The GazetteFebruary 2019Registered Charity Number 263049

Supporting Chess Players with Sight Loss.The BCA is grateful to Geoff Patching, whose

legacy will fund 4 issues.BCA Website Address: www.braillechess.org.ukEmail: customerservices@braillechess.org.ukTwitter: https://twitter.com/braillechess @braillechess

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrailleChess

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 in the Gazette do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the BCA, nor those of the editor.

CONTENTSEditorial.......................................................................................................................................................................3Forthcoming Events.....................................................................................................................................................4All Under One Roof.....................................................................................................................................................5Membership Secretary’s Report..................................................................................................................................9Haaksbergen 2019........................................................................................................................................................7Words from the Whitehouse........................................................................................................................................7Merrick and Italian Magnetic Sets...............................................................................................................................7Millennium Club, the BCA’s monthly lottery.............................................................................................................8Correspondence Chess Director’s Report....................................................................................................................8David Hodgkins Memorial Annual Best Game Prize 2019.........................................................................................9Autumn Tournament Report........................................................................................................................................99th BCA Email Tournament.......................................................................................................................................14Jan Lovell Memorial Chairman’s Cup, Bournemouth 2018......................................................................................15The Chinese Dragon..................................................................................................................................................16BBC Family Challenge Show....................................................................................................................................16Puzzles Selected by Chris..........................................................................................................................................16Personalia...................................................................................................................................................................16

EditorialWelcome to the first gazette of 2019! It’s a little late to wish members a Happy New Year so, as the Chinese New Year of the Pig begins on the 5th of February, I’ll wish you all “Gong Hey Fat Choy” instead. In many cultures, pigs are considered dirty, smelly and greedy but according to the Chinese zodiac, these creatures are happy, care-free, brave, honest and tolerant. Some are perhaps even too kind-hearted and quick to believe in others. They also have a tendency to be short-sighted, only paying attention to the present. This naivety and lack of forethought might lead one to suspect that a person born under the sign of the Pig would make a poor chess player. Hogwash! Piglet from Winnie the Pooh, demonstrates cunning and a firm grasp of strategic planning when plotting to trap a Heffalump in a Very Deep Pit. Piglet was asked where they should dig and he replied: “The best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot further on”. Surely, on some or other level, that’s what we all aspire to on the chessboard as well!Your February gazette contains two impressive games played at our International Autumn Tournament in which the victors duly succeeded in catching their quarry. In the accompanying report the author praises the high stand-ard of the hotel breakfasts, which will no doubt meet the approval of any Pigs reading this as they are known to appreciate all aspects of food from its painstaking preparation to serving it to others and enjoying it themselves. Also in this issue, we have all of the regular officers’ reports including an update on chess sets from our Secretary, the announcement of the winner of last year’s friendly games ladder from our Correspondence Chess Director and the final results of the 9th Email Tournament. The complexity of the puzzle selected by Chris is certain to stymie all attempts to solve it. There is even an opportunity to volunteer for a TV programme. It could be the greatest thing since Miss Piggy performed “Swine Lake” with Rudolf Nureyev on the Muppet Show! In China it is thought that fortune favours Pig people. One wonders whether a statistical analysis would reveal that members born in the Year of the Pig have had better luck than others in the Millennium Club! Last time we asked people to support our fundraising monthly draws. Alas, the response was distinctly underwhelming. Sadly, due to some longstanding members leaving us to go to a better place the number of people taking part has dwindled to a point where the Millennium Club is barely viable and will be discontinued unless you help out. If you don’t already have a number, or if you do and would like to purchase an additional one, please see our Treas-urer’s article and get in touch with her. Come on everyone: Let’s save the Millennium Club’s bacon!Pig people hate to argue and are quick to let bygones be bygones. Let’s hope there are plenty of Pigs at our AGM in Harrogate in case there’s a hotly disputed issue that needs to be smoothed over! But of course, all members are welcome regardless of their Chinese zodiac sign and I hope to see many of you there. If you haven’t signed up yet, there might still be space but you’ll have to be quick. See Forthcoming Events for details.The winner of the 2018 best game competition will be announced at the AGM and if you’re thinking about upping your game to enter the 2019 competition you might be interested in a sample recording from a book about the Chinese Dragon which is advertised by our Audio Librarian in this gazette. It would be reckless not to listen to it and rasher still to ignore it because those who do study the content will be looking for guinea pigs to try it out on! This gazette also contains some verses about the 2018 Chairman’s Cup to remind people how enjoyable BCA summer tournaments are. We were “as happy as pigs in muck” last year in Bournemouth! Anyone considering going to our Championship in Torquay this summer might be concerned about recent reports of ferocious wild boar in Devon, but fear not as they prefer Dartmoor to the English Riviera and are not likely to trouble us. No doubt many of you are thinking that this ham-fisted editorial is a dreadful bore and has already hogged too much space, so I’ll close by asking you to send in your contributions for the May issue as soon as possible and no later than the end of March.Many thanks,Julie Leonard

