November Rapid play

NOVEMBER RAPID PLAY
Sunday November 24th

by courtesy of THE CHAIRMAN AND COMMITTEE

OF HASTINGS & ST LEONARDS CHESS CLUB

TO BE HELD ON

SUNDAY 24TH NOVEMBER 2024

CLOCKS START 2:00 p.m.

(arrive and check in by 1:45 p.m.)

7 Round Swiss of 10 minutes per game plus 5 seconds per move.

Results will be submitted for English Chess Federation rapidplay grading.

ENTRIES FROM CLUB MEMBERS ONLY

Many modest (sometimes silly) prizes to be won by players at all levels.

Prize giving is expected to be finished by 6:30 p.m.

Entrance numbers strictly limited to 24 utter absolute tops

and people will be turned away after that number is reached,

so advance booking is strongly recommended.

Entry fee: £3 pay on the day.

Book by e-mail to hastingschessclub@outlook.com text or phone Adrian on 07518415429

No tournament if fewer than 12 entries by Monday 28th October.

Haphazard tea time refreshments (self-service) provided.

Visitors’ parking vouchers (cheaper than street parking) available from Jim Wheeler,

07875 712005 or james.wheeler9@btinternet.com

Lightning strikes once

The first Lightning tournament to held at the club in long while will be at the club this Saturday 14th September at 2PM.

The Glyde Cup will be up for grabs for members in what’s hoped to be a regular event going  forward.

To enter this competition and play a part of history (Cheshire noted about our 1895 Great Tournament that “Bird and Janowski enlivened us with a little lightning chess.”) please contact Adrian in the first instance

Lightning chess rules for this weekend:

Lightning chess can be a game between two players where the thinking time is regulated either by a buzzer sounding every ten seconds or by using digital clocks set in >Bronstein= mode.
1. The time limit between moves shall be ten seconds.
2. Where a buzzer is used, each player on his turn to move, shall move immediately the buzzer sounds – not before or after.
3. A move must be completed before the buzzer ceases to sound or the time on the clock expires. Any player exceeding this time limit is likely to be defaulted. An Arbiter should only give one warning of this, and thereafter enforce the Rule.
4. If a player completes an illegal move, his opponent can immediately claim the game. If he does not do so, but instead replies to the illegal move with a move of his own, the illegal move stands and the game must continue.
5. A player may not claim a draw on grounds which normally require the existence of a game score (eg repetition or the “50-move” circumstance).
6. Except insofar as they conflict with the Rules given above, the normal Laws of Chess (including the touch move Rule) shall apply.
7. If the Arbiter considers: (a) that neither player is trying to win; (b) that one player is unnecessarily prolonging the game; (c) or that irregularity or malpractice has occurred then, notwithstanding anything stated above, he may: (1) award a win to one player and a loss to the other (2) award a loss to both players (3) declare the game a draw (4) order the game to be replayed with or without colours reversed.
8. In the event of any dispute arising over the interpretation of these Rules, the Arbiter’s decision shall be final.
See you there.

Hastings Weekend u1800 October 5/6 2024

Hastings Club Weekend u1800 Chess Tournament

October 5/6 2024

To be held at the Hastings and St. Leonards Chess Club 2 Cornwallis Terrace Hastings TN34 1EB

Round Times

Saturday 5th October

Round 1 10.00. Round 2 14.00. Round 3 18.00.

Sunday 6th October

Round 4 10.00. Round 5 14 00.

This will be limited to approx. 24 players with free tea coffee and sandwiches

All players will need to be silver or gold members of the ECF

Entry fee non club members £25

Hastings club members and Juniors £20

September grades will be used

Time control 1-hour 40mins +15sec a move

½ point Bye Round…………….

Prizes

1st £125

2nd £75

3rd £50

Grading under 1600 £75

Entry to

Marc Bryant at 2 Cornwallis Terrace Hastings Sussex  TN34 1EB

Email        bryant8830@yahoo.co.uk

Tel 01424 436313

Entry form

Name

Grade

Club

Phone number

Email

Address

Hastings Dominating Kent

Hastings’ teams in all four divisions/cups entered this season have reached the semi-final stage.

Our Harvey team was runners-up in the Mid-Kent division despite a thumping 5-1 win against Weald Of Kent our final game of the season. An away Semi-Final against Petts Wood & Orpington(5) tonight is the reward.

In the En Passant Cup, our team topped the division and have home advantage against Charlton on Saturday 11th.

Henry’s Super Stevenson Team scraped through as runners-up having the same number of match points and board points as third-placed Rainham but due to head-to-head results were given the nod. Another away semi-final match to Petts Wood & Orpington on Friday 17th. Charlton awaits the winners in the Final.

Umberto’s Underdogs were runners-up in the Tom Fuller Cup and now have a plum tie against Charlton away to look forward to on June 1st.

It’s very rare to have all our teams reach the semi-finals and may cause a bit of a problem if all make it through to the final as we may not have enough players, but that will be a nice problem to have if it happens.

Come on Hastings!

Kent County Chess Association Semi-Finals

Stevenson
17/05/2024 Petts Wood & Orpington v Hastings & St Leonards

En Passant
11/05/2024 Hastings & St Leonards v Charlton

Harvey
03/05/2024 Petts Wood & Orpington v Hastings & St Leonards

Tom Fuller
TBA Charlton v Hastings & St Leonards

 

Hastings promoted!

Haywards Heath (3) 0.5 – 3.5 Hastings & St Leonards (3)

Congratulations to our Third team in the Sussex league who, on Thursday evening won their final game of the season to gain promotion to the second division!

