The GazetteFebruary 2018

Registered Charity Number 263049

Supporting Chess Players with Sight LossBCA Website Address: www.braillechess.org.ukEmail: customerservices@braillechess.org.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/braillechess @braillechessFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrailleChess

To contact a member of the committee, please see the Braille Chess Association’s website where there is a facility for emailing each officer.

Note: The views expressed in the Gazette do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the BCA, nor those of the editor.

CONTENTSEditorial.......................................................................................................................................................................3Forthcoming Events.....................................................................................................................................................3Never been to the Netherlands?...................................................................................................................................5All Under One Roof.....................................................................................................................................................5Words from the Whitehouse........................................................................................................................................6Should We Change Our Name? Probably not!...........................................................................................................7Anyone for Coaching?.................................................................................................................................................7Labelling Digital Chess Clocks...................................................................................................................................8Membership Secretary’s Report..................................................................................................................................8Annual Best Game Prize..............................................................................................................................................8Correspondence Chess Director’s Report....................................................................................................................87th BCA Email Tournament.........................................................................................................................................9BCA Autumn Tournament Weekend 2017...............................................................................................................10Reflections after Solihull...........................................................................................................................................11Report on Belgian Open Championship 2017...........................................................................................................12Hugo’s Game.............................................................................................................................................................13Echoes of an Olympiad..............................................................................................................................................13Chris’s Puzzle............................................................................................................................................................19Millennium Club........................................................................................................................................................20Personalia...................................................................................................................................................................20R.I.P. Milenko Cabarkapa..........................................................................................................................................20

EditorialRegular readers of the gazette will know that for the first issue of each year I like to take editorial inspiration from the Chinese zodiac and this year is no exception. The Chinese Year of the Dog will start on the 16th Febru-ary. We know our canine companions as “Man’s Best Friend”, so it’s no surprise to learn that in Chinese culture

people born in the Year of the Dog are considered to be honest, faithful and sincere. They enjoy helping people and give generously when in a relationship.Many BCA members experience the aforementioned qualities every day in their partnership with their guide dog. These amazing animals exhibit an incredible sense of duty and loyalty. Many centuries ago, whoever coined the phrase “Let sleeping dogs lie” can hardly have foreseen the scenario where a guide dog dozes for hours under a chess table while their owner plays a game, yet it is a common occurrence at BCA gatherings and one which never fails to impress me. Such patience and devotion is truly remarkable. Guide dogs are of course most wel-come at BCA events and we hope that many will be in attendance at the tournaments advertised in Forthcoming Events. Please note that due to circumstances beyond our control, the Jan Lovell Memorial Chairman’s Cup will now take place one day earlier and at a different Bournemouth venue.In these pages, Voldi encourages members to take up the offer of coaching. This isn’t just for the juniors! It’s never too late to teach an old chess dog some new tactics! And if your play improves, you might have a game to enter into the Annual Best Game competition! Details of how to do so are in this issue. Why not give it a go? After all, every dog must have his day and yours could be in 2018!Overall, this issue has a distinctly retrospective air to it. There is a charming article in which a member remin-isces about the way chess was played in the 1950s, while at the same time emphasising the importance of think-ing ahead. You can also find out why two BCA newshounds set off early one snowy morn and journeyed to Weymouth where, with dogged determination, they sifted through some fifty year old archives of the Dorset Echo! Was there a worthwhile purpose to their trip or are they just barking mad?It was lovely that several members sent items for this issue without having been asked. If I had a tail to express my happiness it would definitely be wagging! I’m always glad to receive full articles or simple news snippets from members. Please send me your contributions for the May issue by the end of March.Julie Leonard

Forthcoming Events16 th to 18 th March 2018: AGM Weekend Chess Congress This will take place at The Hallmark Hotel, Derby. The AGM will be held at 2pm on Saturday 17th March. We are pleased to be returning to this popular hotel with its excellent facilities. The hotel is very conveniently located within a few yards walk of Derby railway station.There will be two five round chess tournaments. The Open section is open to all visually impaired chess players and associate members of the BCA. The Challengers is limited to those graded 100 or below. The entry fee for both tournaments is £10. The cost of dinner, bed and breakfast for members and associate members is £40 per person per night for Friday and Saturday nights in a single room, and £36 per person per night in a double/twin room. For non members and those staying on the Sunday night, the cost will be £58 per person in a single room and £51 per person in a double/twin. The closing date for entries was 26th January, but if you contact the organiser quickly there might still be spaces available. Please, let our secretary know if you are planning to attend the AGM without staying at the hotel so that we can let you have the AGM papers. Organiser Steve Burnell

