Callum Wins Bramcote

After a close battle last Sunday Callum Foard, from Sleaford in Lincolnshire, emerged the winner with five wins out of five. 

What particularly impressed us was Callum’s resilience, given that he was worse / losing in three of his matches, but managed to turn those games around.

Again we had a wide of players attending our second EMC Junior Training Tournament 

– from Notts, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Worcestershire, Whaley Bridge, Clay Cross and Leeds.

EMC Bramcote Junior TT Results
Sunday 7 July 2013

Our next Junior TT will be on Sunday 22 September at Risley Village Hall, DE72 3SU

Ben Reigns in Risley

We had a wonderful turnout at our first-ever East Midlands Chess Festival at Risley Village Hall, DE72 3SU, on Sunday 16 June 2013.

There were players who had travelled from Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Lichfield and Northampton to take part. However the winner of the special trophy for the furthest distance travelled was seven-year-old Amelie Garrett from Lancaster, 2½ hours away! Unfortunately due to heavy traffic it took them four hours to get to Risley.

EMC Training Tournaments are a unique blend of competition and quality training, in this case delivered by David Levens, ECF National Manager of Coaches & Junior Selector, and myself.

We were impressed by the high level of play in the TT, where many matches could have gone either way. I (CD) was particularly impressed by the game Susie Wang against Neel Badhe, where Susie consistently found strong moves in the late opening / early middlegame to build up a winning position, only to fall for a clever tactical trap that Neel set.

We also noted the high level of focus, concentration and application during games, with many top county players competing. Especially the focus of Ben Raine from Sheffield who, despite being lower graded than other challengers, used his application to edge the event. Ben drew with a player graded 83, beat players graded 78 & 101, and all five of his opponents were qualified Gigafinalists.

The other junior to stand out was newcomer seven-year-old Mate Ther from Leeds. Apparently Mate only learnt chess in January by teaching himself from a book, and this was his first competition. His stillness and focus at the board belie his years.

EMC Junior Training Tournament & Primary Schools Challenge Results

City Centre Chess Venues – Q & A – Part 2

Answer:

Nottingham already has one, and has had one for the past 166 years...
It's open six days per week, from 10am - 10pm,
and only costs £37 per annum. What a bargain!


It's also one of the three elements that enabled me (CD) to develop rapidly as a junior,
the others being my old school NHS, and Graham Waddingham.

My father had been a member in the early sixties when he was a University student,
so that he could use their snooker tables. He took me along in the early eighties, and I started to play for their league teams, and borrow chess books from their extensive library.

These were in the Birkbeck House days. I hadn't realised until a few years ago that they owned the whole building, valued at around £11 million in 2010.

For more information;
Nottingham Mechanics

City Centre Chess Venues – Q & A

Question:

How would it be if the major cities in the EM such as Derby, Leicester and Nottingham had a venue where you could go and play a game of chess during the day and evenings, and was open a minimum of six days a week for chess?

Ahmednagar Checkers

We've been visiting Ahmednagar annually since 1999,
and so it was good to see them finish in the top three in the inaugural season of the MCL.
The success of the Maharashtra Chess League, modelled on the IPL 20 20 Cricket, serves as testimony to strength and expanding depth of Indian Chess, and their willingness to reinvent sporting structures.





Official Website
ChessBase Report
White Copper Entertainment Photos

Champion of Champions for East Midlands Clubs?

Now the dust has finally settled, we offer our congratulations to all the 2012-13 League Champions from across the region;

Derbyshire                                      Chesterfield B

Leicestershire & Rutland              Wigston

Lincolnshire                                     Lincoln

Northamptonshire                         Northampton

Nottinghamshire                            Grantham

How about a one-day Champion of Champions event to decide the overall EM Club Champion? Either just before the summer holidays, or just after and as a curtain raiser to the new season.

Games could be 3 hours each (e.g. 30 moves in 75 minutes; 15 minutes to finish)
Round times: 10am – 1pm; 2 – 5pm; 6 – 9pm.

It could be done on the old European Club Cup basis i.e. 8 teams, three matches, everyone finishes placed 1^st through 8^th.

The three remaining places could go to the best second-placed teams in the leagues (percentage-wise), which would be Breadsall, Kettering & Nottingham Gambit, with Shepshed as reserves.

Any takers?

East Midlands Chess Festival – Risley, Derbys – Sunday 16 June 2013

Our first Chess Festival, with both team and individual events for juniors, and a team event for adults & strong juniors, takes place in Risley, a three minute drive off Junction 25 on the M1.

East Midlands Chess Festival

Sunday 16 June 2013

Risley Village Hall, 18 Derby Road, Risley, Derby DE72 3SU

(Within easy commuting distance of Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham & Sheffield)

09:30 – 12:30        East Midlands Schools Challenge (Primary & Secondary)
                                    Teams of 4 players.
                                    4 Round Swiss. 20 minutes per player per game.
                                    £15 Entry Fee per team.
                                    Trophies & Medals to be won.
                                    Parent / Teacher required to supervise the team

13:00 – 18:00        Individual Junior Training Tournament
                                    Open to all children aged 5 – 18, supervision included.
                                    Individual Tournament with quality training inbetween.
                                    National & County level trainers, all CRB cleared.
                                    £20 Entry Fee per child.
                                    Trophies & Medals to be won.

19:00 – 22:30      EMC Clubs 20:20 Team Event
                                    Teams of 4 – Adults & Strong Juniors.
                                    4 Round Swiss. Match Points, then Game Points.
                                    £10 Entry Fee per team.

East Midlands Chess
Reinventing Chess Structure & Reinvigorating the Existing

These EMC events organised by Christopher Dunworth
Fide International Organiser, Arbiter & Master (IO, IA & FM)
& David Levens, ECF National Manager of Coaches & Junior Selector
Email eastmidlandschess@gmail.com for further details of these events