The GazetteNovember 2015

Registered Charity Number 263049

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BCA Website Address: www.braillechess.org.ukEmail: customerservices@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 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.....................................................................................................................................................5Other Events of Interest...............................................................................................................................................6BCA Members in Mainstream Tournaments...............................................................................................................6Second Call for Haaksbergen......................................................................................................................................7Apex Credit Management – Fund Raising Report, September 2015..........................................................................7Membership Secretary’s Report..................................................................................................................................7Correspondence Chess Director’s Report....................................................................................................................8Back to the Top in the BCCL!.....................................................................................................................................93rd BCA Email Tournament.........................................................................................................................................96th IBCA European Chess Championship..................................................................................................................10ECF Grades for BCA Members 2015-16..................................................................................................................11Coaching Weekend 18th – 20th September, Hallmark Hotel, Derby..........................................................................11Chris’s Puzzle............................................................................................................................................................12Reinforcements at the Ready.....................................................................................................................................12Millennium Club........................................................................................................................................................12Personalia...................................................................................................................................................................12Alan Davey................................................................................................................................................................13Fred Reader................................................................................................................................................................14Brian Davey...............................................................................................................................................................14Juliet Reeve................................................................................................................................................................14

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EditorialWelcome to the last gazette of 2015! The year will soon be drawing to a close and many of us will be taking part in customary festivities with friends and families. TV schedules will be packed with the sort of films that are screened year after year. Love them or hate them, they are inextricably woven into the tapestry of seasonal enter-tainment! One such film is ‘The Sound of Music’, which was made in 1965. To mark the fiftieth anniversary of this cinema classic, I wondered whether I could ‘chessify’ any of its well-known songs. After discarding, ‘How do you Solve a Problem like the ones Chris Ross sets in the Gazette?’, which didn’t really scan, and ‘The Playing Room is Alive with the Sound of Silence’, which makes no sense and strays into Simon and Garfunkel territory, I settled for transforming ‘My Favourite Things’ into ‘My Favourite Openings’:

Ruy Lopez Steinitz and Najdorf SicilianVeresov, Réti and Classical King’s IndianGambits like Benkos and Blackburne ShillingsThese are a few of my favourite openings. Morra and Danish make opponents quiver!Also aggressive are Scotch and Fried Liver.Latvian, Evans or French Nimzowitsch These are some more of my favourite gambits.When I’m attacking I am rather partialTo Grand Prix, Yugoslav, Barry and Marshall.King’s or Queen’s Gambit, accepts or declines These are a few of my favourite lines. Some say my chess is a load of baloney.I reply “Wait ’til you see my Benoni!” Caro Kann, Catalan, Vienna GameNone of my openings are ever the same! Now you know myRepertoire I Think we can begin.I’ll simply remember my favourite openingsAnd then we shall see who’ll win!

If only I knew how to play all those openings or even just one of them properly! Fortunately, we have many mem-bers who are extremely well versed in opening theory and this gazette contains news of their achievements in a wide range of events. In addition to the regular items, Guy Whitehouse updates us on the BCA’s performance in the British Correspondence Chess League, Chris Ross reports on the IBCA European Championships and last but not least, Eamonn Casey and Philip Doyle give an account of the 3rd Email Tournament, which is now complete. You can also read about how some members have been honing their skills at a BCA training weekend and how some others have improved their play as evidenced by the new ECF grades. Please send items for the February gazette to me before Christmas. Meanwhile, I wish all gazette readers a festive season full of Your Favourite Things!Julie Leonard

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Forthcoming Events18 th to 20 th March 2016: The David Hodgkins Memorial AGM Chess Congress This will be held in memory of David Hodgkins, one of our most active, loyal and much loved members who sadly passed away in early 2015. It will take place at The Hallmark Hotel, Derby. The AGM will be held at 2pm on Saturday 19th March. We are pleased to be returning to this popular hotel with its excellent facilities. The hotel is located within a few yards walk of Derby railway station and is very convenient.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 and 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 £39 per person per night for Friday and Saturday nights in a single room, and £35 per person per night in a double/twin room. For non members and those staying on the Sunday night, the cost will be £56 per person in a single room and £50 per person in a double/twin. The closing date for entries is 25th January. Please send your entry fee and full payment for all accommodation to Gill Smith by this date. Please send any resolutions or other items for inclusion on the AGM agenda to Guy Whitehouse by 31st December 2015. Also, 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. 25 th June to 2 nd July 2016: Chairman’s Cup, Whitehall Hotel, Exeter Park Road, Bournemouth In 2016 the Chairman’s Cup will be held in memory of Juliet Reeve, a wonderful associate member who passed away on the 29th of August. Juliet made an invaluable contribution to the social side of our events and will be greatly missed for her inexhaustible kindness and generous spirit. The Chairman's Cup is open to all visually impaired players whose grade or estimated grade is 140 or below and to BCA associate members within the same grading limit. The event is played over 7 rounds with one round each day. Players may request a half point bye in any one of the first six rounds. If there are sufficient numbers there will be two sections. Entry fee: £10. Cost of accommodation to members and associate members of BCA: £260 for the week. The cost to those booking 1 to 4 days: £54 per day. The cost to non-members of BCA: £336 for the week. The closing date for bookings is 30th April 2016. Bookings accepted after that date, at the discretion of the organiser, will be subject to a late booking fee of £10 per person. Bookings, including full payment, should be sent to: Mrs Gill Smith (see list of BCA Officers for contact details). Please note: Rooms will not be reserved until full payment has been received. The Whitehall Hotel has become very popular with our members who particularly appreciate the good food and the very friendly and helpful staff. The hotel is situated a relatively short downhill walk to the seafront, lower gardens and shops. In addition to the chess tournament there will be a varied programme of social activities. Anyone with ideas for social events, or who wants further information is invited to contact the organisers: John and Pam Jenkins

21 st to 23 rd October 2016: International Autumn Tournament, Holiday Inn, Solihull Put the date in your diaries! There will be more information in the February 2016 gazette. Booking Conditions and ProceduresThose 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 outlined below.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. Postdated cheques are not accepted.If paying by BACS transfer, payments should be made to:Braille Chess Association, Sort Code: 40 52 40, Account Number: 00082456Bookings 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, Gill Smith, or when the money has been received by the BCA bank. Gill’s contact details are in the list of BCA Officers at the start of this gazette.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 If you feel you would have any special difficulties in an emergency such as a fire evacuation;9 Any other special requirements.

