Author: Hammer

The rumours are true – Hammersmith Chess Club has been awarded the prestigious title Club of the Year by the English Chess Federation for 2025.

This recognition is richly deserved and reflects the hard work, dedication, and spirit of everyone involved with our club – from Committee members and Captains to Volunteers and players of all levels.

We are one community and welcome all, regardless of background, ethnicity, colour, religion or gender. We do not judge a chess player by their rating alone – we simply want everyone to embrace being a Hammer and take pride in playing at our club.

This award belongs to every Hammer. Without your enthusiasm, commitment, and love for the game, this would not have been possible.

Our new Chair, Adam Cranston, has great plans for the future, and we encourage every member to support him and the Committee as we move forward together – building on a history that we can all be proud of.

Let’s celebrate Hammersmith Chess Club – ECF Club of the Year 2025!

Hot off the press – Hammersmith Chess Club is heading to Marseille! From Friday 17th to Sunday 19th October 2025, we’ll be visiting the brilliant club of Marseille Échecs for a long weekend of chess, friendship, food, and fun. This promises to be an amazing trip — Marseille Échecs has over 1,000 members and is one of Europe’s great chess institutions. If you’ve ever been on a Hammer tour before, you’ll know they’re simply the best!

🗓 Itinerary (TBC)

Friday 17 October

• • Arrive and settle into the hotel
  • 6pm: Blitz tournament at Marseille Échecs, followed by food and drinks with our hosts

Saturday 18 October

• • Cultural sightseeing in the morning
  • 1pm: Long-play match (winner takes the Challenge Cup!)
  • Group dinner and drinks in the evening

Sunday 19 October

• • More Marseille adventures in the morning
  • Group lunch
  • Return travel home

✈️ Travel Options

Ryanair – Stansted to Marseille

• • Outbound: 07:25 or 14:10 (Friday 17 Oct)
  • Return: 12:50 (Sunday 19 Oct)

EasyJet – Gatwick to Marseille

• • Outbound: 08:00 or 17:20 (Friday 17 Oct)
  • Return: 12:40 or 22:05 (Sunday 19 Oct)

✳️ Recommended: EasyJet at 08:00 Friday and 22:05 Sunday.

🏨 Hotel

We’re planning a group booking at Hotel Life Marseille VP – Vieux Port. Prices will be confirmed shortly.

✅ What You Need to Do

1. Book your flights
2. Email Lord Clueless (John) at jdrw9591@gmail.com by 25 August 2025 with:

• • Your name
  • Number in your party
  • Room preference: Single / Double / Twin

John (with help from Benji) will coordinate hotel bookings.

🌟 Top Things to Do in Marseille

• • Cours Julien (street art, cafés, markets)
  • Notre-Dame de la Garde
  • MuCEM (Museum of European & Mediterranean Civilisations)
  • Electric Bike Tour of the city
  • Palais Longchamp
  • Provençal cuisine!

📣 Join the Tour!

Huge thanks to Matt Perchard and Benji Portheault for making this happen.

Let’s get packing — and make this another unforgettable Hammer trip.
Email now to join the fun!

John White
aka Lord Clueless

🕰️ The New Season Beckons

Hammers, the new season kicks off on 1st September, so please take this as a gentle reminder to:

• • renew your ECF membership;
  • pay your Hammer membership fees this month.

It’s going to be an amazing year of chess at the club, with a packed calendar of events already taking shape. I urge you all to get involved.

🏆 Opening Night: The Hammer Oscars – 1st September

We’ll be launching the season with our traditional Hammer Oscars, hosted once again by our great friend GM Daniel King. This is our opportunity to celebrate last season’s stars – a brilliant evening that always delivers.

A highlight of the night will be the Game of the Season award, chosen by Daniel himself. If you have a game you’re proud of, submit it (with PGN or scoresheet and any context) to our club captain, Gaston, by 10th August. Just email him directly or speak to him at the club.

The winning game will be featured on Daniel’s Power Play Chess YouTube channel.

🌍 Hammer Goes Abroad – Save These Dates

🇧🇪 Ostend, Belgium

Our friends there are hosting a fantastic week of chess, including a 9-round Swiss tournament from 6–12 September.

Tournament details here.

🇫🇷 Marseille, France

Thanks to sterling work by Benji and Matt, we’re lining up a club weekend with the legendary Marseille Chess Club from 17–19 October. This promises to be an unforgettable experience.

