The GazetteFebruary 2013

Registered Charity Number 263049

BCA Website Address: www.braillechess.org.uk Email: customer.services@braillechess.org.uk

To contact a member of the committee, please see the Braille Chess Association’s website where there is a facility for emailing each officer.

Note: The views expressed by members in the Gazette do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the BCA, nor those of the editor.

CONTENTSEditorial.......................................................................................................................................................................2Important Notice Regarding BCA British Championship 2013..................................................................................3Forthcoming BCA Events............................................................................................................................................3Booking Conditions and Procedures............................................................................................................................3All Under One Roof.....................................................................................................................................................4Eighty and Still Growing.............................................................................................................................................5An Unsung Star............................................................................................................................................................6A Harem of Fair Queens (republished)........................................................................................................................8Over-cooking the Fried Liver......................................................................................................................................8A Rarity........................................................................................................................................................................9Correspondence Chess Director’s Report..................................................................................................................13Membership Secretary’s Report................................................................................................................................14Congress Support Scheme.........................................................................................................................................15Treasurer’s Report.....................................................................................................................................................16Millennium Club........................................................................................................................................................16The Very, Very Latest Chess Book by a Braille Player............................................................................................16The International Braille Chess Code. What is it used for and how can we get hold of it?.....................................18

EditorialA very short editorial accompanies this issue of the Gazette, just to draw your attention to all the wonderful games, both by regular contributors and by those who in some instances had to be coaxed out of a modest silence: Alastair Irving’s riveting game, (played--according to what my brand new Fritz9 chess software tells me--is the Sicilian); Hans Cohn’s hugely entertaining Harem of White Queens translated from Russian; Colin Baxter’s confession of a missed pint; and, what Gazette would be complete without a brilliantly annotated masterpiece in chess teaching by Chris Ross? There is also a new book devoted to chess by our own Colin Crouch; and an important notice regarding the British Championship this year in Morecambe.To quote one of our most prolific report-writers: “May I close by thanking Guy for very kindly stepping into the breach and somehow finding time in his busy schedule to write up the All under One Roof report. If you haven’t already read Guy’s report, let me encourage you to indulge yourself with a bit of post Christmas chess shopping. Take the plunge and you may wonder why you never did it years ago! Gary Wickett”

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Enjoy the snow if you’re as lucky as we are in Wales; and for those of you heading to Windermere for the chess theme break in the next few days, have a wonderful time and do play some chess whilst you’re there!Respectfully submitted,Rebecca Blaevoet

Important Notice Regarding BCA British Championship 2013Our plans to run the BCA British Championship at the Auckland Hotel, Morecambe from 25th May to 1st June 2013 had to be reconsidered when we learned the IBCA World Team Championship was scheduled to take place in Spain early in June. When the committee met on 17th November 2012, it was unclear if the IBCA event would run from 1st to 11th June or 11th to 21st June. The fine performance of our team in the 2012 IBCA Olympiad meant we qualified to play in this international event for the top ten teams and we were concerned that players selected for the UK team might not feel able to compete in the Morecambe event so close to the international event and that this could result in the entry falling below the level at which it would be viable to run the Morecambe event. Some also felt a British Championship without most of the leading players would be de-valued. At its meeting on 17th November the committee decided the Morecambe event must go ahead as we had entered into a contract with the Auckland hotel. To ensure there would be sufficient numbers to make the event viable it was decided to make it an open event for all visually impaired players and for associate members of BCA. We felt we were unable to run it as the British Championship as traditionally this has been limited to UK visually impaired players. We then sent a letter to members conveying this decision. We did not receive a large number of responses but a number of members expressed strong views that the Morecambe event should still be the British Championship. After carrying out more soundings we decided we would propose to the AGM on 16th March that the event at Morecambe shall be run as an open BCA British championship with the top placed UK player taking the title. More information and booking details are included in 'Forthcoming Events' which follows this notice.

Forthcoming BCA Events15 th - 17 th March 2013: Brian Perham Memorial AGM and Chess Congress Weekend This year’s AGM tournament weekend will be dedicated to the memory of Brian Perham, a popular and loyal member who left us a very generous donation in his will. We will all miss his gentle humour and remember him with much affection. We will be returning to the very popular Derby hotel with its excellent facilities and convenient location, close to Derby railway station. The AGM will take place on Saturday 16th of March at 2pm. There will be a five-round chess tournament open to all blind and partially sighted players and to associate members of the BCA. It will consist of a major open event, and a minor event limited to players whose grade (or estimated grade) is 110 or below. The tournament entry fee will be £10. The cost of accommodation, including dinner, bed and breakfast, for members and associate members is £35 per night in a shared room and £39 single. The cost of a room for the Sunday night will be £50 for a shared room and £56 for single occupancy. As the booking deadline is past, those still wishing to attend should send bookings to Gill Smith plus a £10 booking fee and keep in mind that space will be granted only subject to availability.Please let Guy Whitehouse know if you are planning to attend the AGM without participating in the tournament.Mark Hague and Lea Ryan, tournament organisers.

Booking Conditions and ProceduresThe BCA reserves the right to refuse or cancel any entry or to exclude any person from any event it runs.If paying by cheque, cheques should be made payable to the Braille Chess Association. Building society cheques should have the name of the sender clearly marked. Post dated cheques are not accepted. If paying by Bacs transfer, payments should be made to: Braille Chess Association Sort Code: 40 52 40 Account number: 00082456 Bookings accepted after the closing date are subject to a £10 late booking penalty for each person. Late bookings and entries are accepted at the discretion of the organiser. Bookings are confirmed when full payment has been received by the Treasurer or when the money has been received by the BCA bank.Payments can only be refunded within the time limit set in the terms and conditions set by the various hotels. Members are advised to take out holiday insurance to cover themselves.When sending your payment to the treasurer, please include details of your booking requirements including:

1. Single room, double room or twin room;

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2. If you prefer a bath or a shower;3. If you prefer a room in which you may smoke. Please note many hotels now adopt a no smoking policy;4. If you will be bringing your guide dog;5. If you are on a special diet;6. If you have mobility problems and would benefit from being located in a room near to a lift;7. If you are a wheelchair user;8. Any other special requirements.9. If you feel you would have any special difficulties in an emergency such as a fire evacuation.

There is no need to send your requests to the organiser as Gill will do this, but you may, of course, contact the organiser on any point. Please do not make special requests to the hotel as this causes confusion.Those who make payment into the BCA’s account on-line or by direct bank transfer should make sure their payment is cleared by the closing date. When this has happened inform the treasurer your payment has been made and include your booking requirements as above.