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

All Under One RoofMembers can claim support for attending any of these congresses from the Congress Support Scheme. You just have to flag up with the Congress Support Officer, Mark Kirkham, that you intend to participate, and assuming you have not exceeded the amount you are entitled to claim in a year and that you send in a small report on the tournament afterwards you could probably offset the vast bulk of costs incurred by playing in an event.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 Tony and Barbara Corfe. You can subscribe to Tony's newsletter yourself; just email him at one of these addresses and you will be added to his list of subscribers. Tony and Barbara are 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 U180 section, the Major for those under 160 with an Intermediate section for U140s, and a Minor section for those with a grade less than 125 with a Challengers section for U100s.20th – 22nd November 2015, 5th Dudley Congress, Quality Hotel. I have played in this event and I know other BCA members have too, so feel happy recommending it; the hotel looked after us pretty well.8th – 10th January 2016, 4th Winchester Congress, Holiday Inn, Telegraph Way, Winchester. I know some BCA players have been to this event as well. When I stayed there I found the hotel to be excellent.19th – 21st February 2016, 9th Portsmouth Congress, Lysses House Hotel, High Street, Fareham. Rooms in this hotel are limited so book well in advance if you wish to go to this event.11th – 13th March, 2016, 8th Hereford Congress, Green Dragon Hotel, Broad Street, Hereford. BCA players have enjoyed this event in the past. The Green Dragon hosted a masters tournament in 1885 where the winner was JH Blackburne.4NCL FIDE-rated CongressesYou don’t have to have a FIDE rating to play in these five-round Swiss events! There are sections for various playing strengths. For more information please see www.4ncl.co.uk/fide/information.htm or contact Mike Truran.27th - 29th November 2015, 4NCL Congress, De Vere Venues Wokefield Park, Mortimer, Reading There’s an open section and sections for those graded under 160 and under 125. 29th – 31st January 2016, 4NCL Congress, Birmingham Airport Holiday Inn, Birmingham. There’s an open section and sections for those graded under 175 and under 135. Other Events13th – 15th November 2015, Torbay Congress, Livermead House Hotel, Torbay Road, Torquay. There are four sections including an open and sections for those graded under 170, 140 and 120. Contact Tony Tatam.11th – 13th March 2016, 40th Blackpool Conference, Imperial Hotel, Promenade, Blackpool. There are five sections; Open, Major (U181), Intermediate (U155), Minor (U135) and Standard (U115). Email blackpoolchessconference@yahoo.co.uk. No telephone bookings will be accepted.Guy Whitehouse.

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Other Events of InterestWindermere Chess Theme Break 2016:The Chess Theme Break will be held from 30th January to 6th February at the Windermere Manor Hotel and there is still time to book! See the May 2015 gazette for further details. This popular event, organised by Peter and Celia Gibbs, offers coaching by stronger BCA members and the opportunity for those receiving coaching to com-pete in a mini-tournament. RNIB members can still claim their discount. Also, BCA members and associate members who act as coaches or trainees receive a £50 subsidy from the BCA. Telephone the Windermere Manor Hotel on 01539 445801 to book your place!Please bear in mind that any outstanding amounts must be paid not later than one month before the Chess Theme Break and it is advisable to take out insurance because refunds are not given by the hotel. News from Stewart Reuben: The Colin Crouch Celebration Chess Congress will take place in Harrow 2nd -10th April 2016. The centrepiece will be a nine round master Swiss. There will also be shorter tournaments for weaker players and for juniors. I expect we will be offering free entry to all disabled players. Are you aware that The Hastings International Chess Congress 28th December 2015 to 5th January 2016 offers a 50% discount on Hastings Masters entry fees to disabled players? For more details contact the Congress Director, Alan Hustwayte or see http://www.hastingschess.com/.

BCA Members in Mainstream TournamentsSummer is traditionally a quiet time in the chess calendar but nevertheless, BCA members and associate members have been taking part in events up and down the country! Please don’t forget to let me know if you’ve played in a mainstream event and would like a mention here. (Also, visually impaired UK resident members should remem-ber to claim a grant under the BCA Congress Support Scheme if eligible. Contact Mark Kirkham for details.) Don’t worry if you had a bad tournament; scores will only be published in the Gazette if you win a prize. I look forward to hearing from you!Julie Leonard

British Championships at Warwick University: Owen Phillips in Over 50, Norman Andrews in U180, Ben Graff in Rapidplay Open and Blitz. One of our junior associate members, Henry Yu, won the Under 9s with 5.5 from six games. Congratulations Henry!

DCCA Congress (formerly the Paignton Congress) Phil Gordon scored 4.5 from 7 and won a grading prize.

Portsmouth Congress (Castle Chess) 25th – 27th September Ian Blencowe played in the Major section. Voldi Gailans, Dan Rugman and Gary Wickett played in the Minor section.

