Gosforth events brighten up summer

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 26 July 2024)

When you think of Tyneside football history, Wallsend Boys Club inevitably comes up. It was established more than a century ago, in 1904, initially to teach boxing to lads from Swan Hunters shipyards. The club switched its focus to football and became the stuff of legend. Among the 65 professional footballers who got their start at Wallsend are world-class players Alan Shearer and Peter Beardsley, to name just two. Today, the club has state-of-the-art sports facilities, and caters for girls and boys equally.

Chess’s equivalent is Gosforth Chess Club, which meets at Gosforth Empire Club on Salters Road on Mondays (7pm-10:30pm) for adults and Saturdays (10am-12 noon) for juniors. Gosforth has now become the preeminent Tyneside club, with more than 50 adults and up to 30 juniors playing in its year-round competitions.

The club is into its third Summer Blitz Grand Prix, which concludes with its fifth and final round at 7:15pm on Monday August 19. Contenders use their top three scores towards their Grand Prix total. Grand Prix leaders after four rounds are:
Open: 1 Charlie Storey (Morpeth) 74; 2 Gustavo Leon Cazares (Gosforth) 69.5, 3 Mick Riding (Gosforth) 58.5
Major: 1 Alan Welsh (Morpeth) 50.5, 2 John Liddle (Gosforth) 50, 3 Andy Trevelyan (Jesmond) 47
Minor: 1 Reese Wright 41.5, 2 Gianluca Pirozzi 34, 3 Brandon Russell (all Gosforth) 23
Junior: 1 Gianluca Pirozzi 34, 2 Kia Harkensee 24.5, 3 Gautham Sathishkumar (all Gosforth) 18.5

To enter, contact: enquires@gosforthchessclub.co.uk.

On July 14, Gosforth organised its first Open Junior Rapidplay, which took place on July 14 at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Longbenton. A total of 42 players from 28 different schools took part in the tournament, and the event was sponsored by the Community Foundation, a North East charity. The leading scores were:
1 Daniel Sewart (Chorister School Durham, Under 18 Champion) 7/8
2-3 Lev Drobiazko (Stephenson Memorial, Under 14 Champion) & Lee Tim (Belmont, Under 10 Champion) 6.5
4-5 Joseph Machin (Ingelby Manor) & Gautham Satishkumar (Gosforth Central) 6

The other major summer event run by Gosforth is its “Chess in the Park” days. The second monthly open-air event takes place this Saturday, July 27, at Gosforth Central Park from 11am-4pm.

For full info on Gosforth Chess Club activities, go to: https://www.gosforthchessclub.co.uk.

PUZZLES

This week’s puzzles show how the classic king hunt has developed down the centuries.

Puzzle A: 1620 – Gioachino Greco (White) to play

Puzzle B: 1863 – Wilhelm Steinitz (White) to play

Puzzle C: 1992 – David Norwood (White) to play

Puzzle D: 2019 – Daniil Dubov (White) to play

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Bxh7+! Kxh7 2 Ng5+ Bxg5 3 hxg5 Kg8 4 Qh5 f5 5 g6 Re8 6 Qh8 checkmate.
B: 1 dxe6! Nxb3 2 exf7+ Kd7 3 Be6+ Kc6 4 Ne5+ Kb5 5 Bc4+ Ka5 6 Bb4+ Ka4 7 axb3 checkmate.
C: 1 Qxc6+! Kxc6 2 Nxd4+ Kb6 3 Rb1+ Ka6 4 Bb7+ Ka5 5 Bd2+ Ka4 6 Bc6+ Kxa3 7 Bc1+ Ka2 8 Rb2+ Ka1 9 Nc2 checkmate.
D: 1 Bb3! Bd7 (if 1…Kxb3 2 Qc2+, or 1…Bf5+ 2 e4 Bxe4+ 3 Nxe4 just delays the mate) 2 Qc1+ Kxb3 3 Qc2+ Ka3 4 Qa2 checkmate.

Searching for the North East’s next champions

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 19 July 2024)

Great sporting talents, such as those at Euro 2024, do not appear overnight – they are many years in the making. Yet football clubs such as Newcastle tend to buy in the best talent from around the world, rather than undertake the hard work of developing homegrown talent, which takes far longer. If this is true with football, it’s doubly true with chess, where top players’ careers are measured in decades.

For many years now in North East chess – like English chess as a whole – not enough top players have come through. The top boards in the region’s tournaments and leagues lack young players. It’s a problem that local organisers are trying to fix by organising junior chess sections in their clubs (at Gosforth, Forest Hall and Newcastle). But it’s going to take time, and a lot of hard work, to find and develop the new champions.

England’s heyday in world chess was in the 1980s and 90s, when an explosion of interest in the game followed Bobby Fischer’s victory over Boris Spassky in 1972. England went toe to toe with the Soviet Union, and produced a world championship challenger: Nigel Short, from Bolton in Lancashire.