Please note: the BCA reserves the right to refuse or cancel any entry or to exclude any person from any event it runs.

All Under One RoofThis time round I'm standing in for Gary who normally writes this report. I've grouped congresses under the headings Castle Chess (two tournaments), e2e4 (seven tournaments) and other (six tournaments).Details provided by the organisers' websites are quite sparse, so you will have to contact the organiser for tournament details or the hotel for information on cost of rooms and whether the organiser has managed to negotiate any special accommodation deals. Remember you may be eligible for financial support from the Congress Support Scheme (previously known as the Grass Roots Scheme). Contact Gary Wickett for details.

Castle ChessCastle Chess has three sections: an Open, Major (160) and Minor (120). Within each section there is a subsection: Premier (180), Intermediate (140) and Challengers (100). The rate of play is 36 moves in 90 minutes plus 15 minutes to complete the game.22nd -24th February 2013. 5th Portsmouth Congress, Royal Beach Hotel, Southsea, Portsmouth. If memory serves me right, this is a six-round event with a round on Friday night, three on Saturday and two on Sunday.16th -17th March 2013. 5th Hereford Congress, Green Dragon Hotel, Broad Street, Hereford. This is a five-round event. Of course the alert amongst you will notice that it clashes with our AGM tournament.Contact Tony Corfe for details.

e2e4 eventsThese are all organised by Sean Hewitt. I struggled to get the e2e4 website www.e2e4.org.uk to work for me. As far as I can tell, the grading limits for e2e4 tournament sections are Major under 165 and Minor under 135. There is a note on the site saying that female players who have never played in an e2e4 event get free entry to their first event, but because of the way the website works (or doesn't) I can't tell if that happens at any tournament or whether this offer is limited to a particular event. Special deals with hotels are available, but you have to book with Sean to get them.8th -10th February 2013. Torquay Congress, The Puma Imperial Hotel, Park Hill Road, Torquay.

16th -20th February 2013. Brighton International, The Barcello Old Ship Hotel, Kings Road, Brighton. This is a series of ten player all play alls, with players grouped in sections ranging from Grandmaster to club player. International Master norms are available.

8th -10th March 2013. High Wycombe Congress, De Veres Uplands House, Ashes Road, High Wycombe. This is a FIDE-rated five round congress with sections for players of all standards.

5th -7th April 2013. Gatwick Chess Congress, Crown Plaza Hotel, Langley Drive Crawley.

26th -28th April 2013. Solihull Chess Congress, Principal Hayley St. Johns Hotel, 651 Warwick Road, Solihull.5

24th -27th May 2013. Sunningdale Chess Congress, De Veres Sunningdale Hotel, Sunningdale Park, Larch Avenue, Ascot.

7th -9th June 2013. Gatwick Chess Congress, Crown Plaza Hotel, Langley Drive, Crawley.

Other Events8th -10th March 2013. Blackpool Chess Conference, The Imperial Hotel, Blackpool. There is £8000 in prizes, and there are 5 sections – Open, Under 181, Under 151, Under 131, Under 111. Contact blackpoolchess@gmail.com. There is a website www.blackpoolchess.org.uk.

17th -22nd March 2013. Chess Holiday at the Rothay Manor Hotel, Rothay Bridge, Ambleside. Contact Peter Cloudsdale for details.

29th March – 1st April 2013. WECU 65th Open Easter Congress, Royal Beacon Hotel, Exmouth. There are four sections: Open (including the West of England Championship), Major, Minor and Ladies’ Championship (Elizabeth Walker Cup). Contact Alan Crickmore, email plymouthchess@btinternet.com.

26th -28th April 2013. 2nd Bournemouth Grand Chess Congress, Carrington House Hotel, Knyveton Road, Bournemouth. There are four Sections: Open, Challengers, Intermediate and Minor. There will also be an Individual Handicap Rapidplay event. Guaranteed 1st prize in each of the four main sections: £1,000 in the Open section, £300 in the Challengers, £250 in the Intermediate and £200 in the Minor. Contact Martin Simons for an entry form, email grand@bournemouthchesscongress.org.uk. There is a website www.bournemouthchesscongress.org.uk

17th -19th May 2013. Middlesbrough Chess Congress, Thistle Hotel, Fry Street, Middlesbrough. There are four sections: Open, Under 170 Major, Under 145 Intermediate and Under 125 Minor. Contact Brian Whitaker for an entry form.

7th -9th June 2013. 7th Steve Boniface Memorial Tournament, Holiday Inn Academy, Bond Street, Bristol. There is a special rate available at the hotel. There are three sections, an Open, a Major (under 155) and a Minor (Under 125). Contact Graham Mill-Wilson for an entry form and details of the deal he has negotiated with the hotel.

Guy WhitehouseEighty and Still Growing

The Old Swan in Harrogate, one of the BCA’s most reliable venues, was a fine location for the BCA’s 80th anniversary celebration. With excellent playing facilities, friendly hotel staff and large support from members (20 in the Open event and 16 in the Minor) this popular choice also attracted several other members and associate members to share the celebrations. A significant feature was that we had a Swedish entrant Olle Engström and a large Irish contingent to make this an international contest. Our Gala dinner was honoured by the attendance of the Harrogate Mayor, Councillor Windass, who warmly welcomed the association’s recent links with Harrogate and stayed to enjoy the soiree organised by Juliet Reeve and Joan Shorrock. This regular feature at Windermere was a pleasant addition to the weekend entertainment activities. We all enjoyed established favourites like Michael Meaney and Stan Lovell but also welcomed the debut of new member Daniel Rugman. As he momentarily faltered in his performance, we had a moment of brilliant unscripted comedy when an offstage mobile announced, “You have a new text”. In the chairman’s address, Norman Wragg expressed our gratitude to the members in the past who developed our association and to the associate members who give so much of their time to its activities. He spoke of the continuing vitality of the association and we were delighted to see not only one of our oldest members, Hans Cohn, participating but also to have players at their first BCA congress. In David Welch and Matthew Carr, we also had two arbiters beginning what we hope will be a lasting relationship with the BCA. They organised the chess events very efficiently but left Harrogate with a conviction that the BCA was conspiring to create as many prize-winners as possible. Going into the last round Chris Ross was on four points and paired against one of the players on 2.5 points whom he had not beaten, Graham Lilley. This game was quickly agreed drawn to give Chris first place with 4.5 and bring Graham to 3 points. Then in a steady succession he was joined on that score by Bill Armstrong, Steve Hilton, Steve Burnell, Tristram Cole, Philip Doyle and Michael Delaney to share second place.

