Month: October 2017

#HammerTime Hits the Skids

Regular readers will know that we’ve had a flying start to the new season. Win after win, and a long period during which we could rightly have been dubbed “The Invincibles“.

However, as the great Axl Rose once sang, “nothing lasts forever” – and indeed, to further prolong the tenuous reference, it can fairly be said that when it rains, it pours on poor old Hammer. It’s been a torrid week, albeit with one or two rays of sunshine – read on to find out more!

Rapidplay Roundup – 23.10.17

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you will have heard that our fantastic season-long RapidPlay Tournament kicked off this week. A full writeup of the first Round can be found here.

Round 2 pairings will be announced imminently – stay tuned!

London League 3: GLCC v Hammersmith – 24.10.17

“Hammer Crashes to Earth”

So Trekkies, life does reflect Hollywood occasionally. As in the JJ Abrams reboot of the Star Trek franchise the Starship Hammer crashed into Planet Earth at approximately 9pm last night. There were casualties, but no fatalities, a pub inquest has been held, the ship is undergoing repairs and from that New Hope will be born.

Over to our reporter – Clueless John.

My fellow Hammerites it is my sad duty to confirm the final result as a 6.5-3.5 loss for the Hammer crew at the hands of GLCC. There is no way I can make this news sound good – GLCC were the better team and deserved the win. They are definitely one of the strongest teams in the division.

The Hammer heroes were a couple of boards down before the evening started, with both Sydney and Sauvignon unavailable. This, coupled with Wily having car problems in Kent that afternoon, your Captain – Clueless – was left scrambling to fill the team places. Fortunately, two men – one big and one small (only in stature) – stepped up and answered the call to arms.

In the time-honoured tradition of Hammer Chess, these two men are now designated nicknames:

  • Brian – The Hat
  • Nadhmi – The Gift

The final place in the team was taken by Captain Clueless.

The evening started with a default win on board one for Zeus. His opponent did not show. I think Zeus’s reputation is spreading and trepidation now stalks the corridors of other LL3 teams.

In the absence of Wily – Loco started on board 2 – he had a tough night with a tricky opponent and succumbed to a clever tactic. Hammer at 1-1.

On board 3 Paul (the Prof version) played an excellent game and won in great style displaying impeccable technique. A very nice game and puts the Prof at 2-0 for the season in LL3. He is relishing playing over the board chess.

On Board 4 Brexit had a tough defeat – he was holding the position. Indeed, he may have even had an edge. Unfortunately, it went wrong and he got “Junckered”. It was a “Tusk” task but Brexit is much more than a mere “BoJo” – he will be back for the next round of negotiations – I mean LL3 match – and he will be better and stronger. (who writes this stuff – ed?)

Next up was Spock playing an amazingly complicated game where he strived so hard for the advantage with the black pieces. It was double-edged for a long time.

Unfortunately he just did not have enough, despite having a Queen on h4, the Bishop pair and menacing pressure down an open f-file from a Rook. This was a thrilling game and Pavel was very unlucky to come out on the wrong side of the result. He will definitely get better luck in the future.

Pandit had an eventful night. He lost a pawn early in the game but threw everything into an all-out assault on the black king. His pieces looked menacing, but in the words of Richard III he needed another piece (a piece, a piece; my kingdom for a piece!) to pull it off. Sadly, for Pandit and Hammer, no horse or piece arrived and Hammer was now 4-2 down.

Onto the controversy of the night which saw Dead-Eye in a desperate time scramble with unwarranted interventions from the opposing captain, subsequent amnesia from his opponent, excellent contribution from both Brexit, Zeus, rational and very nice GLCC members and the Prof (by the way, he is an arbiter amongst his many talents) – finally a win for Dead-Eye was declared.

In the end, hands were shaken and we left on good terms. The argument at the end cannot cloud a superb performance by Dead-Eye. He is definitely recording his form. Hammer at 4-3.

I will pass on the Clueless game at this stage and instead report on Boards 9 and 10 first.

The Gift debuted on board 9 for Hammer – he has come so far in such a short time. His talent and potential are enormous, coupled with a wonderful composure and demeanour. Hammer are lucky he chose us to further his chess career.

His opponent out-graded him by 25 points, three feet, and at least 30 years. However, a complex tactical and strategic battle developed in which the Gift graciously conceded defeat. The one thing he can take from this experience is that he was definitely not overawed. He belongs in this environment and he gave an excellent account of himself. He has a very bright future ahead.

Our other super-sub, the Hat, faced a familiar opponent. Past Chairman and honorary life Hammer member, Peter Moreton. This was the first game to finish and hence I cannot say much but I am most grateful that the Hat helped me out in my hour of need.

Finally, to my game. I lost horribly to my opponent twelve months ago in this same fixture. Indeed, on reflection my nickname Clueless summed up my play perfectly from that encounter.

Last night was different and in an intriguing game occurred where I faced the Wily setup of twin fianchetto’s, Knights on d7 and e7 with pawns cemented on d6 and e6 – I did have a very familiar feeling of deja-vu. Maybe this prior knowledge helped me and certainly my play was at a far higher level than last year. Indeed, I missed a win in a Bishop v Knight endgame and soon after, an honourable draw was agreed.

