2012-13 season news
Collett new club champion
19 Sep. With the finalists David Roberts and Ray Collett drawing both of their standardplay games, the championship had to be decided by an blitz Armageddon game with Andrew Farthing acting as Arbiter.. Roberts won the toss and opted to play white with 6 minutes to complete his game. Collett, playing black, had only 5 minutes but enjoyed the advantage of the draw. The opening transposed into a Queen's Gambit Declined. Roberts advanced his c-pawn and soon dominated the queen-side. It looked all over for Collett as white gained black's a-pawn, and white's heavy artillery commanded the open b-file. Black clung on, but lost the exchange and was behind on time when Roberts missed a knight sacrifice with a discovered attack on his queen. Collett mopped up concluding with queen and bishop up against a rook and plenty of time.
Club finalists draw again
16 Sep. After the drawn game in the final on 5 Sep (see below), David Roberts and Ray Collett, played a return standard play game hosted by Droitwich club. Roberts played his usual English Opening and Collett responded with an Indian set-up. By the early middle game white had had a slight bind on the position and chose a knight pseudo-sacrifice completely unsettling his opponent. Exchanges led to a position where white could win a pawn, but Roberts chose perhaps the wrong move order, allowing black to bail out with doubled isolated queenside pawns and no immediate material disadvantage. In the queen and double rook middlegame that followed, it proved hard for white to exploit his positional advantage until Roberts forced the exchange of queen and rook to give a rook-and-pawn ending a pawn up. Collett had the more active rook and white's rook was awkwardly placed in front of a passed pawn. Shortly after pawns were exchanged on the king side, players found that white could repeat position or admit the loss of the extra pawn. Roberts and Collett agreed the draw and must now play an Armageddon game to decide the championship.
Hard fought draw in championship final
5 Sep. On the first night back at winter HQ in St Stephen's Church Hall, David Roberts and Ray Collett played the delayed final of the 2012-3 club championship. In an unusual line of the Winawer Variation of the French Defence, Roberts, playing black, forced the gain of a pawn in the early stages. Thereafter Collett worked hard to maintain activity in a queenless middlegame where black had a rook and two pawns for two bishops. One pawn fell fairly easily and then Collett set up a blockade on the queenside against black's passed connected a- and b-pawns. Roberts attempted to open the king's side but could find nothing better than to repeat the position after fifty moves had been played. The draw means the two players face each other again at standard play, and will have to decide the title by a fast game if the second is also drawn.
Rob Sutton biggest gainer in new grading list
26 Jul. The grade-order of City players was untouched in the newly published ECF grading list, but Rob Sutton is forging ahead with a gain of 10 points from the January list. The new ECF grading list has been redesigned making it simpler to check your results. The help file on the site states: "Players are advised to check that their current-season results (as published on this site) are correct. Please check as the season progresses: don't save everything for the July/August logjam. Remember, however, that games will not appear at once. Leagues usually report only twice a year, and congresses vary in promptness. In the case of incorrect or missing results, your first contact should normally be with the organisers of the event. The ECF can only grade what organisers send. But it will always correct errors which can be confirmed by the organiser, by the local grader, or indeed by the opponent. There will be cases where it is best to contact the Grading Administrator direct." Worcestershire results are graded by Paul Sharratt.
Rob Sutton wins prize at Worcestershire Congress21 Jul. Rob Sutton was joint first in the Minor tournament at the congress held at the University of Worcester with a score of 4½ points from his five games. The new President, David Roberts was also in the prize list scoring 3½ ponts and coming 2-7th in the Major tournament. Other Worcester City scores were Ray Collett 1½ points in the Open, John Hesketh, Colin Vernon, both 2 points and Roger Yates 1 point played in the Minor tournament. Although Ed Osbourn and Peter Kitson enterd, they with withdrew before the end of the congress. For full details of the congress view congress web pages. |
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City players win prizes at Cotswold Congress
26 May. Andrew Farthing (3½ points in the Major) and Colin Vernon (2½ points in the Minor) won grading prizes.
Nick Harris Worcester City 2013 rapidplay champion
23 May. The elder statesman of the club, Nick Harris, proved that age is no barrier to fast play by winning the final of the Rapidplay Championship against Rob Sutton. In this competition, players must complete all moves within 30 minutes.
City club championship semi-final results
25 Apr. At the end of the preliminary stage of the competition the results were: Nick Harris 3 points; Ray Collett 2 points; Colin Vernon and David Roberts 1 point and these players go into the knock-out stages. In semi finals, both players with the white pieces won: David Roberts beat Colin Vernon and Ray Collett beat Nick Harris. The final will probably be played 16 May.
Worcester Bishops are District League champions
17 Apr. Worcester Bishops completed their fixtures in the Worcester & District League the night before, losing to bottom-markers Redditch 1½ - 2½. The Bishop's only winner was David Roberts, whose result brings the trophy to Worcester City club for the first time since 1987. Frantic consultations between the Competitions Secretary and the Malvern Club's secretary were necessary before it could be agreed that Worcester Bishops had won the District championship on tie-break. In the end Worcester Bishops was decalared the winning team having 15 match points, the same as Malvern, but the Bishops' players had achieved one more decisive victory than Malvbern - 18 compared with 17. Steve Mellor played in only four matches and won all of them. Three other team players completed the season without a loss in Division 1 of the the league: Nick Harris 6/8; Peter Kitson 5½/9; and Ray Collett 1½/2.
