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.

Summer Cup groups promise last-round thriller

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 28 June 2024)

As any England football fan can tell you, the final matches of group stages in knockout competitions are when things get really tense. In the Northumberland Chess Association Summer Cup and Plate, the group stages are now nearly concluded.

With two qualifying places in each group up for grabs (one for the Cup semi-finals, and one for the Plate semi-finals) there is one round to go before the semi-final places are decided.

The thriller will come in Group A, where four teams – Gosforth Empire, Gosforth Regents, Jesmond and Forest Hall Magpies – are joint leaders on 6 points from four matches. In Round 4, Gosforth Jedis lost 3.5-4 to Jesmond, Gosforth Regents beat Forest Hall Magpies 3-1, and Gosforth Empire beat Newcastle C 4-2.5. The fifth and final round will see crucial matches Gosforth Empire v Forest Hall Magpies and Gosforth Regents v Jesmond, with the winners in each match going through to the semi-finals in September.

Things are now clearer in Group B, where Gosforth Ivy lost 3.5-4 to Newcastle A, and Gosforth Salters lost 3-4.5 to Forest Hall Badgers. Regardless of the Round 5 results, leaders Forest Hall Badgers on 8 points will go through to the Cup semi-finals, thanks to their lower average rating. But second-placed Gosforth Salters (6 points) face a tough battle in the last round with Newcastle A (4 points) for the Plate qualification spot.

In the smaller Northumberland-based Group C, where the matches finished in early June, Morpeth A (6 points) are through to the Cup Semi-Final, while second-placed Morpeth B (4 points) face a playoff match with the highest third-placed team from the other groups for a place in the Plate semi-finals.

In Group D, Gosforth Centurions (8 points) beat Gateshead (6 points) 3.5-2 to go sole top, while Newcastle B beat Tynedale 2-1. No other team can catch Gosforth Centurions or Gateshead, so the final round will decide which of those two teams goes into the Cup semis and which team goes into the Plate semis.

This Saturday, June 29, sees the English Open Counties Final over 16 boards between Northumberland and Surrey at Newark-on-Trent, where the North East team will be trying to secure their second national title in three years. Fans wishing to follow the games remotely can watch the games live on a big screen at Gosforth Empire Club, 32-24 Salters Road, Gosforth from 1:30pm, or online at: https://lichess.org/broadcast. The English Chess Federation is also aiming to broadcast live commentary of the match.

The next major event in the regional chess calendar is the Northumberland and Durham Blitz Championships, which take place at The Word, South Shields, on Sunday 7 July from 11am-3pm. To enter, contact: eddie@southshieldschessclub.co.uk.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Garry Kasparov (white) to play

Puzzle B: Paul Morphy (white) to play

Puzzle C: Nigel Short (white) to play

Puzzle D: Akiba Rubinstein (black) to play

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Rd7! Rxd7 2 Bxc4 bxc4 3 Qxh8 and white wins.
B: 1 Qb8+! Nxb8 2 Rd8 checkmate.
C: 1 Kf4! Bc8 2 Kg5! 1-0. If 2…Bxd7 3 Kh6, or 2…Kh7 3 Qxg6+.
D: 1…Rxc3! 2 gxh4 Rd2! 3 Qxd2 Bxe4+ 4 Qg2 Rh3 0-1.

Juniors and veterans shine at North East rapidplay

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 21 June 2024)

The annual Northumberland and Durham Rapidplay Championships attracted a strong field last Saturday, with players of all ages and strengths taking part.

The championships, held at the Forest Hall Social Club in Palmersville, included separate tournaments for adult and junior players, and resulted in wins for Charlie Storey (Morpeth) and Lev Drobiazko (Gosforth), respectively.

The Open Championship was won by Storey with 6/6, ahead of David Walker (Leam Lane) on 5. In joint third place were Bill Wilson (Hartlepool), Fedir Dyshliuk and Ian Chester (Gosforth), John Marsh (Leam Lane), Hanif Zaman and Raj Mohindra (Forest Hall) on 4 points.

The Major Championship was shared four ways between Chester, Marsh, Zaman and Mohindra, while the Minor Championship was shared by James Flint (Newcastle University), Long Phan (Newcastle), Heorhii Polonskyi (Gosforth) and Michael Smalley (Newcastle) on 3 points.

In the Junior (Under 18) competition, all four top places were occupied by Gosforth players: Drobiazko (8 points out of 10), Jiatong Wu (7.5) and brothers Gautham and Sanjay Sathishkumar (both 7.5).

The Rapidplay Championships are one of many events going on in the North East this summer. The fourth round of the Northumberland Summer Cup takes place in the next few days, with six matches at Gosforth Empire Club on Monday 24 June, and three more matches at The Old George, Newcastle on Wednesday 26 June.