North East congresses sprang up in Alnwick, Tyne & Wear, Seaham, Durham, Middlesbrough and Redcar organised by enthusiastic volunteers. Supportive local councils in those days could offer affordable venues in schools, town halls and community centres.

The engine rooms for chess development were primary and secondary schools, where teachers would give up their time to run after-school and lunchtime chess clubs, and thriving out-of-school junior chess clubs were run by dedicated volunteers. Nowadays, hard-pressed teachers often don’t have the time and energy.

English chess has now been far outstripped by new powerhouses from Eastern Europe, China and India. Eighteen-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh, from Chennai, is the new world championship challenger. Considerable state funding has been put into developing chess talent in India and many other countries.

Finally, English chess may be turning the corner, however, since the UK government’s decision last year to provide close to £1 million for chess development, with money for schools’ clubs and to coach and develop future champions. The plan to develop grassroots chess is being coordinated by the English Chess Federation and supported by Northumberland and Durham Chess Associations. For more information about getting chess going in your area, contact: mickriding@hotmail.co.uk.

The next big regional event is the Northumbria Masters, which takes place from August 22-26 at The Dolphin Centre, Darlington. There are tournaments for everyone from newcomers to budding grandmasters, and entries are being taken online at: https://northumbriamasters.com.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Magnus Carlsen (aged 14). White to play.

Puzzle B: Bobby Fischer (aged 16). White to play.

Puzzle C: Judit Polgar (aged 12). Black to play.

Puzzle D: Dommaraju Gukesh (aged 15). White to play.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Rf7+ Kxe6 (1…Kd8 2 Qxd6+) 2 Qc4 checkmate.
B: 1 Bd7! 1-0. If 1…Qxd7 2 Rxg6+! hxg6 3 Qxd7.
C: 1…Qa4+! 0-1. If 2 Rxa4 Rxa4+ 3 Kb1 Rh1+.
D: 1 Re7! 1-0. If 1…Qxb2 2 Rh7 checkmate.

Forest Hall giantkillers qualify for Cup semi-finals

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 12 July 2024)

The Northumbria Summer Handicap groups have produced a bevy of dramatic last-round matches, with both Forest Hall teams qualifying for the Cup semi-finals, while two Gosforth teams have made it through into the Plate semi-finals.

The handicap system gives lower-rated teams an advantage against higher-rated teams, evening up the chances for all 22 teams taking part in the competition.

In Group A, Forest Hall Magpies (an Intermediate team) qualified for the Cup semi-finals as winners due to a giantkiller win over Gosforth Empire (an Open team), thanks to a win by Forest Hall’s Steve Bowey and a 2.5-point handicap. Jesmond (an Open team) qualified for the Plate semi-finals as the second team in Group A, beating Gosforth Regents (a Major team) 3.5-2.

Group B winners Forest Hall Badgers (a Minor team who were already qualified for the Cup before the fifth round) were defeated 1.5-2.5 by Gosforth Hawthorns, a fellow Minor team. The result allowed the Hawthorns to leapfrog Gosforth Salters and Newcastle A into the Plate semi-finals, due to the Hawthorns being the lower rated team.

Group C results have been known since last month, with Morpeth A qualifying for the Cup, and Morpeth B going into a playoff match with Gosforth Regents to decide the last Plate semi-final place.

In Group D, Gateshead beat Newcastle B 4.5-2, while Leam Lane beat Gosforth Centurions 3.5-2. These results put Gateshead (Minor) ahead of the Centurions (Intermediate) as the lower rated team.

Scores in full:

Group A:
1 Forest Hall Magpies 8
2 Jesmond 8
3 Gosforth Regents 6
4 Gosforth Empire 6
5 Gosforth Jedis 2
6 Newcastle C 0

Group B:
1 Forest Hall Badgers 8
2 Newcastle Hawthorns 6
3 Newcastle Salters 6
4 Newcastle A 6
5 Newcastle University 4
6 Gosforth Ivy 0

Group C:
1 Morpeth A 6
2 Morpeth B 4
3 Alnwick 2
4 Tynemouth 0

Group D:
1 Gateshead 8
2 Gosforth Centurions 8
3 Tynedale 4
4 Leam Lane 4
5 South Shields 4
6 Newcastle B 2

The Cup and Plate semi-finals will take place at Gosforth Empire Club on September 2.
Cup semi-final pairings are Forest Hall Magpies v Morpeth A, and Gateshead v Forest Hall Badgers.
Plate semi-final pairings are Gosforth Centurions v Jesmond, and Morpeth B/Gosforth Regents v Gosforth Hawthorns.

The Durham & Northumberland Blitz Championships at South Shields on July 7 attracted a field of 36 players. Top scores were: 1 Charlie Storey 8.5; 2 Thomas Eggleston (Durham) 8; 3 David Walker (Leam Lane) 7.5.