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Bill thus took the band A grading prize. The band B prize was shared by John Gallagher and Steve Thacker while Hans Cohn reached 2.5 to share the grading prize in band C with Sean Loftus. In the Minor, Michael Meaney and Steve Brown were the only ones to reach the third round on two points. In a tight game Michael failed to take a winning chance and the game ended in a draw. Winning his next two games, Steve won the section on 4.5 as Michael dropped another half point to finish second on 4 points. Third place was shared by George Phillips and Gary Wickett. Grading prizes went to Abi Baker, Richard Harrington, Michael Lowery and John Osborne in grading band A while Ian Blackmore won grading band B. This was another successful autumn event organised by Steve and Hazel Burnell. It had the rivalry common to all chess tournaments but also the spirit of a friendly reunion of old friends. It was a memorable celebration for our eightieth anniversary. Bill Armstrong.

An Unsung Star (Editor’s note: This game was brought to my attention, not by its winner, but by an encouraging bystander, so to speak. I reproduce some of said bystander’s comments below as such accolades are worth publishing.).“Breezing my way through the Division 3 games of the recent 4NCL weekend, I find this very impressive victory of our very own Alastair Irving. I am impressed with such an attacking style. This game is worthy of a big ELO increase.”

Irving,Alastair - Jenkins,John [B77]4NCL Division 3s De Vere, Wokefield Park ENG (1.5), 03.11.2012

1.e4 c52.Nf3 d63.d4 cxd44.Nxd4 Nf65.Nc3 g66.Be3 Bg77.f3 Nc68.Qd2 0-09.Bc4 Bd710.h4 Rb8This surprised me. I was expecting Black to focus on the c-file with Rc8 and/or Qc7, play Na5 to exchange White's light squared bishop and then advance b5, b4 targeting the c2 square. The move Rb8 will only be really effective if Black can open the b-file, which admittedly he succeeds in doing.11.0-0-0 Na512.Bb3 b513.Bh6 Nc414.Bxc4This gives Black play down the b-file so perhaps wasn't the best move. Fritz suggests Qg5 instead but it feels slightly awkward to me as I'm likely to need to waste a tempo playing something like Qh6 later on.14...bxc415.Bxg7 Kxg716.h5 Qb6Black certainly doesn't want to take on h5 as this just helps to open up the kingside for me. Qb6 looks natural, doubling on the b-file and threatening mate, a threat which I have to defend by weakening my queenside pawns. However, the queen is a target of future Nd5 ideas, which proved to be very important in the game. Fritz prefers Qa5 here.17.b3 e5?This is a bad move since White is not forced to move the knight. Fritz still prefers Qa5, despite it now losing a tempo.18.hxg6 fxg6This is forced. If exd4 then Qh6+ followed by Nd5 is winning for White. In fact White has a forced mate.19.Qh6+ Kf720.Nd5

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This idea is no longer mating as the black king has escaped to f7 but it’s still very strong.20...Nxd5?This gives White a very dangerous attack. Fritz prefers simply 20..Qd8 after which 21. Nxf6 Qxf6 23Qxh7+ Qg7 which is still very nice for White.21.Qxh7+ Ke8The other option is Kf6 after which Qxd7 is still very strong for White.22.Qxg6+ Kd823.Ne6+ Bxe624.Qxe6 cxb3Black's knight is hanging but it can't be moved due to Rxd6+ winning the queen. Another move to be considered is Qe3+. This turns out to be much worse as once Black has finished giving check I can play Qxd6+ and Black's king is much more exposed than mine. For example, 25.Kb1 Nc3+ 26.Ka1 Nxd1 27.Qxd6+.25.Qxd5I don't actually need to play this, according to Fritz axb3 is better as all the tactics are still in my favour and it avoids losing another queenside pawn. My thinking was that Qxd5 regained my material as well as putting the queen on a better square for defending the queenside. To play axb3 I would have needed to be very confident that the tactics after Qe3+ were all OK for me, I was still concerned that I could mess it up and end up a piece down.25...bxa2Had I been black I might have preferred bxc2 as it gave White more threats to consider. White's OK though after 26.Qxd6+ Qxd6 27.Rxd6+ Ke7 28.Rhh6.26.Qxa2 Qe3+27.Rd2 Ke7?Due to my inaccurate 25th move, Black is actually only 1 pawn down at this point, so despite his exposed king he might still be OK. However, this move simply loses another pawn. He would have been better defending with Rb6.28.Rh7+ Kf629.Qxa7 Qe1+30.Rd1 Rb1+31.Kxb1 Qxd1+32.Kb2 Rb8+?!Of course the best move for black is Qd4+, but after the exchange of queens the endgame would just be completely lost. Black therefore sacrifices a whole rook with the hope of a perpetual. This isn't a totally bad idea as my king is rather exposed to checks from his queen and it’s impossible for me to use my rook to block checks, as well as being unlikely that my queen can block everything. I also have to be careful of putting my king on a square where he can skewer it on my queen. Had I been very short of time this might have been an issue, but I still had plenty left and we're only 7 moves from the time control.33.Qxb8 Qd4+34.Kc1A simpler way to avoid the checks would have been Kb3, and if Qe3+ then c3.34... Qg1+35.Kd2 Qf2+36.Kd3 Qd4+37.Ke2 Qc4+ 38.Kf2My king escapes from the checks so Black resigns.1-0

A Harem of Fair Queens (republished)This article first appeared in 1962, when the Braille Chess Magazine was using English descriptive notation. The switch to algebraic notation proved more arduous than anticipated and explains the many errors in the previous issue of the gazette. I am grateful to the editor for agreeing to reprint the scores of the two forms. Knowall-Slyboots: Diagram 1: Q7 1Ppp3P P4p2 1PPP2n1 3n2Pk 7p 1P5K Black to move1. –Ndf3+ 2. Kh1 Ne4 3. h8-Q+ Kg3