BCA at Jorvik Congress and Yorkshire Double for Chris RossStan Lovell writes: Chris must have been full of confidence following his excellent performance at the IBCA European Championship, where he finished equal second, and still in a rich vein of form when he picked up the trophy for first place in the Jorvik Chess Congress on 3rd September, just four days after he had performed the same act at an open congress in Sheffield. Fellow BCA member, John Gallagher, who is grateful for much help he has received from Chris, continued his recent good form by finishing equal second, having won the event last year. BCA was also represented in the Challengers event by associate member Norman Andrews and myself. My per-formance was mediocre scoring just 50 percent, but Norman kept the BCA flag flying finishing equal first. An-other BCA associate member, Peter Cloudsdale, is the organiser of this excellent event, now established as a fa-vourite summer congress in the north of England. The Holiday Inn, York, is a particularly suitable venue for Blind players, with its straightforward layout, plenty of ground floor bedrooms and very good facilities for those of us who are accompanied by guide dogs.John was asked to send in a game for the Gazette and he chose this one, which he considers to be his best of the tournament. Round 4: John Gallagher v Eric Key1 d4 e6 2 c4 Nf6 3 Nc3 b6 4 e4 Bb7 5 f3 d6 6 Be3 Be7 7 Bd3 Nbd7 8 Nh3 Where else can I put this knight? 8 … 0-0 9 0-0 e5 10 Bc2 exd4 11 Bxd4 Ne5 Surely c5 must be played here? 12 Qe2 c6 Too passive?13 Rad1 Qc7 14 f4 Ng6 15 e5 Nd7 16 e6 Nf6 17 Ng5 Bc8 18 exf7+ Kh8 19 Bxf6 gxf6 20 Qh5 and Black resigns.

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Second Call for HaaksbergenLast time I wrote about the enjoyable nature of the trip, how the journey isn’t as stressful as it looks (you can make your own travel arrangements anyway) and how some people stay in contact with their host families after the event. The weekend can be taken as seriously as you want to; I know some people who play all their three games hard and others who aren’t too worried about the results.I’ve already had some takers for the 2016 event; five people have told me they are definitely going and at least three others are thinking about it.It looks as if the committee will subsidise the trip again, so if you are interested do let me know. The dates for next year are 15th – 17th April, though if we go the normal route you have to allow a day either side of those dates. I can’t give an indication of costs yet as Stena haven’t released their brochure, but I would say that if you wait till the February gazette is out it might be a bit late as I’ll be sending off entry forms around then. The organiser needs to know how many are coming in time to allocate them to host families. Guy Whitehouse

Apex Credit Management – Fund Raising Report, September 2015The time has come for another fundraising update and we are really excited to share with you our latest activities. At the end of last update I told you about the big Stratford 10k run that we were planning and I am happy to tell you that we completed the run and this was a huge success. We had 15 runners and we all had so much fun, man-aging to raise an amazing £2138.72! The sun was shining which made it even more of a challenge in the heat but the smiles honestly never left our faces. Apex kindly paid the sign up fees for the 10k and the £10 deposit we all paid is also going to be donated to the Braille Chess Association. The company also held a summer fête event to extend the summer a little bit more in the Stratford office and local businesses donated some amazing prizes so we created a raffle prize table, raising another £250. I am looking forward to sending you the next update as Halloween and Christmas are fast approaching and these are somewhat of an Apex specialty. Maria Pistolas, ACE Co-Chair, Apex Credit Management

Membership Secretary’s ReportWell, technically speaking we’ve had no new members join since the last Gazette. However, all the way from Belgium I am delighted to say that Hugo Roman is all booked up to participate in the International Autumn Tournament later this month and plans to join as a five year member. Hugo is no stranger to the BCA, performing the role of Arbiter in 2007 when the BCA hosted the European Championship in Durham. As I yet have no contact details for Hugo, I will give him a proper introduction in the February Gazette. From a little further overseas, we also potentially have another new member joining us from the USA, who I will also hopefully be introducing in the next Gazette. DECEASEDIt is my sad duty to report the death of Brian Davey. Brian in fact was one of the first BCA members I had the pleasure of playing correspondence chess against, and unlike me, I seem to remember was a pretty solid and sensible player. I must also take my hat off to Brian, because if memory serves, despite in latter years suffering with poor health, Brian was a regular face at his local gym. Once again putting me to shame! Rest in peace. It is also my sad duty to inform those who don’t already know of the death of Juliet Reeve. Although Juliet wasn’t a chess player, she was certainly a huge part of the BCA and a much loved member who attended many of our events where, together with her friend Joan, she organised our famous soirées. Despite suffering with severe joint pain, Juliet never complained, always found time for others and somehow would still offer to guide and take people out for short walks. She was also keenly intelligent with a great sense of fun and love of the fine arts. As well as being a great friend, I would have no hesitation in summing Juliet up as a fount of knowledge, culture and kindness. Alas another great oak of the BCA has fallen and will be truly missed by all. Rest in peace.Gary Wickett

