NEWS 2014-15
Update at 13th June
Draft minutes of the AGM held on 2nd June have now been circulated to members with e-mail access.
An end of season social evening and meal at Kasturi Indian restaurant Formby has been arranged for Friday 10th July meeting at Cross house pub from 8-00pm and meal at 9-00. Names for the meal to Paul Sutton please at 01704 224642
A charity night with food and entertainment is being held at St John Stone Social Club Woodvale on Friday 22nd August. I am told that it will be a very good evening. Applications for tickets or further details to Joe or Tony Dilworth at 01704 574122
Social chess can be played during the summer months at Woodvale venue on Thursdays or with Southport Chess club at Mount Pleasant pub Manchester Rd on Tuesdays.
Formby will return to Ravenmeols for the President's evening on Tuesday 1st September when Eddy 'St Matthew' Patten will be at the door collecting subs for the new season.
Update at 19th May
Dave W, Dave C and MDB, together with Steve Philp of Atticus, played under the Formby flag in the Mside team Lightning competition last night.There were 0-4 losses to the very strong Atticus 1 and 2 teams who finished first and second(see Atticus site for details)and a 1-3 loss to Prescot 1.However we won 4-0 against Prescot 2 where three of the games were won by the not unusual situation of the opponent leaving his king in check and narrower wins v 'All Stars' and Liverpool.
The final game points tally was 10.5 /24 whereas Atticus 1 had 19.
I have now circulated the Agenda for the AGM together with the 2014 minutes.
Update at 15th May
At last some good news for the club when last Monday we again won the Knotty Ash Cup beating Prescot at their venue by 3--2. there was little in it in the gradings on the top three boards but the first win was by Dave Mckee on bottom board and John Grady also won.A more detailed report is on the relevant web page.
John's season then ended with more success when he beat Rob H in the quickplay replay of the Challengers' final played last night at Woodvale chess club. Rob reports that he gave away a piece very early on and could not recover.
Formby will have one team of four in the Mside team lightning tournament again at Prescot's venue next Monday night.
The Mside AGM will be on Wednesday 27th May at Aigburth venue. Several members have said they will attend. Despite my previous e-mail comment it is probable that, with my blessing, Russell Cowell will remain as President for the forthcoming year.
The Formby AGM will be held at Ravenmeols C C on Tuesday 2nd June starting at 8-00pm.A formal Agenda will be circulated in the next few days and I will also recirculate the minutes of the 2014 meeting that were distributed shortly after that meeting.
Update at 1st May
There was a very disappointing end to the season for the 1st team.They needed to get 3.5 game points from their last match at Atticus 1 to avoid relegation but could only muster 2 so finish bottom of Div 1. There was an early draw by Mike H but followed by losses for Gareth and Dave W. Despite draws by MDB, Dave C and Bob there were no further points gleaned. Amore detailed report of the games is on the Atticus web site.
The prospect of both 1sts and 2nds in Div 2 next season poses problems which will need to be discussed by all members and i will be seeking views via e-mails so that there can be a full and frank coverage of this at the AGM on 2nd June.
The 600 team ended its season with a 2--2 draw at Fazakerley aided by a draws from Mike Bh and Dave McK and a win from MDB.
The club championship was won by Dave C who beat Mike H but I await more detail of the game. Rob and John G drew and will have a quick play second game for the Challengers'award
PS Gareth now reports
'' I won the toss, taking White and got a good position out of the opening and early middlegame. Dave and I each advanced one of our pawns, by a series of unanswered captures along diagonals, to dangerous positions. Mine was on f7, Dave's on c3. Dave's king was pretty exposed and I was a few pawns up but I gave up a Bishop thinking I could force the promotion of my f-pawn by a sacrifice of a Queen for a rook on the back rank. I missed that both Dave's remaining major pieces could prevent this, since his c3-pawn could threaten to Queen and back rank mate me! So in the quick play finish Dave was a piece for two pawns up with a rook each and, unfortunately for me, I lost on time just as we reached a drawn Rook and pawn verses Rook and pawn ending.''
Update at 23rd April
All the finalists in the club championships are now known following games last Tuesday. In the championship semi-final Mike H with white had a hard fought battle with Dave C in which he acknowledged Dave had the edge. Certainly when I looked at board after an hour it did appear to be a complicated position with attack/counter attack opportunities and more than one piece of each colour en pris. Dave will now play Gareth in the final next Tuesday.
In the challengers' semi-final Eddy played white v John G and reports
'' Eddy, playing white, matched John in the early stages, with attacking opportunities for both sides.
Going into the middle game the position was about even but then Eddy thinking he could win a pawn
lost his Knight, with no compensation! After the Q's were exchanged John slowly made his extra B more influential and Eddys K walked into a trap with a NP checkmate ! ''
John will play Rob in the final also next Tuesday.
This will be the last meeting of the season at Ravenmeols by which time the fate of the 1st team will be known after their match the previous night at Atticus 1. There isaalso an away 600 match on Tuesday at Fazakerley. Other than the AGM on Tuesday 2nd June there will be no meeting at Ravenmeols until 1st September altho' as in recent years there will be social chess available at the Woodvale chess club at St john Stone Church hall on Thursdays during the intervening period.
Update at 16th April
It has been a quiet week for Formby chess players with only one club Challengers'
game being played between Eddy and Mike Bh. Eddy comments ;
'After the early moves Eddy managed to set Mike some small problems with pins on Q and R, which hampered his development.
Mike eventually made the game even but had used up a lot of time in the process.
With Eddy on 15 minutes and Mike on 1 minute, Mike left his rook en prix and resigned'.
The important action for the 1st team took place at Aigburth where the home 2nd team drew with Hoylake in possibly the worst outcome for the continuation of the 1sts in Div 1. We shall need at least 3.5 game points in our last match on 27th April v Atticus 1 to remain in the 1st Division. No pressure then!
Update at 8th April
The 2nd team's last match of the season was at home v Hoylake whom they had easily beaten away with a weaker side against a stronger team. However the return was not as easy as might have been expected.
It started well enough with Paul J withstanding a strong attack and then being gifted a queen whilst Mike Bh had to agree a draw when nothing better could be forced. Alan W who is rapidly becoming a strong bottom board for the 2nds then won after going a piece up. MDB had also won a piece and was confident against the opposition skipper and Mside Secretary ,John Davis. However he then completely miscalculated in giving the piece back for a two pawn advantage in the end game. The only major pieces on the board were opposite coloured bishops and John's pawns were unattackable due to this and his king's position so MDB was forced to accept the draw offer which at least meant that the team couldn't lose. It was most definitely age v youth on top board where Bob struggled against a 12 year old who has had a very good season for Hoylake teams. Bob had to admit defeat as did Duncan to give a 3-3 draw that was far more satisfying to the visitors than the hosts.who at least remained unbeaten for the season.
At the same time the 440 team were hosts to the major Atticus team in this division. leading the team in Bob G's absence Dave McKee had a good win and Eddy drew
but with both Andre and Richard losing it was not enough to prevent a 1.5-2.5 loss.
Update at 2nd April
An event worthy of an entry for itself but also because I forgot to include it yesterday happened last Monday night when Formby went to Waterloo's very pleasant new venue for a Knotty Ash semi-final. At the end of a very engrossing evening Formby were the winners by 3--2 and will play Prescot in the final. This will be at Prescot on Monday 11th May. The teams will toss for colours.
A detailed report of the semi-final is on the relevant page of this website.
Update at 1st April
Part 1
This part summarises a report that I drafted last week and but for a gremlin, no doubt of my own making, would have appeared last Thursday. The two team matches commented upon were a 600 home match v Waterloo in which only a draw by Andre against a player graded 35 points higher prevented a whitewash and a 440 match at Aigburth in which there was a good team win arising from individual wins by Bob G and Dave Mck and a draw by Eddy. On Tuesday several Club championship games were played. Gareth reached the final of the Championship with a win over Phil and father, Mike, reached the semi-final with a win in his quick play replay against Duncan. In the Challengers Rob H has again reached the final with a win over Dave McK and John G progressed with a win over Joe.
Part 2
Last night the 1st team continued its fight for survival with home match against the new 2014/5 champions Widnes who had a material grading advantage.Skipper David W's report is below
''Widnes had already clinched the league with two matches to play, so we were prepared for a tough night.
For once I was first to finish, my draw offer nicely timed for when David Hill's worries about his time shortage exceeded his confidence that his advantage was a winning one - not for the first time against this opponent. Phil drew his game immediately after. This left me free to watch my other team-mates, a frightening experience I am anxious not to repeat.
Firstly Kevin, the exchange down but with what I thought was a total bind and a likely win. But just at the crucial moment the exchange was returned, and a queen check from nowhere meant his opponent's mating attack got there first. Bob had a long struggle with rook and knight against queen, but with all his pieces cleverly protecting each other he seemed to be holding on until lack of time resulted in his first loss of the season. With Duncan pressing manfully, but Andy Kelly always looking to be in control, we were 4-1 down, but still by no means out of it.
At this stage all six players had a little over five minutes left, and all of them could have done with a lot more. Mike had massive pressure down the g file, which eventually told. Gareth had a typical Gareth game - few pieces exchanged, half chances all over the board for both players, very hard to assess. I didn't see the end, but I understand that he missed a win at one stage. I was watching Dave, who had lost a bishop but was making it look like a sacrifice, with a massive attack. No time to calculate more than a fraction of the possibilities, I think he missed at least two quick wins, lost another piece but battled on, finally running out of time two seconds before his opponent.
So 2--6, , but it could have been a lot closer.''
This week I have received retirement notices from two stalwart chess players who have given great service both to Formby Chess Club and the wider circle of chess playing.
Joe Dilworth's health and in particular his fading eyesight plus increasing difficulties in access to premises have persuaded him to retire from competitive chess but no doubt he will still be seen at Woodvale Chess Club and his open invitation to Formby to play and socialise there has been renewed.
Kevin Howard has played at Formby for many years and captained the 1st team. However his other commitments are now taking priority and giving more enjoyment.
In addition he is facing an imminent hip replacement operation and he feels that as something has to give it is his chess that must do so.
We wish both the best for the future.
Update at 19th March
This has been a busy week for the club with three team matches whilst unfortunately having to seek postponements of two 600 division matches. i sincerely hope that these can be rearranged and played in the near future rather than having to default either or both.
On Monday the 3rds completed their league season with a trip to Southport juniors.
This meant that the games were of maximum 61 minutes each duration.This is a rule that several adult players find unduly burdensome and disadvantageous especially when the junior has a very respectable grade and has had the undoubted advantage of playing all his/her games to this time limit. I personally feel that some restriction on its use should occur based upon grading and division. Be that as it may, the result was a draw with wins by Dave Mck and Paul J and draws by Eddy and Bob G. the 3rds end their season in the top half of Div 4.