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4. Qh3+ Kxh3 5. Qh8+ Kg3 6. Qh2+ Nxh2 7. b8-Q Nf3 8. Qxc7+ Kh3 9. Qh2+ Nxh2 10. Kg1 Kg3 (Threatening mate in 4: -Nd2 –Nf3+ -Ne4 and –Nf2)11. b6 Nd2 12. b7 Nhf3+ 13. Kh1 Ne4 14. b8-Q+ d6 15. Qxd6+ Kh3 16. Qh2+ Nh2 17. Kg1 Kg3 18. a7 Nd2 19. a8-Q Nhf3+ 20. Kh1 Ne4 21. Qb8+ (Qb8+ Kh1 with a draw by perpetual check)Slyboots Knowall: Diagram 2: 2k1q3 2P5 3P1PPP 4P3 4Q3 1p5p 1P5p KB6 Black to move1. –h1-Q 2. Qg4+ (Black was threatening Qxe4 3. Bxe4 Qa4+ 4. Kb1 Qxe4+ etc. and if 2. Qxh1 Qa4+ and mate)2 –Qd7 (after Kb7 3. Qb4+ Ka6 4. Qc4+ Ka5 5. Qc5+ White might obtain a perpetual check) 3.Qxd7+ Kxd7 4. e6+ Kc8 5. d7+ Kxc7 6. d8-Q+ Kxd8 7. e7+ Kd7 8. e8-Q+ Ke8 9. f7+ Ke7 10. f8-Q+ Kf8 11. g7+ Kf7 12. g8-Q+ Kxg8 13. h7+ Kg7 14. h8-Q+ Kxh8 and White is stalemated.

Hans CohnOver-cooking the Fried Liver

Last night I came to grief playing against --, graded about 40 points below me. I was playing an opening which I've played since I was at school and which I thought I knew inside out. I'm white.1. e4 e52. Nf3 Nc63. Bc4 Nf64. Ng5 d55. exd5 Nxd5You rarely get to this position. 5. ... Nd4 can lead to complications, but I've previously had more serious trouble with 5. ... b5 and that's what I wanted because, a couple of years back, I worked out a way of dealing with it.6. Nxf7 Kxf77. Qf3+ Ke6This should be an easy win for White, though you need to exercise patience and not rush to recover your piece before you're developed. You're going to play Nc3, Qe4, d4, Bf4 and finally crush Black with your rooks.8. Nc3? I should have played Qe4 first.8. ... Nd4

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The normal move is Nb4, defending the d5 knight as well as threatening the fork. This move just looks hopeless, giving back the piece immediately. I thought I was on my way for an early pint.9. Bxd5+Taking with the queen would have been better.9. ... Kd610. Qe4??This is suicide. With the black knight on d4, I had to play Qd1 or the horrible-looking Qd3.10. ... Bf5!The queen has nowhere to go.I punished myself by walking straight past the pub!

Colin BaxterA Rarity

We have been discussing the Kan variation of the Sicilian Defence of late. I have demonstrated in two consecutive games how Black should approach the opening. In those games, I have illustrated the objectives of the defence and the failures in the white approach to defeat Black's long-term aspirations. Here, I provide an example on how White is best to tackle the Kan variation. An aggressive, direct king-side attack is often the best way to conquer such a strong defence as the Kan. In this particular game, we will see a rarity, in that I have to attack my opponent and sacrifice a piece to get the tactics rolling. The king hunt has many tactics involved and I think that you will enjoy a very lovely methodical game.

[Event "Woodhouse Cup 2012-2013"][Site "York, ENG"][Date "2012.10.27"][Round "3.2"][White "Ross, Chris"][Black "Dannenberg, James"][Result "1-0"][ECO "B43"][WhiteElo "2247"][BlackElo "2125"][PlyCount "83"][EventDate "2012.10.27"][WhiteTeam "York A"][BlackTeam "Bradford Central"]{B42: Sicilian: Kan Variation}1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6{There is always a slight queer feeling in me when I have to face my own defences. Luckily, I have variations, which I know tackle Black's plans. Naturally, I believe that Black can equalise in many of them, and hence, why I adopt the Defence on a regular basis. However, accuracy is required to achieve that equality.} 5. Bd3 {The most direct response to the Kan. I have faced this position many times as white and have studied it in depth. White is intent on a king-side attack and places his pieces on the most aggressive squares.} 5... Nc6 6. Nxc6 {Played in the style of Fischer himself. White voluntarily exchanges this knight, as it is often a tactical liability, as I have duly demonstrated in my own games as black. The retreat to b3 is slow and passive, whereas the more direct exchange puts the question to Black's central pawn mass.} 6... bxc6 7. c4 {Clamping down on the d5 square. This move restricts Black somewhat in his mobility. Black has several choices now and needs to decide on how he wishes his central pawns are to be best placed.}

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7... Nf6 8. O-O {Naturally, 8. e5? Is a blunder as the E-pawn drops off after 8... Qa5+, a neat trick, which I have executed on a number of occasions.} 8... d5 {Played in the style of Petrosian. Here, an in depth study of the Fischer-Petrosian game in the Buenos Aires Candidates Final match in 1971 (see below in the opening references), will provide one an excellent understanding of the opening. Accordingly, I do not play Fischer's continuation, fearing that my opponent has something prepared. I enter into a line I have studied myself and believe it to be a good continuation.} 9. Nd2 Be7 10. Qc2 h6 {I feel this to be a bit of a luxury. Black has to prevent e4-e5 tactics with h7 dropping off, but the PR3 move seems too slow. White can now complete development and begin to formulate a plan.} 11. b3 O-O 12. Bb2 a5 {With the intension of developing the light-squared bishop on a6. I'm unsure to the bishop's effectiveness on a6, but I am not wanting to exchange light-squared bishops so easily. Time for a plan and to figure out a way to continue with the king-side attack.} 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. e5 {Further exchanges on d5 open up the position and give Black chances to equalise. The central files need to be kept closed, as it is the weakened black king-side, which is where I am aiming for. The spearhead on e5 makes black's defences that more difficult to find.} 14... Nd7 {And it is here, where the first critical position is reached.Let's take some positional aspects into account here, before we begin to look at the king-side attack. The open C-file is naturally very attractive for me. If I can penetrate down onto the 7th rank, or even onto c6, White would be massively better. Although positionally desirable, it is not tactically viable at the moment.15. Qc6 seems tempting, but Black has the startling 15... Bb7! which took me a while to find. Annoyingly 16. Qxb7 Nc5 17. Qb5 Rb8 drops the bishop on d3, where the black knight is well placed and Black has exchanged his horrible light-squared bishop for my strong one.15. Qc6 Nc5 16. Qxa8 Qb6 also gave me reason for concern. The white queen is trapped and although I can get two rooks for the lady, this variation is unnecessary. Turning our attention to the king-side attack now, we need to consider whether White is obliged to use pawns to aid in his attack. F2-f4 seems natural, but what does it actually achieve? Pushing onto f5 could be played, but as long as Black makes sure f5-f6 is not going to fatally weaken h6 (say if Black is able to play Be7-f8), then, the launch of the F-pawn achieves little. G2-g4 is a sheer hack and deserves no further comment. Therefore, it suggests itself that the white pieces are required to assault the black king. Next stage. The black minor pieces, namely, the light-squared bishop and the black knight. The light-squared bishop only has one effective square, that being on a6. On a6, this bishop would either exchange itself for white's strong bishop or gain tempo on the rook on f1. The black knight does not have many squares. It can hop into c5, but from there, it has little hope. Penetrating into d3 is an option, but once again, from d3, it has no real prospects. Bringing all of that together then, White's move and plan was easy to conceive. There is also another very subtle point to the text-move, but that does not come clear for another 12 moves! A hint to that little neat point is the sheer restricted and undefended nature of the black queen-side pieces.} 15. Rfc1!{A deeply calculated move and a very powerful move to face. The rook is not needed behind the F-pawn, as that pawn is to remain on f2, closing up the g1-a7 diagonal, making the white king very safe indeed. The rook moves away from tempo-gaining bishop moves to a6. The white queen can sneak back around via d1 into g4 and head for the king-side, but more relevantly, and of critical importance, is that the rook on a1 is needed for a very delicate pin. More later.} 15... Nc5 {A natural move, but one that forces White to act aggressively. If Black did not respond quickly, White would play Qc6 or Qc7 and dominate the C-file, with a clear and large positional plus.} 16. Bh7+