Members give £200 to Cancer Research UK
12 Apr. Andrew Farthing reports members' contributions reached £200 for sets and books from the estate of John Clark. John's daughter has told Andrew that she is delighted to know that not only had her father's books and sets found new homes, but also that such a sizable donation had been achieved.
Bishops team so near to District title
11 Apr. Worcester Bishops drew 2 - 2 with Kidderminster Pawns in the home Worcester & District Division 1 fixture. Worcester Bishops now equal top-placed Malvern's score of 15 match points and 25 game points. Malvern have completed their fixtures and the title will depend on the Bishop's final match of the season away at Redditch next week.
Andrew Farthing wins grading prize in the West of England Congress
1 Apr. Andrew scored 4½ points in the under-170 tournament to win the u149 prize and a tournament grade of over 170. Last month Andrew just missed in winning the Intermediate tournament at Hereford and his latest result confirms his improving form.
City players' new grades out
8 Feb. Pavel Besedin has broken the 200 barrier and goes up to 204, Steve Mellor is 179, Peter Kitson 175, Nick Harris 169, new member David Roberts is on 158, Jim Keene 152, Andrew Farthing 143, Ray Collett 141, Phil Smith 117, Roger Yates 108, Rob Sutton 106, Pat Greenow 88 and Colin Vernon 72.
City players score in West Bromwich congress
27 Jan. Rob Sutton won a grading prize in the Minor tournament, President Andrew Farthing also scored 3 points and Colin Vernon scored 2 points after recovering from a poor start in the same section.
John Clark loses fight against cancer
15 Jan. We have received sad news that John passed away during the night of 10 January. Andrew Farthing writes: "He had been battling cancer for much of the last year. Up until the last few years, John had been a regular on the weekend congress circuit as well as a longstanding member of the Worcester City club. His name appears on the Bennett Cup roll of honour twice, in 1975 and 1977, and I can vividly recall how delighted he was in 2009 to win the Minor section of the Hereford summer congress, the first time in his life that he had come clear first in a chess tournament. At his best, John was a dangerous attacking player, for whom chess was an unending source of pleasure. Mikhail Tal was his favourite player, although he would let slip from time to time his admiration for the mysterious manoeuvres of Tigran Petrosian. Although his illness prevented him from attending the club during the last year, he and I enjoyed many battles over the board whenever I visited him at hospital or at his home. He was a good friend, and I'll miss our conversations."
Secretary at Shropshire Congress
6 Jan. Andrew Farthing, returning to chess playing after a sabbatical at the ECF office, scored 3 points from 5 games in the Major.
King races and Kriegspiel at Winter solstice
20 Dec. Steve and Doug Nicholls were the first to tale to Kriegspiel with Steve winning the first game. Other challenges included a mate-in-three problem and a retro analysis. Mince pies and sausage rolls and Lebkuchen also featured. To see some of the challenges click here.
City team win Wheatley Memorial Cup
15 Nov. Worcester triumphed again in this knockout handicap team tournament. The delayed 2012-13 final was played away on 15 November at Greenlands. See report in Worcester News. and Worcestershire League website.
Grandmaster Keith Arkell visits club
18 Oct. As part of the author's tour to promote his autobiography, Arkell's Odyssey, Keith Arkell visited Worcester City Chess Club. Arkell's Odyssey: The Autobiography of a Chess Grandmaster (Keverel Books, Exmouth, Devon. 123pp ISBN 0-9531-3216-1 £15.99) was published last month. Having reached his 50th birthday, Keith decided to take a backward look and record how he came to be one of Britain's busiest and best-known chess players. In this book Keith tells how he confronted his inner fears and phobias, as well as presenting the scores of 70 tournament triumphs and writing a candid account of his personal and chess development.
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| Left: Keith signing copies of his chess autobiography Arkell's Odyssey. Centre l-r Jim Keene, Steve Mellor and Phil Smith wait for their copies. Right Keith demonstrates to club members one of his tournament wins from the book. | ||
Pavel Besedin wins Dudley Open
7-8 Oct. Full results expected soon.
District League fixtures dates
30 Aug. At a meeting held in The Mug House, Claines, the dates for Bishops and Pawns team matches were agreed. In Division 2 dates for Headless Cross matches are not yet published because their captain was unable to attend the meeting. Click the "City Teams" menu button above to see dates and further information about each of the club's league teams.
County League fixtures dates
23 Aug. The City team have eight matches this year. Click the "City Teams" menu button above to see dates and further information about the club's league teams.
City players' grades
24 Jul. Andrew Farthing reports. The prov isional grades for next season have been published: Peter Kitson 185; Pavel Besedin 184; Steve Mellor 178; Nick Harris 172; Jim Keene 152; Andrew Farthing 148; Ray Collett 143; Roger Yates 118; Phil Smith 117; John Clark 109; Rob Sutton 100; Pat Greenow 85; Colin Vernon 69. New member Robert Walkowiak has an estimated grade of 115.