Beckenham & Bromley Chess Club

2012-02-10T10:10:00.000Z

Fixture list and results so far this year

LONDON LEAGUE DIV 2

Hackney 2	Mon 03-Oct-11	GL	Lost 3 - 7
Streatham 2	Mon 24-Oct-11	GL	Won 7 - 3
Atheneum 2	Mon 21-Nov-11	ATH	Won 6 - 4
Drunken Knights 3	Mon 05-Dec-11	PLOW	Lost 2 - 8
Mushrooms 2	Mon 16-Jan-12	GL	5 - 4 ( 1 adj.)
Dulwich 1	Wed 08-Feb-12	GL	Lost 3½ - 5½ ( 1 adj.)
Woodbridge	Mon 05-Mar-12	GL	0 - 0 ( 10 adj.)
Wimbledon 1	Wed 28-Mar-12	GL	0 - 0 ( 10 adj.)
Mushrooms 1	Mon 23-Apr-12	GL	0 - 0 ( 10 adj.)
Battersea 1	Wed 02-May-12	GL	0 - 0 ( 10 adj.)
Wanstead 1	Wed 23-May-12	GL	0 - 0 ( 10 adj.)
Metropolitan 1	Thu 31-May-12	MET	0 - 0 ( 10 adj.)
LONDON LEAGUE DIV 5
Metropolitan	Mon 10-Oct-11	GL	Drawn 2 - 2
Hammersmith	Wed 19-Oct-11	GL	Lost 1½ - 2½
Kings Head	Mon 07-Nov-11	GL	Won 3 - 1
Pimlico	Thu 01-Dec-11	PIM	Won 3 - 1
Pimlico	Thu 15-Dec-11	PIM	Won 3 - 1
Hackney	Mon 09-Jan-12	GL	Lost 1½ - 2½
Hammersmith	Wed 25-Jan-12	GL	Lost 1 - 3
Hackney	Mon 06-Feb-12	GL	Drawn 2 - 2
Metropolitan	Mon 20-Feb-12	GL	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Kings Head	Mon 12-Mar-12	GL	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Dulwich	Mon 26-Mar-12	GL	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Battersea	Wed 11-Apr-12	GL	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Dulwich	Mon 30-Apr-12	GL	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Battersea	Wed 16-May-12	GL	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
KENT LEAGUE DIV 1
Charlton 1	Tue 08-Nov-11	Away	Drawn 3 - 3
Lewisham 1	Thu 17-Nov-11	Home	Won 3½ - 2½
Maidstone 1	Thu 01-Dec-11	Home	Won 3½ - 2½
Lewisham 1	Wed 01-Feb-12	Away	Won 5½ -½
Charlton 1	Thu 23-Feb-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 6 adj.)
Maidstone 1	Wed 28-Mar-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 6 adj.)
KENT LEAGUE DIV 2
Dartford 1	Thu 27-Oct-11	Away	Lost 2½ - 3½
Lewisham 2	Thu 03-Nov-11	Home	Won 5½ -½
Gravesend 1	Mon 12-Dec-11	Away	Drawn 3 - 3
Lewisham 2	Wed 15-Feb-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 6 adj.)
Dartford 1	Thu 16-Feb-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 6 adj.)
Gravesend 1	Thu 15-Mar-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 6 adj.)
KENT LEAGUE DIV 4
Chislehurst 2	Thu 29-Sep-11	Home	Drawn 3 - 3
Lewisham 5	Wed 26-Oct-11	Away	Lost 2 - 4
Gravesend 3	Thu 08-Dec-11	Home	Lost 1½ - 4½
Petts Wood 1	Thu 05-Jan-12	Home	Drawn 3 - 3
Charlton 2	Tue 31-Jan-12	Away	Lost 2½ - 3½
Dartford 3	Thu 22-Mar-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 6 adj.)
KENT LEAGUE DIV 5
Lewisham 6	Thu 06-Oct-11	Home	Won 4½ - 1½
Sidcup 1	Thu 27-Oct-11	Home	Lost 2 - 4
Gravesend 4	Thu 10-Nov-11	Home	Won 4½ - 1½
Petts Wood 2	Thu 12-Jan-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 6 adj.)
Chislehurst 3	Thu 29-Mar-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 6 adj.)
KENT LEAGUS DIV 6
Sidcup 2	Wed 05-Oct-11	Away	Won 2½ - 1½
Lewisham 7	Thu 13-Oct-11	Home	Won 2½ - 1½
Petts Wood 3	Thu 24-Nov-11	Home	Lost 0 - 4
Lewisham 7	Wed 18-Jan-12	Away	Drawn 2 - 2
Petts Wood 3	Fri 24-Feb-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Sidcup 2	Thu 15-Mar-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
KENT LEAGUE DIV 7
Lewisham 8	Thu 27-Oct-11	Home	Won 3 - 1
Petts Wood 4	Thu 17-Nov-11	Home	Won 3 - 1
Sidcup 3	Wed 07-Dec-11	Away	Drawn 2 - 2
Petts Wood 4	Fri 13-Jan-12	Away	Drawn 2 - 2
Sidcup 3	Thu 02-Feb-12	Home	Drawn 2 - 2
Lewisham 8	Wed 15-Feb-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
CROYDON LEAGUE DIV 1
Coulsdon A	Thu 26-Jan-12	Home	Won 3 - 1
Crystal Palace A	Mon 13-Feb-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Crystal Palace A	Thu 01-Mar-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Streatham A	Thu 08-Mar-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Streatham A	Tue 27-Mar-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Coulsdon A	Mon 14-May-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
CROYDON LEAGUE DIV 2
Coulsdon B	Thu 26-Jan-12	Home	Won 3½ -½
Streatham B	Tue 14-Feb-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Wallington A	Thu 15-Mar-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Streatham C	Thu 05-Apr-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
South Norwood A	Thu 10-May-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Crystal Palace B	Mon 14-May-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
CROYDON LEAGUE DIV 3
Streatham D	Tue 01-Nov-11	Away	Won 2½ - 1½
South Croydon Bus Garage	Thu 17-Nov-11	Home	Won 4 - 0
Crystal Palace C	Thu 02-Feb-12	Home	Drawn 2 - 2
South Norwood B	Thu 08-Mar-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Streatham E	Thu 22-Mar-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Lewisham	Wed 04-Apr-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Wallington C	Thu 03-May-12	Home	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)
Wallington B	Thu 10-May-12	Away	0 - 0 ( 4 adj.)

