The
Gazette
August
2025
Registered
Charity Number 263049
Bringing Chess to Visually Impaired People.
BCA Website Address: www.braillechess.org.uk
Email: info@braillechess.org.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrailleChess
BCA User Group: BrailleChess@groups.io
To contact a member of the
committee, please go to the Contact page on the Braille Chess Association’s
website.
https://braillechess.org.uk/contacts
Honorary Members
Christine and Norman Andrews, Hazel and Steve Burnell, Colin Chambers, Alec Crombie, Celia Gibbs, Julie Leonard, Stan Lovell, Mike Murphy, Richard Murphy, Joan Shorrock, Gill Smith, Gerry Walsh, Roger Waters, Norman Wragg.
Trustees
(Chair to be elected) Bill Armstrong, Abi Baker, Tristram Cole, John Fullwood, Voldi Gailans, Gary Hogan, Mark Kirkham, Julie Leonard, Brandan Read, Gerry Walsh, Guy Whitehouse.
Note: The views expressed in the Gazette do not necessarily reflect the
policies or views of the BCA, nor those of the editor.
CONTENTS
Millennium
Club, the BCA’s monthly lottery
Correspondence
Chess Update and a Game from the Archives
Jack
Horrocks’ History of the BCA Now in Document Format
2025
David Hodgkins Memorial Annual Best Game Competition
A
Game from the Anglo-French Match
BCA
Friendly Match against Parliamentary Chess Club (PCC)
Games
from the 22nd BCA Email Tournament
A
Challenge from USBCA President
AlphaChess
FIDE Weekender, London, 3rd -4th May 2025
Annual
Award in Memory of Graham Lilley
Could
You Be the Next Gazette Editor?
Hastings
1895 Brilliancy Prize
Henry
VIII famously had turbulent relations with his French neighbours across the
channel. By contrast, BCA contacts with
French VI players couldn’t be friendlier, as demonstrated by a recent online
match. You can read about the outcome in
these pages! Also, we celebrate a couple
who are about to mark half a century of marriage. Henry VIII’s six marriages combined couldn’t
match that! If you think Tudor history
is fascinating, why not request a copy of the History of the BCA, now available
in a new format!
This
issue is packed with articles, from officers’ reports and committee updates to
tournament news, all garnished with a generous sprinkling of games. There are also some Chess Tips, which I hope
will become a regular feature. My thanks
go to all the contributors and also to Mike Flood for
providing the Tudor inspiration for this editorial.
Please
let me have articles for the November gazette by the end of September.
Julie Leonard
Booking Conditions and Procedures
All bookings must be made through the named event organiser or via an online form on the BCA website.
See https://braillechess.org.uk/events/event-forms
The organiser will confirm the amount to be paid to the BCA and will notify the Treasurer to expect this payment from the entrant. Only when full payment has been received will the booking be complete.
When booking, please supply the organiser with the following:
1.
Name/names of everyone the booking is
for.
2.
Dates of arrival and departure.
3.
Room type (single/double/twin/accessible
room).
4.
If you will be bringing a guide dog.
5.
Any special dietary requirements.
6.
Any special requests: For example, a
preference for a bath or shower or a need for a walk-in shower; a preference to
be near the lift or stairs; a need for support in case of a fire alarm at
night.
7.
Consent for your name, dates booked, room
type and any special requirements to be sent to the hotel.
8.
Whether you require a Braille, print or
large print event programme. (The programme will
be emailed to all participants for whom an email address is held.)
9.
An emergency contact number. This is important as otherwise it puts a great responsibility on the organiser
if an emergency arises. The organiser will keep this information confidential and
destroy it after the event.
10.
Details of any
known medical condition that you have, which could require urgent treatment
during the event. For example, if you carry
an auto injector or similar device for a severe allergic reaction or other
life-threatening emergency. With your
agreement, the organiser may share this information with people who will help
to keep you safe.
If you are taking part in the chess, please also give:
11.
Consent for your forename, surname, club,
results and gender to be sent to the ECF for rating purposes.
12.
The section you would prefer to play in
if you are under the rating limit for the Challengers.
If you have any queries about the hotel or the tournament please contact the event organiser, not the Treasurer.
Blind and partially sighted UK residents under the age of 25 receive free entry and free accommodation when playing in BCA events. In appropriate circumstances, free accommodation is also available to a parent or guardian accompanying a junior.
Visually impaired UK resident members receive a refund equivalent to two nights’ accommodation after attending their first BCA event. They may also be accompanied by a guide or companion who will receive the same concession. For a first event we ask for payment in advance and we then make a refund at or after the event.
The Treasurer will acknowledge receipt of your payment and let the organiser know. You may pay in these ways:
Cheques payable to Braille Chess Association should be sent to the Treasurer.
Online or telephone payments may be made to:
Account name: Braille Chess Association, sort code: 40 52 40, account number: 00082456.
If you pay by direct payment, you should inform the Treasurer when the payment has been made.
Bookings accepted after the closing date are at the discretion of the organiser and are subject to a £10 late booking supplement for each person.
Bookings can only be cancelled and payments refunded within the time limit set in the conditions by the hotels. Members may consider it advisable to take out holiday insurance to cover themselves.
The BCA reserves the right to exclude from its events anyone whose behaviour towards participants and tournament organisers was unacceptable or who is currently serving a time ban for cheating.
Friday 31st October to Sunday 2nd
November 2025: International Autumn
Tournament
This year's International Autumn Tournament will again be held at the Kents Hill Park Hotel and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes. The hotel is situated in a very quiet area of Milton Keynes on the edge of an extensive area of parkland. It is comprised of a number of separate buildings connected by covered walkways. The buildings are named after birds. The main building, Swallow, contains the reception area, and the dining room on the ground floor. On the first floor is the bar. BCA will occupy the ground floor bedrooms of the Lapwing building, which is about 50 yards from the main building. The chess room will be on the ground floor of the Nightingale building, again about 50 yards from the main building but in the opposite direction from Lapwing. Kents Hill Park has a leisure Centre, which has a gym, an indoor swimming pool, a spa pool, a steam room and a
sauna. The hotel is just a short taxi ride from Milton Keynes railway station.
Last year was the first time we held a tournament at Kents Hill Park. As a result of the feedback we received, some points have been discussed with the management there. If the hotel has not put tactile numbers on bedroom doors by the start of the tournament, they have agreed that we can provide our own temporary numbers. The staff will be instructed to ensure that we all sit together at mealtimes, which was something that did not always happen last year. Lunch time sandwiches will be available if people pre-book them in the same way that they can pre-book a cooked lunch. We have booked four accessible rooms as a minimum this year. Hopefully two of these will be rooms with walk-in showers and two with lowered baths. We have agreed that people who might have difficulty locating their rooms will be assigned rooms closer to the connecting walkways.
The format will be a five round Swiss tournament. If there are sufficient entries there will be two sections, an Open and a Challengers for those rated under 1450. When making your booking, please state the section you wish to play in. If you do not state a preference, it will be assumed you wish to enter the section according to your rating. Both tournaments are open to blind and partially sighted players and to associate members of the BCA. The tournament entry fee is £12, regardless of which section you enter.
The rate of play is likely to be 90 minutes for each player for all moves. Any player can request a half point bye in any one of the first four rounds or a delay in the start of their game in round 1 of 30 minutes. Likely start times for the rounds are 20.00 on the Friday evening, 09.45 and 14.15 on the Saturday and 09.45 and 14.00 on the Sunday.
The cost for dinner, bed and breakfast for BCA members and associate members per night is: for a single room, £60; for a twin/double room £50 per person. Bookings can be made via the appropriate online form on https://braillechess.org.uk/events/event-forms or by contacting the organiser. Payment for all accommodation (including Sunday if required), together with the entry fee should be sent to the Treasurer, Tristram Cole. The closing date for entries is 5th September. Please send any queries about the event to John Fullwood.