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Correspondence Chess Director’s ReportIf anybody has any correspondence issues, or would just like to know more about it, please do not hesitate to contact a committee member. (See contact details at the front of this Gazette).43rd Correspondence Championship Listed below are the Groups for the 43rd BCA Correspondence Championship which started in January 2015, with quite a few results now coming in. Premier Group - Group leader: Mark HagueCrombie 0.5-0.5 McElroy (Irregular) 18Whittle 1-0 Hague (Queen’s Pawn Opening) 43Whitehouse 0.5-0.5 McElroy (Gruenfeld) 20Note: David Mears had not started four of his games after nine months and so these games have been awarded to his opponents. David had already lost his game to Alec.Scores: Les Whittle 3/3; Alec Crombie 2.5/4; Ernie McElroy 2/3; Guy Whitehouse 1.5/2; Mark Hague 1/3; David Mears 0/5.Challenger Group A - Group leader: Denis WarrenBrown 1-0 Gallacher (King’s Gambit) 31Scores: Steve Brown 1/1; Denis Warren 1/1; Derek Couchman 0/0; Jim Cuthbert 0/0; Eric Gallacher 0/2. Challenger Group B - Group leader: Eleanor TewPhillips 1-0 Hague (English) 30Hague 1-0 Patching (Caro Kann) 30Tew 0-1 Cohn (Queen’s Pawn Opening) 47Scores: Mike Hague 3/4; George Phillips 2/2; Hans Cohn 1/2; Steve Hilton 0/0; Geoff Patching 0/1; Eleanor Tew 0/3.League CompetitionThe current league competition started in January 2014 and is now almost finished. The next league competition will start in January 2016 and I will include all current league players unless you let us know otherwise. Naturally, anyone else who wishes to join will also be made very welcome. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me or any other committee member if you are interested.The latest position in the present league competition is outlined below. League Division 1 - Group leader: Norman WraggCrombie 0-1 McElroy (Sicilian) 46All games in this division have now been completed except for the three games that David Hodgkins was still playing when he died. Unfortunately, these games could not be adjudicated within our rules for various reasons. I have consulted several correspondence chess experts on how best to resolve the matter but there does not seem to be agreement about a fair solution. As a result and in respect for David I have decided that we should not declare a division 1 winner on this occasion. The main committee and the tournament sub-committee are in full agreement with this decision.League Division 2 - Group leader: Denis WarrenAs mentioned previously, congratulations go to Steve Brown and Derek Heyes who have jointly won the Division 2 title: all the games in this division are now complete. League Division 3 - Group leader: Jim CuthbertThere is only the game between David Mears and Derek Couchman unfinished in this division and it has reached 41 moves. A draw or a win for David would secure him the title but Geoff Patching is still waiting in the wings. Patching 1-0 Couchman (Queen’s Pawn Game) 29Scores: David Mears 3-3; Geoff Patching 3-4; Derek Couchman 1.5-3; Eleanor Tew 1-4; Jim Cuthbert 0.5-4. Ladder TournamentThere are no ladder tournament results to report this time. Remember that the player finishing at the top of the ladder at the end of each calendar year is declared the winner for that year and receives an inscribed trophy to keep. Why not have a chat with Denis Warren, our very friendly, friendly games coordinator and get involved in the ladder tournament? (See the Non-Committee Posts section of the officers’ contact details page.) Scores: Stephen Thacker 9; Roger Bishop 8; Jim Cuthbert and Gary Wickett 7; Denis Warren 6; Stan Lightowler 5; Mark Hague, Stan Lovell and Dorothy Hodges 4; Les Whittle, Ernie McElroy, Geoff Patching and Lea Ryan 3; Derek Couchman, Lionel Bryant, Jason Pearce and Ann Saunders 2; Chris Huby 1; Eric Gallacher 0. Norman Wragg

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Back to the Top in the BCCL!I’m pleased to report that our team returned to winning ways in this year’s BCCL competition. Having been relegated from the Premier group last year, this time our team turned in a storming performance winning Division 1, finishing three whole points ahead of our nearest rivals. In fact we only dropped two out of a possible twelve points. Individual scores were: Board 1 Colin Crouch 1 from 2;

Board 2 Peter Gibbs 2 from 2;Board 3 Steve Hilton 1 from 2;Board 4 Les Whittle 2 from 2;Board 5 Norman Andrews 2 from 2;Board 6 Alec Crombie 2 from 2.

As administrative captain I’d like to thank all my players for doing the association proud. I expect that next year we’ll be playing in the Premier group which will be tougher, and sadly we won’t be able to field Colin Crouch, meaning that once again Peter Gibbs will be on board 1. Others have told me they’d like to play again, but Colin’s untimely death does mean there is a space available if someone fancies joining the fray; you play two games against the same opponent, one with white and one with black. By the time you read this the tournament organisers will be asking me to name teams so please do respond quickly if you want to play. Guy Whitehouse.