New Improved ECF Grading Database

2012-01-30T23:33:00.000Z

Check out the new grading database and January's (yes, you read that right) grades. Now gives full match results for recent years, even graphs to plot your decline.

Venues for Away Matches

2012-01-11T22:57:00.002Z

In case you're wondering where this went, it's now incorporated into the Fixtures List.

KENT QUICKPLAY 2011

2011-10-14T10:50:00.003+01:00

Beckenham & Bromley beat Charlton 9-7 last night to win the KQP Championships. This was a reversal of the result in last year's final and made it 3 wins in 4 years for the club.

KENT QUICKPLAY 2011

2011-10-06T11:53:00.002+01:00

Beckenham & Bromley beat Rainham in the semi final of the above last night and will now play Charlton 1 in the final on 13 October. The match will be at home, starting at 7.30pm. Spectators welcome.

Teams for New Season

2011-09-24T13:19:00.002+01:00

You've probably already seen the announcement by email from Malcolm Mourant, but in case not, here are the teams for 2011 - 12.

London Leagues

Everyone can play for either of the two teams. The second team has a 145 grading limit and is captained by Richard Putman. The first team, which we run jointly with Charlton, is run by Andy Heard and John Lewin. Speak to any of these gentlemen for fixtures, selection etc. Games are played in Central London, usually at 7pm.

Kent League

The first team, playing in the Open section, comprises Ian Snape (Cap.), Michael Prizant, Nick Briggs, John Duggan, Andrew Ponting and Richard Selway.

The 2nd Team, playing in the Lewis Cup, is run by John Duggan, and his normal team includes Ian Snape, Alan Sands, Duncan Bell, John Lewin, and Raunak Rao. On the bench are John Alderson and Doug Vleeshhouwer.

Malcolm Mourant is running the En Passant team and has in his squad Gautham Reddiar, Stephen Cousins, Jon Griffiths, and Fred Wellings.

For the Harvey Cup, Chris Bernard's starting team are Jon Griffiths, Chris Bernard, Fred Wellings, Paul Andrews, Richard Putman, and Justin Brown. Alexander Selway is the backup.

Mike Spencer has control of the Tom Fuller and Intro teams and will choose from Howard Walden, James Kinsella and Alan Fraser in the former; and Geoff Kelsey, Mike Smee and Stephen Roberts. Jason Kevan can also expect some games for this team as well, I'm sure.

Croydon League

Nick Briggs captains the first team and has available John Duggan, Ian Snape, Richard Selway and Duncan Bell.
John Lewin is running the second team, who are Raunak Rao, John Alderson, Malcolm Mourant, and Stephen Cousins.
Howard Walden has the third team, and his selection is everyone not mentioned above!

Hope there's no mistakes there, and let's bring home some trophies!

Andy Heard

Annual Handicap Quickplay Competition

2011-06-04T21:45:00.002+01:00

The Handicap Quickplay Competition for the Rosebowl Cup took place at the club on 2nd June. There were 14 players and, as usual, the competition was fought over two rounds. The eventual winner was Ian Sanpe, followed by Nick Briggs and Jon Griffiths.