With their win by 4-2 at Fazakerley on Tuesday the 2nds secured the Div 3 title, having yet to lose with one match left. This is a complete turnaround from last season when they finished bottom and with only a divisional restructure saving them from relegation.At the start of the evening I was not optimistic as altho' the opponents were bottom of the table they were strengthened by the return of grade 177 Steven Melia whilst Formby were missing their top two players. However a pre match pep talk and action plan by the skipper came to fruition when boards 4,5 and 6 all won and my thanks go especially to 3rd teamers John G and Rob H and also to Alan W who is having a very good season. The skipper was also very pleased with his win. The following night MDB and MBh were again in action in a weakened 1st team at Aigburth 1. The first division relegation battle is very involved and the opposition presence in it somewhat surprising having regard to their undoubted strength, only Atticus 1 having had a higher aggregate grading in matches v Formby. Early losses by Skipper David and Phil set the tone and whilst there was a welcome win By Mike H and draws by Dave C, Gareth and Bob P losses by both 2nd team Mikes gave a 2.5--5.5 defeat. A draw in the same room between Aigbuth 2 and Atticus 1 merely served to reinforce Formby's problem and we may now be dependant for survival not on our own efforts but results in other matches.
Update at 14th March
Two team matches were played at home last Tuesday.
The 2nds were seeking the win and two points to give them the division 3 title whilst a defeat would allow opponents Aigburth 3 a chance to snatch it. An early win by Alan and draws by Duncan and MDB boded well but Mike Bh's attack fizzled out and he was lost. When Dave Pearcey beat Bob P for the first time in years we were 2-3 down and it was left to Paul J and for the second game running draw offers and time scrambles were evident. Paul's attack was repulsed and queens exchanged with his opponent appearing to have the advantage of a passed rook's pawn. Judicious knight moves negated this and with Paul's king slightly more advanced and no time left his opponent resigned to give a team draw. This result removed Aigburth from the challenge and leaves Formby to get 1 point from 2 matches to be certain of the title whilst Skem have to win all four of their remaining matches to overtake Formby.
On the same evening the 440 team played Atticus and wins by skipper Bob G and Dave McK gave a well earned draw.
On the previous weekend 8 Formby members had played in the Blackpool Congress and a somewhat truncated second hand report is on the relevant page.Grading prizes were won by Gareth in the Major and Andre(shared)in the Minor which I feel represent a satisfactory outcome from the chess.
Will members please note that the 1st team match away v Atticus 1 has been postponed from 13th to 27th April and unfortunately it has been necessary to postpone the 600 matches due to take place on 16th and 17th March. Every effort will be made to play these at later dates.
Update at 4th March
What appears to be the 1st team's annual struggle to avoid relegation continued last night with the visit from Wallasey A.
The two Phils swapped of off queens early on and Fisher P was then able to make his pawn advantage count against Brine P. A short time afterwards Bob P moved up to board 5 because of absences and his own Jan 15 grade agreed a draw and MDB substituting on bottom board ignored a threatening and supported pawn advance on the seventh rank to use his very mobile knight to fork king and queen. Draws by Gareth and Dave C. Formby were thus 3.5--1.5 ahead so that when the skipper on board 1 forced his opponents resignation the team match was won. Mike lost on time and Paul won on time to give a final score of 5.5--2.5.
Time management with draw offers and refusals of such were clearly factors in the individual games and it is clear that players should be aware of the team position at such times and also that the full extent of the Laws of chess re time control/ draw offers aspects are not fully known. It is to try and avoid problems that arise in these circumstances that the incremental time controls are being made available in Div 1.
Two club challenger Comp games were also played with Rob H beating Andre and Dave McKee beating Bob G to set up a semi-final game.
The Blackpool Congress is this coming weekend and 8 Formby members will be taking part but unfortunately not including, after many annual visits, MDB. However every effort will be made to put a detailed report on the relevant web page as soon as possible thereafter,the search for news both of chess and social activities having been put out to sub-contactors (cash in hand and no receipts expected).
Update at 26th Feb
The 3rd team's chance of the Div 4 title disappeared on Tuesday when they lost to Skem 2 2-4 with draws by Rob and Bob G and a solitary win by Alan.
The previous night the 440 team had gone to Prescot and lost 1.5--2.5. Bob G's report is below
''Joe and Richard put up a good fight, Joe has played his opponent many times before and has never managed a win, it looked pretty even early on until Joe managed to box his queen in and his opponent capitalised on this mistake. Richard’s game was very close against the very experienced Bill Beaver, it looked a level middle game until Richard went an exchange down, thereafter it was just a matter of time until Bill forced the win. Dave has played Jeremy before and the game finished in the same way with an early draw agreed.
My game got off to a good start when my opponent decided to play the Sicilian Defence, Najdorf variation, He played a weak move early on which I took advantage of, he resigned soon after ''.
Three games were played in the Club championship this week. In each of the games Gareth v Paul J and Dave C v Kevin H each player challenged the opponent to swap off Queens and after this was done Gareth won but it took a quick play replay for Dave to win after a draw. Mike H and Duncan played a time consuming game with no surprise that both had only seconds on the clock when a draw was agreed and a future replay necessary.
Update at 18th Feb
The 1sts gained a valuable draw on Monday and David's report is below. Full details and commentary are also on the Atticus website
'Another valuable and slightly unexpected point in the relegation battle.
Kevin and Phil and their respective opponents downed tools early, and sub Mike Barooah was not far behind. Mike H has been unlucky not to beat David Odunaiya on a couple of previous occasions, but this time he was torn apart. However Gareth was scoring a pretty impressive win with his strong opponent unable to develop his pieces or castle. I had the worst of the opening, but Steve Kee's acceptance of a speculative pawn sacrifice turned out to be much better for me than either of us expected. I thought I played a fine combination and took a long time to finish him off. (Computer says the combination had a hole in it and I finished him off impeccably.)
Dave C described his game as the Charge of the Light Brigade (with him as Lord Lucan), so all square as we crowded round Bob. His opponent had lost or sacrificed his queen for two bishops, and Bob was rounding up stray pawns as the two bishops and doubled rooks began to threaten his king, and time began to slip away. So the offer of a draw, with a lot still to do and not much time to do it, was too tempting to resist.'
The Knock out stages of the Club Championship started with a win by Phil which ended Alan's run and for Joe over MDB who resigned in the belief ,erroneous as later examination showed, that he would either lose his queen or be mated. In fact he would have lost only the pawn with which he was ahead!!
Update at 13th Feb (part 1)
In MDB's enforced absence last week Duncan led the team against second placed Skelmersdale and reports as follows
With Paul Stanley on top board) '' As you can see, they had a strong team out on their top 3 boards.
I did not see any of the games until after I finished playing. Paul finished first, then Mike, John and myself.
Bob was very short on time and eventually his clock went. That left the match result hanging on Alan’s game. Alan was materially up and his opponent also had less time. Eventually reached a position where his opponent had a solitary king against Mike’s king and three pieces, both very short on time. Alan made a move and his opponent sportingly said his clock had gone and rose from the table.
I, mightily relieved, entered the result on my score sheet when I heard John announce that the opponent’s king was in stalemate. S O’Brien was not too pleased to hear that.. Alan and our team were very lucky.'
Last night the 2nds travelled to Wallasey where as ever a tough match was anticipated and so it proved. A draw by Duncan was followed by the first loss in the team's season by Mike Bh and then by MDB. Bob reduced the deficit and then Paul equalled the score leaving Alan playing on bottom board. This was a see-saw game both in material and time. The end came with the offer of a draw by Alan's opponent which was very gratefully accepted (the opposition skipper was not so enamoured ) and so Alan rode his luck yet again.
The previous weekend Joe and Mike Bh had played at Frodsham and whilst their points total was not great both won a game and as Mike was playing in the U160 Section he could be pleased overall
The Club Championship has reached the K/O stage and the draw has been circulated and is also on the relevant web page
Update at 13th Feb Part 2
The 3rds had a very good win aqainst top of Div 4 Hoylake and skipper Paul S reports as follows
'An early win for Andre after stealing his opponents queen set the match up nicely.2 draws followed for Rob & Eddie. Bob then had a good win on board 5 leaving us with at least a draw.
John lost against a very good 130 graded youngster and Paul then offered a draw in a game that could have gone either way.
After gaining a slight positional advantage Paul again offered a draw which was accepted to win the match.
A good win against the league leaders.'
The 600 team continue to gain experience if not points and the silver lining to the 3.5--.5 loss to Aigburth was the draw by Eddy against a player graded 50 points higher.
Update at 1st february
Paul S and Alison, Eddy and May, Rob H and Claire, John and Joan, Bob and Trisha, and Mike B and Tricia enjoyed a very pleasant Social evening yesterday.
It began with 2 hours of ten pin bowling in which the variety of actions to propel the ball , had it been cricket, would have caused the regulators to ban the participant.However despite everyone giving the side gutters a good working over there were a number of 'strikes' and 'spares' spread between all participants. No formal record has been kept of totals but possibly, and open to question but please not to me, Bob had the largest aggregate.
We then adjourned next door to Robertos Italian Restaurant where a very leisurely meal was taken amongst a lot of chatter but I at least was home in time to see the Liverpool game highlights.
Many thanks go to Paul for organising the activity and it was agreed that more such social events should take place. Apparently there are a number of pub quizzes that would clearly benefit from our participation!
Update at 29th January
Skipper David Williams reports on Tuesday's 1st team match
'A must-win match against Aigburth 2 if we were not to risk falling too far behind. Bob scored yet another win, but Kevin soon redressed the balance. At this stage I had not stirred from my chair, from where I could see James in one of those untidy positions that arises when white takes up the gauntlet in the Winawer French. But after resisting some pressure in a cramped position, he was able to simplify into a clearly drawn ending. Just at the same time I was generating a mating attack when my opponent's counter-attack fell narrowly short, leaving his pieces far from home.
A first stroll around found Phil accepting his opponent's resignation in a king and pawn ending, and soon after Gareth unleashed a knight move that gave his opponent several options, all apparently losing, and he elected (unwittingly or not) for the quickest. So the match was won!
At this stage I thought we were second favourites in both the other games, but Dave had sufficient counter-threats for a draw to be agreed. Mike was a bishop down, but with threatening pawns. If I saw it right his opponent gave up the bishop to transpose into a won rook and pawn ending, but then gave Mike a chance, accepted gratefully, to exchange the rooks and come to a king and pawn ending that was a win because of his outside passed pawn. So, a boost to our goal difference that may even take us off the bottom'.
On the same night the 440 team played Fazakerly and helped by a very welcome win for Richard plus draws for Andre and Bob G gained a draw.
The group stages of the Club championship are coming to a conclusion altho it does look look some play offs may be necessary. On Tuesday MDB beat Rob H and Duncan beat Mike Bh whilst in the previous week Paul J had caught up by beating both Joe and Bob G.
Known group winners are Gareth ,Mike H and Alan W ,with group D between Dave C and Phil. The only certain 2nd place is that of Paul J . Duncan and Dave McK share second in group A and Kevin h and Rob H that in group C. Group Dis even less certain.
Update at 25th January
The 1st team played relegation rivals Hoylake on Tuesday and in Dave's absence Mike H took on admin etc and his report is appended
''No games finished until about 2 and a half hour's play when many results came in quickly leaving Dave Colbourne and Phil Fisher fighting on.
Bob and I drew. James lost to Dave Tebb and Kevin lost. Paul Jordan won and Gareth beat Mike Stone.
So the match is 3-3, but no one has much time. Phil had earlier come to me to explain that his opponent had little time, but as he was worse he wanted a draw, so I said ok, but the opponent wanted to play on.
