Suffolk Chess

The list of forthcoming events has recently been updated.   There are plenty of tournaments taking place in East Anglia in the coming months, to suit all tastes and ages.

- Cambridge, Sunday 20 January 2013.   Three age-group sections for Under 10s, Under 12s and Under 14s.   Organiser is Matt Taylor of the Leys School; Controller is Bob Jones.

Hertfordshire Chess Association Congress, Hertford, Sat/Sun 2/3 February 2013.   Four graded sections: Open, u175, u150 and u120.

Peterborough Rapidplay and Junior Rapidplay, Saturday 9 February 2013.   Four section Rapidplay - Open, u170, u130 and a Junior section for u16s graded under 85.

Norfolk Rapidplay, Thorpe School, Norwich, Sunday 10 February 2013.   More details later.

- Moreton Hall Community Centre, Sunday 24 February 2013.   Five age-group sections: u8, u10, u12, u14 and u18.   Also a free-to-enter section for Parents!

Norfolk Open Championships - Hippodrome, Gt Yarmouth, Sat/Sun 27/28 April 2013.   Part of the EACU Grand Prix.   More details later.

EACU Championships - Newmarket, Sat/Sun 1/2 June 2013.   Also part of the EACU Grand Prix.

And finally, a reminder that the 31st Bury St Edmunds Congress will take place at the Apex on 5/6 October 2013.

With about one-third of the season already gone, it's time to check out the leading candidates for 'Player of the Year'.   At the end of the season there's a trophy for each division winner.

DIVISION 1 (Minimum 3 games played)

Shaun Munson (Ipswich) 4/4 (100%)
Ed Player (Bury St Edmunds) 2½/3
Steve Ruthen (Bury St Edmunds) 2½/3
Kevin Greenacre (Ipswich) 2½/3

DIVISION 2 (Minimum 3 games played)

Malcolm Lightfoot (Saxmundham) 2½/3
Andrew Paige (Saxmundham) 2½/3
Pete Smyth (Adastral Park) 2½/3

DIVISION 3 (Minimum 4 games played)

Peter Chadwick (Saxmundham) 4/5
David Green (Stowmarket) 3/4
Phil Mortonson (Ipswich) 3/4
Gary Hemsworth (Felixstowe) 3½/5

Other players with a 100% score (2 wins) to date are:

(Div 2):
Mark Le-Vine (Bury St Edmunds)
Don Picton (Saxmundham)

(Div 3):
Rory Goldsmith (Woodbridge School)
Daniel Such (Woodbridge School)
Dave Welsh (Clacton)

Browsing through some old grading lists from the early 1990s, it's sad to see that a number of Suffolk chess-players have since passed away.

I've tried to make a list of those that I know are no longer with us; the following is by no means complete, I'm sure, but at least is a start.  Would readers please let me know of any names that I have omitted?

Roy Adams (Bury St Edmunds)
Mike Ashman (Stowmarket)
Gordon Chapman (Bury St Edmunds) + photo
Les Collins (Felixstowe)
Bill Davies (Sudbury)
Alan Donkin (Bury St Edmunds)
Tony Fuller (Ipswich)
John Galloway (Ipswich) + photo
Sidney Gill (Bury St Edmunds)
Dennis Heron (Hadleigh)
Ken Horley (Hadleigh)
Dennis Horn (Felixstowe)
Peter Lamont (Bury St Edmunds)
Frank Lloyd (Bury Hospital)
Jim Page (Stowmarket) + photo
Julian Popescu (Eye)
Jack Revell (Saxmundham)
Cyril Smith (Bury Hospital)
Adrian Thorpe (Bury St Edmunds) + photo
Don Ward (Bury St Edmunds) + photo
John Watson (Saxmundham)
Eddie Webb (Newmarket)

I would like to write a short article on each, adding a photo where available.  The list shows where I already have a photo; if you have photos of any others, please let me know.  I'd also appreciate any memories you have.

This should have been posted last evening, but didn't manage it as too late back from a chess match!

Part 3 of Mike McNaughton's treatise on the Trompovsky

Black plays 2… d5

As a personal opinion, I did not particularly care for this move but am I being, perhaps, just a teeny weeny bit irrational?  Well, that wouldn’t be new for me!  The fact is, I would not care for the idea of Black playing the immediate 3. Bxf6.  I can’t think why, because results have tended to go in favour of Black. Anyway, I have given three games here.

The first involves a player some of you may know, David Ledger from Bedford (I like to draw local examples when I can!).  He started off badly, then clawed his way back into the game, and just as things started looking good, they went south and Nigel Povah, his opponent, finished off with some considerable panache.