Saturday 24th January to Saturday
31st January 2026 – Chess Theme Break
The 32nd Chess Theme Break will be held at the Lauriston Hotel, 6-12 Knightstone Road, Weston-super-Mare BS23 2AN. This will be the fifth time running we’ve held the CTB at the Lauriston; with its friendly and helpful staff, delicious food, comfortable rooms and being a modest size, it is the perfect venue. The hotel is also in an excellent location, one mile from Weston-super-Mare railway station, a short walk from the seafront and the town centre shops. Beds and bowls are provided for guide dogs. Dog food can also be sent to the hotel by post or courier and the hotel will distribute it to the appropriate rooms for those who would prefer not to transport it themselves. During the winter, dogs are allowed to run on the nearby beach.
It is anticipated that the week will closely follow the tried and trusted programme developed by Peter and Celia Gibbs over many years. It will include coaching provided by more experienced BCA members, an unrated rapid play tournament and many social events. Please refer to Mark’s report on the 31st Chess Theme Break in the May 2025 gazette to get a flavour of what the week entails. Alternatively, get in touch with the organiser, Gary Wickett to find out more.
All members and any visually impaired person who wishes to learn chess or improve their chess can take part. Any member with a rating of about 1400 or higher who would like to assist with the coaching would also be most welcome, as would anyone seeking a winter break with BCA friends.
For members, the cost of dinner, bed and breakfast for the week is £420 per person in a single room or sharing a double or twin room, and £455 per person for single occupancy of a double or twin room. The cost of individual nights for any member not staying the whole week is £60 per person in a single room or sharing, and £65 per person for single occupancy. With all these prices, an increased members’ discount of £20 per person per night has already been taken off and so no grants will be paid to coaches and trainees after the event. If there is sufficient interest it may be possible to arrange an excursion for the free day at an additional cost.
Bookings can be made via the appropriate online form on https://braillechess.org.uk/events/event-forms or by contacting Gary Wickett. Please say whether you’re attending as a trainee, a coach or a non-chess person. The closing date is 29th November 2025. Early booking is advised, especially if you’d like a single room or a room with a bath as there are limited numbers of these. Rooms are allocated on a first come first served basis and are only reserved when the BCA has received your payment. Payments made to the BCA are refundable until the money is forwarded to the hotel, which will be in the first half of December. No refunds are possible after that time and therefore we strongly advise members to take out holiday insurance.
A date for your diary: 2026 BCA British Championship, 4th – 11th July 2026, The Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate.
The Congress Support Scheme aims to
encourage members to take part in mainstream congresses in the UK or overseas
by offering financial assistance. During
the period of the BCA financial year (1st October to 30th September) an
eligible member can claim up to £300 over a maximum of four mainstream or
non-BCA chess events. To be eligible you
must be a visually impaired UK resident BCA member, you must have played in at
least one BCA over the board or remote tournament in the past year and you must
not have received international funding, for example to take part in an IBCA
tournament.
Eligible members attending their first ever
mainstream event or non-BCA overseas event, or their first one for ten years or
more, may also be able to claim up to £150 for a sighted guide. At the discretion of the committee, limited
funding for a personal assistant may also be granted to a profoundly disabled
member who needs to be accompanied to non-BCA events.
If you are considering entering a
mainstream event you may well find yourself in good company as some of them are
popular with BCA members! See the All
Under One Roof article for details of events that may be suitable.
HOW TO CLAIM
In order to make a claim there are three simple steps:-
1. Contact the Congress Support Officer by
telephone or email at least one week prior to the event, giving full details of
the tournament in which you wish to compete.
(See list of officers' contact details.)
Retrospective claims will not normally be accepted. The Congress Support Officer must have enough
time to check your eligibility and establish whether funding exists to cover your
claim. This scheme is subject to
available funds so if there are a lot of claims in a financial year the money
may run out.
2. Send a receipt or proof of expenditure
to the Treasurer on return from the congress.
Claims can include the entry fee and reasonable expenses for
accommodation, travel or other justifiable costs. All claims should be appropriate to
expenditure. The Congress Support Scheme
does not cover claims for insurance.
3. Provide feedback on the event to the
Congress Support Officer. This does not need to be formal and will be stored as
an anonymous record for our database. It may benefit other BCA members thinking
of attending the same event in the future.
Please note that, in the spirit of the
Congress Support Scheme, failure to complete all the above steps may mean that
we cannot guarantee your claim will be processed successfully.
Tony Elbourn,
Congress Support Officer
Guy Whitehouse has
compiled the following list of mainstream tournaments where the accommodation
and chess playing room are in the same hotel.
3rd
Torquay Riviera Congress, 30th August-5th September 2025,
TLH Carlton Hotel, Torquay
A 7 round afternoon event with Open and U1750
sections. Also, a 6 round morning event
with U2000 and U1700 sections. Website: http://congress.org.uk/congress/583/home Organiser:
John Constable.
Castle
Chess 28th Fareham Congress, 10th -12th
October 2025, Lysses House Hotel, Fareham
Castle Chess is very good at supporting players
with a visual impairment. This is a
six-round weekend congress in a family run 3-star hotel. Friendly atmosphere with experienced
organisers. Sections are Open, including
Premier U2001; Major U1901, including Intermediate U1701; and Minor U1601
including Challengers U1401. Website: http://castle-chess.co.uk/ Organiser:
Tony Corfe.
3rd
Weymouth Chess 4U Congress, 17th-19th October 2025, Best
Western Hotel Melcombe Regis, Weymouth
A five round weekend tournament with three
sections. Grading bands for the various
sections have not been published, but if they are the same as last year, there
will be an Open, a U-1850 and a U-1550. For more details contact the organiser Rebecca Gardiner.
57th
Torbay Chess Congress, 31st October-2nd November 2025,
TLH Toorak Hotel, Torquay.
A five round Swiss tournament with four sections:
An Open which is ECF- and FIDE-rated, a Major U1950, an Intermediate U-1725 and
a Foundation U-1500. The last three
sections are only ECF-rated. Website: http://torbaycongress.com/ For more
details contact the organiser Paul Brooks.
Hampshire
Chess Congress, 7th -9th November 2025, Lysses House Hotel, Fareham
This is a five round weekend congress in a family
run 3-star hotel. Sections are Open
(FIDE and ECF rated), Major U1800, and Minor U1550. Website: https://www.hampshirechess.co.uk/hampshire-chess-congress-2025/
Organiser: Gillian Moore.
I will avoid the
soundbite that I feel the hand of history on my shoulder, but I am conscious
that past BCA initiatives have often been copied by other nations. Our Summer Cup, hosted by Julie and Gerry,
using chess platforms to develop a five-round tournament, may or may not be
such an initiative. But it certainly led
to the very successful Anglo-French match and this team international has in
turn led to a UK v USA chess contest by digital means. Who knows where that might lead. My thanks to Stan and all the team
members. Pity about the result but
enjoyment is far more important than winning.
(There’s more on these matches later in this issue.)
That also goes for
another recent development - a BCA team taking on a mainstream chess club whose
headquarters are nothing less than our Parliamentary Estate. I want to thank James Connors for bringing
our existence to the attention of the Parliamentary Chess Club, John Fullwood
for his role in organising the match and Abi Baker for her efforts to give the
event good publicity in visually impaired circles which is the real value of
this venture. We lost 5-1 but rapid play
chess is never going to be our ideal format.
Perhaps the event might be repeated with a slight compensation in timing
to create a more level contest.
Congratulations to John and Abi for gaining our point with two
draws. (You can read more on the
Parliamentary match elsewhere in this gazette.)
Maybe there is scope
for a BCA team taking on a local chess club in a match with longer playing
time. You need not be a committee member
to explore that possibility.
Bill Armstrong.
Until we get more sense out of the White House in Washington, I decided it would be best to re-title these articles and call them “Committee Comms” instead of “Words from the Whitehouse”. Protests, petitions and demonstrations to have them changed are of course allowable…
This article will be relatively brief as the business that has taken up a lot of committee time is covered in Bill’s article on allocation of funds between our various activities; please do read it and respond with feedback.
Constitutional matters: The constitution has been amended in accordance with the motions passed at the AGM. An updated version of the constitution formed part of our submission to the Charity Commission.
