Cumnor Chess Club

The World Champion, the lndian Vishy Anand, will face a Chess legend, the Russian, Anatoly Karpov, several times World Champion.

At Bastia October 31th, and then at Ajaccio November 2n

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21.08.2009 ? Remember American astronaut Greg Chamitoff, who a year ago played chess against the NASA ground stations. Well, now European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang, Sweden, is going to do the same, playing a game against the Swedish public. Right now Fuglesang is in quarantine awaiting an August 24th launch. But the game has already started, and you can take part.

2009 British Chess Championship

Official site: http://www.britishchess09.com/

BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP (75 players) Here are some of the top seeds:

HOWELL,David W L, 2614g; CONQUEST, Stuart, 2572g; JONES, Gawain C, 2554g;GORDON, Stephen, 2537g; WILLIAMS, Simon K, 2527g; ARKELL, Keith C,2521g; WELLS, Peter, 2498g; GORMALLY, Daniel, 2490g; TRENT, Lawrence,2471m; HEBDEN, Mark, 2468g; SUMMERSCALE, Aaron, 2454g; GREET, Andrew N,2443m; COBB, James, 2432m (WLS); PALLISER, Richard JD, 2413m; BUCKLEY,Graeme, 2398m; HOUSKA, Jovanka, 2392m; KOLBUS, Dietmar, 2383m (GER);LANE, Gary, 2379m (AUS); etc.

The 96th British Chess Championships will take place on July 26 - August 8, 2009 at Torquay.

LIVE Games here

When is the London Social

On Saturday, 29th August, from 10.00 a.m. till late!

Where is the social?

We are returning to the Wargrave Arms, 40-42 Brendon Street, MaryleboneW1H 5HE, where our April social was held. Click here for details:

Details of the Wargrave Arms

This pub is used regularly by the Kings Head Chess Club. It is within easy reach of Edgeware Road, Marble Arch and Paddington stations.

Who can attend?

The social is open to all members (whether full or guest members) and to their families and friends.

Also, please message me if you have any additional needs, such as mobility or sensory needs, so that we can do our best to ensure that everything goes smoothly for you. We want to make everyone feel equally welcome.

People of all ages are welcome to attend; however, anyone under 18 must be accompanied at all times by a responsible adult.

What does it cost?

There is no charge for coming along to the social. Those attending are,of course, responsible for purchasing their own food and drink.

So, what actually happens at a social?

Chessworld socials are friendly, informal events. Some people come mainly to play chess, others prefer to socialise and play the occasional game. Some non-playing friends or relatives like to spend the time visiting the sights or doing a bit of shopping.

You can drop in whenever you like, and stay for as long or as short a time as you want to.

What about the chess?

There is plenty of that! Most games are informal, just ask someone if they would like a game. It doesn't matter if they're much stronger or much weaker than you! Some people like to use clocks, but most games have no time limits. There is no competition, and games played at the social will not, of course, have any effect on your chessworld rating.

If you are new to socials, I will personally greet you, and will also find your first opponent for you if you wish.

Anything Else?

Yes ? there will also be a quiz and some puzzles for those quiet moments between games (these are of course optional!)

Do I need to bring anything?

Yourself! Plus a chess set if you have one that you can carry easily.But if you don't, please do still come; there will be quite a few spare sets around that anyone can use.

I'm coming from a long way off. Where can I stay?

There is, of course, plenty of accommodation in London. We are not able to recommend a particular place, but try typing "London hotels", "cheap accommodation in London", etc. etc. into your favourite search engine for some ideas.

I have another question

Excellent! Please message me directly with any questions, I'll be more than happy to answer.

If you've never been to a social before, please do consider coming along. A lot of people naturally feel nervous meeting for the first time people they've only ever spoken to online; but we are very friendly, and always like to see new faces!

I look forward to seeing you on 29th August!

Kevin

Contact me via the comments.

Complete field super-tournament in London announced 25 June 2009 13:03 PM CET (14) 

Thecomplete field of the London super-tournament, to be held in Decemberthis year, was announced today. It turned out to be an interestingmixture with some of the world’s best players and some young Britishtalents: Michael Adams, Magnus Carlsen, David Howell, Vladimir Kramnik,Luke McShane, Hikaru Nakamura, Ni Hua and Nigel Short. full story »

The London Chess Centre

Chess Strategy for Club Players - Herman Grooten £22.50

First find the right plan, then the good moves will follow!

Paperback, 400 pages

Every club player knows the problem: the opening has ended, and now what? With this book, International Master Herman Grooten presents to amateur players a complete and structured course on:

* how to recognize key characteristics in all types of positions

* how to make use of those characteristics to choose the right plan.

His teachings are based on the famous "Elements" of  Wilhelm Steinitz, but Grooten has significantly expanded and updated the work of the first World Champion. He supplies many modern examples, tested in his own practice as a coach of talented youngsters.

In Chess Strategy for Club Players you will learn the basic elements of positional understanding:

* pawn structure

* piece placement

* lead in development

* open files

* weaknesses

space advantage

king safety.

You will master the art of converting a temporary plus into other,more permanent advantages. The author also explains what to do when, in a given position, the basic principles seem to point in different directions. Each chapter of this fundamental primer ends with a set of highly instructive exercises.

Herman Grooten is an International Master and a chess coach with over 25 years of experience. Quite a few of his pupils have gone on to become grandmasters, among them Loek van Wely and Jan Werle.

Ever wanted to know which is the oldest chess club in the world? Well, the answer is the Schachgesellschaft Zürich, founded in 1809. In August the club commemorates its 200th anniversary and it gives everyone the opportunity to take part of the jubilee. You can win a seat in a simul against either Anand, Karpov, Kasparov, Korchnoi, Kramnik, Spassky, Ponomariov or Topalov. full story »

Levon Aronian wins 18th Amber after dramatic last round

Levon Aronian won the 18th Amber tournament after a dramatic last round in Nice today. He had a narrow escape in his blindfold game against Topalov and drew his rapid game quickly to secure victory, since both Anand and Carlsen couldn’t catch him anymore. Just like last year the Armenian grandmaster was the strongest player in the combined tournament of blindfold and rapid chess held in Nice, France. full story »

In a press release the organizers of the 4th FIDE Grand Prix announce their tournament, to be held 14th-29th April 2009 in Nalchik, Russia. Akopian (Armenia), Alekseev (Russia), Aronian (Armenia), Bacrot (France), Eljanov (Ukraine), Gelfand (Israel), Grischuk (Russia), Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Kamsky (USA), Karjakin (Ukraine), Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan), Leko (Hungary), Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) and Svidler (Russia) will play. full story »