Third in Division Two of London League

2011-05-29T10:50:00.000+01:00

With David Sandham finally overcoming his Wimbledon opponent after two adjournments, the match is drawn 5-5. We finished third in the league, just missing out on the second promotion place by a handful of game points. Full details here.

Bromley v Beckenham Annual Match 2011

2011-05-21T09:34:00.004+01:00

Twenty club members turned out last night for the annual Bromley v Beckenham match. In a closely fought contest, a five-all result was finally achieved when Alan Sands (borrowed for the night by Beckenham) offered John Lewin a draw with only minutes left on the clock.

As they say, an enjoyable evening was had by one and all.

Thanks to match captains John Lewin and James Kinsella.

Fred Wellings

	Bromley		Result		Beckenham
1	Ian Snape	204	0	1	Nick Briggs	185
2	John Lewin	157	½	½	Alan Sands	166
3	John Alderson	154	½	½	Ranuk Rao	144
4	Geoff Kelsey	140	½	½	Chris Barnard	127
5	Malcolm Mouant	140	½	½	Fred Wellings	124
6	Gautham Reddiar	135	½	½	Richard Putman	123
7	Paul Andrews	126	½	½	Mike Smee	124
8	Alan Fraser	113	1	0	James Kinsella	109
9	Howard Walden	105	1	0	Mike Spencer	102
10	Jason Kevan	27	0	1	Steven Roberts	40e
	Average	130	5	5		124

Clean Sweep by West Wickham in the Croydon League

2011-05-19T18:42:00.000+01:00

Howard Walden reports that West Wickham [that's Beckenham and Bromley's nom de guerre in South London. Ed.] teams have won all three divisions of the Croydon League this year. Well done to everyone who took part in the teams this year.

West Wickham A won Division 3 for the second year running which means this team have been champions three times and runners up once in the last four years!!!

COUNTY CUP FINAL: Beckenham 1 v Charlton 1

2011-05-16T11:35:00.010+01:00

The result in the final was a 4½-1½ loss as follows:

Ian Snape ½-½ Philip Morris
Nick Briggs 0-1 Alan Hanreck
John Duggan 0-1 Tony Stebbings
Michael Prizant 0-1 Philip Gregory
Kevin Bailey 1-0 Conor Murphy
Alan Sands 0-1 Renee DuToit

However, that doesn’t reflect the full story. My game was the first to finish. I had a minute temporary advantage through control of the e file which Morris set about neutralising and the game ended in threefold repetition. Kevin played a storming game to beat Conor Murphy. Next to finish was Nick with a loss having looked uncomfortable from the opening. John was very cramped but had some hopes of drawing but it was not to be. This left us 2½-1½ down with two to play and (on account of board count) needing two wins. However, this looked more than possible as Michael was won and Alan was having an up and down game. Not much later Alan dropped a rook and it was all over. The final calamity befell Michael when he lost a won ending.

Ian

PS Thanks to Malcolm for his support.

COUNTY CUP

2011-04-26T11:04:00.002+01:00

A 3-3 away draw against Lewisham on 23 March, including a win by Nick Briggs against William Jones, secured us a place in the Kent County Cup Final.

This will be played on 15 May at the Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford starting at 2pm. The opponents are Charlton.

Needless to say, all and any support welcome.

BECKENHAM FIDE RATED CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

2011-04-26T11:01:00.002+01:00

This turned out to be a remarkably tight affair and was won outright by Michael Prizant with just 3/5. The full ranking was:

1 Michael Prizant 3
2-5 Ian Snape, John Duggan, Robert Maguire and Andrew Ponting 2½
6 Kevin Bailey 2

Mike Spencer Reports on the Tom Fuller Cup

2011-04-26T09:58:00.001+01:00

The B&B team in the Tom Fuller came top of their league in the Metropolitan division, and were then paired with Weald of Kent in the semi-final on Thursday 21st April.

Unfortunately we were knocked out with one win and a draw against two wins and a draw, in a match where the final deciding game was played right up to the last minute, ending in a drawn game and a lost match. A win on that board would have been a draw on both game points and board count, but a win to us on board 4 elimination, so it was quite an intense final game.

Arbiter was Derek Davis of Chislehurst club to whom we express our thanks.

Team members throughout the season were Justin Brown, Alan Fraser, James Kinsella, Jason Kevan, Richard Putman, Laurie Roberts,Raunak Rao and Mike Spencer.

COUNTY CUP: Charlton v Beckenham 1

2011-03-16T17:59:00.003Z

All things come to an end. Events started badly last night when Charlton defaulted board 4 and Nick had a wasted journey.

Robert and I played badly and lost. Alan drew; although how I am not sure. This left the score at 2½-1½ to Charlton with us needing at least 1½ points from the last 2 games – John Duggan who was much better against Alan Hanreck and Michael Prizant who was level against Gregory. Michael played on trying to win his drawn game and came close but in the end it was a half point. This left John, who was still much better, needing to win. However, he was well down on the clock. Valiantly, for the sake of the team, he turned down a draw, converted to R+3P v R+2P but soon thereafter his flag fell just as he blundered on the board. An undeserved loss and a final 4-2 team loss.