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{White is not wanting to give up his lovely light-squared bishop for the black knight. It is too valuable for such an exchange. The black knight is sat well on c5 and needs to be chased away.} 16... Kh8 17. Bd4!{Sacrificing a bishop! There is another very important point to the move, but the immediate problem for Black is that his knight on c5 cannot be supported. Retreats would permit the white light-squared bishop to scamper back to d3 and Black has not resolved the problem of the open C-file and the future penetration down into c6 or c7. The most important point of the text-move though, is that the bishop is being brought to bear on the king-side and aid in the attack.} 17... Na6 18. Nf3 {Extremely consistent. The white pieces are manoeuvred around to the king-side attack. The d4 outpost, in front of the passed pawn is secured, the e5 pawn safeguarded. The black minor pieces on the queen-side still have not found a way to untangle themselves. If White is permitted, he will play a2-a3 next move, to stop any of the black minor pieces coming into b4 and it would be difficult for Black to move. Now, we see another very important reason to why the F-rook had to be brought to c1 and not the A-rook, as a2-a3 would be defended by the a1-rook.} 18... Nb419. Qb1 g6{Trapping the white light-squared bishop. If Black does nothing, White will simply play a2-a3 and ask the question of the black knight, which does not have a good square to run to.} 20. Bxg6 fxg6 21. Qxg6 Bg5 {Black cannot permit the h6 pawn to drop off, as this would give White 3 pawns for the piece and a continuing initiative. Now we see the importance of my 17th move, for if White were to take on g5, black could recapture with the queen and secure things up. No, g5 needs to be hit again.} 22. Be3 {Thus, the dark-squared bishop is forced into the battle. 22. a3 was tempting and I would have played this, if I had not found this continuation satisfactory enough. Again, it was about consistency in the piece play and the pressure that mattered to me.} 22... Qe8 {Sadly enough for Black, he does not have any good responses here. The winning of the 3rd pawn is inevitable. 22... Rg8 is neatly met by 23. Qf7 and the tactics are all White's. 23... Rg7 24. Bxg5 hxg5 25. Qh5+ and White will round up either the G-pawn or hit the loose pawn on e6 with Nd4. Rc3 is also coming in for White.} 23. Qxe8 Rxe8 24. Nxg5 hxg5 25. Bxg5 {And the rest is sheer technique. White has three pawns for the piece, two connected passed pawns on the king-side, a potential one on the queen-side and possible king-hunts with Rc3/Rh3/Rg3. The 3rd rank is just as important for penetration as well as the 7th rank. Finding a move now for Black is just about impossible.} 25... Ra7 {Black was naturally worried about the white rook penetrating onto the 7th rank, which was a threat. However, as stated, it is also possible to penetrate via the 3rd rank, which makes the move rather irrelevant. Now comes another feature, which I had perceived when playing my 15th move. Although I had not seen the position or the precise trap, the general vague idea had occurred to me, helping me in the decision to move the F-rook, instead of the A-rook.}26. a3 Na6{The natural retreat. Entering into d3 is bound to get into trouble, since the knight has no retreat squares. 26... Nd3 27. Rc3 Ba6 28. Rd1 and White will simplify things down giving him a big advantage, where he will be the exchange down for three pawns.} 27. b4! {White is keen on creating a passed pawn on the queen-side, to add to those which he has on the king-side. Having passed pawns on both sides of the board will make Black's job of defending everything, that much harder than he really wants. The point is though, that the black minor pieces are just in the way of each other and none of the queen-side pieces for Black defend each other. They are actually on very vulnerable squares. The knight on a6

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for instance has nowhere to go. 26. Bd2 certainly came to mind, but I was reluctant to move the bishop away from the black king. I was convinced that a future Bf6 and a rook switch to the king-side was going to prove decisive.} 27... axb4 28. axb4 Rc7 {As good as capitulating. White has all sorts of plans in this position. Ra3/Rh3/Rg3, or Ra5 and Rca1 and b4-b5 are all in the offing.} 29. Rxc7 Nxc7 30. Ra7 {There is a fitting justice that it is the A-rook that penetrates onto the 7th rank, after having rejected 15. Rac1 for the more accurate 15. Rfc1!} 30... Nb5 31. Bf6+ Kg8 32. Rg7+ Kf8 33. h4 {Thus, the passed H-pawn runs down the board to seal the victory. Black could have resigned here with due dignity.} 33... Nd4 {Running the D-pawn achieves little, apart from its loss. 33... d4 34. h5 d3 and if nothing else, 35. Rg3 rounds the pawn up. White will always have Bg5 to hit the d2 square if the pawn advances.}34. h5 Nf535. Rc7{35. Ra7 may have been more accurate, but I wanted to discourage Black from playing Ne7. In that sense, Bxe7 would win the piece, since the c8 bishop would be left loose} 35... Ba6 {Again, advancing the D-pawn achieves little. White could even then push his queen-side pawn to cut out the black light-squared bishop. 35... d4 36. b5 d3 37. f1 seems a good enough continuation.} 36. g4 {36. h6 Nxh6 37. Bg7+ is another way to go, but I wished to remain as accurate as possible to the finish. I did not want to give Black any small hope of saving the position.} 36... Rc8 {Another desperate effort to enter into an opposite-coloured bishop ending, where Black may have drawing chances. White need not get involved in such complications though and can keep things extremely simple.} 37. Ra7 {Gaining tempo on the bishop and maintaining the 7th rank. The white H-pawn is going to run home if not challenged quickly.} 37... Be238. gxf5 Bxh539. fxe6 Bg4{The win is trivial.}40. Rf7+ Ke841. Rg7 Bxe642. Re7+{And having reached the time control, my opponent eventually resigned. A very instructive game.} 42... 1-0

