority over his opponent, it could have been argued that Sutton Coldfield may have taken some advantage from that draw. However, they were to soon be definitely ahead after Tom Robinson succumbed on Board 2 to 152-rated Marek Soszynski - another upset. With the rest of the grades favouring Sutton Coldfield, things looked bleak for Redditch and matters worsened when, as may have been expected with such a gap, Andrew Wiggins had to concede defeat on Board 3 to 151-rated Lawrence Hayden.
However, the bottom three boards had other ideas as to how the match should finish. Steve Crockett sacrificed the exchange on Board 4 against 147-graded Roy Lawrence, picked up a further couple of pawns and finally checkmated his opponent on a8 with the use of King, Bishop and Pawn. Peter Seeley played passively on Board 5 against Shailesh Jobanputra but managed to weather an inital storm. His 145-graded opponent summoned up the reserves to win Rook, Bishop and Knight in exchange for his Queen and go into what should have been a superior endgame. One slip, however, allowed Peter to threaten a repetition of moves from which the only escape was to give up one of those pieces. Jobanputra chose the latter option and then compounded his error by giving up a further pawn, allowing Peter a passed a-pawn that should have allowed him an excellent win. Peter, however, completely missed the opportunity to push this pawn, instead allowing Jobanputra the chance to cause some mischief with his rook. Whilst Peter still had a won position at the end of the game, he didn't have enough time to convert it and instead had to settle for a draw and a missed opportunity.
With Redditch still a point behind, it came down to Michele Clack against 130-rated Iqbal Dhesi on Board 6. Avoiding Dhesi's Marshall Gambit, Michele won a knight in the middle game before returning it and taking a pawn advantage into a Rook and Pawn endgame. Michele missed an initial opportunity to convert before Dhesi missed the drawing line. Michele ultimately promoted the final pawn on the board to secure a 3-3 draw for Redditch and take them into the Christmas break with prospects looking a little brighter.
Redditch play a 'Mince Pie' quickplay on Tuesday as a final social gathering before Christmas. With 15 minutes each on the clock, anything can happen.
Closing thought: "The most powerful weapon in chess is to have the next move." - David Bronstein
Sunday 16 December 2012
Saturday 8 December 2012
A week of improvement
Redditch finally got off the mark in Division Two of the Birmingham League on Tuesday with a 3-3 draw at home against Mutual Circle before following up last Friday's draw with Malvern in Division One of the Worcester & District League with a resounding 4-0 at the Kidderminster Pawns on Wednesday.
Searching for their first point of the season in BDCL2, Reddith got off to a poor start on the lower boards when Steve Crockett lost on Board 6 against Mark Paffard before another defeat swiftly followed for Jason Cole on Board 5 against Christopher Evans. Andrew Wiggins drew on Board 6 against Robert Hollows to leave Redditch trailing 2.5-0.5 and Mutual Circle looked like they would consign Redditch to their fifth successive defeat. Redditch, however, had other ideas. Dave Spowart won a piece against Mark Tallis on Board 3 and then calmly defended his opponent's spacial advantage before the extra piece would prove decisive in his own attack. Tom Robinson followed up on Board 2 establishing a positional advantage against Edward Huang before delivering checkmate with Queen and Rook to level the match. By this point, Dan Lambourne was two pawns ahead in his match on Board 1 against Robin Huq but facing counterthreats. Dan picked up a third pawn but his opponent's counterplay proved too strong for Dan to pursue his attack and a draw was agreed to secure Redditch's first point of the season ahead of their final match before Christmas next week.
Having taken an excellent draw off Malvern last Friday, a full-strength Redditch were in a confident mood for their trip to newly promoted Kidderminster Pawns on Wednesday. Outgrading their opponents on every board, Redditch recorded their first win of the season in style. Victories for Dan Lambourne, Tom Robinson, Dave Spowart and Jason Cole against Mark Riley, David Close, Tim Yates and Clive Billinge gave Redditch a 4-0 victory to haul themselves off the foot of the table and head into Christmas on a real high.
Redditch conclude their pre-Christmas campaign with a trip to Sutton Coldfield in Division Two of the Birmingham League on Monday before the rapidplay tournament enters its second week.
Closing thought: "Your body has to be in top condition. Your chess deteriorates as your body does. You can't separate body from mind." - Bobby Fischer
Searching for their first point of the season in BDCL2, Reddith got off to a poor start on the lower boards when Steve Crockett lost on Board 6 against Mark Paffard before another defeat swiftly followed for Jason Cole on Board 5 against Christopher Evans. Andrew Wiggins drew on Board 6 against Robert Hollows to leave Redditch trailing 2.5-0.5 and Mutual Circle looked like they would consign Redditch to their fifth successive defeat. Redditch, however, had other ideas. Dave Spowart won a piece against Mark Tallis on Board 3 and then calmly defended his opponent's spacial advantage before the extra piece would prove decisive in his own attack. Tom Robinson followed up on Board 2 establishing a positional advantage against Edward Huang before delivering checkmate with Queen and Rook to level the match. By this point, Dan Lambourne was two pawns ahead in his match on Board 1 against Robin Huq but facing counterthreats. Dan picked up a third pawn but his opponent's counterplay proved too strong for Dan to pursue his attack and a draw was agreed to secure Redditch's first point of the season ahead of their final match before Christmas next week.
Having taken an excellent draw off Malvern last Friday, a full-strength Redditch were in a confident mood for their trip to newly promoted Kidderminster Pawns on Wednesday. Outgrading their opponents on every board, Redditch recorded their first win of the season in style. Victories for Dan Lambourne, Tom Robinson, Dave Spowart and Jason Cole against Mark Riley, David Close, Tim Yates and Clive Billinge gave Redditch a 4-0 victory to haul themselves off the foot of the table and head into Christmas on a real high.
Redditch conclude their pre-Christmas campaign with a trip to Sutton Coldfield in Division Two of the Birmingham League on Monday before the rapidplay tournament enters its second week.
Closing thought: "Your body has to be in top condition. Your chess deteriorates as your body does. You can't separate body from mind." - Bobby Fischer
Sunday 2 December 2012
Three matches produce three results
Redditch's struggles continued in Division 2 of the Birmingham Leage on Tuesday as they went down 4-2 against Shirley & Wythall but managed to maintain their 100% record in Division 2 of the Worcester & District League with a 2.5-1.5 win at Worcester Pawns on Thursday before securing a 2-2 draw in Division 1 away to reigning champions Malvern.
Redditch's match against Shirley & Wythall began badly with defeat for Dave Spowart against John Freeman on Board Two. Further defeats followed for Michele Clack and Richard Turner to Jon Asbury and Mike Warden on Board Five and Six respectively left Redditch 3-0 down with three games left and hoping to draw the match at best. Despite the building up of pressure, however, Tom Robinson was unable to capitalise against Dave Thomas on Board One and had to agree a draw to allow Shirley & Whythall to secure the win. With the match decided, Jason Cole agreed a draw with Frank Jiminez on Board Four but Andrew Wiggins recorded an excellent individual victory over Gordon Christie to hand Redditch their only win in a result that leaves them still bottom of Division 2 with no points from their opening four matches.
