North East clubs welcome new players

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 18 October 2024)

Chess clubs around the North East are staging their biggest recruitment drive of recent years as new players are taking up the game in droves. Encouraged by playing online, many new players are joining chess clubs – in schools, libraries, social clubs and pubs. Clubs are reaching out more to recruit new members – offering a mix of friendly and competitive chess.

Newcastle Chess Club is actively recruiting new players of all levels, from beginner to expert. It meets on Tuesdays 7pm-10.30pm, at The Old George Inn off the Bigg Market, for league chess and friendly games, plus internationally rated blitz tournaments on the first Tuesday of each month.

Newcastle also runs a free drop-in club at Newcastle City Library, 11am-1pm on Saturdays, and a Junior Club at Jesmond Library on Sunday afternoons, 2:30-4:30pm. Go to https://newcastlechessclub.com or contact Tim Wall on 0750 372 2366 for full info.

South Shields has recently moved to The Customs House, Mill Dam, South Shields NE33 1ES. Club nights are on Thursdays, and there is a drop-in club at The Word library on Saturdays, 10am-12 noon. For more info, contact Chris Sayers on calexsayers79@gmail.com.

Gosforth, the region’s biggest club, meets at Gosforth Empire Club, Salters Road, from 7pm-11pm, and a Junior Club on Saturdays, 10am-12 noon. For more details, go to: https://www.gosforthchessclub.co.uk.

Cramlington, the region’s newest club, meets on Fridays from 6:30pm at the council offices in Manor Walks Shopping Centre. For more info, contact: cramlingtonchessclub@gmail.com.

Forest Hall, which meets at the Forest Hall Ex-Servicemen’s Institute, runs adult and junior chess activities on Friday evenings. For more info, contact foresthallchessclub@gmail.com.

Leam Lane meets on Tuesdays at Leam Lane Working Men’s Club, contact johnmarsh1948@hotmail.co.uk.

Gateshead plays on Thursdays from 7:15pm at the Carlton Club, 11 Bellevue Bank, Low Fell NE9 6BQ. Info from: peterdwells@btinternet.com.

Newcastle University’s club is open to students and staff and meets on Thursdays from 6.00pm at the Barbara Strang Teaching Centre. Contact: James-Flint@outlook.com for joining details.

Jesmond play at the Punch Bowl, 125 Jesmond Rd on Thursdays from 7:15pm. To take part, contact: andytrev@gmail.com.

Tynemouth meet on Tuesdays at The Hunting Lodge, Earsdon Road, near West Monkseaton metro. Enquiries to davidslk@btinternet.com.

Tynedale meet on Mondays at Ovington Social Club, The Old School House, Ovington, NE42 6DN. Contact: colin.ripley@gmail.com.

Morpeth plays at Morpeth Rugby Club on Wednesdays. Contact: morpethchessclub@gmail.com.

Alnwick meet at Alnwick Rugby Football Club. Drop a line to gellames@yahoo.com for full info.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: White to play and win.

Puzzle B: Black to play and win.

Puzzle C: White to play and win.

Puzzle D: White to play and win.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 g6! Rxh5 2 g7! Rh1 3 g8(Q)+.
B: 1…Rh1+! 2 Kxh1 Kg3! 3 Rf7 (or 3 Bc4) Re1+.
C: 1 Bh5! gxh5 (or 1…Bd5 2 Bxg6 Bg8 3 Bxf5) 2 g6 hxg6 3 h7 wins.
D: 1 Rd1+ Rg1 2 Rf1! Rxf1+ 3 Kxf1 a5 4 bxa5 b4 5 a6 b3 6 a7 b2 7 a8(Q or B) checkmate.

Gormally storms to blitz victory

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 11 October 2024)

Alnwick Grandmaster Danny Gormally enjoyed a handsome victory in the North East Qualifier for the 2024 UK Blitz Championships, held on Sunday 6th October at Gosforth Empire Club. Gormally scored 14.5 points out of 15, well ahead of the field.

He conceded his only draw to Supratit Banarjee (London) who scored 13. Along with Gormally, Banarjee also qualified for the UK Open Finals in Leamington Spa on November 16. The top two female players qualifying from the North East Zonal were Madara Orlovska (Latvia, 9 points) and Irina Briggs (Leam Lane, 4 points).

Gormally and Banarjee will be competing for a first prize of £1,000 in the National Finals, while the Women’s Championship has a first prize of £500.