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Forthcoming Events15 th to 17 th March 2019: The Les Whittle Memorial AGM Weekend Chess Congress This will take place at The Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate. The AGM will be held at 2pm on Saturday 16th March. We are pleased to be returning to this popular hotel with its excellent facilities. The hotel is located close to the town centre, and a short taxi ride from the railway station.There will be two five round chess tournaments. The Open section is open to all visually impaired chess players and associate members of the BCA. The Challengers is limited to those graded 100 or below. The entry fee for both tournaments is £10. The cost of dinner, bed and breakfast for members and associate members is £42 per person per night for Friday and Saturday nights regardless of room type. For members and associate members staying on the Sunday night, the cost will be £59 per person in a single room and £51.50 per person in a double/twin. For prices for non-members, please contact the organiser.The closing date has now passed, but if you’re very quick it may still be possible to enter subject to availability and payment of the late entry fee as per our Booking Conditions. Please let Guy know if you are planning to attend the AGM without staying at the hotel so that we can let you have the AGM papers. Organiser: Steve Burnell.Tuesday 9 th July to Tuesday 16 th July 2019: The Geoff Patching Memorial British Championship This will be held at The Livermead House Hotel, Torquay. It will be a seven round event, with one round each day, and will be open to all visually impaired chess players both from the UK and overseas. It will also be open to all associate members of the BCA. The British Champion will be the highest placed UK visually impaired player. Depending on the entry, there may also be a Challengers event in addition to the main championship.This is a new venue for the BCA but it comes with good recommendations. For the last few years it has been the venue for a very popular week-long chess tournament run by the Devon Chess Association and a few of our members have attended that.The cost to BCA members and associate members will be £290 per person for the week, for dinner, bed and breakfast regardless of room type. The entry fee will be £10. For anyone staying part of the week only, the cost will be £42 per person per night for dinner, bed and breakfast. For anyone wishing to stay additional nights at the beginning or end of the tournament, the cost per night will be £69 per person regardless of room type. Payment for entry and all accommodation, including any additional nights, should be sent to the Treasurer by the closing date of 14thMay 2019.Organisers: Gary and Tanvi. 15 th – 17 th November 2019: The Hans and Stefi Cohn Memorial International Autumn Tournament This year’s International Autumn Tournament is being dedicated to the memory of Hans and Stefi Cohn for all the tremendous work they did to support chess for blind and partially sighted players, not only in the BCA but more widely around the world. The tournament will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Solihull, and we are hoping that some of our friends from overseas might be able to join us. The hotel is located a short taxi ride from Solihull Railway Station, and is also convenient for Birmingham International Airport. It has extensive grounds, a fitness centre, a sauna and a heated indoor pool and is adjacent to Solihull’s indoor shopping centre.The event will consist of two five round Swiss tournaments – an Open and a Challengers for those whose grade or estimated grade is 100 or below. Both are open to blind and partially sighted players and to associate members of the BCA. The entry fee for both tournaments is £10.Prices at the hotel have increased but we are of course doing our best to minimise the effect of this to members. The cost for dinner, bed and breakfast for the Friday and Saturday nights is £45 per person per night for BCA members and associate members irrespective of room type. The cost for members and associate members staying the Sunday night will be £65 per person per night irrespective of room type. For prices for non-members, please contact the organiser, Voldi Gailans. Payment for all accommodation (including Sunday if required), together with the £10 entry fee should be sent to the Treasurer, Gill Smith. The closing date for entries is 20th September. Any queries about the tournament should be sent to Voldi. Booking Conditions and ProceduresBy entering a BCA tournament, a player is deemed to have consented for their name and any special requirements to be passed to the hotel prior to the event. Also, consent is considered to have been given for a player’s name, club, results and possibly also their gender to be sent to the ECF for grading purposes. For juniors, the date of birth is also required if they are to get the age-related grading bonus they are entitled to.

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If you have any queries about the hotel or the tournament please contact the organiser. Blind and partially sighted UK residents under the age of 25 receive free entry and free accommodation when playing in BCA events. In appropriate circumstances, free accommodation is also available to a parent or guardian accompanying a junior.Visually impaired UK residents in their first year of membership receive their first BCA weekend event free or £100 reduction in the cost of a week-long event. They may also be accompanied by a guide or companion who will receive the same concession. For a first event we ask for payment in advance and we then make a refund at the event.You may pay in these ways:Cheques payable to Braille Chess Association should be sent to Gill Smith, see the front of the Gazette for her address.Online or telephone payments may be made to: Braille Chess Association, sort code 40 52 40, account number 00082456.Credit/debit card payments may be made through the BCA website.If you pay by direct payment then you should inform Gill when the payment has been made. 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. Payments can only be refunded within the time limit set in the terms and conditions set by the hotels. Members are advised to takeout holiday insurance to cover themselves.When contacting Gill please let her know if you want a single, double or twin room and if you have a preference for a bath or a shower. And remember, if emailing Gill, copy in the tournament organiser.Also say whether any of the following apply.

1 If you will be bringing a guide dog;2 If you are on a special diet;3 If you have mobility problems and would benefit from being located in a room near to a lift;4 If you are a wheelchair user;5 If you feel you would have any special difficulties in an emergency such as a fire evacuation;6 Any other special requirements.

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

All Under One RoofA note from your Congress Support Officer, Mark Kirkham:If you would like to participate in any of the following events, or indeed any that are not listed here, then why not make use of the congress support scheme? It's designed to help BCA members meet the costs of entering mainstream congresses such as travel and accommodation expenses, or just the entry fee itself. It's open to all members who have played in a BCA event over the past year who have not also received international funding. Anyone who was previously deterred by the bind of writing a report on the event, will be pleased to hear that this requirement has been removed as we felt it was somewhat formal. All we ask for now is a little feedback. For example, Stan Lovell recently reported that the Exmouth Seniors Congress in the first week of November is an enjoyable and well run event, which he recommends to the over 55s. If you are considering entering one of the events listed below you may well find yourself in good company as some of them are popular with BCA members. In order to make a claim there are three simple steps:-1. Contact the Congress Support Officer at least one week prior to the event. Retrospective claims will not normally be accepted.2. Send a receipt or proof of expenditure to the Treasurer on return from the congress. Claims can include entry fee, accommodation, travel and any other reasonable expenses. The Congress Support Scheme does not cover claims for insurance.3. Provide feedback on the event to the Congress Support Officer. This does not need to be formal, and will be stored as an anonymous record for our database. It may benefit other BCA members thinking of attending the same event in the future.Please note that, in the spirit of the Congress Support Scheme, failure to complete all of the above steps may mean that we cannot guarantee that your claim will be processed successfully, as the scheme is subject to available funds. (Contact details for the Congress Support Officer and the Treasurer are in the list of officers.)

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List of All Under One Roof events by Guy Whitehouse: This list should not be treated as definitive and is only as complete as I can make it whilst complying with gazette deadlines. The following events take place in hotels so the accommodation and tournament are at the same venue.

