The latest on the club’s Book Prize Tournament and the weekly Arena and 5-round Swiss tournaments. And good luck to the Hampshire Juniors tomorrow in the 14th Online County Team Battle!

The Book Prize Tournament

Firstly, an update from Book Prize Tournament organiser Peter Przybycin:

Hi All,

Five results this week.

• Steve Saunders 0 Rob Sims 1
• Geoffrey Parish 1 Nobby George 0
• Mike Henbury 1 Rob Strachan 0
• Steve Dunleavy 0 John Kooner 1
• Rose Saunders ½ Don Creasey ½

John Kooner continues to maintain his 100% record, although he had a hard time in this round against Steve Dunleavy.

Geoffrey Parish continues to improve and recorded his second win in a row.

Round seven pairings will be published once the final round six result is in.

All the best,

Peter.

Online weekly Tournament results

Ten club players took part in the weekly Tuesday Arena on lichess.org on 26th January. Congratulations to John Zastapilo who came top, well done Keven Lamb 2nd, and Joseph Henbury 3rd. For full results see the lichess.org 26th January tournament details.

The 5-round Swiss rapid-play online tournament at lichess.org on Thursday 28th was also contested by ten players. Congratulations to Keith Gregory with an impressive 5 out of 5 wins, and well done Kev Byard 2nd and Graham Stuart 3rd. Kev and Graham both scored 3.5, and the system used a tie-break performance score to decide who was 2nd and who 3rd. For full results see Chandlers Ford 5 Round Swiss 28th January.

Forthcoming online tournaments

Details of the next two online tournaments for club members at lichess.org.

Tuesday Arena, 2nd February 2021, 8pm

This is our regular weekly rapid play online tournament in which players have ten minutes each per game in the one-hour tournament. 8pm start. It’s already set up, click on the button below to go to the Tournament.

5-round Swiss, 4th February at 8pm

Our next 5-round online Swiss Tournament is on Thursday 4th February 2021. This starts at 8pm at lichess.org. Players have an initial 7 minutes each per game plus a 3-second increment per move (that is, about ten minutes each). Click on the button below to go to the Tournament.

Fourteenth Team Battle

Good luck to the Hampshire Junior Chess players in the Fourteenth Team Battle on lichess.org: see the tournament at 6pm Monday 1st February 2021 at 14th Inter-County Division 2 Team Battle.

Junior Chess Club leader Maha Chandar forwards the announcement by John Upham about the 14th Team Battle online on lichess.org, 1st February 2021.

The event is an Arena tournament online at lichess.org. The players have 5 minutes each per game plus a 3 second increment per move. The Battle is between 10 Teams and 10 Leaders.

Fourteenth Team Battle on lichess.org, Monday 1st February 2021

Dear chess parent,

The Fourteenth Team Battle on the Lichess Arena will take place on Monday, February 1^st 2021 starting at 6pm.

Please register at https://lichess.org/tournament/ph8UB8tz

Please register for this ASAP !

The matches starts at 6pm monthly on a Monday night and completes by 7.30pm

Please register (for free) on lichess.org and then email me (John Upham) at john.upham@zen.co.uk and will get you into the team !

All the best,

John Upham, Secretary, Hampshire, Junior Chess Association

John Upham, British Chess News

Twitter  @ BritishChess

Chandlers Ford Junior Chess Club Page

This week, results of our regular online tournaments, and links to the forthcoming week’s club tournaments; plus the latest Ladder positions. And young chess player Shreyas Royal will be on the telly!

Results of Tuesday Arena 19th January 2021

12 of us participated in this week’s Arena Tournament on Tuesday 19th January 2021, online at lichess.org. Congratulations to David Culliford (‘djc202’), this week’s winner. Well done too Dean Shaw (‘Sheff84’) 2nd, and Graham Stuart (‘WillHeSac’) 3rd.

5-round Swiss results 21st January

12 of us played in Thursday’s 5-round Swiss. Congratulations to Keith Gregory (‘KeithDFG’) on winning with a formidable five out of five wins. Well done too Kev Byard 2nd, and Graham Stuart (‘WillHeSac’) 3rd.

Forthcoming online tournaments

Details of the next two online tournaments for club members at lichess.org.

Tuesday Arena, 26th January 2021, 8pm

This is our regular weekly rapid play online tournament in which players have ten minutes each per game in the one-hour tournament. 8pm start. It’s already set up, click on the button below to go to the Tournament.