IBCA events: Gary Hogan and Brandan Read will be playing in the classical format world championship scheduled to take place in Poland in August. Chris Baker will be acting as coach and guide. I’m sure you’ll all join the committee in wishing them every success.
Junior matters: We will be surveying juniors with a view to finding out what would be most likely to get them involved in BCA activities and chess more generally. We have the name of someone we can contact regarding chess activities in Worcester.
Coaching: We’re reviewing our coaching policy. The two options being considered are offering members £120 towards the cost of coaching for just one year or allocating an amount of money to coaching which would be distributed on a first come first served basis, perhaps with a preference to those who had recently joined the BCA. This would be in line with meeting a key target of getting new members involved in BCA activities as soon as possible.
Something else we’re thinking about is whether to have a weekend of How Good is Your Chess activities. This might or might not replace a weekend over-the-board tournament. Views would be welcome.
Website updates: Tournament entry forms would be amended to allow members to tell us of any medical condition that might need urgent attention at an event. Also, a member had said that they had found it difficult to locate our organisation’s policies. These now appear under a section headed Members Information.
Tournament venues: Two new hotels, one in Sheffield and one in York are being assessed to see if they are suitable for BCA events. If either or both of them are, we’ll look into holding an event in them soon depending on availability.
And finally, publicity matters: We’re hoping to get some publicity from our match against a Parliamentary team, possibly via an article in Chess Moves. We’ll also ask if Guide Dogs would distribute our leaflets to juniors when they issue them a buddy dog.
Guy Whitehouse
Finance and Fundraising: Chair – Bill Armstrong
Tristram Cole, Voldi Gailans, Mark Kirkham, Julie Leonard, Gill Smith, Guy Whitehouse.
Information and Communications Technology: Chair – Mark Kirkham
Mark Hague, Bittor Ibanez, Julie Leonard, Olly Leonard, Gill Smith.
Equipment: Chair – Guy Whitehouse
Steve Bailey, Malcolm Jones.
Tournament: Chair – John Fullwood
Bill Armstrong, John Jenkins, Julie Leonard, Stan Lovell, John Osborne, Phil Rafferty, Gerry Walsh.
Chess Theme Break: Chair – Gary Wickett
Abi Baker, John Fullwood, Julie Leonard, Brandan Read, Gill Smith, Gerry Walsh.
I have been working with the Secretary and Chairman
since the previous issue of the gazette to deal with changes caused by our
online bank updating their webpages. It
has made many processes more difficult for us, but we are learning to deal with
it.
The charity's financial situation remains extremely
positive. This is partly due to the
continued work of our fundraiser Carl Concannon who since the last gazette has
helped raise over £16,000 for which we are all grateful.
If you are shopping online, please consider using
Give As You Live which raises funds with many
different retailers at no cost to you.
Simply search for “give as you live online”, sign up and choose the BCA
as the charity you are supporting.
If anyone has any questions relating to these or
other related matters, please get in touch via the Officers’ Contact
Details. I look forward to seeing many
of you in upcoming events.
Tris Cole
BCA events have changed since my first tournament
at Doncaster College in 1983 - student bedrooms, shared single gender communal
toilet and shower facilities, wholesome but unexciting meals. My most recent venue, Leicester, - a warm
swimming pool, comfortable ensuite bedrooms and delightful meals with menu
choices. In 1983, this would have seemed
unimaginable luxury for a BCA tournament.
We progressed from an organisation that did little
more than correspond with each other, publish a quarterly gazette and hold
occasional events. We created a lively
regular gazette, a store of frequently updated resources in varied formats,
supplied adapted chess equipment at discounts, provided chess coaching, built
up a tradition of entering international team events, and a programme of three
tournaments a year.
The last item devours a very large part of our
annual funding. Perhaps too much?
I know some readers will be objecting that we spent
significant money on Gary Hogan going to two international events in the
financial year 2023-4 and we have just spent BCA funds on sending Gary and
Brandan Read to an international event.
The BCA itself did not spend any money on Gary's
first two international events. With
some lengthy email exchanges with the ECF, I negotiated the two events being
financed by the ECF as administrators of the government grant to chess. Had we not entered him in the events, we
would have received hardly any benefit from that government grant to chess.
BCA’s own limited spending on international events
is good for publicity and for encouraging the ambitions of young players. It has been starved of BCA funding for the
last few years.
Returning to tournament expenditure.
Although the information is in our yearly accounts,
most members are unaware of the ratio of their payments to the cost of
tournaments. Many think that the subsidy
on hotel prices is the only charge on BCA funds and their payments cover well
over half of tournament costs. They
ignore the accommodation costs for organiser, two arbiters, and steward, the
travel costs and payments to the last three, sometimes the hire charge for a
playing room and of course trophies and prize fund. The small entry fee is dwarfed by these
charges.
Members' payments have been a decreasing portion of
the cost.
In financial year 2022-3 Members met 60% of our
expenditure on 4 residential events.
In financial year 2023-4, members and BCA funds
each paid 50% of the cost for 4 hotel-based events.
At Leicester 2025, taking away any cost for guests
or for a member enjoying their entitlement to a first event subsidy, the
figures for our Leicester event were as follows (to nearest £100)
Payments from members £4600: Payments from BCA
funds £6900. Members paid only 40% of
the £11,500 cost.
As chairman I feel a duty to draw your attention to this.
At the other end of the scale, the funds devoted to
coaching and to subsidising equipment discounts is ridiculously small. Apart from the Chess Theme Break, we spend
very little on activities directed at newer members or weaker players. Even the Chess Theme Break is only getting a
handful of new members to become actively involved with BCA.
What I want to achieve before leaving my current
role is to have the readers of this gazette help to shape future BCA
policy. Tournaments are a vital part of
our activities. But are they taking too
much of our disposable income? Last
year, our four residential events (three tournaments and the Chess Theme break)
took about 70% of our disposable income.
Would a weekend devoted to coaching be a better use of our funds? Would an event which combined a tournament
for competition addicts not interested in coaching, and a series of coaching
activities by and for the others, be a viable option? Is there any better creative thinking about
future policies?
In 2026-27, it will not be my responsibility. But I would like to start now, to launch a
discussion that might affect policy proposals and decisions at the 2026
AGM. Perhaps a future Gazette might have
some thoughts from members - particularly welcome are views from those unlikely
to be present at the next AGM.
Anyone who wants me to read their views but doesn’t
want to write to the gazette is very welcome to email me, – I will read them
all; I am not promising to enter a dialogue.
At my age, time is precious.
Bill Armstrong
The most recent Millennium Club winners and numbers are:
April - Chris Ross with Number 6
May - Voldi Gailans with Number 17
June - Caroline Crombie with Number 18
To take part in the monthly draw costs £12 per number per year. You may have as many numbers as you like at
£12 each. Every month a lucky winner
receives £35. If you wish to take part,
please make a payment to the BCA.
Tris Cole, Treasurer
Bill Armstrong writes:
In the BCA leisurely Correspondence Chess competition Eleanor Tew has lost to both Eric Gallacher and Marilyn Bland. But Eleanor enjoyed both games. The outcome of the mini competition will be decided by the Eric Marilyn clash.
Sometimes chess enthusiasts shun Correspondence Chess. They claim it's dull and too easy to win by cheating. Below is a game from the era before computer chess machines where two philosophies clashed, and it certainly is not dull. White set out to achieve mate. Black wanted to prove acquiring material and defending the king was the recipe for success.
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 Nc6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Nge2 d5 6. exd5 Nxd5 7. Bd2 Nxc3 8. Nxc3 0-0 9. 0-0 a6
10. a3 Bc5 11. Ne4 Be7
Black does not want a white piece on g5 but his bishop could also hamper White's attack by going to a7.
12. f4 Kh8 13. f5 f6 14. Qh5 Qe8 15. Qh4 Nd4 16. g4 Nxc2 17. Rf3 g5 18. Qh6 Nxa1 19. Bxg5 Rf7
20. Qh5 Rf8
Has Black gained enough material for a win after an exchange of queens? Or can White prove the material disadvantage is irrelevant? The outcome of the World Braille Team Correspondence Championship could hinge on the answer. The continuation of the game is at the end of this gazette.