Detailed results were:

Ian Snape 0-1 Philip Morris
John Duggan 0-1 Alan Hanreck
Michael Prizant ½=½ Philip Gregory
Nick Briggs 1-0 Default
Robert Maguire 0-1 Conor Murphy
Alan Sands ½-½ Du Toit

COUNTY CUP: Beckenham 1 v Charlton

2011-02-25T11:42:00.002Z

Another win last night, albeit against a somewhat depleted Charlton side, leaves us very nicely placed on 3½/4. Detailed results were:

Ian Snape ½-½ Alan Hanreck
John Duggan 1-0 Philip Gregory
Nick Briggs ½-½ Conor Murphy
Kevin Bailey 1-0 Ronald Hyde
Robert Maguire ½-½ Du Toit
Alan Sands ½-½ Terry Lloyd

COUNTY CUP: Maidstone v Beckenham

2011-02-20T20:52:00.003Z

16 February saw an excellent 4½-1½ win away to Maidstone. Detailed results were:

Ian Snape ½-½ Martin Taylor
John Duggan ½-½ Cliff Chandler
Michael Prizant ½-½ Duncan Harwood
Nick Briggs 1-0 David Munford
Robert Maguire 1-0 David Heath
Alan Sands 1-0 John Allen

BECKENHAM FIDE RATED CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

2011-02-12T11:21:00.002Z

Round 4 was played on 10 February and was bloody. Results:

Robert Maguire 1- 0 Ian Snape
Kevin Bailey 0-1 John Duggan
Michael Prizant 1-0 Andrew Ponting

Prizant,Michael (2137) - Ponting,Andrew (1860) [B22]
Beckenham FIDE Rated Championships Worsley Bridge Road (4), 10.02.2011

1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Be2 cxd4 7.cxd4 e6 8.0–0 Be7 9.Nc3 Qa5 10.a3 0–0 11.b4 Bxb4?? [11...Qc7=] 12.axb4 Qxa1 13.Qb3 a5? [Of course it is hopeless but, if Black wants to play on, giving up a knight via some sort of Na5 is mandatory. 13...Nd5 14.Bb2 Na5 15.bxa5 Qxa5 16.Nxd5+-] 14.Bb2 a4 15.Rxa1 1–0
　

COUNTY CUP: Beckenham v Lewisham

2011-02-08T15:20:00.002Z

Our second County Cup match was played on 3 February and resulted in a 3½-2½ win. Details below:

Ian Snape 1-0 Victor Jones
John Duggan 0-1 William Jones
Michael Prizant 1-0 Mark Robertson
Nick Briggs ½-½ Gordon Botley
Robert Maguire ½-½ Cos Charles
Alan Sands ½-½ Syd Jacobs

BECKENHAM FIDE RATED CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

2010-11-25T15:18:00.003Z

Last Thursday night’s third round results were:

Ian Snape 1-0 Michael Prizant
Robert Maguire 1-0 Kevin Bailey
John Duggan ½-½ Andrew Ponting

The round 4 draw, to be played on 10 February, is:

Robert Maguire v Ian Snape
Kevin Bailey v John Duggan
Michael Prizant v Andrew Ponting

The crosstable to date is:

BECKENHAM FIDE RATED CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

2010-10-28T15:23:00.003+01:00

Round 3 will be held on 18 November; games as follows:

Robert Maguire v Kevin Bailey
Ian Snape v Michael Prizant
John Duggan v Andrew Ponting

The crosstable to date is:

KENT COUNTY QUICKPLAY CHAMPIONSHIPS 2010

2010-10-08T12:07:00.001+01:00

Sadly, it was not to be three in a row. A rather lacklustre performance resulted in a 10-6 loss to Charlton.

BECKENHAM FIDE RATED CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

2010-10-01T11:32:00.000+01:00

Last night’s second round results were:

Kevin Bailey ½-½ Michael Prizant
John Duggan 1-0 Robert Maguire

The next games are below:

14 October: Andrew Ponting v Ian Snape (outstanding round 2 game)
18 November: Ian Snape v Michael Prizant
18 November: John Duggan v Andrew Ponting
18 November: Robert Maguire v Kevin Bailey

BECKENHAM FIDE RATED CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

2010-09-17T11:31:00.006+01:00

Double click image to view

KENT QUICKPLAY 2010

2010-09-15T12:14:00.000+01:00

Beckenham won their Kent Quick Play semi final away to Folkestone on 8 September by the close score of 8½-7½ and will now play Charlton in the final. The match will be held at Beckenham on 7 October starting at 7.45pm. All spectators welcome.

BECKENHAM FIDE RATED CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

2010-09-05T09:57:00.002+01:00

Yes, you read that right; Beckenham has its own FIDE-rated round-robin event!

