The Gazette
February 2017
Registered Charity Number 263049
Editor:
Julie Leonard, 42 Beckford Road, Alderton, Tewkesbury GL20 8NL
Tel: 01242 620643; Email: [email protected]
BCA Website Address:
www.braillechess.org.uk
Email:
[email protected]
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/braillechess
@braillechess
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BrailleChess
BCA Officers 2016-17
Chairman:
Norman Wragg OBE, 2 Chorley Avenue, Fulwood, Sheffield S10 3RP
Tel: 0114 230 5995, Email: [email protected]
Secretary:
Guy Whitehouse, The Flat, 63 The Parade, Oadby, Leicester LE2 5BB
Tel: 01164 296554, Email: [email protected]
Treasurer:
Gill Smith, 58 Foxfield Avenue, Bradley Stoke, Bristol BS32 0BW
Tel: 01454 885045, Email: [email protected]
Website Coordinator:
Chris Ross, 83 Far End, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN5 5FN
Tel: 01604 750856, Email: [email protected]
Publicity Officer:
Voldi Gailans, 65 Donald Drive, Chadwell Heath, Romford RM6 5EB
Tel: 02085 999572, Email: [email protected]
Correspondence Chess Director: Gary Wickett, 10 Holmesfield Road, Great Barr, Birmingham B42 2DJ
Tel: 0121 358 1892, Email: [email protected]
Audio Librarian:
Mark Kirkham, 35 Hallamshire Close, Sheffield S10 4FJ
Mobile: 07906 387187, Email: [email protected]
Membership Secretary:
Gary Wickett (see above), Email: [email protected]
Junior BCA Representative: Post currently vacant
Chairs of Sub-committees
Finance and Fundraising: Norman Wragg, Email: [email protected]
Information, Communication and Technology: Chris Ross, Email: [email protected]
Technical: Guy Whitehouse, Email: [email protected]
Tournament: Steve Burnell, Email: [email protected]
Non-Committee Posts
Congress Support Officer: Mark Kirkham, Email: [email protected]
Friendly Games Coordinator: Denis Warren, Tel: 01582 575905, Email: [email protected]
IBCA Secretary: Steve Hilton, Tel: 01475 731944; Email: [email protected]
Periodicals Distributor: Richard Harrington, 65 Mosaic House, Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead HP2 5YG
Tel: 01442 258643; Email: [email protected]
Representative to ECF Council: Owen Phillips, Email: [email protected]
BCA Fund-raiser: Julia Scott, Email: [email protected]
Junior Development Officer: Voldi Gailans, Email: [email protected]
Note: The views expressed in the Gazette do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the BCA, nor those of
the editor.
CONTENTS
Editorial .......................................................................................................................................................................3
Forthcoming Events .....................................................................................................................................................3
All Under One Roof.....................................................................................................................................................5
ECF National Club Championships 2017....................................................................................................................6
BCA Members in Mainstream Tournaments ...............................................................................................................6
Words from the Whitehouse ........................................................................................................................................6
Treasurer’s Report .......................................................................................................................................................7
Membership Secretary’s Report ..................................................................................................................................8
Annual Best Game Competition ..................................................................................................................................9
FIDE Olympiad Report 2016.......................................................................................................................................9
Autumn Tournament Report 2016 .............................................................................................................................11
2
Correspondence Chess Director’s Report ..................................................................................................................12
The Wickett System – A Legal Way of Brailling Moves ..........................................................................................13
BCCL Postal Competition .........................................................................................................................................13
6th BCA Email Tournament .......................................................................................................................................13
Chess Theme Quiz – Answers ...................................................................................................................................13
Chris’s Puzzle ............................................................................................................................................................14
Millennium Club........................................................................................................................................................14
Personalia ...................................................................................................................................................................14
Editorial
Welcome to the first BCA Gazette of 2017 and of the Chinese Year of the Rooster which started on the 28th of
January. In China, those born in this year are believed to be hardworking, resourceful and courageous. They are
self-confident, popular and are happiest when they are the centre of attention with their flock around them. In the
west too, the cockerel rules the roost and heads up the pecking order. They are also one of nature's alarm clocks,
inspiring us to rise and shine every morning!
The ancestors of domestic chickens are said to have come from the jungles of Southeast Asia and the Indian
subcontinent. So they migrated to Europe from the east just as chess did! What else might our game have in
common with these birds? Well if, after brooding over a move, you hatch a cunning plan and feel cock-a-hoop,
you may be tempted to strut about haughtily and metaphorically preen your fine tail feathers. But readers beware
and resist if you can, for as a Russian proverb reminds us, today's rooster is tomorrow's feather duster!
In fairness though, many BCA members have lots to crow about. In this issue we launch the 2017 Annual Best
Game Competition and sing the praises of a hardworking committee member who is standing down at the 2017
AGM. We also reflect on the dedication of two members who are retiring from correspondence chess after many
years. One of them has been playing almost as long as the BCA has been in existence! You can also read about
Gary Wickett’s innovative idea for a handy way to record moves in Braille during a game without using an
electronic device. Finally, don’t forget to check how well you did in the Chess Theme Quiz by Derek Heyes!
Observant readers will spot an alteration to our Booking Conditions, stipulating that people entering our
tournaments must consent for some information to be passed to the ECF for grading purposes. Do not be alarmed
by this as nothing is changing in terms of the details that we send to the ECF for grading. The clause has been
added because the ECF now requires us to tell you that we’re giving them your data. No doubt, members will
appreciate that if we want the ECF to grade our events, we must furnish them with the necessary facts!
As always, I’m grateful to every single person who has contributed to this gazette. On this occasion I’d like to
give a special mention to Tristram Cole, who wrote a report on the Autumn Tournament at very short notice,
despite being asked more than a month after the event had finished!
Many thanks to all readers of the Braille gazette who kept me informed about the long wait for the November
issue and the problems with the binding. The RNIB has apologised for the delay which they recognise was
unacceptable. Difficulties arose following the relocation of their production facilities from Peterborough to
Gateshead last autumn and they have given assurances that they will do better this time around. Please do
continue to let me or another committee member know of any ongoing problems with the Braille copies.
