It’s the Kent Chess League finals today!
Despite having representations in the semi-finals, County, Stevenson, En Passant, Fuller & Intro only our Fuller team progressed to today’s final.
Good luck Umberto’s Underdogs in the Fuller, make us proud!
Category Archives: News
Junior Club
Our club for Juniors is run by our members Mark Brougham and Keith Hossack. Our Juniors club is for all ability levels: we are happy to teach beginners the moves, and we welcome all who enjoy playing chess, whether for fun or more competitively. And Hastings and St Leonards Chess Club has plenty of expert members who will be happy to give tips to any budding chess prodigies!
Age groups: The Juniors club is open to all young persons aged five to eighteen who are interested in chess. For five to seven year olds, we ask that a parent or carer accompany the child while they are on the Club premises. Parents who wish to accompany older children are of course very welcome too.
Where: The Juniors club meets in the lower playing room in the Club’s own premises at 2 Cornwallis Terrace, Hastings, TN34 1EB.
Opening times: Friday evenings in school term time, 4.30pm until 6.30 p.m. We reopen after the Easter holidays on 25 April 2025. Then we are open every Friday except 30 May, the school mid-term holiday. We will be closed from 25 July for the Summer holidays, reopening on 5 September 2025.
For further details please contact Keith Hossack at dialethe@yahoo.co.uk
Our charges: first three sessions are a free sample, after that £2 visitor’s fee per attendance, or take out a junior membership for £10 to cover attendance for the whole year.
Donations: Hastings and St Leonards Chess Club welcomes donations earmarked for the Juniors club.
Safeguarding: We have an approved and rigorous safeguarding policy.
The King is Dead, long live the King
Congratulations to Gukesh Dommaraju the new chess World Champion!
Gukesh defeated reigning world champion Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 over 14 games in classical time control to become, at 18 the youngest ever champion eclipsing Garry Kasparov’s achievement at the age of 22.
The final game of the championship saw both players going for it until Ding decided to try and go for the draw late in the game and take the championship to tie-breaks but it was a strategy that backfired spectacularly. The swapping off of all the pieces left Gukesh with an easy (even for us lesser mortals) K+2p vrs K+1p ending which Ding resigned after realising his blunder.
The King is dead. Long live the King.
Well done Gukesk a worthy champion and inspiration to all juniors out there.
See Ollie Willson’s commentary on the final game of the championship.
World Championship Chess 2024 Roundup
Follow the 2024 World Chess Championship with commentary and highlights by Hastings’ own, Ollie Willson.
I expected the best version of him: Game 1 of Gukesh v Ding.
No quick draws: Game 2 of Ding v Gukesh.
Man out of time: Game 3 of Gukesh v Ding.
I believe in playing the best moves: Game 4 of Ding v Gukesh.
A Queenless Middlegame or an Endgame: Game 5 of Gukesh v Ding.
The one that got away: Game 6 of Ding v Gukesh
Fortune favours the bold: Game 7 of Gukesh v Ding.
Playing the long game: Game 8 of Ding v Gukesh.
Don’t blink: Game 9 of Gukesh v Ding
No way through: Game 10 of Ding v Gukesh
The Critical Blow: Game 11 of Gukesh v Ding
Ding strikes back!!!: Game 12 of Ding v Gukesh
Ding dodges a bullet!!: Game 13 of Gukesh v Ding
18th World Champion: Gukesh Dommoraju: Game 14 of Ding v Gukesh
Ollie’s
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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
Wanstead and Woodford Friendly match result
Hastings hosted Wanstead and Woodford today and the result and link is below, unfortunately we lost
https://lms.englishchess.org.uk/lms/league_fixture/254439
Bernard Cafferty 90th birthday tribute
Below is the link to a booklet tribute to Bernard Cafferty written by member Steve Giddins
ECL R2 vrs Donetsk
Chess.com 2024 The European Cities League round 2 is now open for registration.
Hastings Club members and residents of Hastings & St Leonards with a Chess.com account are encouraged to join this team match which starts on 17th December 2023
Players play two simultaneous games with up to 3 days per move allowed.
Hastings competes in Division 4 (minimum 7 boards) this season alongside:
- Donetsk
- Rome
- Karagandy
- Dnipro
- Metz
- Bologna
- Maracena
- Sheffield
- Glasgow
For more information and match progress visit Hastings v Donetsk on Chess.com
Previous rounds:
Hastings start ECL campaign against Glasgow
Chess.com 2024 The European Cities League has started with Hastings playing Glasgow in the first fixture of the season.
Hastings members with chess.com accounts are encouraged to join the match which starts on 12th November.
Players play two simultaneous games with up to 3 days per move allowed.
Hastings will compete in Division 4 (minimum 7 boards) this season alongside:
- Donetsk
- Rome
- Karagandy
- Dnipro
- Metz
- Bologna
- Maracena
- Sheffield
- Glasgow
For more information and match progress visit Hastings v Glasgow on chess.com
First round draw McArthur CUP and Paul Watson Trophy
Hastings have drawn local rivals, Bexhill at home for the first round of the McArthur Cup and Uckfield away in the Paul Watson Trophy. Matches to be played by Feb 10th and January 13th respectively.
Full details:
McArthur Cup:
1st Round:
West: Sussex University v Horsham
Bye – East Grinstead
East: Hastings v Bexhill
Bye – Lewes
For the semi-finals, the home team will be determined by whether the winners of the 1st round match were home or away in the 1st round (i.e. if the winner was away in the 1st round they will be at home in the semi-final).
Schedule:
1st round matches to be played by February 10th
Semi-Finals to be played by April 20th
Final to be played by May 31st
Paul Watson Trophy:
1st Round:
West: Shoreham v Sussex University
East: Uckfield v Hastings
Quarter-Finals:
West: Bognor v Horsham
Shoreham or Sussex U v East Grinstead (Home team dependent on winner of 1st round)
East: Lewes v Crowborough
Uckfield or Hastings v Bexhill (Home team dependent on winner of 1st round)
Schedule:
1st round matches to be played by January 13th
Quarter-Finals to be played by March 2nd
Semi-Finals to be played by April 27th
Final to be played by May 31st
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