The
Gazette
May
2026
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, Bill Armstrong, Hazel and Steve Burnell, Colin Chambers, Alec Crombie,
Celia Gibbs, Julie Leonard, Stan Lovell, Richard Murphy, Joan Shorrock, Gill Smith, Gerry Walsh,
Roger Waters, Norman Wragg.
Trustees
Bill Armstrong (Chair of Trustees), Voldi Gailans, Abi Baker, Tristram Cole, Clare Gailans, Gary Hogan, Mark Kirkham, Julie Leonard, Brandan Read, Gill Smith, 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
Relaunching
the BCA Coaching Policy
History
of the BCA Millennium Club
2025
David Hodgkins Memorial Annual Best Game Winner
2026
David Hodgkins Memorial Annual Best Game Competition
Games
from the 2026 AGM Congress
Coaching
by International Master Chris Baker
Another
Dive into Underwater Chess
Annual
Award in Memory of Graham Lilley
Welcome to the first BCA Gazette under my
editorship – only it isn’t! I was the
editor between 1995 and 1997, when electronic means of communication such as
many of us enjoy today were in their infancy. Pieces of paper and odd tapes would trickle in
through the snail mail and had to be manually input. As I expected, things are very different now,
but it has still been quite a scramble to put everything together in the few
weeks since the AGM. I am immensely
grateful to my predecessor Julie, who had not only put together as much of the
magazine as had come in before the handover, but has been very generous in her
help and advice ever since.
Back in the 90s the Gazette had to be much smaller and was consequently pretty functional, confining itself to notices about
forthcoming events, of which there were far fewer, and reports on them, plus
obituaries and the odd game. Julie has shown how much more the Gazette can be, and has won us a prestigious award from the ECF by so
doing. I can’t promise you Chinese New
Year flights of fancy or wonderful punning over which to groan, but I’ll do my
best to keep things interesting, and I’m sure all contributors will help me.
I have had some ideas for slightly new twists, but as you will see, this
issue is bursting at the seams, so they will have to wait.
I will just mention one idea from a newish associate member, who would
like to see memories of former BCA days from longstanding members. Perhaps I could be said to have started this
ball rolling with my recollection of contributions thudding onto our doormat in
1995, or in fact four years earlier when Voldi began
his stint as editor. I look forward to receiving more colourful
memories from some of you.
Meanwhile, enjoy the May issue, and please get in touch with any
comments or suggestions, and be sure to enjoy your chess!
Clare Gailans.
Having been elected as your new Chairman, I think a few words of introduction would be appropriate, together with my hopes for the future.
Firstly though, I must thank Bill for undertaking the role of Chairman for the last three years. He had initially promised us one year, so we owe him our gratitude for his diligent work in keeping us going and in particular for his efforts to reposition us financially.
As a BCA member for nearly fifty years I have seen many changes: in particular a change of focus to include help with training and improving the playing of chess for all members, advances in technology to facilitate the playing of games and training sessions over Zoom and similar platforms so that we can all take part from the comfort of our homes, thus avoiding the expense of travelling to venues and having to pay for hotel accommodation. With the advent of e-mail, we are now able to run chess events throughout the year; as well as our two E-mail tournaments we now have summer and new year remote tournaments so that competitive chess can be played from home all the year round.
Apart from the obvious requirements of running our association, my two main aims will be to encourage those members, who join and may feel daunted about taking part in our events, to do so. Those who join to play for fun should be able to do so, without feeling pressure to be competitive, while recognising that each game played is a lesson, offering the chance to learn something about the game, without the imperative to study, whether through lack of time or inclination. For those who wish to study the game there is far more material available, particularly on the internet and for those unfamiliar with technology we have members who can help.
The spirit of friendship and friendly competitiveness has grown over the years, and I very much hope that all members will feel able to take part in our events in some form. With more entries to our competitions, it will be possible to run separate tournaments for lower and higher graded players, thereby encouraging beginners to take their first steps and providing more opponents for everyone.
I feel that my role as Chairman is very much to serve all of you, the members, and I hope that everyone will take an interest in the running of our association, so please do write to me with any comments on how your association is being run and with views or ideas you have on how your chess experience can be improved.
In recent years we have had some younger members joining our committee. This can only be good for the future of our organisation, and I hope we will all take an interest in the running of our BCA.
Finally, on behalf of all blind and partially-sighted members, I would like to thank our sighted associate members, who continue to provide their generous support in time and effort to make life easier for us. Some have made an enormous contribution to our organisation - something I am sure we all appreciate.
Voldi Gailans, Chairman
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.
Saturday 4th July to Saturday 11th
July 2026 - BCA British Championship
This will take place at The Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate. The tournament is open to all visually impaired chess players and to associate members of the BCA. The title of BCA British Champion will be awarded to the highest placed visually impaired player who has been resident in the UK for at least the last three years and has not played chess for a country other than the UK.
The event will be played over 7 rounds with one round each day. Round 1 will be played on the Saturday evening (probably commencing about 7.00 PM), with subsequent rounds played Sunday to Friday during the day. The rate of play will be all moves in two and a half hours per person. Players may request a half point bye in any one of the first six rounds. If there are sufficient numbers there will be two sections, with the Challengers’ section being limited to those whose grade or estimated grade is below 1450. If it is only possible to hold one section, there will be separate prizes for those graded below 1450. If a sufficient number of lady players enter and the majority of them are in favour of having a Ladies’ Championship, they will compete for the Julia Scott Trophy.
The cost of dinner, bed and breakfast to members and associate members of the BCA is £70 per night for dinner, bed and breakfast in a single room (£490 for the week), and £60 per person per night in a shared room (£420 for the week). Note that there is a car parking charge of £12 per day payable direct to the Hotel on arrival. The Competition entry fee is £12.
The closing date for bookings and payments is May 3rd, 2026. Bookings accepted after that date, at the discretion of the organiser, will be subject to a late booking fee of £10 per person.
All enquiries and bookings should be sent to the organiser, Bill Armstrong:
Alternatively, please complete the booking form on our website. https://braillechess.org.uk/events/event-forms
Saturday 18th July to Wednesday 30th
September 2026: 5th BCA Summer Cup to be played remotely.
The Summer Cup will be a five-round tournament in which games are played on any mutually agreed internet-based platform such as Zoom, Lichess, Jitsi or WhatsApp, or by telephone. The general default platform will be Zoom as most members find this accessible and people can dial into meetings if they prefer or if they do not have internet access. Players for whom Zoom is genuinely inaccessible should mention this when entering and if possible special arrangements will be made to accommodate their participation.
The event will run for 12 weeks with two weeks allowed for each round. Games are played at a mutually convenient time agreed by the two players. Ideally, there should be a third-party timekeeper for each game unless it is played on a dedicated chess server such as Lichess. Players may take a half point bye in any one of the first four rounds and will be able to request this when entering or arrange it at fairly short notice. The arbiters will be Gerry Walsh and Julie Leonard.
The 5th Remote Summer Cup is open to all members and associate members of the BCA. Entry is free. Depending on entries, we may be able to incorporate a Ladies’ section and a Challengers’ section for those whose ECF online standard play rating or estimated rating is below the cut-off point, which is likely to be around 1700. Trophies will be awarded to section winners, provided they are based in the UK or can arrange to collect the trophy at one of our over the board events within twelve months. Trophies will not be posted to overseas winners.
The tournament will be a friendly and fairly informal event. We urge members and associate members to “have a go” regardless of their playing strength. Results will be sent for rating in the ECF Online Rating system.
To enter please complete the appropriate online form on https://braillechess.org.uk/events/event-forms by Monday 13th July 2026. The online form is the preferred method of entering. Please try it as it will guide you through the information you need to provide. If you cannot use the form, you may send your entry to the organiser, Julie Leonard (see Officers’ Contact Details), giving your full contact details, your location or time zone if you’re not in the UK and stating which playing platforms you can use. You must also give consent for your contact details to be shared with all arbiters and players in the 5th Summer Cup and for rating information to be sent to the ECF.
Friday
18th to Sunday 20th September 2026: BCA International Autumn Tournament
This year's International Autumn Tournament will be held at the Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth, which has proved to be a very popular venue for our events. It is very friendly and comfortable, and we also have use of an outdoor heated pool. The parking and green areas are also very good.
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. The cut-off point for playing in the Challengers Section is currently graded at 1450 (this figure is currently under review). 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. Rooms will probably be available on the Friday afternoon from 15.00.
The cost for dinner, bed and breakfast for BCA members and associate members per night is: for a single room, £78; for a twin/double room, £69 per person. Bookings can be made via the appropriate online form on https://braillechess.org.uk/events/event-forms or by contacting the organiser, John Jenkins. There are options for guests to pay significant supplements for a sea view room or sea view plus balcony. Please contact John if you would like to know more or you wish to stay additional nights at the beginning or end of the tournament. The closing date for entries is Friday 31st July 2026.