So, the final score was 6.5-3.5 in favour of GLCC. A sobering result. We were out-graded, on actual games played, by 9 points a board. But, the margins were fine at board level and if Spock and Clueless had had an ounce of luck (or in the latter case, a brain), we would have earned a draw. But it was not meant to be.

I leave you with this rallying cry:

“Hammer will not be cowed, we will not despair, we will not go quietly into the night. We will rise up because it is not how we fall, it is how we get up, and this is the measure by which we will be judged. Hammer is more than one match and in the end, it is the enduring spirit and heart of our club that will triumph. Last night our dreams received a knock, but we will surely and most certainly be back.”

Go Hammer!

Next up in London 3 is DHSS on 21 November.

London League 6: DHSS v Hammersmith – 24.10.17

That same evening our London 6 team achieved a great result against ever-presents, DHSS.

There’s always a small frisson of excitement about the DHSS fixture – whether it’s ensuring you pre-register with security to gain access to the government estate, jumping off the tube at St James’ in the heart of Whitehall, or just the fact that they offer very good tea & biscuits – it’s always a fixture to be relished. This one was no different.

In spite of an average grading difference of some 12 points per board, the team struck and delivered a 2-2 draw in the highlight of Hammer’s chess week.

Of particular note is new-boy Charlie’s result on Board 3, scoring a fine win against a strong opponent. Captain Rich also notched a good victory on top board, carrying the team to safety. Well done chaps!

Next up in League 6 – games against Wanstead & Woodford, and Hackney in early November.

London League 4: Metropolitan v Hammersmith – 26.10.17

Our London 4 team also suffered a rather bruising time at the hands of City Boys, Metropolitan.

Metropolitan – not a happy hunting ground this week

Playing Metropolitan is always an interesting experience – their games kick off at the awkwardly early time of 6.30pm, over towards Aldgate. It’s not the easiest part of London to get to for Hammermites. Coupled with the science degree required to access the Community Hall they use, we were several players down by the time clocks started.

A full report from Captain Dave will follow, however the result and one of the games is provided for your “enjoyment” below:

Result:

Next up for our London 4 team is Alfil on 8 November.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it – sometimes chess delivers you a lesson in life. We take our defeats with grace and humility, & resolve to come back stronger!

Thanks to everyone who turned out. The chess continues next week with three more games!

Rapidplay Round 1 Roundup!

23.10.17 – The Hammer Rapidplay Tournament is off to a flying start! 22 players descended on Lytton Hall this Monday to take part in the first round. Two are still to play next week, with a handful taking first round byes.

As is often the case with open Swiss tournaments, the first round threw up a few mismatches. Still, very few games finished early and the underdogs provided some scares – and the occasional result.

A familiar sight this season – a bustling Lytton Hall ahead of the big kickoff!

Board 2 saw Shiraz paired against second seed Tony Niccoli. Both had suffered tough losses the week before, so form dictated that the game wouldn’t be of the highest quality.

However, both pulled off a very fine display. In a Symmetrical English Opening, Shiraz caused real problems with the white pieces, but ultimately his light-square weaknesses proved too costly. He provides an insightful analysis of the game:

 

On board 4 it was up to our esteemed Webmaster General, Andy to attempt to take out first team captain John “Useless” White. He played a great game, with John on the ropes for most of it – and apparently with an unseen winnable combination – before endgame technique sealed the win for John on move 38.

Performance of the night however, has to go to new member Wyatt “The Wizard of Oz” Donaldson. His opponent, 9 year old Nadhmi, has become a force to be reckoned with of late – there are very few who’d want to take him on with the black pieces.

Tension rising during the Wyatt / Nadhmi game as a crowd gathers

That task was Wyatt’s on Monday, who takes us through their game, where he showed excellent technique to dismantle Nadhmi in the endgame.

Round 2 will surely throw up some juicy pairings, with the big (and small) guns starting to square off against each other.

The pairings go out on November 1st – and from now on it will be necessary for players to arrange their own games each month.

Good luck!

Adam.

Planet Hammer

It’s been another busy week of chess (and a few other things!) on planet Hammer this last 7 days. Five games of chess, one IM getting a Hammering, and several other things coming up in the next few days. Read on to hear more!

Rapidplay Round 1 – Monday 23rd October

It can’t have escaped your notice that our awesome new Rapidplay tournament kicks off this coming Monday 23rd at Lytton Hall.

The pairings have been announced, preparations have been finalised, and we’re all set for 8 months of Rapid chess with 25 players in the frame.

As such, it’s going to be a busy one at Lytton Hall, but don’t worry – we’ll still have room for casual chess if you’re not taking part in the tournament, and I have a feeling it will make for excellent spectating!

If you’ve signed up to play, you need to show up, else you’ll forfeit the first game! Harsh but fair!! See you there from 7.30pm!

Thames Valley / Middlesex Double-Header – 16.10.17

Hammer faced a double header this Monday just gone, with our Thames Valley team facing the mighty Surbiton, whilst our Middlesex 3 lot played host to Willesden.