Soon Dave agreed his draw with Dave Picken, because he could not play for a win in the time available.
So the match result was going to be the result of Phil's game.
He ended up in a tricky Rook and Pawn ending and used up all his time advantage to improve his position, but he unfortunately lost on time when his opponent had only 12 seconds left in an unclear position which looked to have chances for Phil if anything - but that's how it goes when there are no increments''.
The previous night the 2nds had started the return fixtures for the season at Prescot and despite the extremely late cry off of MF resulting in us having only 5 players we won quite easily.The majority of our opponents appeared to be playing in quick play mode and not very well. After 30 minutes RJP was a R and N to 3 pawns up and MDB was a N and 2 pawns up. We were soon 2-1 up and when Duncan's opponent gave a piece and then his Q away we had at least a draw. MBh and Paul J were having a harder time but MBh converted a 2 pawn advantage in an end game we had the match and Paul immediately had a draw offer accepted. to give a 4.5--1.5 team win.
.... Update at 15th january
Two team matches this week both ended in defeat for Formby. On Monday our 600 team played a well matched Atticus foursome and lost 1.5-2.5.
Both David C and Kevin H went the exchange down. David then lost another piece to avoid mate and his lone pawns were soon picked off. Kevin's opponent gave the exchange back to leave passed pawns on each side of the board.
MDB also went the exchange down to clear a dangerous advanced pawn against old friend and rival skipper Steve Burge. However in preparing for what the thought was a mating attack, Steve allowed too much freedom to a very mobile knight and was possibly suckered into a Q and N mate.
Mike Bh played very steadily and ultimately his opponent was forced to concede a draw despite being 5 to 3 pawns up but with opposite coloured bishops being the only other material on the board. Working in tandem Mikes K and B would allow no advance to the opposition K to support his extra pawns.
On Tuesday the 3rds suffered what skipper Paul S called a 'mid season blip' in losing 1-5 to Aigburth 4. Eddy drew and the other draw was a very good performance by John G playing on top board against a 167 graded, albeit probably rusty, Ian Campbell
Also on Tuesday Club C'ship games were played. Having beaten Joe just before Christmas Mike H finished his group games with 100% after victory against Paul J and Dave C beat Phil but the best result of the evening was the win by Alan W against Kevin H which throws this particular group into some confusion. .
The League Secretary has reported some changes in listed players from mid-season and these are detailed on the relevant web page of this site.
Update at 8th Jan 2015
A Happy new Year to all members and our wider readership with some good news to start per David's report below
'' Bottom versus top. But for the first time this season we were able to field our top eight, which actually meant a slight grading advantage on the bottom four boards, though the top four were heavily out-gunned.
James arrived late, in the middle of a work emergency, which then forced him to make his apologies and leave. Bob, having a fine season, soon levelled the scores. I saw very little of the early finishes, but Dave drew, Gareth was soon a piece down to Dave James, and Phil, not for the first time, picked up a piece when his opponent miscalculated.
Three games to go, and all to play for. So far, so like most of our other matches this season. But for once the wheels stayed on. Mike held a draw with ease. After a fluctuating game I had reached a position with almost as many major pieces as pawns on the board, so plenty of possibilities for both sides. But with a marginally less exposed king, an extra pawn and a time advantage I was confident enough to decline a draw offer. Nevertheless it was a relief to discover that my opponent, down to the wire under the new Fischer time controls, had apparently misjudged and lost on time. Seconds later a flustered-looking Kevin was shaking hands on what from a distance looked to me like a loss, and for several minutes I was celebrating a hard-fought drawn match, until I realised that he had also won on time, and the match was actually a 5-3 win!
So we go into two matches with our likely relegation rivals with renewed optimism.''
Update at 19th December
There was a quiet end to Formby chess in 2014 with just 3 club championship games played this week and no surprises. There were wins by Mike H over Bob G, Andre over Richard and Dave C over John G.
Formby members played for Woodvale last night when there was a good team win helped in particular by a win by Joe Dilworth.
Update at 14th December
Bob Greaves' 440 team did a bit of catching up this week with matches on consecutive nights.
with mixed results. On Monday and with one player short the team played Atticus with the only positive being a draw by Dave McK against someone graded 32 points higher. The following night they received Aigburth who themselves were one light. This together with wins by Andre and Bob gave a 3-1 win.
On Thursday Formby won through to the semi-final of the Knotty Ash Cup by the tightest of margins at Wallasey. A full report with individual results is on the League Knock-out page..
On Friday a select band of seven members had an entertaining evening with drinks at the Cross House followed by a meal at the Balti House.
There are now no more team matches until the New year altho the club will open next Tuesday 16th December but not the 23rd. I therefore take this opportunity to wish all members and friends a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous chess playing New Year .
Update at 4th December
A team free week enabled players to make progress in the group stage of the Club Championship on Tuesday when five games were played. Best results were the win by Alan over MDB and a draw by Dave McK against Duncan. More expected results were wins by Gareth v Mike Bh, by Dave C v Andre, and by Paul J v Eddy.
I am told that the new gate locking procedures are now in place and must be followed.The rear car park gate may well be open on arrival but the last car driver out at the end of the evening must shut the gate and lock the padlock per the instructions attached to my recent e-mail.
Update at 29th Nov re Social gatherings
On Friday 12 th December we will have our pre Christmas gathering starting at the Cross House from 7-30 pm and going on to the Balti House Formby to eat at 9-00pm. Names and numbers for the meal to Paul Sutton asap please. (07775 878105 or [email protected] )
This is also an advance notice for a social evening on Saturday 31st January 2015 incorporating bowling at Ocean Plaza from 6-00 pm approx going on to a meal at about 8-00pm. Spouses and/or friends are cordially invited to this evening's activities. Again names and numbers to Paul.
Update at 27th November
EDW comments on last night's 1st team match at Widnes
I set off for a weekend away with six of the team confirmed, and two probables I hadn't been able to contact. Team captains everywhere will not be surprised to learn that thirteen phone calls, three texts and seven emails later, a full team presented themselves at Widnes. Thanks to Mike Barooah, playing on three consecutive nights after a weekend at Preston, and Eddie Patten, who rearranged his evening at short notice.nfortunately for our substitutes, while other teams often struggle on the lower boards, Widnes have great strength in depth. Phil redressed the balance as his opponent, who may have thought he was tricking his way out of a strong attack, was actually blundering a piece. Mike H and Dave C both appeared slightly worse, but Gareth and Bob, having been under early pressure, were both beginning to turn the tables. Meanwhile I, for once, had my opponent completely tied up in knots, and running out of time as he tried to find a way out. But there's always a trick, and I missed it. And while I would still have had the better of it, it looked very drawish when we needed a win. So I tried to be clever, blundered, and went queen for rook down. But I played on, and when I managed to engineer a slightly awkward threat I offered a draw, and my opponent, down to a couple of minutes and hearing that the score was 4-1, accepted.
Gareth by now had emerged from a fine attack two pawns up in a rook and pawn ending, but in mutual time trouble he had to give up the rook to prevent a pawn queening, and after a mad scramble (at one stage I could have sworn they were making each other's moves) a draw was agreed. And Bob emerged from complications a bishop up, but with only a minute left, and had to concede the draw.
The previous night all 6 members of Formby 2 had travelled together to Hoylake in the Jordan family 'chara' for which he is thanked greatly. The evening progressed well with an early win by Duncan whose opponent's quick play approach did not put Duncan off and enabled him to force resignation with a pawn advance. MDB returning to the fray then won when his opponent believing he was trapping a queen lost a rook. Paul J agreed a draw to get Formby near the line but John G then lost to a very good 12 year old graded 120 and playing at Hoylake's request with a shortened time limit This clearly suited the young brain used to this but put John into too much time trouble to defend sufficiently. Mike Bh's game was an up and down affair but when the mist cleared and pieces were off the board Mike was 4 pawns up so another resignation followed. On bottom board Alan W a very welcome late substitute was finding it hard going with rook and 2 pawns v rook and 1 pawn but ultimately manoeuvred his pieces to be able to swap off the rook whilst winning the pawn This victory leaves Formby 2 well ahead on top of Div 3 with 11 points from 12 as potential rivals Aigburth.3 have recently lost to Skem.
John G, Mike Bh, Eddy and Richard played oin the recent Preston congress and I hope to have a report for this site in the next two weeks
Update at 20th November
EDW comments on the !st team match v Aigburth1.
'At start of play Aigburth were missing three of their top four boards after a mix-up in arrangements, and though Roger Williamson arrived twenty minutes late (having 'stolen' his mother's car, if I heard correctly) the other two did not make it.
Kevin shipped a piece early on, but with Bob and Duncan both drawing we stood 3-2 up as the other games reached critical stages, and things were looking good. Roger's time shortage helped me to go a pawn up for a while, before reaching a position which, though difficult to win, should have been even more difficult to lose. Phil was pressing on the king's side and in the centre. Though his advanced pawns were more of a hindrance to the attack than a threat to the defence, a draw at least seemed secure. In contrast Brendan Kane, with pawns in similarly advanced positions, had Mike H's king cornered and in constant danger - but the defence looked solid, and Mike was more than compensated by a whole extra rook.
So when Phil came over to ask me if he should accept his opponent's draw offer I imagine he was feeling pretty good. But one glance at my game showed him the wheels had just come off, a visit to Mike revealed the same, so Phil returned to his board knowing only a win would do. And then over-pressed, and lost.
That's four matches we have lost now, and in every one we have been well-placed at one time. Frustrating.'
The previous night the 3rds had travelled to Skelmersdale 2 who had not made a very good start to the season.There was a good win by Dave McKee countered by defeat on top board for John G against a 139 graded player.There were draws by Paul S, Bob G and Rob but an upsetting incident at the end of Eddy's game involving a time scramble and knocked over clock may need to be resolved elsewhere before the team result is settled.
The 440 match v Aigburth was postponed with a new (provisional?) date of Tuesday 9th December
The previous weekend the Haslingers had gone to Holland for the Hague chess weekend in which Stewart was seeded 1 in Group A Unfortunately a surprising defeat in round 2 against a (young ?) lady left him with 5/6 and only equal 1st with 3rd place on countback. He did however maintain filial bragging rights with a win against Gareth. Gareth finished equal 28th (seeded 23) with 2.5/6 after winning his first two games. In group B Mike seeded 19 finished equal 3rd (seeded 19) with 4.5/6 gaining a prize and some grading points.
Update at 14th November
As I slowly get back into the swing of things I want to thank those members who have given practical assistance during my spell in hospital but equally my thanks also go to fellow chess players in Formby and further afield who have sent their best wishes for my recovery.
Formby 2 have continued their good form with a convincing win against Fazackerly aided by individual wins for Bob, Mike Bh ans substitute Eddy .They then went to unbeaten Aigburth 3 with a slightly weakened team and an immediate default loss. They soon got back into credit with wins on the bottom boards by John and Alan. Duncan drew as did Bob against the powerful Dave Pearcey but Mike Bh's unbeaten run came to an end. However in all the circumstances a team draw was a very satisfactory end to the evening.
