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Week 10 Fixtures - Tuesday, 9th February 2010

Bradford DCA League 2009 - 2010
Results and tables for week 9 of league chess games played on the 26th January 2010 can now be viewed below. Click on the links below to download the results for printing and redistribution in PDF.

Results: Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Week 4  Week 5  Week 6  Week 7  Week 8  Week 9

Scorecards: Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Week 4  Week 5  Week 6  Week 7  Week 8  Week 9

2009-2010 BDCA Chess Season Week 9

BDCA Chess League Crosstable: 2009 - 2010

Click here to download the latest crosstable in PDF format for printing.

Latest News

BDCA Individual Swiss Round 3 Draw - 2nd February 2010
Here are the results from round 2, the current standings and the pairings for round 3 scheduled for Tuesday 2 February 2010 at the Shipley Chess Club (Owlett Hall Social Club) at 7.30 pm. A reminder to those who have yet to pay their entry fee of £5 (free to juniors) to pay me before starting their games please. Winston Williams.

Pairings for Round 3:

Barnett (Open): Lang v Barlow, A.Bak v Webb, W.Williams v Rabbi, Trobridge v Ashdown, Wright v Wainwright, Scurfield bye. Parkinson (U151): Solomons v Clarke, Laszlo v Khan, Saxton v Madden, G.Honore v Jewsbury, Ludlam v Brack, Haggas v Mason, Houlden v Ellson, Velosa v S.Priest, Kadzionis Bye, Pells Bye. Hutchinson (U126): Capless v Brown, Fletcher v Stead, A.Walker v Budahazi, P.Walker v Rowe, Yakovchuk v N.Redmond, Lightowler v D.Copland, Parr v Greenwood, Thompson v T.Redmond, Robertson v Toothill, Mullan v Sutcliffe, Anand bye. Bak (U101): McGinty v Bell, Schnedl v Clews, White v Bland, James v Raw, Ellis v T.Honore, Young v Freeman, A.Greenhough v D.Greenhough, Robson bye.

Round 2 Results:

Barnett (Open): A.Bak 1 W.Williams 0, Barlow 1 Trobridge 0, Rabbi 0 Lang 1, Webb 1 Wright 0, Ramsden 1 Qureshi 0 (default withdrawn), Ashdown 1 Scurfield 0 (rescheduled), Wainwright bye. Parkinson (U151): Jewsbury 0 Solomons 1, Brack 0 Clarke 1, Khan 0.5 Saxton 0.5, Mason 0 Laszlo 1 (rescheduled), Haggas 0 (default) Kadzionis 1, Ludlam 1 Houlden 0, Pells 1 Ellson 0, G.Honore 1 S.Priest  0 (default), Velosa bye. Hutchinson (U126): Brown 1 Lightowler 0, Budahazi 0 Yakovchuk 1, Capless 1 D.Copland 0, A.Walker 0 Fletcher 1, Greenwood 0 Stead 1, N.Redmond 0.5 T.Redmond 0.5, Toothill 0 P.Walker 1, Anand bye, Thompson bye, Parr default, Mullan default, Sutcliffe default. Bak (U101): Bell 1 T.Honore 0, Clews 0.5 White 0.5, McGinty 1 Young 0, Raw 0.5 Ellis 0.5, Bland 1 D.Greenhough 0, Freeman 1 A.Greenhough, Robson 0 (default) Schnedl 1, James bye.

Standings after Round 2:

Barnett (Open): Barlow, Lang, A.Bak 2, Webb 1.5, W.Williams, Ashdown, Trobridge, Rabbi 1, Wainwright 0.5, Wright, Scurfield 0, Withdrawn: Ramsden (1), Qureshi (0).

Parkinson (U151): Solomons, Clarke, Laszlo 2, Khan, Saxton 1.5, Pells, Madden, Jewsbury, Kadzionis, Ludlam, Brack, G.Honore, Mason 1, Haggas, Houlden, Velosa, Ellson, S.Priest 0.

Hutchinson (U126): Brown, Capless, Fletcher, Stead 2, Budahazi, P.Walker, Yakovchuk, D.Copland, A.Walker, Rowe, N.Redmond, Lightowler, Parr 1, Greenwood, Thompson, T.Redmond 0.5, Sutcliffe, Robertson, Mullan, Toothill, Anand 0.