Castle ChessThese are organised by the Castle Chess directors, Tony and Barbara Corfe and Mark Shaw. The website www.castlechess.co.uk gives the email address. Castle Chess are well used to having visually impaired participants in their events. I have also found that other participants in Castle Chess events have got to know and befriended BCA players.Please note that unless otherwise stated, all Castle Chess congresses are now six-round Swiss events and you are allowed to take a half-point bye in any two of the first five rounds. The grading bands are an Open which also has an U175 Premier section, the Major for those under 155 with an Intermediate section for U135s, and a Minor section for those with a grade less than 115 with a Challengers section for U95s.8th – 10thFebruary 2019, 6th Dudley Congress, Quality Hotel, Birmingham Rd, Dudley DY1 4RNI once played in this congress and can say that the hotel was fine. I’m glad to see this congress has been put onagain; it’s about time a Castle Chess event was held in the Midlands.22nd – 24th March 2019, 11th Hereford Congress, Green Dragon Hotel, Hereford.I also played in this event once and found out that the Green Dragon, the usual venue for this event, has anhistoric association with the chess master Blackburne.10th – 12th May 2019, 5th Harrogate Congress, Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate.The Old Swan is a popular venue with our members and this looks like a well-established event on the CastleChess calendar. I should say that the entry form currently being made available on the website says that the Premier is for those with a grade under 175. The grading bands for the other sections are as described above.

Other EventsIrish Chess Union tournaments: There are a number of chess events put on by the Irish Chess Union which all seem to be based at the Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan Road Dublin. Contact the Tournaments Officer, Ivan Baburin for more details.8th – 10th March 2019 43rd Blackpool Chess Conference, The Imperial Hotel, Blackpool FY1 3HBFive sections: Lancashire Open, Imperial Major (U181), Intermediate (U155), Minor (U135) and Standard (U115)Contact: Email: blackpoolchessconference@virginmedia.com Website: http://www.blackpoolchess.org.uk4th – 7th April 2019 English Seniors Championship, St Johns Hotel, Solihull B91 1ATTwo six round events for the Over 50s and Over 65s. Contact: Ed Goodwin.Online entry and full details: https://www.englishchess.org.uk/english-seniors-championships/13th April 2019 York Chess Experience, Best Western Hotel, 45 Main Street, Fulford, York YO10 4PJA six round Swiss tournament, with games analysed during the day by two ECF Coaches. Contact: Peter Cloudsdale.19th– 22ndApril 2019, 1st 4NCL Easter Congress, Holiday Inn, Stevenage.The sections are likely to be an Open, a FIDE U2050, a FIDE U1825 and an ECF U120. See http://www.4ncl.co.uk/3rd– 5thMay 2019, Cornwall Open Chess Congress, Falmouth Hotel, Castle Beach, Falmouth.This is a five-round Swiss. The sections are the Championship (U190), a Major (U150) and a Minor (U110). Email: cornwallcongress@gmail.com.19thMay 2019, 2nd Crewe Rapidplay Congress, Ibis Styles Hotel, Emperor Way, Crewe.This is a seven-round Swiss. The rate of play is 20 minutes with a 10-second increment per move for each player. There are four sections: an Open, a Major (U165), an Intermediate (U135) and a Minor (U105). Contact Neville Layhe.24th– 27thMay 2019, 2nd 4NCL Spring Bank Holiday Congress, Basingstoke Country Hotel, Basingstoke.The grading bands for the sections are likely to be the same as those for the Stevenage event mentioned above. See http://www.4ncl.co.uk/

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Haaksbergen 2019The friendly IBIS chess tournament in Haaksbergen will take place over the first weekend in April. By the time you read this I will have received the invitation, but the deadline for entry forms is usually early March, so if you contact me quickly it should be possible to fit you in.As a reminder, in the past we've travelled out using the ferry on the Thursday (this would be the 4th) and travelled back overnight on the Monday (this year the 8th). If you wanted to make your own travel arrangements that would be fine.People stay with host families. After the tournament finishes on the Sunday we go out for a meal with our host family. The event is very friendly and people play on tables of four against players estimated to be of similar strength. It's really an ideal tournament for your first event abroad, and the BCA will be subsidising members to the tune of £75 per person. It would help if you could bring your own guide, though we'll do our best to recruit guides if necessary.Please contact me as soon as possible if you would like to go.Guy Whitehouse

Words from the WhitehouseThis will be a bit briefer than usual as by the time you read this the AGM will be very close; also the last committee meeting was in October, so things might have moved on (I’m writing this at the end of November).We’ve published our annual trustees’ report for the year 2017-2018 and we’ve also drawn up a new three-year business plan for the period 2018-2021. You can view these on the website. We are looking at redesigning bits of the website. For a while now we’ve had some funding ring-fenced for I.T. and online purposes, and it seemed a good idea to make some improvements to the site, tidying things up and moving one or two things to a more prominent position and so making them more noticeable to those who visit our website.Things seem to be moving ahead in RNC, if not quite as quickly as we’d like. We now do have a regular contact at the college and Voldi is looking to visit RNC in person. There is some regular chess activity there and the hope is that visits in person and sending the college some sets will firm up links between the college and the association.In a similar vein we’re trying to raise awareness of the association more generally via Unitemps, an organisation which finds temporary intern-type roles for students looking to boost their income or their work experience by doing some temporary work. We’d like to try and find someone who could, at least for a while, take on the role of a full-time recruiter or work with our publicity officer by helping us get our literature into the hands of visually impaired students. Chess also recently featured on the One Show, and we’ve written to Sean Marsh, the chess coach who appeared on the programme, to say that chess is of interest to visually impaired people as well and asking him if he’d be interested in helping.Julia has done her usual sterling work as fundraiser, though the climate seems to have become a bit tougher now and we don’t have as much in reserve as we did. This might influence our decision as to whether we send a team to the second European team championships. Team events are always more expensive and the last time only the strongest teams participated, so the feeling was that unless there was a lot of enthusiasm from our elite players, the expense might not be justified; attendance at this event is not as essential as at the Olympiad. Guy Whitehouse.