The other leading scorers were Husain Nakara (Newcastle University) 10.5, Jude Samarasinghe (Sri Lanka) 10 and FIDE Master Andrew Burnett (Newcastle) 9.5. Twenty-eight players took part.

The event, with a time control of all moves in 3 minutes, plus a bonus of 2 seconds added per move, has been run since 2018. The UK Open Blitz this year attracted a total of 501 players, with two players qualifying from each of the zonals for the Open Finals, and two for the Women’s Finals.

The London zonal attracted the biggest field (176 players), followed by South West (Bristol, 73), Midlands (Birmingham, 64), North West (Manchester, 60), Edinburgh (48), Cardiff (35) and Belfast (17).

The first round of Northumberland Chess Association’s main winter competitions, the Northumbria League and Northumberland Individual Championships, are now underway. Divisions 1, 4 and 6 have been playing their first matches this week.

In Division 1, Newcastle Dragons beat Tynemouth A 4-0, Newcastle University beat Leam Lane 3-1 and Gosforth Empire beat Gosforth Salters 3-1. Jesmond Monarchs have the bye.

In Division 4, Tynemouth C beat Tynedale A 4-0 and Newcastle University B beat Alnwick B 3-1.

And in Division 6, Newcastle Cavaliers beat South Shields Custodians 3-1.

In the Zollner (Open) section of the Northumberland Individual Championships, the early leaders with 1/1 are Tim Wall, Andy Burnett and Nathan Ekanem (Newcastle), and Paul Dargan (Tynemouth). Ekanem pulled off a fine victory over FIDE Master David Walker, who is returning to playing in the competition after several years as its organiser.

PUZZLES

This week’s puzzles illustrate four famous checkmate patterns. For a bonus question, three of the checkmates are named after real chess players from history, and one is named after a fictional character. Which one is the odd one out?

Puzzle A: Black to move (Anastasia’s Mate).

Puzzle B: White to move (Boden’s Mate).

Puzzle C: White to move (Cozio’s Mate).

Puzzle D: White to move (Damiano’s Mate).

ANSWERS:

A: 1…Ne2+ 2 Kh1 Qxh2+! 3 Kxh2 Rh5 checkmate.
B: 1 Qxc6+! bxc6 2 Ba6 checkmate.
C: 1 Qh7+ Kg4 2 Qh3 checkmate.
D: 1 Rh8+! Kxh8 2 Qh5+ Kg8 3 Qh7 checkmate.

Odd one out: ‘Anastasia and the Game of Chess’ was the title of an 1803 novel by Johann Heinse.

Gormally fends off young guns

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 4 October 2024)

Alnwick grandmaster Danny Gormally won the 60th Northumberland Weekend Congress, but only after seeing off a strong challenge from three seriously under-rated junior players.

Gormally, rated 2414, won the Open section with 4.5/5. In equal second place on 4/5 were nine-year-old Louis Cheng (Scotland, rated 2047), 13-year-old Fedir Dyshliuk (Ukraine, rated 1855) and 19-year-old Husain Nakara (India, rated 1591).

In Round 2 Gormally was somewhat fortunate to beat Cheng from a worse position, and he only overcame Nakara (a Newcastle University student) after an intense battle. In the final round, Gormally took a quick draw with Dyshliuk to secure sole first prize. Dyshliuk has lived in County Durham since 2022, when his family left Ukraine to escape the war with Russia.

Two of the North East’s strongest veteran players, FIDE Masters David Walker (Leam Lane) and Tim Wall (Newcastle) struggled to keep up with the pace, finishing in the group in joint fifth place on 3.5/5 alongside Theo Khoury (Oxford) and Tommaso Penna (Tynemouth).

A total of 140 players took part in the congress, held at The Parks Leisure Centre, North Shields over 27-28 September. The winners of each section were:

Open

1st: GM Danny Gormally 4.5/5 (£350 and Tyne & Wear Trophy)
Joint 2nd: Fedir Dyshliuk, Louis Cheng and Husain Nakara 4 (£100 each)
U2000: Sean Gordon (£25)
U1900: Mark B Waterfield 3 pts (£25)

Major

1st: Mark Taylor 4.5/5 (£350)
Joint 2nd: Utku Deniz Demir (Newcastle University) and Joel Tofield-Brown (Tynemouth) 4 (£150 each). Tofield-Brown wins the Ian Lambie Trophy.
U1800: Dave Patterson (South Shields) 3.5 (£25)
U1700: Martin Baxter 3.5 (£25)