3rd BCA Email TournamentThe 3rd BCA Email tournament is complete. The defending champion, Colin Chambers, had to be content with a share of the spoils, as Philip Doyle finished alongside him on two points out of three. Colin managed a quick win against Philip, and drew his other two games with Steve Hilton and Stan Lovell, whereas Philip managed to defeat both of these opponents. Philip’s game against Stan turned out to be a long, drawn-out affair, with an instructive endgame victory for Philip. The game is included below. Division 1 scores (from 3 games): Colin Chambers and Philip Doyle 2, Stephen Hilton 1.5, Stan Lovell 0.5.No major surprise in division 2, as Stephen Burnell took the victory which should propel him back up to division 1 from where he had moved temporarily. Division 2 scores (from 3 games): Stephen Burnell 2.5, Randy Kruzenisky 2, Derek Heyes 1, Eamonn Casey 0.5.In division 3 Steve Thacker took the victory, which should also see him make a quick return to division 2.Division 3 scores (from 3 games): Stephen Thacker 2.5, Michael Meaney 1.5, Dan Rugman 2, Voldi Gailans 0.Division 4 turned out to be a clear cut victory for John Carroll, one of the new players, with 4 wins from his 4 games. Julie Leonard, on the comeback trail, managed a creditable second place on 3 out of 4, and an honourable mention goes to both Anthony Borg and Iki Nahaboo, two of our newer players. We hope that their participation will encourage other players to take a chance in our tournament.Division 4 scores (from 4 games): John Carroll 4, Julie Leonard 3, Anthony Borg 2, Gill Smith 1, Iki Nahaboo 0. Once again a big ‘Thank You’ to all 17 players who competed. We’re hoping for an increased entry in our next email tournament!Eamonn Casey and Philip Doyle (controllers)This game is interesting because of the long drawn out endgame involving bishops of opposite colours. It was a long hard but interesting battle.Doyle v Lovell - Trompowsky Attack1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 d5 3. Bxf6 gxf6 4. Nf3 Bf5 5. e3 e6 6. c4 c6 7. cxd5 Bxb1 8. Rxb1 Qa5+ 9. Nd2 Qxd510. a3 Rg8 11. Qf3 Nd7 12. Qxd5 cxd5 13. g3 Bd6 14. Bd3 Rg7 15. Ke2 Ke7 16. Rhc1 f5 17. Nb3 Rgg818. Na5 Rab8 19. Rc2 Nb6 20. Rbc1 Rgc8 21. Kd2 Rxc2 22. Rxc2 Kd8 23. Be2 Ke7 24. b4 Kd8 25. Kc1 Nd726. Kb2 Nf6 27. f3 Bc7 28. Nb3 Nd7 29. Nc5 Bd6 30. Kb3 b6 31. Nxd7 Kxd7 32. Bb5+ Kd8 33. Ka4 Rb734. Bc6 Rc7 35. Kb5 Kc8 36. e4 fxe4 37. fxe4 dxe4 38. Bxe4 Rxc2 39. Bxc2 h6 40. Kc6 Be7 41. Bb3 Bf842. Bc4 Be7 43. d5 exd5 44. Bxd5 Bg5 45. Bxf7 Be3 46. Kd5 Kc7 47. Ke4 Bg5 48. Kf5 Kd6 49. h4 Bd250. g4 Ke7 51. Bc4 Kf8 52. b5 Be3I think Black needed to get in a5 on move 50 or 51 which would allow his Bishop to defend the Queen-side Pawns and let his King help out on the King's side. That's why I was so keen to get in the b5 move. I think a draw was the best I could hope for then.53. Ke6 Ke8 54. a4 Bd2 55. Kd6 Kd8 56. Be6 Be3 57. Kc6 Bd2 58. Kb7 Be3 59. Kxa7 Kc7 60. Ka6 Bd261. Bd5 Be3 62. a5 bxa5 63. Kxa5 Bd2+ 64. Ka6 Be3 65. Be4 Bf4 66. b6+ Kb8 67. Kb5 Bd2 68. Kc6 Bf469. b7 Bd2 70. Kd7 Bf4 71. Ke6 Be3 72. Kf5 Black resigns.

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6th IBCA European Chess Championship Chris Ross writes:I participated in this very prestigious event, which took place in Lyon, France, from 24th July to 2nd August 2015. This tournament proved to be particularly exciting, with “fighting” chess being displayed across all the rounds by all competitors; especially as the tournament came to its conclusion. Amazingly, there was only one draw on the top 12 boards in the final round! Polish Grandmaster, Marcin Tazbir, became the new IBCA European Champion thanks to a final round win over Pavle Dimic (Serbia). Tazbir finished sole 1st, unbeaten with 7.5/9. Also in the final round, on board 2, Stanislav Babarykin (Russia), and Oliver Mueller (Germany), engaged in a merciless fight of almost six hours’ duration! It ended in a draw, giving both of them 6.5 points, and they ascended the podium, second and third respectively. On board 3, the IBCA World Champion, Jacek Stachanczyk (Poland), played a theoretical piece sacrifice in the Najdorf Defence against the Ukrainian WIM Lubov Zsiltzova-Lisenko, but his attack led to nothing and he subsequently lost. I had an inspired tournament and finished with 6.5/9 points; an excellent effort if I do say so myself. My tournament performance was ELO 2334 and I gained 38 rating points. Sadly, I lost out on the tie-break system, losing by half a single point in the third tie-break selection process, which placed me fourth overall.In accomplishing this score, I had to play the top four seeds and despite losing to the top two with the black pieces, I drew with the third seed, Russia’s IM Yuri Meshkov (2349) and beat the fourth seed, Russia’s IM Alexey Pakhomov (2346) with the white pieces. Interestingly, I scored 90% with the white pieces (4.5/5) and 50% (2/4) with the black pieces, giving me an overall 70% tournament performance.It goes without saying that without the tremendous support of my second, Grandmaster Neil McDonald, this would not have been a likely outcome. His thorough preparation was not only useful in getting me ready for the games, but it also instilled in me a winning mentality and an enthusiasm that sparked my competitiveness. Significant acclaim has to be given to him for his support during this event for my excellent performance.During the closing remarks of the tournaments, particular mention was also given to the French organiser and player, Adrien Hervais, who had a superb tournament, scoring 5/6, and received the prize for the best performance by a French player. My game against this player was an admirable illustration of an attacking approach to a quiet, solid and highly versatile setup. In addition, the former European champion Piotr Dukaczewski concluded his challenge with a fine game in round 9, defeating Ukrainian FM Grigorchuk. Other significant accomplishments included the Romanian junior Razvan Nedu, Elo 1551, who achieved a tournament performance of ELO 1915.Other Prize Winners: Ladies European Champion: WIM Lubov ZSILTZOVA-LISENKO (2224 - UKR) 6.5Over 50: IM Piotr DUKACZEWSKI (2237 - POL) 6Over 65: IM Yuri MESHKOV (2349 - RUS) 6.5Best performance in Rating Band 2000-2199: Chris ROSS (2184 – ENG) 6.5