Busy times at the home of chess, W14

Details for the TV game are quite sketchy, but I’m pleased to report that Hammer finished the evening 4-2 ahead, with two games adjourned, both looking like scoring points. This would represent an excellent result!

Adam on Board 7 has generously supplied us with full details of his game: “It was a very aggressive and tactical battle in the Dutch Defence, and I was pretty happy with the win given I started with only 35 minutes on the clock”:

Next up for the TV team is Kingston away, on November 27th.

Middlesex League Double-Header

It was a very busy week for Hammer 2 in the Middlesex League this week. We had two games, the first at home to Willesden and the second away to Harrow 2.

Willesden are one of the two teams who came down from Division 2 last year (the other has since dropped out of the League altogether). They were only relegated by the narrowest of margins, however, so we knew we were in for a tough fight.

Willesden descended on Lytton Hall with only seven players. Those seven players differed in grade by a full 78 grading points. In contrast, the differential between our boards one and seven was only 35 points. It was going to be a tough day at the office for the top boards, while at the bottom end we would look to pickup some vital wins.

Casual players relegated to the back of the room again! Busy times

On board seven John Ryan had the black pieces. He played a very solid game, and his opponent finally cracked when he fell for a piece-winning tactic and the win was sealed. That brings John to 2/2 for the season, the team’s current best-performer.

Simon had the white pieces on board is. Playing his favoured 1.Nf3, not seen too often at club level, he decided to enter a London System. He attacked down the Queenside, navigating some tricky tactics in the early middle game. Realising his opponent’s King was slightly exposed, Simon decided to sacrifice the exchange for a very dangerous attack. It was too much for black to handle, and the Hammer newbie soon delivered mate on the board.

Simon has provided a wonderfully in-depth analysis of the game, which won’t be included in this report, but stay tuned for the next instalment in the “Games & Analysis” section.

Dave’s debut in the Middlesex League this season did not go quite to plan on board five. He lost a piece early on but escaped with positional compensation. He soldiered on, managing to turn this compensation into three pawns. With white’s Knights dancing around in the midfield and with very little time on the clock it was starting to get very tough to calculate. Full credit is due to his opponent, who spotted a very nice mating attack that won him the game.

Nadhmi continues his excellent run of form on board four. He played the Scotch and some excellent tactics in the opening won him a piece. This must have come as a surprise to his more experienced and higher-graded opponent, who did everything he could to try and get back into the game. Nadhmi did not flinch and a very nice finish sealed the victory. Playing like this I have no doubt that Nadhmi will very soon be torturing opponents as a stalwart of Hammer’s first team.

Gawain son!! Our new sponsors delivered some Chess magazines to Lytton Hall for our perusal!

So Hammer were 4-1 up with just the top three boards to go. Could John, Brian or Pouya get anything out of their games against opponents graded 181, 174 and 166?

Pouya could not. He got somewhat tied down in the opening and his opponent did not release his grip. Pouya ended up blundering a piece and resigned.

The Magnus Carlsen of Hammersmith, Brian Dodgeon, could not either. He fought hard with the white pieces, but was eventually squeezed out.

So it was left to John White, the final game to finish, to make something happen on board one. His opponent pressed very hard and obtained a passed pawn on the c-file. John defended vehemently and managed to win the pawn before it reached the seventh, at the expense of a very cramped position. They went into an endgame very short on time. John was almost in Zugzwang, but after a small move order inaccuracy from his opponent, John found the only move that could keep his hopes alive. His opponent descended into thought for most of the rest of his time, realising that John’s last remaining pawn was so dangerous that he had to settle for a draw.

So it was a win against probably the strongest team in the league with some superb individual performances. Could Hammer 2 dare to dream of promotion?

Thursday’s match gave us the answer to that question – a resounding “no”. This time we were playing Harrow 2, probably the weakest team in the league. The match itself doesn’t merit much discussion.

Yours truly found a neat way of turning a won endgame into a stonewall draw with over an hour on the clock. Nadhmi could not get close to the level he was playing at in the previous match, conceding a disappointing loss to a relatively weak player. Further losses for Shiraz, Wyatt and Dan, and a frustrating no-show, sealed an emphatic defeat.

Highlights of the evening included good wins for Pouya and Dave, the latter of whom refused to be distracted by his opponent’s poor etiquette and gamesmanship, including embarking on chit-chats during Dave’s move, and explaining where Dave went wrong after he’d won the game!

The next three matches follow shortly, so watch out for an email from me in the next few days.

Adam.

London League 5: Hammersmith v Hackney – 18.10.17

Our second match brought us to our knees with a surprise loss to Hackney, whom we beat last time rather spectacularly. So yes, a team whom we meet on equal grading terms this time puts us down, but hopefully not out! Read on for more details on this match.

We lost the toss, so were black on even boards. Boards 1 and 4 saw draws soon on. Our middle two boards fought on. Gokhan reported he blundered again and had to resign.

In the final game to finish, I had won the exchange and tried to press home against a vulnerable King on the a and b files, upon which I launched several pieces. My opponent stubbornly resisted, but without sufficient firepower my cause was hopeless.

Final score 1-3.

Congratulations to our two drawing boards, Brian Dodgeon and Nick Rutherford, both of whom debut’d for the team on this occasion.