Merrick and Italian Magnetic SetsI know that some members are still very fond of the old Merrick sets. I've since learned that Gerry Walsh has a few stored in his loft. We've also come into possession of a few of Hans Cohn's old Merrick sets. At the last committee meeting we decided we should sell these for a nominal fee; obviously the quality of sets will vary.Also, I took an action at the AGM to find out about the current state of the production of magnetic sets in Italy. The sets that were purchased last time are manufactured by a Mr Fabrizio Rubinato. I discovered that another person did as a hobby manufacture a small number of sets which were more personalised and obviously more expensive. I don't know if he still makes sets.For now, the committee's view is that it would be best for individuals to contact Fabrizio themselves; we're too busy to get involved in complicated arrangements such as taking a delivery of a bulk purchase and then having to distribute the sets to individual members.

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Guy Whitehouse

Millennium Club, the BCA’s monthly lotteryFor just £1 a month you could take part in our prize draw! The Millennium Club raises funds for the BCA by holding a monthly draw at £12 per number per year. You may have as many numbers as you like at £12 each. Every month a lucky winner receives £35. If you wish to enter the draw, send a cheque made payable to "Braille Chess Association" to the treasurer or make an online or telephone payment to the BCA. Or, even better, you could set up a standing order then next year’s subs will not be forgotten.

Recent Millennium Club winners: November: Bill Armstrong, number 54.December: Martyn Wilson, number 21.January: Richard Harrington, number 5.

Gill Smith, Treasurer

Correspondence Chess Director’s ReportThe BCA Correspondence Championship 2019-20 has started with the Premier and now only one Challengers group due to falling numbers of participants. 45th BCA CORRESPONDENCE TOURNAMENT 2019-20 Premier - Group Leader Paul Benson Players: Alec Crombie, Ernie McElroy, George Phillips, Denis Warren, Guy Whitehouse, all 0-0. Challengers - Group Leader Gary Wickett Players: Jim Cuthbert, Voldi Gailans, Eric Gallacher, Arthur Greatrex, Mike Hague, Eleanor Tew, all 0-0. BCA LEAGUE 2018-19 Division 1 - Group Leader Guy Whitehouse No update. Scores: Alec Crombie 1.5-2, Ernie McElroy 1-1, Mark Hague 0.5-2, Mike Hague 0-1. Division 2 - Group Leader Voldi Gailans Final scores: Derek Heyes 2-2, Voldi Gailans 1, Denis Warren 0. Division 3 - Group Leader George Phillips Whitehouse 1 - 0 Greatrex, Three Knights, 12. Cuthbert 0.5 - 0.5 Whitehouse, Caro-Kann, 33. Gallacher 0 - 1 Whitehouse, Caro-Kann, 29. Gallacher 0 - 1 Cuthbert, King's Pawn, 37. Cuthbert 1 - 0 Tew, French, 30. Phillips 1 - 0 Greatrex, Queen's Pawn, 15. Scores: Guy Whitehouse 4.5-5, George Phillips 4-5, Jim Cuthbert 2.5-4, Arthur Greatrex 0-2, Eric Gallacher 0-3, Eleanor Tew 0-3. FRIENDLY LADDER TABLECongratulations to Roger Bishop on leading the table and so becoming Champion when it closed for the year. As happens to all champions, their score is reduced to zero and the battle to fight to the top starts over again. Anyone wishing to play a friendly game on the Ladder should contact myself, details as shown in list of Officers. Any friendly games played under correspondence conditions, such as by Braille, cassette, email, telephone, can qualify as a Friendly Ladder game. Please report such games and let your efforts be reflected in your accumulating score. Borg 0 - 1 Tew, Nimzowitsch Defence, 24. Final ladder scores as at 31st December 2018: 8 Roger Bishop; 7 Jim Cuthbert; 6 Eleanor Tew; 5 Stan Lightowler; 4 Mark Hague, Dorothy Hodges, Stan Lovell, Denis Warren; 3 Ernie McElroy, Lea Ryan; 2 Lionel Bryant, Derek Couchman, Tony Elbourn, Jason Pearce, Ann Saunders, Bill Tatum; 1 Christopher Huby.

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In closing, to those about to start a game: Break a peg!Paul Benson

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Membership Secretary’s ReportI’d like to wish everybody a very prosperous new year. On the membership front there is little to report this time apart from to note that the BCA has sent five chess sets on loan to the RNC in Hereford. It is anticipated that this will generate new junior members in 2019.A chess set has also been sent to a youngster, Samara, via her 3rd year teacher in a Manchester school.Mark Hague.

David Hodgkins Memorial Annual Best Game Prize 2019The 2019 competition is open! A very highly regarded and long serving member, Stan Lovell, has kindly agreed to judge this year’s event, which as always will be run in memory of David Hodgkins. Without wishing to scare Stan, it is rumoured that Bill Armstrong, the judge of the 2018 competition, is having a terrible time choosing the winner from his shortlist of no fewer than four games. Congratulations to everyone who has made Bill’s job so tricky! We shall have to wait until the AGM in Harrogate to find out who will be presented with the pink diamond crystal paperweight, this time.Meanwhile, please be on the lookout for games to enter into the 2019 competition, which is open to all members and associate members in the British Isles and covers over the board and correspondence games played in a BCA event or for a BCA team during the year. The aim is to consider games at all levels in the BCA, whatever the grade of the players.You may send games to any committee member in the format of your choice. Eligible games that are published in the Gazette during 2019 will automatically be included in the competition. Good luck to one and all!