Payment for all accommodation (including Sunday if required) together with the entry fee should be sent to the Treasurer, Tristram Cole. Bookings accepted after the closing date of 31st July are at the discretion of the organiser and will be subject to a late booking fee of £10 per person. Please note that rooms will not be reserved until full payment has been received.
Chess Theme Break: We have recently learned that the Lauriston Hotel no longer provides any catering services. Therefore, the Chess Theme Break Subcommittee are currently seeking out a new venue for the 33rd Chess Theme Break. We are possibly looking at the week Saturday 23rd January to Saturday 30th January 2027 but obviously dates will depend on what we are able to book at this late hour. I should hopefully be able to provide more information in the August Gazette. Gary Wickett
Voldi Gailans
writes:
We are hoping to organise another match for the BCA
against Parliament on 20th July. I have
been asked to form a team and include in the team selection a captain on the
night, as I won't be attending. At the
time of writing, we have three volunteers and I hope that all of you reading
this will consider putting yourselves forward for the challenge. On this occasion the BCA players will have 33
minutes on the clock and the Parliament team 27 minutes. This should make it
easier than it was last year, when each side had 30 minutes.
It is likely that the majority of any possible team will
come from the London area, but I currently have one possible offer of
accommodation for the night of the match for anyone coming some distance, and
perhaps there may be others, so even if you don't live in London and would like
to take part, please drop me a line or give me a ring and I'll look into the
possibility of accommodating those coming from further afield. We are hoping
for six players and, of course, the sooner we have sufficient volunteers, the
sooner we can get things settled. The
main challenge with the match is that it falls the day after the FIFA World Cup
Final. If England reach the final it is very likely that day will be a Bank
Holiday and next to no-one will be in Parliament. However, if the match has
to be postponed for footballing reasons, most of us will no doubt be
pleased to play on another occasion.
Although we had to start the meeting with a minute’s silence for three deceased members, Caroline Crombie, David Levens and Eleanor Tew, this year’s AGM was a largely positive affair with some progress being noted. In his final report as Chairman Bill drew attention to our enhanced programme (the New Year Cup) and he noted the success enjoyed by some relatively new members playing in their first event. He also explained we had taken steps to protect our money against the effect of inflation by investing in low-risk CCLA funds, and indeed the Treasurer’s report showed our finances were in a healthy position.
We had terminated our fundraising arrangements with Concannon Consultancy and put in place a twelve-month contract with Freya Smith. We had also decided to wind up the Millennium Club fund, as we were paying out more in monthly prizes than we were taking in through subscriptions. Denise Ross had been sent a token of appreciation for her work running the fund.
Voldi Gailans reported we had had no fewer than 26 new members since he had taken on the role of Membership Secretary, some of them juniors. It was also encouraging to see how Gary Hogan and Brandan Read are investing a lot of energy in trying to generate interest in our juniors and promote chess to visually impaired schoolchildren. They will be running an informal session for our juniors in April and visiting Joseph Clarke school in May.
We continue to keep our website and Facebook page up to date and tournament entry and membership application forms have proved a welcome additional feature. We experimented with a menu options form which was successful and we were particularly pleased that results and pairings of the congress were posted on our website. This made them much easier to read than when they were displayed on sites like chess-results.com.
Mark highlighted improvements to the Lichess platform and a couple of other apps designed to help generate fen diagrams and teach chess at beginner and expert levels. Sadly, however, we could no longer by ebooks from Everyman Chess in the accessible formats we had become used to.
Abi had been particularly effective in her role as Publicity Officer, generating maximum publicity from our match against a parliamentary team. She was also aiming to arrange a properly organised BCA presence at the next Chess Fest event in London.
On the international front we will be sending representatives to the European Individual standard play championships in the autumn, and the IBCA is also holding a joint World Women’s and Junior Championship in October. We’re also planning to play a return match against the USBCA by email.
Three motions were passed. Membership subscriptions were increased by fifty per cent across the board; even with the increase we regard them as offering excellent value given all the benefits members have access to. The position of Coaching Officer was made a committee post, and the post of Correspondence Chess Director was renamed as Director of Remote Chess in recognition of the fact that the traditional slower correspondence tournaments were no longer running.
One motion had to be withdrawn for further work. This was aimed at bringing the constitution’s objects up to date, for example by removing mention of outdated forms of media. However, the objects also contain the phrase “the blind” which, it was felt, was no longer appropriate. The problem was that agreement could not be reached on an acceptable alternative; suggestions included “visually impaired”, “sight impaired”, “blind people” and even that we should use official medical terminology. There was also no agreement as to whether reference to “the deafblind” should be left in, partly because of concern over the term “deaf”, but also because it was felt they were already covered by the objects as they were blind. A final cause of concern was that the Charity Commission were getting stricter on accepting changes to the objects of constitutions. The aim is to present another amended text to next year’s AGM after further investigation and consultation.
There were several changes to the make-up of the committee. Bill Armstrong stood down as Chair and Voldi was elected in his place. Clare Gailans replaced Julie Leonard as Gazette Editor and Ashar Smith joined the committee as Membership Secretary. John Fullwood stood down as Chair of the Tournament Sub-committee and John Osborne was elected in his place. Bill was formally elected Director of Remote Chess. All holders of other posts, whether committee or non-committee, were re-elected. Tokens of appreciation were awarded to Bill, Julie and Voldi for their work (a thank-you gift had been sent to John Fullwood prior to the meeting).
There were three items of any other business. Tournament entry fees will go up from £12 to £15 at the start of the next financial year. Bill also reported he had received four responses to his article asking for feedback on whether we should experiment by changing activities during one of our weekend events. Responses had been positive, though in the room there was some scepticism, at least regarding suggestions for what we could do on Sundays. There was some discussion as to whether we should try to reintroduce a rapid play event, especially as the IBCA was now holding a rapid play championship. The feeling was that while juniors might enjoy this (all inter-university matches were now rapid play with the exception of the Oxford/Cambridge match), our currently active membership probably wouldn’t. These matters will be considered further.
And finally, the meeting ended on a happy note with Bill Armstrong being awarded honorary life membership for all of his involvement with the BCA over many years. A photograph was taken of me awarding Bill his framed certificate.
Guy Whitehouse.
In 2025 the Committee took the decision to end the old coaching scheme which allowed members to claim up to £120 per annum to pay for Coaching expenses. We now have a new system to operate and, after consultation with the Finance Committee, I have been given a budget of £1,000 for the financial year ending September 2026.I therefore invite applications from members who wish to take advantage of this offer, and I think a deadline of the end of June 2026 is not unreasonable for me to receive your application.
I don't expect to receive just a letter asking for cash. If the BCA is funding a project, it is fair to ask for some details in support of your request. The name of the coach, their rating and any qualifications, will be required, together with information about the coaching to be provided, such as whether it will be face to face or remote, one to one or in a group, how many sessions will there be and how long will each session last, and whether there is any specific content that will be covered.
I recommend that you apply before receiving any coaching because if there is a large demand for funding in any given year, I cannot guarantee that your request will be granted. I look forward to receiving your application.
Gerry Walsh, Coaching Officer.
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!
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
I am grateful for being re-elected at the AGM. During my first two years as treasurer, I
have benefited greatly from Bill Armstrong's advice and financial
expertise. I am looking forward to
continuing the role under his successor Voldi Gailans.
Our financial situation remains extremely positive. This is partly due to the
fact that since the previous gazette our new fundraiser Freya Smith has
helped to raise over £29,000. She has
been working closely not just with me but also with both the previous and the
new chairman in order to ensure that the transition
between fundraisers takes place as smoothly as possible. I am very confident that our future is in
good hands.
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.
Tristram Cole, Treasurer
Dear BCA members,
I’m Ashar, (he/him) your new Braille Chess Association membership Secretary and friendly games coordinator. I’m delighted to be part of the BCA and look forward to playing a small part in building a thriving organisation of chess enthusiasts. I would like to thank Voldi and Julie for their warm welcome and friendly communication which encouraged me to volunteer my time and skills to the BCA. I look forward to learning from Voldi, Julie, the committee and you, our fabulous membership, as I settle in. I’ve played chess since I was a child. I was taught by my late Grandfather, and feel his spirit when I’m at my best on the board. I adore chess; it has helped me focus and develop concentration, enhanced my strategic thinking and most importantly given me untold practice in forgiving myself when I make mistakes. I am a Londoner living in Wales, and look forward to joining my first over-the-board tournament in July in Harrogate. I’m excited to get to know you and all of the BCA’s membership with the intention of improving my own chess. If you’d like to connect on Lichess, my username is Ashar3000.
I’ve already welcomed my first member to the BCA, begun sending out more info to half a dozen prospective members, and am pleased to announce that Kerryann Ifill and John and Tessa Fullwood have upgraded to life membership!
I would love to bring the wonderful game of chess to more people, and would encourage you all to extend a friendly invitation to the people in your lives to join us at the BCA. More members, more chess. More chess, more fun. More fun, more life!