15 th to 22 nd June 2018: Jan Lovell Memorial Chairman’s Cup, Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth Please note the change of date and venue! This is due to circumstances beyond our control.The Chairman's Cup is open to all visually impaired players whose grade or estimated grade is 140 or below in either the July 2017 or January 2018 grading lists and to BCA associate members within the same grading limit. The event is played over 7 rounds with one round each day. Players may request a half point bye in any one of the first six rounds. If there are sufficient numbers there will be two sections. Entry fee: £10. Cost of dinner, bed and breakfast accommodation to members and associate members of BCA: £270 for the week. The cost to those booking for less than the full week will be £45 per day for members and associate members. The cost to non-members of BCA: £357 for the week or £57 per day. The closing date for bookings is 30th April 2018. Bookings accepted after that date, at the discretion of the organiser, will be subject to a late booking fee of £10 per person. Bookings, including full payment, should be sent to: Mrs Gill Smith (see list of BCA Officers for contact details). Please note: Rooms will not be reserved until full payment has been received. The Marsham Court appears very friendly and comfortable. We also have use of a heated pool. The parking and green areas are also very good. In addition to the chess tournament there will be a varied programme of social activities. Anyone with ideas for social events, or who wants further information is invited to contact the organisers: John and Pam Jenkins

A message from John Jenkins: I think the format of the 2016 Chairman's Cup went down fairly well with most attendees. There was one game played every morning at 10.00am except the first night when the chess started at 7.30pm. Entertainment included a simultaneous display, barber shop singers, a quiz, jazz in the bar, a murder mystery, and a final night concert. I can arrange trips out to suit individuals. The Lighthouse is functioning again, offering music and various exhibitions etc. Please give me feedback for possible improvements.I have contacted Yvonne Brooks of Action for Blind People at Salisbury, and hope to set a session of one to one tutorials for tech equipment like smart phones, tablets and daisy readers etc., like Philip in the Windermere Manor (not chess programs). I would like suggestions for the kind of equipment to be discussed and who would be interested.Booking Conditions and ProceduresIf you have any queries about the hotel or the tournament please contact the organiser. Blind and partially sighted UK residents under the age of 25 receive free entry and free accommodation when playing in BCA events. In appropriate circumstances, free accommodation is also available to a parent or guardian accompanying a junior.Visually impaired UK residents in their first year of membership receive their first BCA weekend event free or £100 reduction in the cost of a week-long event. They may also be accompanied by a guide or companion who will receive the same concession.For a first event we ask for payment in advance and we then make a refund at the event.You may pay in these ways:Cheques payable to Braille Chess Association should be sent to Gill Smith. Online or telephone payments may be made to: Braille Chess Association, sort code 40 52 40, account number 00082456.Credit/debit card payments may be made through the BCA website.If you pay by direct payment then you should inform Gill when the payment has been made. Bookings accepted after the closing date are subject to a £10 late booking penalty for each person. Late bookings and entries are accepted at the discretion of the organiser. Bookings are confirmed when full payment has been received. Payments can only be refunded within the time limit set in the terms and conditions set by the hotels.Members are advised to take out holiday insurance to cover themselves.When contacting Gill please let her know if you want a single, double or twin room and if you have a preference for a bath or a shower. And remember, if emailing Gill, copy in the tournament organiser.Also say whether any of the following apply.

1 If you will be bringing a guide dog;2 If you are on a special diet;3 If you have mobility problems and would benefit from being located in a room near to a lift;4 If you are a wheelchair user;5 If you feel you would have any special difficulties in an emergency such as a fire evacuation;6 Any other special requirements.

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By entering a BCA tournament a player is deemed to have consented for their forename, surname, club, results and possibly also their gender to be sent to the ECF for grading purposes. For juniors, the date of birth is also required if they are to get the age-related grading bonus they are entitled to.Please note: BCA reserves the right to refuse or cancel any entry or to exclude any person from any event it runs.