Bak (U101): Bell, McGinty 2, Clews, White 1.5, Bland, Schnedl, Raw, T.Honore, James, Ellis, Freeman 1, Young, D.Greenhough 0.5, A.Greenhough, Robson 0.

Hepolite Cup Round 3/Round 2 Plate Draw -  16th February 2010

Clough Trophy Round 4 Draw - 16th March 2010

Scorecards: Round 3, Results, Draw and Table: After Round 3

Chess And a Pint on Sunday Afternoons!
Sunday Chess at Fanny's Ale House, Saltaire Rd, Saltaire. Chess practice and a pint the third Sunday in every month from 2pm-6pm. We have six boards but feel free to bring one and your friends! Beginners also welcome. Contact Sarah on 07736381930 or Facebook Group "Sunday Chess at Fanny's Ale House." (Sorry but juniors allowed only when accompanied by a parent/guardian). Sarah Pearson, Captain Bradford Renaissance.

Division 4 - Message From BDCA Secretary
Please note that Division 4 which was proposed to be run this season has unfortunately not "got off the ground" and as such we have continued during the 2009/2010 season to run the 3 division structure that we have had for a number of seasons. The main reason for this is that the 8 proposed new teams for the 4th division could not be organised in time for the start of the 2009/2010 season.

Division 3 teams should note that there will be no relegations from Division 3 this season.

Alternative options are being explored for the 2010/2011 season to encourage new teams into the league, progress on this will be communicated via the BDCA website. Andy Wainwright, Secretary BDCA.

County Championships - 14th March 2010 at Valley Parade, Bradford FC, 1pm Start

PLAYERS REQUIRED. PLEASE CONTACT THE APPROPRIATE CO-ORDINATOR.

The zonal round run by the NCCU will be based on a new format of a Jamboree. Yorkshire intend to provide 7 teams. Open (16 players) and 12 players in the following U180, U160, U140 (2 teams), U120 & U100 based on new ECF grades.

Ihor Lewyk is co-ordinating the Open, U180, U160 teams Tel. 01274 567559, ihor13@tiscali.co.uk

John Fozard is co-ordinating the U140, U120 & U100 teams, Tel. 01226 792948, johnfozard@btconnect.com

It has been decided that the county will put out 3 teams in the U140, U120 & U100 based on a junior/adult mix that will give up and coming youngsters a feel of the competition and a chance of long play (1pm - 5pm ... time control proposed 40 moves 1hr 45 + 15 mins) at this level in a large team. We are aiming for a 50/50 split if possible of junior/adults. If any junior or senior player is definitely available and is keen to be considered for selection please get in touch with John Fozard in the first instance.

Stephen Burton is captain of a second U140 team based around the players that played in the U125 team (old grade) last year and will be made up of senior players, Tel. 0113 256 8157, sburtonchess@aol.com

If the teams qualifies for the next stage - players must be prepared to travel for the national play-offs later in the year between April and July (dates yet to be announced). John Fozard

2010 BDCA Chess Congress Entry Form - Tournament Dates: 17th, 18th and 19th September 2010
The entry form for the 2010 BDCA Chess Congress to be held on the weekend of the 17th, 18th and 19th September 2010 is now available for download here. Entries and queries can be directed to competition controller Stuart Swire at bradfordchess@blueyonder.co.uk.

Chess.Com - Bradford Team Games
A new Bradford representative team has been launched on chess.com and all new members from the league or players in the area are encouraged to join and represent our city / league on line. Becoming a member is free and there are many benefits, resources & contacts to be made. Chess games can be played against players from all over the globe at rates to suit yourself. The aim is to play competitive team matches, including 'vote chess' & instill a greater sense of community. Follow this link to take a look at homepage and sign up, if your already playing on chess.com - reveal yourselves! John Holliday (Dark Horses).

History of Bradford Chess Club, 1853-1953 - Part 1 of 4
Please click here to view the first of a four part series on the history of Bradford Chess Club as recalled in 1953 when this document was produced to celebrate the club's centenary. This first part describes how the club was originally founded and describes the day to day running of the club in 19th Century Britain.