Minor

Joint 1st: Daniel Williams and Stephen Williams 4.5/5 (£275 each). Daniel Williams wins the Nora Hunter Trophy.
Joint 3rd: Gary Hunter, Noel Boustred (Forest Hall) and Reese Wright (Gosforth) 4 (£33.33 each)
U1500: Gautham Sathishkumar 2.5 (£25)
U1400: Mark Edmundson 2 (£25)

Foundation

Joint 1st: John Thompson and Zac Aynsley 8/10 (£75 each)
3rd: Joey Pramana (Gosforth) 7.5 (£30)
Best Unrated: Sam Cornwell 7 (£25)

The Stanowski Team Trophy went to Newcastle University, who edged out South Shields on tie breaks.
Outstanding performance by a North East Junior was awarded to Daniel Stewart (Newcastle, 1391 ECF).

The next tournament on Tyneside is the North East Qualifier for the UK Open Blitz Championships, which takes place at Gosforth Empire Club on Sunday 6th October. For last minute entries and further info, contact organiser Mick Riding: mickriding@hotmail.co.uk.

Meanwhile, the 2024-25 season gets underway next week with the start of the Northumbria Chess League. A total of 44 teams participating from 13 clubs will take part in six divisions.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: White-Gormally, 2024. Black to play.

Puzzle B: Wall-Gordon, 2024. White to play.

Puzzle C: Henderson-Wall, 2024. White to play.

Puzzle D: Gormally-Makkar, 2024. White to play.

ANSWERS:

A: 1…Qxd5 2 Rxd5 Bb7 0-1.
B: 1 Qh6! 1-0.
C: 1 f6+! Nxf6 2 Nxf6 Qxf3 3 Nxe8+ Rxe8 4 Rxf3 and White won.
D: 1 Rd6! 1-0. If 1…Bxd6 2 exd6 wins.

Northumberland Championships under way for 2024-25

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 27 September 2024)

The 2024-25 Northumberland Individual Championships are under way, with a total of 62 players set to battle it out over the next seven months for the coveted Zollner, Sell and Gilroy trophies. This is an impressive entry, up some 50 per cent on previous years and underlining the welcome increase in chess activity on Tyneside in the last few years.

Heading up the 14-player Zollner tournament list is six-time winner Tim Wall (Newcastle), but he faces a tough challenge from fellow FIDE Masters David Walker (Leam Lane) and Andy Burnett (Newcastle), as well as newcomer Husain Nakara (Newcastle University).

In the 16-player Sell competition, reigning co-champions Mick Riding (Gosforth) and Raj Mohindra (Forest Hall) are joined by veteran former Zollner winner Paul Bielby (South Shields), last year’s Gilroy winner Mark McKay (Gosforth) and Jounaid El-Archi (Newcastle).

The 32-player Gilroy tournament is the toughest competition to predict, with a new name on the trophy highly likely to appear in May. Potential contenders are Darren McCarthy (Alnwick), Antonio Stipanovic (Gosforth), Dave Peardon (Hetton Lyons), Alfie McMonagle (Newcastle University) and Ethan Tatters (Forest Hall).

The Northumbria League is also expanding, with 44 teams of four players each from 13 clubs due to take part in the 2024-25 season. Gosforth is leading the way with 10 teams, followed by Forest Hall with six. Newcastle University is entering an all-women’s team and its newly promoted first team likely to be a strong challenger in Division 1.

Newcastle Dragons are likely to be the favourites again for Division 1, while new club Cramlington are a welcome addition to the league. Full fixtures are due to be published next week, and the season will run from October through to the end of April.

This weekend sees the 60th Northumberland Weekend Congress take place at the Parks Leisure Centre, North Shields, from Friday evening through to Sunday. As of Thursday, a healthy 136 entries had been registered.

Top seed in the Open is Alnwick grandmaster Danny Gormally, with his challengers likely to be Wall and Burnett (Newcastle), Walker (Leam Lane), Nakara (Newcastle University) and promising England junior Theo Khoury (Oxford).

Local hopes in the Major rest with Bielby (South Shields), McKay (Gosforth) and Stuart Skelsey (Forest Hall), while in the Minor the leading contenders include Stipanovic (Gosforth), McMonagle (Newcastle University) and Noel Boustred (Forest Hall).