Confirmation to follow within 7 days.

🇪🇸 Bilbao, Spain

Early talks are underway for a June 2026 visit to the Bilbao Chess Club. Watch this space.

Enjoy the rest of the summer – and see you soon at the board.

John

“And now the end is near, And so I face the final curtain, My friends I’ll say it clear, I’ll state my case of which I am certain” – Paul Anka/Frank Sinatra

Hammers,

This is my final article as Chair of Hammersmith Chess Club, as I will be stepping down from the post at the next AGM – to be held on the 7th of July 2025. I will be fully supporting our Secretary Adam Cranston as next Chair, and I know he will be do a superb job for our club in the role. Stepping into Adam’s shoes, as Club Secretary, will be David Lambert another stalwart of the club and someone who has been a long serving member and fully knows this club inside out. I will, if you vote me in, be taking up the reins of the Events Officer again and hope to be able to bring lots of activity in 2025/2026.

I want to say it has been one of the greatest honours of my life to lead this club and see it grow and develop into something that is so special and unique. This is down to many people, and I will get to them later in this missive. The journey we have been on, as a club, in the last 10 years has been amazing and I know there are even better times ahead. This has been another fantastic season for our club with a list of huge achievements.

• • The Hammersmith team in the Fide Rapid and Blitz Team World Championships won the u2200 prize. Lead by our great captain Gaston. This was a phenomenal result
  • Our Women’s team won the London Women’s League. Great Captaincy from Ana
  • Hammer 2 won Division 3 and were unbeaten all season – some Captain called Clueless???
  • Hammer 1 came second in London League Division 1 losing narrowly to Wood Green in the winner takes it all match. We were so unlucky – Jim Stevenson did a fabulous job.
  • Hammer 1 in the Middlesex Division 1 came joint first only losing out on points difference – Captain Maria did an amazing job
  • Hammer 3 finished second in Division 4 of the Central London League and gained promotion
  • Our LL Junior team scored 50% and finished mid table an outstanding result.
  • Hammersmith 3 just missed out on promotion in Middlesex 3 as did Hammer 1 in the Central London League
  • We finished 4th in the Thames valley Division 1
  • We also performed well in the other London, Middlesex and CLL divisions.

These are the headlines – for a club that only had 19 members 10 years ago this is some progress. However, as amazing as this roll of honour is I think it pales into insignificance as to what the soul of our club is. We are Hammers – we play for each other, not just ourselves. We support each other…. always. We welcome all to our club and judge people by the content of their character and not their chess ability. We are friends. This is what makes us so unique.

I also want to thank all the Captains, the Trainers, The Committee members and all of you… For what you have contributed to the club – your club – and I will never forget that.

Finally, I want to make a final plea to all of you – none of the above happens without the volunteers – we have a unique culture in our club that encourages people to contribute – I urge all of you to step forward to become a captain, to serve on the Committee, to help with Junior hour or be a mentor to new members.

Thank you once again for supporting me as Chair and now let’s move with confidence and pride to the next chapter of Hammersmith Chess Club.

John aka Lord Clueless
Chair of Hammersmith Chess Club
June 2025

Dear Members, the club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is approaching – this year it will be held on Monday 7th July at 7:30pm at the Mindsports Centre.

The Committee gives notice that the following members will stand for re-election:

• • President – Adam Cranston (currently Secretary)
  • Treasurer – Christof Brixel
  • Club Captain – Gastón Franco (currently Webmaster)
  • PR & Events Officer – John White (currently Chairman)
  • Diversity Officer – Anastasija Royce
  • Junior Officer – Tom Townsend
  • Auditor – Nadim Osseiran

We are sorry to announce that Robin Sarfas and Matt Perchard have decided to step down from the Committee this year.

As Club Captain for several years, Robin has carried out a demanding and vital role with dedication and professionalism. Responsible for overseeing 16 teams, he introduced several initiatives to support our ever-changing roster of captains. These include comprehensive documentation to help new captains avoid common pitfalls, as well as organising the now-annual end-of-season captains’ dinner.

In his role as PR & Events Officer, Matt has brought numerous prominent speakers to the club, delivering both entertaining and thought-provoking lectures. His creativity and expertise have been instrumental in shaping the club’s identity — our current logo, branded scoresheets and pens are all the result of his remarkable work.