Please send your articles for the May gazette by the end of March. I hope to meet up with lots of you at the AGM!
Julie Leonard
Forthcoming Events
17th
19th
to
March 2017: AGM Weekend Chess Congress, Hallmark Hotel, Derby
The AGM will be held at 2pm on Saturday 18th March. We are pleased to be returning to this popular hotel with
its excellent facilities. The Hallmark Hotel is conveniently located within a few yards of Derby railway station.
There will be two five round chess tournaments. The Open section is open to all visually impaired chess players
and associate members of the BCA. The Challengers is limited to those graded 100 or below. The entry fee for
both tournaments is £10. The cost of dinner, bed and breakfast for members and associate members is £39 per
person per night for Friday and Saturday nights in a single room, and £35 per person per night in a double/twin
room. For non members and those staying on the Sunday night, the cost will be £56 per person in a single room
and £50 per person in a double/twin. The closing date has now passed but there may still be space for late entries.
(The late booking penalty of £10 per person will apply.) Please let Guy know if you are planning to attend the
AGM without staying at the hotel so that we can let you have the AGM papers.
Organiser Steve Burnell, tel. 07733 064587; email [email protected].
3
Saturday 27th May to Saturday 3rd June 2017: British Championship
This will be held at The Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate. It will be a seven round event, with one round each day, and
will be open to all visually impaired chess players both from the UK and overseas. It will also be open to all
associate members of the BCA. The British Champion will be the highest placed UK visually impaired player.
Depending on the entry, there may also be a Challengers event in addition to the main championship.
We are pleased to be returning to this hotel with its excellent facilities. It has proved popular on previous
occasions for our weekend tournaments, and we feel it will be very suitable for our week long event. It is located
close to the town centre and a short taxi ride from Harrogate railway station.
The cost to BCA members and associate members will be £270 per person for the week, for dinner, bed and
breakfast regardless of room type. The entry fee will be £10. For anyone staying part of the week only, the cost
will be £40 per person per night for dinner, bed and breakfast. For anyone wishing to stay additional nights at the
beginning or end of the tournament, the cost per night will be £63 per person in a single room and £56.50 per
person in a twin or double room. Payment for entry and all accommodation, including any additional nights,
should be sent to the Treasurer by the closing date of 31st March 2017.
Organiser Steve Burnell, tel. 07733 064587; email [email protected].
27th to 29th October 2017: International Autumn Tournament
Crown Plaza Hotel, formerly Holiday Inn, Solihull, West Midlands
This will consist of two five round Swiss tournaments – an Open Tournament and a Challengers Tournament for
those whose grade or estimated grade is 100 or below. Both tournaments are open to blind and partially sighted
players and to associate members of the BCA. The hotel is conveniently located a short taxi ride from Solihull
Railway Station, and is also convenient for Birmingham International Airport. It has extensive grounds and is
adjacent to Solihull’s indoor shopping centre.
As the hotel has changed hands prices have increased, but we are of course doing our best to minimise the effect
of this to members. The cost for dinner, bed and breakfast for the Friday and Saturday nights is £37 per person per
night for BCA members and associate members in a shared room and £39 per person per night in a single room.
The cost for non-members and for those staying the Sunday night will be £56 per person per night sharing and £58
per person per night single.
Payment for all accommodation (including Sunday if required), together with the £10 entry fee should be sent to
the Treasurer, Gill Smith (see list of BCA Officers for contact details). The closing date for entries is 8th
September 2017. Any queries, please contact the organiser, Voldi Gailans on 0208 599 9572 or email
[email protected].
Booking Conditions and Procedures
If you have any queries about the hotel or the tournament please contact the organiser.
Blind and partially sighted UK residents under the age of 25 receive free entry and free accommodation when
playing in BCA events. In appropriate circumstances, free accommodation is also available to a parent or
guardian accompanying a junior.
Visually impaired UK residents in their first year of membership receive their first BCA weekend event free or
£100 reduction in the cost of a week-long event. They may also be accompanied by a guide or companion who
will receive the same concession.
For a first event we ask for payment in advance and we then make a refund at the event.
You may pay in these ways:
Cheques payable to Braille Chess Association should be sent to Gill Smith, see the front of the Gazette for her
address.
Online or telephone payments may be made to:
Braille Chess Association, sort code 40 52 40, account number 00082456.
Credit/debit card payments may be made through the BCA website.
If you pay by direct payment then you should inform Gill when the payment has been made.
Bookings accepted after the closing date are subject to a £10 late booking penalty for each person. Late bookings
and entries are accepted at the discretion of the organiser. Bookings are confirmed when full payment has been
received. Payments can only be refunded within the time limit set in the terms and conditions set by the hotels.
Members are advised to take out holiday insurance to cover themselves.
When contacting Gill please let her know if you want a single, double or twin room and if you have a preference
for a bath or a shower. And remember, if emailing Gill, copy in the tournament organiser.
Also say whether any of the following apply.
4
1 If you will be bringing a guide dog;
2 If you are on a special diet;
3 If you have mobility problems and would benefit from being located in a room near to a lift;
4 If you are a wheelchair user;
5 If you feel you would have any special difficulties in an emergency such as a fire evacuation;
6 Any other special requirements.
By entering a BCA tournament a player is deemed to have consented for their forename, surname, club, results
and possibly also their gender to be sent to the ECF for grading purposes. For juniors, the date of birth is also
required if they are to get the age-related grading bonus they are entitled to.
Please note: BCA reserves the right to refuse or cancel any entry or to exclude any person from any event it runs.
All Under One Roof
Members can claim support for attending any of these congresses from the Congress Support Scheme. You just
have to flag up with the Congress Support Officer, Mark Kirkham, that you intend to participate, and assuming
you have not exceeded the amount you are entitled to claim in a year and that you send in a small report on the
tournament afterwards you could probably offset the vast bulk of costs incurred by playing in an event. If you do
choose to claim for attending one of these tournaments, or indeed for playing at any other tournament covered by
the scheme, please follow the guidelines and send the Congress Support Officer, Mark Kirkham, travel receipts
and the required report.