Bradford DCA Trophies and Past Award Winners
Please click here to view pictures of the historic trophies which are awarded at season end. If anyone can fill in the missing information with regards to the names of some of the trophies or anyone who wishes to contribute any articles regarding the history of the BDCA please contact Enzo at chess@anno-domini.net.

BDCA Committee Meeting - Thursday 25th February 2010
The next BDCA meeting will be held at the Latvian Club on Thursday, 25th January 2010, 8pm start. The Minutes from the meetings held in October and November 2009 can now be viewed from the BDCA Meetings link to view. 

Idle Reserves - Open Invitation
Idle Chess Club would like to invite all challengers to play our reserves team. Our reserves are free to play matches against any opponents at our venue (Idle Working Mens Club) on nights when our teams are at home for league action. We are also happy to receive challenges from teams to play on Clough nights or Hepolite nights later in the season. If your club has between 2-4 spare players on a particular night who would like to play a graded game then please contact us. Andy Wainwright - 07977 538488, idlechessclub@yahoo.co.uk.

Revised Division 2 Fixtures - Enigma Chess Club
There have been a number of changes to fixtures in Division 2 concerning Enigma Chess Club. The amended fixtures are shown here in a revised Division 2 fixture list which I would ask all Division 2 captains to be aware of. The affected fixtures are against Bradford Internationals on Week 1 - 15/9/2009 and Week 8 - 12/1/2010 which have been reversed and also Week 7 - 8/12/2009 and Week 14 - 20/4/2010 against South Bradford B which has also been reversed. Enigma's Week 10 fixture on the 9/2/2010 against Clayton and Week 12 fixture on the 9/3/2010 against Ilkley B will now both be held at the Latvian Club (Bradford Chess Club). Please contact Enigma Secretary Geoff Briggs for confirmation of these changes if your team has been affected.

Play Chess Against The Computer Now!

World Chess Championship Historical Database

From Steinitz to Anand, if you want to review any of the matches played in the World Chess Championship matches from 1876 right through to 2008, click on the link below:

http://www.chessgames.com/wcc.html

Interesting Chess Web-Sites

Chess Training

Latest World Chess News: http://www.chessbase.com/

Games Database: http://db.mychess.com/

Opening Theory: http://www.chesspublishing.com/content/

Chess Articles: http://www.chesscafe.com/

Openings Analyser: Click Here

Endgame Analyser: Click Here

English Chess Federation Calendar: Click Here

Junior Chess Newletters: Click Here

British Chess Championship 2010: http://www.britishchess2010.com/

Chess Quote For the Day

 More Chess Training

Chess Video

Hepolite Cup 2010

Clough Trophy 2010

Hepolite Cup 2010 Round 2 Results/Round 3 Draw
The results from the second round of the Hepolite Cup played on the 17th November 2009 can now be viewed below along with the round 3 draw. Click here to download the scorecards in PDF for printing.

Clough Trophy Round 3 Results, 19th January 2010
Please find below the results of the third round of the Clough Trophy along with the draw for round 4. Grades used are those published in the original BDCA handbooks distributed at the EGM.

Scorecards: Round 1  Round 2  Round 3

Results, Draw and Table: After Round 3

Recent News

4NCL - Division 3 North
For those of you who are not aware the 4NCL is the premier level of team based chess competition in the UK, see: http://www.4ncl.co.uk/

The 4NCL has recently confirmed that it intends to launch a new Northern 3rd Division in the 2010/2011 season to run parallel with the Southern 3rd Division. Idle Chess Club have been in contact with the 4NCL organisers to confirm that they intend to enter at least 1 team in this 11 round competition which is played over 5 weekends (none of which clash with the YCA Saturday league). Teams consist of 6 players, and it is recommended that teams therefore run with a squad of 10-12 players. Idle Chess Club would like to invite any interested players who are keen to compete in this exciting new league to contact Andy Wainwright at: idlechessclub@yahoo.co.uk. If interest is sufficient from the BDCA league and a suitable second captain comes forward then we could even run two teams.