The Foundation includes a bevy of juniors from Gosforth and Forest Hall, with the pre-tournament favourite possibly Sanjay Sathishkumar (Gosforth).

PUZZLES

This week’s puzzles are taken from the recently concluded FIDE World Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.

Puzzle A: Urkedal-Noritsyn. White to play.

Puzzle B: Caruana-Tin. White to play.

Puzzle C: Fawzy-Abdusattorov. Black to play.

Puzzle D: Lopez-Wang. Black to play.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Bxe6! Kxe6 2 f5+ Ke7 3 Nd5+ wins a key pawn.
B: 1 Qe8+ Kh7 2 Ng5+! 1-0. If 2..hxg5 3 Qxh5+ Kg8 4 Re8+ wins.
C: 1…Rd2! 0-1. If 2 Nxd2 Qxh3 checkmate, or 2 Qxd2 Qxf3+ 3 Kh2 Qg3+ 4 Kh1 Qxh3 checkmate.
D: 1…Rh1+! 0-1. If 2 Kxh2 Qh4+ 3 Kg1 Qxe1+ 4 Kh2 Qxe5 wins.

Forest Hall upset Morpeth in Cup Final

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 20 September 2024)

As any sports fan will tell you, in Cup Finals underdogs often rise to the occasion and defeat the favourites. In the Northumberland Summer Chess Cup Final, Forest Hall Badgers pulled off an impressive giant-killing act to defeat Morpeth A, while Gosforth Regents defeated their club mates Gosforth Centurions in the Plate Final.

With the help of a 3.5-point handicap, Forest Hall Badgers (a Minor team) beat Morpeth A (an Open team) 5.5-2 – winning two games and losing two games against much higher-rated opposition.

Scores (Morpeth players first):

Board 1: Roger Coathup 1-0 Morgan French
Board 2: Mike Smyth 0-1 Hanif Zaman
Board 3: Martin Seeber 0-1 Reese Wright
Board 4: Alan Welsh 1-0 John Thomas

Forest Hall’s wins were helped by time trouble, with Smyth and Seeber allowing themselves to get into severe time trouble and then blundering. On Board 2, Smyth was a queen for rook ahead, but with only a minute left on his clock, he allowed a checkmate by Zaman with his king trapped on the side of the board.

That decided the match, as the Badgers only needed a single draw to clinch the title. Board 3 also went Forest Hall’s way after Seeber, a piece up with no counterplay, missed a tactic by Wright to win his queen.

Although both wins could be termed lucky, the fighting spirit showed by the young Forest Hall players, coupled with indecision by their more experienced opponents, turned the match in Forest Hall’s favour.

The Plate Final between Gosforth Regents and Gosforth Centurions (both Intermediate teams) was more straightforward. The Regents won comfortably 3.5-0.5, with greater experience this time the factor that swung the match.

Scores (Regent players first):

Board 1: Mark McKay 1-0 Steven Eggleston
Board 2: Marco Checchi 1-0 Antonio Stipanovic
Board 3: Ian Chester 0.5-0.5 David Pritchard
Board 4: Martin Beardsley 1-0 Michael Owen

As the winter chess season gets underway, the 6oth Northumberland Congress takes place at The Parks Leisure Centre, North Shields, over the weekend of 27-29 September. Over 130 players are expected to compete for a total of £2,200 in prizes. It’s still possible to enter the congress, with a range of tournaments for players to try their hand at: Open, Major (under 1900), Minor (under 1675) and Foundation (under 1450). You can enter online at: https://northumberlandchess.wixsite.com/congress.

PUZZLES

This week’s puzzles are from the Chess Olympiad currently taking place in Budapest, Hungary.

Puzzle A: Eicharb-Hillarp Persson. Black to play & win.

Puzzle B: Gumularz-Tuan Minh. White to play & win.

Puzzle C: Erigaisi-Prohaszka. White to play & win.

Puzzle D: Duda-Dragnev. Black to play & draw.

ANSWERS:

A: 1…Ne5+! 2 Kxe4 (2 fxe5 Qxg4 checkmate) 2…Qxg4! (2…Qg6+ also leads to mate) 3 Qxd6 Qf5 checkmate.
B: 1 Nb5! wins material. 1…Qa5 2 Nxa3, or 1…Rxa2 2 Rxb4.
C: 1 Qxh6+! gxh6 2 Rxh6+ Qh7 3 Rxh7 checkmate.
D: 1…Qxh3+! 2 gxh3 Rxf2+ 3 Kg3 Rf3+ 4 Kh2 (if 4 Kxh4 Rxh3 checkmate) 4…Rf2+ Draw. If 3 Kg1 Rxg2+ 4 Kh1 Bxh3 should draw.