Looking forward to writing to you all in another 3 months in the next issue of the BCA gazette and wishing you all the best in your chess.
Ashar Smith, Membership Secretary
Gill Smith writes:
In January 2000, the BCA held its first draw for the
Millennium Club. With the aim of generating funds for the BCA, members were
invited to purchase numbers for a monthly draw, with each number priced at £12.
Participants were allowed to buy multiple entries. Each month, a number was
drawn, and the fortunate owner received a prize. Initially the monthly prize
was £25, this was increased to £30 and then £35 when there were sufficient
participants. The initiative was
established and run by the then treasurer, Wendy Holmes.
Despite promotional efforts, in recent years the
lottery's membership gradually declined, leading to insufficient profits to
justify its continuation meaning it has now been wound up. Thank you to
everyone who took part in the Millennium Club and in
particular to Wendy for setting up the scheme, and Denise Ross, who for
many years managed the Millennium Club membership and conducted the draws every
month.
BCA members continue to generate funds through raffles held
at our over-the-board events; these remain popular among attendees. If you have ideas for fundraising, then
please contact any member of the committee.
Although we apply to grant giving organisations, it is good for our
membership to play their part in raising funds too.
Gary Hogan, who judged the 2025 competition, writes:
“I have chosen Richard Murphy v Chris Ross at the 2025 International Autumn Tournament as the best game. I chose it because of Chris’s high accuracy and because Richard’s game was matching Chris’s every step until Richard’s unfortunate blunder. Congratulations to Chris, who was presented with the trophy at our AGM in Sheffield! The game was extensively annotated in the February 2026 gazette, but here it is again, without notes.”
Richard Murphy v Chris Ross, Open R5, B48: Sicilian: Taimanov
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 e5 9. O-O d6
10. Be2 Be7 11. f4 exf4 12. Bxf4 O-O 13. Qd3 Nd7 14. Kh1 Ne5 15. Qg3 Be6 16. Bg5 Bxg5 17. Qxg5 Rab8
18. Rab1 Qa5 19. a3 Qc5 20. Rfd1 Rfd8 21. Rd2 f6 22. Qg3 a5 23. Na4 Qa7 24. Nc3 Bc4 25. b3 Be6
26. Rbd1 Qc5 27. a4 Rd7 28. Rd4 Rb4 29. Rxb4 axb4 30. Nb1 Qxc2 31. Qe3 Qxb3 0-1
Gary continues:
“The game I’ve chosen as runner up is Bill Armstrong’s win against John Fullwood in 23rd BCA Email Tournament. The reasons for this are that it’s a great example of having a clear plan and following it through, fixing a weakness and developing the pieces actively in order to exploit the weakness. Again, this game was annotated in the February 2026 gazette, but here it is again, without any comments this time.”
Bill Armstrong v John Fullwood from Division 1 of the 23rd BCA
Email Tournament, Autumn 2025
1. b3 Nf6 2. Bb2 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. e3 Bd6 5. d4 c6 6. Nbd2 Ne4 7. Bd3 Qa5 8. 0-0 Nc3 9. Qe1 Ba3
10. Bxa3 Qxa3 11. Nb1 Nxb1 12. Qxb1 Qe7 13. c4Nd7 14. g3 e5 15. cxd5 cxd5 16. dxe5 Nxe5
17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18 Re1 Qh5 19 Bb5+ Kf8 20. Be2 Qe5 21. Bf3 Be6 22. Qd3 a6 23. Red1 Rd8 24. Rac1 Qf6
25. Bg2 Bg4 26. Rd2 Be6 27. Qd4 Qxd4 28. Rxd4 g6 29. Rcd1 Kg7 30. e4 Rd7 31. Kf1Re8 32. exd5 Bf5
33. g4 Bc2 34. Rc1 Rc7 35. Re1 Rd8 36. d6 Rcd7 37. Rc1 Rxd6 38. Rxd6 Rxd6 39. Rxc2 Rd7 40. Ke2 g5
41.
Rd2 Rc7 42. Be4
Re7 43. Kf3 h6 44. Rd6 Black resigns.
Every year BCA members and associate members are invited to submit a game for entry into the David Hodgkins Memorial Best Game Competition. With the first New Year Cup and the AGM weekend tournament having taken place, now is a good time to remind members of this competition.
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. The competition is open to members (including overseas members) and associate members. Please have a go and submit a game you were proud of regardless of your chess strength – it’s open to all members.
Please send your games to me to forward to Philip Doyle who is the judge for 2026. I am able to take games in braille, by phone or by email.
Steve Burnell – Coordinator
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!
Every month, I liaise with Gerry
and our scorekeepers, Julie Leonard and Gill Smith, to find a suitable
day. I then send a note to the email
user group, informing everyone when the next session will be. (Contact Julie or the Audio Librarian if you
have not yet joined the email user group and would like to do so.) Shortly before the session, a Zoom invitation
is sent to an email distribution list containing everyone who has expressed an interest
in the current session or a previous one.
For those not familiar with Zoom, help is available, either for
accessing the sessions online on a PC or an iPhone. You can also dial in to the Zoom meeting from
any phone, though when doing so, it is important to use the correct number for
your country to avoid incurring hefty charges.
Please contact Gerry Walsh or me
(see Officers’ Contact Details) if you have any questions regarding the
sessions or would like to take part.
Voldi Gailans
RECENT SESSIONS:
February 2026
The group was glad to welcome Dan
Rugman to his first online How Good is Your Chess session. Dan enjoyed the How Good is Your Chess
coaching at the Chess Theme Break in Weston-super-Mare
and decided to try the Zoom version.
The game being studied was
played at a 1998 Polish Team Championship between two Polish GMs, Miroslaw
Grabarczyk and Michal Krasenkow. The
opening was a Catalan.
It was a very enjoyable session in
which lots of people shared their ideas and analysis. There was a moment of drama when Steve Bailey
lost his internet connection due to a power cut, but he quickly rejoined!
The final scores were as follows:
Newcomer Dan Rugman 29; Voldi Gailans
25; Steve Bailey 23; Abi Baker, Irene Hampton, Lea Ryan, Mark Hague and Nene
Clayton 22; Stan Lovell 21, Catherine Turner and Richard Harrington 20; Gill
Smith and Lydia Beech 19; Gary Wickett 16.
March 2026
This time, the regulars were
pleased to welcome Martin Sullivan, who only joined the BCA in October
2025. It’s great to see relatively new
members taking advantage of some of the chess activities that the BCA offers. How Good is Your Chess is a great place to
start for those who are familiar with the moves and notation!
The game under scrutiny was GM
Miguel Illescas Córdoba v GM Nigel Short, Pamplona 1999, Queen’s Gambit Declined. Again, the session was great fun with many analysis
lines being discussed as a group. In the
end, Steve Bailey achieved a score that was well ahead of the chasing pack and
equated to the score of an internationally rated player! Steve said he used to admire Short’s games
and had studied some of them years ago, which just goes to show that, in chess,
hard work can sometimes pay off much further down the line.
The final scores were: Steve Bailey 33; Abi Baker 20; Richard Harrington 17; Philip
Doyle 16; Voldi Gailans 15;
Dan Rugman and Mark Hague 14; Nene Clayton 12; Gill Smith and Richard Hayward 11;
Janet Lucas and Martin Sullivan 10; Mark Noble 8.
April 2026
On this occasion, the focus was
on a 1997 game played in Biel between French GM Joel Lautier and former World
Champion GM Anatoly Karpov of Russia.
The opening was a Caro-Kann.
Olle Engstrom from Sweden, who
had taken part in How Good is Your Chess at an over the board event some years
ago, joined us for a Zoom session for the first time and was warmly
welcomed!
Once again, there were
interesting discussions, and lots of examples of chess friends congratulating
others on their analysis or making constructive comments. The group is very supportive, and nobody need
fear putting their ideas forward, even if they don’t turn out to be very good
ones!
Steve Bailey repeated his feat from the March session, once again achieving a score
equivalent to that of an internationally rated player! The final scores were:
Steve Bailey 43, Dan Rugman 29, Stan Lovell 27, Mark Hague and Olle Engstrom
24, Bill Armstrong 23, Richard Harrington 22, Philip Doyle and Richard Hayward
21, Abi Baker and Martin Sullivan 19, Gill Smith 18, Gary Wickett 12.
Eamonn Casey and Philip Doyle write:
Welcome to our 24th BCA email tournament! There are twenty participants on this occasion. We have divided these into five divisions with four players in each division, based on BCA grades, performance in previous email tournaments where applicable, and where possible, incorporated promotion and relegation. As there are four players in all divisions, half the players will have two whites, and half the players will have two blacks, dependent on the seeding. All players will play a maximum of 3 games. The composition of the divisions is as follows:
Division 1: Philip Doyle, Steve Burnell, John Fullwood and Eamonn Casey.