YCA Saturday League
The Yorkshire Chess Association Saturday league is a highly competitive competition with a great history and strong support. See: http://www.yorkshirechess.org.uk/

Idle Chess Club intend to enter a team in the third division of this competition (the Silver Rook) in the 2010/2011 season. We would therefore be keen to hear from any player who is interested in joining our energetic, competitive and sociable group in this new endeavour. Our intentions for this first season are clear - we intend to win and we are confident that we have the nucleus of a squad capable of doping so, we just need a few more enthusiastic players to ensure our target is met. If you are interested in joining our Saturday team for the 2010/2011 season then please contact Andy Wainwright at: idlechessclub@yahoo.co.uk.

ECF National Championships
Crazy Horses beat Barnsley 3-1 in the ECF National Club Championship match held on Saturday 17 January 2010. On board 1, Dave Summerland overcame Brian Holdsworth with some rampant Knight play. On board 2, John Holliday weathered some early pressure by Vladimir Shaposhnikov, then won material and a pawn endgame. Board 3 saw Steve Burton succumb to, Nick Nixon ptrotege, Francesca Fozard after a close game; and on board 4 Keith Marsh converted early Queenside spacial advantage against John Fozard to a convincing win. The next round (last 8) matches will be confirmed soon'. John Holliday.

Shipley Rapidplay Results - 5th January 2010
14 players braved the weather to enter Shipley's Rapidplay competition. It was good to see some new faces, which led to a keenly contested evening. Such is Derrick Mason's generosity that each entrant left with a prize, be it a book, glass chess set or cash. The plan is to hold the event again on 25th May, the week after the AGM.  Hopefully there will be less snow then!
 
Matthew and Phil couldn't be separated after 5 rounds, with the only blemish (?) being a draw when they faced each other. Full results and seedings below:
 
5½ - Matthew Webb (2), Phil Watson (1)
4 - P Walker (7 - Grading), A Youngs (4)
3 - C Stead, R Fletcher (UG - Grading), D Mason(5), A Wainwright (3) 
2 - R Ellis, M McGinty (UG), J Makintosh (9), J Light (8) P Greenwood (6)
1 - F Schnedl (10)

6th Idle Rapid Play Tournament
The 6th Idle RapidPlay was an enjoyable seasonal affair in the last week before Christmas, which was made all the more eventful by the snow and ice that made travelling to the event quite difficult. 23 players did brave the cold though to compete in the competition and a fun time was had by all. The lead for the title was hard fought and altered from round to round with some surprising upsets and some magnificent games played.

In the end Peter Shaw (Idle) and Mike Bramson (Undercliffe) emereged as joint leaders on 5/6 after Matthew Webb (Idle) failed to convert his half a point lead on the chasing pack into a decisive margin, he lost in the 6th round to Bradford's Andrew Bak and finished joint 3rd on 4.5/6. Shaw and Bramson therefore played a 5min playoff for the title in which Bramson made a dubious sack to push home at attack which ultimately he could not convert into a win and Shaw was therefore able to convert his material advantage into victory to retain his title as Idle RapidPlay Champion.

Grading prizes were also won by Derek Ludlam (Undercliffe) 4.5/6 (under 145s), Amy Greenhough (Idle) 3.5/6 (under 120's) and Rob Fletcher (Idle) 3.5/6 (Ungraded section). I would personally like to thank three of my opponents for some of the best RapidPlay games I have enjoyed in a long time - Gary Corcoran (Sicilian Narjdorf), Mike Bramson (RuyLopez) and Peter Shaw (Benko).

Individual Lightning Results - Tuesday, 15th December 2009 - Idle Working Mens Club
A great tournament was held with 50 entrants in total. 17 of the 24 league teams were represented and we had a few new faces from the Leeds League and local works teams. We also welcomed back an old face in a Mr A.Kawalec who I am told played in our league with his father around 15 years ago for Shipley and Polish and was visiting from Germany. 6 rounds were played on the night and at the end we had a clear winner on 5.5/6, half a point clear from the chasing pack. Matthew Webb of Idle Chess Club won back the trophy that he has previously held on two occasions in 2005 and 2006. As always with the Individual Lightning it was fast paced, fun and played within the festive spirit that we always like to see at this event. The prizes were as follows:

1st - Matthew Webb (Idle) (5.5/6), 2nd(=) - A.Kawalec (formerly of Shipley), I.Lewyk (Bradford), M.Walker (Undercliffe), I.Hunter (S.Bradford) and G.Redmond (Enigma) (5/6). GP - S.Scurfield (South Bradford) (4.5/6), GP - P.Lezhenin (EchoStar) (4/6), GP - M.McGinty (Idle) (4/6).