As Membership Secretary, one of my aims will be to try to encourage new members and those new to chess in particular to take part in our chess activities, whether that is through attending our tournaments or our remote events, played by phone or on chess platforms such as Zoom and Jitsi, or in our e-mail tournaments. I would be very interested to hear from any members, particularly our newer ones with any comments on their aims and desires in respect of chess improvement. We exist to promote chess for all visually impaired members, not just those who attend tournaments regularly and one of our aims is to facilitate participation for all, so please drop me a line or two with your ideas and aspirations so that we can help to achieve these.
Before listing the new members for this quarter, I must first apologise to Elaine Jorgenson as she is from Teesside and not Tyneside, as I incorrectly wrote in my last report.
Now, may I warmly welcome the following new members to the BCA:-
Ryan Bolton, UK
Richard Hayward from New Zealand
Molly Lewis and Anthony Wilcox from Weston-super-Mare
Desmond Masterson from London
Jenny Pape from Winnersh near Reading
Voldi Gailans
Mark Kirkham writes:
The article on The Tylor Memorial Shield in the May edition prompted plenty of follow-up discussion on the email user group, chiefly thanks to a contribution from Philip Doyle. The upshot was that I received several requests for the book written about the history of the BCA by Jack Horrocks that is in our audio library.
Unfortunately, as yet we've been unable to track down the printed manuscript from which the book was recorded. However, Gill Smith, with the aid of an online speech to text tool known to her son, Edmund, has kindly compiled and proofread a written version of the book in .docx format. Though please note that Part 3 of the history is games which are not included. Although Gill and I agree that the book was beautifully read by Mary Marshall, we think the written document may be easier to navigate for those who may just wish to study a particular section, despite the fact that the audio version does contain a short index. So, if anyone would like a copy, please feel free to contact me. We are unsure about some spellings of surnames of players mentioned in the book, so any corrections that readers could provide would be gratefully received.
As an added bonus, Gill has also managed to compile an accessible version of the IBCA history using a previously inaccessible document on their website, and I can provide this to anyone on request.
Gerry Walsh’s monthly “How Good
Is Your Chess?” training, held over Zoom, continues to grow in popularity! Students are taken through the opening moves
of a game, then asked to predict the succeeding moves for one side or the
other. Points are given to those who
guess correctly, and sometimes fewer points are given for other moves. Recordings of recent sessions are available
for anyone interested in finding out more.
Newcomers are welcome!
The sessions are very informal,
the points awarded are subsidiary to the main objective, which is to provide
instruction, to give us an opportunity to work together as a group to find
solutions and to enjoy some very exciting chess. For those not used to solving chess problems
it is a wonderful way to start, and an encouragement to become involved by
suggesting moves at each stage of the game.
There is no criticism of individuals' suggestions, and anyone is free to
suggest any possible move. I highly recommend
these sessions to players of all standards!
At the end of each month, I send
a note to the email user group, reminding everyone of the next session and
asking for names of those interested in taking part. (Please email the Gazette Editor or Audio
Librarian if you have not yet joined the user group and would like to do
so.) I then liaise with the group, Gerry
and Julie Leonard who keeps score, to find a suitable day. For those not familiar with Zoom, help is
available, either for accessing the sessions online on a PC or an iPhone. It is also possible to dial in to the Zoom
meeting from any phone.
Please contact Gerry Walsh or me
(see Officers’ Contact Details) if you have any questions regarding the
sessions.
Voldi Gailans
RECENT SESSIONS:
April 2025
On Wednesday 30th April, four
seasoned HGIYC participants studied GM Curt Hansen v Vladimir Akopyan,
Groningen 1991, English Opening.
Gill Smith took the scores, which
were as follows: Richard Harrington 19, Voldi Gailans 16. Mark Noble 15 and Mark Hague 13. All very close, but congratulations to
Richard!
May 2025
The May session took place on
Friday 30th. The game under scrutiny was
GM Nigel Short v GM Ljubomir Ljubojevic, Amsterdam
1988, a Sicilian. Once again, the scores
were very close. Irene Hampton notched
up 17, Nene Clayton and Voldi Gailans
both scored 15, followed by Richard Harrington on 14, then Bittor Ibanez, Gill
Smith and Eleanor Tew all on 10.
Congratulations to Irene!
June 2025
On Friday 27th April ten members
grappled with a game between GM Mikhail Tal and GM Vasily Smyslov,
at the Bled Candidates in 1959. It was a
Caro-Kann. We were delighted to be
joined by Richard Hayward, a new member who lives in New Zealand. He’d had to get up very early in the morning
to take part! During the session there
was lots of great analysis by all of the
participants. The leading score of 16
was achieved by Richard Harrington and Voldi Gailans.
Congratulations to them both!
They were followed by Stan Lovell on 14, newcomer Richard Hayward on 11,
Gill Smith on 10, Mark Noble on 9, Irene Hampton on 7, Abi Baker on 5, Nene
Clayton on 4 and Eleanor Tew on 1.
Have you got a game from the 22nd Email Tournament, the Anglo-French Match, the Chairman's Cup or the current BCA Summer Cup which you would like to submit for the Annual Best Game Competition? If so, why not have a go by sending it in? It’s open to all members and associate members, regardless of playing strength, to submit a game. Any competitive game which is played in a BCA event, or by a BCA member representing the BCA in an overseas event is eligible. All games published in The Gazette will automatically be considered.
Please send your games to me to forward to this year’s judge, Gary Hogan. You can send them by email. Alternatively, I am happy to receive games in Braille or over the phone.
Steve Burnell – Coordinator
Stan Lovell writes:
Earlier this year We received an enquiry from Bernard Duthoit, a member of the French BCA, asking if there might be sufficient support for a match between the French BCA and the UK BCA. After a few weeks enquiries we were able to raise teams of 15 for each side. Each association included some of its overseas members in their teams. The match was played over two legs with the French playing with the white pieces in the first leg and the UK having the white pieces in the second leg. At the time it was thought games would generally be played via Skype or Lichess, but when Microsoft pulled the plug on Skype the alternative platform became Jitsi.
In the early rounds UK built up a lead, but the French gradually caught up and ended the round with a lead of 8 to 7. In the second leg the French gradually increased this lead and finished by winning 17 to 13.
The match was played in a great spirit and there have been some discussions about the possibility of more international matches in varying formats. Sincere thanks are due to Bernard, who originally came up with the idea and to Philippe De Coninck, who acted as organiser throughout, providing the Jitsi links and keeping us up to date with a regular commentary of the scores. Thanks are also due to all who joined our team.
Here are the final scores in board order, with the UK players named first:
1 Steve Burnell v Pierre Lambert 0.5 - 1.5
2. Brandan Read v Juliano Caputi 2 - 0
3 Norman Wragg v Pascal Pourteau 1 - 1
4 Stan Lovell v Clementine Kruk 0 - 2
5 Eamonn Casey v Phillippe De Coninck 2 - 0
6 Ben Fletcher-Harris v Yves Le Brun 2 - 0
7 Mahendra Galani v Jean De Lusatts 0 - 2
8 Mark Hague v Monica De Fazio 1 - 1
9 Voldi Gailans v Andre Vincent 1.5 - 0.5
10 Malcolm Jones v Regis Gerbeaux 1 -1
11. Lea Ryan v Catherine Dib 2 - 0
12 John Ramm v Michel Farfallini 0 - 2
13 Irene Hampton v Alain Valmallette 0 - 2
14 Marilyn Bland v Laure Soubrier 0 - 2
15 Abi Baker v Yves Ortis 0 - 2
Total UK 13 – France 17
The players who “did the double” i.e. won both of their games, were asked to contribute a game for the gazette. Brandan Read sent in this exciting encounter!