Northumberland Congress turns 60

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 13 September 2024)

The Northumberland Weekend Congress celebrates its 60th edition later this month at the Parks Leisure Centre, North Shields. Over 130 players are expected to compete for a total of £2,200 in prizes.

The event, which runs from 27th-29th September, began in the 1960s, and is the North East’s longest running annual chess congress. At one time called the Tyne & Wear Congress, it has variously been held at Newcastle University’s Castle Leazes campus, Monkseaton High School, Whitley Bay and Cruddas Park Community Centre, before settling at its current location.

Over the years, the congress’s Open tournament has been won by many Grandmasters (GMs) and International Masters (IMs), and this year’s top seed is GM Daniel Gormally of Alnwick. Gormally’s participation is noteworthy as he has tended to avoid playing in local congresses in recent years, instead preferring national and international competitions.

Based on entries received so far, Gormally’s main rivals for the Open title are likely to be FIDE Masters Tim Wall and Andy Burnett (Newcastle), and David Walker (Leam Lane), plus visiting German player Joerg Raasch. The Open is a great opportunity for North East players to get an International rating.

In the Major tournament, leading contenders include Mick Riding and Mark McKay (Gosforth), Stuart Skelsey (Forest Hall) and Paul Bielby (South Shields).

The top players in the Minor tournament include Antonio Stipanovic (Gosforth), James Flint (Newcastle University), Kevin Cox (Gateshead), Ryan Duff and Noel Boustred (Forest Hall).

And in the Foundation tournament, aimed at newcomers to tournament play with either no rating or a national rating of less than 1450, the leading contenders include Riaan Pathare, Leonardo Trevisan and Ruby Johnstone (Forest Hall), Ross MacDonald and Gautham Satishkumar (Gosforth).

There is still time to enter the congress. Around 100 entries have been received so far, and the total usually rises to between 130 and 150 for all competitions.

This week sees the start of the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, where England’s Open and Women’s teams are hopeful of competing for the medals. The England Open team consists of grandmasters Nikita Vitiugov, current British Champion Gawain Jones, former British Champions David Howell and Mickey Adams, and Luke McShane. The England Women’s team is led by IM Jovanka Houska, and includes Lan Yao, Harriet Hunt, Katarzyna Toma and nine-year-old prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan.

PUZZLES

This week’s puzzles are taken from the 2024 English Championship.

Puzzle A: Zhu-Gordon. White to play.

Puzzle B: Kumar-Hebden. Black to play.

Puzzle C: Ghasi-Banarjee. White to play.

Puzzle D: Savidge-Boswell. White to play.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Rxh7+! Nxh7 2 Nf7 checkmate.
B: 1…Rxe4! 2 Bxe4 Bc5 0-1.
C: 1 Rxg6+! Kxg6 (1…fxg6 2 3 Bf8+ Kh7 4 Qf7 checkmate) 2 Nxe5+ Kh6 3 Bf8+ Kh7 4 Qf5 checkmate.
D: 1 Rh8+! (1 Bh7+ Kf8 2 Nxe6+ also wins) 1…Bxh8 2 Qh7+ Kf8 3 Nxe6+ 1-0.

Four teams reach KO Cup finals

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 6 September 2024)

The Northumberland Summer Cup and Plate’s 22 teams have been whittled down to just four for the Finals, which take place on Monday September 16 at Gosforth Chess Club. Morpeth take on Forest Hall Badgers in the Cup Final, while Gosforth Regents play Gosforth Centurions in the Plate Final.

This year the competition has a new format, with World Cup-style qualifying groups before the knockout stage. Over 220 games have been played, helping chess clubs stay active over the summer months. Top teams from four groups qualified for the Cup semis, while second-placed teams from the group stages went through to the Plate semis. The handicap system awards extra points to lower rated teams.

In the Cup semi-finals at Gosforth on September 2, Morpeth fielded Division 1 stars Roger Coathup, Mike Smyth, James Turner and Alan Welsh to win 4-2.5 versus Forest Hall Magpies. The Magpies had their highly experienced lineup of Mike Smith, Jeff Baird, Steve Bowey and Jeff Bentham. Although the Magpies had a 2.5 handicap, Morpeth swept the board 4-0.