Sophocles said: “I have no desire to suffer twice; in reality and then in retrospect”

Robin.

Next up is Pimlico away, on November 23rd.

Middlesex Division 2: Harrow v Hammersmith – 19.10.17

The Hammer crew were on the road last night, trying to extend their excellent start in the Middlesex League with a match against Harrow.

First, a bit of education. Yesterday was the celebration of the great Hindu, Sikh and Jain festival of Diwali. This fabulous, noisy and very colourful celebration, represents the twin triumphs of good over evil and of light over darkness.

Now I would not ever designate Harrow as representing evil and darkness – they are in fact a great club with a fabulous venue, and are most welcoming. However, when it comes to chess Hammer go into caveman mode and the winning mentality takes over. We were there to win… period.

Before we get to the nuts & bolts we need to add to the nickname list and thus the roll of honour is extended with the following designations:

  • Tony – “The Surgeon”
  • Yasser – “Tellit”

To the tale of the evening…

On board one, the Great Dane had a positional crush where he had total control of the board. In these situations, positional domination always leads to a tactical denouncement and this particular game followed the script perfectly. Faced with either mate or fatal material loss, the Great Dane’s opponent gracefully resigned. Hammer 1-0 to the good.

Board 2 next. The Surgeon had one of those nights – his scalpel technique was just not in sync – and he succumbed to a painful loss. It was a definite aberration and the lesson is the Surgeon will rebound stronger than ever. Hammer pegged back to 1-1.

Next up was our captain – Zeus. He won at a canter with plenty in hand, continuing his excellent form this season. He really is a force to be reckoned with at the moment. Hammer forge ahead 2-1 to the good.

On board 4 Wily had the most amazing finish with a Queen sac leading to a beautiful mating pattern. This was Wily at his best with his Bishops dominating the board. A superb game and a prosaic finish. Hammer cruising at 3-1.

Brexit on board 5 had a draw in one of those games where nothing much happened. He was never in any trouble and held a slight advantage for the whole game. Unfortunately, there was never enough to force anything else. Hammer now at 3.5-1.5.

Board 6 saw Tellit convert the positional advantage of two Bishops on an open board with excellent technique. This was another dominating Hammer performance. The match was secured and Hammer lead 4.5-1.5.

The Suit had a slight edge but never enough to prosecute a victory. The Suit bemoaned his current form and was slightly down in the dumps. My view is that he will turn it around very quickly and is not far away from his best form. He is too good a player. Hammer now 5-2 ahead.

Clueless joined the party with an easy victory on board 8. His designated opponent did not show up and thus a last-minute substitute who faced a near 30-minute time deficit stepped in. Clueless gave him no chance and a desperado Knight sacrifice was coolly and logically refuted. Hammer gaining a 6-2 match win.

A great overall performance by the Hammer boys – this sets us fair for the rest of the season and our goal of challenging for promotion.

So, the good ship Hammer Middlesex II is well and truly launched. Bring on the rest of the season and keep the faith – go Hammer!

John.

Next up is the return leg v Harrow at Lytton Hall on 30th October.

Pavel Nefyodov v IM Andrey Ostrovskiy

We all like to indulge in a bit of online chess from time to time, and it turns out that those at the top of the game are no different!

Hammer’s own Pavel Nefyodov (aka Spock) played IM Andrey Ostrovskiy in a blitz game earlier this week, which the IM was recording for his YouTube channel!

It’s a thumping battle, and of particular interest for an amateur wood-pusher like myself is the IM’s dispassionate – and often third person – commentary on his and Pavel’s moves. A really interesting insight into the mind of a top player.

The video is linked below – Pavel’s game starts at 43:12:

ECF Digital Clocks – Special Offer

Here at Hammer, we love a new digital clock as much as the next chess fan, and we’re pleased to report that the ECF has received an almost-too-good-to-be-true offer from FIDE on the latest DGT clocks.

Full details of the offer are available here: http://www.englishchess.org.uk/new-dgt-clocks/

In summary, top of the range DGT clocks are being made available to English clubs for £20-25 (compared to a retail price of around £70).

#drool

As we’ve recently refreshed our clocks and upgraded to digital, we won’t be ordering any for the club…. but we are happy to place an order on behalf of any of our members who wish to purchase one. It’s a true bargain, and we already have 4 members on our list to purchase.

If you’d like to take advantage of this fantastic offer & get hold of a top-of-the-range digital clock, please drop John White an email: john.white49@ntlworld.com

A Walk in the Chess Valley

Get your walking boots on – Hammer is going to the countryside! Sort of…

We’d like to introduce you to the delights of the Chess Valley, which starts up in Chesham and follows a route down to Rickmansworth – both of which are stops on the tail end of the Metropolitan line (aka “Metro-Land”) – a short hop on the tube.

Not a wood-pusher in sight!

It’s beautiful scenery and what better way to combine the game we love, with a stunning walk in a valley that shares its name!

There’s a 10 mile route, details of which are available here: http://www.petes-walks.co.uk/Chess%20Valley%20Walk/cvw_frame_page.htm

We’re thinking – a yomp through the 10-mile route, followed by some blitz chess in a country pub at the end of it (along with the necessary refreshments!).