On Tuesday Formby 3 received Div 4 promotion rivals Hoylake 3. With aggregate gradings of 634 versus 635 the ensuing draw was no surprise altho' some individual results did not follow this. Wins by John, Eddy and skipper Paul .ensured that the team remain on top of the division.
I believe the 600 team lost to Southport but I will catch up with this and any club championship games in next week's report.
Update at 31st October
The only team match this week was the previously postponed 440 team versus Prescot. As usual the visitors' team was very close to the maximum aggregate grading and far in excess of Formby. it was thus no real surprise that the only positive from the match was Andre's draw.
The only club championship game reported to me was that involving Eddy and and he reports on his tussle with Mike Haslinger as follows;
'An enjoyable 3 hour bruiser. After a bright start Eddy found himself needing to defend his advanced KP with Q and R. Mike slowly tightened his grip in the middle game but after some stout defending and timely exchanges by Eddy the position and time was about even. After the Q's went, an offer of a draw was declined by Mike. With time running out Mike left his Bishop en prie, but quickly regained a Knight with a P fork. Mike still had 2 plus minutes on his clock as Eddy lost on time.'
Update at 24th October
Currently it's a case of anything the 3rds can do the 2nds can do better! The visiting Wallasey C team were expected to present a stern challenge as in previous seasons and the 5-1 win to maintain the team's 100% record was another pleasant surprise. An early draw by Kevin G on bottom board was followed by a good win by Mike Bh who is now on 3 from 3 in the 2nds .His opponent apparently had an 'Andre Preview' experience saying he played the right moves but in the wrong order costing him a piece and the game It was then some time before Mike F agreed a draw with neither player being able to penetrate the other's defence and then Bob P worrying his opponent like a Jack Russell with a rat in his mouth made a 2 pawn advantage count. MDB overcame an old friend who had failed to castle and left his king open to all sorts of threats and finally Duncan who had been playing on quite serenely without realising the team had won himself won.
The Wallasey club took their revenge last night when their A team beat Formby 1 by the narrowest of margins. There were early draws by Phil and skipper David but then losses by Kevin H and substitute John G on bottom board.When Mike H lost the match could not be won. Ed Taylor forced a draw against MDB who had turned up to watch on his way home from the Midlands but stepped in to play when a meeting place confusion left the team one short. MDB was one move short of a mating attack when Ed got a perpetual check. Thus wins by Bob P in another well played end game and Gareth gave respectability to the scoreline without affecting the actual result.
.Games in the Club championship ended with Gareth beating Dave McK .and Eddy beating Bob G.
Update at 17th October
The 3rd team maintained their 100% record on Tuesday when receiving close neighbours and rivals Southport 2. Draws by Alan, despite being the exchange down,and then Rob were followed by a win from skipper Paul S and a pleasing one for Bob G to ensure the match was not lost. After defeat for Eddie, John G beat a rising youngster graded 15 points higher to seal the win.All in all a very good night for the team.
On the same night there were wins in the Club championship for Phil against Andre and Kevin H against MDB who went the exchange up but at the expense of an inferior position not helped by one or two errors.
On Monday Bob G and his 440 team were definitely part of the Performing Arts scene when playing Atticus in their temporary venue of the foyer in the award winning Everyman Theatre. Unfortunately aspects of the performance fell short and with only draws by MDB and John G but losses for Bob and Richard the team lost 1--3
Last night John, Bob and Mike Bh plus MDB formed the majotity of a Woodvale team against Ormskirk. MDB played old Formby member Bart McHugh who true to his past arrived a little late but played out a very entertaining draw. Bart wishes to be remembered to Formby club friends and as he is no longer playing for a much reduced Widnes club in the Merseyside League was of course invited to rejoin Formby if and when his circumstances allow.
Update at 8th October
It's been a good week for new member David Colbourne but not so good for the teams involved.
On Monday Formby ventured into the 600 competition with a visit to Prescot. Outgraded by 590 to 504 there were draws by David, Mike Bh and MDB but hard as he fought Dave McKee (100) lost on bottom board to seasoned campaigner Joe Butterworth (138).
On Tuesday David was an early winner in the 1st team match v Atticus 2 and whist this was soon cancelled out by defeat for Phil (possibly feeling his way after his cataract operation ) the team position seemed to be holding up for quite some time. However despite a draw by Bob P and with both Mike H and MDB ruing late blunders ,.all other games were lost A full schedule of the result is on the Atticus website with a brief commentary.
Also on Tuesday Dave McK bounced back with a good win against Mike Bh in the Club Championships. Members are asked that in view of the heavy schedule of team games they should take every opportunity to play group games in the Championship.
Update at 3rd October
Part 1 E D W 1/10
The evening got off to an inauspicious start with the top four boards arriving fifteen minutes late, having first visited the Hoylake captain's home. (Note to self for next time. If you're going to give people a postcode from the handbook, make sure it's the right one.)
For once we sat down as slight favourites. Kevin and Dave C were unable to make any significant progress, and draws were agreed, and (as the only seriously outgraded player) I was also happy to take Dave Tebb's offered draw. Paul was a pawn up early on, and gradually increased his advantage, while Bob generated an unstoppable mating attack. Mike's game had gone from wild to mildly unclear when his opponent offered a draw, so we were guaranteed at least one point.
One more draw required, with James under pressure but seemingly level, and Gareth a pawn up. But playing with an analogue clock under the old time controls, the win slipped away, and Gareth's flag began to rise. Eventually he reached a dead drawn king and pawn ending with seconds remaining, and his opponent sportingly acknowledged this, sparing us a debate about the vagaries of Rule 10.2. Just as well, as the pressure told on James as he lost the exchange and then the game.
4.5 to 3.5, and an important win for us in our annual battle to stay up.
Part 2 PS 3/10
John was offered a draw and accepted after consultation with captain followed by a draw for Rob.
Wins by Peter and Eddie left us in a strong position with Dave offering a draw which was accepted.
Paul was down by 2 pawns but had a better position with ongoing check so agreed a draw.
MDB 3/10 This was a good week for the teams with the 3rds joining the 2nds in a 100% record of 2 from 2 anhd the 1sts
beating possible relegation rivals.
Update at 25th September
By winning at Skem on Monday the 2nds have already equalled the total wins of last season! An early draw by Mike F who was unable to use a pawn advantage was followed by a similar result by Bob P. Paul J's win against the highest graded opposition player (147) was a result of his positive play and increased vision on the board. Just as MDB was about to turn down a draw offer as he was ahead on time and exerting pressure M Bh announced an unexpected win. Mdb then accepted the offer as his opponent realised that even playing on would not get him a win. With the team victory assured Duncan offered a draw and with its acceptance Formby finished up winners by 4--2.
The 1sts went to close rivals Aigburth 2 last night but despite their best efforts involving 7 draws were scuppered by the narrowest of margins when debutant David Colbourne lost. The skipper reports that whilst he had an advantage he didn't have the time to convert it into a win and he didn't see what was happening in other games. Aigburth 2 will be a little relieved having lost their first match and Formby's next opponents are Hoylake also losers in their first match and likely to be among the two or three relegation battlers.
The Club championship was opened on Tuesday with wins in the group stage by Phil and Rob against John G and Alan W respectively.
Formby players assisting Woodvale in the Warrington league had mixed fortunes in the Shild match against St Helens. MDB lost albeit against a 164 graded player and John G drew. Bob G took his time and caused his colleagues some concern before winning but unfortunately by this time the match itself was lost.
Update at 19th September
Mixed fortunes for our cup teams this week. As always Atticus put out a strong team in the K/A cup but were faced by an even higher graded Formby team who were well worth their win.
Unfortunately the John Ripley team were not so successful even with the return of James Clarke and the unexpected involvement of Phil. Time limits posed too great a problem on the top three boards. Some further detail is shown on the relevant web page below.
The 1st team will now be able to concentrate on the seasonal battle to stay in Division 1 where they are likely to be outgraded by all but their cup conquerors of this week.
Update at 10th September
The 3rds all but equalled the 2nds when they received Southport A winning 5-1. Their opponents are a junior side promoted from Div 5 and the agreed time control for their matches is 61 minutes for all moves. This was of some concern and added to by the even faster rate of play employed by the junior team. However despite having only a few minutes left on their clocks ,Paul S, Alan,Rob and Kevin G were winners Whilst John and Eddie agreed draws.
On the same night The 440 team went to Fazackerly ,where heavily outgraded, they lost 1--3. with Dave McKee and skipper Bob G getting draws and Andre and Richard losing.
The web site is now up to date with fixture lists for team and individual club competitions and I await only the full schedule of listed players in the League for season 2014-5
Update at 3rd September
The 2nd team had the best of starts in Div 3 when receiving Prescot 2 by winning 5.5--.5. The only draw was in the first game to finish with John Grady not being able to make headway. By this time MDB was a piece and 3 pawns up with major pieces of the board.His opponent had used only 10 minutes for his 35 moves and could have resigned at this stage but did so when faced with a forced mate a further 30 moves on. On the next board Mike Bh and the Prescot captain were testing each other with Q and R attacks but at my next look Mike was a rook up following a blunder and when he forced the exchange of the queens Jeremy resigned. A similar change in fortune appeared to happen to Duncan who went a queen up and was able to prevent the advance of his opponents pawns.Paul's queen sacrifice to force mate was a beautiful little cameo and after a long spell of preparation Bob was able to force a pawn home and produce a further resignation.
In the previous week there had been two individual forays into congresses. John Grady scored 3.5/6 in the Minor section at Leyland with his only loss in the last round against a teenager with a clearly artificial grade of 40 who was also on 3.5.
Mike Barooah challenged himself by entering the under 165 section at Manchester and finished with a very creditable 2.5/5 and a grading performance in the 150s.
Update at 27th August
There was a good turnout of members old and new for the President's evening competition for which both Phil and treasurer Eddy were grateful. There was the usual amount of sighs and language as illegal moves or queen 'sacrifices' lost games and at the end of the evening from 16 participants Gareth came first with 41/2 from 5 and went home clutching his 6 bottles of beer. Father Mike and Bob Greaves shared second place. A vote of thanks was given to Phil with best wishes from all club members before his operation next week.
Team captains started to organise their squads for the early matches and the players to be listed for 1sts and 2nds remain as per the names in the recent e-mail circular to members. there will now be only one match on 2nd Sept as Liverpool have withdrawn from the 600 division.
August 7th 2014
My first entry for the new season comes with the assistance of honorary member and previous webmaster Peter Willoughby whom members will be pleased to hear is progressing well healthwise.
The fixtures for 2014-15 are now on the appropriate pages and it can be seen that the club gets rapidly into action in September with the following matches.
Tuesday 2nd 2nds and 600 both at home
Tuesday 9th 3rds at home and 440 AWAY
Tuesday 16th J Ripley and K/A cups both at home
Monday 22nd 2nds away
Wednesday 24th 1sts away
Tuesday 30th 1sts AWAY
Before then we have the President's evening games on Tuesday 26th August guided by Phil or if he cannot be with us, Mike Haslinger. As for previous seasons the Treasurer will be at the door to welcome everyone with their cash or cheque for the new season's subs of which I remind people the standard amount will be £55
including ECF Bronze membership with an additional £6 to be paid by those seeking Silver membership and entitling them to play in ECF congresses subject only to the individual congress entry fee.