5-round Swiss, 21st January at 8pm

Our next 5-round online Swiss Tournament is on Thursday 28th January 2021. This starts at 8pm at lichess.org. Players have an initial 7 minutes each per game plus a 3-second increment per move (that is, about ten minutes each). Click on the button below to go to the Tournament.

The Lichess Ladder Latest: 24th January 2021

Tournament organiser Nobby George reports on results of the week’s games: see below, and the updated Ladder is on our Ladder Tournament Page.

• Peter Przybycin 0-1 Andrew Vagg
• Rob Strachan 1-0 Rose Saunders
• Joseph Henbury 1-0 Nobby George
• Patrick Pavey 0.5-0.5 Maha Chandar

Young Chess Player on Telly on Thursday

Several club members have met chess prodigy Shreyas Royal. He’s played in the Hampshire Congress before, and some of us have met him in other congresses (Potters Bar, Southend etc). The youngster is on the telly this week! Shreyas features in the 2nd episode of the ITV television series Brains Trains and Automobiles, a spin-off of The Chase quiz show, on Thursday 28th January as the Chasers meet talented and gifted youngsters. The programme will be available on ITV Hub.

Round 5 of the Book Prize Tournament is now complete, and organiser Peter Przybycin announces the pairings for Round 6 of the club tournament.

Round 5 of the Book Prize Tournament is now complete. You people are keen!

This round saw Geoffrey Parish break his duck with a win against Steve Saunders. Well Done.

John Kooner now has a clear lead with an impressive maximum score.

Round 5 Results

White		Black
Nobby George	1-0	Rose Saunders
Mike Henbury	1-0	Suzan Dunleavy
Don Creasey	1-0	Steve Dunleavy
John Kooner	1-0	Keven Lamb
Steve Saunders	0-1	Geoffrey Parish
Rob Sims	1-0	Rob Strachan

Scores to date:

• John Kooner 5
• Rob Strachan 4
• Mike Henbury 4
• Rob Sims 3½
• Keven Lamb 3
• Don Creasey 3
• Rose Saunders 2½
• Nobby George 2
• Steve Dunleavy 1
• Steve Saunders 1
• Geoffrey Parish 1
• Suzan Dunleavy 0

To see the individual results for the tournament round by round, see the Book Prize Tournament Page.

Round 6 Pairings

• Steve Saunders v Rob Sims
• Geoffrey Parish v Nobby George
• Mike Henbury v Rob Strachan
• Steve Dunleavy v John Kooner
• Suzan Dunleavy v Keven Lamb
• Rose Saunders v Don Creasey

As ever, the player named first has the white pieces. Deadline for finishing round six is now Saturday 14th February 2021.

All the best,

Peter.

Rules Recap

• The Book Prize Tournament is an all-play-all contest, so with 12 players that makes 11 Rounds.
• Although players will sometimes play consecutive games with the same colour, each player will end up having played at least 4 games as white.
• Each Round should be completed within 3 weeks, but there can be some flexibility.
• The games are to be played online – on lichess.org.
• The time control is 90 minutes each per game.
• The winner (or white if drawn) should notify Peter of the result.

Sam was on top form this week: he won this week’s Tuesday Arena tournament. He retains his lead at the top of the Ladder too. Results of the week’s online chess tournaments on 12th and 14th January; the Ladder latest; and links to the next two online tournaments on 19th and 21st January.

Online rapid-play tournament results this week 12th, 14th January 2021

Our two regular weekly tournaments online at lichess.org: the Tuesday Arena on 12th January, and the 5-round Swiss on the 14th.

Results of Tuesday Arena 12th January 2021: Sam 100%

14 of us participated in this week’s Arena Tournament on Tuesday 12th January 2021, online at lichess.org. Congratulations to Sam Murphy, this week’s winner who came first by an extremely narrow margin, closely followed by David Culliford (‘djc202’) 2nd. Graham Stuart (‘WillHeSac’) came 3rd. Sam and David both had 12 points, but Sam had a higher tournament performance rating and had a 100% win ratio. David did squeeze in an impressive nine games during the hour though! Graham also did well to get 7 games in!