The other two games this week were fortunately much better. Worcester Pawns put out a strong side on Thursday and would surely have been considered favourites before their home advantage was taken into account. Redditch had other ideas. Jason Cole drew with Andrew Farthing on Board One and Michele Clack made a mockery of her 25 point grading deficit to draw with Ray Collett on Board Two. Ian Clack also drew against Phil Smith on Board Three but Richard Turner beat Roger Yates on Board Four to claim Redditch's third win from their opening three games in the Worcester & District League Division Two and will be hoping to continue that run after Christmas.
With two defeats from their opening two matches in Division One of the Worcester & District League, a trip to Malvern to face the team that has won the last three titles was an even more daunting prospect than usual, although the availability of Dan Lambourne certainly made a difference. After building up some early pressure against Brian Turner on Board One, he declined the opportunity to make an unclear sacrifice and a draw was soon agreed. Andrew Wiggins played a Stonewall Attack on Board Three against John Knee that offered few options to either player and a draw was also agreed. Unfortunately, Peter Seeley was unable to continue the run of draws for Redditch against Geoffrey Herbert on Board Four. After initially repelling Geoffrey's Torre Attack, he gave up a bishop for three pawns to give himself a 4-1 pawn majority on the kingside. He was unable to get the pawns rolling however and Geoffrey used the open files to for the win of a pawn and followed it up with a rook to send Malvern ahead. By this point, Tom Robinson had withstood an early onslaught on Board Two against Ian Clarke's Smith-Morra Gambit before Ian erred in time pressure to leave Tom two pawns ahead. Pressing to salvage the result, Ian dropped a third pawn before conceding the match to Tom, giving Redditch an excellent draw against a full strength Malvern team.
Redditch will be hoping to make further strides on their draw with Malvern on Wednesday as they travel to Kidderminster Pawns in the Worcester & District League the evening after they host Mutual Circle in Division Two of the Birmingham League.
Closing thought: "The hallmark of the artist is simplicity." - Larry Evans
Redditch's match against Shirley & Wythall began badly with defeat for Dave Spowart against John Freeman on Board Two. Further defeats followed for Michele Clack and Richard Turner to Jon Asbury and Mike Warden on Board Five and Six respectively left Redditch 3-0 down with three games left and hoping to draw the match at best. Despite the building up of pressure, however, Tom Robinson was unable to capitalise against Dave Thomas on Board One and had to agree a draw to allow Shirley & Whythall to secure the win. With the match decided, Jason Cole agreed a draw with Frank Jiminez on Board Four but Andrew Wiggins recorded an excellent individual victory over Gordon Christie to hand Redditch their only win in a result that leaves them still bottom of Division 2 with no points from their opening four matches.
The other two games this week were fortunately much better. Worcester Pawns put out a strong side on Thursday and would surely have been considered favourites before their home advantage was taken into account. Redditch had other ideas. Jason Cole drew with Andrew Farthing on Board One and Michele Clack made a mockery of her 25 point grading deficit to draw with Ray Collett on Board Two. Ian Clack also drew against Phil Smith on Board Three but Richard Turner beat Roger Yates on Board Four to claim Redditch's third win from their opening three games in the Worcester & District League Division Two and will be hoping to continue that run after Christmas.
With two defeats from their opening two matches in Division One of the Worcester & District League, a trip to Malvern to face the team that has won the last three titles was an even more daunting prospect than usual, although the availability of Dan Lambourne certainly made a difference. After building up some early pressure against Brian Turner on Board One, he declined the opportunity to make an unclear sacrifice and a draw was soon agreed. Andrew Wiggins played a Stonewall Attack on Board Three against John Knee that offered few options to either player and a draw was also agreed. Unfortunately, Peter Seeley was unable to continue the run of draws for Redditch against Geoffrey Herbert on Board Four. After initially repelling Geoffrey's Torre Attack, he gave up a bishop for three pawns to give himself a 4-1 pawn majority on the kingside. He was unable to get the pawns rolling however and Geoffrey used the open files to for the win of a pawn and followed it up with a rook to send Malvern ahead. By this point, Tom Robinson had withstood an early onslaught on Board Two against Ian Clarke's Smith-Morra Gambit before Ian erred in time pressure to leave Tom two pawns ahead. Pressing to salvage the result, Ian dropped a third pawn before conceding the match to Tom, giving Redditch an excellent draw against a full strength Malvern team.
Redditch will be hoping to make further strides on their draw with Malvern on Wednesday as they travel to Kidderminster Pawns in the Worcester & District League the evening after they host Mutual Circle in Division Two of the Birmingham League.
Closing thought: "The hallmark of the artist is simplicity." - Larry Evans
Sunday 25 November 2012
A mixed week
Redditch recorded their fourth win from their opening five games in Division Four of the Birmingham League agaisnt Boldmere on Wednesday but also fell to their second defeat from their opening two games in Division One of the Worcester & District League at Worcester Bishops on Thursday.
Outgraded against Boldmere, Kevin Day picked up a trademark early draw on Board Two against Peter Loach, made even more impressive after being up at 4 for work! This was followed with victories for Giles Stanton against Nigel McCormack on Board Five and Richard Turner against Geoff Harman on Board Six, although Steve Crockett missed a combination on Board One after declining a draw offer to fall to defeat against Philip Jones. Michele Clack won a piece early on and then efficiently ground Andrew Taylor down on Board Four to secure the match for Redditch. Peter Seeley made a couple of early errors on Board Three against Malcolm Phipps and left himself with an incarcerated bishop. With the match decided and gradually falling asleep at the board, Peter offered a draw, which Malcolm declined before Peter left his queen en prise, although Malcolm was probably heading towards a deserved victory anyway. The final score was 3.5-2.5 to Redditch. Five games into the season, Redditch head into their Christmas break in this division lying third in the league behind Olton 'A' and conquerors Warley Quinborne.
In the middle of the apalling weather on Thursday, Redditch faced a daunting trip to one of the strongest teams in the Worcester & District League - Worcester Bishops. What was already a daunting trip wasn't helped by captain Tom Robinson being unavailable and the driving conditions. After facing an arduous journey home from in heavy traffic, Dave Spowart lost quickly against Steve Mellor on Board Two although Jason Cole was able to pick up a credible early draw against Jim Keene on Board Four. Andrew Wiggins looked to be holding his own against Nick Harris on Board Three but eventually lost but Dan Lambourne matched Peter Kitson on Board One to secure a draw. Redditch had to accept a 3-1 defeat and it is likely that this season will be as tough as the last one to stay up but they will retain hopes that this will be the case.
Closing thought: "Time trouble is blunder time." - Alexander Kotov
Outgraded against Boldmere, Kevin Day picked up a trademark early draw on Board Two against Peter Loach, made even more impressive after being up at 4 for work! This was followed with victories for Giles Stanton against Nigel McCormack on Board Five and Richard Turner against Geoff Harman on Board Six, although Steve Crockett missed a combination on Board One after declining a draw offer to fall to defeat against Philip Jones. Michele Clack won a piece early on and then efficiently ground Andrew Taylor down on Board Four to secure the match for Redditch. Peter Seeley made a couple of early errors on Board Three against Malcolm Phipps and left himself with an incarcerated bishop. With the match decided and gradually falling asleep at the board, Peter offered a draw, which Malcolm declined before Peter left his queen en prise, although Malcolm was probably heading towards a deserved victory anyway. The final score was 3.5-2.5 to Redditch. Five games into the season, Redditch head into their Christmas break in this division lying third in the league behind Olton 'A' and conquerors Warley Quinborne.