Division 2: Marilyn Bland, Anton Emery, Tony Elbourn and Voldi Gailans.
Division 3: Malcolm Jones, Mark Noble, Mike Flood and Julie Leonard.
Division 4: Gill Smith, John Ramm, Tony Lawton and Ashar Smith.
Division 5: Maria Dod, Catherine Turner, Richard Harrington and Martin Sullivan.
Divisions 1, 3 and 5 will be controlled by Eamonn, and divisions 2 and 4 will be controlled by Philip. The starting date for play was Wednesday 1st April, finishing up on Tuesday 30th June.
Mark Noble writes:
On Saturday the 24th of January 2026, BCA members from all over the UK made their way by car, bus and train to the Lauriston Hotel, Weston Super Mare for the Chess Theme Break. With a total of 31members attending and many coming by train, it was a day that the train special assistance team will not forget for some time. On arrival we were allocated our rooms and had time to freshen up before going to the bar to be welcomed by Gary Wickett, this year’s organiser. He gave us an outline of the week’s activities. We then enjoyed catching up, with old friends and new, before a lovely dinner and social evening.
On Sunday morning the coaching sessions began. The coaches tutored the beginners in groups of one or two at the same time. Gerry Walsh was running his “How Good is Your Chess” with groups of two to three members at a time. After dinner we were welcomed to join a BCA quiz. The questions came from four quiz masters – Celia Gibbs, Terry Roberts, Anthony Wilcox and Val Cuthbert. Although Val was unable to attend in person, Julie read Val’s questions for us. The teams were as follows - Five Alive, Skydivers, Bashful Bishops and the Wood Pushers, who were the winners with a score of 30.5, just beating the Bashful Bishops by half a point. In the winning team were Susan Hughes, Mark Noble, Anthony Wilcox, Richard Harrington, Molly Lewis and George Phillips. There seemed to be a common theme in the questions which related to giraffes. 1. What is a group of giraffes called? 2. Which mammal has no vocal cords? 3. What is the colour of a giraffe’s tongue? Answers on a postcard please.
On Monday, we had two more coaching sessions and then after dinner, Steve Cesari played music from the 60’s and 70’s and some BCA members danced the night away. On Tuesday, we had two more coaching sessions and a trip out to the Green House café for lunch. In the evening the fun went on with Abi Baker and Gill Smith’s “Call my Bluff”. Points were scored for spotting the real word or by getting other teams to believe the word your team had made up was true. The teams were Brain Boxes, 3 points (Abi and Gill got 3 points for getting the teams to believe their made-up words), and the other two teams who came in top place, Skyfall and Simon Says, on 4 points each. Then we had a music quiz called “Needle in a Haystack”. There were 14 questions, each was a piece of music one second long on repeat. Simon Says, were the runaway winners with 17.5 points. The other two teams scored 6 points each.
For those members looking for coaching, there had been six coaching or “How Good is Your Chess” sessions in total, a morning and an afternoon class, from Sunday to Tuesday. Our thanks go to all of those who gave their time to coach. This is how the scores ran for the HGIYC -
Game
1 Shapovalov v Sanakoev
Gill Smith and Dan Rugman 35; and Mark Hague 34.
Game
2 Tal v Flesch
Lea Ryan and Tony Lawton 23; Gill Smith and Dan Rugman 21; Mark Noble 19; Susan Hughes and Anthony Wilcox 18; Abi Baker 17; Richard Harrington, Mark Hague and Helen Humle 16; and Des Masterson 15.
Game
3 Karpov v Sax
Abi Baker and Helen Humle16; Richard Harrington 11; and Mark Noble 9.
On Wednesday, we had a coach trip to Wells Cathedral. The coach driver took us on the scenic route via Little Cheddar Gorge. The coach dropped us off a short walk from the cathedral. We then split into three groups. One went off to have a look at Wells market and town; the other two met their guides for a touch tour of the Cathedral. It really is a stunning building, in the gothic style, nearly 850 years old.
We were encouraged to feel some of the columns and statues. More than 1,000 services are held every year in the cathedral. In 2009 the Cathedral undertook the funeral of Harry Patch. Harry Patch was the last British army veteran of World War 1 who died at the age of 111. We had a pleasant lunch in the cathedral café before rejoining the coach for another scenic route home, via Wookey Hole village. Once back at the hotel, we had time to relax before enjoying a bit of Rock and Roll with Chris Rainbow in the bar.
On Thursday, the mini tournament began with two rounds of a Swiss style tournament. In the afternoon three players from Weston-super-Mare chess club and seven BCA members took part in a simultaneous display. Malcolm Dinham, Kerry Kyriacou and Mike Davis played two or three of us at a time. Malcolm lost to Gary Wickett quite quickly so started a second game which they agreed was a draw at the end of the allotted time. Tony Lawton managed a draw with Kerry. Well done Gary and Tony! Michael won his games. Final result: BCA scored 2 points and our visitors scored 6.
Then we met in the bar for another Murder Mystery to be solved. This midwinter murder, “An Unfathomable End” was written by Julie Leonard and had been inspired by an idea from Freya Smith. Julie, as Madame Marbelle, was encouraging us to discover who had murdered Captain Brizzlebeard. The suspects were: Capt. Cutthroat Kate (Freya Smith) with her talking parrot Dirty Dolly (Claire Norman), Capt. Madman Morgan (Richard Murphy), Capt. Grace Lovelace (Molly Lewis), and Capt. Pie-eyed Pete (Gerry Walsh).
We listened carefully to Madame Marbelle’s tail of piracy on the high seas. Then we inspected many items of evidence to unlock the clues within. At the same time the teams took turns at interviewing the dodgy dozen above to try to unravel who did the murder and why. There were many misleading trails, but I am pleased to say that my team won. Capt. Lovelace was the murderer, well done to Tony Lawton, Jen Pape, George Phillips and Mark Noble.
On Friday, we had the last 3 rounds of the mini chess tournament. Then at 5pm we met in the bar area for the final scores and drawing of the raffle. Gary Wickett made a speech thanking everyone who had assisted him in organising the week but also thanked all those that had done so much towards the smooth running of the week. In particular he thanked Julie Leonard for all of her support and promised to remove her from his speed dial. He said it was his favourite week of the year.
As to the chess, Gary Wickett won the 2026 Peter Gibbs Award. The scores were as follows:
Gary Wickett and Simon Highsmith each had 4 points, but Gary won on tie-break with a sum of progressive scores of 13. Simon had 11.
Dan Rugman and Des Masterson each scored 3.
Mark Noble had 2.5.
Richard Harrington, Helen Humle and Tony Lawton scored 2.
Anthony Wilcox had 1.
Freya’s raffle then followed with 23 prizes, including of course a giraffe mug. The raffle raised £211.Then followed the BCA Soirée. This will be difficult for me to describe in a single paragraph, as the music produced by our members is brilliant. It started with Thuy and Tanvi playing “Let it Be” in a style known as “Ala Stan”. We also had Colin Chambers and Julie Leonard singing “The Wayward Wind” and then continued like a CD of “Now That’s What I Call Music”. All the old favourites were there, John and Pam Jenkins with “The Highway Man” and some new ones too. Brandan Read sang “You Were Always on My Mind”. Julie sang a version of the Turtles’ “Elenore”, as a memorial song to a very missed Eleanor Tew, accompanied by Thuy and Gary. There were so many more great songs, but too many for me to list here.
Thanks again to all those who made this event such a fun week!
Former
Editor’s note: In the
February issue, I said there would be a piece in memory of Eleanor Tew in the
May gazette. Sadly, this has not been
possible because Eleanor’s Quaker friends are compiling an account of her life
and it is not yet finished. Please be
assured that there will be a gazette article on Eleanor as soon as possible.
On Friday 20 March the 2026 AGM Tournament began at the Mercure Sheffield Parkway Hotel. After a speedy taxi from Sheffield station, where our driver didn’t stop for one single red light, we arrived at the hotel. The layout of the hotel was very simple, with the front desk immediately in front of the opening doors, the restaurant to the left and the playing room to the right, and the lift only a few steps from the front desk. The hotel rooms in use by members of the BCA were over all three floors, but all floors had a single hallway and were easily navigable. I was particularly delighted that the hotel room had a mini fridge for storage use, and plenty of charging ports for an array of electronic devices. There was also a good amount of green space only a short walk from the hotel.
The food at the hotel was a particular plus point with plenty of the members, and there was agreement each night that portions were hearty, enjoyable, and served in a timely manner. I am personally easily won over by any hotel that serves black pudding with the breakfasts and was even more charmed by cheesecake on the dessert options on two of the evenings. The hotel staff were helpful at dinners and at breakfasts and always had a friendly manner, joking particularly that they do like to serve a lot of food in Yorkshire.