Opening referencesA. 10. Qe2 O-O 11. f4 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Rb8 13. Ng5 Bc5+ 14. Kh1 Bd4 15. Nf3 c5 16. Nxd4 cxd4 17. b3 Qd6 18. Bb2 Bb7 19. Rad1 Rbd8 20. h3 Rfe8 21. Qf2 e5 22. fxe5 Qxe5 23. Rde1 Qh5 24. Kg1 Be4 Kobalia,M (2625)-Asmundsson,I (2338)/Chalkidiki 2002/CBM 092/1/2-1/2 (50)

B. 10... Bb7 11. b3 h6 12. Bb2 O-O 13. Rae1 a5 14. a3 Nd7 15. Qd1 Bf6 16. e5 Be7 17. Qg4 Re8 18. Re3 Bg5 19. f4 f5 20. exf6 Bxf6 21. Be5 Qb6 0-1 Lehmann,A (2181)-Malakhatko,V (2617)/Winterthur 2006/EXT 2007

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C. [Event "Candidates final"][Site "Buenos Aires"][Date "1971.10.19"][Round "7"][White "Fischer, Robert James"][Black "Petrosian, Tigran V"][Result "1-0"][ECO "B42"][WhiteElo "2760"][BlackElo "2640"][PlyCount "67"][EventDate "1971.09.30"][EventType "match"][EventRounds "9"][EventCountry "ARG"][Source "ChessBase"][SourceDate "1999.07.01"]1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. O-O d5 8. c4 Nf6 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. exd5 exd5 11. Nc3 Be7 12. Qa4+ Qd7 13. Re1 Qxa4 14. Nxa4 Be6 15. Be3 O-O 16. Bc5 Rfe8 17. Bxe7 Rxe7 18. b4 Kf8 19. Nc5 Bc8 20. f3 Rea7 21. Re5 Bd7 22. Nxd7+ Rxd7 23. Rc1 Rd6 24. Rc7 Nd7 25. Re2 g6 26. Kf2 h5 27. f4 h4 28. Kf3 f5 29. Ke3 d4+ 30. Kd2 Nb6 31. Ree7 Nd5 32. Rf7+ Ke8 33. Rb7 Nxb4 34. Bc4 1-0

Chris RossCorrespondence Chess Director’s Report

I have received no feedback from members regarding the new BCA correspondence rules. Thus I assume members are satisfied with these?As members will recall in my last gazette report I included the 42nd championship premier group and challenger group list of players. However, since this, the challenger group, has changed due to further members entering. Thus the groups are now:42nd Championship.Premier GroupGroup Leader - David Hodgkins.Alec Crombie, Hans Cohn, Mark Hague, Mike Hague, David Hodgkins, Ernie McElroy, Les Whittle.

Challenger Group A.Group Leader - Gary Wickett.Derek Couchman, Geoff Patching, David Mears, Sean O’Brien, Gary Wickett.

Challenger Group B.Group Leader - Guy Whitehouse.Stephen Brown, Jim Cuthbert, Eric Gallacher, George Phillips, Denis Warren, Guy Whitehouse.

Obviously, if anybody has any queries regarding correspondence chess, or wants to get involved in the ladder competition or league, once that restarts in January 2014, please do not hesitate to contact me.My address is: David Hodgkins, 44 Moorhill Road, Whitnash, Warwickshire, CV31 2LN.Telephone: 01926-425803.

League Division 1.Group Leader - David Hodgkins.Crombie - Phillips - 1-0; (Owens) 32.Phillips - Mark Hague - 0-1; (English) 48.Crombie - Hodgkins - 1-0; (King’s Pawn) 36.McElroy – Crombie – 0.5-0.5; (no opening given) 22.Division 1 scores: Alec Crombie 4-5, Mark Hague 2.5-3, George Phillips 1-2, Stephen Brown 1-4,

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Ernie McElroy 0.5-1, David Hodgkins 0-1, Frank Atherton 0-1.Once again Alec Crombie is showing us the way. However I am sure Mark Hague and Ernie McElroy will have something to say about this.

Division 2.No results to report. If anybody within this division has any results perhaps you could contact myself with them as Sean O’Brien has stepped down as group leader.

Division 3.Group Leader - Gary Wickett.Wickett - Couchman - 1-0; (Giuoco Piano) 31.Couchman – McGuigan – 1-0; (Larson’s Defence) 27.Mears - Wickett - 0-1; (Blackburn Shilling Gambit Accepted) 27.Warren - Wickett - 0.5-0.5; (Blackburn Shilling Gambit Declined) 50.Mears - Warren - 0-1; (Giuoco Piano) 39.McGuigan – Mears – 0.5-0.5; (Birds) 31.Division 3 Scores: Denis Warren 3.5-5, Gary Wickett 3.5-5, Geoff Patching 2-3, Derek Couchman 2-4, David Mears 1.5-5, Jim Cuthbert 1-4, Mike McGuigan 0.5-2.Denis Warren and Gary Wickett forging away at present with both having one each still outstanding.

Ladder Tournament.Wickett – Lightowler – 1-0; (Four Knights) 79.Scores: Orlando Sobers 14, Geoff Patching 14, Ernie McElory 14, Frank Atherton 11, Stephen Thacker 9,Roger Bishop 8.