5-round Swiss results 14th January

11 of us played in Thursday’s 5-round Swiss. A good week for 2 of our club members who now live overseas. Congratulations to New Zealand-based Kev Byard on winning with a formidable five out of five wins. Well done too Keith Gregory (‘KeithDFG’) 2nd, and Belgium-based John Zastapilo 3rd.

Forthcoming online tournaments

Details of the next two online tournaments for club members at lichess.org.

Tuesday Arena, 19th January 2021, 8pm

This is our regular weekly rapid play online tournament in which players have ten minutes each per game in the one-hour tournament. 8pm start. It’s already set up, click on the button below to go to the Tournament.

5-round Swiss, 21st January 2021 at 8pm

Our next 5-round online Swiss Tournament is on Thursday 21st January 2021. This starts at 8pm at lichess.org. Players have an initial 7 minutes each per game plus a 3-second increment per move (that is, about ten minutes each). Click on the button below to go to the Tournament.

The Lichess Ladder Latest: 10th January 2021: Sam still in the lead

Tournament organiser Nobby George reports on results of the week’s games: see below, and the updated Ladder is on our Ladder Tournament Page.

• Joseph Henbury:  1  Patrick Pavey:  0
• Rob Strachan:  1  Don Creasey:  0
• Manoj Chandar:  1  Maha Chandar:  0
• John Kooner:  1  Nobby George:  0
• Peter Przybycin 1  Steve Dunleavy  0.

Book Prize Tournament organiser Peter Przybycin announces the pairings for the 5th Round of the club tournament.

Round four of the Book Prize Tournament is now complete.

Round 4 Results

White		Black
Rob Strachan	1-0	Suzan Dunleavy
Don Creasey	1-0	Steve Saunders
John Kooner	1-0	Nobby George
Mike Henbury	1-0	Geoffrey Parish
Keven Lamb	1-0	Rob Sims
Rose Saunders	1-0	Steve Dunleavy

Scores to date:

• John Kooner 4
• Rob Strachan 4
• Mike Henbury 3
• Keven Lamb 3
• Rob Sims 2½
• Rose Saunders 2½
• Don Creasey 2
• Steve Dunleavy 1
• Nobby George 1
• Steve Saunders 1
• Suzan Dunleavy 0
• Geoffrey Parish 0

To see the individual results for the tournament round by round, see the Book Prize Tournament Page.

Round 5 Pairings

• Nobby George v Rose Saunders
• Mike Henbury v Suzan Dunleavy
• Don Creasey v Steve Dunleavy
• John Kooner v Keven Lamb
• Steve Saunders v Geoffrey Parish
• Rob Sims v Rob Strachan

Deadline for finishing round five is Saturday 6th February 2021.

Rob Strachan and John Kooner still have perfect scores. Will this change in round five?

All the best,

Peter.

Rules Recap

• The Book Prize Tournament is an all-play-all contest, so with 12 players that makes 11 Rounds.
• Although players will sometimes play consecutive games with the same colour, each player will end up having played at least 4 games as white.
• Each Round should be completed within 3 weeks, but there can be some flexibility.
• The games are to be played online – on lichess.org.
• The time control is 90 minutes each per game.
• The winner (or white if drawn) should notify Peter of the result.

Results of the week’s online chess tournaments on 5th and 7th January; Sam takes the lead in the Ladder; and links to the next two online tournaments on 12th and 14th January.

Online rapid-play tournament results this week 5th, 7th January 2021

Our two regular weekly tournaments online at lichess.org resumed, with the Tuesday Arena on 5th January, and the 5-round Swiss on the 7th.

Results of Tuesday Arena 5th January 2021

13 of us participated in this week’s Arena Tournament on Tuesday 5th January 2021, online at lichess.org. Congratulations to Joe Henbury, this week’s winner who came first by an extremely narrow 1 point margin, closely followed by Sam Murphy 2nd, and David Culliford (‘djc202’) 3rd.

5-round Swiss results 7th January

11 of us played in Thursday’s 5-round Swiss. Congratulations to Keith Gregory (‘KeithDFG’) on winning with a formidable five out of five wins. Well done too New Zealand-based Kev Byard on 2nd, and Graham Stuart (‘WillHeSac’) 3rd.

Forthcoming online tournaments

Details of the new year’s first two online tournaments at lichess.org.

Tuesday Arena, 12th January 2021, 8pm

This is our regular weekly rapid play online tournament in which players have ten minutes each per game in the one-hour tournament. 8pm start. It’s already set up, click on the button below to go to the Tournament.