Autumn Tournament ReportDan Rugman writes:Once again we returned to Derby's Hallmark hotel. This is definitely one of the easiest hotels to travel to since it sits directly opposite Derby station, thus avoiding the complication of taxis. I hope that the station staff's frequent trips over the road broke up an otherwise monotonous day and that they enjoyed the fresh traffic fumes!The staff were as friendly and helpful as always and didn't seem too overwhelmed by the task of herding a pack of often disoriented chess cats - and guide dogs - around the place. My own four-legged partner-in-crime is getting so good at finding random hotel rooms that she only needed to be shown my room once - although I think the size of the room might have been partly to blame for her boisterous enthusiasm every time the prospect of outdoors was raised.After settling in to the room with some nice fruit tea that I smuggled in to the grounds, it was time for the first battle of the day ... Dinner! As expected, I immediately got in to time trouble as I played a slow gambit with a bowl of soup. I was half-an-hour down on the clock by the time it arrived. That said, it was very nice soup. In fact, the food this weekend was excellent and the breakfasts were enormous, which proved to be fairly important since the lunch menu suffered from an unfavourable size to cost ratio. I have it on good authority that a few people smuggled more than exotic tea-bags in to the grounds, although I'm sure I have no idea who they might be!Fortunately, the rest of my dinner arrived in short order and I had the rare opportunity to move at a leisurely pace as I collected my chess gear and wound my way through the labyrinth that led to the chess room. Having a four-legged partner-in-crime can be very useful sometimes; the first time I came to this hotel I only had a cane and it felt as though the chess room was on the other side of the city to my room.And now to the tournament. It will come as no surprise to anybody that Bovis Ross slept through all five rounds. He was so comfortable with his position in round five that he made his pleasure clearly audible. He was probably dreaming about all the treats Chris Ross would be able to buy with the prize money he would shortly be winning; he finished with a full score. Paul Benson came second with a respectable four points and a mobile phone made BCA history by bringing about the first default for noisy ringtones. Yes, the arbiters really mean it when they tell you to turn off your phone!The Challengers tournament was a little smaller than usual since some of the usual faces were not in attendance and George Phillips - riding high on a recent grade bump - was playing in the open; he finished on two points. We did however see some newer faces. The Elbourns were playing in their second tournament. Tony caused an upset in round one by beating first seed Mark Hague, although I was not as surprised by this as some. I have played him three times this year and got a good fight every time. We were also joined by Ed Pourtahmasbi who was braving

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match conditions for the first time. First place in the Challengers was shared between Voldi Gailans and yours truly. Voldi was given the cup after the arbiters applied the mystical art of the tie-break. The special shout-out goes to Lea Ryan who scored three points despite being one of the bottom seeds.Moira Whittle’s raffle was as successful as ever and I for one definitely approve of the Saturday night slot. I was also rather pleased with my bootie - a bottle of grog - which I am still working my way down. Ed also gets a spe-cial mention for the alacrity with which he despatched his edible prizes; he definitely needed a bigger lunch!Sunday evening was the usual quiet affair. Those of us staying the extra night were treated to more good food and a night in the bar free from the constraints of another round. Stan Lovell and I had a brief moment of concern when our dogs decided to get friendly, but they were content to just cuddle up on the floor. So, everyone got to enjoy their drinks without fear of the table being turned over. All that remained was for us to enjoy a good night's sleep and one last gargantuan breakfast before checking out.Voldi and Clare Gailans deserve many thanks for an excellently organised weekend, as do arbiters Julie Leonard and Matthew Carr, assisted by steward Tristram Cole. We will meet again in Harrogate for the annual general melee and hope to see the return of some of the regulars who could not make it this time.

OPEN Results and Final Standings:1st on 5 points: Chris Ross 2nd on 4 points: Paul BensonEqual 3rd on 2.5 points: Ernie McElroy, Mark Kirkam, Stan Lovell (Grading Prize A) and Richard Murphy (Grading Prize B)2 points: Colin Chambers (Supplemental Grading Prize A) and George Phillips (Supplemental Grading Prize B) 1.5 points: Ian Blencowe and Eamonn Casey

CHALLENGERS Results and Final Standings:Equal 1st on 4.5 points: Voldi Gailans and Dan Rugman (Voldi won the trophy on tie-break) Equal 3rd on 3 points: Tony Lawton (shared Grading Prize A), Tony Elbourn (shared Grading Prize A) and Lea Ryan (Grading Prize B) 2 points: Gill Smith, Mark Hague and Richard Harrington (Supplemental Grading Prize B)1 points: Ednun Pourtahmasbi0 points: Irene Elbourn

Editor’s note: We conclude the Autumn Tournament report with a game from each section. The first is a mini-ature, in which our mild-mannered Treasurer, Gill, launches a lethal attack of spine-chilling efficiency against a player whose grade is nearly double her own! The second is the final round top board international clash, with detailed annotations by Chris Ross.

Challengers - Round 2: Gill Smith (50) vs Mark Hague (98)1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3 Qc7 5. Bc4 e6 6. Nf3 Nf6 7. h3 a6 8. 0-0 b5 9. Bb3 Bb710. Nc3 Rd8 11. Bd2 d5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Qd6 14. Rad1 Ne7 15. Nxe7 Bxe7 16. Bc3 Qxd117. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 18. Ne1 0-0 19. Qg3 g6 20. Qe5 f6 21. Qxe6+ Kh8 22. Qxe7 R1d8 23. Bxf6+ Rxf624. Qxf6++

Open - Round 5: Ernie McElroy IRL (142) vs Chris Ross (205)

E92: King's Indian: Exchange variation

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. dxe5{The Exchange variation of the KID. A respectable, if somewhat passive sideline. The text move aims to avoid all the complications encountered in the main lines.}7... dxe5 8. Bg5 {Less popular than the queen exchange. Usually, 8. Qxd8 Rxd8 9. Bg5 forces 9... Re8 and the game moves on.The position is perceptibly easier for Black to play. Since the pawn structure of White’s (c4, e4) have a resemb-lance to the Maróczy bind, clamping down on the d5-square. In essence then, this game centres around the Q5 outpost (d5 for White, d4 for Black). The critical difference in the pawn structure is that Black can control the Q5 square (by c7-c6) and White is not able to. This slight difference is the positional objective for Black and guides his play throughout the middle game.}8... Nbd7