If this sounds like something you’d like to do, please get in touch: john.white49@ntlworld.com or updates@hammerchess.co.uk 

If there are enough takers, we’ll look to arrange something in the coming weeks!

Final Thoughts

Another busy week of chess action as the Hammer train steams on – thanks goes to all our players and contributors for some top games and reports. For details of what’s coming up next week, please check out our Calendar.

Ave, imperator, morituri te salutant!

“Hail mighty Caesar! Those who are about to die salute you!” *

London League 5: Hammersmith vs Kings Head – 11.10.17

Hammersmith obtained a creditable draw against King’s Head in Division 5, but read on for why chess can be so cruel.

An auspicious start to the new season saw fine wins by junior Nadhmi Auchi on board one, and Dipender Gill on board 3. Congratulations to these two! And welcome home to member Gokhan Kizilay, who has returned to the club after a year’s absence.

On Board 1, Nadhmi with the Black pieces used the Kings Indian defence setup against the Sicilian. Kudos to Nadhmi, when with calm precision he overturned his opponent’s diversionary tactics and won infront of a gathering audience.

On Board 2 a nice position by Gokhan was spoilt by his blundering a piece against stalwart Mark Huba. We’ve all done that.

On Board 3, Dipender reports as follows: It was a highly strategic game that needed careful calculation in the middle section. There was an opportunity for my opponent to take a better position but he floundered instead. I entered the endgame a piece up and consequently won.

Board 4 saw the two captains drawn in battle, a duel where no quarter was invited nor given. The Hammersmith captain, a piece up, launched a mating attack. Not quite lethal, it backfired and then reduced to two Rooks for Kings Head versus Rook and Knight. Again, Robin forked King and Rook and looked set for the win. However a tricky Rook and pawn ending ensued and was lost in the last few desperate minutes on the clocks.

We out graded our opponents by some 80 points – they are to be congratulated for playing so much better than their grades suggest. Boards 2 and 4 were losses, thus the final result was a 2-2 draw.

Robin.

* no deaths were reported during the game

Chess on Fire

It’s been an absolutely BLISTERING start to the new season for everyone at Hammer! New Equipment, New Tournament, and six days into the new season I can proudly report that we are UNBEATEN, having won 4 and drawn 3 of our opening games – a fantastic start!

Without further ado, a full roundup of this week’s action follows.

World Mental Health Day

First up, we are proud to report that a group of our members lent their support to our friends at the Hammersmith & Fulham branch of mental health charity MIND, in their event to mark World Mental Health Day this Tuesday just gone.

Lyric Square, W14 – familiar territory for Hammersmith Chess Club

Similar to our fund-raiser earlier this year, we hooked up with the MIND folks in Lyric Square at the heart of the community to generate interest and publicity for the wonderful work MIND does, and of course play some chess!

Mike Mackenzie – Benoni’d to within an inch of his life

Our thanks goes to everyone involved in organising and volunteering for such a worthwhile cause! Tony Niccoli was a particular star, helping with transporting tables, chairs, sets boards and clocks, and manning the tables until 11.30am.

Later on we were joined by new members Charlie and Nadim, with our heavyweight duo Marios and Mike joining later in the afternoon.

Some of the day’s highlights:

  • Numerous enquiries from the public about the club
  • Hammer Chess showing how much it is part of the local community
  • The camaraderie of our club is just outstanding
  • The number of people who love chess
  • And finally a surreal moment that became clear 24 hours later. During a lull in the proceedings, Marios, Mike and I played through the classic Petrosian-Spassky 1966 WCC final game involving the classic swooping Queen sacrifice. The next day on chess.com, that game was the Daily Puzzle challenge – spooky or what??

Our thanks go to Victoria and our friends at MIND, plus John, Tony, Nadim, Charlie, Marios and Mike, who gave their time to support a worthwhile cause.

Hammer bossing it in Lyric Square – yet again!

Middlesex League Double Header – 09.10.17

Monday 9th October saw both of our Middlesex Teams competing in their opening games of the season – it was quite literally standing room only at Lytton Hall, with a few brave souls playing casual chess on some makeshift tables right at the back of the room!

Fantastic to see so many players down at the club on a dark Monday evening! Our 2nd team match report follows…

Standing room only for the casual players!

This was the first ever match for our brand new team in Middlesex Division 3!

Astonishingly, 14 players wanted to play in a team that could hold 8, leaving the captain with tough selection decisions. I decided to give as many of the new guys as possible a chance to play, and rested some of the stalwarts for the potentially far harder second fixture.

We ended up beating our opponents by a score of 6.5-1.5 with not a single player losing a game. Coincidentally this matches our score against them last year – which funnily enough was also the first game of the season (report here). Of course, in that case we didn’t have a second team, and put out our first team – a testament to the progression we’ve made as a club in 12 months.

Dipender’s game was the first to finish. He surprised his opponent on move 1, and proceeded to play aggressively, forcing resignation in a 14-move manoeuvre.

The full, brutal demolition is below!

Next Monday we play host to Willesden, who join us from Division 2 last season. I expect us to be out graded across all boards, but we’ll be full of confidence following a fine first showing.