The closing ceremony took place in the presence of almost all of the participants, arbiters, organisers, volunteer and sponsors. In total, sixty-four players from twenty-one nations had taken part. There were also four arbiters and an organising team of about thirty people. Daily reports were produced in French, English, German, Polish and Russian and there was a daily games commentary in French and English. Other features of the event included an opening simultaneous display by IM Clovis Vernay, chess exhibitions and a rapidplay tournament in a local shopping centre, live games, press coverage and a TV report. Many of my games were very interesting but my attacking game against the French player, Adrien Hervais, was probably the most entertaining of them all. A slow opening blossomed into life with a direct king-side attack.Round 4: Chris Ross (2184) v Adrien Hervais (2029)1. d4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Nf3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 0-0 11. Be2 b6 12. 0-0 Bb7 13. Qe3 Nc6 14. Rad1 Re8 15. h4 Qe7 16. Bd3 Rad8 17. h5 Ba8 18. a3 Qxa3 19. e5 g6 20. Ng5 Qe7 21. Ne4 Rf8 22. Nf6+ Kg7 23. Qh3 h6 24. Qg3 Kh8 25. Qe3 Kg7 26. Qg3 Kh8 27. Qe3 Kg7 28. hxg6 fxg6 29. Bxg6 Rh8 30. Be4 Kf8 31. Qf3 Rc8 32. Nd5+ Qf7 33. Qa3+ Kg8 34. Nf6+ Kg7 35. Rd3 Rhf8 36. Rg3+ Kh8 37. Qe3 1-0Editor’s note: BCA member Steve Hilton also competed in this event, in his capacity as IBCA Secretary General, and he scored a very respectable 4.5 from 9!

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ECF Grades for BCA Members 2015-16A new grading list was published by the English Chess Federation in July and revised on the 27th of September. Here are the new grades of BCA members, with Rapidplay grades also noted in parentheses where applicable.Andrews, Norman G 134 Armstrong, Bill 149 (147R)Bailey, Stephen 68 Bhutta, Shehroze (63R)Blackmore, Ian 80 Blencowe, Ian P 134 (141R)Brown, Geoffrey D 141 (126R)Brown, Stephen 107 Burnell, Steve 145 (141R)Carr, Matthew 141 Chambers, Colin R 144 Chapman, Gordon 117 Clayton, David G 109 Cloudsdale, Peter 149 Cuthbert, Jim 78 Delaney, Michael 147 Fisher, Colin 157 (135R)Gailans, Voldi 78 Gallagher, John 199 Gibbs, Peter C 160

Gordon, Philip L 120 Graff, Ben 143 (150R)Hague, Mark 94 Harman, Kenneth B 173 Harrington, Richard 0 Hilton, Steve H 155 Holtz, Steve 103 Jenkins, John H 94 Kirkham, Mark 161 Koohnavard, Neda 59 Lee, Andy 64 Levitt, Jonathan 44 Lightowler, Stan 40 Lilley, Graham 169 Loftus, Sean 134 Lovell, Stan E 129 Lowery, Michael 23 Mills, David G 136 Murphy, Richard LW 118 Osborne, John 54

Phillips, George W 93 Phillips, Owen S 170 (170R)Prasath, Malola TS 186 Ross, Chris N 201 Rugman, Daniel 83 Shimwell, Efe 86 (111R)Smith, Gill 49 Tew, Eleanor 0 Thacker, Steve M 101 Walsh, Gerry F 121 Warren, Denis 45 Waters, Roger G 110 (101R)Welch, David 143 (146R)Whitehouse, B Guy 107 Whittle, Les V 150 Wickett, Gary M 76 Willis, Graham 132 Wragg, Norman A 129 Yu, X Gregory (78R)Yu, X Henry 119 (136R)

I have tried to make this list as complete and accurate as possible, but please do let me know if your ECF grade is missing or incorrect. Worthy of particular mention is John Gallagher, whose grade went from 176 to an extremely impressive 199! Also, a whopping 36 point increase from 125 to 161 was achieved by Mark Kirkham. Congratulations to them both and well done to everyone else who has a new grade or whose grade has gone up. Julie Leonard

Coaching Weekend 18th – 20th September, Hallmark Hotel, DerbyGary Wickett reports:Jim Cuthbert, Mike Lowery, Richard Harrington, Eleanor Tew and I attended this event, which was run single-handedly by Peter Cloudsdale. Before the event, Peter contacted the participants asking if there was anything we wished to cover. It was also suggested that we should meet up at 6 o’clock on the Friday for the evening meal, which was an excellent opportunity to get to know each other and to chat about what we might want to do during the weekend. On the Friday evening we met for the first chess session. We looked at some miniatures and tactics to get us fired up for the weekend. It was decided that alongside the coaching we would also have a four round Swiss tourna-ment. Each session would involve some group coaching and four people would partake in the friendly tourna-ment, the fifth person getting the bye and having some private tuition from Peter. Although the advertised programme included five sessions: one on Friday evening and two sessions on Saturday and Sunday - Saturday evening being free - Peter also very kindly offered to do a voluntary session on Saturday evening for those who were up for it, which I believe was accepted by everybody bar myself. Being the wimp of the group I was glad of the rest!We all got along favourably and ate all our meals together, each day going across the road to the railway station for fresh air and some lunch. The coaching sessions covered openings, endgames and tactics. Despite the vari-ation in strengths within the group, I don’t think anyone felt they were lagging behind or being held back. Every-body also enjoyed the four round Swiss. Mike and I were the joint winners. At the start of each session, we also quickly went through the games that had been played during the previous session. All in all it was an excellent weekend, to which Peter had put in 110%. He was very flexible in his approach and extremely generous with his time, going the extra mile to help. Everyone was also happy with the venue.I close this report by extending a huge thank you to Peter and to Voldi for running and organising this weekend and making it the success that it turned out to be. I’ve spoken to everybody who attended and everyone said how much they enjoyed the weekend.