The first round matches will take place on 16 September, starting at 7pm, and the draw is

Michael Prizant v Robert Maguire
Kevin Bailey v Andrew Ponting
Ian Snape v John Duggan

First round results to be added in due course.

Winner of Chess & Bridge London League Prize

2010-07-18T09:21:00.007+01:00

Once again, our Division 5 London League team has brought home the bacon. This time I was presented with £50 by Malcolm Pein (courtesy of Chess & Bridge) at this week's AGM. We came second.

Malcolm also asked the meeting for anyone who is interested in coaching in schools to get in touch with him. He has some money to run a coaching scheme next year, which he's calling Chess in Schools and Communities. The charity will pay for any CRB approvals that need to be made.

Note that this not the ill-fated ECF scheme.

Annual Handicap Quickplay competition

2010-07-02T10:29:00.002+01:00

On 1st July, the annual Handicap Quickplay competition took place with 14 members attending. At the end of 2 rounds and 11 games, there was a tie for 1st place between Ian Snape and Duncan Bell. The play-off was won by Ian Snape.

A cup [called the Rosebowl] is awarded for this event and it will be presented at the AGM on 2nd September 2010.

Victory at Kent Finals Day

2010-06-12T09:52:00.003+01:00

Mike Spencer points out that we actually won the Intro cup in the Kent finals this year, beating Lewisham on the day..

Well done, guys.

Out of curiosity I checked the details here, and it seems we won the En Passant Cup as well!

Congratulations to Malcolm and the team.

Update (Sunday): As a tie-breaker, board-count to Beckenham chess club is like penalties to the England footy team. They happen too often and we always lose (so it seems). Malcolm has just pointed out to me:

The EP report is in fact a mistake. We lost the final on board count [and we were black on odds]. Strange though that this error should have happened. I reported it but heard nothing in response

Beckenham v Bromley Match

2010-06-12T09:38:00.006+01:00

Bromley won the annual Beckenham v Bromley match by 6 - 4. Paul Andrews says a "massive thank you to Howard for organising the whole thing despite not being able to attend himself". Details below....

Andrew Ponting 164	0 - 1	Ian Snape 198
Alan Sands 153	0 - 1	John Lewin 162
Peter Thomas 145	1 - 0	Paul Andrews
Chris Bernard 124	½ - ½	Malcolm Mourant
Fred Wellings 124	1 - 0	Geoff Kelsey 140
Richard Putman 122	0 - 1	Gautham Reddiar
Duncan Bell 119	½ - ½	Raunak Rao 126
Ronald Huggins 115	0 - 1	Justin Brown 116
Simon Leung U	0 - 1	Alan Fraser
Mike Spencer 95	1 - 0	Derek Simmons 100

Clean Sweep in Croydon League 2010, from Howard Walden

2010-05-12T10:03:00.002+01:00

Our teams have won both of the divisions we entered for this season.

Division 1 was won by West Wickham
Division 3 was won by West Wickham A, with a massive 9½ out of a possible 10 match points with West Wickham B as worthy runners-up.

That means that West Wickham have won Division 1 two years running!

In Division 3, West Wickham teams have dominated the division for the last four years with three championships and a runners-up!!!!

Well done to all those who have taken part. Perhaps we should have a team in Divsion 2 next year?

2010 Beckenham v Bromley Chess Match

2010-05-12T10:02:00.000+01:00

This match will be on 10th June. Please contact Howard Walden if you want to take part.

Kent League Semi Finals

2010-04-04T19:23:00.002+01:00

Malcolm Mourant reports that it's been "a reasonably successful season with 3 of our teams getting through to the semi-finals. All 4 of our other teams just missed out by coming 3rd"

Alan Fraser a Winner at Dudley

2010-02-03T23:32:00.001Z

Minor Tournament (Under 115)
1st with 4/5 was Alan R Fraser (Beckenham & Bromley)

=2nd with 3.5/5 were Michael Henbury (Eastleigh Railway) and Keven A Lamb (Eastleigh Railway)

The Grading Prize went to Spectrum newcomer Alf Evans (Oswestry) who scored 2.5/5

A Little Slice of Glory for your Webmaster

2010-02-03T00:05:00.004Z

Much against the form book, your webmaster pulled off equal first at the Dorset "Closed" Individual Championship in Bournemouth, this weekend. I got 3½ out of 5, having lost Round One and been lazy in Round 4 by pre-booking a bye.

This is probably the most interesting position of the tournament, which I reached in the last round, needing a win to get into the money. Black (Kevin Goater) is to move, and should probably take the pawn on c5. But he goes, instead directly for the win with g4.

Click to see what happens next!

Tues 23rd Feb - Kent Blitz Chess Championship

2010-01-05T22:37:00.002Z

The 1^st Kent Blitz Chess Championship will be held at 7.30pm Tuesday 23^rd February at Snodland United Church, High Street, Snodland, Kent, ME6 5AG. The event is sanctioned by KCCA and organised by Snodland Chess Club.

