November / December 2007 NEWSLETTER OF THE ENGLISH CHESS FEDERATION £1.50 75 and Still Growing The Braille Chess Association celebrated its 75th year with two events, the strongest ever international event for blind and partially sighted players at Durham in August. In November, we held a more local celebration with 50 competitors plus partners and friends from the UK, the Netherlands, and Ireland at Solihull’s Holiday Inn for a weekend rapid play. Rapid play, to allow more social time and for a leisurely celebration dinner where chairman Alec Crombie could pay tribute to the many who have helped us reach this milestone, such as arbiters, Gerry Walsh, Peter Gibbs, and Julie Leonard, our resourceful fund- raiser, Julia Scott, past and present officials, Hans Cohn, Stan Lovell, and Norman Wragg. We also welcomed one of our youngest ever competitors, 9 year old Quinn Stemson who, like all our junior entries, enjoyed the event free of charge. Peter Gibbs (right) congratulating Colin Crouch. Photographs by Oliver Leonard Peter and Graham Lilley Friendly rivalry. BCA prides itself on its sociable side but over the board the rivalry is keen. In the end the top seeds triumphed, Chris Ross, Colin Crouch and Graham Lilley won the Open scoring 4 from 5, with Chris having the trophy on tie break. Their international team-mates Steve Hilton and Bill Armstrong came fourth= while grading prizes went to Sean Loftus and Ernie McElroy (both from Ireland) Steve Thacker and Rob van Aurich (Netherlands). In the Minor, Richard Kidals scored 4.5 to win, closely followed by George Phillips, Orlando Sobers, and Mark Kirkham. Geoff Patching, John Osborne and Ed Green shared the main grading awards while once again Dorothy Hodges emerged as the best in the lower graded group. Steve Thacker and Peter Orlando Sobers and Peter With such a strongly supported event and a thriving entry in the 4NCL (see separate report on page 7) our BCA is looking forward to another twenty five years of successful growth to reach our centenary in 2032. Editorial As reported on the front page of this issue, the Braille Chess Association reached its 75th Anniversary this year. ECF News I would like to add the congratulations of myself John Robinson Youth Chess Trust and the other ECF Office staff on this splendid achievement. At their Meeting on 24th October the Trustees authorised a number of additional grants mainly for coaching and participation in events. The income of the Trust, now it is fully invested, is of the order Whenever we have had contact with BCA of £24,000 per annum. Trust Funds are now fully committed until the Autumn of 2008. The Trustees members, Council Delegates and other officials, will consider applications for grants to take effect from then at their next meeting in April. what a pleasant experience this has been. Unfailingly courteous, cheerful and appreciative New Grant applications should be submitted to Cynthia Gurney ([email protected]) in of any help we can give, they are an example to writing by 31st March 2008. us all. It is important to note that any applications for grants for individual coaching should be first So congratulations and many thanks to all BCA referred to the ECF Director of Junior Chess & Education Claire Summerscale (Tel: 020 8874 0135, members. Email: [email protected]) for advice. Last but not least I and all the ECF Office staff would like to wish all our readers a Merry Report on ECF Board Meeting No. 17 Christmas and a Happy New Year. The 17th meeting of the ECF Board took place on October 20th 2007, on the morning of the AGM Cynthia Gurney, Editor at Sheffield Hallem University. This report is a digest and summation of the decisions taken. It is not an official ECF document. ECF BATSFORD A trophy for an English Champion was to be commissioned and would be named in honour of the COMPETITION late Grandmaster Tony Miles. Congratulations to the Sept/Oct Winner A discussion was held about bidding for the right to host the 2012 Olympiad in London. The fee for Adrian Waldcock from Surrey registering interest was E10,000 which had to be paid in November 2007, and the estimated costs of hosting the event between £500k and £1 million. There was considerable enthusiasm from a The Correct Answers is: 1.Be4 number of key chess players, but the board felt, regretfully, that English Chess was at present ready Marian Wrobel Sports Referee, 1928 for neither the logistical nor financial challenges. WHITE TO PLAY AND MATE IN 2 A plastics manufacturer had offered to make the ECF a considerable number of free chess sets for --)-*- distribution to schools. There was some discussion about the logistics of storage and distribution. ---- It was agreed that the ECF would work alongside and strongly support the CCF in creating an -+-" international tournament in memory of Jessie Gilbert. ---$' Torquay is to be the venue for the 2009 British Championships. !