In the middle of the apalling weather on Thursday, Redditch faced a daunting trip to one of the strongest teams in the Worcester & District League - Worcester Bishops. What was already a daunting trip wasn't helped by captain Tom Robinson being unavailable and the driving conditions. After facing an arduous journey home from in heavy traffic, Dave Spowart lost quickly against Steve Mellor on Board Two although Jason Cole was able to pick up a credible early draw against Jim Keene on Board Four. Andrew Wiggins looked to be holding his own against Nick Harris on Board Three but eventually lost but Dan Lambourne matched Peter Kitson on Board One to secure a draw. Redditch had to accept a 3-1 defeat and it is likely that this season will be as tough as the last one to stay up but they will retain hopes that this will be the case.
Closing thought: "Time trouble is blunder time." - Alexander Kotov
Sunday 18 November 2012
Outclassed and handicapped
Redditch suffered their third defeat from their opening three matches in Division Two of the Birmingham League with a 5-1 demolition at the hands of Tamworth. In truth, this result could probably have been predicted on paper against a team that, if they played their first team in every game, could be considered a very useful Division 1 side. 165-graded Tom Robinson fell to his first defeat of the season for Redditch on Board One although it is questionable as to how many players even in Division One would have seriously fancied their chances against 210-graded Philip Briggs. Dave Spowart (139) and Kevin Day (119) picked up credible draws against Ralph Allen (162) and Patrick Kelly (133) on Boards Two and Six but the gulf in class manifested itself on the other boards with Andrew Wiggins (130), Steve Crockett (132) and Jason Cole (132) succumbing to Trevor Bould (170), Kevin Hern (158) and Simon Walton (156) respectively. Whilst the scoreline is indeed painful viewing, this was a team that has currently won its opening four matches and is seeking promotion back to Division One at the first time of asking.
Redditch followed this defeat up with a win over the boards in the first round of the Homer Cup but falling to a handicap loss against Shirley & Wythall 3. This time around, it was Redditch's turn to have the grading advantage. Daniel Lambourne (180) returned on Board One with a victory over Robert Purcell (136) and this was followed up on Boards Two and Three with wins for Tom Robinson and Dave Spowart against Louis Rawson and Kenneth Warren. However, the club fared less well on the bottom three boards with defeats for Andrew Wiggins and Steve Crockett against Peter McGuirk and Mike Warden and a draw for Jason Cole against Roger Ball. The final score was 3.5-2.5 to Redditch but a 1.5 point handicapp for Shirley & Wythall 3 as a result of being a division lower allowed them to claim a 4-3.5 win and book their place in the next round.
Although it has been a disappointing start to the season for this team, the three league teams faced may all expect to compete for promotion to the top flight this year. Future matches against other clubs that will also need to fight against relegation will determine the fate of the team. In the meantime, some of the players involved will instead represent the Division One side from the Worcester & District League on Thursday as they face a daunting trip to Worcester, whilst the Birmingham League Division Four side travel to Boldmere on Wednesday. Preceding both of these trips on Tuesday evening, however, is the first of four quickplay evenings organised by the club. Players will have two games with thirty minutes each. Tom Robinson scored a perfect 5/5 in the season-opening Phil Church Trophy with 15 minutes each on the clock. How will he fare in the longer time limit?
Closing thought: "If you don't win, it's not a great tragedy. The worst that happens is that you lose a game." - Bobby Fischer
Redditch followed this defeat up with a win over the boards in the first round of the Homer Cup but falling to a handicap loss against Shirley & Wythall 3. This time around, it was Redditch's turn to have the grading advantage. Daniel Lambourne (180) returned on Board One with a victory over Robert Purcell (136) and this was followed up on Boards Two and Three with wins for Tom Robinson and Dave Spowart against Louis Rawson and Kenneth Warren. However, the club fared less well on the bottom three boards with defeats for Andrew Wiggins and Steve Crockett against Peter McGuirk and Mike Warden and a draw for Jason Cole against Roger Ball. The final score was 3.5-2.5 to Redditch but a 1.5 point handicapp for Shirley & Wythall 3 as a result of being a division lower allowed them to claim a 4-3.5 win and book their place in the next round.
Although it has been a disappointing start to the season for this team, the three league teams faced may all expect to compete for promotion to the top flight this year. Future matches against other clubs that will also need to fight against relegation will determine the fate of the team. In the meantime, some of the players involved will instead represent the Division One side from the Worcester & District League on Thursday as they face a daunting trip to Worcester, whilst the Birmingham League Division Four side travel to Boldmere on Wednesday. Preceding both of these trips on Tuesday evening, however, is the first of four quickplay evenings organised by the club. Players will have two games with thirty minutes each. Tom Robinson scored a perfect 5/5 in the season-opening Phil Church Trophy with 15 minutes each on the clock. How will he fare in the longer time limit?
Closing thought: "If you don't win, it's not a great tragedy. The worst that happens is that you lose a game." - Bobby Fischer
Wednesday 7 November 2012
Bouncebackability
After winning their first two matches of the season, Redditch's Division Four team in the Birmingham League saw this streak ended as the succumbed 4-2 against a strong Warley Quinborne sidelast Thursday. Redditch acquitted themselves very well with draws against higher graded players on the top four boards, particularly Kevin Day taking a draw on Board 2 against Stephen Moxley - a player graded 24 points higher. Steve Crockett, Michele Clack and Giles Stanton were also able to claim draws as underdogs but that trend was unfortunately unable to be continued on the bottom two boards. Ian Clack fell to John Lewis on Board 5 and David Smith tried an exchange sacrifice that would ultimatley prove fuitless in his league debut for Redditch.
However, the team was able to demonstrate 'bouncebackability' in their match on Tuesday as they swept aside Birmingham with a 5-1 victory. Birmingham were admittedly fielding four ungraded players but the matches still had to be won. Redditch were gifted a headstart on Board 2 when Kevin Day's opponent was unable to attend, resulting in a default win. This was followed up with a win for Giles Stanton on Board 5 against Greg Henson before B B Sundaram lost track of time on Board 6 against Derek Abraham, although Derek felt he was likely to win anyway. Benson Headley acquitted himself well with a solid against Peter Seeley's kingside attack on Board 3 and neutralised it to the point where it looked like Peter would have to surrender a pawn whilst gifting Benson a supported passed pawn. Fortunately for Peter, Benson elected to swap these two pawns off. The game remained roughly equal with Peter possibly having a slight edge with an active knight against a blocked bishop in an endgame where all six major pieces were still on the board. However, a slip by Benson allowed a tactic that resulted in Peter emerging a rook and pawn up. Benson's resignation left Redditch 4-0 up with two matches still to play. Birmingham's Bill Cole seemed to have an edge against Michele Clack from an early stage on Board 4 with a supported passed pawn but was unable to find a winning continuation against Michele's defence. Marek Schroeder felt he had some potential traps against Steve Crockett on Board 1 but, with the outcome already decided, both games were agreed drawn.
Redditch's Division Four team commences its Barrington Trophy campaign against Westminster 6 next Tuesday. With the team unable to defend the Townshed Trophy from last season, the aim will now be to regain this trophy from two years ago. The Division Two side commence their Homer Trophy (for first round losers in the Terrill Trophy) campaign with a trip to Shirley & Wythall 3 next Thursday where players from both teams will need to be at their very best to overcome handicaps as a result of being in a team from a higher division.