9 rounds of blitz chess (5 mins per player, no increments). £5 entry fee.

£30 first prize, plus other prizes depending on number of entries.

Entries must arrive by Monday 22nd February and will not be accepted on the evening of the event.

Please contact David Lettington on 07729 624141 for more details.

Tea and coffee will be provided free of charge on the evening. There will be a secondhand bookstall at the event.

London Chess Classic, 8-15 December 2009

2009-11-22T17:56:00.002Z

"The London Chess Classic 2009 will be the highest level tournament in London for 25 years and will be the first in a series of events designed to reinvigorate UK chess and promote the game and its undoubted educational benefits in schools and communities."

I shall certainly be going along to watch, but this is not just a spectator event. There are many tournaments taking place in the spacious surroundings of Olympia Conference Centre for all club players, with the added bonus that entry into most events gives you access to the London Classic auditorium itself to watch Kramnik, Carlsen, Nakamura, Short et al!

a Weekend Tournament 12+13 Dec
Sunday Rapidplay 13 Dec
Blitz tournaments every evening from 7.30pm forming a Grand Prix
as well as the 9-round FIDE rated Open there is the option of two byes in the Open, to cater for all those pesky work and family commitments. Just state which days and rounds you wish to take byes with your entry (not the final round as it may affect prizes).

Full details at http://www.londonchessclassic.com/

If you would like to receive information about chess events that then join the Topica mailing list - to join send a BLANK email to adamraoof-subscribe@topica.com - and just follow the simple instructions. It is completely opt-in, and you can unsubscribe any time. If you know someone who might be interested in receiving occasional mailings just pass this to them.

Final Fixtures for 2009 - 10

2009-10-14T23:15:00.002+01:00

Thanks to a lot of hard work by Malcolm, the fixtures list is now available in pretty much its final form.

THE FOURTH GERALD DUNCUMB MEMORIAL OPEN 2009

2009-10-05T22:16:00.001+01:00

THE FOURTH GERALD DUNCUMB MEMORIAL OPEN 2009

WILL TAKE PLACE ON MONDAY 9th NOVEMBER AT 'THE CROWN & GREYHOUND PUB' IN DULWICH VILLAGE (IN THE BIG HALL UPSTAIRS)

Venue: http://www.dulwichchessclub.org.uk/clubvenue.php

A FIVE/SIX ROUND SWISS TOURNAMENT WILL BE PLAYED EACH ROUND LASTING 20 MINUTES.

LAST YEAR'S WINNER OF THE THIRD GD MEMORIAL WAS CALLUM KILPATRICK.

CATEGORIES:

TIME HANDICAPS WILL BE APPLIED ACCORDING TO GRADE (DETAILS IDC)

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

DULWICH CHESS MEMBERS (INCLUDING NEW MEMBERS) AND MEMBERS OF OTHER CLUBS ARE ALL WELCOME
SO PLEASE LET THEM KNOW BY PASSING THIS EMAIL ON OR SPREADING THE WORD!

START: 7.45 SHARP (signing in 7.15 onwards; no need to book in advance; it is possible to enter the tournament in the second round - half a point will be added)

ENTRY FEE: £5/£2.50 CONC.

FIRST PRIZE: GERALD DUNCUMB MEMORIAL TROPHY plus a cash prize related to profits taken on the night

County, Lewis & Croydon League Fixtures

2009-10-01T22:56:00.003+01:00

County Cup

8 October – Home to Lewisham

26 November – Home to Maidstone

28 November – Away to Maidstone

3 December – Home to Charlton

10 February – Away to Lewisham

16 February – Away to Charlton

Lewis Cup

19 October – Away to Tunbridge Wells

19 November – Away to Dartford

10 December – Home to Phoenix

4 February – Home to Rainham

13 February – Away to Maidstone 2

25 February – Home to Lewisham 2

Croydon League

13 October – away to Streatham

12 November – home to Castles

25 November – away to Castles

30 November – away to Crystal Palace

18 February – home to Crystal Palace

11 March – home to Streatham

2009/10 Internal League Tournament

2009-10-01T22:28:00.003+01:00

There are two major changes to the rules from last year:

You can now earn a half game point for playing a game if you lose - this is to encourage participants to play all their games.
There will be a play off between the winners of divisions 2 & 3 for the Challenge Cup. This is because the winner of division 1 will be presented with one cup and the other cup will be presented to the play off winner.

Click to get a full set of rules (not that big!) and the fixtures.

Mail Howard with any enquiries, and good luck!

Beckenham - Charlton Friendly, by Ian Snape

2009-08-01T11:08:00.002+01:00

Beckenham played a friendly match against Charlton on 28 July using the Kent Quickplay Handicap rules. The result was a 10½-5½ victory for Beckenham (see attached) and an enjoyable evening. Thanks go to Alan Hanreck for arranging it.