Never been to the Netherlands?Whether you’ve never been to the Netherlands before or you have been and you loved it, there are two chances to play chess there this spring. But you’ll have to move quickly!The 13th Open Chess Championship (O.N.K.) of the Dutch Chess Association for Visually Disabled (N.S.V.G.) will take place from Thursday February 8th to Sunday February 11th 2018 in the Hotel De Hoeve in the village of Nunspeet, the Netherlands. It is a six round Swiss tournament and there will be two or three groups, depending on the number of players. The rounds will be played on Thursday evening, Friday morning and afternoon, Saturday morning and afternoon and Sunday morning. Anyone interested in taking part should contact the organiser, Sergio Harnandan, immediately. The annual Haaksbergen tournament takes place in the Netherlands from 13th to 15th April 2018. The committee has decided to subsidise this trip again to the tune of £75 per participant. If you’d like to go this really is your last chance to register! Please refer back to your November 2017 gazette for further details. Don’t delay! Contact Guy today! (Our secretary’s contact details are on our website.)

All Under One RoofMembers can claim support for attending any of these congresses from the Congress Support Scheme. You just have to flag up with the Congress Support Officer, Mark Kirkham, that you intend to participate, and assuming you have not exceeded the amount you are entitled to claim in a year and that you send in a small report on the tournament afterwards you could probably offset the vast bulk of costs incurred by playing in an event. If you do choose to claim for attending one of these tournaments, or indeed for playing at any other tournament covered by the scheme, please follow the guidelines and send the Congress Support Officer, Mark Kirkham, travel receipts and the required report. This list should not be treated as definitive and is only as complete as I can make it whilst complying with gazette deadlines. The following events take place in hotels so the accommodation and tournament itself are at the same venue.Castle ChessThese are organised by the Castle Chess directors, Tony and Barbara Corfe and Mark Shaw. The website www.castlechess.co.uk gives the email address enquiries@castlechess.co.uk. Castle Chess are well used to having visually impaired participants in their events. I have also found that other participants in Castle Chess events have got to know and befriended BCA players.Please note that unless otherwise stated, all Castle Chess congresses are now six-round Swiss events and you are allowed to take a half-point bye in any two of the first five rounds. The grading bands are an U195 Championship which also has an U175 Premier section, the Major for those under 155 with an Intermediate section for U135s, and a Minor section for those with a grade less than 115 with a Challengers section for U95s.16th – 18th March 2018, 10th Hereford CongressAs usual this will be held at the Green Dragon Hotel on Broad Street, Hereford.11th – 13th May 2018, 4th Harrogate Congress Castle Chess have been looking to get tournaments going in the north and for this event they are returning to the Old Swan Hotel, a venue which has become familiar to participants in BCA events.

e2e4 events Website: www.e2e4.org.ukI can find no e2e4 events for the period covered by this gazette.

Other Events16th – 18th February 2018, 47th Dyfed Chess Congress, Fishguard Bay Hotel, Quay Rd, GoodwickFive round Swiss with a FIDE Rated Open and a Major for U121 ECF. All moves in 1½ hours with 30 second increments added after each move. Website: http://www.dyfed-chess.org

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23rd – 25th February 2017, 25th Bunratty Chess Festival, Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty, Ireland Nigel Short described this as the Rolls Royce of weekenders. There are four sections: Masters over ELO 2000, Challengers ELO 1600 to 1999, Major ELO 1200 to 1599 & Minor under ELO 1200. Email info@bunrattychess.com for details. 9th – 11th March 2018, 42nd Blackpool Chess Conference, Imperial Hotel, North Promenade, Blackpool. There are five sections: an Open, a Major (u-181), an Intermediate (u-155), a Minor (u-135) and a Standard (u-115). The rate of play is all moves in 110 minutes with a ten second increment for each move. No telephone number seems to be given on the entry form, so email enquiries to blackpoolchessconference@yahoo.co.uk.31st March – 7th April 2018, 4th Polar Capital Jersey International, Hotel Ambassadeur, St.Clement BayThere is an Open, a Holiday tournament for those under ECF 160 and a Minor for those under ECF 65. The USB Jersey Open Blitz tournament is on the 4th of April in the same venue. All four events are nine round Swisses. Contact: Paul Wojciechowski.13th – 15th April 2018, 18th 4NCL FIDE rated Congress, Holiday Inn, Doncaster. This is a five-round Swiss. The sections are a FIDE Open, FIDE U-2000 (ECF U-175), and an ECF U-135. Contact Mike Truran.Guy Whitehouse.