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Chris’s PuzzleAugust Puzzle: FEN: 8/2p5/5Q2/2k5/2P5/2PK4/8/8White: King d3, Queen f6, Pawns c3 and c4. Black: king c5, pawn c7. White to play and mate in two. Solution: 1. Kc2! A. 1... Kxc4 2. Qc6# B. 1... c6 2. Qd4#November Puzzle: FEN: 7Q/2p5/1P1N3R/3k4/8/2K5/8/8White: King c3, Queen h8, Rook h6, Knight d6, Pawn b6. Black: king d5, pawn c7.White to play and mate in two. The solution will be published in the February issue.Chris Ross

Reinforcements at the ReadyAre you a piece short of a chess set? If you are, don’t despair! Help may be at hand! I have a collection of spares for Braille sets and the one you need could be among them. Over the years, members have donated many pieces from incomplete Merrick sets. There is a battalion of infantry, a phalanx of fortresses, a cluster of clergymen and a restricted, but regal array of royalty. Alas, the cavalry is scarce. It has sustained heavy casualties because the horses’ heads are prone to being snapped off in battle!In addition to the Merrick pieces, I also have a very limited number of spares for Staunton pattern Braille sets. Do get in touch with me if you’re looking for a replacement piece or if you have spare pieces to donate.Julie Leonard

Millennium ClubRecent Millennium Club winners: August: Jim Cuthbert, number 18.

September: Janet Curwen, number 45. October: Graham Lilley, number 39.

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 made payable to "Braille Chess Association" to the treasurer or make an online or telephone payment to the BCA.Gill Smith, Treasurer

PersonaliaRegular readers will recall that Tristram Cole was due to appear in the TV quiz programme, ‘Only Connect’. Sadly, Tristram and his team, ‘Bookworms’, lost in the first heat. It seemed to me that some of their answers were judged in an unduly strict way because they were rejected despite being almost entirely correct. In ‘Only Connect’ first round losers are paired against each other and given another chance to remain in the competition so, un-deterred, the ‘Bookworms’ pitted their wits against a second team. Initially, it seemed that fortune was against them once more because the opposing team’s very first task was to find the connection between songs sung by Stephen Bishop, Beverly Knight, Nat King Cole and Queen. What a gift this question would have been for Tris-tram, who would have spotted straight away that the connection was chess pieces and got his team off to a great start! Instead, the opposition took a comfortable lead and retained it until the beginning of the final round. At that moment, however, the ‘Bookworms’ found their form and surged ahead to snatch victory in the closing moments. Many congratulations to Tristram and his team and best of luck for the rest of the competition! Would all players taking part in forthcoming BCA events kindly heed the warning that follows. Please exercise extreme caution when moving pieces to the ‘c’ file as in future you run the risk of finding a guide dog sitting on your chess board! This is because Stan Lovell’s new guide dog is called Casper! Stan has had a lengthy wait for a new dog following the tragic loss of Quentin earlier this year, but at long last he has been found a new canine part-ner and by all accounts the two of them are an excellent match! No doubt all of Stan’s BCA friends will look for-ward to meeting Casper at a tournament soon. By the time you read this gazette, Christmas will be less than two months away. Among other things it is a time of giving and receiving. We are told it is more blessed to give than to receive, but on occasions people receive gifts so precious that they are without doubt a blessing. This was the happy experience of Mr and Mrs Johnson ninety years ago, when their baby daughter was born on Christmas Day. This little girl went on to achieve many things, including winning the BCA Ladies’ Championship. These days we know her by her married name, Chrissie Brown, and she is a gift treasured by all who know her. Chrissie’s many BCA friends will no doubt join me in congratulating her on her 90th birthday and wishing her a really super day! Julie Leonard

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OBITUARIESAlan Davey

Stan Lovell writes: Alan George Davey was born in West Ham on 25th May 1930 to George and Flora. He also had a sister, Renee. Alan was registered blind at an early age and throughout his life managed very well with a very small amount of vision.During the 1939-1945 war the Davey family moved to Bristol for a short while before settling in Cheltenham, where Alan spent the rest of his life. He attended the Royal School for the Blind, Bristol, where he learned his trade as a piano tuner. After qualifying in June 1950 he went to work at the Bentley Piano factory near Stroud. After a relatively short time, however, he left piano tuning as a full time profession, and spent the rest of his working life in engineering, keeping his hand in with a few tunings at evenings or at weekends.In March 1963 Alan married Stella, whom he had known at the school in Bristol. They became proud parents when their daughter, Angela, was born in November 1964.Alan was a very active man, with a wide variety of interests. He took a keen interest in most sports and was a life-long supporter of the Hammers. He was very interested in Cricket and was an avid listener to the test match commentaries on the BBC. Alan was known as a man who was very generous with his time, particularly when there was anyone around who needed a little help or advice.Among his other interests, he was very fond of old time dancing and he ran sessions at a local blind club for a number of years. He was also often to be found entertaining various groups with his keyboard or with his inexhaustible store of humorous tales.I first met Alan in 1948 when I was playing for the junior chess team against the seniors at the school in Bristol. For the next couple of years we often met up to renew the contest. We met up again, when I moved to Cheltenham in 1956, and a regular round of socialising developed with our families and friends, in particular, Chris and Bob Brown and the late Malcolm Draine. Alan was still playing chess and he had joined the renowned Cheltenham Chess Club where he played a number of games in the North Gloucestershire League. Around that time Alan and I could often be found on a Sunday lunchtime in the garden of the Albion Inn, with a chess board on the table between us and a foaming pint of Cheltenham and Hereford Ale at our elbow. Alan was enthusiastic and adventurous in his chess play, rather than studious. He liked nothing better than making, what he might refer to, as an interesting or speculative move and sit back to see what happened.When Alan joined the BCA he soon formed an alliance with Richard Harrington, Geoff Patching and the late Francis Collisson. They all enjoyed their walks exploring the areas where the BCA had landed up for one of its events. They were soon being referred to as the ‘Four Musketeers’.Alan remained very active until six years ago, when he suffered a severe stroke which resulted in a lengthy stay in hospital. Upon leaving hospital he became a resident of Bay Tree Court, Nursing Home in Cheltenham. In spite of some difficulties with mobility and with his speech he refused to give in, and continued to be regular attendee at the local blind club. He also greatly enjoyed his regular Thursday visits to his close friends, Chris and Bob Brown when he was able to enjoy another of his enthusiasms for a game of cards.Alan died at the nursing home in Cheltenham on 30th June 2015. His funeral was held at Cheltenham Crematorium on 16th July, when BCA members, Chris and Bob Brown and Juliet Reeve were among the congregation of more than fifty.Alan will be missed by his many friends. Our condolences go to his daughter, Angela.Editor’s note: Donations made in memory of Alan were given to RNIB talking books. Angela felt that Alan would have approved of this because he loved listening to talking books and they had been such a lifeline to him.