Update at 13th June
Draft minutes of the AGM held on 2nd June have now been circulated to members with e-mail access.
An end of season social evening and meal at Kasturi Indian restaurant Formby has been arranged for Friday 10th July meeting at Cross house pub from 8-00pm and meal at 9-00. Names for the meal to Paul Sutton please at 01704 224642
A charity night with food and entertainment is being held at St John Stone Social Club Woodvale on Friday 22nd August. I am told that it will be a very good evening. Applications for tickets or further details to Joe or Tony Dilworth at 01704 574122
Social chess can be played during the summer months at Woodvale venue on Thursdays or with Southport Chess club at Mount Pleasant pub Manchester Rd on Tuesdays.
Formby will return to Ravenmeols for the President's evening on Tuesday 1st September when Eddy 'St Matthew' Patten will be at the door collecting subs for the new season.
Update at 19th May
Dave W, Dave C and MDB, together with Steve Philp of Atticus, played under the Formby flag in the Mside team Lightning competition last night.There were 0-4 losses to the very strong Atticus 1 and 2 teams who finished first and second(see Atticus site for details)and a 1-3 loss to Prescot 1.However we won 4-0 against Prescot 2 where three of the games were won by the not unusual situation of the opponent leaving his king in check and narrower wins v 'All Stars' and Liverpool.
The final game points tally was 10.5 /24 whereas Atticus 1 had 19.
I have now circulated the Agenda for the AGM together with the 2014 minutes.
Update at 15th May
At last some good news for the club when last Monday we again won the Knotty Ash Cup beating Prescot at their venue by 3--2. there was little in it in the gradings on the top three boards but the first win was by Dave Mckee on bottom board and John Grady also won.A more detailed report is on the relevant web page.
John's season then ended with more success when he beat Rob H in the quickplay replay of the Challengers' final played last night at Woodvale chess club. Rob reports that he gave away a piece very early on and could not recover.
Formby will have one team of four in the Mside team lightning tournament again at Prescot's venue next Monday night.
The Mside AGM will be on Wednesday 27th May at Aigburth venue. Several members have said they will attend. Despite my previous e-mail comment it is probable that, with my blessing, Russell Cowell will remain as President for the forthcoming year.
The Formby AGM will be held at Ravenmeols C C on Tuesday 2nd June starting at 8-00pm.A formal Agenda will be circulated in the next few days and I will also recirculate the minutes of the 2014 meeting that were distributed shortly after that meeting.
Update at 1st May
There was a very disappointing end to the season for the 1st team.They needed to get 3.5 game points from their last match at Atticus 1 to avoid relegation but could only muster 2 so finish bottom of Div 1. There was an early draw by Mike H but followed by losses for Gareth and Dave W. Despite draws by MDB, Dave C and Bob there were no further points gleaned. Amore detailed report of the games is on the Atticus web site.
The prospect of both 1sts and 2nds in Div 2 next season poses problems which will need to be discussed by all members and i will be seeking views via e-mails so that there can be a full and frank coverage of this at the AGM on 2nd June.
The 600 team ended its season with a 2--2 draw at Fazakerley aided by a draws from Mike Bh and Dave McK and a win from MDB.
The club championship was won by Dave C who beat Mike H but I await more detail of the game. Rob and John G drew and will have a quick play second game for the Challengers'award
PS Gareth now reports
'' I won the toss, taking White and got a good position out of the opening and early middlegame. Dave and I each advanced one of our pawns, by a series of unanswered captures along diagonals, to dangerous positions. Mine was on f7, Dave's on c3. Dave's king was pretty exposed and I was a few pawns up but I gave up a Bishop thinking I could force the promotion of my f-pawn by a sacrifice of a Queen for a rook on the back rank. I missed that both Dave's remaining major pieces could prevent this, since his c3-pawn could threaten to Queen and back rank mate me! So in the quick play finish Dave was a piece for two pawns up with a rook each and, unfortunately for me, I lost on time just as we reached a drawn Rook and pawn verses Rook and pawn ending.''
Update at 23rd April
All the finalists in the club championships are now known following games last Tuesday. In the championship semi-final Mike H with white had a hard fought battle with Dave C in which he acknowledged Dave had the edge. Certainly when I looked at board after an hour it did appear to be a complicated position with attack/counter attack opportunities and more than one piece of each colour en pris. Dave will now play Gareth in the final next Tuesday.
In the challengers' semi-final Eddy played white v John G and reports
'' Eddy, playing white, matched John in the early stages, with attacking opportunities for both sides.
Going into the middle game the position was about even but then Eddy thinking he could win a pawn
lost his Knight, with no compensation! After the Q's were exchanged John slowly made his extra B more influential and Eddys K walked into a trap with a NP checkmate ! ''
John will play Rob in the final also next Tuesday.
This will be the last meeting of the season at Ravenmeols by which time the fate of the 1st team will be known after their match the previous night at Atticus 1. There isaalso an away 600 match on Tuesday at Fazakerley. Other than the AGM on Tuesday 2nd June there will be no meeting at Ravenmeols until 1st September altho' as in recent years there will be social chess available at the Woodvale chess club at St john Stone Church hall on Thursdays during the intervening period.
Update at 16th April
It has been a quiet week for Formby chess players with only one club Challengers'
game being played between Eddy and Mike Bh. Eddy comments ;
'After the early moves Eddy managed to set Mike some small problems with pins on Q and R, which hampered his development.
Mike eventually made the game even but had used up a lot of time in the process.
With Eddy on 15 minutes and Mike on 1 minute, Mike left his rook en prix and resigned'.
The important action for the 1st team took place at Aigburth where the home 2nd team drew with Hoylake in possibly the worst outcome for the continuation of the 1sts in Div 1. We shall need at least 3.5 game points in our last match on 27th April v Atticus 1 to remain in the 1st Division. No pressure then!
Update at 8th April
The 2nd team's last match of the season was at home v Hoylake whom they had easily beaten away with a weaker side against a stronger team. However the return was not as easy as might have been expected.
It started well enough with Paul J withstanding a strong attack and then being gifted a queen whilst Mike Bh had to agree a draw when nothing better could be forced. Alan W who is rapidly becoming a strong bottom board for the 2nds then won after going a piece up. MDB had also won a piece and was confident against the opposition skipper and Mside Secretary ,John Davis. However he then completely miscalculated in giving the piece back for a two pawn advantage in the end game. The only major pieces on the board were opposite coloured bishops and John's pawns were unattackable due to this and his king's position so MDB was forced to accept the draw offer which at least meant that the team couldn't lose. It was most definitely age v youth on top board where Bob struggled against a 12 year old who has had a very good season for Hoylake teams. Bob had to admit defeat as did Duncan to give a 3-3 draw that was far more satisfying to the visitors than the hosts.who at least remained unbeaten for the season.
At the same time the 440 team were hosts to the major Atticus team in this division. leading the team in Bob G's absence Dave McKee had a good win and Eddy drew
but with both Andre and Richard losing it was not enough to prevent a 1.5-2.5 loss.
Update at 2nd April
An event worthy of an entry for itself but also because I forgot to include it yesterday happened last Monday night when Formby went to Waterloo's very pleasant new venue for a Knotty Ash semi-final. At the end of a very engrossing evening Formby were the winners by 3--2 and will play Prescot in the final. This will be at Prescot on Monday 11th May. The teams will toss for colours.
A detailed report of the semi-final is on the relevant page of this website.
Update at 1st April
Part 1
This part summarises a report that I drafted last week and but for a gremlin, no doubt of my own making, would have appeared last Thursday. The two team matches commented upon were a 600 home match v Waterloo in which only a draw by Andre against a player graded 35 points higher prevented a whitewash and a 440 match at Aigburth in which there was a good team win arising from individual wins by Bob G and Dave Mck and a draw by Eddy. On Tuesday several Club championship games were played. Gareth reached the final of the Championship with a win over Phil and father, Mike, reached the semi-final with a win in his quick play replay against Duncan. In the Challengers Rob H has again reached the final with a win over Dave McK and John G progressed with a win over Joe.
Part 2
Last night the 1st team continued its fight for survival with home match against the new 2014/5 champions Widnes who had a material grading advantage.Skipper David W's report is below
''Widnes had already clinched the league with two matches to play, so we were prepared for a tough night.
For once I was first to finish, my draw offer nicely timed for when David Hill's worries about his time shortage exceeded his confidence that his advantage was a winning one - not for the first time against this opponent. Phil drew his game immediately after. This left me free to watch my other team-mates, a frightening experience I am anxious not to repeat.
Firstly Kevin, the exchange down but with what I thought was a total bind and a likely win. But just at the crucial moment the exchange was returned, and a queen check from nowhere meant his opponent's mating attack got there first. Bob had a long struggle with rook and knight against queen, but with all his pieces cleverly protecting each other he seemed to be holding on until lack of time resulted in his first loss of the season. With Duncan pressing manfully, but Andy Kelly always looking to be in control, we were 4-1 down, but still by no means out of it.
At this stage all six players had a little over five minutes left, and all of them could have done with a lot more. Mike had massive pressure down the g file, which eventually told. Gareth had a typical Gareth game - few pieces exchanged, half chances all over the board for both players, very hard to assess. I didn't see the end, but I understand that he missed a win at one stage. I was watching Dave, who had lost a bishop but was making it look like a sacrifice, with a massive attack. No time to calculate more than a fraction of the possibilities, I think he missed at least two quick wins, lost another piece but battled on, finally running out of time two seconds before his opponent.
So 2--6, , but it could have been a lot closer.''
This week I have received retirement notices from two stalwart chess players who have given great service both to Formby Chess Club and the wider circle of chess playing.
Joe Dilworth's health and in particular his fading eyesight plus increasing difficulties in access to premises have persuaded him to retire from competitive chess but no doubt he will still be seen at Woodvale Chess Club and his open invitation to Formby to play and socialise there has been renewed.
Kevin Howard has played at Formby for many years and captained the 1st team. However his other commitments are now taking priority and giving more enjoyment.
In addition he is facing an imminent hip replacement operation and he feels that as something has to give it is his chess that must do so.
We wish both the best for the future.
Update at 19th March
This has been a busy week for the club with three team matches whilst unfortunately having to seek postponements of two 600 division matches. i sincerely hope that these can be rearranged and played in the near future rather than having to default either or both.
On Monday the 3rds completed their league season with a trip to Southport juniors.
This meant that the games were of maximum 61 minutes each duration.This is a rule that several adult players find unduly burdensome and disadvantageous especially when the junior has a very respectable grade and has had the undoubted advantage of playing all his/her games to this time limit. I personally feel that some restriction on its use should occur based upon grading and division. Be that as it may, the result was a draw with wins by Dave Mck and Paul J and draws by Eddy and Bob G. the 3rds end their season in the top half of Div 4.
