Fans cheer 17-year-old Indian world challenger

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 26 April 2024)

North East chess fans gathered at Gosforth Empire Club on Monday evening to celebrate the news that 17-year-old Indian grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh has become the youngest-ever challenger for the World Championship.

Gukesh, from Chennai in southern India, the hometown of five-time World Champion Vishy Anand, has qualified to play a World Championship match against China’s Ding Liren this November after winning the gruelling three-week Candidates tournament in Toronto, Canada, ahead of legendary grandmasters Ian Nepomniachtchi (33, Russia), Fabiano Caruana (31, USA) and Hikaru Nakamura (36, also USA).

Gukesh becomes the youngest player to challenge for the unified World Championship, run by FIDE, the international chess federation.

The Candidates tournament was watched by millions of chess fans online, finishing late on Sunday night with Gukesh on 9/14, half a point ahead of Nepomniachtchi, Caruana and Nakamura on 8.5.
In a dramatic last round, Gukesh held Nakamura to a draw, while Nepomniachtchi and Caruana played a must-win game but could only draw after a titanic struggle lasting six hours and 109 moves.

This week also saw the first 2024 Gosforth Chess Club Summer Blitz, which ended in a victory for Gustavo Leon Cazares (Gosforth), who scored 6.5 points out of 7 and leads the Open Grand Prix with 25 points.

In joint second place were Mick Riding (Gosforth) and David Henderson (Tynemouth) on 5.5.

In the Major category, the winners were Andy Trevelyan and John Turnock (both Jesmond) on 5 points.

The Junior prize was won by Kai Harkensee (Gosforth) on 4.5, and the Minor was won jointly by Jose Grueso (Morpeth) and Brandon Russell (Gosforth) on 4.

The tournament attracted a total of 48 competitors of all levels and ages. The other rounds of the Grand Prix will be held on May 20, June 17, July 15 and August 19.

For more info about these events, contact: enquires@gosforthchessclub.co.uk

Entries in the Open, Major and Minor tournaments are still being accepted for the Durham Chess Congress, which is being held at Darlington’s Dolphin Centre on May 12-14.
Go to https://durhamchesscongress.co.uk/ to register.

The biggest North East chess event planned for this summer is the 7th Northumbria Masters Congress, also at Darlington’s Dolphin Centre, over the Bank Holiday weekend of Thursday 22 to Monday 26 August.

The congress will feature Grandmaster and International Master round robin events, plus three nine-round Swiss tournaments: the Masters Open with several Grandmasters, the Challengers (Under 2000) and Major (Under 1600).

To enter the Northumbria Masters Congress online, go to: https://northumbriamasters.com

puzzles

Puzzle A: Kovalev (White) to play and win:

Puzzle B: Gritsac (White) to play:

Puzzle C: Kotronias (White) to play:

Puzzle D: Stefanova (Black) to play:

Answers:

A: 1 Qxg7+! 1-0. If 1…Bxg7 2 Rxe8+ Bf8 3 Rxf8 checkmate;
B: 1 Rxf7! 1-0. If 1…Rxf7 2 Bb3 wins;
C: 1 Rxh7+! 1-0. If 1…Kxh7 2 Rh1+ Kg6 3 h6 checkmate;
D: 1…Rxh4+! 0-1. If 2 Kxh4 Qf2+ 3 Kg4 or 3 Kh3, 3…Qg3 checkmate.

All welcome at Gosforth Blitz events

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 19 April 2024)

Gosforth Chess Club’s third annual series of summer blitz tournaments gets under way this Monday, with entries welcome from all comers.

The tournaments, held at Gosforth Empire Club and Institute, 32-34 Salters Road, NE3 1DX, take place at 7:15pm on April 22, May 20, June 17, July 15 and August 19.
Each player gets 5 minutes for all their moves, plus 5 seconds added per move.
Entry costs £5 for each event (£2.50 for juniors) and prizes are awarded for the top two players in Open, Major (Under 1900) and Minor (Under 1600) categories.

Players’ best three scores over the five tournaments count towards their Grand Prix total, and two Grand Prix prizes are awarded in each category.

Book your place in advance: enquires@gosforthchessclub.co.uk

More results have been coming in from the Northumberland Chess Association’s 2023-24 Individual Championships.

In the Zollner (Open) Championship, Tim Wall (Newcastle) has beaten David Armbruster (Gosforth) to finish with a perfect 6/6 score, sealing his sixth victory in the competition since 1991.

In the Sell (Under 1950) event, four players are still in contention: Paul Bielby (South Shields) leads with 4/6, followed by Dalil Benchebra (Leam Lane), Mick Riding (Gosforth) and Raj Mohindra (Forest Hall) on 3.5.

In the Gilroy (Under 1700) Championship, Mark McKay (Gosforth) won an exciting last round encounter against teammate Andrew Robinson to win the competition with 6/7.