Brandan Read v Giuliano Caputi
1. f4 f5 2. e4 fxe4 3. d3 Nf6 4. dxe4 Nxe4 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. g4 d6 7. g5 Bg4 8. Nf3 Nfd7 9. h3 Bh5
10. O-O Nc5 11. Be2 Qd7 12. b4 Nca6 13. a3 Qxh3 14. Kf2 Qd7 15. Nd4 Bxe2 16. Qxe2 c5
A positional mistake allowing the knight into the very strong e6 square. Black needed to play e5 instead of c5.
17. Ne6 Nc7 18. f5 b6 19. Qh5+
Black resigns here as the game would have continued 19. … g6 20. fxg6
Then, either 20. … Qxe6 21. g7+ Qf7 22. Qxf7 Kxf7 23. gxh8=Q
Or 20. … Nxe6 21. g7+ Kd8 22. gxh8=Q
Whilst I did do the double I recognise that my opponent was quite strong in his play but my opening preparation in my first game lead to an early resignation and in the second game it was quite a wild Swiss gambit game, an opening that is a rare response to a rare response to a rare first move, which lead to some very strange but deceptively dangerous positions after the opening for White.
Written by John Fullwood, with contributions from other members of the BCA team.
1. Introduction.
During BCA's Leicester tournament in March, James Connors approached us with the offer of putting us in touch with the PCC with the view to arranging a friendly match. Peter Hornsby, captain of the Parliamentary chess team, was contacted and a match was scheduled for Monday 9th June at 18.30 in Portcullis House which is adjacent to the Houses of Parliament. The match was to last one hour, i.e. 30 minutes on each player's clock. The number of players plus supporters had to be limited to 12. So we were looking at having a team of at least 6 boards.
Obviously, we wanted to put out as strong a team as possible, but as the match was only to be an hour long it was, thought that only players in the London area and the South-East would be interested. However, Bill Armstrong from Staffordshire and Gary Hogan from Oxfordshire, who were the team's strongest players, offered to play.
Having gone through ‘airport style security’, the party of eleven which finally assembled in the reception area of Portcullis House at around 17.30 on 9th June comprised chess players in board order:
Gary Hogan; Bill Armstrong; George Phillips; Mark Hague; John Fullwood; Abi Baker.
With supporters: Claire Armstrong; IM Chris Baker (no relation of Abi’s); Monique Fare; Lorna Richardson; Lea Ryan.
Previous to meeting up half the party had entered the Palace of Westminster through security at the Cromwell entrance, past the statue of Oliver Cromwell. They then had coffee at the Jubilee Café before security took them through the underground link to Portcullis House.
2. The Venue.
Chess tables were set up in the central lobby of the grand building and although there were a great number of people passing through and many desks with people going through documents or glued to laptops. We did not feel too disturbed and could concentrate on the games.
3. The Games.
John Fullwood, team captain, failed his first task of the evening by losing the toss. So we had to play black on the odd numbered boards. The lineup was:
Board 1. Jamie Njoku-Goodwin (Former Director of Strategy at 10 Downing Street) [2000] v. Gary Hogan [1710] 1-0
Board 2. Bill Armstrong [1591] v. Griff Simon (Parliamentary Assistant to Tahir Ali MP) [1850] 0-1
Board 3. Lord Harry Carter [1825] v. George Phillips [1421] 1-0
Board 4. Mark Hague [1342] v. Alfie Coulstock-Cockeram (Parliamentary Assistant to Sam Carling MP) [1550] 0-1
Board 5. Lord Dafydd Wigley [1500] v. John Fullwood [1252] 0.5-0.5
Board 6. Abi Baker [1040] v. Gordon Philipps (Assistant Director- Strategic Estates) [1400] 0.5-0.5
The result of the match was a 5/1 win for the PCC. Draws on boards 5 and 6 were the only consolation results for the BCA team. Descriptions of some of the games are given here.
Board 1. Jamie Njoku-Goodwin v. Gary Hogan
Gary Hogan (Black) writes:
White played the Austrian attack, and I responded with the Pirc defence. It was pretty equal until White took my Bishop on e6 and I had to take back with the f pawn doubling the pawns on the e file. White had a Queen on h4 and a Knight on g5 aiming at h7. I had to push the pawn to h6 kicking the knight away and with a Bishop on g7 and a Rook on f8, pawns on h6 and g6 and King on h7. I thought I had quite a good defensive set up. Also, I was attacking with my Queen and Knight and the game was fairly even with 2 mins left on both clocks. However, White pushed his f pawn and I did not realise how dangerous it was. White managed to break down my defences and I could not hold everything together and resigned soon afterwards.
Board 2. Bill Armstrong v. Griff Simon
Bill Armstrong (White) writes:
I accepted a gambit and tried to meet the resulting attack with a counterattack. Had I found the best line I could have reached a position where I had a rook and an extra pawn facing two knights. But I failed to find that line. It involved a queen sacrifice to later win his queen. I was beaten on the board by a much better tactician.
Board 4. Mark Hague v. Alfie Coulstock-Cockeram
Mark Hague (White) writes:
I completely cracked under time pressure and ended up feebly letting my clock run out of time! After the game my opponent reminded me that at one point, I had been a Rook up. With hindsight I should have offered him a draw when I won the Rook as he may well have accepted the offer. I tried to play a Stonewall but it got very tricky after Black played an unexpected early pawn e5 move before I could play pawn f4 to complete the stranglehold on the e5 square.
Board 5. Lord Dafydd Wigley v. John Fullwood
John Fullwood (Black) writes:
White opened with e4 and I responded with d6 anticipating that the game would progress into my favourite Czech Defence, which indeed it did. White played h3 on move 4 rather than Nf3, then after I played Qa5, pinning the c3 Knight, White played Bg5 instead of the standard Bd2. I could not believe my luck and actually asked for the position to be verified and then played Qxg5. The game then progressed in the ‘normal’ way with White playing e5, generating the usual pawn swap off. With a number of Knight moves on both sides, the bishops were not getting into the game. I won a pawn but then blundered it back. After White castled on the queen’s side, I was vulnerable down the d-file. But eventually I was able to play g6 followed by Bh6+. White square bishops, rooks and queens were then swapped off. Both players were left with a, b, g and h pawns. I of course still had the Bishop but was 5 minutes behind on the clock. Knowing how weak my end-game play is, particularly under time pressure, I offered the draw which White accepted very quickly!
4. Post Match Visit to Parliament.
After the match Peter Hornsby and some of the members of the PCC gave us a guided tour of Parliament, going via the underground link. Then through all the lavish corridors to the very impressive Main lobby, surrounded by statues of the patron Saints of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. From here a left turn leads to the House of Commons and a right to the House of Lords.
Then we were taken to the Strangers Gallery of the House of Commons where there was a debate in progress. We watched and listened to democracy in action for around 10 minutes. Experiencing the debates live, we could feel the engagement of the whole chamber and it gave a feeling that the politicians from all parties cared about the issues discussed more than could be appreciated from a soundbite on the news.
Once we had left the Palace of Westminster there was a photo opportunity for the party. Then most of us repaired to the Red Lion pub for a well-earned drink and meal.
The BCA is very grateful to Peter Hornsby and the PCC for inviting us to play them. They certainly gave us a very warm welcome and everyone in our party said how much they had enjoyed the evening.
Eamonn Casey and Philip Doyle write:
Our 22nd Email Tournament has concluded. On this occasion we had 21 entries, which is an indicator that the tournament is still very popular, and with a bit more publicity amongst our members, we might even increase this number next time. The tournament ran very smoothly, thanks to the co-operation of all the players, and we hope to see all of you back again in October. Now to the event itself. Division 1 ended in victory for Philip Doyle, and this was his second outright victory in the top division. Division 2 ended in a tie between Glenn Crawford and John Fullwood, with Division 3 being won by Anton Emery. In Division 4 we had a clear-cut victory for John Ramm and a first-time participant, Mark Noble, picked up victory in Division 5. Congratulations to all the victors, and better luck next time to the vanquished.
Now to the results and final standings in the five divisions.
Division 1: Richard Murphy, Steve Burnell, Philip Doyle, Bill Armstrong.