Closing thought: "Look at Garry Kasparov. After he loses, invariably he wins the next game. He just kills the guy. That's something we have to learn to be able to do." - Maurice Ashley
However, the team was able to demonstrate 'bouncebackability' in their match on Tuesday as they swept aside Birmingham with a 5-1 victory. Birmingham were admittedly fielding four ungraded players but the matches still had to be won. Redditch were gifted a headstart on Board 2 when Kevin Day's opponent was unable to attend, resulting in a default win. This was followed up with a win for Giles Stanton on Board 5 against Greg Henson before B B Sundaram lost track of time on Board 6 against Derek Abraham, although Derek felt he was likely to win anyway. Benson Headley acquitted himself well with a solid against Peter Seeley's kingside attack on Board 3 and neutralised it to the point where it looked like Peter would have to surrender a pawn whilst gifting Benson a supported passed pawn. Fortunately for Peter, Benson elected to swap these two pawns off. The game remained roughly equal with Peter possibly having a slight edge with an active knight against a blocked bishop in an endgame where all six major pieces were still on the board. However, a slip by Benson allowed a tactic that resulted in Peter emerging a rook and pawn up. Benson's resignation left Redditch 4-0 up with two matches still to play. Birmingham's Bill Cole seemed to have an edge against Michele Clack from an early stage on Board 4 with a supported passed pawn but was unable to find a winning continuation against Michele's defence. Marek Schroeder felt he had some potential traps against Steve Crockett on Board 1 but, with the outcome already decided, both games were agreed drawn.
Redditch's Division Four team commences its Barrington Trophy campaign against Westminster 6 next Tuesday. With the team unable to defend the Townshed Trophy from last season, the aim will now be to regain this trophy from two years ago. The Division Two side commence their Homer Trophy (for first round losers in the Terrill Trophy) campaign with a trip to Shirley & Wythall 3 next Thursday where players from both teams will need to be at their very best to overcome handicaps as a result of being in a team from a higher division.
Closing thought: "Look at Garry Kasparov. After he loses, invariably he wins the next game. He just kills the guy. That's something we have to learn to be able to do." - Maurice Ashley
Thursday 25 October 2012
A visit to Stourbridge, a local derby and the visit of a grandmaster
Redditch came up short in their opening match of the season in Division One of the Worcester & District League against Headless Cross on Tuesday with a 2.5-1.5 defeat. first result of the evening came early as Ashley Davis beat Dave Spowart in just 19 moves on board 2. As the evening progressed, Andrew Wiggins and Ian Clack had to settle for draws on boards 2 and 4 against Dave Richardson and Terry Radford respectively. As the evening drew to a close, it was down to the final match on board 1 between Daniel Lambourne and Glenn Cox. Daniel seemed to have some initiative but was ultimately unable to find a way through and Glenn was able to record a draw to seal the match for Headless Cross.
The Division Two side was able to record a 2.5-1.5 win, however, at Stourbridge on Wednesday. Michele Clack succumbed to Paul Sharratt on board 1 and Ian Clack drew with Colin Woodall on board 2. Stourbridge's new players Sam Bradley and Helen Kirkby were beaten on boards 3 and 4 by Derek Abrahams and Richard Turner to record a victory for Redditch
The main event of the week was a visit on Tuesday by grandmaster and English number 15 Keith Arkell. Arkell recently released his autobiography and signed copies for present members before performing a simultaneous exhibition. Ten players took him on and it initially seemed that Arkell was on course for a clean sweep. Michele Clack lost early on and further defeats followed to leave Arkell with seven wins from seven. However, advancing the king into enemy territory a move or two too early when a pawn up in a winning position allowed Peter Seeley to mate in two moves and record a thoroughly unexpected victory. He recorded his eighth victory of the evening before sitting down to complete his final match against Dave Spowart. An apparently equal endgame was reached before Arkell seemed to have crafted a winning position. However, he missed an intermediate move and played a pawn sacrifice one move too early again, allowing Dave the chance to salvage a draw - a chance that was eagerly snapped up. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and one can only hope that such an evening may be had again at some point.
League campaigns contine next week against Hagley in the Worcester & District League Division Two on Tuesday, Kidderminster Knights in the Worcester & District League Division One on Wednesday and Warley Quinborne in the Birmingham League Division Four on Thursday.
Closing thought: "Have you got me?!" - Keith Arkell to Peter Seeley when realising he was to be mated on his next move
The Division Two side was able to record a 2.5-1.5 win, however, at Stourbridge on Wednesday. Michele Clack succumbed to Paul Sharratt on board 1 and Ian Clack drew with Colin Woodall on board 2. Stourbridge's new players Sam Bradley and Helen Kirkby were beaten on boards 3 and 4 by Derek Abrahams and Richard Turner to record a victory for Redditch
The main event of the week was a visit on Tuesday by grandmaster and English number 15 Keith Arkell. Arkell recently released his autobiography and signed copies for present members before performing a simultaneous exhibition. Ten players took him on and it initially seemed that Arkell was on course for a clean sweep. Michele Clack lost early on and further defeats followed to leave Arkell with seven wins from seven. However, advancing the king into enemy territory a move or two too early when a pawn up in a winning position allowed Peter Seeley to mate in two moves and record a thoroughly unexpected victory. He recorded his eighth victory of the evening before sitting down to complete his final match against Dave Spowart. An apparently equal endgame was reached before Arkell seemed to have crafted a winning position. However, he missed an intermediate move and played a pawn sacrifice one move too early again, allowing Dave the chance to salvage a draw - a chance that was eagerly snapped up. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and one can only hope that such an evening may be had again at some point.
League campaigns contine next week against Hagley in the Worcester & District League Division Two on Tuesday, Kidderminster Knights in the Worcester & District League Division One on Wednesday and Warley Quinborne in the Birmingham League Division Four on Thursday.
Closing thought: "Have you got me?!" - Keith Arkell to Peter Seeley when realising he was to be mated on his next move
Friday 19 October 2012
Two from two in Birmingham Divison Four
Redditch recorded their second successive victory in Division Four of the Birmingham League on Tuesday night with a convincing 4.5-1.5 win over Soliull. The match started badly for Redditch, however, as Steve Crockett found his queen pinned to his king by Nigel Byrne's bishop on Board 1. Despite currently being ungraded after ten years away from competitive chess, Nigel used to be graded 148 and it would appear he's returned at this level. Derek Abraham swiftly equalised for Redditch with a victory over John Hodges on Board 6 before Peter Seeley and Robin Anderton agreed a draw in a complex position on Board 3. Peter felt he had an initiative and subsequent analysis showed he could have won a pawn and possibly exchanged down to force this through; however, he deemed it too risky to play on in practical terms being 20 minutes behind on the clock. By this stage, Redditch's Kevin Day had won a piece against John Green on Board 3 and was able to convert this material advantage into a victory before Giles Stanton defeated Philip Ravenscroft on Board 5. With the match decided, Michele Clack and former Redditch player Irina Amelkina continued their duel on Board 4. As the clocks ran down, Michele had a material advantage of a bishop for two pawns, although Irina appeared to have some initiative as compensation. This did not prove to be the case however and Irina's time ran out when faced with the unenviable choice of losing her queen or being mated.