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{Defending the loose e5-pawn and starting a long journey to reach the outpost on d4. It is necessary to play c7-c6 so reaching d4 via c6 is not possible. Also, Black has to be wary of tactics involving the exchange of queens and Nd5 ideas, striking the pinned knight on f6 and attacking the backward pawn on c7.}9. O-O c6{Starting the structural setup as indicated. The apparent loose d6 square can be controlled by a retreating dark squared bishop. Since the e5 pawn is blocking the long diagonal, the rerouting of the bishop via f8 would only ac-tivate it with tempo}10. Qd2 Qe7{Defending the e5 pawn and facilitating the knight’s manoeuvre to d4.}11. Rad1{Played too automatically. White should be concentrating on the queenside in an attempt to force a pawn break or establish a pawn chain on a3, b4 and c5. The c4 square would then become available for his light squared bishop and f7 could become a point of focus. 11. Rab1 is the recommended route.}11... Re8{Developing the rook and allowing Bf8 were White to penetrate with Qd6.}12. a3{If 11. Rad1 was not to facilitate Qd6 then the rook on d1 is only misplaced. White can’t be allowed to build up his pawn formation as mentioned, so Black must hinder that plan asap.}12... a5 13. Rfe1 {Foreseeing that the e4 pawn will soon require protection. White’s play is solid enough, but lacks any energy and true objectivity. Black is being allowed to manoeuvre his pieces into their desired target zones.}13... Nc5 14. Bf1{Defending the e4 pawn, but allowing Black the opportunity to exchange a defender of the d4 square. 14. Qe3 with ideas of Nd2 is preferable.}14... Bg4 15. Qe3 Ne6 {Heading for that all important d4 square. Black has immediate tactics of Bxf3 and the queen recapture isn’t pos-sible due to the loose dark squared bishop on g5.}16. Bxf6{A sad necessity. The dark squared bishop has little future and can only retreat to an inferior position on g3. Hav-ing given up this bishop though only increases Black’s grip of the d4 square.}16... Bxf6 17. h3 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Nd4{And Black occupies the outpost. This knight cannot be dislodged but only exchanged, and exchanged at a price. Black has now wrestled a significant advantage from the opening.}19. Qd3 Red8{The rook on e8 has done its work. The rook on a8 needs to remain on the queenside as there may be operations on that side of the board that require attention. In any case, were White able to open up lines on the queenside, the a8 rook is needed on the open A-file.}20. Qb1{An unnecessary retreat. There are no good discoveries for the knight on d4, so the retreat is not essential. White would do best with 20. Ne2 Ne6 21. Qc3 b6 and the fight for the dark squares continues.}20... Qc7{Black needs to start controlling the dark squares. D4 is now suitably occupied, so the surrounding dark squares require attention. Once controlled, the white light squared bishop is going to be restricted by its own pawns. White’s only natural pawn break is f2-f4-f5, so Black hurries to hinder this push.}21. Ne2 {With the aim of exchanging the dominating knight on d4. Black is at a critical point of his strategic plan. He has obtained control of the outpost, pressure on the dark squares, but must find a chink to exploit.}21... h5!{Examining the position further, White has created a kingside weakness with h2-h3, leaving h2 another dark square to exploit. Ideally, Black would like to set up a queen-bishop battery along the h2-b8 diagonal and threaten mate. If Black arranges that at the moment, White can block with g2-g3. The move g2-g3 would also support a f2-f4 thrust, which is the point of focus now in the position. If Black completely controls this thrust, then the plan of mating on h2 cannot be prevented. So, to further that endeavour, Black clamps down on the g3 square by put-

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ting a pawn on h4. Kingside attacks will be highly possible then. Furthermore, this pawn on h4 will be im-mensely powerful in the endgame.} 22. Nxd4 exd4{Creating a huge asset in the endgame. White chances his hand at blockading this passed pawn and striving for the draw. The small advantages are now accumulating for Black. The passed pawn, control of the dark squares, kingside pressure, suppression of queenside counterplay. All small advantages, but as Capablanca told us, the ac-cumulation of the small advantages will always lead to a winning initiative.}23. Qd3 h4 24. Qf3{White hurries to create tension on the kingside and to bring defensive units to bear. If unchecked, the Black forces will reform to facilitate the penetration on the dark squares along the h2-b8 diagonal.}24... Kg7{Defending the bishop, but putting the king on a dark square, to avoid any tactics with the white light squared bishop. The 8th rank is cleared for rook operation too.}25. Rd3{White is bracing himself in the hope that a blockade will reduce any penetration points for the black forces.}25... Be5{Clamping down further on the g3 square, preventing g2-g3 for White. White now determines that he has no choice but to try and force in f2-f4, a double-edged attempt to imbalance the position, but probably his best to sal-vage anything.}26. Qg4 Rh8 27. Be2 c5{Black takes time out to solidify his pawn chain. The d4 pawn cannot be allowed to drop off without due com-pensation. The black queenside pawns are also removed from light squares, where they prove to be weak against the future white queen and light squared bishop.}28. Rf1 Qe7{Black cannot prevent White playing f2-f4, but makes way for the dark squared bishop to retreat to a safer square. White has a huge decision now to whether to play f2-f4 or not.}29. f4{Critical. White takes the decision that he cannot sit passively. Black may have an option of g6-g5, clamping even further down on the f4-square. The text move creates a massive hole on g3 now, a fatal factor when consid-ering the endgame. If Black can get to that endgame, there is no salvation for White.}29... Bc7 30. Qf3{30. e5 only hastens Black’s hand. With the text move, Black has to consider his b7-pawn being vulnerable.}30... Rae8 31. e5 b6 32. Bd1 {Removing the loose bishop off the E-file. It may even have ideas of sneaking around to a4, c6 and d5. So, Black needs to react quite quickly to prevent White from establishing a blockade on the light squares. All the black forces are well poised, so a pawn break is his natural next step.}32... f6{The only way to break down the h2-b8 diagonal. Black can even permit f4-f5, and after g6-g5, e5-e6 would open up the diagonal, allowing Qd6 and the penetration on h2 is assured. Once the mini pawn chain on f4-e5 is broken, there is little hope for White.}33. exf6+ Qxf6 34. Qf2 {Vacating the f3-square for another defender, but this is too slow. White had to try and activate his bishop.34. Ba4 Re7 35. Qg4 and Black still has work to do.}34... Rhf8{The pressure on the f4-pawn is becoming intolerable. The white position is close to collapse.}35. Rf3 Re4{Winning the f4-pawn. After this drops, it is only a matter of technique.}36. Bc2 Rxf4 37. Rxf4{White can’t avoid exchanges. The crucial aspect is that Black must keep one rook on the board at all times. The opposite coloured bishops give White drawing hopes, but whilst there is a rook on the board, the victory is always assured. 37. Bd3 Qe6 38. Qe2 Qxe2 39.Bxe2 Rxf3 40. Rxf3 Re8 is also winning for Black.}37... Bxf4 38. Qf3 Be3+{Exchanging down to the winning endgame. Black can play tactically if he so wishes, but there is no need.38... Qe6 39. Qd3 gives White hope.}