Words from the WhitehouseThe committee held a meeting on 11th November and here is my usual brief summary of discussions.We all enjoyed looking at the trophy Julie had received when the ECF named the Gazette as their magazine of the year; the trophy did look rather splendid it must be said!We looked at feedback to our request for views on the possibility of changing the association’s name. Opinion was split fairly evenly, although there was no unanimity amongst those who did favour a name change as to what we should change the name to. This led us to suspect that if we did go for a name change, we risked annoying more or less everyone! Please see the separate article by our Chairman for further thoughts on this subject. For now, we’re going to change the website to emphasise “BCA” rather than Braille Chess Association and take every opportunity to make it clear that people do not have to be braillists to join us.It looks as if we are going to be sending a team to the World Cup. This is scheduled to take place in Sofia, Bulgaria from 20th to 31st July. We’re also looking to enter a team in the Six Nations which will be held in Ermelo, the Netherlands from 1st to 5th March. Throw in Haaksbergen, and I’m sure you’ll appreciate we have a busy international programme next year. We’ve decided to try a slightly different approach to publicising our tournaments. Instead of sending articles to local newspapers, which, at the moment, seem to be ignored, we’re going to let local chess clubs in the area know. Obviously if someone such as the local Mayor happens to visit a tournament of ours we’ll contact the local press, but for now we want to experiment with this new approach to see if it leads to different results. In the meantime I should also point out that Gill has new publicity leaflets for anyone who feels they can make use of them.Our Audio Librarian, Mark, is looking to digitise more of Chris’s annotated games and he is hoping that Paul Benson will send him some of his analysed games so that these also can be catalogued and made available to members. Keep an eye out for updates on ebooks from Mark in his AGM report; it seems that Kindle books and other formats have become rather more accessible than they previously were.We are always looking for volunteers to take on tasks and so help the committee, many of whom are holding down jobs and/or have other commitments over and above their BCA roles. If you’d be interested in the position of friendly games coordinator, or could control a group or division in our correspondence competitions, or if you could help organise over-the-board tournaments, particularly the championships, do get in touch with us.Gill, supported by Julia’s excellent fundraising efforts, continues to keep us financially shipshape. We are particularly proud of the fact that for every pound we raise, 83 pence is spent directly on supporting visually impaired chess players leaving only 17 pence being spent on publicity, governance and fundraising.Finally the new trustees’ annual report is available for anyone who wishes to read it. Also we made some minor adjustments to our health and safety policy and ratified updated versions of our reserves and investment policies as well. We actually have quite a few of these policies now including, amongst others, a complaints policy. Anyone who wishes to familiarise themselves with the contents of these policies can contact the committee or find them online under the ‘About us’ section of the website (click on BCA Policies).

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Guy WhitehouseShould We Change Our Name? Probably not!

In an article in the August 2017 Gazette, the committee recommended that we should consider whether to change the name of our Association because of the risk at present of putting off potential new members who do not read Braille. The article generated quite a lot of feedback which was divided roughly equally between those favouring a name change and those opposing one. Moreover, among those favouring a change, there was little agreement about what the new name should be. Our fundraiser Julia Scott is not opposed to a change but feels that the term BCA is well known among our donors and that it would be a great pity to lose it, meaning that our options for a new name would be very limited.The committee discussed the matter again at the November meeting and we came to the conclusion that we should not recommend a name change because of the level of opposition to the idea, the lack of agreement on any new name and the risk of possibly damaging our fundraising prospects. Instead, we feel we should continue our recent practice of giving less prominence to the full name “Braille Chess Association” in our publicity output and making more use of our strapline “Supporting chess players with sight loss”. I must emphasise that this decision by the committee does not prevent any member from pressing for a name change and raising the matter at the AGM.During our committee considerations, the question arose as to what course of action would have been appropriate if we had recommended a name change. The fact is that a name change would affect our constitution and so the decision could only be made by VI members voting at an AGM. However, less than 20 such members typically attend the AGM and we felt that this would be too small a proportion of our membership to make such a major decision and that some sort of postal voting would be more appropriate. As a result, we will be bringing to the 2018 AGM a motion that, if passed, would allow postal voting for any major issues in the future.Norman Wragg