This list should not be treated as definitive and is only as complete as I can make it whilst complying with gazette
deadlines. The following events take place in hotels so the accommodation and tournament are at the same venue.
Castle Chess Website: www.castlechess.co.uk
These are organised by Tony and Barbara Corfe, telephone 01707 659080 or email [email protected],
though I've found that emailing [email protected] gets a quicker response. You can subscribe to
Tony's newsletter yourself; just email him at one of these addresses and you will be added to his list of
subscribers. Tony and Barbara are used to having visually impaired participants in their events. I have also found
that other participants in Castle Chess events have got to know and befriended BCA players.
Please note that unless otherwise stated, all Castle Chess congresses are now six-round Swiss events and you are
allowed to take a half-point bye in any two of the first five rounds. The grading bands are an U195 Championship
with a Premier U175 section, the Major for those under 155 with an Intermediate section for U135s, and a Minor
section for those with a grade less than 115 with a Challengers section for U95s.
17th - 19th February 2017, 11th Portsmouth (Fareham) Congress, Lysses House Hotel, High St, Fareham.
Rooms in this hotel are limited so book well in advance if you wish to go to this event and stay in the hotel.
10th -12th March 2017, 9th Hereford Congress, Green Dragon Hotel, 44-46 Broad St, Hereford HR4 9BG
It’s nice to see that this event, which has proved popular with a few of our members, doesn’t clash with our own
AGM weekend.
5th – 7th May 2017, 3rd Harrogate Congress, Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate.
A familiar venue for many BCA members!
e2e4 events Website: www.e2e4.org.uk
At this writing I can find no e2e4 events listed for the period covered by this gazette. However if you wish to make
enquiries yourself, contact details for the main organiser, Sean Hewitt are telephone 0845 4639798, email
[email protected].
4NCL Events Website: www.4ncl.co.uk
Five round Swiss tournaments with sections: FIDE Open, FIDE U2000 (ECF U175) and an ECF U135. Contact
Mike Truran, email: [email protected].
7th – 9th April 2017, 13th 4NCL FIDE Rated Congress, Cedar Court Hotel, Wakefield.
Other Events
24th – 26th February 2017, 46th Dyfed Chess Congress, Fishguard Bay Hotel, Quay Rd, Goodwick
Five round Swiss with a FIDE Rated Open and a Major for U119 ECF. All moves in 1½ hours with 30 second
increments added after each move. Contact: Paul Orton Email: [email protected] or Tony Haigh, Tel: 07811
852829 Email [email protected]. Website: http://www.dyfed-chess.org
10th -12th March 2017, 41st Blackpool Chess Conference, Imperial Hotel, North Promenade, Blackpool
Five rounds. All moves in 110 minutes with 10 second increment added with each move. Open, Major U181,
Intermediate U155, Minor U135 and Standard U115. Contact: Simon Woodcock
Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.blackpoolchess.org.uk
5
1st – 8th April 2017, 3rd Polar Capital Jersey International, Ambassadeur Hotel, St.Clement Bay, Jersey
There is an Open and a Holiday tournament for those under ECF 160. The USB Jersey Open Blitz tournament is
on the 5th of April in the same venue. All three events are nine round Swisses. Contact: Paul Wojciechowski,
email: [email protected].
Guy Whitehouse
Editor’s note: Readers will be saddened to learn that due do a family member being seriously ill, BCA member,
Peter Cloudsdale has had to cancel the York Spring Congress that was planned for the 7th - 9th March, as listed in
previous issues of the gazette. No doubt we all send Peter our best wishes and hope that all will soon be well.
ECF National Club Championships 2017
The ECF National Club Championships will be held on 1st and 2nd April this year, at St. John's Hotel, Solihull.
The chess start at 12.30pm on the Saturday and the fourth and final round begins at 2.30pm on the Sunday. We
sent two teams of four players last year and the year before to take part in this competition and, whilst not blessed
with great success, those who attended had a very enjoyable time. Any member or associate member who is
interested in taking part this year should contact Guy Whitehouse (see details at the front of this gazette) as soon
as possible. We will look at the possibility of entering as many teams as we can!
Voldi Gailans
BCA Members in Mainstream Tournaments
Many thanks to associate member, David Mills, for letting me know about his participation in the final of the
Health & Social Security Recreational Association's National Chess Championship 2016 on the 10th of September.
It was a six round Swiss quick play. David was seeded 7th and finished joint 4th. His results included a draw
with the top seed, Ben Collinson, whose grade was more than 50 points higher than David's. As David pointed out
in the report he sent to me, even stronger players can overlook good moves when playing under a 30 minute time
control. Nevertheless, David did well to hold his nerve and secure such a great result!
Due to an unfortunate clash of dates some regular competitors in BCA events were absent from our 2016 Autumn
Tournament because they were playing in the Scarborough Congress instead. Steve Burnell, Norman Wragg and
associate member, Norman Andrews, competed in the Intermediate section. Another associate member, Roger
Waters, played in the Foundation event where he scored four points from five games and finished joint third.
Congratulations Roger!
Owen Phillips, Henry Yu and his brother Gregory, were among 475 players who entered the London Chess
Classic Super Rapidplay on the 17th and 18th of December. The entries were from 45 national federations and
included more than 100 titled players, 45 of which were Grandmasters. Over the ten rounds, all three BCA
associate members gave a good account of themselves in such illustrious company. Many thanks to Owen for
telling me about the event. It must have been quite an experience to compete alongside so many great players!
Julie Leonard
Words from the Whitehouse
th
We held a committee meeting on 19 November; here is my usual summary of the key points worth telling the
whole membership about, combined with some developments resulting from committee activity after the meeting.
Junior Development: We submitted an application to the John Robinson Trust which was setup to promote junior
chess. For our first application we combined all our current junior-related activities into one composite bid for
funds; we decided to do this rather than put in a speculative bid on hopes of getting something going in Worcester
or RNC, Hereford. However, now I’ve managed to find a couple of coaches who are prepared to look at trying to
get some regular chess activities going there, we might put in another bid to help offset costs, particularly if
something regular does get off the ground. Meanwhile we’ve asked Owen to organise another Junior
Championship next year; no doubt a report on the event will appear in one of next year’s gazettes.