Adam.

The same evening our other Middlesex team – “the 1st team”, playing in Division 2 – ran out 4.5-3.5 winners under new captain “Super” Marios.

A fabulous result given the tough standard of our opponents, and another Hammer team off to a winning start this season.

London League 4: Hammer v Morley College – 06.10.17

A great start for our “2nd team” in London Division 4 as we got off to a flyer against Morley College. It’s always nice to start the season with a win but even more pleasing when you’re able to complete the job without losing a match. We’re up 6.5-0.5 with one adjournment, and things are looking positive in that one too.

Also great to see so many people battling for places. Alas, I had to knock back several players this time around, but managed to find spots for Pouya and Charlie, both of whom ran out winners on the night.

Here’s the scoresheet…

And then onto the games…

First to finish was Charlie’s mash-up on Board 8. We could only have been 5 minutes in when I saw the White Knight forking King and Rook. The Bishop and Queen followed closely behind and we looked set for a <10 minute victory. In truth, I think it probably lasted a few minutes more than that but the hammer soon fell. Great win to get things moving. 1-0

Your author’s match on Board 7 wasn’t far behind. A couple of slow moves in the opening allowed me to take the initiative and gain space with an early pawn push. I trapped his Bishop, and found myself in the driving seat materially and positionally. The fact his King was vulnerable to checks meant I always had a good move brewing (perhaps “too many”, to quote Mike Mac), and forced a resignation a few moves later. 2-0

John was next to strike on Board 6, putting his opponent in all sorts of trouble in the middle-game. It didn’t help that he castled the ‘wrong side’, when all the pointers seemed to suggest a King-side defence was tighter. Suddenly John’s Bishop on h2 was a monster, and his marauding c-file pawn was a menace. When a pin was sprung on his opponent’s Queen there seemed no way out short of losing significant material. John bust open the defences and finished with an elegant checkmate. Nice to watch. 3-0, and it seemed we were working from the bottom of the scoreboard upwards!

Next to finish was Brian who selfishly messed up the pattern! Still, he got a win so I can’t complain too much. Playing White, Brian disrupted the pawns on the opposition’s King-side forcing him to castle Queen-side. Whilst material was level, his pawn structure was superior and following an ill-advised pawn charge on the h-file, he was left with his own soldier who could march up the board unchallenged. Harry!!! Simon Williams would be proud. 4-0

Matteo secured a draw against their strongest opponent on Board 1. He was left to rue several moves that the computer considered suboptimal (always easier when checking in the pub afterwards) but in truth, there wasn’t much in it from start to finish, and in the end a draw was probably the right result. 4.5-0.5, and the match was won.

Pouya found himself up against Morley College stalwart Simon Shaw on Board 3. A cursory look suggested the match was finely balanced as the players entered the endgame with two Rooks and almost a full complement of pawns apiece. However, looks can be deceiving. The Hammersmith debutant’s pieces were coordinated much better and taking a leaf out of Nimzovich’s “Rook on the 7th” mantra, the momentum suddenly swung in his favour. Pawns were mopped up left, right and central, and the resignation came shortly afterwards. 5.5-0.5

The final match to finish was Rich’s. Imagine the scenario: Queen, Knight vs. Rook, Bishop, Knight, with a couple of pawns apiece. Add to the mix a centralised (and checkable) King, and a couple of minutes on the clock. Rich had the edge, but he was one careless move away from oblivion! With nerves of steel, he kept things extremely tight and effectively managed to wind down his opponent’s clock further still. A gracious resignation broke the tension and set Rich up for a well-earned point (and pint). 6.5-0.5

Which brings us to our unresolved encounter between Nadhmi and John Williams. There looked nothing in it throughout the encounter, even following a sharp exchange of pieces that left both sides with a Knight and six pawns each. I suppose a supercomputer would say it was a theoretical draw but they played on, still several moves short of their 36 moves. Nadhmi seemed more confident in the position and forced through a passed-pawn before the adjournment came. Frustrating one, with the balance of power moving towards Master Auchi, but they’ll live to fight another day! Adjournment date TBC.

Thanks to everyone for playing. Look forward to next time.

Dave.

London League 5: Hammersmith v Kings Head – 11.10.17

In our other game this week, our League 5 team scored a 2-2 draw against Kings Head. It maintains our unbeaten run and gets a few more players out of the starting blocks! Hopefully we can squeeze out a victory next time round.

Sponsorship – Chess & Bridge Shop

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed the addition of a new “Shop” link on our menu and a sponsor on the right hand side of the page.

We are pleased to announce that we’ve agreed a sponsorship deal with London’s premier chess equipment store – Chess & Bridge – www.chess.co.uk

It’s a great link for both of us and has allowed us to renew some more of our equipment at a great price – watch our for more new boards & pieces coming soon! And if you’re looking for some equipment yourselves, we’ll have a stack of magazines down at the club shortly for your perusal!

London League 3: Hackney v Hammersmith – 11.10.17

Saving perhaps our best result for last, and confirming our “on fire” status so far this season, London 3 Captain John White gives us his take on the opening night for our League 3 team.