With their win by 4-2 at Fazakerley on Tuesday the 2nds secured the Div 3 title, having yet to lose with one match left. This is a complete turnaround from last season when they finished bottom and with only a divisional restructure saving them from relegation.At the start of the evening I was not optimistic as altho' the opponents were bottom of the table they were strengthened by the return of grade 177 Steven Melia whilst Formby were missing their top two players. However a pre match pep talk and action plan by the skipper came to fruition when boards 4,5 and 6 all won and my thanks go especially to 3rd teamers John G and Rob H and also to Alan W who is having a very good season. The skipper was also very pleased with his win. The following night MDB and MBh were again in action in a weakened 1st team at Aigburth 1. The first division relegation battle is very involved and the opposition presence in it somewhat surprising having regard to their undoubted strength, only Atticus 1 having had a higher aggregate grading in matches v Formby. Early losses by Skipper David and Phil set the tone and whilst there was a welcome win By Mike H and draws by Dave C, Gareth and Bob P losses by both 2nd team Mikes gave a 2.5--5.5 defeat. A draw in the same room between Aigbuth 2 and Atticus 1 merely served to reinforce Formby's problem and we may now be dependant for survival not on our own efforts but results in other matches.
Update at 14th March
Two team matches were played at home last Tuesday.
The 2nds were seeking the win and two points to give them the division 3 title whilst a defeat would allow opponents Aigburth 3 a chance to snatch it. An early win by Alan and draws by Duncan and MDB boded well but Mike Bh's attack fizzled out and he was lost. When Dave Pearcey beat Bob P for the first time in years we were 2-3 down and it was left to Paul J and for the second game running draw offers and time scrambles were evident. Paul's attack was repulsed and queens exchanged with his opponent appearing to have the advantage of a passed rook's pawn. Judicious knight moves negated this and with Paul's king slightly more advanced and no time left his opponent resigned to give a team draw. This result removed Aigburth from the challenge and leaves Formby to get 1 point from 2 matches to be certain of the title whilst Skem have to win all four of their remaining matches to overtake Formby.
On the same evening the 440 team played Atticus and wins by skipper Bob G and Dave McK gave a well earned draw.
On the previous weekend 8 Formby members had played in the Blackpool Congress and a somewhat truncated second hand report is on the relevant page.Grading prizes were won by Gareth in the Major and Andre(shared)in the Minor which I feel represent a satisfactory outcome from the chess.
Will members please note that the 1st team match away v Atticus 1 has been postponed from 13th to 27th April and unfortunately it has been necessary to postpone the 600 matches due to take place on 16th and 17th March. Every effort will be made to play these at later dates.
Update at 4th March
What appears to be the 1st team's annual struggle to avoid relegation continued last night with the visit from Wallasey A.
The two Phils swapped of off queens early on and Fisher P was then able to make his pawn advantage count against Brine P. A short time afterwards Bob P moved up to board 5 because of absences and his own Jan 15 grade agreed a draw and MDB substituting on bottom board ignored a threatening and supported pawn advance on the seventh rank to use his very mobile knight to fork king and queen. Draws by Gareth and Dave C. Formby were thus 3.5--1.5 ahead so that when the skipper on board 1 forced his opponents resignation the team match was won. Mike lost on time and Paul won on time to give a final score of 5.5--2.5.
Time management with draw offers and refusals of such were clearly factors in the individual games and it is clear that players should be aware of the team position at such times and also that the full extent of the Laws of chess re time control/ draw offers aspects are not fully known. It is to try and avoid problems that arise in these circumstances that the incremental time controls are being made available in Div 1.
Two club challenger Comp games were also played with Rob H beating Andre and Dave McKee beating Bob G to set up a semi-final game.
The Blackpool Congress is this coming weekend and 8 Formby members will be taking part but unfortunately not including, after many annual visits, MDB. However every effort will be made to put a detailed report on the relevant web page as soon as possible thereafter,the search for news both of chess and social activities having been put out to sub-contactors (cash in hand and no receipts expected).
Update at 26th Feb
The 3rd team's chance of the Div 4 title disappeared on Tuesday when they lost to Skem 2 2-4 with draws by Rob and Bob G and a solitary win by Alan.
The previous night the 440 team had gone to Prescot and lost 1.5--2.5. Bob G's report is below
''Joe and Richard put up a good fight, Joe has played his opponent many times before and has never managed a win, it looked pretty even early on until Joe managed to box his queen in and his opponent capitalised on this mistake. Richard’s game was very close against the very experienced Bill Beaver, it looked a level middle game until Richard went an exchange down, thereafter it was just a matter of time until Bill forced the win. Dave has played Jeremy before and the game finished in the same way with an early draw agreed.
My game got off to a good start when my opponent decided to play the Sicilian Defence, Najdorf variation, He played a weak move early on which I took advantage of, he resigned soon after ''.
Three games were played in the Club championship this week. In each of the games Gareth v Paul J and Dave C v Kevin H each player challenged the opponent to swap off Queens and after this was done Gareth won but it took a quick play replay for Dave to win after a draw. Mike H and Duncan played a time consuming game with no surprise that both had only seconds on the clock when a draw was agreed and a future replay necessary.
Update at 18th Feb
The 1sts gained a valuable draw on Monday and David's report is below. Full details and commentary are also on the Atticus website
'Another valuable and slightly unexpected point in the relegation battle.
Kevin and Phil and their respective opponents downed tools early, and sub Mike Barooah was not far behind. Mike H has been unlucky not to beat David Odunaiya on a couple of previous occasions, but this time he was torn apart. However Gareth was scoring a pretty impressive win with his strong opponent unable to develop his pieces or castle. I had the worst of the opening, but Steve Kee's acceptance of a speculative pawn sacrifice turned out to be much better for me than either of us expected. I thought I played a fine combination and took a long time to finish him off. (Computer says the combination had a hole in it and I finished him off impeccably.)
Dave C described his game as the Charge of the Light Brigade (with him as Lord Lucan), so all square as we crowded round Bob. His opponent had lost or sacrificed his queen for two bishops, and Bob was rounding up stray pawns as the two bishops and doubled rooks began to threaten his king, and time began to slip away. So the offer of a draw, with a lot still to do and not much time to do it, was too tempting to resist.'
The Knock out stages of the Club Championship started with a win by Phil which ended Alan's run and for Joe over MDB who resigned in the belief ,erroneous as later examination showed, that he would either lose his queen or be mated. In fact he would have lost only the pawn with which he was ahead!!
Update at 13th Feb (part 1)
In MDB's enforced absence last week Duncan led the team against second placed Skelmersdale and reports as follows
With Paul Stanley on top board) '' As you can see, they had a strong team out on their top 3 boards.
I did not see any of the games until after I finished playing. Paul finished first, then Mike, John and myself.
Bob was very short on time and eventually his clock went. That left the match result hanging on Alan’s game. Alan was materially up and his opponent also had less time. Eventually reached a position where his opponent had a solitary king against Mike’s king and three pieces, both very short on time. Alan made a move and his opponent sportingly said his clock had gone and rose from the table.
I, mightily relieved, entered the result on my score sheet when I heard John announce that the opponent’s king was in stalemate. S O’Brien was not too pleased to hear that.. Alan and our team were very lucky.'
Last night the 2nds travelled to Wallasey where as ever a tough match was anticipated and so it proved. A draw by Duncan was followed by the first loss in the team's season by Mike Bh and then by MDB. Bob reduced the deficit and then Paul equalled the score leaving Alan playing on bottom board. This was a see-saw game both in material and time. The end came with the offer of a draw by Alan's opponent which was very gratefully accepted (the opposition skipper was not so enamoured ) and so Alan rode his luck yet again.
The previous weekend Joe and Mike Bh had played at Frodsham and whilst their points total was not great both won a game and as Mike was playing in the U160 Section he could be pleased overall
The Club Championship has reached the K/O stage and the draw has been circulated and is also on the relevant web page
Update at 13th Feb Part 2
The 3rds had a very good win aqainst top of Div 4 Hoylake and skipper Paul S reports as follows
'An early win for Andre after stealing his opponents queen set the match up nicely.2 draws followed for Rob & Eddie. Bob then had a good win on board 5 leaving us with at least a draw.
John lost against a very good 130 graded youngster and Paul then offered a draw in a game that could have gone either way.
After gaining a slight positional advantage Paul again offered a draw which was accepted to win the match.
A good win against the league leaders.'
The 600 team continue to gain experience if not points and the silver lining to the 3.5--.5 loss to Aigburth was the draw by Eddy against a player graded 50 points higher.
Update at 1st february
Paul S and Alison, Eddy and May, Rob H and Claire, John and Joan, Bob and Trisha, and Mike B and Tricia enjoyed a very pleasant Social evening yesterday.
It began with 2 hours of ten pin bowling in which the variety of actions to propel the ball , had it been cricket, would have caused the regulators to ban the participant.However despite everyone giving the side gutters a good working over there were a number of 'strikes' and 'spares' spread between all participants. No formal record has been kept of totals but possibly, and open to question but please not to me, Bob had the largest aggregate.
We then adjourned next door to Robertos Italian Restaurant where a very leisurely meal was taken amongst a lot of chatter but I at least was home in time to see the Liverpool game highlights.
Many thanks go to Paul for organising the activity and it was agreed that more such social events should take place. Apparently there are a number of pub quizzes that would clearly benefit from our participation!
Update at 29th January
Skipper David Williams reports on Tuesday's 1st team match
'A must-win match against Aigburth 2 if we were not to risk falling too far behind. Bob scored yet another win, but Kevin soon redressed the balance. At this stage I had not stirred from my chair, from where I could see James in one of those untidy positions that arises when white takes up the gauntlet in the Winawer French. But after resisting some pressure in a cramped position, he was able to simplify into a clearly drawn ending. Just at the same time I was generating a mating attack when my opponent's counter-attack fell narrowly short, leaving his pieces far from home.
A first stroll around found Phil accepting his opponent's resignation in a king and pawn ending, and soon after Gareth unleashed a knight move that gave his opponent several options, all apparently losing, and he elected (unwittingly or not) for the quickest. So the match was won!
At this stage I thought we were second favourites in both the other games, but Dave had sufficient counter-threats for a draw to be agreed. Mike was a bishop down, but with threatening pawns. If I saw it right his opponent gave up the bishop to transpose into a won rook and pawn ending, but then gave Mike a chance, accepted gratefully, to exchange the rooks and come to a king and pawn ending that was a win because of his outside passed pawn. So, a boost to our goal difference that may even take us off the bottom'.
On the same night the 440 team played Fazakerly and helped by a very welcome win for Richard plus draws for Andre and Bob G gained a draw.
The group stages of the Club championship are coming to a conclusion altho it does look look some play offs may be necessary. On Tuesday MDB beat Rob H and Duncan beat Mike Bh whilst in the previous week Paul J had caught up by beating both Joe and Bob G.
Known group winners are Gareth ,Mike H and Alan W ,with group D between Dave C and Phil. The only certain 2nd place is that of Paul J . Duncan and Dave McK share second in group A and Kevin h and Rob H that in group C. Group Dis even less certain.
Update at 25th January
The 1st team played relegation rivals Hoylake on Tuesday and in Dave's absence Mike H took on admin etc and his report is appended
''No games finished until about 2 and a half hour's play when many results came in quickly leaving Dave Colbourne and Phil Fisher fighting on.
Bob and I drew. James lost to Dave Tebb and Kevin lost. Paul Jordan won and Gareth beat Mike Stone.
So the match is 3-3, but no one has much time. Phil had earlier come to me to explain that his opponent had little time, but as he was worse he wanted a draw, so I said ok, but the opponent wanted to play on.