Anyone for Coaching?One of the aims of our organisation is to improve the playing strength of those members who are interested in pursuing BCA training activities and, to this end, I hope to encourage more of the membership to take up any coaching opportunities which may arise. When sending our teams abroad for world events we provide coaches to help to maximise their chances of success. Now if our top players can benefit from such coaching it must be true that the rest of us can also find it helpful, not only in improving our game, but in making it more enjoyable by improving our understanding of chess through examples and by teaching us the principles which make it easier to find good moves rather than flounder in a wealth of possibilities each time it is our turn to move. There are plenty of books and articles available from the BCA library and elsewhere which enable us to study chess by ourselves and this is clearly an immensely valuable resource. However, it is easy enough to fall into bad habits or become lazy and coaching is a good way to revitalise our efforts when sitting down at the chess board.For anyone joining the BCA, particularly those who have never taken part in tournament chess, the experience can be very daunting. The intensity of a weekend's competition may be something quite unfamiliar to a beginner. Coaching can be a great source of inspiration to such players, providing access to learning in a non-pressured situation, a means by which any questions or concerns can be addressed to give confidence and insight to any beginner and a friendly environment in which to participate and get to know other members in pursuing a shared interest. For those of us who are experienced but not necessarily particularly good players coaching can give us a lift, provide us with new ideas and even completely change the way we think about the game, providing us with fresh ideas to try when we play our next game.Over the years we have organised coaching events in small groups in various locations. The problem with face-to-face coaching is finding the right mix of trainees and a suitable venue. The cost is also a factor. The demand for training has not tended to be high, but I believe it can be of help to all of us. In recent times Skype has become an additional way to provide coaching. For those not familiar with it, Skype is a program which can be downloaded onto a computer, free of charge, and used to hold conversations directly with another person who has the same program. Skype calls to other computers are also free of charge. It is possible to host more than two people in any conversation and so it would be feasible to have a coach and a group of trainees on one call. Setting-up and familiarisation with Skype may be an initial concern, but I believe we have enough expertise in our organisation to help with this. In the last year or two our emphasis has been on one-to-one coaching via Skype or phone. Currently each UK-based BCA member is entitled to six hours' coaching per year paid for by the BCA. If anyone would like coaching sessions in this way would they contact me and I will try to arrange something suitable. My contact details are on the website.

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Voldi Gailans

Labelling Digital Chess ClocksSo many members now use talking digital chess clocks that we had one or two mix ups at the Solihull event. Therefore, we would encourage all members to ensure that their clock has their name on it somewhere. Gill has kindly offered to bring some plastic labels, a Braille writing frame and a marker pen along to our AGM tournament in Derby in order to help out with this task if required.

Membership Secretary’s ReportThis report will be very brief as I've been battling with IT problems and minute writing duties! Regarding IT problems just to say that out of 3 computer data copies I keep on 3 external drives, one drive completely failed, one partially failed and mercifully my third external drive still functions normally. The drives that failed were about 6 year old Freecom drives. So readers please be aware that old computer drives of this age certainly do fail so do keep multiple data backups if you have precious data. On this theme I do remember a very humorous quote I heard from an IT consultant, that is there are only 2 types of computer drives; one type of drive that has failed and one type of drive that is going to fail! As for storing data on solid state memory I've witnessed quite a few memory cards and USB sticks that have just given up the ghost for no apparent reason. I do know that some people do store their data in what is called the cloud which is managed remotely by a storage company which could actually be the safest option in the long term but can of course incur some extra expenses.Anyway, as regards membership matters, I am delighted to have 3 new visually impaired members join our organisation.Firstly, a friendly couple, Tony and Irene Elbourn. They have joined for 5 years and they are hoping to attend one of our tournaments in 2018. We have also had a new life member join from Zambia, Lukwesa Matapo Kalumba, who plans to join chess email competitions and is active on chess email lists. He would be delighted to correspond with other BCA members by email.Mark Hague

Annual Best Game Prize Graham Lilley has concluded his deliberations as judge of the 2017 competition and the outcome will be made known at the 2018 AGM. As we eagerly await that announcement and the presentation of the pink diamond crys-tal paperweight, we are delighted to declare the 2018 competition open! Reigning champion, Bill Armstrong, has kindly agreed to judge this year’s event, which as always will be run in memory of David Hodgkins.The competition is open to all members and associate members in the British Isles and covers over the board and correspondence games which must have been played in a BCA event or for a BCA team during the year. The aim is to consider games at all levels in the BCA, whatever the grade of the players.You may send games to any committee member in the format of your choice. Eligible games that are published in the Gazette during 2018 will automatically be included in the competition. Good luck to one and all!

