The following position arose in one of Mark’s games against Camberley in the Berkshire League.
As Mark’s notes indicate, Black can play for a win simply by retreating the queen and keeping an extra piece, but what is the quickest route to victory?
Again, just click on the buttons below the board to see the solution and variations.
Black to play and win!
From the Crowthorne Vaults
In the absence of over-the-board chess, Mark Taylor has been looking over past games and has found a few nice tactics which he has shared with us. We will present these as puzzles for you to solve.
The first is from the game Mark Taylor – Ken Norman that was played in a Crowthorne A vs Crowthorne B match in the Border League in 1997.
Can you find White’s 32nd move – and the followup?
To see the solution and variations click the play buttons under the board (but do have a go first!).
Crowthorne Online Chess Club
As the possibilities for over-the-board chess have disappeared, we are investigating the possibilities for club activity online. We are still feeling our way around and how best to use the internet for club purposes will develop over time with experience.
Jonathan has created Crowthorne Chess Club on chess.com, and on lichess.org. Search under connect/clubs on chess.com, and under community/teams on lichess.org
Members are invited to join us on either or both of these sites, either by using their existing accounts or by creating (free) accounts.
Jonathan sent an all-club email with more details.
Local Chess Leagues Suspended
The two leagues in which Crowthorne Chess Club play, namely the Surrey Border League and the Berkshire League, have both decided to suspend all matches until further notice.
What this means for the remaining fixtures is an open question which the leagues will review as events surrounding the coronavirus unfold.
Club Nights Suspended (coronavirus policy)
Wellington College has updated its coronavirus/COVID-19 policy so that it will now “operate a ‘core business only’ policy focussing on lessons and internal activities”.
As a result, Crowthorne Chess Club will no longer be able to meet at the College until further notice. The policy will be reviewed according to events, but the restriction can safely be assumed to last at least to the end of the current term.
This is obviously a setback for the club, but it is of course understandable why the College has taken this position, which applies to all external activities that take place on its premises.
Please periodically check the above link for changes to the policy.
Wellington College coronavirus policy
Our host, Wellington College, has a Coronavirus (COVID-19) policy in force. The full policy can be found by clicking here: https://www.wellingtoncollege.org.uk/novel-coronavirus/
The policy is updated from time to time as circumstances change. Currently it reads:
Wellington College is asking for the support of all of those who visit the College’s grounds or buildings in minimising the risk of COVID-19 to its community.
With this in mind, and in line with guidance from Public Health England and the Boarding Schools’ Association, please refrain from entering the College site for any reason if you have travelled from or transited through any of the following countries or areas in the past 14 days:
1. mainland China, Bertonico, Casalpusterlengo, Castelgrundo, Castiglione D’Adda, Codogno, Fombio, Maleo, San Fiorano, Somaglia and Terranova dei Passerini in the Lombardy Region and Vo in the Veneto Region of Italy, Daegu or Cheongdo in the Republic of Korea or Iran in the past 14 days regardless of whether you have any symptoms of COVID-19; or
2. Italy, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar and have or develop the symptoms of COVID-19 (that is, a fever, cough or shortness of breath) even if your symptoms are mild.
If you are bringing a group to the College (for example, a sports team for a fixture) we will ask you to check with each of those in the group that they do not fall within any of the above categories and confirm this to us before you arrive.
If you fall within category 2 above and develop symptoms of COVID-19 whilst at College, please inform your host immediately and follow their advice. If you develop such symptoms within 14 days of visiting the College, please inform the College’s Security Team as soon as possible (bjc@wellingtoncollege.org.uk).
The College usually welcomes a number of people to our site and we realise that this approach may disappoint or inconvenience some of you. However, we are taking the current situation very seriously and you will appreciate that our priority is the safety and wellbeing of our pupils and staff.
If you are affected by this approach, please contact the member of staff at the College who you were due to meet and, wherever possible, they will arrange an alternative with you.As the COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly, if you are due to visit the College and are currently not affected by the guidance above, we would ask that you check this page again immediately prior to your visit in case our position has changed.We thank you for your understanding of our position.