There was no such joy for Redditch in two resumed matches against Warley Quinborne in Division Two as Dave Spowart and Andrew Wiggins both lost their matches against higher graded opponents to hand Warley an unassailable 3.5-1.5 lead with just one adjourned match between Michele Clack and John Fahy remaining.
Redditch get their Division One campaign in the Worcester & District League underway next Tuesday with a home match against fellow Redditch club Headless Cross. However, the main event of the evening is a visit by Keith Arkell. Originating from Worcestershire, Arkell is ranked 15th in England with a grade of 234 and was English Champion in 2008. Although it is unclear what will occur at the club on Tuesday, possible events are taking on challengers at speed chess or playing multiple members simultaneously. He will also be signing copies of his recently released autobiography. It will certainly be a delight for members to meet him.
Closing thought: "It is always better to sacrifice your opponents' men." - Savielly Tartakower
There was no such joy for Redditch in two resumed matches against Warley Quinborne in Division Two as Dave Spowart and Andrew Wiggins both lost their matches against higher graded opponents to hand Warley an unassailable 3.5-1.5 lead with just one adjourned match between Michele Clack and John Fahy remaining.
Redditch get their Division One campaign in the Worcester & District League underway next Tuesday with a home match against fellow Redditch club Headless Cross. However, the main event of the evening is a visit by Keith Arkell. Originating from Worcestershire, Arkell is ranked 15th in England with a grade of 234 and was English Champion in 2008. Although it is unclear what will occur at the club on Tuesday, possible events are taking on challengers at speed chess or playing multiple members simultaneously. He will also be signing copies of his recently released autobiography. It will certainly be a delight for members to meet him.
Closing thought: "It is always better to sacrifice your opponents' men." - Savielly Tartakower
Friday 12 October 2012
Mixed fortunes for Birmingham League teams
Following the visit of Warley Quinborne last week, Redditch faced another stern test on Monday evening when they visited Kynoch. Kynoch have arguably the strongest team in the division and they mustered their full strength side for this match. The match got off to a somewhat intersting start when when Andrew Wiggins failed to arrive on time for Redditch on Board 4 and David Ireland and Ed Goodwin for Kynoch on Boards 1 and 5 - one of whom would definitely come to regret this later on.
Board 3 was the first game to finish. Kynoch's Keith Ingram played his favourite Bishop's Opening against Dave Spowart. a greater familiarity with this opening and a 30 point grading difference proved to be too much to handle and Dave found himself facing an uncomfortably short defeat. Whether or not Ed Goodwin's late arrival had an effect on his play is unclear; however, he showed signs of rustiness in his first match of the season against Peter Seeley on Board 5. After losing swiftly to a player graded 157 last week, Peter had joked before this game that he should have an easier game against 155-rated Ed. He certainly hadn't expected to face a lacklustre Trompowsky Attack and a draw after 24 moves to record his best result to date! Tom Robinson continued his run of good form on Board 2. Nick Roberts castled into an attack against him and Tom recorded yet another victory - this one against a player ranked ten points higher. Unfortunately for Redditch, two wins followed for Kynoch. Andrew Wiggins held on until the end against an opponent graded 30 points ahead of him in Tony Hickey when he dropped a bishop. Giles Stanton made a great start against Larry Wright's Philidor Defence, winning a pawn. However, he could not hold this and ultimately had to concede defeat. With Kynoch two points up, the match was sealed but play continued on Board 1 where Daniel Lambourne was a pawn down against David Ireland in a Rook & Knight endgame. David seemed to have an initiative; however the 25 minutes he lost at the start as a result of his late arrival had an impact and Daniel was able to claim a victory in a time scramble. Although they lost the match, Redditch can atke heart from an excellent display.
Tuesday saw the Division 4 side commence their league campaign with a trip to Olton B. Having unfortunately lost his resumed match to hand Olton 2 a 4-2 victory in the Townshend Trophy last week, Derek Abraham faced a trip to Olton for a third successive week. His most recent trip, however, was a much happier one as he soon found himself a rook up against Bramwell Garner. Coupled with a lead attack, this led to a swift and much-needed victory for Derek. This victory was followed by three draws on the top three boards. Steve Crockett and Kevin Day on Boards 1 and 2 both won pawns but were unable to capitalise. Peter Seeley dropped a pawn in the opening but soon won this back and then went a pawn up himself at the cost of a weakened pawn structure in the endgame. After he felt he was winning the game, he made an innacuracy to promptly had the pawn and the initiative back to experienced opponent Tom Evans. However, Tom once again conceded the initiative, allowing all pawns to be exchanged off, resulting in a draw. As the end of the session approached, Giles Stanton and Richard Evans looked to be heading into an endgame that could only result in a draw. However, Richard made the classic mistake of leaving his back rank unprotected, allowing Giles a mate-in-one opportunity that was promptly snapped up to claim the match for Redditch. Michele Clack was a pawn down at the end of the session with the match to be completed at a later date.
Redditch continue their Division 4 campaign next week, welcoming Solihull. With Redditch having won their opening match and Solihull having lost theirs, a repeat would certainly be appreciated!
Closing thought: "Life is like a game of chess, changing with every move." - Chinese proverb
Board 3 was the first game to finish. Kynoch's Keith Ingram played his favourite Bishop's Opening against Dave Spowart. a greater familiarity with this opening and a 30 point grading difference proved to be too much to handle and Dave found himself facing an uncomfortably short defeat. Whether or not Ed Goodwin's late arrival had an effect on his play is unclear; however, he showed signs of rustiness in his first match of the season against Peter Seeley on Board 5. After losing swiftly to a player graded 157 last week, Peter had joked before this game that he should have an easier game against 155-rated Ed. He certainly hadn't expected to face a lacklustre Trompowsky Attack and a draw after 24 moves to record his best result to date! Tom Robinson continued his run of good form on Board 2. Nick Roberts castled into an attack against him and Tom recorded yet another victory - this one against a player ranked ten points higher. Unfortunately for Redditch, two wins followed for Kynoch. Andrew Wiggins held on until the end against an opponent graded 30 points ahead of him in Tony Hickey when he dropped a bishop. Giles Stanton made a great start against Larry Wright's Philidor Defence, winning a pawn. However, he could not hold this and ultimately had to concede defeat. With Kynoch two points up, the match was sealed but play continued on Board 1 where Daniel Lambourne was a pawn down against David Ireland in a Rook & Knight endgame. David seemed to have an initiative; however the 25 minutes he lost at the start as a result of his late arrival had an impact and Daniel was able to claim a victory in a time scramble. Although they lost the match, Redditch can atke heart from an excellent display.