BDCA Individual Competition, Round 2 Draw for 1st December 2009
The draw for round 2 of the BDCA Individual Competition has been drawn and is shown below. Matches to be played Tuesday, 1st December 2009 at the Owlett Hall, Shipley. Competition Controller Winston Williams, e-mail at icfwp@yahoo.co.uk

Barnett Round 1: W Williams 1 - M Ashdown 0, A Wainwright 0 - D Barlow 1, A Lang 1 - K Ramsden 0, S Scurfield 0 - A Bak 1, C Wright 0 - K Trobridge 1, Y Qureshi 0 - F Rabbi 1, M Webb 1 - bye. Parkinson Round 1: P Solomons 1 - P Kadzionis 0, G Laszlo 1 - S Haggas 0, C Houlden 0 - DJ Mason 1, PRH Clarke 1 - D Ludlam 0, J Saxton 1 - R Pells 0, J Madden 1 - G Honore 0, S Priest 0 - K Khan 1, A Ellson 0 - I Jewsbury 1. Hutchinson Round 1: M Rowe 0 - S Brown 1, P Greenwood 0.5 - N Redmond 0.5, R Fletcher 1 - P Walker def, J Parr 1 - G Sutcliffe def, A Robertson 0 - A Walker 1, D Copland 1 - B Thompson 0, C Stead 1 - N Mullan 0, J Toothill 0 - J Capless 1, AJ Lightowler 1 - S Anand 0 def, P Budahazi 1 - bye. Bak Round 1: A Bland 0 - A Clews 1, F Schnedl 0 - J Bell 1, A Greenhough 0 - M McGinty 1, D Young 0.5 - R Ellis 0.5, D Greenhough 0.5 - E Raw 0.5, T Honore 1 - J Freeman 0, M White 1 - A Robson 0.

Updated Electronic Scorecard - Revised 2nd November 2009
The Electronic Scorecard has been amended to take into account the new team names entered in the Clough Competition and also allows for the match result to be correctly noted. Please ensure that the updated scorecard is used for any future games. Simply click on the Scorecards link on the menu above to download the latest copy.

BDCA Grading List - 2010 (Finalised)
The grading list for the 2010 season has now been finalised by Jon Griffith to take into account changes in the ECF formula. Full details on how gradings are calculated can be found on the ECF web-site. You can download and print a copy of the grades for active BDCA players here and I would suggest adding this printed list to your 2009-2010 handbook. Club Captains/Secretaries please advise your players of the changes as these are the grades to be used for the rest of the season. Any queries concerning grading should be directed to Jon Griffith.

Chess Training Day Run By Nick Nixon for Under 135 Graded Players (ECF) - 6th December 2009
John Fozard (YCA Webmaster) is organising a coaching session with ECF Coach Nick Nixon on Sunday 6th December 2009 at West Bretton Memorial Hall, West Bretton. The training day is open to all chess players rated under 135 ECF (under 105 YCA). Please view details here and an entry form here in PDF format.

Yorkshire Saturday Chess League - Recent Results for the Bradford Team
Bradford's recent successes in the Yorkshire League include a resounding 8-0 victory over Huddersfield in the first round as well as a surprising draw against York last month as follows:

Bradford A 4 - York RI A 4

After four games had ended Bradford were trailing 1/2 to 3 1/2 and looked headed for another heavy defeat like last year but then won three games to level the score at 3 1/2 all. Finally, Mike Walker secured a draw with king and bishop against Detlef Plump's king, knight and pawn to tie the match to complete Bradford's joy.

Sunderland Cup - Sunday, 15th November 2009 - Wiggington School, York
This year, the Yorkshire Junior Chess Association has taken over the arranging of the Sunderland Cup and we wish to widen the entry not just from Yorkshire league teams - but any teams of 5 or over. There has been a change in qualification for individual entries - in that only adults and juniors with a YCA (old grade) of under 100 may enter in any team. There are a high number of juniors that play in the Sunderland - but we would welcome adult (or part adult/part junior) teams with players under 100 old grade. The team can consist of as many players as you want and the rules say the top 5 scores count. Start times and format are included in the entry form attachment. Usually the Organisers tend to draw adults & juniors of similar abilities against each other - to make it very competitive but 3 equal games. Click here for entry form in PDF or here for entry form in Word. For any queries please contact Alan Coupe on 01709 551532 (Home) 07791 609262 (Mobile) or John Fozard, Tel. 01226 792948. Website: www.yorkshirejuniorchess.co.uk.