Publicity: We’ll be doing some new leaflets soon. We have to anyway, because the tick to show we were
compliant with the old and now defunct fundraising regulator will have to be removed. There’s a possibility of a
mention in publicity literature promoting a large exhibition in Birmingham at the end of March. I’ll report on this
if anything comes of it.
Website Issues: We’re looking to improve the video and audio content on our website. There was talk of getting
something more professional done demonstrating adapted chess equipment, as that sort of material wouldn’t
become out of date. Gill is also talking to someone in France who made her aware of a chessplaying webserver
6
facility which she found very user friendly and enjoyable; the hope is we might be able to incorporate it into our
own website. We’ve received a grant for online services which we’re hoping to spend on some of these upgrades.
Overseas Tournaments: It was agreed that every member who travels to Haaksbergen will be offered a £75
subsidy. The event takes place from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd April 2017. Please refer to your November 2016
gazette for more details. Partners are welcome as this is all part and parcel of reinforcing the event’s friendly
nature. Assuming there are no delays in the distribution of the gazette, you might read this before the closing date
for sending in the entry forms. If you wish to go, get in touch with me as soon as possible.
Our team for the IBCA Olympiad has been chosen; we’ll be represented by Chris Ross, Steve Hilton, Bill
Armstrong, Les Whittle and, stepping up to the plate in his first ever serious overseas event on our behalf, Graham
Pennington. Coaches have been chosen and we’re now sorting out all the other arrangements. In view of the
Olympiad, the Six Nations has been postponed to 2018 so as to avoid making the 2017 calendar too crowded.
Finance and Fundraising: We’ve re-ratified our reserves and investments policies and will be moving some funds
into a ring-fenced account for a year to take advantage of a higher interest rate. Gill ran a test to see if the Just
Giving donation button would work on our Facebook page and this has now been added. Our fundraiser, Julia
Scott, had another outstanding year and it goes without saying that we’ll be hoping to renew our contract with her
in March when the current one runs out.
Gazette Issues: Julie would like feedback on whether members want the feature giving details of BCA’s
participation in mainstream events to continue. We are aware there have been issues, particularly with the
production of the Braille issue this year. We did ask whether the RNIB would produce a Standard English Braille
version of the gazette but were told this wasn’t possible. We have found at least one other transcriber who said
they could do so, but when we last put the production of the Braille gazette out to tender their quote was nearly
twice as much as the RNIB’s.
And finally committee changes: Gary is standing down as Membership Secretary and as Correspondence Chess
Director. We all thanked him for all the hard work he had put into keeping these aspects of the association’s
activities going. Mark Hague, who won’t be organising any more tournaments, has told us he’s standing for the
post of Membership Secretary, and we were heartened by Paul Benson’s offer to do the work of Correspondence
Chess Director but without taking on the formal work associated with committee meetings. Voldi has agreed to
step into the role of tournament organiser, at least for the 2017 Autumn Tournament. I’m sure you’ll agree that
Voldi is busy enough as it is, and I hope reflecting on this prompts those who feel they’ve got time to contribute to
the association’s work into offering their help.
Guy Whitehouse
Treasurer’s Report
We are fortunate to have many generous supporters of our association.
After we lost Peter Price, audio CDs of his readings of poetry and prose were made by his partner Juliet Reeve.
When Juliet passed away, further copies were donated by her niece, Rosemary Holley, and friend, Tony Poulter.
To date these have raised £170. A small number of CD’s are still available. Please contact Julie Leonard (details
at the front of this gazette) if you are interested in “Kilvert’s Diary Extracts” or a double CD of “The Rubaiyat of
Omar Khayyam” with “Going Solo” by Roald Dahl. In accordance with Juliet’s wishes, there is no charge for
these, but many people have chosen to make a donation.
The family of David Hodgkins gave the BCA three items to sell to raise funds; two Braille notetakers and a mobile
phone. These have now been sold and raised a total of £640.
Recently the John Robinson Youth Chess Trust has promised the BCA a grant of £600 to go towards our Junior
Championship in 2017.
Julia Scott, our professional fundraiser, continues to work her magic. Last year she raised a total of nearly
£38,000. Thank you Julia!
If you ever shop online and would like to help raise funds for the BCA at no cost to yourself, please consider
signing up to Give as You Live making the BCA your chosen charity. Give as you Live is a shopping and price
comparison website. You can shop for products from thousands of leading online retailers; use their price
comparison tool to get the best price and maybe save money with their exclusive offers. A percentage of every
purchase you make is then donated to the BCA.
Gill Smith, Treasurer
7
Membership Secretary’s Report
The first thing to report is that after eight enjoyable years on the committee, I’ll be stepping down from both of my
roles at the next AGM. May I take this opportunity to say a big thank you to my committee friends, whose help
and support have been invaluable. These guys (term of course used in the modern sense) are incredible and we
owe a debt of enormous gratitude to them. I feel a mere light weight in stepping down so soon. However, as I
work in the day and am away most weekends, my blockbuster adventure tale which I began writing in 2006 will
never get completed unless I be totally selfish. In penance I will of course donate the millions from the film rights
to the BCA!
Well this time it is my great pleasure to introduce six new members, one of whom was a former member and has
rejoined after a break of about three years.
Let me kick off by extending a very warm welcome to two new life associate members David Mabbs and wife
Jenny. David tells me that he has returned to chess after about a 30 year break. An interesting fact about David is
that in 1960 he and the legendary Peter Gibbs gave a tandem 133 board simultaneous display in Yorkshire. I don’t
know the score but the walking sounds a feat in itself, let alone the chess! I am thrilled to hear that both David and
Jenny plan to come to the AGM Tournament in March, however, I believe David will be just sticking to one game
at a time on this occasion!
It is also my great pleasure to welcome Raymond Caruana, who has taken out five years membership as an
overseas member. Raymond is a friend of our other Maltese member, Anthony Borg. The BCA can now proudly
boast 36 overseas members, which is roughly one member in seven. It goes without saying, Raymond, that if you
are ever able to come along to any of our tournaments or join in our email events you would be very welcome.
