Gosforth riding high in Northumbria League

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(Chronicle Chess 24 November 2023)

Nothing succeeds like success, they say, and Gosforth Chess Club is on the crest of a wave with its recent victories across the divisions of the Northumbria League. After six weeks of the 2023-24 league season, Gosforth, which continues to add more and more members to its popular Monday club nights, is leading or challenging for the lead in four of the six divisions.

In Division 1, Gosforth Empire are challenging leaders Leam Lane Aces. Scores so far:
1 Leam Lane Aces 5/6;
2 Gosforth Empire 4/6;
3 South Shields A 3/4;
4 Newcastle A 2/2;
5-6 Tynemouth 0/4 and Jesmond A 0/6.

The X factor is pre-season favourites Newcastle A, who have played just one match so far. Once they catch up with their fixtures, the true picture will be clearer.

Division 2 is shaping up to be a thrilling three-horse race between the two Gosforth teams there (the Salters and the Regents) and a resurgent Newcastle University A. Scores so far:
1 Gosforth Salters 7/8;
2 Newcastle University A 6/8;
3 Gosforth Regents 5/8;
4 Morpeth A 2/6;
5-6 South Shields B 0/4 and Forest Hall Foxes 0/6.

Newcastle University Chess Club is reportedly booming this year, with dozens of active players and several strong undergraduate players joining their three teams, including one of Yorkshire’s leading juniors, Mate Ther from Harrogate.

Gosforth Salters may yet have the edge over Newcastle University A, due to Gosforth’s greater strength in depth and student holiday absences potentially affecting the University’s ability to field its strongest team for all matches.

Division 3 is perhaps an even clearer two-way struggle for supremacy between Tynemouth B and Gosforth Centurions. With three rounds completed, they share the lead well ahead of their rivals. Scores so far:
1-2 Tynemouth B and Gosforth Centurions 6/6;
3 Alnwick A 3/6;
4 Morpeth B 2/6;
5 Gosforth Ivy 1/6;
6 Forest Hall Woodpeckers 0/6.

Gosforth teams dominate in Division 4, with the Woodbines and the Hawthorns top dogs. Scores so far:
1 Gosforth Woodbines 7/8;
2 Gosforth Hawthorns 5/8;
3-4 Leam Lane Bullets 4/6 and Gateshead A 4/8;
5 Tynemouth C 3/8;
6 Forest Hall Squirrels 2/8;
7 Morpeth C 1/6.

Newcastle University B is the clear leader of Division 5, winning all three of their matches. Scores so far:
1 Newcastle University B 6/6;
2 South Shields C 5/8;
3 Tynemouth D 4/6;
4 Alnwick B 3/8;
5-6 Leam Lane Comets 2/6 and Gosforth Jedis 2/4;
7 Forest Hall Owls 0/6.

In the brand new Division 6, Newcastle B team are the surprise leaders, winning all three matches. Scores so far:
1 Newcastle B 6/6;
2 Tynedale A 4/4;
3-4 Gosforth Otterburns 2/6 and Newcastle University C 2/4;
5-6 South Shields D and Alnwick C 1/6.

North East schools chess booming

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(Chronicle Chess 17 November 2023)

Imagine the scene: a school cafeteria packed with more than 80 teenagers. But for nearly three hours, you can hear a pin drop. This was the serious atmosphere this week at St Mary’s Catholic School, Newcastle, where a total of 14 school teams were battling it out in a struggle for chess supremacy.

Secondary schools chess is booming in the North East, with the regional qualifier for the English Under 19 National Schools Championships attracting the highest level of participation of any event so far in the national championships.

This is a radical improvement on a few years ago, when St Mary’s had to struggle to find even a single North East school to compete against in a qualifier, and the regional knockout stage had only two or three schools taking part.

The upsurge in entries is due to the efforts of St Mary’s Catholic School, which has marketed the tournament far and wide across the North East,
particularly among state schools. The schools this year came from as far afield as Ashington, Hexham, Boldon and Durham.

St. Mary’s B team won all three matches to progress to the knockout stages of the competition. Also qualifying for the first time for the knockout stage were Jesmond Park A, St Cuthberts, Dame Allan’s and Boldon.

Two school teams had already qualified for the regional knockout stages – St Mary’s A and RGS Newcastle – by virtue of playing in the national
finals this summer.

Scores in full:
1 St Mary’s B 6;
2-3 Jesmond Park A, St Cuthberts 5;
4-5 Dame Allan’s, Boldon 4;
6-9 Ashington, Durham CSF, Queen Elizabeth Hexham A, Ponteland A 3;
10-12 Jesmond Park B, Queen Elizabeth Hexham B, Hexham Middle A 2;
13-14 Ponteland B, Hexham Middle B 0.

School students will also be competing later this month in a tournament organised by Northumbria Junior Chess Association. The event will take
place at RGS Newcastle Junior School Cafeteria, Lambton Road, Jesmond, on Sunday November 26 from 10am to 4pm. Entry costs £8 and is open to all players under the age of 18. Online entries are being taken at: https://njcachess.co.uk/

The growth in schools chess is also due in part to coaching by Tyneside’s three junior chess clubs – Gosforth, Jesmond and Forest Hall.