The chess room was large and had a sensible temperature for the weekend, and there were no ambient noises from any other meeting rooms in use or general noise from the hotel, which was nice. All games were finely stewarded by Richard Murphy and arbitered expertly by Gerry Walsh and James Connors. While the members were captivated by their games, the guide dogs in attendance were themselves captivated by the sight of bunnies in the field behind the hotel, from the big windows in the playing room. The room also served for the AGM and for the usual social of the weekend, where lucky members of the BCA were treated to well-loved and eagerly awaited renditions of classic songs from our more talented members.
The quality of games over the weekend was as excellent as always, and although I managed to finish the weekend with only one point (and from a bye at that), there was plenty to celebrate at the prizegiving for the tournament, with many grading prizes given out. The victor in the Open section of the tournament was Chris Ross (after a close-run competition against Tristram Cole), while Rosie Irwin finished as the winner of the Challengers, both with an impressive 4.5 points from five games.
Overall, there were plenty of positive comments from members about the hotel and the tournament over the weekend, and I would fully expect that we will return there for a weekend tournament very soon. Members were pleased with the quality of the food, the friendliness of the staff, and the simple and easily navigable layout of the hotel, especially when compared to some of the hotels for previous AGMs and weekend tournaments. I eagerly look forward to a comfortable atmosphere and lashings of food. – Phil Rafferty.
Final
scores in the Open section:
4.5 points: CM Chris Ross and Tristram Cole, with Chris
narrowly winning the trophy on tie-break.
3.5 points: Gary Wickett.
3 points: Brandan Read, Ben Fletcher-Harris and Ian
Blencowe.
2.5 points: Bill Armstrong.
2 points: George Phillips.
George won the rating prize.
1.5 points: Voldi Gailans, Mark Kirkham and Stan Lovell.
1 point: Dan Rugman.
Final
scores in the Challengers section:
4.5 points: Rosie Irwin.
4 points: Steve Bailey.
3 points: Gill Smith, Abi Baker and John Osborne.
2.5 points: Tony Lawton.
2 points: Richard Harrington and Clare Gailans. Richard and Clare shared the rating prize.
1 point: Phil Rafferty.
From
Chris Ross and Tris Cole, who finished joint first in the Open, with
annotations by Chris.
AGM
TOURNAMENT 2026 ROUND 3, TRISTRAM COLE – CHRIS ROSS. B44: Sicilian: Taimanov.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. c4
The clash of the top two seeds in the Open section. White has a poor record in recent games against Black, so wanted a solid set up. The Maróczy Bind gives White a very solid platform, from which he can begin to frustrate Black. Black, the stronger player, will have to take risks and be patient, to break it down.
5. ... Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 7. a3
Not knowing current theory, White goes off base. This is a passive move, that isn’t strictly necessary. Played to prevent ...Bb4, but excellent knowledge of the latest analysis of the Taimanov will give White no concern for such pins. With Black adopting the Taimanov, establishing his pawns on f7-e6-d7, exchanging the DSB should only be done for serious compensation and a significant positional gain.
The text-move sets White slightly back in development, but as the centre is blockaded, Black cannot exploit the loss of tempo immediately. However, equalising for Black is no longer a concern.
7. ... a6 8. Be3 d6 9. Be2 Be7 10. O-O O-O11. f4
The move f4 is perfectly feasible in many Maróczy Bind structures, but White tends to complete development before establishing space in the centre. Also, the black queen can be slightly exposed on the C-file and with a white rook vis-à-vis the lady, Nd5 tactics come into consideration.
Since the e4-pawn is an obvious focus for Black, once the LSB is fianchettoed on the long diagonal, the more prophylactic f2-f3 to cement the e4-pawn may be more circumspect. Having advanced f2-f4, the white e4-pawn will never be supported by a pawn. Not immediately significant, but prudence is often observed by top players.
11. ... Bd7 12. Rc1 Rfe8
With the long-term objective of targeting the e4-pawn. Room is made for the black pieces to manoeuvre around on the first 3 ranks. The re-shuffling waits for White to overextend. Since the usual manoeuvre Nc6/Ne5/Ned7 is not feasible, the queen’s knight’s other route to g6 is facilitated via e7.
Opening the centre allows the e8-rook to pressurise the e4-pawn. In such positions, quiet manoeuvring and long-term strategic adjustments are necessary. Neither side has an immediate attack or tactic ploy.
13. h3
Yet another PR3-move and not a particularly attractive one. Worried again about ... Ng4 ideas, White decides to rule out this option. More tempo is lost and the threat of ... Ng4 is very slim, achieving little. This reinforces that f2-f3 would have been more prudent earlier. However, due to the nature of the position, neither of the PR3-moves are detrimental to White. It is slow, but Black cannot punish White for his lethargic approach.
13. ... Rac8
Developing as normal, in no hurry to exploit White’s apathy. If Black wishes to tackle the centre, 13. ... e5 14. fxe5 dxe5 15. Nb3 is the approach, but this seems premature. Giving up control of the d5-square should only be done when a plan for material gain and a strategy for improvement are clearly evident.
14. Nf3
White goes backwards. Retreating the centrally placed knight is counterintuitive. Black had options of exchanging this knight and relocating his LSB on c6, but the white DSB would land a dominating position on d4, with e4-e5 ambitions. White appreciated that the lights squares on the queenside were becoming vulnerable, namely the c4-pawn and potentially, the b3-square. The knight retreat is to secure those potential vulnerabilities.
14.... Bf8
Vacating the e7-square for the queen’s knight and opening up the rook on e8 to target the e4-pawn. White is doing little to distress the Black pieces, so there is time to rearrange the forces and find optimal squares for them.
15. Bd3 Ne7
Bringing the queen’s knight to the kingside and vacating the c6-square for the LSB. The classical freeing move in the Sicilian for Black, ... d5 is given further impetus. If ... d5 can break the Maróczy Bind, Black is on the way to achieving an advantage. If not ... d5, then the break ... b5 is an alternative, which Black adopts in this game, but to his detriment. The strategic ideas are accurate for Black, but the immediate tactical consequences are not fully calculated. Trying to play stylistically, Black does not appreciate the White resources. Intent on creating winning opportunities, Black overestimates his position and capabilities. In a cramped position, such as the Maróczy Bind, patience is a virtue. Black, from now on, does not exercise restraint and proceeds to worsen his position. Attempting to extract an advantage from a position of favourable circumstances is good enough, but consideration for one’s opponent’s resources and abilities is critical. It’s a difficult balancing act to weigh up when to take risks to win a position, but as many a great player has proclaimed, always play the board, not the man.
16. Nd2
Black’s lacklustre play has given White the opportunity to gain a significant advantage with 16. e5 Nf5 17. Bf2 dxe5 18. fxe5 after which Black has serious difficulties.
16. ... Ng6 17. b4 Qb8
A sad retreat, but Black is attempting to create activity and he pushes too far. White has done nothing wrong. He waited for his time, and it is not upon him to validate his position.
18. Qe1 b5
Ambitiously and impatiently played. Black is probably theoretically lost. Given the tournament time control, it was probably justified, but in technical terms, this is a stride too far for Black, who makes every attempt to break the Maróczy Bind. More patience was required by Black, and whilst White was not exerting overtly aggressive intentions, there was time and ability to improve the position without outright attempts to refute White’s structure. Despite Black’s aspirations to confuse and complicate the situation, White remained remarkedly calm and calculated and exploited Black’s irrational play to the full.
19. Qe2Simple and best. The b5-break cannot be maintained.
19. ... Qa8
The black counter-play is becoming nebulous. The initial focus of the e4-pawn causes a distraction. However, Black is resorting to obscure tactics to justify his position. The Maróczy Bind has been broken, but there is little compensation for Black. The fall of the e4-pawn means little, due to the white passed queenside pawns.
20. cxb5 axb5 21. Nxb5 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Rb8
Attempting more tactics, but White has everything under control. The queenside passed pawns are simply too strong. The collapse of the e4-pawn is of no importance.
23. Rc3 Bxb5 24. Bxb5 Nxe4
Recovering a pawn but leaving White with a substantial queenside advantage. With a consolidation of the position, the queenside passed pawns for White will prove to be fatal for Black.
25. Nxe4 Qxe4 26. g3
White should not be concerned about his f-pawn. Consolidating the position is more important. Exchanging queens would make it easier for White to convert the queenside passed pawns. After 26. Qd3 Qxd3 27. Bxd3, White is well on the way to victory.
26. ... Qf5
Forking the b5-LSB and h3-pawn, although in the grand scheme of things, the h3-pawn is irrelevant. Once the white pieces are suitably coordinated, the queenside passed pawns will begin to roll without hinderance.
27. Bd3 Qxh3
Snatching the h3-pawn but putting the black queen offside. It will take considerable time to reroute her back to the queenside to halt the advance of the passed pawns. Black is on the verge of total loss now.
28. Bf2 d5
With little for Black to do now, an attempt is made to open up the DSB, although its effect on the position is belated. The black passed d-pawn has little chance of further advance. White’s bishop pair rake through the centre and queenside and support the advance of the queenside passed pawns.