BDCA Players On Tour! - European Club Championship Macedonia, 4th - 10th October 2009
BDCA players Ihor Lewyk (Bradford), Pete Gayson (Bradford) and Matthew Webb (Idle) are currently competing in the European Chess Club Championships in Macedonia where some of the strongest grandmasters in Chess are playing (Adams, Nakamura, Gelfand, Kamsky, Svidler, Aronian, Ivanchuk to name but a few). Keep track of the White Rose team's progress online here.

2009 Bradford Congress - Results Are In!
The 2009 Bradford Chess Congress has just been held on the weekend of the 18th, 19th and 20th September 2009 at the Latvian Club, Clifton Villas, Bradford. Please click here to view the results! Award winners and photos have now been added along with the moves to the decisive match between the two strongest players in the tournament. The 2010 Bradford Chess Congress will take place on the weekend of the 17th, 18th and 19th September 2010 at the same venue - Latvian Club, Clifton Villas Bradford. Thank you to everyone who attended and see you at the Bradford Congress next year.

Boyd Trophy Results, 8th September 2009
Congratulations to the combined forces of Bingley and Idle Knights who won the Boyd Trophy with a score of 9/10, narrowly defeating the Clayton/Polish combination by just half a board point. Extra practice needed for the Bradford team who scored just one and a half points. Click here to download the results in PDF for printing.

New Home Venue for Clayton Chess Club
The new home venue for Clayton is Little Horton Unity Club, 1a Spicer Street, Little Horton, Bradford, BD5 9BU. Please contact Secretary Phil Walker for assistance. Full details are on the Clubs and Contacts page.

Bob Burns Summer Tournament 2009 At Idle Chess Club
1st - Peter Shaw (Idle) 4.5/5, 2nd - Winston Williams (Bingley) 4/5, 3rd= - Matthew Webb (Idle), Gary Corcoran (Idle), I.Jewsbury (Undercliffe), M.Walker (Undercliffe), C.Wright (Bradford) 3.5/5. Grading Prizes - J.Saxton (Idle), I.Jewsbury (Undercliffe), G.Corocoran (Idle), M.Webb (Idle), C.Wright (Bradford).

BDCA Awards Ceremony Photos - 5th June 2009
Pictures from the Award Ceremony can be viewed here.

ECF County Championships Finals - Yorkshire Treble!
Yorkshire completed a unique treble in the finals of the ECF County Championships held on the 4th July 2009 in Leicester. Click on the links below to read the reports:

ECF Report, Yorkshire Chess Report, Ihor Lewyk's Report

Keith Arkell Grandmaster Simul Event - Idle Bradford
Idle Chess Club hosted an excellent simultaneous event with GM Keith Arkell on Tuesday 23rd June 2009.

Keith played 20 players from a number of BDCA clubs over a period of approx 3.5hours. The event was thoroughly enjoyable, played in good humour by all and was a great opportunity for local league players to play a Grand Master.

Keith himself said that he was surprised by the quality of opposition which on paper ranged from 184(YCA) to 44(YCA). He stated that it was "probably one of the toughest simul's he has ever done". This was reflected in the score of BDCA players 5.5 - Arkell 14.5. In total there were 5 wins and one draw for the BDCA players.

The wins were taken by Matthew Webb (Idle Chess Club), Ihor Lewyk (Bradford Chess Club), Winston Williams (Bingley Chess Club), Mike Bramson (Undercliffe Chess Club) and Kevin Winter (Bingley Chess Club). The draw was claimed by Andrew Wainwright (Idle Chess Club).

Best game prizes were as follows: 1. Kevin Winter, 2. Winston Williams, 3. Mike Bramson. Kevin's game was singled out for praise by Keith who complemented Kevin for his attacking play and winning piece sack.