The Northumberland County Team will play at Newark, Nottinghamshire, in the National Open Counties Final on Saturday June 29, where they take on Surrey. Northumberland will be trying to emulate their previous title win in the competition in 2022.

The Northumberland and Durham Blitz Championships will take place at The Word in South Shields on Sunday 7th July. Entries are being accepted by Eddie Czestochowski at: eddie@southshieldschessclub.com.

North East juniors will also be in action in the EJCOA National Youth Championships in Nottingham over the weekend of 5-7 July, and the following Sunday, July 14, Gosforth Junior Chess Club is hosting a junior tournament open to all players under 18 at St Mary’s Catholic School, Longbenton. For more details, contact: mickriding@hotmail.co.uk.

The big event at the end of summer is the Northumbria Masters, which this year is being held at the Dolphin Centre, Darlington, from August 22-26. There are three different FIDE rated tournaments for North East players to enter, and entries are being taken at: https://northumbriamasters.com.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: White to play and win

Puzzle B: Black to play and win

Puzzle C: White to play and win

Puzzle D: Black to play and win

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Qxf6+! Kxf6 2 Nd7+.
B: 1…Rd2! 2 Qxd2 Nxf3+.
C: 1 Rxh6! gxh6 2 Qg6+ Kf8 3 Nh7 checkmate.
D: 1…Nb3+! 2 axb3 Rfc8+ 3 Bc3 Rxc3+! 4 bxc3 Ba3 checkmate.

Underdogs Northumberland reach national finals

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 14 June 2024)

Northumberland have qualified for the equivalent of the FA Cup Final of chess for the second time in the county’s history, thanks to a thrilling win over higher-ranked Kent.

The Northumberland Open team beat Kent in the National Counties Championship semi-finals by the narrow margin of 6.5-5.5 on Saturday 8th June, and now go on to play Surrey in the final on June 29. In the other semi-final, Surrey beat Yorkshire decisively by the margin 10-6.

Northumberland’s victory over Kent, at Newark, Nottinghamshire, was achieved by an all-round team performance, even though Northumberland were the underdogs on rating. Northumberland’s wins were scored by Tim Wall (Newcastle), Graeme Oswald (Leam Lane), David Armbruster (Gosforth) and Ed Dodds (Jesmond). With the help of draws by David Walker (South Shields), Andy Burnett (Newcastle), Andrew Dunn (Ashington), Zheming Zhang (Newcastle) and Nathan Ekanem (Newcastle), the North East team were able to come back from being two points down at one stage to emerge as winners at the end of the four-hour match.

Even if Kent had managed to draw level on 6-6, the match would have gone to Northumberland on tie-break, due to their winning games on higher boards. The surprise on the top boards was achieved by Wall, the Northumberland captain, who was playing against a much higher rated player, Grandmaster and renowned chess author Neil McDonald (Gravesend).

The final on June 29, also to be played at Newark, will be a tough fixture for Northumberland, as Surrey are likely to field a team that includes five experienced International Masters: Graeme Buckley, Susan Lalic, Peter Large, Chris Baker and Nigel Povah. The Counties Championship Final has been brought forward a week to allow the Surrey IMs to play for England in the Over 50s and Over 65s sections of the World Senior Team Championships in Poland.

In the North East, this weekend sees a good opportunity for Northumberland’s county players to get some match practice in before the national final. The Northumberland & Durham Rapidplay Championships take place at Forest Hall Social Club, Palmersville on Saturday June 15. The Open & Major and Minor tournaments start at 11:00am and run until 6:00pm. A junior tournament, for players under 18 years old, runs from 12:30pm to 6pm. Games will be played at the time control of 20 minutes plus 10 seconds for the adult tournaments, and 10 minutes plus 5 seconds for the junior tournament. Entries are being taken online at https://northumbriamasters.com and via email by writing to: timpeterwall@gmail.com. Cash entries will also be accepted on the day.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: McDonald (white) v. Wall (black). Black to play.

Puzzle B: Yoo (white) v Vachier-Lagrave (black). White to play.

Puzzle C: Aronian (white) v Keinanen (black). Black to play.

Puzzle D: Bortnyk (white) v Firouzja (black). Black to play.

ANSWERS:

A: 1…Be5! 0-1.
B: 1 Rxe6! Qxe6 2 Nxc5+ 1-0.
C: 1…e3! 2 gxh6 (if 2 Qxe3 Qxd1+, or 2 Nf3 Qxg2 checkmate) exd2 3 Qe2 Qxd1+! 4 Qxd1 Ra1 0-1.
D: 1…Nxd4! 2 Bxd7 Rxe1+ 3 Rxe1 Nf3+ 4 Kh1 Bg2+! 5 Kxg2 Nxe1+ 0-1.