29. b5 Ra8
Attempting to distract White by attacking the a3-pawn, although this is not the most potent of the passed pawns. The advance of the B-pawn will result in a material gain for White. After 29. ... d4 30. Rb3 Bd6, 31. b6 slows the b-pawn, but its advance is inevitable.
30. Qb2
Reaching serious time-shortage, White goes into overprotection mode when the a3-pawn does not need it. White can push the b-pawn through with 30. b6 Rxa3 31. Rxa3 Bxa3 32. b7.
30. ... d4
Once again, Black is attempting distraction tactics. There’s little else for him to do. If he sits passively, White will slowly advance the queenside passed pawns.
31. Rb3 Bc5
Defending the d4-pawn but making little impact on the advance of the passed pawns. Attacking the b6-square is not important. It is more critical to control the queening square, b8, so ideally the DSB belongs on d6. After 31. ... e5 32. b6 exf4 33. Be4 gains tempo on the black rook and provides rearward defence to the white king.
32. b6 e5
Generating more distractions in White’s time shortage. This provides a route for the black queen to reverse to the queenside and possibly guard the c8-square. The distraction alone is enough to avert White’s attention to cause sufficient enough concern. However, White should continue regardless of Black’s shenanigans. More prudent would be to try and bring the knight back around to guard the queening square, however fruitless it is. The b-pawn becomes a real monster after 32. ... Nf8 33. Qc1 Nd7 34. b7.
33. Bxg6
A panic response in serious time shortage. White wishes to liquidate and to avoid potential tactics on the kingside. This is unnecessary. Calm composure by White will soon convert his advantage. The black knight was in no danger of entering the kingside and Black has now avoided back rankers. The comparative strength of the two minor pieces clearly show that the exchange is not in White’s favour. After 33. b7 Rb8 34. Qc2, Black has no way to stop the white queen penetrating. Ideas of Bf5 and Qc8+ are simply too strong.
33. ... hxg6 34. fxe5
Again, White is concerned about Black’s counterplay, when proceeding with his own plan is critical. Dismantling the kingside pawns will yield nothing for Black. 34. Qc2 Bd6 35. b7 is against the route to convert the advantage.
34. ... Qg4
With the idea of harassing White on the light squares, although this is not significant. After 34. ... Rd8 35. Rd3 Qf5, Black can hope.
35. b7
White could keep a firmer grip on the position with 35. Rb5 when after 35. ... Qd1+ 36. Kg2 Black must give up material with 36. ... Bxb6. However, with no prospects of a swindle, Black could resign.
35. ... Rb8 36. a4
The a-pawn is not required to convert a material gain for White here. The key concept is once again 36. Rb5, when after 36. ... Qe4 37. Rxc5 Rxb7 38. Qd2 the extra piece means an easy win for White. The text-move breathes hope into Black’s position. In White’s extreme time shortage, complete salvage mode is in progress.
36. ... Qd1+ 37. Kg2 Qg4Missing an opportunity to further muddy the waters and to save the position.
Black has perpetual chances after 37. ... d3 38. Qb1 Qe2.
38. Qc2
White can shut out the black queen’s counterplay simply by playing 38. Qc1 Qe4+ 39. Kg1 and Black has no further means to stop the white queen from penetrating on c8.
With mere minutes left to conclude the game and no increments, White offered a draw here. This is understandable and Black was obviously delighted to accept, but White’s play and excellent control certainly was deserving of the victory. On the strength of the play, White was fully deserving of the attention, credit and acclaim. Plaudits to White’s conduct and play and a duly deserved salute of congratulations is duly proffered.
Draw agreed.
From
third prize winner in the Open Gary Wickett:
AGM
TOURNAMENT 2026 ROUND 5, GEORGE PHILLIPS - GARY WICKETT
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Bf4 d5 4. e3 Bd6 5. Bg3 Nc6 6. Nb5 Ne4 7. Nxd6 Nxd6 8. c3 0-0 9. Bd3 Re8
10. Nf3 b6 11. h4 a5 12. h5 h6 13. Bf4 Ba6 14. g4 f6 15. Bg6 Rf8 16. Qc2 Kh8 17. 0-0-0 b5 18. Nh4 b4
19. Bd3 Bxd3 20. Qxd3 Ne7 21. f3 bxc3 22. Qxc3 Ra6 23. Qd3 Rc6+ 24. Kb1 a4 25. Ng6+ Nxg6
26. Qxg6 Nf7 27. Rdg1 Qb8 28. Rg2 Qb5 29. Rhg1 Rb8 30. Bh2 Ng5 31. Bf4 f5 32. Be5 Qd3+ 33. Ka1 Rg8
(and offers a cheeky draw.) 34. Qxh6+ Nh7 35. Qg6 Qxe3 36. h6? Rc1+ 37. Resigns.
Now
from the Challengers tournament, a game from the section winner, Rosie Irwin:
AGM
TOURNAMENT 2026 ROUND 4, ROSIE IRWIN–STEVE BAILEY. B06: Modern Defence.
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. Be3 a6 5. Be2
The clash of the top two seeds in the Challengers section. White, being a half-point behind, needed a victory to overhaul her rival. The Modern Defence is a solid setup, and if White overextends, weaknesses can be left. It is perfectly acceptable to develop the LSB on e2. Putting it on c4 is more active, but it can be vulnerable. An immediate b7-b5 puts the question to the LSB, which may be stranded if driven back to b3.
5. ... b5 6. O-O Bb7 7. Nbd2 Nd7 8. c3
Solidifying the centre. White's structure is very firmly established. Until it becomes exactly clear to where the black king is to be located, White need not open lines.
8. ... Rc8
Intending to strike the central pawns from the flank. This foregoes the option of castling queenside. A more direct attack on the centre would be 8. ... Ngf6 9. Qc2 when Black can secure his king with 9. ... O-O or opt for operations on the queenside.
9. Qb3
An intriguing development square for the lady. This is not a usual location for the white queen in a Modern Defence structure. However, Black has somewhat neglected his LSB and with the text move, the vulnerability of this minor piece is clear. The pinned b5-pawn will soon be targeted by an a2-a4 pawn-break.
9. ... h6
A considerable positional inaccuracy. This seriously compromises the light squares around the black kingside. Black was concerned about Ng5 ideas, but this is not a threat. The f7-square is weak, but Black can castle and protect it adequately. Better for White is 9. ... Ngf6 10. e5 dxe5 11. dxe5 but at least the black king can escape. PR3-moves should only be played if they serve a bigger purpose and importantly, do not contribute to further positional weaknesses. With Black having played g7-g6, a second pawn move leaves vulnerabilities in their wake. This tempo loss should give White a material advantage.
10. a4 Ngf6 11. Bd3
Defending the e4-pawn, but White could punish Black for his slow opening play and strike at the vulnerable light squares. If 11. e5 Nd5 12. axb5 axb5, White has 13. Bxb5 and e5-e6 shattering the black pawn formation.
11. ... d5 Putting another pawn on a weak light square and shutting in the LSB.
Black ought to run his king for the hills with 11. ... O-O at the cost of a pawn.
12. e5 Nh7 Not appreciating the grave danger for the black king and the vulnerability of the light squares.
The g6-pawn needed shielding from the white LSB. After 12. ... Ne4 13. e6 fxe6 14. axb5 axb5, White can pick off the b5-pawn whenever she wishes. The shattered black pawns give White a huge advantage.
13. axb5 axb5 14. Bxb5
Snatching the pawn, but tactically, White can put Black to the sword here. After 14. Qxb5 Rb8 15. e6 fxe6 16. Bxg6+ Kf8, Black will not survive many more moves with such a wide open king.
14. ... c6
Another pawn on a light square, further restricting the LSB, which needed defending and 14. ... Rb8 is the only option. Then 15. e6 fxe6 16. Qc2 brings the white queen around to target the light squares on the kingside.
15. Ba6
Opting to exchange, since a pawn has been snaffled, appreciating that the endgame is always going to be excellent for White. However, with ruthlessness, Black should not be permitted to last to the endgame. After 15. Bd3 Rb8 16. e6 the g6-pawn collapses once again.
15. ... Bxa6 16. Rxa6 O-O
Black’s king escapes, but it was essential to protect against the e5-e6 disruptive pawn-break with 16. ... Nhf8, re-routing to the e6-square to give Black hope for further survival.
17. Qa4
Playing extremely solidly. The c6-pawn is targeted and the white queen removed from the half-open b-file.
17. ... Nb8
Retreating meekly. Black should be seeking activity here to break the cramped nature of his position. 17. ... c5 saves the c6-pawn and creates slight tension.
18. Ra7 Rc7 19. Rxc7 Qxc7 20. Nb3
Swinging the knight around to the c5-outpost and preventing Black from freeing his backward c-pawn.