Doyle beat Murphy
Murphy beat Burnell
Burnell lost to Doyle
Burnell drew with Armstrong
Armstrong drew with Doyle
Murphy drew with Armstrong
Final placings: Doyle 2.5 out of 3, Armstrong and Murphy 1.5, Burnell 0.5.
Division 2: Eamonn Casey, Malcolm Jones, John Fullwood, Voldi Gailans, Glenn Crawford.
Fullwood drew with Casey
Jones lost to Crawford
Gailans lost to Jones
Crawford drew with Casey
Casey drew with Jones
Casey beat Gailans
Gailans lost to Crawford
Jones lost to Fullwood
Fullwood beat Gailans
Crawford drew with Fullwood
Final placings: Crawford and Fullwood both 3 out of 4, Casey 2.5, Jones 1.5, Gailans 0.
Division 3: Gill Smith, Tony Elbourn, Marilyn Bland, Anton Emery.
Smith lost to Emery
Elbourn beat Emery
Smith Beat Elbourn
Bland beat Smith
Elbourn drew with Bland
Emery beat Bland
Final placings: Emery 2 out of 3, Bland and Elbourn 1.5, Smith 1.
Division 4: John Ramm, Tony Lawton, Maria Dod, Mark Higgins.
Dod lost to Ramm
Lawton lost to Dod
Ramm beat Lawton
Higgins beat Dod
Lawton beat Higgins
Ramm beat Higgins
Final placings: Ramm: 3 out of 3, Lawton, Dod and Higgins all on 1.
Division 5: Mike Flood, Richard Harrington, Mark Noble, Catherine Turner.
Noble beat Flood
Flood beat Turner
Flood beat Harrington
Turner lost to Noble
Harrington beat Turner
Harrington lost to Noble
Final placings: Noble 3 out of 3, Flood 2, Harrington 1, Turner 0.
Editor’s
Note: Don’t forget to watch out for an announcement on the BCA user group about
the 23rd Email Tournament, which is due to start in October!
The division winners were asked to send in their best games from this tournament for the gazette. Philip Doyle responded:
“I have two really good games for you. Both were very complex affairs and could easily have gone the wrong way for me. As it was, I had a win over Steve Burnell and a draw with Bill Armstrong. Steve has kindly submitted our game for consideration for the Best Game Competition.”
Steve Burnell v Philip Doyle:
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bd3 Nbd7 5. 0-0 c5 6. c3 c4 7. Bc2 b5 8. Nbd2 Bb7 9. Re1 Ne4 10. Nf1 Bd6
11. Nf3d2 h5 12. f3 Nxd2 13. Bxd2 Nf6 14. e4 dxe4 15. fxe4 e5 16. Bg5 Be7 17. dxe5 Nd7 18. Bxe7 Qxe7
19. Ng3 g6 20. e6 Qxe6 21. Qd4 Qb6 22. Rad1 0-0-0 23. Ne2 Nc5 24. Qf2 a6 25. Nd4 Rde8 26. e5 Qc7
27. Qf6 Nd7 28. Qxf7 Nxe5 29. Qxc7+ Kxc7 30. Rf1 Bc8 31. Rf6 Rhg8 32. a4 bxa4 33. Bxa4 Re7
34. Nc6 Rd7 35. Rxd7+ Nxd7 36. Rf7 Kd6 37. Rf4 Nb6 38. Rd4+ Kc5 39. Ne7 Rg7 40. Nxc8 Nxa4
41. Rd2 Rb7 42. Nd6 Rd7 43. Ne4+ Kc6 44. Kf2 Rxd2 45. Nxd2 Nxb2 46. Ke2 Kd5 47. Nb1 Na4
48. Kd2 Nc5 49. Na3 Ne4+ 50. Kc2 g5 51. White resigns.
Bill Armstrong v Philip Doyle:
1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. g3 c5 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. Ngf3 Be7 7. 0-0 b5 8. Re1 0-0 9. e5 Nd7 10. Nf1 a5
11. Bf4 Ba6 12. h4 b4 13. a3 Qb6 14. Ne3 Rfb8 15. Nd2 Qd8 16. Nf3 bxa3 17. bxa3 Nb6 18. c4 dxc4
19. Ng5 Bb7 20. Be4 g6 21. Nxh7 Nd4 22. Ng5 cxd3 23. Bxd3 Bxg5 24. Bxg5 Nf3+ 25. Qxf3Qxd3
26. Rad1 Bxf3 27. Rxd3 Bd5 28. Ng4 Nd7 29. Rxd5 exd5 30. e6 Re8 31. Nh6+ Kg7 32. Nxf7 Nf6
33. Nd6 Re7 34. h5 Rh8 35. hxg6 Kxg6 36. f4 Rd8 37. Nf7 Rxf7 38. exf7 Kxf7 39. Re5 Draw agreed.
If Bill exchanges Bishop for Knight and centres his King, I can’t promote, and my King is blocked from coming forward. But, if he removes all pieces with Rf5, my chances might be a bit better.
Julie Leonard writes:
The 4th BCA Summer Cup attracted a record number of entries – thirty! Thanks to all the participants for such a great turnout. It’s particularly nice to welcome Alyona Hogan, Irene Hampton (Canada) and Richard Hayward (New Zealand) to their first BCA tournament!
Members in six countries spread across three continents are taking part in this remote event, which started on Saturday 5th July. It’s a five-round event, with games played on online platforms such as Zoom or Lichess. There are at least two weeks allowed for each round and the event will run until the end of September.
The top three seeds, Steve Burnell, Stan Lovell and Philip Doyle (Ireland) have ECF Online Standard Ratings within three points of each other so there could be some cracking encounters between them! Out to stop them will be Eamonn Casey (Ireland) and Paul Baldwin, who both finished joint 3rd in 2024, as well as Steve Bailey and Norman Wragg, who were joint 4th and are always dangerous opponents! Another dark horse is Colin Fisher, who has returned to the Summer Cup after taking last year off due to injury. In 2023, he finished joint first and narrowly missed out on the trophy! Mid-table players such as Malcolm Jones, Mahendra Galani (Austria), Mark Hague and Norman Andrews are vastly experienced and perfectly capable of pulling off a surprise result or two.
We also have the players who tied for first place in the Challengers U1700 section last time: Paul Inglis and Ben Fletcher-Harris. In 2024, Paul narrowly won the Challengers trophy on tie-break, but his rating is now too high to compete in the Challengers, so could it be Ben’s year to win the cup? To do so, he’ll have to perform better than Challengers top seed, Tony Lawton, and, Gary Hogan, who is surely underrated in the ECF online rankings! He’ll also have to contend with the likes of Gary Wickett, Richard Harrington and Voldi Gailans, who have all been playing for decades, as well as John Ramm and Mark Noble, who are relative newcomers so goodness knows what tricks they might have up their respective sleeves!
Another former trophy winner is Neda Koohnavard, who finished joint top of the ladies’ section in 2024 and won the cup. This year, if she wants to take home the trophy again, she will have to prove herself against Gill Smith, Lea Ryan, Abi Baker, Marilyn Bland (USA) and Eleanor Tew, as well as the new recruits Alyona and Irene.
All in all, it’s shaping up to be a very exciting event and I can’t wait to update you all in the November gazette!
Bill Armstrong writes:
As chairman of UK BCA, I am delighted with the success of the Anglo-French match both in the interest aroused and the pleasure for participants. Our American friends in the USBCA have noted both those features and want to arrange a contest with our BCA. Rather than OTB remote games, their president, Glenn Crawford, has proposed an email team correspondence match.
Stan Lovell and John Fullwood have been liaising with Glenn and have made good progress. It now looks very likely that the match will start in August, and it notionally will run for 2 months. However, games will run to completion rather than be adjudicated. Each board will play 2 games in parallel, reversing colours.