Tuesday saw the Division 4 side commence their league campaign with a trip to Olton B. Having unfortunately lost his resumed match to hand Olton 2 a 4-2 victory in the Townshend Trophy last week, Derek Abraham faced a trip to Olton for a third successive week. His most recent trip, however, was a much happier one as he soon found himself a rook up against Bramwell Garner. Coupled with a lead attack, this led to a swift and much-needed victory for Derek. This victory was followed by three draws on the top three boards. Steve Crockett and Kevin Day on Boards 1 and 2 both won pawns but were unable to capitalise. Peter Seeley dropped a pawn in the opening but soon won this back and then went a pawn up himself at the cost of a weakened pawn structure in the endgame. After he felt he was winning the game, he made an innacuracy to promptly had the pawn and the initiative back to experienced opponent Tom Evans. However, Tom once again conceded the initiative, allowing all pawns to be exchanged off, resulting in a draw. As the end of the session approached, Giles Stanton and Richard Evans looked to be heading into an endgame that could only result in a draw. However, Richard made the classic mistake of leaving his back rank unprotected, allowing Giles a mate-in-one opportunity that was promptly snapped up to claim the match for Redditch. Michele Clack was a pawn down at the end of the session with the match to be completed at a later date.
Redditch continue their Division 4 campaign next week, welcoming Solihull. With Redditch having won their opening match and Solihull having lost theirs, a repeat would certainly be appreciated!
Closing thought: "Life is like a game of chess, changing with every move." - Chinese proverb
Monday 8 October 2012
Weekend of success for Redditch individuals
Tom Robinson and Steve Crockett continued their fine run of form at the Birmingham Rapidplay at the weekend with Tom finishing joint first in the Major U170 section and Steve joint second in the Minor U110. They were also joined in celebrating success by Andrew Wiggins, who won the U140 section of the Dudley Congress.
Tom began his tournament with victory over another Redditch player in Nigel Towers. He followed this up with a victory over fellow joint winner Andrew Price before two further wins and two draws gave him a share of first place with the tremendous score of 5/6, with all six of his opponents having higher FIDE ratings than himself.
Steve also claimed a score of 5/6 with four wins and two draws. With several juniors in the pool, Steve drew with 14-year-old winner James Cole in the final round, meaning Robert Ashworth gained a small measure of revenge from Steve's victory over him in Leamington by taking a draw this time around to deprive Steve of a share of first place. However, second place is still a great achievement and Steve will no doubt expect to remain among the prizes when entering his next tournament.
Redditch club teams continue their matches this week. A report on a Division 2 trip to Kynoch in the Birmingham League this evening will follow with news on the Division 4 side's trip to face Olton B tomorrow. Hopes are high for these individual successes to rub of on the rest of the club.
Closing thought: "Not winning a tournament is not an option for me, unless it's no longer theoretically possible - then of course winning becomes impossible. But up to that point, not winning is just not an option." - Magnus Carlsen
Tom began his tournament with victory over another Redditch player in Nigel Towers. He followed this up with a victory over fellow joint winner Andrew Price before two further wins and two draws gave him a share of first place with the tremendous score of 5/6, with all six of his opponents having higher FIDE ratings than himself.
Steve also claimed a score of 5/6 with four wins and two draws. With several juniors in the pool, Steve drew with 14-year-old winner James Cole in the final round, meaning Robert Ashworth gained a small measure of revenge from Steve's victory over him in Leamington by taking a draw this time around to deprive Steve of a share of first place. However, second place is still a great achievement and Steve will no doubt expect to remain among the prizes when entering his next tournament.
Redditch club teams continue their matches this week. A report on a Division 2 trip to Kynoch in the Birmingham League this evening will follow with news on the Division 4 side's trip to face Olton B tomorrow. Hopes are high for these individual successes to rub of on the rest of the club.
Closing thought: "Not winning a tournament is not an option for me, unless it's no longer theoretically possible - then of course winning becomes impossible. But up to that point, not winning is just not an option." - Magnus Carlsen
Thursday 4 October 2012
League campaigns underway
Redditch's campaign in Division 2 of the Worcester and District League got off to a flying start on Monday with a 3.5-0.5 victory away against Droitwich. Board 4 was the first to finish after 90 minutes of play. Droitwich's Rhodri Furlong played the Reti Opening against Derek Abraham. Derek won a pawn and had a 5-4 pawn advantage with a supported passed pawn in a same-coloured bishops endgame. Derek was unable to find a way through, however, and a draw was agreed. Giles felt he played poorly in his opening against John Hargreaves on Board 3 and dropped a pawn. However, his attack was sufficient enough to claim the win. Shortly afterwards, Andrew Wiggins beat Arnold Kirkland on top board. Droitwich's Barry Tisdell sacrificed his c-pawn for quick development against Peter Seeley's Queen's Indian Defence on Board 4. However, his subsequent plan was too slow and allowed Peter to consolidate his position before a couple of further errors allowed Peter to win further material and the game.
Tuesday evening saw a much tougher match in Division 2 of the Birmingham League against Warley Quinborne - arguably one of the stronger sides in the division. In fact, Redditch had the highest graded player of both teams, but their second player had a lower grade than all Warley Quinborne players. This gulf in class was evident on Board 4 as Ian Emery defeated Peter Seeley under an hour. Peter stepped into a trap following Ian's Scotch Gambit that allowed Ian to emerge a pawn ahead. Further inaccuracies lost a second pawn before a mate in just 22 moves. Ian Clack held his own on Board 6 against Jon Turner until the endgame when he dropped his queen for Jon's rook. Tom Robinson got Redditch off the mark after refuting Michael Doran's pawn sacrifice before closing out a win. Redditch were 2-1 behind at the end of the playing session but Dave Spowart, Andrew Wiggins and Michele Clack will hope to salvage a result for Redditch when the matches are resumed.
The internal standardplay all-play-all also commenced on Tuesday with two matches. Giles Stanton overcame David Smith and Richard Turner defeated John Harrison.
Both Birmingham League sides are in action next week. Redditch 2 face another tough match with a trip to Kynoch on Monday, whilst Redditch 4 visit Olton 4B on Tuesday. The weekend also sees the Birmingham Rapidplay, for which the key question is whether or not Tob Robinson and Steve Crockett can continue their recent success.
Closing thought: "A male scorpion is stabbed to death after mating. In chess, the powerful queen often does the same to the king without giving him the satisfaction of a lover." - Gregor Piatigorsky
Tuesday evening saw a much tougher match in Division 2 of the Birmingham League against Warley Quinborne - arguably one of the stronger sides in the division. In fact, Redditch had the highest graded player of both teams, but their second player had a lower grade than all Warley Quinborne players. This gulf in class was evident on Board 4 as Ian Emery defeated Peter Seeley under an hour. Peter stepped into a trap following Ian's Scotch Gambit that allowed Ian to emerge a pawn ahead. Further inaccuracies lost a second pawn before a mate in just 22 moves. Ian Clack held his own on Board 6 against Jon Turner until the endgame when he dropped his queen for Jon's rook. Tom Robinson got Redditch off the mark after refuting Michael Doran's pawn sacrifice before closing out a win. Redditch were 2-1 behind at the end of the playing session but Dave Spowart, Andrew Wiggins and Michele Clack will hope to salvage a result for Redditch when the matches are resumed.
The internal standardplay all-play-all also commenced on Tuesday with two matches. Giles Stanton overcame David Smith and Richard Turner defeated John Harrison.
Both Birmingham League sides are in action next week. Redditch 2 face another tough match with a trip to Kynoch on Monday, whilst Redditch 4 visit Olton 4B on Tuesday. The weekend also sees the Birmingham Rapidplay, for which the key question is whether or not Tob Robinson and Steve Crockett can continue their recent success.