20. ... Nd7 21. Qa3 Further clamping down on the c5-outpost, while gaining tempo on the e7-pawn.
21. ... e6 22. Nc5
Persisting with the notion of exchanging all the pieces to achieve that winning endgame. A more aggressive way to proceed is 22. Rc1 with the idea of opening the c-file and putting the rook vis-à-vis the black queen.
22. ... Rb8
Simply blundering the exchange, after which, there is no salvation. Black could have asked White to demonstrate the technique to convert the endgame with 22. ... Nxc5 23. Qxc5 Qb7.
23. Na6 Qa7 24. Nxb8 Qxb8 25. Ra1 Bf8
Black attempts to generate activity, but it is too late. With the material loss, White simply has to exchange down and the win will play itself. After 25. ... Nhf8 26. b4, with the b-pawn safe, White’s queen can start penetrating.
26. Qa2 Sustaining the solid nature of her play and defending the b2-pawn.
Alternatively, 26. b4 blocks the attack on the white queen and protects the b-pawn.
26. ... f5
Opening further files around the black king, but Black sees no purpose in sitting and waiting for White to slowly squeeze him. Again, a clear plan of action is 26. ... Kg7 27. b4Be7 28. Nd2 wheeling around to the c5-outpost.
27. exf6 Opening lines towards the black king, although this is not necessarily the cleanest plan.
Obscure as it is, 27. Bc1 to protect the b-pawn and removing the DSB from danger is best. If 27... Bg7 28. Qa8 Nhf8 29. Qxc6, White begins to mop up the pawns.
27. ... Ndxf6 28. Ne5 Qe8
Defending the c6/g6-pawns and preventing knight penetrations into g6. Black has too many weaknesses to glue up all the holes. After 28. ... Bd6 29. Qa8 Nf8 30. Qxb8 Bxb8 31. Ra8 Bxe5 32. dxe5 White converts easily.
29. Qb1
A curious retreat, targeting the g6-pawn. 29. Qa7 is the most direct and natural way to penetrate with the white queen. If 29. ... g5 30. Qb7 Qe7 31. Qxc6, the white rook can join in the fun.
29. ... Ne4 30. f3 Nhf6 Simply relinquishing the knight, but material has already been lost.
The only way Black can continue is with 30. ... Nd6 31. Qxg6+ Qxg6 32. Nxg6 Nf5, but there is no joy in this.
31. fxe4 Nxe4 32. Ra7 With the rook's introduction, mate is only a matter of moves away now.
Black plays on, to enable the mate. An excellently calm execution by White, who proceeded to win in the final round to clinch outright victory of the tournament.
32. ... Nd6 33. Qf1 g5 34. Qf6 Be7 35. Rxe7 Qf8 36. Qg6+ Qg7 37. Qxg7# 1-0
Challengers
second prize winner Steve Bailey chose his round 3 game with Gill Smith:
AGM TOURNAMENT 2026
ROUND 3, STEVE BAILEY – GILL SMITH.
1.e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 Nc6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nb4 8. Bxd7+ Qxd7 9. a3 Na6
10. O-O e5 11. fxe5 dxe5 12. Be3 exd4 13. Qxd4 Qxd4
14. Bxd4 Nf6 15. Rae1 Be7 16. e5 Kd7 17. exf6 gxf6
18. Bxf6 Rhe8 19. Bxe7 Rxe7 20. Rxe7+ Kxe7 21. Nd5+ Kd6 22. Nb4 Nxb4 23. axb4 Ke7 24. c4 Rd8
25. Re1+ Kf8 26. h3 Rd3 27. b5 Rb3 28. Ra1 Rxb2 29. Rxa7 Rb1+ 30. Kh2 Rc1 31. Rxb7 Rxc4 32. Rb6 h5
33. Rh6 h4 34. b6 Rb4 35. b7 Rxb7 36. Rxh4 Ke7 37. Rf4 f6 38. Rf5 Ke6 39. g4 Rd7 40. Kg3 Rg7
41. h4 Rg6 42. Kf4 Rg5 43. hxg5 fxg5+ 44. Rxg5 Kf6 45. Ra5 Kg6 46. Ra6+ Kg7 47. Kf5 Kf7 48. Ra7+ Ke8
49. Kf6 Kf8 50. Ra8# 1-0
Joint
third prize winner in the Challengers, Gill Smith, says, “Here is my game with
Abi Baker. I reckon we both played well but,
in the end, I managed to win with a checkmate. It was a good battle.”
AGM TOURNAMENT 2026
ROUND 4, GILL SMITH – ABI BAKER.
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 3. e3 Bb7 4. Bd3 e6 5. O-O Qe7 6. Nbd2 Nc6 7. Re1 O-O-O 8. e4 h5 9. e5 Ng4
10. h3 f6 11. hxg4 hxg4 12. exf6 gxf6 13. Nh2 Nxd4 14. Qxg4 e5 15. Be4 Qc5 16. Bxb7+ Kb8 17. Ne4 Qxc2
18. Nxf6 Bc5 19. Be4 Qa4 20. Be3 Nc2 21. Qd1 Bd4 22. Bxc2 Qb4 23. Bxd4 exd4 24. Bb3 Qd6
25. Nfg4 Rh7 26. Qf3 d3 27. Rad1 Qd4 28. Rd2 d5 29. Qe3 Qe4 30. Qxe4 dxe4 31. Rxe4 c5 32. Bc4 Rh5
33. Rxd3 Rxd3 34. Bxd3 Rd5 35. Re8+ Kc7 36. Re7+ Kd6 37. Re3 a5 38. Bb5 Rd1+ 39. Nf1 Ra1
40. Rd3+ Kc7 41. Rd7+ Kb8 42. Ne5 Ka8 43. Bc6+ Kb8 44. Bb7 Ka7 45. Nc6#
From
another joint third prize winner, Abi Baker: “Here’s my game against Tony in which
I had white.”
AGM TOURNAMENT 2026
ROUND 2, ABI BAKER – TONY LAWTON.
1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nc6 3. Be2 e5 4. d4 e4 5. Ne5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 f6 7. Qd4 b6 8. Bb5+ Bd7 9. Qxd5 Rc8
10. e6 c6 11. exd7+ Qxd7 12. Qxe4+ Be7 13. Be2 Nh6 14. Qh4 Nf7 15. e4 Rd8 16. Nc3 Bb4 17. O-O a5
18. Re1 Bc5 19. Be3 Bxe3 20. fxe3 Qd2 21. Bd3 Rxd3 22. cxd3 Qxd3 23. Rad1 Qc2 24. Qg4 O-O
25. Qe6 Kh8 26. Qxc6 Qxb2 27. Na4 Qxa2 28. Nxb6 a4 29. Nxa4 Ne5 30. Qc7 Qxa4 31. Rd8 Re8
32. Red1 Nf7 33. Qxf7 Qxd1+ 34. Rxd1 Rg8 35. Qc7 1-0
Norman Wragg writes:
Chris Baker has been a friend of the BCA for many years, mainly in the role of acting as coach for BCA teams playing in international tournaments. But very recently he offered to provide a free coaching session for a group of players one evening over Zoom. The session took place on 23rd February and was a great success.
We started the session with a discussion of how we normally try to improve our game, including learning more about openings, the middle game and the endgame. But Chris reminded us that equally important is to try to recognise our mistakes and avoid them in the future. We also considered various factors that can have a negative effect on our frame of mind, even before we sit down at the board, including for example a harrowing journey to the playing venue.
Chris then talked us through one of his games, asking us to say what we would play at various points and then explaining his reasoning for the moves he did make. It was a most interesting and instructive exercise and in view of the positive feedback another Zoom session has been arranged for the evening of 15th May.
If you have not already been involved so far with this level of coaching and feel you would benefit from it, then please feel free to get in touch with Julie Leonard, who will include you on the waiting list. Alternatively, have a word with Gerry Walsh if coaching at a perhaps more basic level appeals to you.
Voldi Gailans writes:
Having read Julie's article in the last edition of this Gazette, I was surprised and pleased to see that the underwater competition was won by Zyon Kollen. A former BCA member came across Zyon on a Visit to Haaksbergen and arranged with him to have some coaching. I was interested in a coaching option at the time and worked with Zyon for several months. It was a very pleasant experience as Zyon's calm and friendly approach made the sessions extremely enjoyable and we got through a lot of work, mainly on tactics and endings. We finished our programme of coaching sessions by mutual consent, and I hadn't heard of Zyon since then, until Julie's article appeared. I was fairly sure that the underwater champion had to be the Zyon I knew as it was the kind of event I imagined he would take part in. I therefore dropped him a line and he wrote back with a warmly worded message, saying how much he had enjoyed our sessions and telling me that he was indeed the man in question.
As it happens, I will be going to Holland with the family in August and we will be staying very close to where Zyon lives. When I told him this in my message, he suggested that we might meet up, which all goes to prove the great value of chess in a social context.