Soon Dave agreed his draw with Dave Picken, because he could not play for a win in the time available.
So the match result was going to be the result of Phil's game.
He ended up in a tricky Rook and Pawn ending and used up all his time advantage to improve his position, but he unfortunately lost on time when his opponent had only 12 seconds left in an unclear position which looked to have chances for Phil if anything - but that's how it goes when there are no increments''.
The previous night the 2nds had started the return fixtures for the season at Prescot and despite the extremely late cry off of MF resulting in us having only 5 players we won quite easily.The majority of our opponents appeared to be playing in quick play mode and not very well. After 30 minutes RJP was a R and N to 3 pawns up and MDB was a N and 2 pawns up. We were soon 2-1 up and when Duncan's opponent gave a piece and then his Q away we had at least a draw. MBh and Paul J were having a harder time but MBh converted a 2 pawn advantage in an end game we had the match and Paul immediately had a draw offer accepted. to give a 4.5--1.5 team win.
.... Update at 15th january
Two team matches this week both ended in defeat for Formby. On Monday our 600 team played a well matched Atticus foursome and lost 1.5-2.5.
Both David C and Kevin H went the exchange down. David then lost another piece to avoid mate and his lone pawns were soon picked off. Kevin's opponent gave the exchange back to leave passed pawns on each side of the board.
MDB also went the exchange down to clear a dangerous advanced pawn against old friend and rival skipper Steve Burge. However in preparing for what the thought was a mating attack, Steve allowed too much freedom to a very mobile knight and was possibly suckered into a Q and N mate.
Mike Bh played very steadily and ultimately his opponent was forced to concede a draw despite being 5 to 3 pawns up but with opposite coloured bishops being the only other material on the board. Working in tandem Mikes K and B would allow no advance to the opposition K to support his extra pawns.
On Tuesday the 3rds suffered what skipper Paul S called a 'mid season blip' in losing 1-5 to Aigburth 4. Eddy drew and the other draw was a very good performance by John G playing on top board against a 167 graded, albeit probably rusty, Ian Campbell
Also on Tuesday Club C'ship games were played. Having beaten Joe just before Christmas Mike H finished his group games with 100% after victory against Paul J and Dave C beat Phil but the best result of the evening was the win by Alan W against Kevin H which throws this particular group into some confusion. .
The League Secretary has reported some changes in listed players from mid-season and these are detailed on the relevant web page of this site.
Update at 8th Jan 2015
A Happy new Year to all members and our wider readership with some good news to start per David's report below
'' Bottom versus top. But for the first time this season we were able to field our top eight, which actually meant a slight grading advantage on the bottom four boards, though the top four were heavily out-gunned.
James arrived late, in the middle of a work emergency, which then forced him to make his apologies and leave. Bob, having a fine season, soon levelled the scores. I saw very little of the early finishes, but Dave drew, Gareth was soon a piece down to Dave James, and Phil, not for the first time, picked up a piece when his opponent miscalculated.
Three games to go, and all to play for. So far, so like most of our other matches this season. But for once the wheels stayed on. Mike held a draw with ease. After a fluctuating game I had reached a position with almost as many major pieces as pawns on the board, so plenty of possibilities for both sides. But with a marginally less exposed king, an extra pawn and a time advantage I was confident enough to decline a draw offer. Nevertheless it was a relief to discover that my opponent, down to the wire under the new Fischer time controls, had apparently misjudged and lost on time. Seconds later a flustered-looking Kevin was shaking hands on what from a distance looked to me like a loss, and for several minutes I was celebrating a hard-fought drawn match, until I realised that he had also won on time, and the match was actually a 5-3 win!
So we go into two matches with our likely relegation rivals with renewed optimism.''
Update at 19th December
There was a quiet end to Formby chess in 2014 with just 3 club championship games played this week and no surprises. There were wins by Mike H over Bob G, Andre over Richard and Dave C over John G.
Formby members played for Woodvale last night when there was a good team win helped in particular by a win by Joe Dilworth.
Update at 14th December
Bob Greaves' 440 team did a bit of catching up this week with matches on consecutive nights.
with mixed results. On Monday and with one player short the team played Atticus with the only positive being a draw by Dave McK against someone graded 32 points higher. The following night they received Aigburth who themselves were one light. This together with wins by Andre and Bob gave a 3-1 win.
On Thursday Formby won through to the semi-final of the Knotty Ash Cup by the tightest of margins at Wallasey. A full report with individual results is on the League Knock-out page..
On Friday a select band of seven members had an entertaining evening with drinks at the Cross House followed by a meal at the Balti House.
There are now no more team matches until the New year altho the club will open next Tuesday 16th December but not the 23rd. I therefore take this opportunity to wish all members and friends a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous chess playing New Year .
Update at 4th December
A team free week enabled players to make progress in the group stage of the Club Championship on Tuesday when five games were played. Best results were the win by Alan over MDB and a draw by Dave McK against Duncan. More expected results were wins by Gareth v Mike Bh, by Dave C v Andre, and by Paul J v Eddy.
I am told that the new gate locking procedures are now in place and must be followed.The rear car park gate may well be open on arrival but the last car driver out at the end of the evening must shut the gate and lock the padlock per the instructions attached to my recent e-mail.
Update at 29th Nov re Social gatherings
On Friday 12 th December we will have our pre Christmas gathering starting at the Cross House from 7-30 pm and going on to the Balti House Formby to eat at 9-00pm. Names and numbers for the meal to Paul Sutton asap please. (07775 878105 or [email protected] )
This is also an advance notice for a social evening on Saturday 31st January 2015 incorporating bowling at Ocean Plaza from 6-00 pm approx going on to a meal at about 8-00pm. Spouses and/or friends are cordially invited to this evening's activities. Again names and numbers to Paul.
Update at 27th November
EDW comments on last night's 1st team match at Widnes
I set off for a weekend away with six of the team confirmed, and two probables I hadn't been able to contact. Team captains everywhere will not be surprised to learn that thirteen phone calls, three texts and seven emails later, a full team presented themselves at Widnes. Thanks to Mike Barooah, playing on three consecutive nights after a weekend at Preston, and Eddie Patten, who rearranged his evening at short notice.nfortunately for our substitutes, while other teams often struggle on the lower boards, Widnes have great strength in depth. Phil redressed the balance as his opponent, who may have thought he was tricking his way out of a strong attack, was actually blundering a piece. Mike H and Dave C both appeared slightly worse, but Gareth and Bob, having been under early pressure, were both beginning to turn the tables. Meanwhile I, for once, had my opponent completely tied up in knots, and running out of time as he tried to find a way out. But there's always a trick, and I missed it. And while I would still have had the better of it, it looked very drawish when we needed a win. So I tried to be clever, blundered, and went queen for rook down. But I played on, and when I managed to engineer a slightly awkward threat I offered a draw, and my opponent, down to a couple of minutes and hearing that the score was 4-1, accepted.
Gareth by now had emerged from a fine attack two pawns up in a rook and pawn ending, but in mutual time trouble he had to give up the rook to prevent a pawn queening, and after a mad scramble (at one stage I could have sworn they were making each other's moves) a draw was agreed. And Bob emerged from complications a bishop up, but with only a minute left, and had to concede the draw.
The previous night all 6 members of Formby 2 had travelled together to Hoylake in the Jordan family 'chara' for which he is thanked greatly. The evening progressed well with an early win by Duncan whose opponent's quick play approach did not put Duncan off and enabled him to force resignation with a pawn advance. MDB returning to the fray then won when his opponent believing he was trapping a queen lost a rook. Paul J agreed a draw to get Formby near the line but John G then lost to a very good 12 year old graded 120 and playing at Hoylake's request with a shortened time limit This clearly suited the young brain used to this but put John into too much time trouble to defend sufficiently. Mike Bh's game was an up and down affair but when the mist cleared and pieces were off the board Mike was 4 pawns up so another resignation followed. On bottom board Alan W a very welcome late substitute was finding it hard going with rook and 2 pawns v rook and 1 pawn but ultimately manoeuvred his pieces to be able to swap off the rook whilst winning the pawn This victory leaves Formby 2 well ahead on top of Div 3 with 11 points from 12 as potential rivals Aigburth.3 have recently lost to Skem.
John G, Mike Bh, Eddy and Richard played oin the recent Preston congress and I hope to have a report for this site in the next two weeks
Update at 20th November
EDW comments on the !st team match v Aigburth1.
'At start of play Aigburth were missing three of their top four boards after a mix-up in arrangements, and though Roger Williamson arrived twenty minutes late (having 'stolen' his mother's car, if I heard correctly) the other two did not make it.
Kevin shipped a piece early on, but with Bob and Duncan both drawing we stood 3-2 up as the other games reached critical stages, and things were looking good. Roger's time shortage helped me to go a pawn up for a while, before reaching a position which, though difficult to win, should have been even more difficult to lose. Phil was pressing on the king's side and in the centre. Though his advanced pawns were more of a hindrance to the attack than a threat to the defence, a draw at least seemed secure. In contrast Brendan Kane, with pawns in similarly advanced positions, had Mike H's king cornered and in constant danger - but the defence looked solid, and Mike was more than compensated by a whole extra rook.
So when Phil came over to ask me if he should accept his opponent's draw offer I imagine he was feeling pretty good. But one glance at my game showed him the wheels had just come off, a visit to Mike revealed the same, so Phil returned to his board knowing only a win would do. And then over-pressed, and lost.
That's four matches we have lost now, and in every one we have been well-placed at one time. Frustrating.'
The previous night the 3rds had travelled to Skelmersdale 2 who had not made a very good start to the season.There was a good win by Dave McKee countered by defeat on top board for John G against a 139 graded player.There were draws by Paul S, Bob G and Rob but an upsetting incident at the end of Eddy's game involving a time scramble and knocked over clock may need to be resolved elsewhere before the team result is settled.
The 440 match v Aigburth was postponed with a new (provisional?) date of Tuesday 9th December
The previous weekend the Haslingers had gone to Holland for the Hague chess weekend in which Stewart was seeded 1 in Group A Unfortunately a surprising defeat in round 2 against a (young ?) lady left him with 5/6 and only equal 1st with 3rd place on countback. He did however maintain filial bragging rights with a win against Gareth. Gareth finished equal 28th (seeded 23) with 2.5/6 after winning his first two games. In group B Mike seeded 19 finished equal 3rd (seeded 19) with 4.5/6 gaining a prize and some grading points.
Update at 14th November
As I slowly get back into the swing of things I want to thank those members who have given practical assistance during my spell in hospital but equally my thanks also go to fellow chess players in Formby and further afield who have sent their best wishes for my recovery.
Formby 2 have continued their good form with a convincing win against Fazackerly aided by individual wins for Bob, Mike Bh ans substitute Eddy .They then went to unbeaten Aigburth 3 with a slightly weakened team and an immediate default loss. They soon got back into credit with wins on the bottom boards by John and Alan. Duncan drew as did Bob against the powerful Dave Pearcey but Mike Bh's unbeaten run came to an end. However in all the circumstances a team draw was a very satisfactory end to the evening.