Closing thought: "A male scorpion is stabbed to death after mating. In chess, the powerful queen often does the same to the king without giving him the satisfaction of a lover." - Gregor Piatigorsky
Saturday 29 September 2012
First hurdles too high
Aspirations of matching last year's performances in the Terrill and Townshend Trophies were dashed on Tuesday night as Redditch 4 fell to Lichfield 6 on handicap and Redditch 2 were left facing defeat against Olton 2.
With several key players unavailable, Redditch 2 was forced to promote players from the Division 4 team for their Terrill Trophy match. New player Daniel Lambourne had been registered in time, however, and marked his debut on top board with a draw. Graded 180, Daniel is likely to be a significant asset to the club. Dave Spowart also picked up a good draw and Steve Crockett transferred his recent rapidplay form to the standardplay format with an outstanding win over Trevor Holt - an opponent graded 14 points higher. Andrew Wiggins and Michele Clack both succumbed to higher rated opponents after being in initially good positions, however, leaving Redditch trailing by three points to two. Derek Abraham's game has been adjourned after it was still incomplete at the end of the session. According to Michele, Derek had the better of it against an opponent who outgraded him by 33 points but may have missed an opportunity to exchange down to a won endgame. However, even if Derek should win, Redditch face elimation on board count.
With several players unavailable for Redditch 4 through promotion to Redditch 2 and absences, Redditch 4 were also forced to field a weakened team for their match against Lichfield 6. Coupled with Lichfield being given a 1.5 point headstart for being two divisions lower this was always going to be a tought task for Redditch and so it proved. Johns Holmberg and Harrison both fell to defeats and Richard Turner and Ian Clack had to settle for draws after looking to have a good advantage. It did not go completely Lichfield's way, however, as Giles Stanton managed to pin a knight to his opponent's queen to win a piece and the game with an overwhelming attack. David Smith also marked his Redditch debut with a victory over experienced opponent Roy Smith. This left the score at 3-3 but Lichfield go through 4..5-3 on handicap.
Both teams have the consolation of entering trophies for first round losers with Redditch 2 dropping into the Homer Trophy and Redditch 4 into the Barrington Trophy. Meanwhile, best wishes must be offered to Olton and Lichfield in their campaigns.
League campaigns get underway this week with a visit to Droitwich in Divsion 2 of the Worcester and District League on Monday before hosting Warley Quimborne in Division 2 of the Birmingham League on Tuesday.
Closing thought: "Don't be afraid of losing. Be afraid of playing and not learning something." - Dan Heisman
With several key players unavailable, Redditch 2 was forced to promote players from the Division 4 team for their Terrill Trophy match. New player Daniel Lambourne had been registered in time, however, and marked his debut on top board with a draw. Graded 180, Daniel is likely to be a significant asset to the club. Dave Spowart also picked up a good draw and Steve Crockett transferred his recent rapidplay form to the standardplay format with an outstanding win over Trevor Holt - an opponent graded 14 points higher. Andrew Wiggins and Michele Clack both succumbed to higher rated opponents after being in initially good positions, however, leaving Redditch trailing by three points to two. Derek Abraham's game has been adjourned after it was still incomplete at the end of the session. According to Michele, Derek had the better of it against an opponent who outgraded him by 33 points but may have missed an opportunity to exchange down to a won endgame. However, even if Derek should win, Redditch face elimation on board count.
With several players unavailable for Redditch 4 through promotion to Redditch 2 and absences, Redditch 4 were also forced to field a weakened team for their match against Lichfield 6. Coupled with Lichfield being given a 1.5 point headstart for being two divisions lower this was always going to be a tought task for Redditch and so it proved. Johns Holmberg and Harrison both fell to defeats and Richard Turner and Ian Clack had to settle for draws after looking to have a good advantage. It did not go completely Lichfield's way, however, as Giles Stanton managed to pin a knight to his opponent's queen to win a piece and the game with an overwhelming attack. David Smith also marked his Redditch debut with a victory over experienced opponent Roy Smith. This left the score at 3-3 but Lichfield go through 4..5-3 on handicap.
Both teams have the consolation of entering trophies for first round losers with Redditch 2 dropping into the Homer Trophy and Redditch 4 into the Barrington Trophy. Meanwhile, best wishes must be offered to Olton and Lichfield in their campaigns.
League campaigns get underway this week with a visit to Droitwich in Divsion 2 of the Worcester and District League on Monday before hosting Warley Quimborne in Division 2 of the Birmingham League on Tuesday.
Closing thought: "Don't be afraid of losing. Be afraid of playing and not learning something." - Dan Heisman
Sunday 23 September 2012
Crockett at the double
Fresh from taking second place in Leamington, Steve Crocket went one better last Saturday (15th) by finishing joint first in the U130 Docklands Rapidplay before going one better again the next day by winning the U100 section of the Richmond Rapidplay outright.
Steve scored 4.5/6 at Docklands to share first place with Tony Bynnersley of West London. Any tournament win is one to celebrate, but to win an U130 tournament with grades of 97 and 113 for Steve and Tony respectively deserves attention. Steve lost the individual encounter between the two champions but did claim a victory over Richard Leaper of Mutual Circle, alebit in somewhat fortuitous circumstances when Richard's time expired with Steve's king facing imminent execution! He also scored a victory over young star Iyessa Bin-Suhayl. Aged just eight, Iyessa is already graded 124 in rapid chess and scored 5/6 in a previous tournament at Richmond in July before following it up with 3.5/6 in the U150 section of the Essex Rapidplay . It is great to see such interest and a young talent at chess, although that may be tempered with heartbreak for older and more experienced players who've had to sit there while he's outplayed them!
After seeing his rapid grade plummet from 122 to 97 in July, Steve himself acknowledges he's undergraded at rapid chess and Sunday's tournament at Richmond certainly didn't disprove that as Steve romped home with a score of 5.5/6. The only blemish on Steve's card came with a draw against youngster Stephen Darby, but Steve later took it out on Stephen's father - over the board of course! Steve also beat (yet another!) young star in Benjamin Headlong. As impressive as last weekend was for Steve, one can only hope he doesn't singlehandedly discourage juniors!
Redditch commence their team matches this season on Tuesday with both Birmingham teams in cup action. Redditch 2 are away against Olton 2 as they look to improve on least season's semi-final exit in the Terrill Trophy, while Redditch 4 commence their defence of the Townshend Trophy at home against Lichfield 6.
Closing thought: "The highest art of the chessplayer lies in not allowing your opponent to show you what he can do." - Garry Kasparov
Steve scored 4.5/6 at Docklands to share first place with Tony Bynnersley of West London. Any tournament win is one to celebrate, but to win an U130 tournament with grades of 97 and 113 for Steve and Tony respectively deserves attention. Steve lost the individual encounter between the two champions but did claim a victory over Richard Leaper of Mutual Circle, alebit in somewhat fortuitous circumstances when Richard's time expired with Steve's king facing imminent execution! He also scored a victory over young star Iyessa Bin-Suhayl. Aged just eight, Iyessa is already graded 124 in rapid chess and scored 5/6 in a previous tournament at Richmond in July before following it up with 3.5/6 in the U150 section of the Essex Rapidplay . It is great to see such interest and a young talent at chess, although that may be tempered with heartbreak for older and more experienced players who've had to sit there while he's outplayed them!
