Month: July 2016

El Chessico – The Result!

Tuesday evening saw the second and deciding leg of our Summer double-header against Battersea Chess Club, dubbed “El Chessico” by those in the know. We had the pleasure of visiting their home venue – Battersea Labour Club – and what a venue it is!

A lovely centre near Clapham Junction with ample room, audio visuals, and pints from £2.35!! Mike Mackenzie was overheard describing it as “a hell of a drum”. Our hosts were equally hospitable – I’m planning my return trip as we speak!

IMG_6850
The Battersea Labour Club – rumoured to serve the cheapest pints in SW London

Down to business though – the 15-board return leg was fabulously well organised – credit to Aldo & the Battersea folks for the arrangements. It was an even match up across all boards and the game played out accordingly, with a handful of games going right down to the wire.

It could easily have gone either way, but by the end of the evening the teams couldn’t be separated and the match ended drawn at 7.5-7.5, handing Hammersmith a win over the two legs, 1.5-0.5.

IMG_6852
A full house – 15 boards of chess!
IMG_6853
Simon Cowell turned up with a glass of Pinot Grigio

A few of the Hammersmith results deserve a shout out – firstly to Paolo for winning on his competitive debut for the club; Jorge also picked up another win in his second outing for us; Chris continued his excellent form with yet another result!; Carsten secured a tasty victory with a 10 move forced combination, and Jeremy secured a hard-fought win after a hair-raising struggle in the middle game (described as “a humdinger of a game”!). John, Pavel and Paul all with creditable draws in the mix too.

IMG_6858

Thanks again to our hosts and opponents, and to everyone who turned out over the two legs (27 boards in total – quite a feat!). Well done to Hammersmith for the narrow victory, and here’s to making this an annual fixture!!

Battersea’s match report can be found here.

 

July 2016 ECF Grades – Now Out

The bi-annual grading update from the ECF has taken place, and new grades for all registered players can be found here:

http://www.ecfgrading.org.uk/new/menu.php

Topping the charts for Hammersmith are the following five players, all of whom added at least 9 points to their respective grades:

  • Chris M (+21) !!
  • Brian D (+12)
  • Robin L (+10)
  • John R (+10)
  • Gokhan K (+9)

Fantastic news & well done to all – keep up the great work!

ecf_logo

And don’t forget the following two events happenings this week:

Monday 25th – Simultaneous vs Sue Maroroa
Tuesday 26th – 15 board games vs Battersea

See you there!

El Chessico – First Leg to Hammersmith!

In one of the most highly-anticipated games of chess since June, the Titans of Hammersmith Chess Club took on the relative Royalty of London chess, Battersea Chess Club in the first leg of a double header modestly dubbed “El Chessico” (a pop culture reference to an obscure game of football somewhere in Spain) last night. Your correspondent is proud to report that Hammersmith achieved victory in an-evenly matched game, by 7 boards to 5.

This being the home leg we were delighted to welcome Battersea to our Summer venue, the Albion Pub on Hammersmith Road.

There were some notable performances from both sides. Worth calling out are the following:

Paul Westenhanner achieving a creditable draw on top board against Carsten; John Wooley drawing on board 5 against a much stronger opponent; Jorge Hinolan with a terrific win on his Hammersmith debut; and Danny Gordon also securing victory on his debut for the club. Fantastic effort chaps, and thanks to everyone who turned out.

Attention now turns to the return leg next Tuesday 26th where, due to popular demand, we have agreed to widen the game to 14 boards!! It will be a fantastic sight watching 28 players engaged in battle across the board.

As Battersea are hosting we will have the added difficulty of going “saaf” of the river, however I’m confident we can dig deep and overcome this disadvantage! We go again!!

A reminder – Monday 25th sees us hosting WIM Sue Maroroa at the Albion for a simultaneous display. If you’ve not done so already, please get in touch to confirm your attendance. It’ll be a great opportunity to play against a top class opponent!

Summer Chess Events!

As you settle in to your Summer and the last league games become a distant memory, fear not! We have organised some competitive games and events over the next few weeks to help keep your wood-pushing withdrawal symptoms at bay.

Not only will it be an opportunity to flex your chess skills, they also promise to be very sociable and enjoyable events. A reminder of what we have planned so far:

Monday 18th July: Hammersmith vs Battersea
The first of two games in what’s been dubbed the West London El-Chessico, sees Hammersmith take on Battersea over 12 boards in an ECF rated game at the Albion. Battersea are a great club with a rich history and some very good players. Should be a competitive & enjoyable evening!

batterseaVsHammersmith

 

Monday 25th July: Sue Maroroa Simultaneous
Women’s International Master and former Hammersmith player Sue Maroroa takes on Hammersmith Chess Club in a 20-board Simultaneous at the Albion. Sue ranks in the top 10 female chess players in the UK so this is a fantastic opportunity to get some game time against a top class opponent. Members and Non-Members are welcome so get in touch if you would like to play.

WIM SUE MAROROA-2

Tuesday 26th July: Battersea vs Hammersmith
The return leg of El-Chessico sees us head down to darkest SW London to play Battersea on their Home Turf at the Battersea Labour Club (very close to Clapham Junction). Who will win bragging rights??

Battersea-Chess-Club-Logo-2015-Blue1

If you’d like to participate in any of the three events please get in touch via your team captain or email us! Alternatively you can swing by on a club night and speak to one of the team – full details here.