The UK BCA team is likely to include Philip Doyle, Bill Armstrong, Stan Lovell, Eamonn Casey, Ben Fletcher-Harris, John Fullwood, Malcolm Jones, Voldi Gailans, Tony Elbourn, Nene Clayton, Maria Dod, Ashar Smith, Mark Higgins, Mike Flood and John Ramm. The USA has also raised a fifteen strong team. I’m sure we all wish the UK team the very best of luck! There will be more news about the match in the November gazette.
Julie Leonard writes:
The Olympiad took place in Vrnjačka Banja in central Serbia from the 17th to the 25th of June this year. It was a nine round Swiss tournament for national teams of four players. Countries could also send a reserve player if they wish. Twenty-one nations were represented. The hosts entered a second team to even up the numbers. Sadly, the UK did not manage to field a team this time, but BCA member, Olivier Deville, was there playing for France.
In the first round, results generally went according to seeding, the only exception being that Kazakhstan, seeded 15, managed to draw with 5th seed, Germany. Romania wiped out Croatia 4-0.
In round 2, top seed Poland began to show their might with a 4-0 victory over Sweden. Eleventh seed Romania continued strongly, beating 6th seed Hungary by 3-1. Meanwhile, Germany, yet to find their form, took on the host nation’s second team and drew. The only other draw of the round was between Turkey and Slovenia. Also in round 2, Italy, Slovakia and Lithuania scored their first match points, whereas Turkmenistan and North Macedonia had to wait until round 3 for theirs.
The top two seeds, Ukraine and Poland, faced each other in round 4, which resulted in draws on all boards, putting them and Kazakhstan joint top. France got their first match win and Olivier contributed a point to that victory!
In round 5 Poland narrowly defeated Kazakhstan and Ukraine also won. Venezuela powered ahead with a 3-1 victory over Romania, whereas Montenegro only managed to take half a point from Spain. Now Poland and Ukraine shared the lead on match points, with Poland comfortably ahead on game points.
In round 6 Poland drew with Venezuela, but Ukraine came a cropper against Spain. Poland was in sole lead for the first time, with Spain, Venezuela, Ukraine and Kazakhstan just behind them. In the remaining three rounds, Poland beat Bulgaria, Germany and Serbia to win Gold; Venezuela edged ahead of the chasing pack to take Silver; and Spain got Bronze on tie-break after tying on match points with Ukraine. Congratulations to all the winners!
Final match point scores were as follows: Poland 15; Venezuela 14; Spain and Ukraine 13; Serbia first team 11; Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria and Sweden 10; Kazakhstan, Montenegro and France 9; North Macedonia, Serbia second team, Lithuania and Slovenia 8; Romania, Turkey and Italy 7; Slovakia 6; Turkmenistan 5; Croatia 1.
Bittor Ibanez writes:
I received an invitation for a tournament. The tournament director, Robin Lovechild, contacted me via our BCA network. He wanted me to play in the first AlphaChess FIDE Weekender. At the time I was taking a break from chess. The fact that I was head hunted felt inspiring. So, I jumped at it! I set up my Kaissa clock and voice recorder and to Potters Bar I went.
There were three games on Saturday and two on Sunday. The time control was 80 minutes plus a 30 second increment per move. I played in the major U1750 section. Upon arrival Robin and I selected a fixed table for my games. I found this more convenient; no having to wander around to find a different table for each game!
My first game went on for over three hours. I had white; French defence, two knights variation. After move 30ish both players stopped recording moves, as there were under three minutes remaining on the clocks. I lost on time.
I shook hands and set up the board for the following game. Round 2 started right away; no time to clear my head. I still had positions from game 1 on my mind. An eleven-year-old player with the white pieces was opposite me. He came out very happy after delivering a scholar’s mate! He thanked me enthusiastically for the game. I was laughing and sharing his happiness.
I stood up and Robin was keen to guide me to the pub across the road. I had a rather pleasant veggie burger, a coffee and some time to get into the correct mindset.
Game three. I played white. Italian game. A fast and dynamic opening. Much more to my liking. I played slightly better than my opponent, so I went home with a victory.
On Sunday, there were some issues with timing and National Rail; I was running late. Robin was so kind as to send a parent to collect me from the station. When I entered the playing room, everyone had started their games. I apologised to my opponent for my late arrival. I set up the board, clock and voice recorder as quickly as I could, and off we went. I was playing black. This kid was quick, but I sat on my hands, not willing to get carried away and walk into silly tricks. Game was going well; robust defence; not leaving hanging pieces or wasting tempos. I even castled Queenside! Then, out of the blue, my phone rang! What the ***! I forgot it was in my bumbag.
The arbiter went: “Bittor ...”
“I know ... I know ...”
Stoically, I stood up, left the phone to finish its ring tone and put it into airplane mode. I stopped the clock and told my opponent I would like to finish the game in a friendly manner. I really wanted to cry and swear and shout but I did not. The room was full of little ears. We have a responsibility to the players of tomorrow’s world. So, I smiled at my opponent and requested to continue our game as a friendly. But, as you can imagine, it did not last for many more moves. My focus was gone. It hurt so much, that I positively can say never again. I will never forget to swich off the phone before a game.
On Saturday I had some extra rapid games. 20 minutes each plus 10 second increments. It was crazy fun!
Can you guess who I had to play in my last game? Exactly – my opponent in the rapid games! He loved the Caro Kann. So, I was playing white. I gave it a good run for my money, but I could not break the solid defence. After losing a piece in a miscalculated exchange I shook hands and called it a day.
Afterwards, while I was waiting at the station for my train back to London, someone approached me. “You are Bittor, right?” It was a fellow player from the tournament. I was surprised because this person had not played in the major section. Apparently, the walls of the playing rooms were decorated with posters of each player. My poster had me in my BCA polo shirt and my Basque beret, playing chess in one of our tournaments!
What a fantastic weekend! Head hunted to come back to chess; representing the BCA's values of sportsmanship and friendship; and having my picture on posters while playing chess. Lovely jubbly!
Editor’s note: BCA member Julian Llewellyn played in the
U2400 section at the first AlphaChess FIDE Weekender
and scored two points. Well done,
Julian!
Abi Baker writes:
When Microsoft announced that they were going to retire Skype in May this year, organisers of remote events had to seek an alternative platform. Many switched to Jitsi and I realised that I had to make friends with it quickly if I wanted to continue playing in Olivier Deville’s tournaments!
Olivier suggested that the app was perhaps less accessible than using the website, but I downloaded the app to my iPhone anyway. I found it easy to set up and was able to use it successfully within a few days. Joining a call is easy. You receive a link and use it to access a session. I’ve also set up meetings for immediate use. It’s handy that you can choose a meaningful name for your own meetings. It is also possible to set up meetings in advance, but I haven’t yet done that. As a totally blind person I’ve found it tricky to mute myself, which means it’s less suitable for timing games, however, if you’re in a quiet environment, it's perfectly adequate. Perhaps muting is easier on a computer. I’ve found that the sound quality is clear and doesn’t drop.
If you haven’t tried Jitsi yet, don’t be scared to do so! Let me know if you need help or would like a trial run.
Jon and Maria Lilley (Graham's brother and sister-in-law) have very kindly sponsored this award, which will run for three years, with the first award being decided this month.
Visually impaired UK members who have played in at least one BCA rated OTB tournament during the prior 12 months are eligible for the award. The winner will be the player whose ECF Standard OTB rating has increased the most since August 2024. He or she will receive an engraved medal and a prize of £50. In the event of a tie, the money will be shared, and each winner will receive a medal.
By the time you read this the August ratings may well have been published and the process of determining the winner will have begun! The winner(s) of this award, in memory of one our most successful, highly respected and well-liked members of all time, will be announced at this year’s International Autumn Tournament and in the November gazette.
It is often said, with a tinge of sadness, that all good things come to an end. But happily, so do mediocre and downright atrocious things! So, after nearly twelve years of my editorship, I’ve decided to give you all a break from my dreadful puns and stand down from the post of Gazette Editor at the 2026 AGM. I’m still hoping to be very much involved with the BCA and have said to the Committee that if next year’s trustees would like me to remain as a trustee and be involved in Committee discussions, I shall be only too happy to do so.