David Hodgkins,

Membership Secretary’s ReportNow, apart from Chris Brown, how many of you noticed my huge gaffe in my last report? I quote: “In the 80 years that the BCA has been in existence, we have not yet had a female champion”. Yet in my novel on the Chairman’s Cup which was found in the very same Gazette, referring to Chris Brown I wrote: “It must be noted six years ago won the minor section with a perfect score”. I actually remember this fact well as it was my first BCA tournament, Paignton 2006. Chris Brown that year was the tiger in Tabby’s boots, devouring both leopard and lizard as if they were one and the same flesh! The late Peter Price pre-warned me that Chris was the one to watch and rightly predicted that she would win the tournament. I cannot therefore put the gaffe in my report down to ignorance, but an unexplainable lapse in my thought processes. I am however no stranger to such mental black holes, as many of my chess games will testify! New Members I am delighted this time to welcome six new members.First of all, I am sure you will all join me in offering a very warm welcome to David Welch, who has joined as a life associate member. Without wishing to cause any blushes, David is a well known and respected arbiter in the chess world, often performing the role of Chief Arbiter for 4NCL. I am delighted therefore to say that David has now also joined our invaluable arsenal of arbiters. I met David for the first time in November during our 80 year celebrations, where both he and Matthew Carr did an excellent job. At the same event, I had the pleasure of once again meeting Olle Engström, who flew to Harrogate all the way from Sweden. Olle has joined us as a five year member, and may I say that not only is his chess better than mine, but also so is his English. I first met Olle two and a half years ago in Dublin at the BCAI Silver Jubilee. I think such enthusiasm and commitment to this great game must be applauded and I trust that Olle has a long and happy time with the BCA. Also joining as a five year member is Ron Gorton. Ron is a retired computer programmer and a member of the New College Worcester Former Students Association, where like many of our members, he would have been taught chess by the legendary Bonham. Ron is a Braille reader. Staying with the theme of five year members, I am also delighted to welcome Margaret Garnett, who being the partner of Andy Lee, has joined as an associate member. Those who plan to attend the AGM in March will have

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the pleasure of meeting Margaret and hopefully a few more new faces of what is quickly becoming the Cambridge Crew! It is great to see all these new members flooding in. I am also delighted to welcome Julian Bradfield, who has joined us as an annual subscriber and also hopes to attend the AGM weekend. Apparently, Julian is a keen scrabble player and also enjoys sailing. He told me that he played chess at school and was keen to take up the gaunt once more, although he reckoned he might be a little rusty! Not to worry about a bit of rust, it’s amazing how fast the rust falls off. Such players often beat me by their second game! Julian is keen to get back into the saddle and told me that if anyone in the London area was able to meet up with him for a game, he would be happy to start rattling off the rust right away. Julian is a Braille reader but you can also write in print. Last but no means least, I am delighted to welcome another new member of our “Junior BCA”, Theodore Arthur. Theodore, like Lucy in the previous edition, has joined us as one of our under 25s. Let me say how great it is to have you on board and it would be great to see you at one of our tournaments if you were able to come. We certainly need more young blood at our events and in this regard if any of our juniors are reading this article, please take advantage of our generous offer of free tournaments and accommodation and I will guarantee that you will want to come again! Theodore reads large print. Deceased MemberI was as shocked and saddened as all the other readers that knew Lewis Jones when I read of his sad death in the last Gazette. Unfortunately, my computer seems a little choosy on what emails I receive and I was therefore completely ignorant of the sad news when I wrote my last report. My thanks go to Rebecca for adding the little post script. I first met Lewis about five years ago at a New College Worcester reunion, where together with yearningly spinning yarn on school days long passed, we of course chatted about chess. Lewis was a man after my own heart, preferring the good old hearty English Notation above the more base and soulless algebraic system! During our discussions, I encouraged Lewis to join the BCA, which he subsequently did by jumping straight into the saddle and attending two of our events. May you now rest in peace. Gary Wickett

Congress Support SchemeIt is hard to believe that the Congress Support Scheme is now midway through its fifth year. It was first implemented as a pilot scheme on 1st September 2008, deriving from discussions at the AGM in March of the same year. Up until recently, it was known as the Grass Roots Scheme, and was originally set up to encourage our weaker players to spread their wings and play in mainstream events, whilst at the same time seeking to share out the BCA cake a little more evenly amongst UK VI members who faithfully attend our tournaments but haven’t been so lucky as to have been funded to play in international events. Like many new projects, it took a few years for members to get the message and in the early days we had relatively low numbers of takers. Since the early days of Congress support, more people are now taking up the offer and venturing out to play in mainstream events. When I took over as Chair of Grass Roots in 2010, as the scheme by then was proving to be a success, I wrote up a formal policy in which I sought to capture the original objectives and vision of the scheme whilst at the same time incorporating the various changes that had been implemented along the way. After a few slight air brushes by various members of both the subcommittee and main committee, the policy was agreed and posted on the website. Although since that time the policy has had one or two updates, the three main objectives of the scheme have remained unchanged: namely, to encourage VI UK members to play in mainstream events, to share out funds more equally amongst VI UK members and to help spread the knowledge of the BCA amongst the wider chess community. As I have a habit of greedily steeling pages from the Gazette by writing reports that are embarrassingly long, I won’t now merrily breeze into chapter two of this report by repeating the happy Gospel of the Congress Support Scheme, but will repeat what I did in the last edition by simply saying that if anyone wishes to attend any non BCA chess event and wonders if they are eligible to claim under the Congress Support Scheme, please do not hesitate to email me at congress@braillechess.org.uk. Gary Wickett

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Treasurer’s ReportThe accountant has drawn up our accounts for our previous financial year, 1st October 2011 to 30th September 2012. I will present these accounts at the AGM for their final approval. I am working on an alternative to PayPal for payments made to BCA via our website. Hopefully by the time you read this the new system will be in place. The new service will be more secure. There will not be many noticeable changes for anyone making payments.As I write this a good number of entries have come in for the AGM already and I look forward to seeing you there.Gill Smith, Treasurer

Millennium ClubRecent Millennium Club winners:November: Geoff Long, number 12. December: John Gallagher, number 58. January: Dorothy Hodges, number 71.The Millennium Club raises funds for the BCA by holding a monthly draw at £12 per number per year. Each month a lucky winner receives £35. If you wish to enter the draw, send a cheque to Gill Smith, made payable to "Braille Chess Association" or you can pay using the following details: account name Braille Chess Association, sort code 309620, account number 00296072, make Millennium Club the reference.