Another game in this section will be from Anatoly Karpov, and this game is a gem, or at least I think so.  There are no pyrotechnics, just superb technique from a master of his craft.

And finally, Magnus Carlsen, no less, and we will be happy to let him be our guide.

White: Nigel Povah     Black: David Ledger
It says a lot for Dave that he managed to work up an attack from a very unpromising position.  I thought his mistake was trying to avoid a Q exchange; but heck, I’m a weaker player than Dave; I’ve no right to tell him what he should or shouldn’t do.

And now for Karpov.  I’m still kicking myself after 40 odd years for letting the opportunity pass me by for having him for a simul at what was then my club (Knotty Ash) and yes, there is indeed such a place, though you won’t find any gravy wells or jam butty mines there.  At the time Korchnoi looked the better bet.

Just enjoy this game.  His opponent, by the way, is no fool by any means, and a Trompovsky specialist.  Interestingly, he plays 3. e3 rather than Bxf6. Not that it did him any good!  And obviously we can assume that 3. Bxf6 held no fears for Karpov.

White: Sinisa Drazic     Black: Anatoly Karpov. Our next game involves the prodigy Magnus Carlsen.  I don’t propose to give you the whole game; my general intention was to give you an idea of how he handles the opening.  And again, it’s a coherent plan which you can use in your own games.  Well, with Carlsen, it would be coherent, wouldn’t it?

White: Rune Djurhuus     Black: Magnus Carlsen

Black plays 2… c5

The Benoni type move … c5 is a challenging, combative reply to the Trompovsky and if White is not careful he can lose quickly.  White has, more or less, two main replies.  The first is what most players would play almost automatically after … c5; namely d5.

So let’s look at what happened in the game Rodriguez – Hort, Las Palmas, 1975. 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 c5 3. d5 Ne4 4. Bf4 Qb6 5. Qc1 g5 6. Bg3 Bg7 7. c3 Qh6 (threatening … Nxg3 when White is forced to re-take with the f pawn) 8. Bxb8 Rxb8 (what else for White? The rook recapture prepares the ground for a Q side attack). 9. Nxd2 Nxd2 10. Qd2 b5 11. Nf3 b4 12. Nxg5 bxc3 13. Qa6?? 14. Rc1 Qa3 15. e4 Rb1!! and Black won in another ten moves.

What would have been better for White? Oddly enough, retreating the Bishop to c1. Well, it does look ignominious but the loss of time is compensated by forcing the Black N to move again by f3.  Here is a short draw between two GMs; one is our old friend Julian Hodgson and the other Guyala Sax.

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 c5 4. d5 Qb6 5. Bc1 d6 6. f3 Nf6 7. e4 e6 8. c4 exd5 9. cxd5 g6 10. Ne2 Bg7 11. Na3 O-O 12. Nc4 Qc7 13. Nc3 a6 14. e4 Nbd7 15. Be2 Nb6 16. Na3 Bd7 17. O-O Nxa4 18. Nxa5 b5 19. Nc3 b4 20. Bd2 bxa3 21. Rxa3 Rab8. Draw agreed.

I chose the following little miniature involving a player I came across a few years ago in the National Club Championship in Aberystwyth.  Rudy van Kemenade plied most of his chess trade in Yorkshire but on this occasion I played his charming wife Julie, no mean player either.

White: Richard Freeman Black: Rudy van Kemenade.
1. d4 Nf5 2. Bg5 c5 3. Bxf6 gxf6 4. d5 Qb6 5. Qc1 f5 6. e3 Bg7 7. c3 Qg6 (e6 is the book move) 8. Nh3 e5 9. dxe6 fxe6 10. Nf4 Qf7 11. Be2 O-O 12. c4 Nc6 13. Nc3 Kh8 14. Qc2 a6 15. Na4 b5 16. cxb5 axb5 17. Nc5 Qe7 18. Nb3 Qb4 19. Qxb4 Nxb4 20. O-O Bxb2 21. Rab1 Rxa2 22. Bxb5. Draw agreed.

The final part of the ACE OF TROMPS will appear in a few days' time.

Old Buckenham Hall School, in Brettenham (between Stowmarket and Bury St Edmunds), has started up a chess club for its Year 7 pupils.  It's being held every Monday afternoon, in curriculum time!  The photo below shows some of the pupils at today's second meeting of the club.


It's particularly noteworthy that the whole of the year group attends (it's compulsory) and that it's being held during the school day.  Full marks to the school for making such a commitment.

Judging by the enthusiasm shown by the pupils, they certainly seem to enjoy playing chess (I guess it's better than another history lesson).  The best players have been put into 'Division 1', where they will play each other over the next few weeks.  The remainder have been spilt into two groups, one of about 16 pupils who can play chess (though not very well yet) and a 'Novices' group of 5 or 6 pupils, who receive instruction on some chess basics.