I’ve really enjoyed my time as Editor. It’s a great way of staying in touch with members while at the same time keeping up to date with all the various exciting activities going on in the BCA.
If there’s a reader out there who enjoys writing and would be interested in standing for the post of Gazette Editor at the next AGM, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me for a chat. It doesn’t matter if you’re a visually impaired or an associate member. You don’t even necessarily have to be a chess player because there are volunteer proofreaders to check the games that are sent in for the gazette. After standing down I’ll still be around to give advice if required. The Committee team is very friendly so there’ll be plenty of support for the new editor from them as well.
Alas, you’ll still have me for two more issues after this one, but then I’ll have run out of animals in the Chinese Zodiac for my February editorials, so it will be time to go!
Julie Leonard
Bill Armstrong has entered the British Senior Championships 2025 – Over 65 section, in Liverpool. Another BCA member, Ben Graff, has entered the Senior - Over 50s tournament. They’ll both be playing seven rounds from the 4th to the 10th of August in the afternoons. Many titled players are competing in their sections so they’ll have their work cut out for them! To fill in other times of day, Ben has also entered a Weekday Morning U1900 tournament, as well as a couple of evening Blitz events! These are all part of the British Chess Championships and I’m sure we all wish Ben and Bill the very best of luck!
On the 7th of August, Liz and Frank Kirkham will be celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary! This fabulous couple have contributed a great deal to BCA events, not only by accompanying their son, Mark, but also by helping generally with guiding and organising evening social activities. At the Windermere Chess Theme Breaks, Liz always held a “Quiz with a Difference”, affectionately known as the “Liz Quiz”. My favourite was Cryptic Animals. Can you find the three creatures hidden in these clues? A. A burning vowel, B. Used to be our teacher, C. Not very good snooker stick wood. (Answers are at the end of the gazette.) And at the 2024 BCA British Championship in Harrogate, who could forget Frank’s hilarious rendition of the Bernard Cribbins song, “Gossip Calypso” or his magnificent cricket themed soirée? So please join me in sending warm congratulations to Liz and Frank on fifty years of marriage and hoping very much that they enjoy their special day.
Julie Leonard
Julie Leonard writes:
Voldi Gailans suggested to me that some chess tips should be included in the gazette. What an excellent idea! I’ve had a go at the first one, which is mainly aimed at beginners and newcomers to the BCA. For the next issue, I’ll be looking for tips from members please.
My tip is HADDOCK. If that sounds fishy to you, please read on!
H is for “Have a go!” The BCA offers many different ways to play chess. Try as many as you can!
A is for “Ask questions!” Your BCA friends will be only too happy to advise you on any aspect of the game.
D is for “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes!” It’s how we all improve!
D is for “Don’t resign too soon!” If you’re unsure how your opponent will win, you can still learn from the game.
O is for “Openings.” To begin with, focus on one or two that suit your style of play.
C is for “Check the whole board before moving!” There might be a long-range piece about to swoop into action.
K is for “Keep your cool!” Chess can be frustrating, but if you lose your cool other losses will surely follow.
It’s all more easily said than done, of course, but perhaps there are a few things there to bear in mind!
I was taught several of these tips by my dad, Colin Chambers, when I was starting to learn chess - especially the one about resigning too soon. (You see, Dad, I was listening all those years ago! Thanks for all the patient coaching!)
I look forward to receiving tips from readers for the November issue. They can be aimed at any level of play. It could be an anecdote about how you learned something the hard way, for example, forgetting to switch off your phone like poor Bittor did – see his article in this issue. It could be a more technical tip about an opening trap.
Please don’t wait to be asked. If you have a tip to share, I want to hear from you!
Received from Gerry Walsh.
The following game was awarded the brilliancy prize in the first Hastings Congress held in 1895. The notes to the game are from Dr. Tarrasch.
Wilhelm Steinitz v Curt von Bardeleben
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. 0-0 Be6
10. Bg5 Be7 11. Bxd5 Bxd5 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Re1
The point of all the exchanges, as by this move, White obtains command of the board, prevents Black from castling, and initiates a most powerful attack on the King.
14. … f6 15. Qe2 Qd7 16. Rac1 c6 17. d5
A nice sacrifice of a pawn, making way for the Knight to powerfully strengthen the attack.
17. … cxd5 18. Nd4 Kf7 19. Ne6 Rhc8 20. Qg4 g6 21. Ng5+ Ke8 22. Rxe7+
Here begins a grand combination.
22. … Kf8
The position is most interesting; all the White pieces are ‘en prise’.
If 22. … Kxe7, 23. Re1+ Kd6 24. Qb4+ Kc7 25. Ne6+ Kb8 26 Qf4+ and wins.
23. Rf7+ Kg8 24. Rg7+ Kh8 25. Rxh7+ Black resigns.
The checks by the Rook are delightful, as Black cannot take with the King as he loses his Queen with a check, nor can he take with the Queen as he is mated.
So now, if Kg8 Steinitz demonstrated a brilliant and remarkable mate in ten moves which will appear in the next issue of the Gazette.
Major Open Leicester September 1976, Published in The Daily Telegraph. G.F. Walsh v Davis, Sicilian.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qf3 Be7 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. 0-0 Qc7
10. Rad1 Nc5 11. a3 b5 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Ndxb5 axb5 14. Nxb5 Qb6 15. Nxd6+ Ke7
Not 15. … Qxd6 because 16. Bb5+ wins the queen
16. e5 Bxe5 17. Qxf7+ Kxd6 18. Be4+ Bd4 19. Rxd4+ Ke5 20. Qxg7+ Kf4 21. g3# 1-0
Owen Phillips (1925) v Ali Inran Muhammad (2164), French Exchange Variation, 4th May 2025.
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Bd3 Bd6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Na3 a6 8. Nc2 Bf5 9. Ne3 Bxd3
10. Qxd3 Qd7 11. Bd2
Owen says, “I was a bit naughty here and tactically offered a cheeky draw - the tactic being that I thought my opponent would think I was going to castle long and with us both long castling it will be very drawish. After he castled long, I showed my true intentions!”
11. … 0-0-0 12. b4 Rde8 13. 0-0 f5 14. Rfb1 Nd8 15. c4 f4 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. cxd5 g5 18. b5 axb5
19. Rxb5 Rhg8 20. Ra5 c6 21. Ra8+ Kc7 22. Ba5+ b6 23. Bxb6+ 1-0
May 2025 Puzzle
Paul Morphy vs Duke Isouard, Paris, 1858. White mates in 2.
4kb1r/p2n1ppp/4q3/4p1B1/4P3/1Q6/PPP2PPP/2KR4
White: King c1, Queen b3, Rook d1, Bishop g5, pawns a2, b2, c2, e4, f2, g2 and h2.
Black: King e8, Queen e6, Rook h8, Bishop f8, Knight d7, pawns a7, e5, f7, g7 and h7.
Clue: Think of a one-word song by Elton John! The first move is also a distractive one to enable White to deliver the killer move!
Solution 1. Qb8+ Nxb8 2. Rd8#
August 2025 Puzzle
Johannes Zukertort vs Adolf Anderssen, Breslau, 1865. White mates in 2.
r1b2k1r/ppp1bppp/8/1B1Q4/5q2/2P5/PPP2PPP/R3R1K1
White: King g1, Queen d5, Rook a1 and e1, Bishop b5, Pawns c3, a2, b2, c2, f2, g2 and h2.
Black: King f8, Queen f4, Rooks a8 and h8, Bishop c8 and e7, Pawns a7, b7, c7 f7, g7 and h7.
Clue: Think of an impressive sacrifice!
The solution will be in the November Gazette.
Mark Hague
See Bill Armstrong’s article on Correspondence Chess above for the first twenty moves of this game.
21. Qxh7+ Kxh7 22. Rh3+ Kg7 23. Bh6+ Black resigns
If 23. .... Kh7 24. Bxf8+ with mate to follow. The UK won a vital point and the Team Championship!
A. Flamingo (flaming O). B. Tortoise (taught us). C. Porcupine (poor cue pine).