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39. Kh1 Qxf3 40. Rxf3 Re8{Black must keep a rook on the board. Now, the next stage is to establish a bishop on that all important g3 square. Once that is accomplished, White is effectively, a king down.}41. Rf1 Bd2 42. Rd1 Be1 43. Bd3 Bg3{The white king is completely shut off from supporting his comrades. Black has a free rein to use his king to sup-port the penetration.}44. b3{White is paralysed. He can only fiddle around, secure his remaining queenside pawns and ask Black to demon-strate how he’s going to penetrate.}44... Re3 45. Kg1 g5 46. a4 Kf6 47. Kf1 Ke5 48. Kg1 Kd6{It is important to put the black king on d6, as it is on a dark square, keeps the E-file free for the rook to operate, but critically, keeps the F-file free for the rook’s switch. Now, it is all down to tempo and the point of penetra-tion.}49. Kf1 Bf4 50. Kg1 Bg3 51. Kf1 Re7 52. Kg1 Re8 53. Kf1{Making Black’s job easy. 53. Rf1 makes Black work harder to demonstrate the penetration.}53... Rf8+ 54. Kg1 Rf2{Now the black rook has reached the 7th rank, all that remains is for the black king to join in the fun.}55. Be4 Rb2 56. Rb1 Rd2{White has just about run out of moves. If he steps the king from side-to-side, the black king will simply wander up the E-file and creep in via d4. The move d4-d3 can’t really be prevented, creating a pathway for the further penetration.}57. Bf3 d3{This is possible since the pawn on d3 controls e2. With the bishop on g3 controlling e1, the white king has no way to get across and stop the pawn. The black king has a free run to waltz in via d4 to the queenside.}58. Bd1{58. Rd1 Rxd1+ 59. Bxd1 Ke5 and the rest is curtains.}58... Ke5 59. Kf1{What is instructive here too is that Black can give up the exchange, since the D-pawn will cost White the ex-change in return, but by then, the black king would have snaffled up the queen-side pawns.59. Bf3 Kd4 60. Kf1 Rf2+ 61. Kg1 Re2 is an example.}59... Kd4{59... Rf2+ 60.Kg1 Re2 61. Bxe2 dxe2 and White can only shuffle his rook whilst the black king runs him down.}60. Kg1 Kc3 61. Kf1{Bringing a swift end to the proceedings. 61. Bf3 Re2 62. Ra1 and then the black king heads for the rook.}61... Bf2{White has no more moves. Moving the bishop allows Kc2 and if 62. Ra1 Kb2 ensnares the lonesome rook.}62. 0-1

Opening referencesA.11. Rab1 Nc5 12. b4 Ne6 13. c5 Rd8 14. Qc2 a5 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. a3 axb4 17. axb4 Nd4 18. Nxd4 exd4 19. Nd1 Be6 20. Nb2 Ra3 21. Bd3 g5 22. Ra1 Rb3 23. Qd2 Be5 24. Rfb1 Bf4 25. Qe2 Rxb4Moyses Sobrinho, E (1901) - Perdomo, L (2449) Florianopolis BRA 2018/0-1 (32)B.12. Qd6 Qxd6 13. Rxd6 Bf8 14. Rdd1 Bb4 15.Bd3 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Kg7 17. Rfe1 Nc5 18. Bc2 h6 19. Bc1 Bg4 20. Ba3 Bxf3 21. gxf3 Ne6 22. Bd6 Nd7 23. Rb1 Nec5 24. f4 f6 25. fxe5 fxe5 26. f4 exf4Takac, Z (2200) - Jankovic, A (2320) Sisak 2000/CBM 076 ext/0-1 (60)C.12. h3 a5 13. Qd6 Qxd6 14. Rxd6 Bf8 15. Rdd1 Bb4 16. Nd2 Kg7 17. Be3 Nc5 18. f3 Ne6 19. Na4 Nh5 20. a3 Be7 21. Nb3 Nef4 22. Rd2 Nxe2+ 23. Rxe2 Ng3 24. Rc2 Nxf1 25. Kxf1 Be6 26. Nb6 a4Ayucar Diaz de Cerio, J (2008) - Del Rey, D (2386) Pamplona 2002 /EXT 2003/0-1 (32)

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9th BCA Email TournamentEamonn Casey and Philip Doyle write: We have come to the end of our 9th BCA Email Tournament. The tournament ran extremely smoothly, thanks to the co-operation of all those who took part. Congratulations to Rod MacDonald for winning Division 1 outright for the first time, but no doubt, Peter Gibbs will be striving to regain the number one spot as soon as possible. The outstanding performance in this event came in Division 2. Voldi Gailans, who had achieved promotion from Divi-sion 3 in our previous tournament, won a deserved victory in this division. So Rod, Peter, et al, be warned. In Di-vision 3 we had a three-way tie, and therefore, had to refer to the tie-break rules to find the winner. Eventually, we reached (e) which states that the player with most blacks should be declared the winner. As Gill Smith had two blacks, and her two opponents had only one black each, she is the winner. Well done to all the winners, but above all, we hope everyone enjoyed the chess, and that you will all be back in March of next year for our 10th BCA Email Tournament.

Division 1 Results: Doyle lost to GibbsChambers beat BurnellChambers lost to MacDonaldDoyle drew with ChambersMacDonald beat DoyleGibbs beat ChambersMacDonald beat BurnellBurnell drew with DoyleBurnell drew with GibbsGibbs drew with MacDonaldFinal Scores: Rod MacDonald 3.5, Peter Gibbs 3, Colin Chambers 1.5, Steve Burnell and Philip Doyle 1.

Division 2 Results: Thacker lost to GailansGailans beat LovellLovell drew with ThackerGailans beat CaseyCasey drew with LovellLovell lost to MurphyCasey beat ThackerMurphy drew with CaseyMurphy drew with GailansThacker lost to MurphyFinal Scores: Voldi Gailans 3.5, Richard Murphy 3, Eamonn Casey 2, Stan Lovell 1, Steve Thacker 0.5.