Let me now extend a very warm welcome to father and son Nick and Freddy Ireland. Freddy aged eleven is a
friend of our current Junior Champion, Efe, and has joined as a full junior member. His father Nick has paid
annual subscription as an associate member. Apparently Efe has been teaching Freddy the basics and this inspired
dad to dust down his chess board and take up the game again with newfound enthusiasm. Efe take warning, I have
taught too many people who now can beat me hands down! It would be great to see more juniors at our events and
so I do hope to meet you both if you’re ever able to attend.
Finally, it is my great pleasure to welcome back Julian Bradfield. Julian is not only a keen chess player but like
one other member I can think of enjoys sailing; though I would imagine these activities are performed separately.
In saying that, so much water is spilled at our events your board might be drier on a boat! Julian, I echo what I’ve
said to all new members, it would be great to see you at our events if you were able to come.
DECEASED
It is my sad duty to inform members that Ron Gorton aged 85 passed away on 14th December 2016. Ron joined
the BCA in November 2012. Although he never attended any of our events, he would have been taught chess by
the legendary Reginald Bonham during his days at what was then Worcester College for the Blind, and I know
from chatting with him that he was a keen reader of the Braille Gazette. Ron was a faithful attendee at the former
students’ reunions, where he served as minute taker for nigh on 50 consecutive years. I, like all who have spoken
with him, remember Ron as being a true gentleman. Rest in peace.
Gary Wickett
Editor’s note: In ‘Words from the Whitehouse’, Guy has pointed out how grateful we are to Gary for his hard
work on the committee and I’d just like to echo that sentiment because it really can’t be overstated. In recent
times Gary has held not one, but two committee posts, as well as providing immensely valuable input to
committee discussions. In his report above, Gary is characteristically modest about his contribution and generous
with his praise of others. I can assure you that Gary is no “light weight” and that he has given at least as much
assistance as he has received. Gary – we thank you and wish you every success with your book! (I’m sure our
Treasurer will have made a note of your promise about the film rights!)
8
Annual Best Game Competition
Recent issues of the Gazette have invited entries for our Annual Best Game Competition in memory of David
Hodgkins. There are around 15 entries for this inaugural competition and it is now up to Owen Phillips, acting as
judge for the 2016 competition, to come to a conclusion. The results will be announced at the 2017 AGM and will
be published in the May Gazette.
We shall be running the competition again in 2017 and we are delighted to announce that our former champion,
Graham Lilley, will be the judge this time round. Don’t forget that the competition is open to all members and
associate members in the British Isles and covers over the board and correspondence games which must have been
played in a BCA event or for a BCA team during the year. Once again, the aim will be to consider games at all
levels in the BCA, whatever the grade of the players.
Please send your games by the end of December 2017 to any committee member in the format of your choice.
Incidentally, any games published in the Gazette in 2017 that meet the qualifying conditions will automatically be
included in the competition.
Norman Wragg
FIDE Olympiad Report 2016
st
On 31 August 2016, guide Geoff Ward and I began our long journey to Baku, Azerbaijan to compete in the 42nd
FIDE Chess Olympiad. I had the great honour of being selected to play for the IBCA team, which consisted of:
1. IM Yuri Meshkov (2354) – Russia
2. FM Stanislav Babarykin (2335) – Russia
3. FM Oliver Müller (2272) – Germany
4. CM Chris Ross (2209) – England
5. IM Jacek Stachanczyk (2192) – Poland
Captain: Nikolaos Kalesis
As readers are probably well aware, the Olympiad is a very prestigious occasion and the IBCA has been able to
enter a team in recent times. I first represented the IBCA in the Olympiad in Istanbul in 2002, where I scored a
6/9, closely missing out on a norm, which would have given me my FIDE Master title.
Baku came as a bit of a cultural shock for me, as the environment in which we found ourselves was not very
appealing. Although our hotel was of a satisfactory standard, it was located on the shore of the Caspian Sea,
where the polluted air and water, and the constant intrusive smell of the crude oil which coated much of the area,
contributed to a rather unattractive atmosphere. The oppressive heat and highly dangerous erratic driving only
exacerbated a somewhat chaotic experience.
The playing venue itself was huge. The Crystal Hall, which famously hosted the Eurovision contest in 2014, was
an expansive room with lots of space but nothing else around it. Security conditions were incredibly stringent.
Even getting my cassette recorder through the metal detectors was an arduous task. Strict measures to prevent
electronic devices being brought into the playing hall were in effect and considerable effort was made to eliminate
opportunities for cheating. Although this is perfectly understandable it did cause some inconvenience for some
players and made the process of entering and exiting the venue a tedious endeavour.
Despite portraying this in a rather negative light, I’m not using it as an excuse for my extremely poor performance
at the event. Form is a strange thing, whichever sport or pastime we partake in. Sometimes it goes well,
sometimes it doesn’t. To warm up for the Olympiad, I participated in the Berlin tournament, where I faced strong
players and scored well. Yet, my play at Baku was haphazard and had no coordination. Upon my return to the
UK I played well in league chess, which just goes to show that there is no reasonable explanation for my
Olympiad performance.
Things did not bode well for me when I was rested for the first two rounds of the tournament. I would argue that
this denied me the chance to acclimatize to the playing conditions and settle in as a member of the IBCA team.
Subsequent rests only disjointed my rhythm further and I acquired no self-assuredness or grounding in my play.
My first game was a terrible loss against Cecil Moncur from the Bahamas, a Candidate Master, rated 1869. This
would have been a poor loss at any time, but in an Olympiad it is inexplicable. An aggressive opening for White
tested my defensive abilities, which came up very short indeed. My disappointment was compounded by being
immediately rested again for the following round.
Such was my standard of play at the Olympiad and I do not defend it. My sheer misery over my performance is
evident in my final round game, where I lost to Roel Hamblok from Belgium, having played on abjectly,
embarrassed for myself and for letting the team down.