The other Cup semi-final saw two Minor teams, Gateshead and Forest Hall Badgers, duel it out. The Badgers, including three young players Morgan French, Hanif Zaman, and Reece Wright, triumphed 3-1 versus the more experienced Gateshead (Kevin Cox, Barry Edgar, Peter Wells and Alex Johnson). Since Gateshead had the lower average rating, the Badgers had needed 2.5 points to go through, while Gateshead only needed 2 points.

In the first Plate semi-final, underdogs Gosforth Centurions (Antonio Stipanovic, David Pritchard, Michael Owen and Brandon Russell) edged out Division 1’s Jesmond (Edward Dodds, Chris Izod, Andy Trevelyan and Alex Surtees) 3.5-3, after Stipanovic pulled off a fine giantkiller win against Dodds. With a 2.5-point handicap, this saw Centurions through to the final.

In the other Plate semi-final, Gosforth Regents (Mark McKay, Alex Blake, Ian Chester and Martin Beardsley) overcame Gosforth Hawthorns (Alex Piercy, Jacob Manley, Steve Armstrong and Andrew Brown) 4-2.5.

In the Cup Final, Open team Morpeth will be giving a 3.5-point head start to Minor team Forest Hall Badgers. Morpeth need a clean sweep, while just one draw will give the Badgers the title.

In the Plate Final, Major team Gosforth Regents give a 1.5-point handicap to Intermediate team Gosforth Centurions. The Regents need 3 points to win, while the Centurions just need 1.5.

Spectators for the Finals are welcome at the Gosforth Empire Club, 32-24 Salters Road, Gosforth. Matches kick off at 7:15pm.

The next big local chess gathering is the 60th Northumberland Weekend Congress, 27-29 September at The Parks Leisure Centre, North Shields. Entries are being taken at: https://northumberlandchess.wixsite.com/congress.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Andy Burnett (White) to play

Puzzle B: Jude Shearsby (Black) to play

Puzzle C: Billy Fellowes (White) to play

Puzzle D: David Wise (White) to play

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Rh3+ 1-0. If 1…Bxh3 2 Qxg5.
B: 1…Bxb2+! 2 Qxb2 Qe1+ 3 Kc2 Rd2+ 0-1
C: 1 Rxc6+! Bxc6 2 Rb1 1-0.
D: 1 Rxb7! Qc8 (1…Qxb7 2 Nxd6+! exd6 3 Ba6+) 2 Nxd6+! exd6 3 Bb5+ Be7 4 Bxd7+ Qxd7 5 Rxd7 and White won.

Gosforth’s Moreby wins at Northumbria Masters

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 30 August 2024)

The Northumbria Masters Congress in Darlington concluded this Bank Holiday Monday with a striking success for Gosforth’s James Moreby, who won the International Master tournament. His IM result, called a norm, means he needs just one more such success to qualify for the title.

Moreby, a former student at Newcastle Royal Grammar School, scored 7/9, winning his tournament a point and a half clear of International Masters Peter Large (England) and Gavin Wall (Ireland) on 5.5.

The congress, which took place at the Dolphin Leisure Centre over five days, attracted 148 players in five sections, including a Grandmaster tournament, which was won by Eldar Gasanov (Ukraine) on 6.5/9. Czech player Ondrej Svanda scored 5.5, making his third and final International Master norm, thus securing the title.

The Masters Open tournament was won jointly by Grandmasters Frode Urkedal (Norway) and Oleg Korneev (Spain) and International Master Jung Min Seo (Sweden), who all scored 6.5/9. In equal fourth place were three young English players: IM Matthew Wadsworth, Jacob Yoon and Avy Dasgupta, on 6.

The Challengers tournament, for players rated under 2000, was won by Lewis Turner (Leicester) on 8/9, followed by Gosforth duo David Armbruster on 7 and Jack Erskine-Pereira on 6.5.

The Major (Under 1700) tournament was won jointly by John Awesome (Newcastle) and Alfie McMonagle (Newcastle University) on 7.5/9.

A total of nine Grandmasters and 11 International Masters played in the congress, the strongest annual event in the North of England. It was supported by the English Chess Federation, the Chess Trust, The Friends of Chess, Durham County Chess Association, Northumberland Chess Association and Northumbria Junior Chess Association. Next year’s event is planned for 21-25 August, 2025 at the same venue.