Gosforth teams dominate Summer Handicap

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 7 June 2024)

Whether it is the football Euros or the T20 Cricket World Cup, the group stages of any sporting competition are all about the hope and the glory. The underdogs hope of qualifying, while everyone wants the glory of ultimate victory.

After three out of five World Cup-style group stage rounds of Northumberland Chess Association’s Summer Handicap, the favourites to qualify are emerging, with four Gosforth teams in the running for a total of eight Cup and Plate semi-final places.

In the Handicap, lower-rated teams are given extra points to balance out the matches, so a higher-rated team may often have to win 3.5-0.5 or 4-0 to win the match.

Group A is being led by three teams on 4 match points: Gosforth Empire (who play in Division 1 in the Northumbria League), Gosforth Regents (a Division 2 side) and Forest Hall Magpies (a third-division team this season).

In Group B, Gosforth Salters (a Division 2 team) are on 6 points, with their nearest rivals Forest Hall Badgers (a Division 5 team) on 4. The dark horse for a qualifying spot is Newcastle A, currently on 2 points from two matches, who faltered against a strengthened Newcastle University team in Round 2.

Group C, which only has four teams, has been won by Morpeth A on 6 match points. The lowest rated of Alnwick, Tynemouth or Morpeth B (who all scored 2 points) now go into a playoff match for a Plate semi-final place with the highest scoring third placed team in the other three groups.

In Group D, it’s a tie so far on 6 points between 4th Division Gateshead and 3rd Division Gosforth Centurions, clearly ahead of South Shields, Leam Lane and Tynedale on 2, and Newcastle B on 0.

Two Group A matches and one Group B match were due to be played on Thursday evening at the Punch Bowl Hotel in Jesmond. One of the outstanding matches had been rearranged from Monday to accommodate football-mad players from Forest Hall, who went to see England beat Bosnia 3-0 at St. James’ Park on Monday.

The fourth round of the Summer Handicap takes place in the week beginning June 24.

Entries are still being accepted for the upcoming Northumberland & Durham Rapidplay Championships, which take place at Forest Hall Social Club on Saturday June 15. The Open & Major, Minor and Junior tournaments start at 11:00am and run until 5:00pm. Entries are being taken online at https://northumbriamasters.com and via email by writing to: timpeterwall@gmail.com. Cash entries will also be accepted on the day.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Stuart Skelsey (white) to play.

Puzzle B: David Walker (white) to play.

Puzzle C: Stuart Skelsey (black) to play.

Puzzle D: Magnus Carlsen (white) to play.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Qxf7+! Rxf7 2 Re8+ Rf8 3 Bd5+ Kh8 4 Rxf8 checkmate.
B: 1 Rxf6+! Bxf6 (1…Qxf6 2 Bxc5+) 2 Bh6+ Qg7 (2…Bg7 3 Rf1+) 3 Qxg6 1-0.
C: 1…Qxd4! wins a pawn, as if 2 cxd4 Rxc1+ 3 Nf1 Rxf1 checkmate.
D: 1 Nxf7! Bxf7 2 e6 Bg8 3 Kd7 1-0. If 3…Bf7 4 exf7 Kxf7 5 Kd6 wins.

Underdogs fight back in Summer Handicap

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 31 May 2024)

Handicapping in sports, from pro-am golf tournaments to spread betting, has traditionally been used to make events between stronger and weaker competitors more interesting for participants and punters wanting to bet on the outcome.

The word “handicap” derives from the phrase “hand in cap,” where bets would be placed in the cap of a neutral arbiter, who would hold the money. These days, handicaps are used in sports as varied as golf, basketball, track and field, polo and croquet, and in games such as go, shogi and chess.

Northumberland Chess Association’s Summer Handicap assigns rating handicaps, so that teams from as low as Division 6 can take on teams all the way up to Division 1 on more equal terms. A high-rated team may have to win 3.5-0.5 or 4-0 to win the match, while a lower-rated team may only have to win or draw a single game to claim overall victory in the match.

This summer, 22 teams are taking part, and the event has been revamped into four World Cup-style qualifying groups, with the top teams from each group going into the Cup semi-finals, and the second teams progressing to the Plate semi-finals. Group rankings are decided by match points, with the lower-rated team going through in the event of a tie. After two rounds, a mix of top teams and underdogs are leading their groups.

In Group A, Gosforth Empire and Forest Hall Magpies have 4 points from two matches, followed by Gosforth Regents and Jesmond on 2, and Gosforth Jedis and Newcastle C on 0.

In Group B, lowly-rated Forest Hall Badgers are the surprise leaders with 4 points, followed by Newcastle A, Newcastle University and Gosforth Salters on 2, and Gosforth Ivy and Gosforth Hawthorns on 0.

In Group C, top seeds Morpeth A are on 4 points, with Morpeth B and Alnwick on 2 and Tynemouth on 0.