The Very, Very Latest Chess Book by a Braille PlayerMy book is coming up for publication very shortly. It might or might not be ready for publication by the time of the Gazette.It is of course extremely difficult to write a review of one's own publication. One thinks of the occasional embarrassing blurbs on some chess books, citing 100% accuracy and all that, when on closer examination it means little more than the writer has had a first stab at the computer chess engine.Anyway, my book is on Fighting Chess: move by move, Everyman (London). The fighting chess idea, borrowed by many other writers, seems at first almost meaningless, trying to bolster images of chess-boxing and all that. But thinking about this again, “fighting chess” is not a bad idea, in the right context. Somehow, in every move your opponent makes, you have to try to think about the best move in reply, or at the very least not giving anything away by the opponent. In a top-level game, the player has to battle for maybe forty moves against an opponent who is also intent on making forty good and accurate moves. Sometimes this might end up in a placid draw, but quite often it is all an extremely draining battle, with both players having to be alert on both tactical and positional chess.My book is based on top-level games, from Spring and Summer of 2012. I was in poor health at the time, with problems with my arms and legs, and there were times I could not leave the house. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to play through in depth the friendly match between Vlad Kramink and Lev Aronian, and then before too long, there was the World Championship match between Vishy Anand and Boris Gelfand, much more enthralling than many of the journalists might suggest. This was perhaps not quite enough to sustain a complete book, but then the Tal Memorial provided much extra material.It's time for an extract. This was the game between Radjabov and Tomashevsky, Radjabov very close to 2800, and Tomashevsky comfortably over 2700. Tomashevsky tries to centralise all his pieces, playing for the initiative, and finds that he has zugzwanged his queen and his two rooks.Tiemor Radjabov – Evgeny Tomashevsky, Tal Memorial, round 1, Moscow 2012Play started with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Qe2 Nge7 8.Be3 0–0

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9.0–0–0 f5 10.exf5 Bxf5 11.h3 Bd7 12.Qd2 Bxe313.Qxe3 Kh8 14.Bd3 Qe8 15.f4 Qf7 16.Rhf1 Rae8 17.Qd2 Nb4 18.Be4 Bc6 19.Rde1 Bxe4 20.Nxe4 Qc4 21.a3 Nbc6 22.Qc3 Qd5 23.Nbd2 Nf5 24.g4 Nfd4 25.Qd3 *In the early part, play was about equal throughout.* **4rr1k/ppp3pp/2np4/3q4/3nNPP1/P1Q4P/1PPN4/2K1RR2 w - - 0 25*Now I asked:Question:What now?25...b5?!Closer to zugzwang. Black's knight on d4 is pinned, and the other knight and the queen are finding it difficult to escape. After this, the battle for Black is for survival. It is no longer realistic for him to try to find good moves.Where is the queen going to go? The first question.An initial try might be 25...Qa2!?, but 26.Ng5 is still troublesome. Black can try 26...Qg8, but it is not all that clear why Black should want to lure the knight to g5. White's knight is, after all, still on a good attacking square.The next train of thought is to try 25...Qg8!. This is far from obvious, but it works. The queen is away from attack, and the king is also safe from the attacks on h7. Meanwhile, the rooks and knights can gradually get coordinated. Black is not yet fully safe, but he has made progress.*26.Kb1 *A step closer to zugzwang. The king blocks out any escape square to a2. Also, do not forget, the knight on d4 is pinned, and c3 is a winning threat, as Black no longer has ...Nb3+.*26...b4*He has prevented White's threats on c3, but there are still a few other problems.*27.a4**27...h6?*Even here, he can still play 27...Qg8, although in comparison with the line a couple of moves earlier, he has weakened his queenside with ...b5 and ...b4. This is not necessarily fatal.*28.Nb3 * *4rr1k/p1p3p1/2np3p/3q4/Pp1nNPP1/1N1Q3P/1PP5/1K2RR2 b - - 0 28* *Question:*One last chance, although Black is by now already on the slide. Can he find a tactic which avoids immediate collapse?*28...Re7?*28...Re6 gives much more resistance, as if 29.Ned2, Black can hit back with 29...Rxf4.29.Re3 Rfe8 30.Rfe1 a5 31.h4

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is however a straightforward positional win. Black's queen cannot move, and neither can his knights. His rooks are stuck between three squares on the g-file, and his king and pawns can do nothing active. All White has to do to win is to roll the kingside pawns carefully.*29.Ned2 Rxe1+ 30.Rxe1 *Zugzwang, where the zugzwanged pieces have, at first sight, taken over all the main central squares. Perhaps there are some who would object that this is not really a true zugzwang, as Black can still wriggle around with his king and rook, and White's win will be through a direct attack with his pieces and his kingside pawns. Black does not therefore have to give away material with his pieces, and White still has to find a straight attack with his pieces, although it should not be difficult to find some good winning ideas.Maybe so, but what would be the correct technical term? The basic point is that for a while, Black's queen and two knights have been immobile, as a result of the partial zugzwang of three important pieces.*30...g5 31.f5 1–0*White will win with Re4, when Black's knight will drop.*(Extracted, with thanks, from *Fighting Chess: Move by Move, *Everyman chess, 2013).*A strange finish, and no doubt a complete surprise to Tomashevsky. Colin Crouch

The International Braille Chess Code. What is it used for and how can we get hold of it?

Because chess is played in so many countries and across so many languages, an international chess code was devised by Informant (Shakhovsky Informator), an organisation in Belgrade, Serbia, which produces a quarterly collection of top-ranking chess games, as well as the well-known Encyclopedia of Chess Openings and other well-respected educational publications. It grew out of the former Soviet Union and is credited for essential preparation in successful tournaments by world champions including Kasparov, Kramnik and Anand. The International Chess Code made it possible for players to annotate games for chess Informant, no matter which language they were played in, according to certain consistent comments which appear in most annotations. The advantage is of course that commentating a game is much faster, (though admittedly for mere mortals like your editor at this point in her chess career, a thousand words are far more effective than a picture); and can be read by anyone, in any language. The amazing thing for us is that the Croatian Library for the blind publishes a corresponding Braille magazine, in what is known as the International Braille Chess Code, with a list of the symbols, in Croatian, at the beginning of each issue. Hans Cohn has graciously translated the list of symbols into English and has copies available for anyone who wants them. If you wish to subscribe to the Braille publication, “Shakh”, which means “Chess” in Croatian, there are two options. Get ready for the menu! If you are a member of the BCA and live in Britain; and feel a little intimidated by the prospect of navigating a website and paying in Euros, contact Gill Smith and she will add you to a group subscription. If you live outside of Britain, or you just need a few details such as the Iban number, contact Rebecca Blaevoet.

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