Correspondence Chess Director’s ReportThe three Divisions of the BCA League 2018-19 have started with a modest increase of participants over the previous cycle. If I were an incumbent politician there would be an opportunity to claim this is down to my being the new C.C. Director. This shall be declined as if future numbers drop then the blame will also come my way.

44th BCA CORRESPONDENCE TOURNAMENT 2017-18

Premier - Group Leader Les WhittleNo update.Scores: Alec Crombie 3-3, Les Whittle 1-2, Ernie McElroy 0-0, George Phillips 0-1, Mike Hague 0-2.

Challenger Group A - Group Leader Denis WarrenGreatrex 0 - 1 Gallacher, 27.Final scores: Denis Warren 3.5-4, Guy Whitehouse 3.5, Eric Gallacher 2, Voldi Gailans 1, Arthur Greatrex 0.

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This group has finished with joint winners defeating all in their way while drawing with each other. Congratulations to Denis Warren and Guy Whitehouse who will now look forward to testing themselves in the Premier section starting 2019.

Challenger Group B - Group Leader Gary WickettCuthbert 1 - 0 Tew, French Defence, 46.Patching 0 - 1 Cuthbert, 18.Scores: Derek Heyes 3-3, Gary Wickett 2-3, Jim Cuthbert 2-4, Geoff Patching 0-1, Eleanor Tew 0-3.

BCA LEAGUE 2018-19Division 1 - Group Leader Guy WhitehouseList of participants: Alec Crombie, Mark Hague, Mike Hague, Ernie McElroy.Division 2 - Group Leader Voldi GailansList of participants: Voldi Gailans, Derek Heyes, Geoff Patching, Denis Warren.Division 3 - Group Leader George PhillipsList of participants: Jim Cuthbert, Eric Gallacher, Arthur Greatrex, George Phillips, Eleanor Tew, Guy Whitehouse.

FRIENDLY LADDER TABLEPersonal circumstances have led to Denis Warren no longer being able to offer his services to organising correspondence chess. Anyone wishing to play a friendly game on the Ladder should now contact myself, details as shown in list of Officers. Congratulations to Gary Wickett on leading the table when it closed for the year. As happens to all champions, his score is reduced to zero and the battle to fight to the top starts over again.Final ladder scores as at 31st December 2017:9 Gary Wickett; 8 Roger Bishop; 7 Jim Cuthbert; 5 Stan Lightowler; 4 Mark Hague, Dorothy Hodges, Stan Lovell, Eleanor Tew; 3 Ernie McElroy, Geoff Patching, Lea Ryan, Les Whittle; 2 Lionel Bryant, Derek Couchman, Jason Pearce, Ann Saunders; 1 Christopher Huby, Bill Tatum, Denis Warren.

In closing, to those about to start a game: Break a peg!

Paul Benson

7th BCA Email TournamentThe remaining games in the 7th BCA Email Tournament were completed in late October, with the final four results from Division 2 being as follows:Cohn lost to CaseyCohn lost to HeyesKruzeniski beat CohnLovell beat CohnIn the final game of Division 1, Steve Burnell lost to Peter Gibbs, meaning that Peter won the tournament with a 100% score! Event organisers, Eamonn Casey and Philip Doyle, presented the trophy to Peter in person at our Autumn Tournament in Solihull, to great applause. Members also took the opportunity to thank Eamonn and Philip for all the work that they do to keep these tournaments running so smoothly.