Cue Captain James Tiberius Kirk voice…

Welcome to the voyages of the Starship Hammer as it commences its one season mission to boldly go where??….. to Division 2 in the London League, and we don’t need 5 years!!!

Okay Trekkies, that’s your lot for the moment.

Yes, the new London League Division 3 season opened at a new venue – The Citadines Hotel in Holborn (not a shabby place!) – starring Hammer 1, rejuvenated, reinvigorated, packed with new and old talent and ready to take to the stage in an encounter with Hackney 3.

However, before we get to the nitty-gritty please indulge your correspondent in a rewind to the end of last season and my reflections on our journey last year. I noted that we had achieved our primary objective, which was to retain Division 3 status. However a detailed analysis revealed that we had a plus score in game points and that with the odd individual game results going our way, we would have been much further up the table.

With this in mind I thought a realistic objective for 2017-18 was promotion to Division 2. Our first match against Hackney 3 confirmed the logic of this.

The Hammer team this season is a very different beast.

Our nominated players this season are Marios, Bajrush, Jim, Chris, Paul McK, Jeremy, Pavel, Sheikh, Paul K and John G. In other words, I do not even make the team and I am the captain!

First of all, I would like to welcome Jim and Paul McK to the club, and to the Hammer team. Both are very strong players and really beef up our top boards. Furthermore, the return of Chris (see below pic!) and John G is most welcome after an absence of two years. These recruits, coupled with Marios and Pavel being available for the whole season, really makes Hammer a competitive and tough nut this season. With Matteo, Brian, Orial, Safi and Adam to call on as super-subs, we have real strength in depth too.

Two years is a long time in chess, as Chris Skulte returns to the warm bosom of mother Hammer

I also need to designate nicknames to our team members, and so far this season we have:

  • Marios – “Zeus”
  • Bajrush – “Wily”
  • Jim – “Loco” (an obscure reference to the Flying Scotsman!)
  • Chris S – “Sydney”
  • Paul McK – “Prof”
  • Jeremy – “Brexit”
  • Pavel – “Spock”
  • Paul K – “Dead Eye”
  • Sheikh – “Pandit”
  • John G – “Sauvignon”
  • John W – “Clueless”
  • Matteo – “Suit”
  • Orial – “The Wiz”

Other designations will follow as and when.

Alas, Sauvignon, Spock and Dead Eye could not make the Hackney gig and thus the Suit, the Wiz and Clueless stepped up to the plate.

At last to the match report. Please note: as I was playing, the details are not extensive!

Hammer started at full throttle with Loco finishing his game in double-quick time. A crushing win and Hammer 1-0 to the good. There then followed a gold rush of wins as Hammer flexed its muscles.

Decisive wins followed from Zeus, Sydney, Pandit, Prof, Brexit and even Clueless got in on the act putting Hammer 7-0 up and the clock had not even reached 9.30pm. I can report that all of these were decisive wins and totally in keeping with the Caveman heritage that Hammer espouses. Victory was assured.

The three remaining games were in some ways the most interesting. The Wiz sadly went down and the score moved to 7-1. This was definitely a case of over-pressing with the Wiz trying to force a win.

The Suit has a sealed move scenario, unfortunately in a very murky position. I am pessimistic about his chances although there are counter-play possibilities.

As for Wily, what can I say? He snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat. A typical Wily game & performance. A rook imprisoned on h4, controlled chaos on the board and yet despite being a pawn and the exchange down, he was striving for the win. Wily chess requires balls of steel and his uncompromising approach always yields results. Some good, some bad!

So, at the end of the night Hammer are 7.5-2.5 ahead with 1 adjournment.

A successful takeoff and Hammer is ready to complete its 2017-18 mission. The force is with us!!

John.

 

The B of the Bang

After what seems like an age, the new chess season is finally upon us – and it started with a Bang!

Monday 2nd October saw the opening game of the 2017-18 season, with the two Hammer teams battling it out in Lytton Hall for bragging rights in the Hammersmith Derby – more on that later.

If you haven’t taken a look at our Calendar recently – please do so! It’s a rip-roaring story of competitive games coming thick & fast, with no fewer than 16 matches this month, plus the opening night of our RapidPlay tournament. In fact, the months up to Christmas are going to be chocka – including a top class Simultaneous!

Our weekly digest of goings-on at the club follows…

Hammer Derby – 02.10.17

Our two London League 6 teams faced off in the traditional season opener at the start of the week. A tense affair as always, we were delighted to hand league debuts to two new members, Charlie and Wyatt – welcome chaps! The game unfolded as follows…

Board 1 saw Captain Rich take on stalwart John. It proved a very tough affair with the players evenly matched. The tussle ended in a late flurry of moves in order for both players to reach the time control, with the game going to an adjournment. Subsequently, the players agreed a win for White. First blood, 1-0

Board 2 had Club Secretary Mike taking on newbie from down under, Wyatt. An all out attack from White (Wyatt) was repelled by a very stubborn defence. When the dust settled, there was spaghetti all over the board, and Black had the upper hand. However, wily Wyatt managed to steer the game to a draw, 1.5-0.5

Board 3 had our other newbie Charlie, taking on one of our charming long-timers, Nick. As experienced players will know, the draw is always on offer with Nick, and the game went true to form with an early draw being agreed, 2-1

Board 4 was another even matchup – just 2 grading points separating the players. The experienced Dan (as Black) played a smooth game, ending in a Queen & Rook mating net. Bad luck to Nadim, but a great tussle. Honours even at 2-2

RapidPlay Tourney – Pairings Announced!