Third placed Horsham fourths put the pressure on us by spanking Haywards Heath seconds on Tuesday night 4-0 winning their game in hand and coming within a point of our team. With one game each, Hastings had to win to seal the promotion , a draw may have been enough but given the form of Horsham, another 4-0 win would draw on match points but their board difference would be superior, denying us promotion.

Hastings currently sit top of the table but Brighton have two games in hand and only a point behind. The title might be ours but it’s unlikely Brighton will slip up.

On the night all our players went up early in all games with Marc a pawn up and 6th rank monster pawn in a Roy Lopez which he converted eventually. Adrian a pawn up in a Queens Gambit and as usual navigated the tactics perfectly to bring home the win. Mason an  exchange up in a Sicilian Mengarini variation (an unusual line involving an early wing attack for white), surrendering the fiachettoed black squared bishop and groveling for the rest of the game but eventually getting a draw.  New team member Caelan Rooney played a little trick in the opening to get massive pawn duo centre although gave up castling rights when his opponent sacked a bishop on f2. The strong centre was too much and Caelan dominated the game from then on.

(b) Falvey James 0-1 Caelan Rooney
(w) Matthew File 0.5-0.5 Mason Woodhams
(b) Alan Davey 0-1 Adrian Cload
(w) Chris Baldry 0-1 Marc Bryant

Congratulations to all team members and good luck in Division 2 next season. The Thirds were:

Adrian Cload
Mason Woodhams (Captain)
Derek Cosens
Chris Hann
Marc Bryant
Jim Wheeler
Leon Sazkissyan
Caelan Rooney
Greg Chandler.

Full Match Result

League Table

 

Hastings Weekend u1900 June 2024

Hastings Club Weekend u1900 Chess Tournament

June 29/30 2024

To be held at the Hastings and St. Leonards Chess Club 2 Cornwallis Terrace Hastings TN34 1EB

Round Times

Saturday 29th June

Round 1 10.00. Round 2 14.00. Round 3 18.00.

Sunday 30th June

Round 4 10.00. Round 5 14 00.

This will be limited to approx. 24 players with free tea coffee and sandwiches

All players will need to be silver or gold members of the ECF

Entry fee non club members £25

Hastings club members £20

Juniors £15

Time control 1-hour 40mins +15sec a move

½ point Bye Round…………….

Prizes

1st £125

2nd £75

3rd £50

Grading under 1650 £75

Entry to

Marc Bryant at 2 Cornwallis Terrace Hastings Sussex  TN34 1EB

Email        bryant8830@yahoo.co.uk

Tel 01424 436313

Entry form

Name

Grade

Club

Phone number

Email

Address

Victories in Sussex and Kent leagues

Two Hastings teams in both the Sussex and Kent leagues had great results this week. Our Third team in the Mid-Sussex Third Division took a big step towards promotion with a 4-0 win over Worthing(2), the Thirds are just one game away from automatic promotion. Haywards Heath(3) stands in our way to the promised land of the second division.

In the Kent league our En Passant team swept aside last years’ finalist, Weald of Kent 3.5-2.5 on Friday to set up a crunch game against top of the table Medway with the winners guaranteed a place in the play-offs. Hastings didn’t disappoint and scraped a narrow victory 3.5-2.5, and with a game in hand, Hastings can top the league and will play either Charlton or Sidcup in the semi-finals.

Hastings v Medway

Hastings v Weald of Kent

Hastings(3) v Worthing(2)

Hastings unbeaten run ends

Monday night saw Hastings Third team unbeaten run in the Mid-Sussex league Division 3 come to an end with defeat to rivals Brighton 1.5-2.5. This was a top-of-the-table clash with the winners most likely to go on and lift the title. Despite a blistering victory on top board by junior Leon Sazkissyan, a commanding performance by Mason over Robert Counsell and lovely attacking chess by Adrian and Derek it wasn’t to be. Hastings will now need to win their final two games to get promoted to the second division.

On board 1 rising star and junior Leon came flying out of the traps, banging out moves in a most unusual opening, forcing off queens very early whilst decimating the pawn structure of both sides, after the dust settled Leon had an advanced passed pawn on the e-file which when the game reduced to a rook and pawn ending he navigated the complications like a senior with years of experience. 1-0

Mason on board 2 had a very strong opening restricting Robert Counsell to just crumbs of opportunity and although he did manage some queenside initiative it soon fizzled out leaving Mason to rearrange his forces and prepare for an overwhelming attack. Robert at this point was just moving back and forth with a knight awaiting the oncoming storm. With 5 mins on the clock to Robert’s 3 mins and other results from the match undecided, it was time to launch the attack and Nxg6 was played!! Robert didn’t take and instead, Nf8 was selected and after Nxe7,Qxe7,Bg5 white is winning but with very little time on the clock the better player (Robert) found the right moves. 1-1 (Moral, don’t complicate a position when you don’t have any time!)

Adrian on board 3 found himself up against the popular London system and although setting up with the Grunfeld defence which featured in the “Game of the Century” between Donald Byrne and Bobby Fischer wasn’t enough for Adrian. Going a pawn down early doors but having the advantage of the fianchetto bishop versus a knight late on was too much for Adrian 1-2

Derek on board 4 playing Susan Chadwick had a great start with a three pawn centre v Kings Indian Defence, winning an exchange and a pawn, looked good for the win but Susan is no pushover a very solid positional player which Derek could not finish off. In the end a draw and Brighton take the honours.

In summary, Hastings played really well and at one point looked to be winning 3-1 but the extra quality of Brighton carried them through. New team member Leon was outstanding on top board and it won’t be long before he is knocking on the door of our second and even the first team!

Hastings play Worthing at home next before a trip to Haywards Heath for the final game of the season.

Come on you Thirds!

https://ecflms.org.uk/lms/league_fixture/198256

 

Est. 1882