Division 3 Results: Denis Warren, Tony Lawton, Gill Smith, Tony Elbourn.Lawton beat SmithWarren beat ElbournSmith beat WarrenElbourn lost to SmithWarren beat LawtonLawton beat ElbournFinal Scores: Gill Smith, Tony Lawton and Denis Warren 2 (Gill won on tie-break), Tony Elbourn 0.

Editor’s note: Once again, many thanks to Eamonn and Philip for running such a successful and popular event! Announcements concerning how and when to enter the 10th BCA Email Tournament will be made on our Yahoo user group. If you are not currently receiving user group messages and would like to subscribe to them please fol-low the appropriate links on the “About Us” page on our website. If you encounter any difficulties, please email our Website Coordinator, Chris Ross, for assistance. The website address is given at the start of this gazette.

Jan Lovell Memorial Chairman’s Cup, Bournemouth 2018Excerpts from a poem by Joan Shorrock:

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There’s a famous seaside place – not BlackpoolFor this is the one ‘down south’Where the BCA have a chess tournamentThe posh place that’s called Bournemouth.The jazz duo, violin and guitarOn Sunday, what a treat!Expertly played with catchy tunes Soon had us tapping our feet.Southern Union Chorus on MondayWhat a lot of talented men.Despite competition from footballThey deserved ten out of ten!We had a quiz on WednesdayIt really was quite funFrom geography, chocolate to musicThe young pop musicians won.BCA showed their acting skillMurder Mystery on Wednesday night.They must have been convincingAs one team got it right.The acting may have been dodgyAnd I think you will agreeThey will not be sent for By RADA or RSC.On Thursday there was the soirée With acts of a special kindFrom Zorba the Greek to Ave MariaAll with Jan in mind. It’s been a very busy weekWith plenty going on In a good hotel with helpful staffSo thanks to Pam and John.They have worked so very hardTo make the week a success.With plenty of entertainmentAnd then, of course, there’s chess.While some were swimming in the pool And basking in the sunThe tournament still went onGeorge and Richard, the champions, won.This week has been a tribute to JanA person we held dearAnd still do, but we move onHope to see you all next year!

Editor’s note: Thanks to Joan for sending in her poem which she read in its entirety at the soirée. Hopefully, it demonstrates that there is a lot more than chess going on at our week-long events! Pam and John Jenkins cer-tainly put on a fabulous programme for us last summer and I know that Gary and Tanvi are doing their best to match it at our championship in Torquay this summer. I’d advise you to get your entry in as soon as you can!

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The Chinese DragonListeners to our audio recordings of the monthly magazine 'Chess' will be familiar with the voice of Ray Pearson. Well, earlier this year it was brought to our attention that Ray is actually the published author of a chess book himself. My immediate reaction upon making this discovery was to ask Ray if he would be prepared to share some of his work with us for the audio library. Ray readily agreed to this, and he has recorded a sample from his book including the first three illustrative games. To whet the appetite of the listener, here's what the Amazon reviews page has to say about the book:"The Chinese Dragon has exploded onto the chess scene over the last decade, both at Grandmaster and club level, and with good reason. Black is scoring exceptionally well. The Chinese Dragon has been employed by several Grandmasters, including Magnus Carlsen, Bu Xiangzhi, Vassily Ivanchuk, Sergei Tiviakov, Vlad Jianu, Gawain Jones and Chris Ward to name just a few. This thorough review of the critical lines of this opening is covered in an enlightening way by one of the top correspondence chess players, Raymond Pearson, who is ranked in the top 15 online chess players in the world, reaching an online rating of over 2700 in 2012."So please get in touch with me if you would like to read it; if there is sufficient interest, and I manage to ask Ray nicely, we may receive more in due course. Meanwhile it is only available in paperback, but I shall be investigating the possibility of having it produced in other accessible formats.Mark Kirkham

BBC Family Challenge ShowOur Chairman was recently contacted by a representative of the TV production company, Label 1, makers of the award winning ‘Hospital’ (BBC Two) and ‘The Job Interview’ (Channel 4). They are making a new family entertainment show for the BBC and are looking for families to take part. They will follow families as they go head to head in a series of fiendishly tricky, highly compelling and wonderfully entertaining challenges and puzzles. They hope it will be a valuable educational experience, promoting logic, reasoning, strategy and creativity whilst engaging families in healthy competition within a supportive TV environment.The programme will feature family groups of two adults and two children aged between 9-17 years old. Groups can include parents and children, but also aunties and uncles, grandparents, cousins, nieces and nephews.For more information go to www.label1.tv/apply.

Puzzles Selected by ChrisNovember Puzzle FEN: 8/8/8/7p/5Kpk/8/8/1R4N1White: King f4, Rook b1, Knight g1 Black: king h4, pawns g4, h5White to play and mate in two.Solution: 1. Rb4 g3 2. Kf5# February Puzzle FEN: 8/8/8/8/6Np/7K/3Qp3/5k2White: King h3, Queen d2, Knight g4 Black: king f1, pawns e2, h4 White to play and mate in two. The solution will appear in the May issue.Chris Ross

PersonaliaWe are indebted to Chris Ross for selecting a puzzle for us in every gazette. Now, instead of a puzzle from Chris, here is one “for” him! How many words beginning with “for” can we think of to describe Chris? We cannot include “forlorn” or “forgettable” as he’s certainly neither of those. But he’s undoubtedly a “formidable” opponent and has been known to be “forthright” with his views. As of November last year, we can also include “forty” on the list! So let’s send belated 40th birthday congratulations to Chris and wish him many more successful and happy decades on and off the chessboard!At the Autumn Tournament in Derby many members added messages to a card for Michael Delaney who had recently undergone surgery in Dublin. Michael would like to thank everyone who sent their good wishes for his recovery. He was surprised and delighted to receive kind words from so many BCA friends. Michael suffered a few setbacks at first but now seems to be on the right track and I know that everyone will join me in wishing him all the best for his ongoing recuperation.Please let me know if you have any snippets of news for the next issue!Julie Leonard

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