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All of the IBCA team’s games can be seen here:
http://www.braillechess.org.uk/games/ibca/olympiad2016.pgn
For full tournament details, go here: http://www.chess-results.com/tnr232875.aspx?lan=-1
IBCA boards 1, 2 and 3 performed very well for the team, scoring 50% or more. Individual results were:
Meshkov 5.5/10, Babarykin 5/11, Müller 6/9, Ross 0.5/5, Stachanczyk 3/9
Having started as the 91st seed, the IBCA team finished 88th in the final cross-table, which was a commendable
achievement in such tough conditions. As with previous IBCA teams in Olympiads, lessons have been learnt and
invaluable experience has been gathered. Particular plaudits go to Meshkov, Babarykin and Müller for having
played some excellent chess against strong opposition. I thank these three in particular from a personal viewpoint
for making me welcome in the team and pulling together in challenging circumstances.
It only remains for me to thank Geoff Ward for his inexhaustible support while we were out in Baku. I fail to
understand how he coped with my emotional state. His tremendous off-the-board support was limitless. When
our return travel plans were affected by cancellations, Geoff and I had to fight innumerable obstacles to get home.
Without his strength and support with this whole tournament would have been an unmitigated disaster for me.
42nd Olympiad 2016
Round 7, Board 4
White: Chris Ross (2209) - IBCA
Black: Khalid Becham (2134) - Morocco
E18: Queen's Indian: Old Main Line
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O Be7 6. c4 O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Bd2 f5
All according to theory. White has a solid if somewhat unambitious setup. Black has countered by outposting a
knight on e4. If White can break this hold, he will be able to advance with e2-e4 and gain a strong and dominating
centre.
9. Qc2 In the Colin Crouch Memorial 2016 I beat Marcus Osborne from this same position. The game appeared
in the August 2016 gazette.
9... Bf6 10. Rad1 Nxd2
Black was clearly worried that White was attempting to get in d4-d5 to break open the centre.
11. Rxd2 Qe7 12. e4 White obtains his central break, but at the cost of the bishop pair. It all depends on whether
White can engineer a good-knight vs bad-bishop endgame.
12... fxe4 13. Nxe4 Nc6
Black must develop, otherwise the bishop on b7 is left vulnerable to tactics along the h1-a8 diagonal.
14. a3 Preventing any tricks that Black has with Nb4, which would gain tempo on the white queen. White also
has a mind to expand on the queen-side to create tension on that side of the board.
14... g6 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. Qc3
White is securing his centre. Black must be wary now of tricks with Ne5 when the bishop on b7 could be let loose.
The undefended bishop is a tactical liability. The white queen defends the third-rank, securing up the f3-square.
16... d6 17. Ne1 Since Ne5 is no longer possible, White attempts to reroute his knight via c2 into e3 and then d5.
The long h1-a8 diagonal is opened to allow b2-b4 to become a problem.
17... Nd8 18. f4
Securing the centre. Black is no longer able to push his G-pawn to create a king-side attack. g5-g4 would clamp
down on the f3-square and a potential Nf7/Ng5/Nf3/Nh3 motif may be difficult to defend against. If the bishops
are to be exchanged, White must ensure that there are no fatal light-squared weaknesses around his king. In this
fashion then, both rooks and the white queen can defend horizontally and the e5-square is secured.
18... Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nf7
Black begins bedding in. He has survived the initial opening battles and the exchanges have eased his cramped
position. All that remains is whether White has enough to probe through the centre and half open E-file.
20. Nf3 c5
Black strikes out at the centre, since the d4-pawn is currently pinned against the white queen. Exchanges through
the centre would only leave White with a bad pawn structure. If White took on c5 with dxc5, Black can recapture
with his own D-pawn, thereby giving him the d6-square from where the black steed can hop into the e4 outpost.
This would be precluded by the exchange of queens on c3, shattering the white pawn structure and making the
doubled C-pawns a tangible target.
21. Qd3 Rad8 Placing the rook vis-à-vis the white queen to ensure tactics open up down the central files.
22. d5 White feels obliged to block the centre, as Black is poised to break himself with d6-d5. As the white king
is more exposed than his counterpart, this is more dangerous for him.
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22. .. e5 23. fxe5 Nxe5 Exchanges cannot be avoided here. Intriguingly, Black has enough flight squares for his
queen to neutralise any advantage White can muster down the half open E-file.
24. Nxe5 Qxe5 25. Re2 Qg7
Despite the exchanges, White has no discernible opportunities to penetrate. He must be wary of the black queen
snatching the b2 pawn with check or indeed, planting herself on d4 were the white queen to wander too far away.
Black’s counterplay is just enough to distract White and prevents him from landing a rook on the 7th rank.
26. Rxf8+ Rxf8 27. Qe4 Qf7
Black can generate enough play down the F-file to hold off White’s play down the E-file. Mates on f1 have to be
avoided and the white king does not have a good flight square. The exchange of queens is now forced.
28. Qe6 Kg7 29. Qxf7+ Rxf7 30. Re8 Rd7 31. h4 Kf7
In the Olympiad, there is a rule that a game cannot be drawn under 30 moves. So, having reached an equal rook
endgame and successfully demonstrated that he can hold the position, a draw was punted. White has an advantage
and should play on. The white king can advance via f4 into g5 and try to penetrate. The H-pawn can create
weaknesses and the black rook is tied down to defensive duties.
In normal circumstances, I would play on in such positions, as it is unlikely that White can mess this up. As my
confidence was frail and tension high, I decided to accept the draw offer to get at least half a point to my name.
Sadly, it turned out to be my only reward from this tournament.
Chris Ross
Autumn Tournament Report 2016
Tristram Cole writes:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that all reports of the International Autumn Tournament must contain the
phrase “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, it is my pleasure to
inform you that October’s welcome return to Solihull’s Holiday Inn was a resounding success! As always, the
food was excellent and the hotel staff were very helpful. I’d not been to a domestic event for a couple of years,
and it was wonderful to catch up with old and new friends. Sunday’s raffle organised by Moira Whittle and Celia
Gibbs ably assisted by Kathleen Pennington raised £150, but most importantly I won my first ever prize.
