South Hams Chess Club
South Hams Chess Club

Promotion, Relegation and the 2015 Festive Blitz Tournament

The 17th December was the last club night before Christmas. The Committee met beforehand, and we then enjoyed a festive Blitz tournament, with mince pies and other nibbles.

The Committee Meeting

Minutes of the Committee Meeting will follow in due course, but four key topics were discussed.

1. Additional Committee Member

The Committee unanimously voted to add Steve Levy to the Committee (with Steve not holding a formal club office, i.e. he is "Committee Member without Portfolio"). Steve agreed to this, and he joins the Committee with immediate effect.

2. Promotion and Relegation

At the Christmas cut-off:

  • Cliff Peach and Ken Ashby are relegated from the Homan league to the Dunleavy League
  • James Fowler and Dennis Russell are promoted from the Dunleavy League to the Homan League
  • Phil McConnell and Roy Greenhalgh will play a one-game playoff (colours to be decided on the night); the winner will play the second half of the season in the Homan League, and the loser will play in the Dunleavy League.

3. Format of Leagues in the Second Half of the Season

Due to a series of unavoidable postponements, the club has played only 4 of its 23 Torbay League fixtures for the season. We are therefore facing a very intensive schedule of matches in January, February, March and April. Accordingly the Committee decided that the Homan and Dunleavy leagues for the second half of the season need to be reduced to an "all play all once" format instead of "all play all twice". Colours for each game will be drawn on the night. To ensure that the Club Championship is kept alive right up to the end of the season, the two players who finish first and second in the Homan league will hold a play-off to determine the Club Champion.

The Committee also decided to change the format of the Challengers League to a reduced time control - 30 minutes for each player - to enable the juniors to play adults and complete their games before they depart around 8:15pm. Club members are encouraged to play as many games as possible in this new-format Challengers League - it may be possible to play two (or even three) Challengers games in one evening, or, if your Homan/Dunleavy game finishes early, you may be able to play a Challengers game afterwards on the same evening.

4. The Juniors

We are told that the juniors have thoroughly enjoyed their first few months affiliated to the club - and likewise we are delighted to have "young blood" participate with such enthusiasm and rapidly developing skills. The Committee agreed that:

  • the juniors will become a formal part of the club structure; the junior section will be named "The Thursday Knights" and will have their own page on the website
  • the club will put in place formal Safeguarding Policy and Procedures, and will have Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks carried out to enable two club members (Barry Sweetman and Ben Wilkinson having volunteered) to supervise the juniors without the need for a parent or other club member to be present.

The Festive Blitz Tournament

Many thanks to Ben Wilkinson for organising the pre-Christmas Blitz Tournament - 6 rounds, with 10 minutes on the clock. We were delighted that four juniors were able to participate in the first 3 rounds (sadly, the next day was a school day!)

Round 1 gets underway          Round 1 gets underway One of several wins for the juniors          One of several wins for the juniorsA parent looks on. A junior takes on Tony          A junior takes on TonyTony appears to be up on material. Mark v Roy          Mark v RoyRoy concentrates like fury, while Mark relaxes with a beer. Chit chat between rounds          Chit chat between roundsThe food table seems to be something of a magnet. Ben has no time to chat between rounds          Ben has no time to chat between roundsHe'd decided to do the pairings by hand. Ken takes on a junior          Ken takes on a juniorA low tactic, distracting your opponent with colourful clothing, don't you think? Cliff v Tony          Cliff v TonyCliff is a Bishop up in the end game. James v Anthony          James v AnthonyJames decided to make it a night of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Steve v Dennis          Steve v DennisThey both look very calm, don't they? John v a junior          John v a juniorEr... where did the knight move from? Barry v Anthony          Barry v AnthonyA win for Barry. But Tony doesn't look very impressed, does he? Mark v Cliff          Mark v CliffCliff did his usual trick - he offered a surprised and grateful Mark a draw from a position that was totally won. The Battle of the Titans          The Battle of the TitansDavid's win over Steve decided the Tournament winner. Ken v James          Ken v JamesOn this occasion, Ken's clothing tactic worked. John v Roy          John v Roy And the winner is...          And the winner is...David looks as if he's already consumed his prize. Tony gets the prize for the best surprise win          Tony gets the prize for the best surprise win Round 1 gets underway
Round 1 gets underway One of several wins for the juniors A junior takes on Tony Mark v Roy Chit chat between rounds Ben has no time to chat between rounds Ken takes on a junior Cliff v Tony James v Anthony Steve v Dennis John v a junior Barry v Anthony Mark v Cliff The Battle of the Titans Ken v James John v Roy And the winner is... Tony gets the prize for the best surprise win

The final scores after 6 rounds were as follows.

Points
David Archer6
Steve Levy5
Mark Cockerton4½
Phil McConnell4
Ben Wilkinson4
Cliff Peach3½
Dennis Russell3
Barry Sweetman3
Ken Ashby3
Tony Collins3
John Belli2½
Roy Greenhalgh2½
Anthony Davies1
James Fowler0
Many congratulations to David Archer for scoring a very impressive 6/6, including the "scalp" of Steve Levy. David's prize was a bottle of wine. A second bottle of wine was awarded to the player who was judged to have pulled off the best surprise win of the evening - this went to Tony Collins for his win over Dennis Russell.

Some photos of this very enjoyable evening are shown above; move your mouse pointer over a thumbnail to see a larger image.

Round 1 gets underway Round 1 gets underway
One of several wins for the juniorsOne of several wins for the juniors
A junior takes on TonyA junior takes on Tony; Tony appears to be up on material.
Mark v RoyMark v Roy. Roy concentrates like fury, while Mark relaxes with a beer.
Chit chat between roundsChit chat between rounds - the food table seems to be something of a magnet
Ben has no time to chat between roundsBen has no time to chat between rounds - he'd decided to do the pairings by hand.
Ken takes on a juniorKen takes on a junior. A low tactic, distracting your opponent with colourful clothing, don't you think?{
Cliff v TonyCliff v Tony. Cliff is a Bishop up in the end game.
James v AnthonyJames v Anthony. James decided to make it a night of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Steve v DennisSteve v Dennis. They both look very calm, don't they?
John v a juniorJohn v a junior. Er... where did the knight move from?
Barry v AnthonyBarry v Anthony. A win for Barry. But Tony doesn't look very impressed, does he?
Mark v CliffMark v Cliff. Cliff did his usual trick - he offered a surprised and grateful Mark a draw from a position that was totally won.
The Battle of the TitansThe Battle of the Titans. David's win over Steve decided the Tournament winner.
Ken v JamesKen v James. On this occasion, Ken's clothing tactic worked.
John v RoyJohn v Roy.
And the winner isAnd the winner is... David looks as if he's already consumed his prize.
Tony gets the prize for the best surprise winTony gets the prize for the best surprise win.
 

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to one and all.