Click here for the detailed results

2009-07-30T20:01:00.002+01:00

Beckenham played a friendly match against Charlton on 28 July using the Kent Quickplay Handicap rules. The result was a 10½-5½ victory for Beckenham (see below) and an enjoyable evening. Thanks go to Alan Hanreck for arranging it

Junior Quickplay Tournament Results

2009-06-30T22:52:00.003+01:00

On Thursday 25th June, we held a Junior Quickplay Tournament. The competition was specially arranged in acknowledgement of the healthy number of juniors the club now has.

Four junior members attended. All the players played each other twice. The winner was Duncan Bell with an impressive score of 5½ out of a possible 6. Alex Selway, as runner up, was close behind with a score of 4.

Duncan was presented with a prize for winning the competition generously donated by Fred Wellings, Club Chairman

Howard Walden

Handicap Quickplay Competition

2009-06-20T15:26:00.008+01:00

On Thursday 18th June, we held our 10th annual Quickplay Handicap competition. 16 members attended. After 2 rounds there was a tie for first place between Ian Snape and John Duggan. The tie-breaker was eventually won by John Duggan.

Just to let you know how exciting it is to play chess, here are some pictures.

The players were divided into two groups of 8 for the first round -and here they are. What a handsome bunch!!!

The whole gang

These six went through to the final round. The winner

[and our chairman stealing into the picture as well]

Annual Handicap Quickplay competition

2009-06-20T15:22:00.002+01:00

Beckenham v Bromley match

2009-06-20T15:19:00.001+01:00

26 members turned up for the annual Beckenham V. Bromley match on 28th May. This was won by Bromley [again] with a score of 8.5 to 4.5. It was great to see so many club members at the venue at the same time. We barely had enough working clocks!

Malcolm M

Handicap Quickplay, Thursday June 18th

2009-06-14T22:48:00.001+01:00

From Malcolm: This is just a reminder to say that the annual handicapped quickplay tournament for the Rosebowl will be played this Thursday [June 18^th].

For those who have not played before, the format is quite simple and involves 2 or 3 groups of players playing each other and then the top two from each group going on to play each other in the final round. The winner is the one who scores the most number of points in the final round and he receives a cup for a year.

Because it is a handicapped tournament, everyone stands a chance.

All members are welcome - junior, senior, strong or weak. It would be helpful if you could ensure that you arrive between 7.15 and 7.30 as the groups are drawn up using the players who actually turn up.

I hope you can make it

Internal Tournament Results

2009-05-24T09:04:00.003+01:00

Howard Walden reports that two internal tournaments have been completed, with wins for Peter Thomas in Division 2 and Howard himself in Division 3. Division 1 wasn't played this year.

Congratulations to both, and I presume cups and applause will be awarded at the AGM.

2009-05-05T17:48:00.002+01:00

The organisers of the Beckenham v Bromley match are Howard Walden [Tournament Controller], Fred Wellings [Beckenham team captain] and John Lewin [Bromley team captain].

Forthcoming Events Before Year's End

2009-05-04T22:36:00.003+01:00

Thursday 28th May will be the annual Beckenham v Bromley match at the club starting at 7.30 pm. More to come from the organisers (Malcolm Mourant, I think. Ed.)
Thursday 18th June will be the annual handicap quickplay tournament for the Rosebowl. Registration will be at 7.15pm with a view to play starting at 7.30 pm. All club members, including juniors welcome. [This is a changed date from the normal date due to an additional event below].
Thursday 25th June. We hope to hold a new event for juniors only [under 16]. We have been fortunate this year to see an influx of juniors and we want to provide them with a fun evening. This will be a handicap 5 minute tournament with a small prize for the winner. The last club evening of the year has been chosen because it is hoped that all exam pressures will be over by then. This will be in addition to a normal club evening for adults.

More Results From the Team Secretary

2009-05-04T22:31:00.004+01:00

As reported before, we had a near miss in Division 2 of the London League; but we also play in the Minor Division and came third out of 7 – the same as last year.

Kent League

The first two teams in each division qualify for a semi-final match against teams from Mid and East Kent. As can be seen in the detailed report , we qualified in 3 divisions. Unfortunately, we lost in each semi-final and so do not have a chance to play in Finals Day on 10th May.

Croydon League

For the first time in many years, we entered a team in Division 1 – and we won it winning all our matches.

We also have 2 teams in Division 3. Our A team came 2nd and our B team came 7th, out of 8.

More information on this can be found on www.croydonchessleague.org.uk.

The Verney Cup

Every year the club awards a cup to the player who has obtained the most number of points in games played for the club against external opposition. This year, the cup goes to Fred Wellings.