Interestingly in the Challengers although two players took a half point bye in Round 2, there were only two draws
across the remaining 29 games. In Round 3 the two joint leaders George Phillips and Mark Hague drew, and were
joined on 2.5 by Efe Shimwell. In Round 4 Efe took the sole lead by winning a long hard fought game against
George, after Mark lost to Voldi Gailans. In the final round Efe wrapped up his second victory in this event by
agreeing a short Grandmasterly draw with Voldi. Mark, Voldi and Gary Wickett finished in joint second place on
3.5, Jim Cuthbert won Grading Prize A with 3, Gill Smith and Paul Brookes shared Grading Prize B on 2 and
Mike Lowery won Grading Prize C on 2.
By contrast 19 of the 35 games in the open were drawn. Chris Ross took an early lead which was clawed back by
draws against associate members Peter Gibbs in Round 3 and Owen Phillips in Round 5. In the end Chris finished
in first place on 4 out of 5. Peter was second with 3.5, Owen and Ernie McElroy were third equal on 3. Graham
Pennington took Grading Prize A with 3, Ian Blencowe received Grading Prize B with 3 and Gerry Walsh and
Richard Murphy shared Grading Prize C with 1.5. The prizes were made possible with a generous donation from
Warwickshire Masonic Charitable Association Ltd. At the end of the prize-giving the arbiters, David Welch and
Matthew Carr, and the organisers, Mark Hague and Lea Ryan, were warmly thanked by all for their hard work.
Full List of Final Scores and Standings
Open
4 points: Chris Ross
3.5 points: Peter Gibbs
3 points: Owen Phillips, Ernie McElroy, Graham Pennington, Ian Blencowe
2.5 points: Michael Delaney, Colin Chambers
2 points: Bill Armstrong, Les Whittle, Philip Doyle
1.5 points: Sean Loftus, Gerry Walsh, Richard Murphy
Challengers 4 points: Efe Shimwell
3.5 points: Mark Hague, Gary Wickett, Voldi Gailans
3 points: Dan Rugman, Jim Cuthbert
2.5 points: George Phillips
2 points: Gill Smith, Mike Lowery, Paul Brooks
1 point: John Osborne
0 points: Richard Harrington
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Correspondence Chess Director’s Report
As mentioned in my Membership Secretary’s Report, this will be my last report as Correspondence Chess
Director. Out of the three roles I have had on the Committee during the past eight years, this is probably the one
I’ve enjoyed the most. Correspondence chess is very close to my heart and, for some, it is the only way they can
take part in our tournaments. Correspondence chess was the very seed from which the BCA grew to be the great
association it is today and it has served to cement many long life friendships through the common love of this
extraordinary game. Sadly numbers have been dwindling over the years but let me take this last opportunity to say
what a wonderful hobby correspondence chess truly is and for people to get in touch with me or my successor if
they are interested in finding out more.
Well 1st January saw the start of the 44th BCA Correspondence Championship. I cannot let this moment go by
without acknowledging the marvellous record of Hans Cohn, who, owing to wife Stefi’s nasty fall and subsequent
health issues, has felt it necessary to retire from correspondence chess. Hans has played in the BCA
Correspondence Championship since its early days way back in the late 1930’s, when he was a young pupil of
what was then Worcester College for the Blind. I am sure you will all join with me in wishing Hans and Stefi all
the best for the future and applaud Hans’s incredible commitment to our correspondence tournaments and indeed
to the BCA as a whole.
Also after many years of playing correspondence Chess, Mark Hague has decided not to join this year’s
tournament due to other commitments. Although Mark cannot boast even half the amount of years of Hans’s
incredible record, Mark has been a long term supporter of correspondence chess, and like Hans for a time also
served as what was then known as Postal Tournament Director. Mark continues to work tirelessly for the BCA
and I know you will join me in expressing my appreciation for all that he, and indeed the ever delightful Lea Ryan,
have done over the years.
44th BCA CORRESPONDENCE TOURNAMENT 2017-18
This time we have three tidy groups of five.
Premier – Group Leader Les Whittle
Alec Crombie, Ernie McElroy, George Phillips, Les Whittle and Mike Hague.
Challenger Group A – Group Leader Denis Warren
Arthur Greatrex, Denis Warren, Eric Gallacher, Guy Whitehouse and Voldi Gailans.
Challenger Group B – Group Leader Gary Wickett
Derek Heyes, Eleanor Tew, Gary Wickett, Geoff Patching and Jim Cuthbert.
BCA LEAGUE 2016/17
Division 1 – Group Leader Norman Wragg
We’re still awaiting the final game result between that great battle of the titans, Ernie and Alec. Ernie only needs
a draw to win the League.
Scores: Ernie McElroy, 2-2, Alec Crombie 1.5-2, Mark Hague 1-3, Derek Heyes 0.5-3.
Division 2 – Group Leader Denis Warren
Mears – Hague 0 - 1 default.
Mears – Patching 0 – 1 default.
Due to extreme slowness, I have had no choice but to award wins to Mike and Geoff in their games against David.
David is also playing Denis but apparently that game is quite well advanced, and although true to fairness I offered
to award Denis the win and for him to convert the game into a friendly, Denis was eager to continue his game as a
Championship game.
Scores: Mike Hague 2-2, Geoff Patching 1-1, Denis Warren 0-1, David Mears 0-2.
Division 3 – Group Leader Jim Cuthbert
Cuthbert – Tew 1 – 0 French 45.
There is now just one game remaining in Division 3 where Jim and Eric are battling it out for second place, albeit
there will be only one person promoted and relegated from each relevant division this time round.
Scores: Voldi Gailans 3-3, Jim Cuthbert 1-2, Eric Gallacher 1-2, Eleanor Tew 0-3.
In fairness to Eleanor, her opponents have been playing a lot longer than she has and the information from the
games show that she is no push over as you will also see in the next section.
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FRIENDLY LADDER TABLE
Tew – Smith 1 – 0 QP 27.
Tew – Harrington 1 – 0 QP 22.
Gallacher – Warren 0 – 1 QP 25.
Congratulations go to Denis who not only knows how to make chess boards but has proven time and again that he
also knows how to use them! This is the third time Denis has won the Ladder trophy.