Joan Shorrock has composed a tribute to Alan in verse:At Morecambe with blind chess players, how my heart did sink,But Alan, you made me welcome and said 'Come and have a drink.'From then on I warmed to those known as the BCA.Alan, you were a good friend, so I would like to sayThank you for the memories what happy times we had.And when you couldn't be with us it made us all quite sadBut you were cheerful to the end, from life's cares you found release.It's been good to know you, Alan. Goodbye and rest in peace.

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Fred ReaderFred was a member of the BCA for more than forty years and was elected an Honorary Member in 2002. He used to attend over the board tournaments with his wife, Lily. The couple had an adopted son, Clive. Fred and Lily lived in Potters Bar from 1968 to 1986. Coincidentally, their house was directly opposite that of Ron Gorton, who has since joined the BCA. Ron and Fred discussed their shared interest in chess and it soon be-came clear to Ron that Fred was an accomplished player. Another interest that the two neighbours had in common was a love of classical music. Fred’s preference was for the later compositions. For example, Ron recalls that Fred particularly enjoyed listening to pieces by Granados, the Spanish composer and pianist of the late 19th and early 20th century. Stan Lovell recollects that Fred’s passion for music was also evident at BCA quizzes, where his extensive knowledge at times eclipsed that of our other mu-sic aficionados. Ron remembers Fred as a quiet and serious type. Lily was the more extroverted of the two. Ron looks back on his memories of Fred with happiness. He enjoyed having Fred and Lily as neighbours.On leaving Potters Bar, Fred and Lily moved to Eastwood, near Nottingham, and lost touch with their former neighbour. When Ron joined the BCA he was hoping to look up his old friends, but alas it was not to be. As we recently discovered, Fred passed away in 2005, and Lily in 2011. Rest in peace.Editor’s note: Grateful thanks to Ron Gorton and Stan Lovell for sharing their memories of Fred and Lily.

Brian DaveyBrian was a very long standing member of the BCA. Colin Chambers recollects meeting Brian for the first time at our Golden Jubilee event in Hastings in April 1982. Brian also competed in the BCA British Championship in the summer of 1983, when it was held near Brian’s home town of Doncaster. Later on, Brian concentrated on playing correspondence chess against such BCA stalwarts as Gary Wickett, Geoff Patching and Jim Cuthbert, among others. Brian was a regular competitor in our correspondence events until about seven years when ill health prevented him from continuing. Geoff recalls that Brian did important fundraising work for the Royal Blind Society by coordinating the distribution of collection tins in shops in and around Doncaster. Brian was also a guide dog owner, who used to delight residents of local homes for the elderly by bringing his dog along for them to admire and make a fuss of. Rest in peace. Editor’s note: Grateful thanks to Colin Chambers, Gary Wickett, Geoff Patching and Jim Cuthbert for sharing their memories of Brian.

Juliet ReeveEditor’s note: It is intended that a formal obituary for Juliet will appear in the February 2016 issue of the gazette. For now, here are some excerpts from messages in which members expressed their feelings on the loss of this lovely lady. I could not include them all but hopefully this small sample represents everybody’s sentiments. Norman and Pauline Wragg: We were both so shocked and saddened to hear the news about Juliet. She has been a part of the BCA for many years, at first with Peter Price. After Peter’s death we were all so pleased that Ju-liet remained involved with us and she was a very welcome part of our events and especially our soirées. Joan Shorrock: I went to visit Juliet a few times in Cheltenham. We had some lovely times driving around the Cotswolds and sharing meals together. She also took me to see Alan Davey, which was so good of her.I remember once when we were in the town, she got a cup of coffee and gave it to a young man who was begging in the street. She had a word with him and it was obvious she did this quite regularly.Juliet was kind and caring to everyone whatever their status and we shall miss her.Tanvi Muir: Helping others seemed to be a pleasure for Juliet.Mike Lowery: It’s hard to put into words how much Juliet will be missed. She was one of the first people I ever spoke to and she knew how to make me smile. She took me under her wing and was an inspiration. She knew how to bring the best out of people. Stan and Jan Lovell: We have lost a very kind and helpful friend. Our events will be the poorer without her.Peter and Celia Gibbs: Juliet will be sadly missed because she was so helpful at all BCA events. Only a day or two before her death we received from her a CD of poems that had been recorded by Peter Price. That is an indic-ation of how thoughtful she was. She was so looking forward to coming to BCA events and being able to walk easily once more. But it was not to be.... Editor’s note: Juliet’s niece, Rosemary, has kindly given me some copies of the CD of poems recorded by Peter Price to distribute among Juliet’s and Peter’s BCA friends. Please contact me if you would like a copy.

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