Almost Promoted

2009-05-03T08:19:00.006+01:00

For the second year running, our London League team - run jointly with our friends in Charlton - didn't quite make promotion from Division Two of the London League. The deciding match had been postponed because of the snow earlier in the year, and now become the "crunch" fixture. Played on Monday against Athenaeum, their comfortable victory carried them upwards.

Athenaeum are a strong central London club with plenty of strength in depth; and they'll need all their talent to survive in the hothouse of the premier division of what must be the strongest evening chess league in the UK (at least).

Division 2 winners were Ilford. They arrived in Division 2 by way of relegation last season, but this year they won every one of their matches by at least +2; and in our case by +6 (that's 8-2).

Try again next year!

Kent Individual Rapidplay

2009-04-07T20:23:00.001+01:00

This event will be held on Saturday 18th July as part of the 2nd Snodland Rapidplay Congress.

The event will be held at the Wolfe Centre, Holmesdale School, Snodland, Kent, ME6 5HS. There is a guaranteed prize fund of over £700, including 8 cash grading prizes and junior prizes.

Further details to follow by the end of April.

International Chess Tournament, December 2009

2009-04-02T23:38:00.002+01:00

I hear word of an international chess tournament to be played in London in December 2009. A "private sponsor" has put up EUR 100,000 to attract foreign and British grandmasters to an event that will be organised by the London Chess Centre

More details here.

Jon Barnes Send his Best Wishes to Everyone at Beckenham

2009-03-15T21:32:00.002Z

Old Beckenham players will remember Jon Barnes as the London League captain that took the club into Division One for the first team in (at least) playing memory.

Jon moved to Hitchin a few years ago and we haven't seen him in these parts for a while; but he is playing county chess for Hertfordshire and I had the pleasure of bumping into him at Dartford yesterday. Better still, he sat down opposite me and we played this game.

Jon would like to be remembered to all his old friends at the club.

Sacrificial Attack at Golden Lane

2009-03-08T10:36:00.005Z

Having sac'd a piece a while back, Beckenham & Charlton player Samuel Le played only four more moves before forcing his opponent's resignation.

It's white to move.

Play through the full game here.

The Bielski Cup

2009-02-17T22:48:00.002Z

On Thursday 26 February at 7.45 pm at South Norwood Chess Club, West Thornton Community Centre, London Rd, the Bielski Cup will be played. It's a 5 minute Lightning Team Championship. 4 Board Teams with a 700 ECF grade limit for the four boards.

Entry Fee £5 a team.

If anyone fancies this, have a word with John Lewin or Howard Walden.

Kidlington Congress, 7 - 8 February

2009-01-15T23:15:00.002Z

The Kidlington Congress is on the 7th and 8th of February and is now in its 32nd year.

From its early beginnings as a small local event, the Kidlington Congress has grown to become the 6th largest tournament in the UK. It is known and enjoyed by players from around the country and in recent years has attracted in the region of 200 participants of all ages.

With a seasoned team of controllers and ECF arbiters, pleasant and comfortable surroundings ensure an enjoyable atmosphere for all. A strong contingent of veterans support our U125 section.

I played in this myself (AH) a few years ago and it was very well run.

Rawle Allicock Achieves IM Norm

2008-12-21T23:31:00.002Z

Andrew Ponting notices that our London League player, Rawle Allicock, has scored 6/9 at the CCF CHRISTMAS INTERNATIONAL at Coulsdon. Congratulations, Rawle!

You can see the detailed cross-table of results, with games, at the tournament website.

Fixture List for 2008 - 09

2008-11-11T16:05:00.002Z

Malcolm has finalised the Fixture List for this season and it's available here.

Summer Quickplay Trophy Retained

2008-10-05T12:09:00.003+01:00

On 2 October, Beckenham & Bromley (Ian Snape, John Duggan, Alan Sands and Robert Maguire) retained the Kent Summer Quickplay Championship, beating a strong Rainham team (Martin Taylor, Tom Stonehouse, Andrew Waters and Rob Springett) by the surprisingly large margin of 11½-4½.

The full results are here.

Kent Junior Chess Association

2008-09-06T15:39:00.001+01:00

The Kent Junior Chess Association (KJCA) is responsible for the development of junior chess throughout Kent and south-east London. We maintain cordial relations with the KJCA and are happy to give them this plug!

Club Competition, from Howard Walden

2008-09-06T14:15:00.000+01:00

After discussion with Andrew Ponting, it has been decided that the Club Competition for the forthcoming season year will be 2 leagues with everyone playing each other once in their league.

Each round of games must be played by a published date (you can agree to play on an earlier date).
If a player doesn't play a game by the scheduled date it will be defaulted.
1 point for a win and ½ for a draw.
Players will need to have played a minimum number of games to win their league.
Players will need to have been spoken to /signed up for the league within the next few weeks/

We're expecting the higher league will have graded games, for which the players will pay the relevant fees (c. 50p).

Howard is interested in your views on the matter, so post them here.