The Committee is deeply grateful for Robin and Matt’s significant contributions and lasting impact.

With this in mind, David Lambert intends to run for the position of Secretary, and David Steyn for the role of Webmaster. All members are encouraged to stand for any Committee position, and all applications are warmly welcomed.

This year, the Committee proposes to make a significant amendment to club’s status. In short, we are looking into setting up Hammersmith Chess Club as a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO for short).

We have struggled sometimes with not being an official organisation, including difficulties with bank accounts, lease agreements and software to help us manage the club better.

What is a CIO?

The CIO was created in response to requests from charities for a new legal form that could provide some of the benefits of being a company, but without some of the burdens.

What are the advantages of CIOs?

• We can enter into contracts
• We can receive gift-aid
• Other benefits as that of a charity

Specifics of the proposed changes to the club constitution will be shared in due course.

Any member who wishes to stand for a Committee position, or to submit a motion for the meeting, should do so at least 21 days prior to the AGM – that is, 16th June. If you want to support any of the Committee roles, we would love to hear from you too, as there is a lot of work to run the club and any time is valued. There are a number of subcommittees reporting to the Committee that are vital to the club, on which volunteers to help out are invaluable. We are constantly looking for members to help out in areas including (but not limited to) the following:

Operations

– Running club night events
– Point of contact and friendly face for new walk-ins
– Providing suggestions for different types of events to run
– Running occasional club nights on Mondays and Thursdays

Captaincy

– Captains for the 2025/26 season

Juniors

– Coaching at Monday night Junior Hour (6-7pm)

Events/PR

– Help with organising club tours, events and matches

Website/Social Media

– Writing articles for the website
– General maintenance of website
– Creating other useful pages for the website
– Creating content for our social media channels

Please contact Club Secretary Adam if you wish to stand for a Committee position, submit a motion, or are willing to help out in any other way: adam1234321@gmail.com

Thank you for your continued support!

Introducing: A lecture and workshop for club members by Scotland’s strongest ever player, Grandmaster Jonathan Rowson.

Jonathan is a three-time British Chess Champion and author of the critically acclaimed books, The Seven Deadly Chess Sins (2001) Chess for Zebras (2005) and The Moves that Matter (2019).

On Monday 5th May, Jonathan will introduce the idea of chess therapy, ahead of offering weekly chess therapy sessions at the Mindsports Centre on Monday evenings. Jonathan has prepared material from his books to share, but would also welcome the chance to analyse games and take questions from club members, so feel free to bring them along.

Which island would you associate with a week-long International Open in April? One immediately thinks of Reykjavik, and sure it is an attractive tournament. But then, there is Jersey. Close to the UK, but not part of it. Much more sunny than Reykjavik, lots of sandy golden beaches, and a long history of chess tournaments. In fact, the author proudly remembers the Jersey International Congress 1975 where he (not a Hammer yet) finished 3rd in a strong field, and so it was a kind of nostalgic return exactly 50 years later.

This time, there were 4 Hammers, plus the father of our local Jersey boy Matt, who was convinced to participate the night before the start. Quite a family affair. The only negative aspect was the low number of participants, in total 44 players, just a tenth of the simultaneously convened Reykjavik Open. That however created another touch of familiar atmosphere, which seems to me quite fitting to the relaxed Jersey mood. Do I need to tell more about Jersey? Its population is half the size of Hammersmith, it is a self-governing entity, and it is so because it was supportive of English kings when it was important – Henry III in 1259, when it was either France or England; then Charles II who was proclaimed king here in 1649, 11 years before the monarchy was restored with his crowning in London. It seems, Jersey knows how to play the royal game. Well, back to chess then.

The participants were split in 2 sections: a smaller, norm-awarding Open with mostly titled players, and a – maybe inappropriately called – Holiday section with FIDE ratings below 1900. Our fabulous four represented Hammersmith in both groups. There is Gaston, everyone knows him. Organiser and lecturer of nearly everything, he was able to squeeze in a holiday week. Same goes for Robin, club captain, organiser of our teams, he came with his girlfriend for a joint fun & chess week (the verdict is open whether that suits the chess). Matt, still the club’s PR officer, having recently returned to his native Jersey (does that give a home advantage?). And then me, Christof, adult improver (I hope so, at least!)