And in Group D, underdogs Gateshead and Gosforth Centurions share the lead on 4, followed by South Shields and Tynedale on 2, and Leam Lane and Newcastle B on 0.

The third round takes place next week, with Group A at the Punch Bowl, Jesmond on Thursday 6th June; Group B at Gosforth Empire Club on Monday 3rd; Group C at Morpeth Rugby Club on Wednesday 5th; and Group D at The Old George Inn, Newcastle on Tuesday 4th. All matches kick off at 7:15pm, and spectators are welcome.

This week’s puzzles are inspired by “Zwischenzug,” a new book by Natasha Regan and Matt Ball on the theme of intermediate moves.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Black to play & win.

Puzzle B: Arkady Naiditsch (White) to play & draw.

Puzzle C: Mickey Adams (White) to play & win.

Puzzle D: Black to play & win.

ANSWERS

A: 1…Rc1+! 2 Rxc1 Qa1+! 3 Kxa1 dxc1(Q)+ 4 Bb1 Qc3 checkmate.
B: 1 Rg4+! Ke3 2 Rxg3 draws.
C: 1 Bf5! gxf5 (or 1…Bxf5 2 Qxf7+) 2 Rxe6 fxe6 3 Qf7+ wins material.
D: 1…Rxe3! 2 Qxf3 Rc8+! 3 Kb1 Rxf3 wins.

A great summer for chess events

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 24 May 2024)

The fickle English summer can throw a spanner in the works of even the best-laid plans, with downpours from the heavens disrupting everything from an election launch to cricket matches. Thankfully, indoor chess events cannot be rained off, and the summer months are a popular time to stage all kinds of tournaments, from one-day rapid and blitz events to long-play international congresses.

The North East chess scene is blessed with several events this summer, starting with the Regional Qualifying Zonal for the EJCOA National Youth Championships. The zonal takes place at the Tyneside Irish Centre in Newcastle’s Gallowgate on Sunday June 2, from 12 noon to 6pm. This will be a five-round congress, with sections for Under 8s, Under 10s, Under 12s and Under 18s. Entries are welcome online at: https://northumbriamasters.com with inquiries to: timpeterwall@gmail.com.
For full information about how to qualify and enter the National Finals, participants can go to: https://ejcoa.co.uk.

An event that caters for players of ages and strengths is the Northumberland & Durham Rapidplay Championships, which take place on Saturday 15 June, from 11am-6pm, at Forest Hall Social Club on Great Lime Road in Palmersville. There are Open, Major, Minor and Junior competitions, with six rounds during the day. Entries are being taken by Tim Wall at: timpeterwall@gmail.com and online at https://northumbriamasters.com.

The next big regional event is the Northumberland & Durham Blitz Championships, held on Sunday 7 July at The Word library, South Shields. For info and entries, contact Eddie Czestochowski at: eddie@southshieldschessclub.co.uk.

Both the Rapidplay and Blitz championships are open to any North East resident in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham, with prizes and trophies in various categories.

The summer’s grand finale is the Northumbria Masters, which is hosted by Darlington Council at the town’s Dolphin Centre on 22-26 August – the August Bank Holiday weekend. The congress has a total prize fund of £6,500, and includes various tournaments for professional and club players, giving opportunities for players to score title norms.
It includes GM and IM norm all-play-alls, a Masters Open that includes invited Grandmasters, and two more FIDE-rated events aimed at amateur and club players: the Challengers (for players rated under 2000 FIDE) and the Major (for players rated under 1700 FIDE). Entries are being taken online for all tournaments at: https://northumbriamasters.com. Inquiries are welcome from players rated 2200+ wishing to take part in the GM and IM invitational events, and can be sent to: info@northumbriamasters.com.

puzzles

This week’s puzzles feature brilliant finishes from the games of the legendary Latvian world champion, Mikhail Tal.

Puzzle A: Tal-Vooresma. White to play.

Puzzle B: Tal-Koblencs. White to play.

Puzzle C: Tal-Smyslov. White to play.

Puzzle D: Tal-Gulko. White to play.

Answers:

A: 1 Ne6+! wins. If 1…fxe6 2 Rxf7, or 1…Qxe6 2 fxe6.
B: 1 Rf8! Rxf8 2 exf8(Q) Nxf8 3 e7 1-0. If 3…Kf7 4 exf8(Q)+ Kxf8 5 Kd1 wins.
C: 1 Qxf7! Qa1+ (or 1…Rxf7 2 Rxd8+) 2 Kd2 Rxf7 3 Nxf7+ Kg8 4 Rxa1 wins.
D: 1 Rxg7! fxe5 (1…Kxg7 2 Rg1+ Kf8 3 Qg3) 2 Rf7+ Ke8 3 Rxe7+ Kf8 4 Rf1+ Kg8 5 Rff7 1-0.