All this came out of the Haaksbergen initiative, an annual event which ran for many years in the small town of Haaksbergen in Holland, the idea of which was to facilitate a spirit of friendship through chess in which VI chess players from various countries were put up by host families, playing three games of chess in a friendly competition. Many of our players took part in these events over many years.
Julie Leonard writes:
Jon and Maria Lilley (Graham’s brother and sister-in-law), who have very kindly sponsored this award, joined us in Sheffield to present a medal and a £50 prize to the 2025 winner, Ben Fletcher-Harris. It was a lovely occasion.
For those members who didn’t have the chance to meet Graham, he was a former UK VI champion who represented us countless times in international events spanning more than three decades. He was very well liked and hugely respected as a skilled and tenacious chess player who also showed great determination in life generally. In particular, his loud and infectious laugh won him many friends at home and around the world.
Visually impaired UK members who’ve been with the BCA for at least a whole year, August to August, and who have played in at least one BCA rated OTB tournament during those twelve months are eligible for the award. The winner will be the player whose ECF Standard OTB rating in August has increased the most over the year. 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 2026 ratings will be just three months away so I urge everyone to work hard on improving their chess and see how high you can go in the ratings!
A key tip for improving your chess game is focusing on piece activity, especially in the opening. Instead of rushing to capture pawns or trying to win material early, prioritise developing your pieces, get your knights and bishops out, control the centre, and avoid moving the same piece multiple times early on. By having more active pieces, you'll create more tactical opportunities and make it harder for your opponent to find good moves.
Our lovely friends, Lea Ryan and Mark Hague, got engaged on the 23rd of February, to celebrate twenty years of being together! Lea and Mark are regular attendees at BCA events, where they can often be seen wearing chess themed T-shirts with captions like “Just a Girl who Loves Chess”, or “Never trust an Old Man who Plays Chess”! They both take part wholeheartedly in a wide range of chess activities and it’s always a pleasure to be in their company! Mark is a puzzling regular contributor to the gazette and Lea has people in stitches at her stand-up comedy routines at soirées. I know their many BCA friends will join me in congratulating the happy couple and sending them every good wish for their future together!
Julie Leonard
Julie Leonard writes:
Many thanks to everyone who tried to find as many horsey words or phrases as possible in the February 2026 editorial. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Between you, you found almost all the answers, but I confess to having taken quiet satisfaction from the fact that nobody guessed “clothes” (clotheshorse) or noticed the gee-gee hidden in “astrology genius”! Here are the other 49 answers for which I awarded a point to at least one person:
Year of the Horse; champing; bit; canter; Horse
years; leaders(in a horse race, also lead a horse to water); reined in; Horses;
knights; equine; jump hurdles; cavalry charges; jousts; jockeying; tips (horseracing);
spur; harness; tackle; put out to pasture; Globetrotting; tourney (mediaeval horse
competition); stir up (stirrup); event (three day eventing); stable; heard
(herd); cartwheels; Trojan; buck; box (horsebox); drawn (horsedrawn); tournaments(see
tourney); events; naysayer (neigh); bit between your teeth; main (mane);hoof; nightmare
(mare); nagging (nag); fly (horsefly); saddle; galloping; favourite
(horseracing); hobby (hobbyhorse); workhorses; unbridled; packhorse; pannier; Horse;
ahead (to win by a head in horseracing).
The runaway winner was Alec Crombie, who only missed five of these! He alone spotted herd and (horse)fly, among others. Honourable mentions go to Gerry Walsh, Marilyn Bland, Bill Armstrong, Asif Hussain (who sent his entry at Chinese New Year) and Ian Blencowe. By the time you read this, Alec will have received a bottle of red wine called “Dark Horse”.
February 2026 Puzzle
Joseph Blackburne vs Martin, England, 1876. White to mate in 2.
1r1kr3/Nbppn1pp/1b6/8/6Q1/3B1P2/Pq3P1P/3RR1K1
White: King g1, Queen g4, Rooks d1 and e1, Bishop d3, Knight a7, pawns a2 f2, f3 and h2.
Black: King d8, Queen b2, Rooks b8 and e8, Bishops b7 and b6, Knight e7, pawns c7, d7, g7 and h7.
Clue: Double trouble for Black! Solution: 1. Qxd7+ Kxd7 2. Bb5 double check and mate! 2. Bf5# works too.
May 2026 Puzzle
Wilfried Paulsen vs Adolf Anderssen, Frankfurt, 1878. White to mate in 2.
5rk1/1p1q2bp/p2pN1p1/2pP2Bn/2P3P1/1P6/P4QKP/5R2
White: King g2, Queen f2, Rook f1, Bishop g5, Knight e6, pawns a2, b3, c4, d5, g4 and h2.
Black: King g8, Queen d7, Rook f8, Bishop g7, Knight h5, pawns a6, b7 c5, d6, g6 and h7.
The solution will be in the August Gazette.
Mark Hague
On Christmas morning, Caroline Crombie suffered a seizure at home and was blue-lighted to hospital. Sadly, there was nothing that could be done to help her and on the morning of the 27th of December 2025 she slipped away peacefully. She had remained unconscious since being admitted to hospital and was not in any pain.
Caroline had been an associate member of the BCA for decades. At tournaments, her help with guiding and taking guide dogs out was invaluable. She supported her husband, Alec, throughout his chairmanship, and was very much involved with organising the BCA’s 60th Anniversary celebrations in Oakham. On hearing the news about Caroline, many BCA members expressed their sadness and shared memories of Caroline taking them shopping at tournaments and providing excellent lunches at committee meetings when they were hosted in the Crombie family home. Everyone who knew her will remember her with great fondness.
The following eulogy was given by Alec at Caroline’s funeral on the 16th of January in Uppingham Parish Church, where just over 300 people had gathered to say goodbye to her.
“My dear friends, what a glorious tribute it is to our darling Caroline that so many of you are with us today from near and far, to mourn, but also to gladden our hearts. We want you to know that we feel your love, that we need your love.
“I have heard it said that what is bred in the bone will come out in the flesh. Eighty-one years ago, near Bedford, Caroline was born into a close and loving family, sister in due course to John and Ben, both of whom I'm glad to say are with us today. Many of us will remember with affection Caroline's mother, the redoubtable Helen Laurance. It was also my good fortune to have met Caroline's father David, albeit before Caroline and I first met.
In her turn Caroline produced our own close and loving family. Sarah, Duncan and Hamish are three of the finest young people who in their own turn have given us five of the very best grandchildren, for whom Granny was simply special.
“Of the many tributes I could pay to the love of my life, three demand to be spoken of. Caroline was brave, she was dedicated, she was selfless.
“Caroline was brave because fifty-three years ago she took me on! Yes, yes. A few short months later we were married at Ayston, and our children have never stopped teasing us about the brevity of our courtship! Often in later years many people cope heroically with disability; in Caroline's case she knew she was taking on a commitment for life. And Caroline was courageous and resourceful in practical ways. Some years ago, I took a team of blind chess players to Paris to challenge France's finest. Returning, we hit the mother and father of an October gale in mid-channel. Caroline rallied the troops, helping me to launch an impromptu competition by way of distraction, while at the same time tending the seasick. Midnight saw us stranded at Victoria Station. One of few fully sighted members of the party, Caroline coped and typically came out smiling!
“Dedicated because as a working woman she never permitted herself less than the very highest standards from the day she graduated from Margaret McMillan College, Bradford, to the day she retired from Windmill House School here in Uppingham. I know this because I know about the many young people whom she taught who over the years have sought her out to make their adult selves known and to thank their old teacher for the standards she instilled.
“Selfless. If there is anyone here present who is able to tell me they ever got Caroline to accept a compliment, I will be amazed. During the evil reign of Covid, Caroline was one of those who set to with her sewing machine and worked her socks off to produce gowns and masks, over 200 masks. Rutland’s Lord Lieutenant Sarah Furness instituted a certificate to be presented to those who had gone the extra mile to combat the effects of the virus. Caroline was one recipient, yet Caroline typically brushed it aside.
“In the same vein, some years back of course Caroline and I discussed our respective funeral arrangements. Reflecting just how deeply we have been rooted in our community, I was keen that Caroline be with you all on the day that has turned out to be today. Caroline was not sure. For once, my dear, I have overruled you!
“There are so many things, big and small, which I will cherish and remember. The way she joshed me about my messy coffee-making; our endless debate, do we give up Coronation Street; but mostly her sheer honesty, her sheer love and devotion. As she loved, so she is loved. This is a day I thought would never come, a day I hoped would never come. The day is here, but Caroline will be with us in our hearts for all the days to come.”
Sincere condolences to Alec, his children and grandchildren. R.I.P. Caroline.
Julie Leonard.
Stop Press: News has reached us of the death of Mike Murphy, a wonderfully helpful and popular associate member, and Jorgen Magnusson, IBCA President. We will carry obituaries for them in the next Gazette. – Editor.