As guests of Wellington College, the policy applies to Crowthorne Chess Club members and also to members of visiting teams. Please use the link at the top of this post to ensure that the latest policy is used when coming to the club.
4NCL Third Weekend Review
Rounds 5 and 6 took place over the weekend of 8-9 February, with Crowthorne first and second teams playing.
On Saturday, Crowthorne 1 (Division 3) suffered their first reverse of the season, going down 3.5-2.5 against Wessex B, who fully deserved the victory. Crowthorne 2 (Division 4) also went down against the much higher rated Sussex Martlets 3 team, and unfortunately had to default a game due to illness.
Click here for full results for Division 3 round 5
Click here for full results for Division 4 round 5
Sunday saw Crowthorne 1 winning their round 6 match against Iceni 1 by 3.5 to 2.5. Crowthorne 2 scored 3-2 over five boards against Watford 2, but unfortunately the default rule means that this counts as a match loss (fortunately we were in time to warn the opposition so that there wasn’t a wasted journey).
Click here for full results for Division 3 round 6
Click here for full results for Division 4 round 6
Saturday’s result meant that Crowthorne 1 lost top spot in Division 3, but they will still go into the promotion pool (which means that they are in contention for promotion to Division 2) after round 7. After Round 6, the Division 3 table (more precisely, Division 3 South Pool B) looks like:
Click here for full tables
Interesting game in the Border League
On Wednesday’s (29 Jan) match against Guildford A, Ken Coates played an attacking game against Alan Punnett – who responded with a strong counterattack that produced tremendous complications for both players to solve. The game follows, and it is fun to play through and try to work out the variations:
This win helped Crowthorne to a welcome first match victory in Division 1 this season.
4NCL Second Weekend Review
Rounds 3 and 4 of the 4 Nations Chess League took place over the weekend (11-12 Jan) and once again Crowthorne Chess Club was in action.
The first team, playing in Division 3, drew a tight match on Saturday, and won on Sunday, leaving themselves in clear first place after four rounds (still a long way to go).
The second team (Division 4) won on Saturday but lost to a strong CSC team on Sunday, leaving them exactly mid-table – 17th out of 34 teams.
We hope to make a more detailed report in a later post.
Derek had a good weekend, winning both games in short order. Here is his Sunday game, where he had the Black pieces:
Christmas Handicap Review
The 32nd annual Crowthorne Chess club Christmas Speed Handicap Tournament Party was held on Friday night (20th), and gave us the nerve-wracking exciting chess we’ve come to expect from the speed handicap format. I saw at least three games where the winner delivered mate with three seconds left on the clock, and there were an extraordinary number of unintentional queen sacrifices, including one in the final.
In order to speed things up the games were of ten minutes duration this year, instead of the usual 15, and there were 25 players, not quite a record but certainly a good turnout.
We played with three groups in the first stage this year, and the winners of the three groups were Scott, Bob and Mark (Cross), who were joined by Richard, Pradeep, Colin (Purdon), Andy and Daniel in the knockout stage. The final was between Andy Pollock, competing in his first CCC speed handicap, and Bob, runner up 20 years ago. Andy played an exciting tight game but Bob, who had been on terrific form all evening, finished off by winning the final, and getting his name on the Harvey-Ironside Shield for the first time.
The speed format doesn’t suit everyone, and the wooden spoon and bottle of wine was taken by Ken.
Thanks to everyone who helped with the setting up and tidying away, and also to Carolin, one of the Erfstadt chess exchange visitors this autumn, who gifted a large selection of German cakes and biscuits. And finally, an extra special mention and thanks to a good friend of the club, former long-time club member Peter Larwood who travelled from afar just to be with us for the evening.
Have a wonderful Christmas everybody.
Bob and Andy play off in the final 
Ken receives the coveted wooden spoon (and a bottle of wine) from Jonathan 
Bob receives the winner’s trophy
Many thanks to Jonathan for the above report, and for organising the tournament with his usual efficiency.