The 12th Woodbridge Junior Chess Open Tournament took place today.

Sadly, entries were down on previous years.   A total of 63 people entered, which included nine adults in the Open section.   The Under 14 and Under 16 sections had to be combined.

The Playing Hall:


Of the 54 juniors who played, 21 were from Woodbridge School and the Abbey Prep, and 11 were from the Bury Knights JCC.

The section winners were:

Under 8 - Aaron Saenz de Villaverde (Bury Knights) - 6/6
Under 10 - William Bradley (Wymondham, Norfolk) - 6/6
Under 12 - Anita Somton (Bury Knights) - 5½/6
Under 14 - Wiliam Sait (Bury Knights) - 5/6
Under 16 - Silas Peck (Ipswich CC) - 5/6
Open (incl. adults) - Steve Gregory (Ipswich CC) - 6/6

All the Junior winners and runners-up:

In my rôle as Secretary of the SCCA, I would like to attempt to locate as many of the county's trophies as possible.

If you (or your club) possess any Suffolk trophy, would you please let know?

It may be a current trophy, such as a Division Champion or Player of the Year, but it could also be a trophy from long ago that is no longer awarded. If you happen to have one of these lying in your loft, don't be embarrassed, just let me know so that it can be brought back into the County's ownership and, possibly, re-awarded next year.

This includes junior trophies, such as the various age-group cups and shields, and inter-schools competitions.

Back in 1993 we had a valuation done, which listed 16 trophies. Some of these have since 'gone missing'. Also, we know that there are more trophies than the 16 that were valued, as some have been re-discovered in the meantime. The value of the 16 trophies (in 1993) was over £2,000.

Fifteen years ago, there were junior clubs in many locations in the county.  The first to open, back in 1988, was Stowmarket, closely followed by Ipswich.  Others followed in subsequent years in Gt Cornard, Leiston, Debenham, Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket.  By 1997 junior chess in the county was incredibly strong, with many schools supplementing the above clubs.

Now, in 2012, only the Bury Knights continues to thrive.  The average attendance this term has been 30, with more than 40 members on the books.  These include 17 girls.

The Ipswich Junior Club has not re-commenced this term, due mainly to the business commitments of the organiser, .  He is hoping that the club will open again in the Spring Term, but emphasises that if he is unable to do so (he currently works in Oxford) he will need to hand over the club's assets to the adult club.

Perhaps some members of the Ipswich Chess Club will step forward now and help Paul to get the club back on its feet.  If Bury St Edmunds, with about one quarter of the population of Ipswich, can thrive, then surely it must be possible to maintain a junior club there.

Something of a chess legend in Suffolk and North Essex circles, Peter Keffler reaches the grand age of 89 today!

The photo below shows Peter's birthday celebration at the Clacton Chess Club last year, when he was presented with a cake that showed a position from his game against Tim Lunn, played in December 2003.  An amazing sequence of sacrifices culminated in a shock mate.  Well worth playing through!


Also in the photo are John Lambert, Dennis Brown and Dave Pearce.

Peter has suffered a number of ailments in recent years.  He has had to have operations on his knees and his eyesight is slowly failing him.  His famous bookstall is no longer, but he still owns a large number of books which he keeps at his house. Any offers?!

Here's the game:

White: Peter Keffler; Black: Tim Lunn; Suffolk League, 15.12.2003

Three Suffolk clubs play in the Bury Area Chess League - Newmarket (Div 3), Stowmarket (Div 3) and Bury St Edmunds (all three divisions).

Newmarket have had a great start and look favourites to win Division 3.  Boosted by the arrival of two established players (Colin Gardiner ex Falmouth and Fraser Jones ex Ely) they have started the season with four straight wins and 17½ points.

Not such good news for Stowmarket, who have had difficulty fielding their strongest players.  They currently lie in joint last place on 6 points.

Bury St Edmunds field seven teams in the League - two in Division 1, two in Division 2, and three in Division 3.  Four Ipswich members form part of the squad for the Scorpions, one of the Division 1 teams (Shaun Munson, Ian Wallis, Sam Brennan and Andrew Shephard).  This gives these players an opportunity to play different opponents from usual, from Cambridge, Ely and Linton.

Most of the Bury teams are mid-table.  Cambridge and Linton tend to dominate Division 1, with some extremely strong members.  In one recent match between Bury Scarabs and Linton A, the top two boards all featured players graded over 200.   David Spence (207) beat David Coleman (215) and Ed Player (208) beat Kevin Clark (202).  There can't have been many occasions, in either league, when this has occurred before.