So, how did it go? To start with a summary: With the exception of myself, we all won prizes: Matt and Robin won Rating prizes, Gaston was Best U2150. Everyone improved on their starting rating, Matt even by an impressive 92 points! And the challenge was formidable. Most of us started in the bottom half of the rating lists. Half of our games were against title holders, mainly GMs and IMs in the Open section, but also some in the U1900 section. Gaston played all except one game against titled players, he was in fact paired in the first round with the final winner, Lithuanian GM Eduardas Rozentalis. We made no points in our 3 games against GMs, drew one in 4 against IMs, but made 5 of 7 (!) against FMs and drew the one game against a CM, all in all not too bad for us four amateurs.

Day 1 started with a hammer. And I mean that. It surely was a big upset in the Open section, me winning against all odds against a FM who was here after an IM norm, a mere 340 points higher rated. I played a good game, and the end was even better. In mutual time trouble, I found the psychologically most challenging move, then the winning tactics motif, and executed the right sequence. You sense a feeling of pride in my words? Judge for yourself:

After White played 30. Re5, Black should have given his queen with dxe5 31.Bxc6 exf4 for a chance to hold the game. After 30…Qc8 however, White wins with 31.Re7! Qf5 (Qxe8 32.Rxe8 Kg7 33.Rxf8! Kxf8 34.Bxd6+) 32.Bh6! Rc8 33.g4 (Be4 or Bd5 work as well) Qf6 34.Bxf8! Rxe8 35.Rxe8 and Black has to give back the queen to avoid being checkmated. It couldn’t have started better – which means it could only get worse. And it got worse, for me. So, the next days reports are mainly dedicated to my fellow Hammer players.

Day 2: See day 7.

Day 3 saw Matt’s brilliancy in his game against a higher rated opponent. He sacrificed an exchange in a tactically demanding position. With Matt’s tournament preparation heavily focused on calculation skills, it definitely helped to bring home the point. See for yourself – would you have found and gone for Matt’s choice?

Black sacrificed the exchange with 16…Bxf3!, and after White accepted the sac with 17.Bxf8 (Qxf3 was necessary), Black followed up with Bxg2 (Bxh2+ works even quicker, but requires flawless calculation) 18.Bxd6 Bxf1. Black is a pawn up in a much better position, the rest was good technique.

Day 4: Christof blundered in record time against the World’s best non-binary (their own words) chess player, who at the end had more time on the clock than at the beginning. Otherwise, see day 7.

Day 5 was the golden day of the Hammers, 4 games, 4 wins. Did our joint relaxed dinner the evening before help? Early finishers were watching the remaining matches in the downtown Sports Bar. No, chess is not on Sky Sports yet, but 3 of our 4 games were always recorded live on Lichess. For Gaston it was a diamond day, winning a fabulous game against FM Mike Waddington.

Day 6: Robin took on a CM. His energy level was still high from his day off with a bike trip around the island. And in true Hammer holiday spirit, he gave 2 pieces for a rook and a couple of pawns, plus the initiative. The game continued in a highly complex manner. In mutual time trouble towards the end (that seemed to be a common theme for us, may be Jersey-mood inspired) he settled for a draw by threefold repetition. Have fun watching the whole game.

Day 7: We have to talk about knight endings. Three times, we dropped unnecessary points. Knight endings are a matter of calculation and visualisation, but also of having seen lots of patterns and quickly recognising ideas. So, before the next tournament, some focused puzzle training is due to overcome our knight ending trauma.

White has a tablebase draw after 46. Kf2, but lost after 46. Kg2, which allows Black’s King to support its f-pawn with Ke4.

Black has a tablebase win after 42… Ke4, but lost his h-pawn after 42… Nf4 43. Kh6 and drew.

Day 8: Last round, Saturday, our Black Sabbath day. Three losses, only Christof escaped with a lucky draw. Maybe moody blues had taken over by now, with a lovely week coming to an end.

When you have four Hammer players together, even if everyone with his own agenda, you can expect lots of joint postmortems, of chess-related discussions, some beer and wine, and else. That is the charm of those events. Besides the relaxed holiday mood and a good sun tan, we gained prizes, and all gained rating points, and we also took home some valuable lessons.

And lots of new memories, which is what is really counting.

Christof Brixel