With the resumption of league chess after the summer break, North East clubs are looking forward to the new season. Teams wishing to enter the Northumbria League, which runs six divisions for clubs in and around Northumberland and Tyneside, should contact Andy Trevelyan: andytrev@gmail.com.

The next tournament coming up is the Newcastle Chess Club Grand Prix Blitz on Tuesday 3rd September at The Old George Inn, just off the Bigg Market. There are seven rounds, and players from any club are welcome to take part. Entry is £5 on the door, and play starts at 7:15pm.

The region’s longest running congress is also coming up at the end of September. The 60th Northumberland Weekend Congress runs at the Parks Leisure Centre, Howdon Road, North Shields, North Tyneside, NE29 6TL from September 27-29. Tournaments Include the Open, Major, Minor and Foundation, and £2,200 in prizes are at stake. To enter, go to: https://northumberlandchess.wixsite.com/congress.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Acs-Belezky, 2011. White to play.

Puzzle B: Armas-Illescas, 1987. Black to play.

Puzzle C: Costa-Judit Polgar, 1987. Black to play.

Puzzle D: Judit Polgar-Mamedyarov, 2002.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Qb4+ Ke6 2 Bc4+! Qxc4 3 Qd6 checkmate.
B: 1…Bxc3 2 Qxc3 Rxe4+ 3 Kd2 Qf4+ 4 Kd1 Bg4+ 5 Kc2 Rc4 0-1.
C: 1…Qf3+ 0-1. If 2 Kc1 Nb3 checkmate.
D: 1 Be7+! Nxe7 (or 1…Kd5 2 Qf3+) 2 Rxe5 Kxe5 3 Re1+ Kd6 4 Qxe6 checkmate.

Leading masters battle it out in Darlington

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 23 August 2024)

The Northumbria Masters Congress is in full swing this Bank Holiday weekend, with a total of nine Grandmasters and 11 International Masters playing nine games each at the Dolphin Centre, Darlington. The congress, with 150 players in total, is the North of England’s top annual international event.

In the Masters Open tournament, six GMs are playing, including England’s Mark Hebden, Scotland’s Matthew Turner, Belgium’s Alex Dgebuadze, Norway’s Frode Urkedal, Ukraine’s Yury Shkuro and Oleg Korneev (Spain).

In the GM Round Robin, aimed at producing GM norms for up-and-coming players, Northumberland’s GM Danny Gormally will be taking on GMs Eldar Gasanov (Ukraine) and Keti Arakhamia (Scotland), plus Sohum Lohia, Alex Golding and Jonah Willow (England), Conor Murphy (Ireland), Nikolas Wachinger (Germany), Elliot Papadiamandis (France) and Ondrej Svanda (Czech Republic). The GM norm will be 7/9.

In the IM Round Robin, IMs Peter Large (England), Gavin Wall (Ireland) and Angus Dunnington (Scotland) face Gosforth’s James Moreby and Jude Shearsby (England), Newcastle’s Andy Burnett (Scotland), Petr Hollan (Czech Republic), Zala Urh (Slovenia), Santhosh Abhyuday (India) and Moritz Collin (Switzerland). The IM norm is 7/9.

The final results will be in on Monday, when the Grandmaster, International Master, Open, Challengers and Major tournaments finish. Players compete for £6,000 in prizes and also aim to complete Grandmaster and International Master norms. Spectators are welcome from Friday 23 to Monday 26, with rounds running 10am-2pm and 3pm-7pm. The top games can be followed online at: https://lichess.org/broadcast and https://chess.com/events.

Sponsors for the congress include the English Chess Federation, the Chess Trust, the Friends of Chess, Durham County Chess Association, Northumberland Chess Association and the Northumbria Junior Chess Association.

The next major regional event coming up is the 60th Northumberland Weekend Congress, organised by Gosforth Chess Club, which takes place at the Parks Leisure Centre, Howdon Road, North Shields, North Tyneside, NE29 6TL from September 27-29. Tournaments include the Open, Major, Minor and Foundation, and a total of £2,200 in prizes is at stake. To enter online, go to: https://northumberlandchess.wixsite.com/congress. Queries should be addressed to: davidarmbruster51@googlemail.com.

As the North East’s players and clubs gear up for the new season this September, entries are also invited for the 2024-25 Northumberland Individual Championships, which run with one game per month. Entry is free for members of the English Chess Federation, and there are three competitions (Zollner Open, Sell Under 2000 and Gilroy Under 1700). Competitors should write to: championships@northumberlandchess.com. Entries close on Sunday 22nd September 2024.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Reti-Bogoljubow, 1924. White to play.