Scores in full:

Zollner:
1 Wall (Newcastle) 6;
2 Leon Cazares (Gosforth) 4.5;
3-4 David Henderson (Tynemouth), David Armbruster (Gosforth) 3;
5 Andy Trevelyan (Jesmond) 2;
6 Chris Izod 1 (Jesmond);
7 Gary Murphy (Jesmond) 0.

Sell (one round to go):
1 Paul Bielby (South Shields) 4;
2-4 Raj Mohindra (Forest Hall), Mick Riding (Gosforth), Dalil Benchebra (Leam Lane) 3.5;
5 Alex Blake (Gosforth) 3;
6-7 James Ross, Ian Chester (both Gosforth) 2.5;
8-9 Stuart Skelsey (Forest Hall), John Clarke (Tynemouth) 2;
10 Morgan French (Forest Hall) 1.5.

Gilroy:
1 Mark McKay (Gosforth) 6;
2 Blake (Gosforth) 5.5;
3-6 Andrew Robinson (Gosforth), Jeff Baird (Forest Hall), David Pritchard (Gosforth), Joseph Miller (Gosforth) 4.5;
7-10 Dave Peardon (South Shields), Kevin Cox (Gateshead), Lev Drobiazko (Gosforth), Ethan Tatters (Forest Hall) 4;
11-12 David Simm (Morpeth), Robert Heyman (Gosforth) 3.5;
13-15 Denise Mosse (Gateshead), Jonathan Solomon (Forest Hall) Gautham Sathishkumar (Gosforth) 3;
16-17 Steve Downey (Leam Lane), Aaron Cheung (Gosforth) 2.5;
18-19 Morgan French (Forest Hall), Andrew Hardy (Alnwick) 2;
20 Sanjay Sathishkumar (Gosforth) 1.5;
21 Albert Griffiths (Gosforth) 1;
22 Robert Appleby (Leam Lane) 0.5;
23 Johnson Alan (South Shields) 0.

puzzles

Puzzle A: Carsten Hoi (White) to play:

Puzzle B: Carl Hautlaub (White) to play:

Puzzle C: Adolf Anderssen (White) to play:

Puzzle D: Emanuel Lasker (White) to play:

Answers:

A: 1 Qh7+! Nxh7 2 Rg6 checkmate.
B: 1 Ng5+! Fxg5 (2…Kg7 3 Qh5) 2 Qh5+ Kg7 3 Qxg5+ Kh7 4 Rf3 and 5 Rh3 checkmate.
C: 1 Qxg7+! Nxg7 2 xg7+! Kh8 3 g8+! Kxg8 4 Rg1+ Bg5 5 Rxg5 checkmate.
D: 1 Bxg7! Kxg7 2 Qg4+ Kh7 3 Rf3! e5 4 Rh3+ Qh6 5 Rxh6+ Kxh6 6 Qd7! Wins.

Summer Cup off to a flying start

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 12 April 2024)

The North East’s new team chess competition, the World Cup-format Summer Cup, got off to a flying start this week with 10 matches played at the competition’s three hubs: Gosforth, Morpeth and Newcastle.

At the biggest gathering, at Gosforth Empire Club, a total of 42 players were in action in the event, which brings together teams from as far afield as Alnwick and South Shields.

Round 1 saw the event’s first Minor v Major giant-killing acts, with Gateshead (a Minor team) beating Leam Lane (a Major team) and Forest Hall Badgers (Minor) beating Newcastle University (Major).

The revamped Northumberland Chess Association Summer Cup and Plate (to use its full name) retains its ratings handicap system, which gives lower rated teams extra game points, depending on the difference between the two sides.

Previously, all rounds were knockout, but this year, for the first time, teams play in World Cup-style all-play-all groups to qualify for the semi-finals and finals in September. Placings are decided by match points, with the lower rated team going though in the event of a tie.

The winner of each group goes through to the Cup Semi-Finals, while the group runner up qualifies for the Plate Semi-Finals. This format gives clubs more team matches through the summer months, while also giving players a break during the peak holiday season of late July and August.

In Group A, hosted by Gosforth Chess Club on Monday, Gosforth Empire beat Gosforth Regents 4-2.5, Forest Hall Magpies beat Gosforth Jedis 3-2.5 and Jesmond beat Newcastle C 3-2.5.

In Group B, also at Gosforth, Forest Hall Badgers beat Newcastle University 5.5-1 and Newcastle A beat Gosforth Hawthorns 4-3.5.

Group C, hosted by Morpeth Chess Club on Wednesday, saw Morpeth A beat Morpeth B 4-2.5.

And in Group D, hosted by Newcastle Chess Club on Tuesday, Gateshead beat Leam Lane 4-2.5, South Shields beat Newcastle 3.5-2 and Gosforth Centurions beat Tynedale 4-1.5.

The two remaining Round 1 matches (Tynemouth v Alnwick and Gosforth Salters v Gosforth Ivy) will be played next week.