On Tuesday Formby 3 received Div 4 promotion rivals Hoylake 3. With aggregate gradings of 634 versus 635 the ensuing draw was no surprise altho' some individual results did not follow this. Wins by John, Eddy and skipper Paul .ensured that the team remain on top of the division.
I believe the 600 team lost to Southport but I will catch up with this and any club championship games in next week's report.
Update at 31st October
The only team match this week was the previously postponed 440 team versus Prescot. As usual the visitors' team was very close to the maximum aggregate grading and far in excess of Formby. it was thus no real surprise that the only positive from the match was Andre's draw.
The only club championship game reported to me was that involving Eddy and and he reports on his tussle with Mike Haslinger as follows;
'An enjoyable 3 hour bruiser. After a bright start Eddy found himself needing to defend his advanced KP with Q and R. Mike slowly tightened his grip in the middle game but after some stout defending and timely exchanges by Eddy the position and time was about even. After the Q's went, an offer of a draw was declined by Mike. With time running out Mike left his Bishop en prie, but quickly regained a Knight with a P fork. Mike still had 2 plus minutes on his clock as Eddy lost on time.'
Update at 24th October
Currently it's a case of anything the 3rds can do the 2nds can do better! The visiting Wallasey C team were expected to present a stern challenge as in previous seasons and the 5-1 win to maintain the team's 100% record was another pleasant surprise. An early draw by Kevin G on bottom board was followed by a good win by Mike Bh who is now on 3 from 3 in the 2nds .His opponent apparently had an 'Andre Preview' experience saying he played the right moves but in the wrong order costing him a piece and the game It was then some time before Mike F agreed a draw with neither player being able to penetrate the other's defence and then Bob P worrying his opponent like a Jack Russell with a rat in his mouth made a 2 pawn advantage count. MDB overcame an old friend who had failed to castle and left his king open to all sorts of threats and finally Duncan who had been playing on quite serenely without realising the team had won himself won.
The Wallasey club took their revenge last night when their A team beat Formby 1 by the narrowest of margins. There were early draws by Phil and skipper David but then losses by Kevin H and substitute John G on bottom board.When Mike H lost the match could not be won. Ed Taylor forced a draw against MDB who had turned up to watch on his way home from the Midlands but stepped in to play when a meeting place confusion left the team one short. MDB was one move short of a mating attack when Ed got a perpetual check. Thus wins by Bob P in another well played end game and Gareth gave respectability to the scoreline without affecting the actual result.
.Games in the Club championship ended with Gareth beating Dave McK .and Eddy beating Bob G.
Update at 17th October
The 3rd team maintained their 100% record on Tuesday when receiving close neighbours and rivals Southport 2. Draws by Alan, despite being the exchange down,and then Rob were followed by a win from skipper Paul S and a pleasing one for Bob G to ensure the match was not lost. After defeat for Eddie, John G beat a rising youngster graded 15 points higher to seal the win.All in all a very good night for the team.
On the same night there were wins in the Club championship for Phil against Andre and Kevin H against MDB who went the exchange up but at the expense of an inferior position not helped by one or two errors.
On Monday Bob G and his 440 team were definitely part of the Performing Arts scene when playing Atticus in their temporary venue of the foyer in the award winning Everyman Theatre. Unfortunately aspects of the performance fell short and with only draws by MDB and John G but losses for Bob and Richard the team lost 1--3
Last night John, Bob and Mike Bh plus MDB formed the majotity of a Woodvale team against Ormskirk. MDB played old Formby member Bart McHugh who true to his past arrived a little late but played out a very entertaining draw. Bart wishes to be remembered to Formby club friends and as he is no longer playing for a much reduced Widnes club in the Merseyside League was of course invited to rejoin Formby if and when his circumstances allow.
Update at 8th October
It's been a good week for new member David Colbourne but not so good for the teams involved.
On Monday Formby ventured into the 600 competition with a visit to Prescot. Outgraded by 590 to 504 there were draws by David, Mike Bh and MDB but hard as he fought Dave McKee (100) lost on bottom board to seasoned campaigner Joe Butterworth (138).
On Tuesday David was an early winner in the 1st team match v Atticus 2 and whist this was soon cancelled out by defeat for Phil (possibly feeling his way after his cataract operation ) the team position seemed to be holding up for quite some time. However despite a draw by Bob P and with both Mike H and MDB ruing late blunders ,.all other games were lost A full schedule of the result is on the Atticus website with a brief commentary.
Also on Tuesday Dave McK bounced back with a good win against Mike Bh in the Club Championships. Members are asked that in view of the heavy schedule of team games they should take every opportunity to play group games in the Championship.
Update at 3rd October
Part 1 E D W 1/10
The evening got off to an inauspicious start with the top four boards arriving fifteen minutes late, having first visited the Hoylake captain's home. (Note to self for next time. If you're going to give people a postcode from the handbook, make sure it's the right one.)
For once we sat down as slight favourites. Kevin and Dave C were unable to make any significant progress, and draws were agreed, and (as the only seriously outgraded player) I was also happy to take Dave Tebb's offered draw. Paul was a pawn up early on, and gradually increased his advantage, while Bob generated an unstoppable mating attack. Mike's game had gone from wild to mildly unclear when his opponent offered a draw, so we were guaranteed at least one point.
One more draw required, with James under pressure but seemingly level, and Gareth a pawn up. But playing with an analogue clock under the old time controls, the win slipped away, and Gareth's flag began to rise. Eventually he reached a dead drawn king and pawn ending with seconds remaining, and his opponent sportingly acknowledged this, sparing us a debate about the vagaries of Rule 10.2. Just as well, as the pressure told on James as he lost the exchange and then the game.
4.5 to 3.5, and an important win for us in our annual battle to stay up.
Part 2 PS 3/10
John was offered a draw and accepted after consultation with captain followed by a draw for Rob.
Wins by Peter and Eddie left us in a strong position with Dave offering a draw which was accepted.
Paul was down by 2 pawns but had a better position with ongoing check so agreed a draw.
MDB 3/10 This was a good week for the teams with the 3rds joining the 2nds in a 100% record of 2 from 2 anhd the 1sts
beating possible relegation rivals.
Update at 25th September
By winning at Skem on Monday the 2nds have already equalled the total wins of last season! An early draw by Mike F who was unable to use a pawn advantage was followed by a similar result by Bob P. Paul J's win against the highest graded opposition player (147) was a result of his positive play and increased vision on the board. Just as MDB was about to turn down a draw offer as he was ahead on time and exerting pressure M Bh announced an unexpected win. Mdb then accepted the offer as his opponent realised that even playing on would not get him a win. With the team victory assured Duncan offered a draw and with its acceptance Formby finished up winners by 4--2.
The 1sts went to close rivals Aigburth 2 last night but despite their best efforts involving 7 draws were scuppered by the narrowest of margins when debutant David Colbourne lost. The skipper reports that whilst he had an advantage he didn't have the time to convert it into a win and he didn't see what was happening in other games. Aigburth 2 will be a little relieved having lost their first match and Formby's next opponents are Hoylake also losers in their first match and likely to be among the two or three relegation battlers.
The Club championship was opened on Tuesday with wins in the group stage by Phil and Rob against John G and Alan W respectively.
Formby players assisting Woodvale in the Warrington league had mixed fortunes in the Shild match against St Helens. MDB lost albeit against a 164 graded player and John G drew. Bob G took his time and caused his colleagues some concern before winning but unfortunately by this time the match itself was lost.
Update at 19th September
Mixed fortunes for our cup teams this week. As always Atticus put out a strong team in the K/A cup but were faced by an even higher graded Formby team who were well worth their win.
Unfortunately the John Ripley team were not so successful even with the return of James Clarke and the unexpected involvement of Phil. Time limits posed too great a problem on the top three boards. Some further detail is shown on the relevant web page below.
The 1st team will now be able to concentrate on the seasonal battle to stay in Division 1 where they are likely to be outgraded by all but their cup conquerors of this week.
Update at 10th September
The 3rds all but equalled the 2nds when they received Southport A winning 5-1. Their opponents are a junior side promoted from Div 5 and the agreed time control for their matches is 61 minutes for all moves. This was of some concern and added to by the even faster rate of play employed by the junior team. However despite having only a few minutes left on their clocks ,Paul S, Alan,Rob and Kevin G were winners Whilst John and Eddie agreed draws.
On the same night The 440 team went to Fazackerly ,where heavily outgraded, they lost 1--3. with Dave McKee and skipper Bob G getting draws and Andre and Richard losing.
The web site is now up to date with fixture lists for team and individual club competitions and I await only the full schedule of listed players in the League for season 2014-5
Update at 3rd September
The 2nd team had the best of starts in Div 3 when receiving Prescot 2 by winning 5.5--.5. The only draw was in the first game to finish with John Grady not being able to make headway. By this time MDB was a piece and 3 pawns up with major pieces of the board.His opponent had used only 10 minutes for his 35 moves and could have resigned at this stage but did so when faced with a forced mate a further 30 moves on. On the next board Mike Bh and the Prescot captain were testing each other with Q and R attacks but at my next look Mike was a rook up following a blunder and when he forced the exchange of the queens Jeremy resigned. A similar change in fortune appeared to happen to Duncan who went a queen up and was able to prevent the advance of his opponents pawns.Paul's queen sacrifice to force mate was a beautiful little cameo and after a long spell of preparation Bob was able to force a pawn home and produce a further resignation.
In the previous week there had been two individual forays into congresses. John Grady scored 3.5/6 in the Minor section at Leyland with his only loss in the last round against a teenager with a clearly artificial grade of 40 who was also on 3.5.
Mike Barooah challenged himself by entering the under 165 section at Manchester and finished with a very creditable 2.5/5 and a grading performance in the 150s.
Update at 27th August
There was a good turnout of members old and new for the President's evening competition for which both Phil and treasurer Eddy were grateful. There was the usual amount of sighs and language as illegal moves or queen 'sacrifices' lost games and at the end of the evening from 16 participants Gareth came first with 41/2 from 5 and went home clutching his 6 bottles of beer. Father Mike and Bob Greaves shared second place. A vote of thanks was given to Phil with best wishes from all club members before his operation next week.
Team captains started to organise their squads for the early matches and the players to be listed for 1sts and 2nds remain as per the names in the recent e-mail circular to members. there will now be only one match on 2nd Sept as Liverpool have withdrawn from the 600 division.
August 7th 2014
My first entry for the new season comes with the assistance of honorary member and previous webmaster Peter Willoughby whom members will be pleased to hear is progressing well healthwise.
The fixtures for 2014-15 are now on the appropriate pages and it can be seen that the club gets rapidly into action in September with the following matches.
Tuesday 2nd 2nds and 600 both at home
Tuesday 9th 3rds at home and 440 AWAY
Tuesday 16th J Ripley and K/A cups both at home
Monday 22nd 2nds away
Wednesday 24th 1sts away
Tuesday 30th 1sts AWAY
Before then we have the President's evening games on Tuesday 26th August guided by Phil or if he cannot be with us, Mike Haslinger. As for previous seasons the Treasurer will be at the door to welcome everyone with their cash or cheque for the new season's subs of which I remind people the standard amount will be £55
including ECF Bronze membership with an additional £6 to be paid by those seeking Silver membership and entitling them to play in ECF congresses subject only to the individual congress entry fee.