Puzzle B: Thompson-Wells, 2024. Black to play.

Puzzle C: Rapport-Carlsen, 2024. White to play.

Puzzle D: Nepomniachtchi-Ding, 2024. White to play.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Be8! 1-0.
B: 1…Qd5! 0-1.
C: 1 Rxd2! 1-0. If 1…Rxd2 2 Be3+.
D: 1 Nfg5! 1-0. If 1…Qd7 2 Rxh5 gxh5 3 Nf6+, or 1…Qe7 2 Qa8+ Kg7 3 Qxc6.

Local entries welcome for Northumbria Masters

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 16 August 2024)

North East players are welcome to enter the 7th Northumbria Masters Congress at Darlington’s Dolphin Centre, which takes place over the Bank Holiday weekend, from Thursday 22 to Monday 26 August. Entries are being accepted online until August 21 to give players the chance to play in the North of England’s premier international chess festival.

It’s easy to enter, just register at: https://northumbriamasters.com. Organisers expect a total of about 150 participants, including entries from Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland, as it gives local players the chance to gain an international (FIDE) rating and to play against titled players.

Participants play a total of nine games each at the Dolphin Centre, with a total of over £6,000 in prizes at stake. Spectators are welcome at the Dolphin Centre from 10am-2pm and 3pm-7pm (Thursday to Sunday), while final round takes place on Bank Holiday Monday from 10am-2pm.

The Grandmaster and International Master tournaments will also be broadcast live on lichess.org.

The congress will welcome a total of nine Grandmasters (GMs) and 11 International Masters (IMs), who are coming thanks to generous support from various sponsors, including the English Chess Federation and the Chess Trust. In the Masters Open, six GMs are expected to play, including England’s Mark Hebden, Scotland’s Matthew Turner, Belgium’s Alex Dgebuadze and Norway’s Frode Urkedal.

In the GM Round Robin, aimed at producing GM norms for up-and-coming players, Northumberland’s GM Danny Gormally will be taking on GMs Eldar Gasanov (Ukraine) and Keti Arakhamia (Scotland), plus Sohum Lohia, Alex Golding and Jonah Willow (England), Conor Murphy (Ireland), Nikolas Wachinger (Germany), Elliot Papadiamandis (France) and Ondrej Svanda (Czech Republic). The GM norm will be 7/9.

In the IM Round Robin, IMs Peter Large (England), Gavin Wall (Ireland) and Angus Dunnington (Scotland) face Gosforth’s James Moreby and Jude Shearsby (England), Newcastle’s Andy Burnett (Scotland), Petr Hollan (Czech Republic), Zala Urh (Slovenia), Santhosh Abhyuday (India) and Moritz Collin (Switzerland). The IM norm is 7/9.

There are two more tournaments aimed at giving local players the chance to gain international experience and improve their ratings. The Challengers (Under 2000 FIDE) and Major (Under 1700 FIDE) run alongside the Masters Open, GM and IM tournaments in the Dolphin Centre’s historic Victorian Central Hall, so that all participants will be able to watch the grandmasters in play.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Kools-Fernandez, Zeeland 2024. Black to play.

Puzzle B: Carlsen-Rapport, Astana 2024. Black to play.

Puzzle C: L’Ami-Syrev, Zeeland 2024. White to play.

Puzzle D: Collin-Waldhausen Gordon. Dortmund 2024. Black to play.

ANSWERS:

A: 1…exf3 2 Nxf3 (or 2 Bxf3 Nxf3+ 3 Nxf3 Ne4) 2…Ne4 0-1.
B: 1…Rxe3+! wins. If 2 fxe3 Rxe3+ 3 Re2 (or 3 Kd1 Qb1 checkmate) 3…Bg3+ 4 Kd1 Rd3+ 5 Rd2 Qxd2 checkmate) 3…Qb1 checkmate.
C: 1 Rc7+! Qxc7 2 Qxf6+ Kg8 3 Qf8 checkmate.
D: 1…Bc4! 2 hxg4 Rxd1+ 3 Rxd1 Qf2 checkmate. If 2 Qxc4 Rxd1+ 3 Ke2 (3 Rxd1 Qf2 checkmate) 3…Qf2+ 4 Kd1 Ne3 checkmate.