Here are the group standings so far:

Group A
1-3 Gosforth Empire, Jesmond, Forest Hall Magpies 2;
4-6 Gosforth Regents, Gosforth Jedis, Newcastle C 0.

Group B
1-2 Forest Hall Badgers, Newcastle A 2;
3-6 Gosforth Hawthorns, Newcastle University, Gosforth Salters, Gosforth Ivy 0.

Group C
1 Morpeth A 2;
2-4 Morpeth B, Tynemouth, Alnwick 0.

Group D
1-3 Gateshead, Gosforth Centurions, South Shields 2;
4-6 Leam Lane, Newcastle B, Tynedale 0.

Round 2 of the Summer Cup will be held in the week starting May 13 at the same venues.

puzzles

This week’s puzzles are from games and variations in the current World Candidates tournaments in Toronto, Canada.

Puzzle A: Vidit (White) to play and win:

Puzzle B: Gukesh (White) to play and win:

Puzzle C: Tan (White) to play and win:

Puzzle D: Tan (White) to play and win:

Answers:

A: 1 Nxg7+! Bxg7 2 Qh5+ Kf8 3 Qf7 checkmate.
B: 1 Bxe5 dxe5 2 Bxb5+ Ke7 3 Qb4+ Qd6 4 Qxd6 checkmate.
C: 1 Nf6! gxf6 2 Ng6+ Kg7 3 Nxe7 Qxe7 4 gxf6+ wins.
D: 1 Qf7+ 1-0. If 1…Qxf7 2 exf7 and the pawn queens.

League playoffs in full swing

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 5 April 2024)

Sports fans will know the agony and the ecstasy that goes into end-of-season playoffs. One inspired moment, and your team crowns its efforts by clinching promotion. One mistake, and you’re consigned to relegation.

This is the scenario North East chess clubs face, as April is the month where the Northumbria Chess League endgame plays out and it’s decided who goes up and down.
The champion team in the second to sixth divisions is automatically promoted, while the bottom team is automatically relegated.


The 2023-24 divisional champions are:

Division 1: Newcastle A (20/20)
Division 2: Newcastle University A (18/20)
Division 3: Tynemouth B (19/20)
Division 4: Gosforth Hawthorns (17/24)
Division 5: Newcastle University B (18/24)
Division 6: Newcastle B (18/20)

The unlucky relegated teams are: Tynemouth A (Div. 1), South Shields B (Div. 2), Forest Hall Woodpeckers (Div. 3), Morpeth C (Div. 4) and Leam Lane Comets (Div. 5).

In the playoffs, the second-top teams play the second-bottom teams of the division above for a place in that higher division – and in six- or seven-team divisions, this creates a lot of jeopardy in the second half of the season, as teams vie to go up and avoid going down.

The first playoff is being contested by Jesmond (Division 1) and Gosforth Salters (Division 2).

The second playoff, between Forest Hall Foxes (Div. 2) and Gosforth Centurions (Div. 3) has already been played, and resulted in a narrow 2.5-1.5 win to the Foxes. (A 2-2 draw means the team from the higher division stays up).

The third playoff is between Morpeth B (Div. 3) and Leam Lane Bullets (Div. 4).

The fourth playoff is an internal club affair: Forest Hall Squirrels (Div. 4) play Forest Hall Owls (Division 5).

The fifth playoff is between Tynedale (Div. 4) and Alnwick C (Div. 6).

In the Northumberland Individual Championships (open to players from Northumbria League clubs and residents in Northumberland, Newcastle and North Tyneside), the Zollner (Open) section has been decided with a round to go. The winner (for the sixth time, in a record of victories stretching back to 1991) is Tim Wall (Newcastle), who has 5/5 and cannot be caught by second-placed Gustavo Leon Cazares (Gosforth) on 4.5/6).

The other two competitions remain wide open. In the Sell (Under 1950), Paul Bielby (South Shields) leads with 4/6, followed by Mick Riding (Gosforth) and Dalil Benchebra (Leam Lane) 3.5/5, and Alex Blake (Gosforth) 3/5.

In the Gilroy (Under 1700), Mark McKay (Gosforth) leads with 5/6, followed by Andrew Robinson, Alex Blake (both Gosforth) and Jeff Baid (Forest Hall) on 4.5/5; and Dave Peardon (South Shields) and Kevin Cox (Gateshead) 4/5.

puzzles

This week’s puzzles are fittingly all endgame tactics. Find the winning move to clinch victory.

Puzzle A: White to play and win:

Puzzle B: White to play and win:

Puzzle C: White to play and win:

Puzzle D: White to play and win:

Answers:

A: 1 Rxh5+ Rxh5 2 g4+ Kg5 3 gxh5.
B: 1 g8+ Kxg8 2 a7 f2 a8(Q)+.
C: 1 g6! hxg6 2 h6 gxh6 3 f6.
D: 1 Rc6+ Kg5 2 Ra6 Rxa6 3 Kxa6.