Gosforth Juniors meet at Gosforth Empire Club, 32-34 Salters Road, on Saturdays from 10am-12 noon. Contact: mickriding@hotmail.co.uk for
more details.

Jesmond Juniors (part of the newly formed Newcastle Chess Club) meet on Sunday afternoons from 2:30-4:30pm at Jesmond Library, St George’s Terrace. Contact: timpeterwall@gmail.com for full info.

Forest Hall Juniors meet at Forest Hall Ex-Servicemen’s Institute, Crescent Way North on Fridays from 5pm-7pm. Info: https://www.foresthallchess.org.uk

We are the champions (of little kids and golden oldies)

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(Chronicle Chess 10 November 2023)

If you walk into most North East chess clubs, the chances are you’ll be surrounded by pre-teens and gentlemen of a certain age (either pensioners or not far off pension age).

It’s often said that chess is a game you can master, no matter how young or how old you are. This has now been proven by England winning world titles in the Girls Under 8 and Over 50 and Over 65 age groups.

Britain’s Bodhana Sivanandan this month won the World Under 8 Girls’ Championship, becoming England’s first world junior champion in 25 years. Shortly afterwards, two of our best-ever players, Grandmasters Michael Adams and John Nunn, won the World Over 50 and World Over 65 titles, respectively. Bodhana has undoubtedly a great future in front of her, while Adams (51, a former World Championship Finalist) and Nunn (68, a former World Championship Candidate) both have great pasts behind them.

These results would seem to indicate that England is among the top countries in the world for chess, but it’s only in the categories for young children and the golden oldies.

Nunn could be described as the smartest chess player of all time, as he is a true polymath – a maths and computing genius who went to Oxford University at the age of 15. It’s often said Nunn was “too intelligent to be world champion.” Adams, a former chess prodigy from Truro, Cornwall, is a nine-time British champion still regularly consulted as an expert by the world’s top players for his deep understanding of chess.

We seem to be great at producing the occasional genius, but in between the very youngest and oldest players, there’s a relative desert. We do very well in Seniors team competitions (winning the World Over 50 and Over 65 championships), but not so well in younger team categories.

In contrast to India, China, Russia, the USA and Uzbekistan – the world’s current strongest chess nations – we are an amateur also-ran, left trailing behind due to a lack of funding and proper training for future grandmasters.

Why is this? Probably it’s because chess is not a sustainable career path in the UK for anyone except the very best and brightest. Unlike other countries who arrange state and private sponsorship for the game, plus full sporting status, in the UK we are still a Cinderella outfit without major sponsorship, and still lacking proper recognition.

Until then, it seems we will have to rely upon our youngest and oldest players for international glory.

Leam Lane take league lead south of the Tyne

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(Chronicle Chess 3 November 2023)

Just like local football rivalries, the competition between teams from north and south of the Tyne is an intense one. In recent years, Newcastle and North Tyneside teams have dominated, but this week Leam Lane Aces took the lead south of the Tyne in Division 1 for the first time in a few seasons.

Winning their first match 4-0 v Tynemouth, and drawing 2-2 against Gosforth Empire, has lifted Leam Lane to top of the table, with their top boards David Walker and Graeme Oswald on a combined 3.5/4 from the first two matches.

Leam Lane have 3 points, ahead of Gosforth Empire and Newcastle A on 2 points. South Shields A are on 1 point, while Jesmond and Tynemouth have yet to score.

In Division 2, the spoils so far are shared by Gosforth Salters and a resurgent Newcastle University A, who drew their second-round match to go equal top on 3 points. Newcastle University have a thriving club thanks to an influx of new players, including one of Yorkshire’s top young talents, Ther Mate from Harrogate. On 2 points are Morpeth A and Gosforth Regents, while Forest Hall Foxes and South Shields B are on zero match points.

The clear Division 3 leaders are Tynemouth B, with 4 match points, ahead of a chasing pack of Alnwick A, Morpeth B and Gosforth Centurions on 2 points. Gosforth Ivy and Forest Hall Woodpeckers are the unlucky teams yet to score.

Leam Lane Bullets are the early leaders of Division 4, with a maximum 4 match points so far. Behind them are Gosforth Hawthorns, Gosforth Woodbines and Tynemouth C on 3 points. Gateshead and Forest Hall Squirrels are on 2 points, while Morpeth C and are on 1 point.

Division 5 is notable for having a total of five joint leaders, all on 2 match points: Tynemouth D, Alnwick B, Newcastle University B, Gosforth Jedis
and Leam Lane Comets. South Shields C and Forest Hall Owls are pointless so far.

There’s a three-way tie for first in the newly created Division 6, between Tynedale, Gosforth Otterburns and Newcastle B, on 2 match points. South Shields D and Alnwick C have 1 point each, while Newcastle University C have yet to get off the mark.

Last weekend, the North of England’s biggest weekend congress, Scarborough, saw fewer North East players taking part than usual. However, the event was a triumph for Alnwick Grandmaster Danny Gormally, who won the Open with 4.5/5 and pocketed a first prize of £700.