5-round Swiss, 14th January 2021 at 8pm

Our next 5-round online Swiss Tournament is on Thursday 14th January 2021. This starts at 8pm at lichess.org. Players have an initial 7 minutes each per game plus a 3-second increment per move (that is, about ten minutes each). Click on the button below to go to the Tournament.

The Lichess Ladder Latest: 10th January 2021: Sam takes the lead

Tournament organiser Nobby George reports on results of the week’s games: see below, and the updated Ladder is on our Ladder Tournament Page.

• Rob Sims:  1  Andrew Vagg:  0
• Sam Murphy:  1  Patrick Pavey:  0
• Joseph Henbury:  1  Don Creasey  0
• Keven Lamb:  0  Peter Przybycin:  1.
• John Kooner:  1  Maha Chandar: 0 

Chandler’s Ford players in the official English Chess Federation England online women’s team! Also in this article, the Queen’s Gambit TV series, and the film Queen of Katwe.

The England Women team on Lichess

There is an online lichess.org team exclusively for women, open to women and girls of all abilities. It is well subscribed, and there are currently 253 members. Chandler’s Ford Chess Club’s own Rose Saunders and Maha Chandar are two of them.

See the English Chess Federation article about the team: England Women’s Team – English Chess Online

The captain of the English Women club on lichess.org is Jovanka Houska (‘ButterflyQueen’). The club is the official English Chess Federation women’s team on lichess.org. The team is open to women and girls of all abilities. Click on the button below to go to the team on lichess.org.

English Rose takes on Libya

Chandler’s Ford Chess Club player Rose Saunders plays for the England Women ECF team on lichess.org. And she’s won games for the England team! Rose tells her story:

Now I have joined the women’s team, I’m getting more out of playing chess. I have played  two matches. The first against Libya. There were five teams on our side and we played nine games. We won all our games. I played two and won both. Another day I played against Seventy one players from different women’s teams from all over the world. I played thirteen games. Won two and drew two. I was placed Forty first. The games were each three minutes. So fast, but I liked it and enjoyed the experience. I will certainly play again with the women’s team.

Rose Saunders

Chandler’s Ford’s Maha Chandar regularly plays for the England Women team , most recently on 3rd January.

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The Queen’s Gambit

The media sensation of 2020 on Netflix – The Queen’s Gambit – tells the story of a fictional female chess prodigy, Beth Harmon, as she becomes a chess champion. The 7-episode series is based on the novel by Walter Tevis, The title refers to the Queen’s Gambit chess opening. See the official series trailer on YouTube: The Queen’s Gambit | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube.

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The Queen of Katwe

This 2016 film of a female chess player is based on a real story – that of Ugandan girl Phiona Mutesi, who triumphs from adversity in the Kampala slum area Katwe. See IMDb website article about the film, and also the Disney Official Trailer on YouTube

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Female chess players are heavily outnumbered by their male counterparts in chess. Female players number about 15% in FIDE (see: statistics – Is it true that Chess is generally more played by men? – Chess Stack Exchange). Hopefully the increased interest in chess due to The Queen’s Gambit and the depiction of female leads in TV and film media about chess, as well as the experiences of our own club’s Maha and Rose, will encourage more girls and women to play chess.

In our first post of 2021, the latest Lichess Ladder Tournament standings.

The chess games of the club’s Lichess Ladder Tournament are played online on lichess.org.

The Lichess Ladder started on 27th November 2020, and will be updated each Sunday.

The time control is 90 minutes per player in each game. A player may challenge up to 4 places above, and if the challenger wins the two players swap places on the Ladder (otherwise they stay perched on their current rungs). The Challenger has the White pieces.

Lichess Ladder 3rd January 2021

Ladder organiser Nobby George reports a busy week in the tournament, with 5 games played:

• Manoj Chandar: 1  Rose Saunders: O
• Sam Murphy: 1  Steve Saunders: 0
• John Kooner: 1  Maha Chandar: 0
• Joseph Henbury: 1  Keven Lamb: 0
• Steve Dunleavy: 0  Don Creasey: 1

See the Ladder Page for full current standings list of the 17 players as of 3rd January. Patrick Pavey retains top slot as we go into 2021. The Ladder Page is updated weekly.