This Sunday the Gosforth Junior Tournament takes place at St Mary’s Catholic School, Longbenton. Entries to: mickriding@hotmail.co.uk.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Black 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…Nd3+ 2 Kb1 Ndf4+! 3 Ka1 Nxh5.
B: 1 Qc8+ Kh7 2 Nf8+! Bxf8 3 Qxf5+.
C: 1 Rxc6! Qxc6 2 Be4 Qb6 3 Bxa8.
D: 1 Rc8+ Kg7 2 Bf8+ Kf6 3 Rc6+ Kf5 4 Nd4+ Ke4 5 Nxe2.

Northumberland outgunned in Counties Final

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 5 July 2024)

Northumberland’s long journey to the Counties Championship Final ended as they were outgunned 10-6 by Surrey at Newark-upon-Trent last Saturday, despite valiant efforts against a higher rated team.

Winning would have secured Northumberland their second national title in three years. But it was not to be, as Surrey were too strong for Northumberland on the day. Surrey fielded five International Masters (IMs), versus one for Northumberland, and had an average rating of 2135 versus 2096 for Northumberland.

The match was tight until the final hour, when a collapse on the middle boards led to a comfortable Surrey victory. Earlier, Northumberland went a point ahead thanks to a wandering king – not on the chess board, but off it. Half an hour after the match started, there occurred a bizarre breach of the rules by one of the Surrey players. After playing just nine moves, Chris Briscoe went for a 50-minute sightseeing walk around the historic town before returning to the venue. Confusion was caused among both teams, as no one knew where the Surrey player had disappeared to.

Due to the risk of a player cheating by consulting a chess computer, it’s strictly forbidden under the FIDE Laws of Chess for competitors to leave the playing venue unsupervised during play. The standard penalty is that the game is forfeited, and this was the arbiter’s decision.

The Northumberland player, Chris Izod, had to make do without a proper game despite a 300-mile round trip for the match. It later turned out that the Surrey player, an experienced club and county player, had a history of going for long walks in the middle of local club matches in Surrey, but he had never been forfeited until now.

Northumberland’s other wins came from IM David Eggleston (Newcastle RGS), Paul Dargan (Tynemouth) and Yaroslav Kolodiy (South Shields). Draws were recorded by Tim Wall (Newcastle), David Walker (Leam Lane), Jack Erskine-Pereira (Gosforth) and Jounaid El Archi (Newcastle).

Scores in full:

Northumberland 6-10 Surrey
1 James Moreby 0-1 IM Graeme Buckley
2 IM David Eggleston 1-0 IM Peter Large
3 Max Turner 0-1 Gwilym Price
4 Tim Wall 0.5-0.5 IM Susan Lalic
5 David Walker 0.5-0.5 Akshaya Kalaiyalahan
6 Andy Burnett 0-1 IM Nigel Povah
7 Graeme Oswald 0-1 Mark Josse
8 Andrew Dunn 0-1 IM Chris Baker
9 Matthew Forster 0-1 Ashley Stewart
10 Zheming Zhang 0-1 Marcus Osborne
11 Paul Dargan 1-0 Danbe Luk
12 Nathan Ekanem 0-1 Phil Brooks
13 Chris Izod 1-0 (forfeit) Chris Briscoe
14 Jack Erskine-Pereira 0.5-0.5 Daniel Rosen
15 Yaroslav Kolodiy 1-0 Peter Hasson
16 Jounaid El Archi 0.5-0.5 Robert Noyce

PUZZLES

This week’s puzzles all involve a wandering king.

Puzzle A: Wall-Ippolito, 1998. White to play.

Puzzle B: Alekhine-Yates, 1922. White to play.

Puzzle C: Rasmussen-Robson, 2009. Black to play.

Puzzle D: Lasker-Thomas, 1910. White to play.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Bxf4! (also 1 Be2!) Qxa1 2 Be2! Qxh1 3 Bg4+ f5 4 Bxf5+ Kc7 4 Qa7+ Kd8 5 Qxb8+ Ke7 5 Qxd6+ Kf7 6 Qe6+ Kg7 7 Be5+ 1-0.
B: 1 Rxg7! Rxf6 2 Ke5 1-0. If 2…Rff8 3 Rh7+ Kg8 4 Rcg7 checkmate.
C: 1…Rc2+ 2 Kb1 Nf1! 0-1. If 3 Ne4 Nd2+ 4 Nxd2 Kxd2 and 5…Rc1 checkmate.
D: 1 Qxh7+! Kxh7 2 Nxf6+ Kh6 3 Neg4+ Kg5 4 h4+ Kf4 5 g3+ Kf3 6 Be2+ Kg2 7 Rh2+ Kg1 8 Kd2 checkmate.