-# Mr Ian Reynolds was co-opted to the ECF Finance Committee. ---- The board approved the membership of: The Bournemouth and District League; The Leicestershire - ! All play All Congress; the South Herts Congress; the Shirley and Wythall Congress; the Staunton -&-- Memorial; and the Renaissance Academy. Please send your answer (just the first move is sufficient) on a postcard to the ECF Office, The Watch Oak, English Chess Federation Book of the Year 2007 Chain Lane, Battle, East Sussex TN33 0YD Despite the excellence of the other books on the Short List the judges’ choice The first correct entry drawn on was unanimous. San Luis 005 Alik Gershon and Igor Nor (Quality 10th January 2008 will win a Batsford voucher Chess) pp44 £19.99 for any book on their current list. Tournament books have been an integral and important part of chess literature. They show both how chess was played and how it could be played. Three classics spring to mind: New York 1924 by Alekhine, Moscow –Leningrad 1942 by Botwinnik and Zurich 1953 by Bronstein. The latter is regarded by many as the best chess book ever written. However in the last Contents two decades tournament books have become rare events, no doubt due to Braille Chess Association .................. FC the work involved in this computer age. ECF News .............................................2 - 4 San Luis 2005, an exceptional tournament which saw Topalov crowned as FIDE World Champion, International News...........................4 - 7 deserved a permanent record. The two authors have put in a tremendous effort, seeking to find Obituaries ..................................................7 a correct analytical evaluation of every game. But there is much more to the book than that: Junior News ..................................... 8 - 11 forewards by Veselin Topalov and Nigel Short, the latter being sharply observant as always, a preface by Mihail Marin and various end papers which both salute Topalov’s victory and vigorously debunk Littlewood’s Choice .............................12 conspiracy theories. Book Reviews .........................................13 Results Round-Up ..........................14, 15 San Luis would probably have won Book of the Year 2007 on the strength of the above alone, Grand Prix ................................................15 but it is greatly enhanced by the production values. The numerous photographs both in and Calendar of Events ...............................16 out of the tournament hall are exceptional and give the reader a real insight into the tournament environment. Copy Deadline All in all, a splendid book which matches its great predecessors in analytical content but far exceeds them in presentation and layout. This is an outstanding book in every way. 10th January 2008 R B Edwards J Farrand D Friedgood CHESSMOVES – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2007 Two BCET Awards to Norwich Cathedral and I said a few words of Catholic primary school in Kettering how to congratulation as I did at he assembly at the play chess for the last 20 years. He was awarded Norwich Schools Norwich High School for Girls. The photographs a trophy by the English Chess Federation with this report illustrate the presentations and yesterday for his work in teaching the game. One of the ECF’s little known awards is the you will see that having been warned that ws British Chess Educational Trust award to Schools. Mr Thevenin learned to play the game at the photographs were to be taken I was suitably This was established from funds from the late attired! age of 10 and continued it as a hobby into his Sir George Thomas and was initially shields John Wickham adult life, playing when he had time off from his to schools which have shown outstanding job a head waiter in London’s West End. achievements or enthusiasm in chess. From 1982 inscribed boards were provided instead President’s Award for of shields and later a digital clock was added then this year the trustees agreed to add a set Services to Chess of pieces (these are wooden in a wood box) to Michael James O’Hara (Posthumous) Mike complete the set. Having seen the awards they died suddenly at home on 4th September 2007. are excellent and something a school will be He was quite a strong chess player, hovering proud to receive. around 190-200 grade for many years. However he was more drawn to chess administration than the game itself. He was an accountant by profession and lectured at Salford University. Mike was a leading member of Atherton chess club for over 30 years, was the captain of the 1st team in the Manchester League for several years and led the club to national honours in the National Club Championship Open section. He Norwich High School for Girls will be remembered for his solid chess play and for his position as the No.