You’ve probably heard about our new RapidPlay tournament this season – it’s going to last the full 8 months of the season, with a round each month, and we literally can’t wait for it to kickoff!!

To date it’s been a HUGE success, with 25 players signing up to take part. The big news this week – entries have now closed and the Supercomputer at Lytton Hall has determined the initial pairings as follows:

There’s a couple of tasty pairings in here – and the opportunity for a whole load of upsets! It’s a remarkable feature of chess how time can be an almighty leveller. Those gradings will mean very little with just 45 minutes on the clocks.

It properly kicks off on Monday 23rd October, 8pm sharp – see you there!

GM Keith Arkel Simultaneous – 11.12.17

We are DELIGHTED to announce that esteemed GM Keith Arkell will be gracing us with his presence at Lytton Hall on the final night of the London Chess Classic – Monday 11th December – for a Simultaneous display at the club!

Gary meets GM Keith Arkell

Keith has been a GM since 1995, British RapidPlay Champ in 1998, and has a peak ELO rating of 2545. He tied for British Champ in 2008, and shared first place in the World Senior Championship in 2014. He ain’t no fool!!

Full details will be announced shortly – there’ll be a small fee to enter, and places will be limited, but you can register your interest early by dropping us an email: updates@hammerchess.co.uk

Monday 11th December – Save the date!!

NEW Equipment!

After much searching and deliberation, we are pleased to announce that we’ve purchased a boatload of shiny new equipment for our members to use! It takes Hammer Chess right into the 21st Century and is a solid investment for the Club.

First up and fresh off the plane from China this week – we’ve secured a raft of new digital clocks. These can’t be beaten on functionality and will allow us to use timing increments for the first time. They’re also FIDE approved for when we next host Carlsen et al for some tea & biscuits on a rainy Monday night in W14.

We’ve also purchased a raft of new boards and pieces – weighted, no less! – for casual use, and are in the final stages of agreeing some brand new, solid wood match boards for the premium matches!

It all bodes well for the future of Hammer Chess!

 

Hammersmith MIND – World Mental Health Day

If you haven’t heard already, we’re rekindling our link with Hammersmith & Fulham MIND next week, with a team of volunteers from Hammer Chess helping out in Lyric Square to support the charity as they mark World Mental Health Day on Tuesday 10th October, 10am – 4pm.

It’s not too late to get involved – if you’re available and would like to help out, please drop John an email: john.white49@ntlworld.com

 

Like Playing in a Foreign Country

As we know, the Hammer Foreign Legion is strong – having successfully toured Amsterdam earlier this year, a couple of our members have recently had some chess-based experiences in foreign lands.

First up, our intrepid London League 4 Captain, Dave, had the pleasure of taking on some of the locals in Slovakia recently. It was an interesting experience, and rumour has it he’s made some permanent friends on the chess.com app!

The Slovaks… crazy for the beautiful game

And whilst experiencing the delights of Moorish Spain, webmaster Andy did some background reading on the Nasrid dynasty, coming across the following fascinating passage in a book – finally explaining the meaning of Alfil!

“Chess is one of the oldest games of war, and has been played in Spain longer than anywhere else in Europe, by Spanish Muslims since their arrival in the eighth century, and by Spanish Christians and Jews since the early tenth century. It started in ancient India, and the original pieces represented the units of the Indian army – foot soldiers, cavalry, armed chariots and elephants. The infantry, or pawns were led on the chessboard as in life by the King and his senior minister, his vizier. Some people think it was a game modelled on Alexander the Great’s campaigns in Persia, in which his squadrons were aligned in ranks of sixty-four squares, the number of squares on a chessboard.

The game reached Europe through Moorish Spain, where in Islamic chess, opening moves had romantic names such as the Sword opening, or Pharaoh’s Fortress. As it spread to medieval Europe, the pieces changed to reflect the feudal social environment of the times. Kings and pawns stayed the same, but the elephant piece was replaced in Christian chess by the Bishop, a powerful figure in the medieval church. In Spanish Muslim chess, the Bishop is just an alfil, meaning a chess piece and nothing more. The horse of the Indian game became the Knight, a symbol of feudal chivalry, the old armed chariot became the castle (or Rook in English, which comes from the Persian word for chariot), and the vizier changed into the Queen.

The 14th Century Nasrid ChessBoard

By the late fifteenth century, when the Nasrids were playing chess on the Alhambra chessboard, a dramatic change had taken place. The Queen was no longer the weaker companion of the King – she was the most powerful piece on the chessboard, with new long-range striking power. There was only one way to win the game, and that was through the irrevocable cornering and capture of the enemy King.”

The more you know!!

Hot off the Press – 06.10.17 !!

The London League 4 team have made a wining start to their season this Friday night, with a thumping 6.5-0.5 victory (plus one winning adjournment) against Morley College. Full writeup to follow…!