After seeing his rapid grade plummet from 122 to 97 in July, Steve himself acknowledges he's undergraded at rapid chess and Sunday's tournament at Richmond certainly didn't disprove that as Steve romped home with a score of 5.5/6. The only blemish on Steve's card came with a draw against youngster Stephen Darby, but Steve later took it out on Stephen's father - over the board of course! Steve also beat (yet another!) young star in Benjamin Headlong. As impressive as last weekend was for Steve, one can only hope he doesn't singlehandedly discourage juniors!
Redditch commence their team matches this season on Tuesday with both Birmingham teams in cup action. Redditch 2 are away against Olton 2 as they look to improve on least season's semi-final exit in the Terrill Trophy, while Redditch 4 commence their defence of the Townshend Trophy at home against Lichfield 6.
Closing thought: "The highest art of the chessplayer lies in not allowing your opponent to show you what he can do." - Garry Kasparov
Tuesday 11 September 2012
Tom Robinson is quickplay champion
Fresh from taking second place in his section at the Leamington Rapidplay, Tom Robinson went one better in Redditch's Phil Church Quickplay. Victories against Ian Clack, Michele Clack, Andrew Wiggins, Dave Spowart and Peter Seeley secured first place for Tom with a perfect score of five points from his five matches. Andrew took second place with four points from four victories and a single defeat against Tom and Dave Spowart took third place with three win, a draw against Peter and a defeat to Tom. A special mention should also go to David Smith with three points. David only joined the club this summer after playing chess online and is already giving the other players a good game and should be a very useful addition to the club.
Standings: (Position - Player - Points)
1 Tom Robinson 5
2 Andrew Wiggins 4
3 Dave Spowart 3.5
4= Ian Clack 3
4= David Smith 3
6 Giles Stanton 2.5
7= Michele Clack 2
7= John Harrison 2
7= Peter Seeley 2
7= Richard Turner 2
11 John Holmberg 1
Competitive club matches begin in two weeks with knockout trophies in the Birmingham and District League. The Division Two side will be looking to better last season's semi final finish in the Terrill Trophy while the Division Four side will aim to retain the Townshend Trophy after winning it last season. Their campaigns this season commence away against Olton 2 and at home against Lichfield 6 respectively.
With no club matches next week, it will be a regular club evening of friendlies or members may choose to play in the club's all-play-all league. Players are given 75 minutes to make thirty moves and the clocks are then moved back 15 minutes to play until the end of the game. Internal games aren't graded, allowing players the choice of whether to stick with their tried and trusted systems or to experiment with something new. The big question in this league is whether or not Steve Crockett will retain his title from last season.
Closing thought: "Pawn endings are to chess what putting is to golf" - Cecil Purdy
Standings: (Position - Player - Points)
1 Tom Robinson 5
2 Andrew Wiggins 4
3 Dave Spowart 3.5
4= Ian Clack 3
4= David Smith 3
6 Giles Stanton 2.5
7= Michele Clack 2
7= John Harrison 2
7= Peter Seeley 2
7= Richard Turner 2
11 John Holmberg 1
Competitive club matches begin in two weeks with knockout trophies in the Birmingham and District League. The Division Two side will be looking to better last season's semi final finish in the Terrill Trophy while the Division Four side will aim to retain the Townshend Trophy after winning it last season. Their campaigns this season commence away against Olton 2 and at home against Lichfield 6 respectively.
With no club matches next week, it will be a regular club evening of friendlies or members may choose to play in the club's all-play-all league. Players are given 75 minutes to make thirty moves and the clocks are then moved back 15 minutes to play until the end of the game. Internal games aren't graded, allowing players the choice of whether to stick with their tried and trusted systems or to experiment with something new. The big question in this league is whether or not Steve Crockett will retain his title from last season.
Closing thought: "Pawn endings are to chess what putting is to golf" - Cecil Purdy
Sunday 9 September 2012
Double seconds in Leamington
Two Redditch members - Steve Crockett and Tom Robinson - entered the Leamington Rapidplay tournament today with both finishing second equal in their sections (Steve in the U110 and Tom in the U170) with scores of 4.5/6. The similarities didn't end there either as both achieved their results through three wins and three draws. Tom's results included a victory over Quinton Lip and Steve picked up a fantastic win over section winner and rising young star Robert Ashworth. Further details should ultimately be found on http://www.leamingtonchessleague.org.uk/
Redditch's own opening quickplay begins on Tuesday with the traditional season-opening Phil Church tournament. The club will open from 7:15 at the address in this blog's header. We saw three joint winners last season in Irina Amelkina, Rob Mitchell and Dave Spowart. With Irina and Rob having departed the club, will Dave retain the trophy outright? All will be revealed on Tuesday!
Closing thought: "My opponent left a glass of whisky 'en prise' and I took it 'en passant'." - Henry Blackburne
Redditch's own opening quickplay begins on Tuesday with the traditional season-opening Phil Church tournament. The club will open from 7:15 at the address in this blog's header. We saw three joint winners last season in Irina Amelkina, Rob Mitchell and Dave Spowart. With Irina and Rob having departed the club, will Dave retain the trophy outright? All will be revealed on Tuesday!
Closing thought: "My opponent left a glass of whisky 'en prise' and I took it 'en passant'." - Henry Blackburne
Wednesday 5 September 2012
Welcome!
Welcome to the Redditch Chess Club page! We are looking forward to the new season and are entering teams in Divisions 2 and 4 of the Birmingham League and Divisions 1 and 2 of the Worcester & District League. In addition, both of these leagues run individual and team knockout competitions. We are reigning champions in one of the Birmingham team trophies and one of our members is the reigning champion in a Worcester & District League trophy.
We also run an internal all-play-all competition and have a quickplay competition as an annual curtain-raiser. This season, we will commence a quickplay competition to take place on a series of evenings for which all scores will be totalled.
The option to play socially also exists and new members are always welcome and more experienced members will be available to play friendlies.
This blog will cover reports from our team matches and internal quickplay evenings. It may also include updates on our internal all-play-all competition and the exploits of members in individual tournaments, be that in these leagues or in congresses. You can also follow our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RedditchChessClub
Next Tuesday marks the start of the season and we will be running the Phil Church quickplay competition. This consists of five rounds so any newcomers will be guaranteed games against multiple people. All interested are welcome. Games will take place at St John the Evangelist Church Hall, Greenlands Avenue, Greenlands, Redditch, B98 7PZ from 7:15.
Closing thought:
"Without error, there can be no brilliancy" - Emmanuel Lasker
We also run an internal all-play-all competition and have a quickplay competition as an annual curtain-raiser. This season, we will commence a quickplay competition to take place on a series of evenings for which all scores will be totalled.
The option to play socially also exists and new members are always welcome and more experienced members will be available to play friendlies.
This blog will cover reports from our team matches and internal quickplay evenings. It may also include updates on our internal all-play-all competition and the exploits of members in individual tournaments, be that in these leagues or in congresses. You can also follow our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RedditchChessClub
Next Tuesday marks the start of the season and we will be running the Phil Church quickplay competition. This consists of five rounds so any newcomers will be guaranteed games against multiple people. All interested are welcome. Games will take place at St John the Evangelist Church Hall, Greenlands Avenue, Greenlands, Redditch, B98 7PZ from 7:15.
Closing thought:
"Without error, there can be no brilliancy" - Emmanuel Lasker
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