The BDCA would like to thank Keith for taking part in this great event.

Team Lightning Results - 5th May 2009
Congratulations to the Bradford Team who narrowly won the Team Lightning competition from South Bradford A and Idle Knights. A full report from the competition can be downloaded in PDF here.

BDCA Players On Tour
Several BDCA players travelled down to the Amersham Chess Congress in Buckinghamshire last weekend (22nd-25th May) to compete in this highly competitive 7 round tournament.

In the Open Section Bradford Chess Club's Ihor Lewyk scored 3.5, as did Idle Chess Club's Gary Corcoran who picked up the prize for the highest placed unrated player (ELO ratings were used for the event). Idle's Matthew Webb also did well scoring 2.5 after an impressive start where he won his first two rounds and beat a 2216 ELO rated player in round two.

In the Major Section Undercliffe's Peter Kirby took joint 4th place with a score of 4.5 having only lost one of his 7 games. Nigel Redmond also managed to recover from a slow start in the Minor Section to come away with 3 points and the prize for Best Slow Starter.

Well done to all BDCA players who took part in this competition and good luck for the rest of the summer.

4NCL and the White Rose 2 Team Success
Congratulations are in order for the White Rose 2 Team who successfully obtained promotion to the second division of the Four Nations Chess League. Please click here to view a synopsis of the final match encounter by captain Ihor Lewyk and click here for to see the final league summary.

5th Idle RapidPlay Tournament Result - 11th August 2009
Idle Chess Club hosted the 5th in its series of RapidPlay events this week with 20 competitors from 6th different BDCA Clubs competing for the competitions impressive trophy. Idle's Peter Shaw emerged victorious and retained the title after impressively winning 6/6 against a strong field, including wins against Ihor Lewyk (Bradford Chess Club), Mike Bramson (Undercliffe) and team mate Kevan Ramsden. There were three grading prizes won by Kevan Ramsden (Idle Chess Club), Andy Walker (Undercliffe Chess Club) and Rob Fletcher (returning to the game after several seasons rest). Andy Walker impressively won a play-off for his grading prize against Bradford College's Nigel Redmond (a reverse of the result from the 3rd Idle RapidPlay).

4th Idle RapidPlay Tournament Results
The 4th Idle Rapidplay Tournament was held this week and saw a very strong field battling it out for the Idle RapidPlay Champion Trophy.

After 6 hard fought rounds three competitors were tied for 1st place each having scored 5/6 - Idles Peter Shaw, Undercliffe's Mikes Walker and Bradford's Ihor Lewyk.

A blitz all-play-all between the three was conducted to determine the winner with Idle's Peter Shaw emerging victorious by beating both of his opponents to re-claim the trophy.

Undercliffe's Paul Kadzionis took the grading prize for the best u110 with a very respectable 4/6, including a last round victory over Shipley's John Madden.

BDCA Success at the Hull RapidPlay
Five BDCA players played in the Maurice Brown RapidPlay at Hull's KC Stadium on Sunday 10th May. Congratulations should go to Idle Chess Club's Gary Corcoran who won the Minor section with a score of 6 out of 6 and Bradford College's Nigel Redmond who came 3rd in the same section with a score of 4.5 out of 6. Andy Wainwright obtained a score of 3.5/6 in the Open, R. Dean scored 4/6 in the Intermediate. It was a great day out and a thoroughly well run event. All BDCA players who attended would recommend this event next year.

Chess For Children
Please click here to read a great article which appeared in the Daily Telegraph on the 16th February highlighting the great work of the Renaissance Academy in Bradford to help children in the local area.

Beat The Computer!

Opening Theory

Study Article

Click on the link below to challenge the computer at a well-known endgame with random starting position. This weeks challenge is:

The Philidor Position 

Improve your opening theory by clicking on the link below and get expert guidance from the very best chess players in the world. This weeks video is:

The Super-Fast Sicilian 

Click on the link below to read an interesting chess article:

The 1763 Lolli Study

Bobby Fischer Documentary - Biography Channel

Below in five sections is a fascinating documentary highlighting the genius and madness of Bobby Fischer from the Biography Channel.

Webmaster: Enzo Ciaffarafa - Any queries/suggestions/enhancements please e-mail chess@anno-domini.net