Ladder scores as at 31st December 2016:
12 Denis Warren; 9 Gary Wickett; 8 Roger Bishop; 7 Jim Cuthbert; 5 Stan Lightowler;
4 Stan Lovell, Mark Hague, Dorothy Hodges and Eleanor Tew;
3 Les Whittle, Ernie McElroy, Geoff Patching and Lea Ryan;
2 Derek Couchman, Lionel Bryant, Jason Pearce and Ann Saunders; 1 Christopher Huby.
Keep chessing!
Gary Wickett
The Wickett System – A Legal Way of Brailling Moves
Since the recent ban on using electronic equipment to record moves in Braille during tournament play, some of
you may be interested to learn that I have come up with a system of recording moves in Braille, where the
transcribing equipment in your chess bag contains nothing more than a couple of sheets of Braille paper, a plastic
cutting board and a Braille eraser. The system slightly differs from standard Braille notation and all the moves are
made up from P’s and X’s. I have been using this system myself for the last six months and I am so happy with it
that I would never go back to using a Dictaphone. If you would like to find out more please email me and I can
send you a Word document explaining the system. Alternatively if you haven’t got access to email, please give
me a ring and subject to demand I will make the case to the Committee to have Braille instructions produced.
You can also approach me at any of our events and I will briefly explain how the system works and give you my
latest chess disaster to look at. If I’m not in the bar feel free to ring my room.
Gary Wickett
BCCL Postal Competition
By the time you read this the 2016/17 BCCL competition will have started. Only seven teams have entered the
postal version of the competition this year. Longer term this clearly suggests that this particular version of the
competition does not have a viable future; the contrast with the number of teams who entered the webserver event
is striking, as is the drop in the number of teams when compared with the number playing in last year's postal
tournament. In fact I got the impression that at one stage there might not be enough teams to make this year's
competition viable.
In the event we are going ahead, but there will only be one division. Our team will be Peter Gibbs, Les Whittle,
Steve Burnell, Derek Heyes, Norman Andrews and Alec Crombie. I asked Derek to play after his excellent
performance in the last email tournament run by Eamon Casey and Phil Doyle. I'm sure you'll join with me in
wishing them all the very best of luck.
Guy Whitehouse
6th BCA Email Tournament
Eamonn Casey and Philip Doyle write:
“The next of our email tournaments would traditionally have begun on 1st January, however, the Tournament Subcommittee has decided to make 1st March and 1st September the starting dates in the future. This is to avoid July
and August which often have a lot of disruptions due to holidays, IBCA tournaments and the biennial Chairman's
Cup. We hope the new arrangement meets with your approval.”
Watch the BCA user group for the tournament announcement! If you haven’t yet joined the user group and would
like to do so, please go to our website, select About Us, then ‘Subscription to the BCA Email Yahoo! User Group’
to find out how you can sign up. If you are interested in playing in the next email tournament but don’t wish to
join the user group, please contact any committee member who will put you in touch with Eamonn and Philip.
Chess Theme Quiz – Answers
[1] SACRIFICE
[2] FORK
[3] WHITE CHRISTMAS
[4] PAWNBROKER
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[5] FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL
[6] ROOK
[7] STEVE STAUNTON
[8] GAMBIT
[9] MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS
[10] SAFETY PIN
[11] THE CHECKMATES
[12] BLACK WEDNESDAY
[13] KNIGHT RIDER
[14] THE RANK ORGANISATION
[15] RESIGN
[16] ENDGAME
[17] MARTIN LUTHER KING
[18] THE MOVE
[19] ROY CASTLE
[20] CAPABLANCA WHICH MEANS WHITE HOUSE IN SPANISH WHEN THE ‘P’ HAS BEEN
CHANGED TO AN ‘S’
Editor’s note: Many thanks to Derek Heyes for providing us with this challenging quiz! I got thirteen right and
that included a lucky guess with Safety Pin. I’m sure many readers will have done better than that!
Chris’s Puzzle
November Puzzle:
FEN: 8/8/5K2/5R2/4k3/1R6/2P1nB2/8
White: King f6, Rooks b3 and f5, Bishop f2, Pawn c2
Black: king e4, knight e2
White to play and mate in two.
Solution:
1. Rd3
A. 1... Nf4 2. Re5# B. N anywhere else 2. Rd4#
February Puzzle:
FEN: 8/8/7B/3N3Q/8/8/3r2P1/4k1K1
White: King g1, Queen h5, Bishop h6, Knight d5, Pawn g2
Black: king e1, rook d2
White to play and mate in two. The solution will be published in the May issue.
Chris Ross
Millennium Club
Recent Millennium Club winners:
November:
Paul Benson, number 57.
December:
Denis Warren, number 1.
January:
Bob Brown, number 3.
The Millennium Club raises funds for the BCA by holding a monthly draw at £12 per number per year. Each
month a lucky winner receives £35. If you wish to enter the draw, send a cheque made payable to "Braille Chess
Association" to the treasurer or make an online or telephone payment to the BCA. There aren’t many members at
the moment so it’s an excellent time to join in as you would have a higher than usual chance of winning!
Gill Smith, Treasurer
Personalia
No doubt many BCA members enjoy listening to RNIB Talking Books when taking a break from chess related
activities. Peter and Celia Gibbs kindly drew my attention to the December 2016 edition of the RNIB's Connect
magazine, which includes a piece on our own, Thuy Mallalieu, who is an audio producer at Talking Books. In the
article, Thuy explains the great care that goes into directing the actors, perfecting accents and ensuring the overall
quality of the recording. Our thanks are due to Thuy and others like him who do this behind the scenes work to
enhance the pleasure that Talking Books bring to so many visually impaired people.
Michael Meaney has also brought great enjoyment to BCA members and countless others besides. Many readers
will have delighted in hearing his singing and music making. Michael and his wife, Eileen, celebrated their
Golden Wedding Anniversary on the 28th of October and marked the occasion by making a trip to the USA where
they visited the home of an entertainer almost as popular and talented as Michael: Elvis! Belated congratulations
to Michael and Eileen!
Julie Leonard
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