Final scores:Division 1: Peter Gibbs 3, Colin Chambers 1.5, Philip Doyle 1, Steve Burnell 0.5.Division 2: Stan Lovell 3.5, Derek Heyes and Randy Kruzeniski 2.5, Eamonn Casey 1.5, Hans Cohn 0.Division 3: Voldi Gailans and Michael Meaney 2.5, Denis Warren 1, Steve Thacker 0.Division 4: Tony Lawton 3, Gill Smith 2, Anthony Borg and Bill Tatum 0.5.

The 8th BCA Email Tournament is due to start in the spring. Watch out for an announcement on the user group!

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BCA Autumn Tournament Weekend 2017Eleanor Tew writes:The tournament was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, formerly the Holiday Inn, which stands in a prosperous part of Solihull a little way from the town centre. It has been re-furbished. There is a fire behind glass on the main corridor; I could feel the heat as I went past. By the entrance there was a 12-foot Christmas tree, fully decorated and lit on 27th October. There is a swimming pool, but few of us knew about it or came prepared! In the yard there is a pool with a fountain. When I set out for a short walk after breakfast on Saturday a heron was standing in the pool. It was still there when I came back.We found our rooms very comfortable. Some of the food was very tasty, some less so. Vegetables were few. Bar food and drinks were very expensive. Service was sometimes slow, but the staff were courteous and helpful.A record number of prizes had been brought for the raffle, which was drawn at 9 pm on Saturday to save time on Sunday. Efe and I happened to draw our own tickets, which caused amusement. The raffle raised £188.I will not say too much about the chess. If there had been a booby prize, I should have won it. On Saturday morning several of us sat rueing our mistakes in an area of the bar which we nicknamed Blunders Corner. Peter Gibbs offered a graded friendly to anyone who had a bye. I thought I would have this privilege, but the draw was changed and I did not. Congratulations are due to all the winners, especially to young Efe Shimwell, who won the Challengers section, and thanks as always to the arbiters, steward, tournament organiser and everyone else who made the event possible.After the tournament four of us were on the same Newcastle train formed of four coaches. The standard class passengers invaded the first class coach. The train manager could not get through to check our tickets. In the standard class coaches people were sitting on the floor. One person nearly fainted. It was a pity we could not have borrowed some of the eleven coaches which formed the Wolverhampton train!I hope this article is good enough for a magazine which has just won an award from the English Chess Federation; if not, the editor knows what to do.

Editor’s note: I certainly do know what to do! Firstly, sincere thanks to Eleanor for her fine report. Secondly, I must issue a mild reprimand as Eleanor gave far too modest an account of her own play. As steward, I witnessed the games and I can assure readers that Eleanor put up a good fight and was unlucky not to pick up a point or two!

The final standings and scores were as follows:

Open5 points: Chris Ross 3.5 points: David Mabbs and Owen Phillips3 points: Norman Wragg (Grading Prize) 2.5 points: Norman Andrews, Bill Armstrong, Ian Blencowe, Steve Burnell, Colin Chambers and Philip Doyle2 points: Sean Loftus (Grading Prize) and Stan Lovell1.5 points: Eamonn Casey, Mark Hague, Ernie McElroy, Richard Murphy

Challengers4.5 points: Efe Shimwell4 points: Dan Rugman3.5 points: George Phillips and Gary Wickett3 points: Gill Smith (Grading Prize)2.5 points: Voldi Gailans2 points: Jim Cuthbert, Richard Harrington (Grading Prize), Tony Lawton and Michael Lowery0 points: Eleanor Tew

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Reflections after SolihullSub-titled “Any plan is better than no plan”

David Mabbs writes:Oh dear - Julie's November editorial about changing fashions in chess struck a chord with me!I am living history: my chess heyday (such as it was) ran from 1955 to 1964, with a brief revival in the early 1970s. Since then, I've dipped in and out of chess, always on a highly casual basis, such that just a couple of months ago the “Chess Improver” remarked that David Mabbs has “made more come-backs than Frank Sinatra”.I confess to never having had a chess engine. My opening repertoire is fifty years out of date, my memories are vague, and many lines have probably now been refuted. So I tend to play random openings. Against Ernie McEl-roy I played 1 e3. He was so startled that he said “I've never seen that before” to which I replied, truthfully, “Neither have I.”In the 1950s, we were pretty unsophisticated. Seat-of-the-pants merchants. What mattered much more than open-ings theory was to have a plan within each game. This article explains and illustrates what I mean by this.If you want to see plans in action, just study the games of Chris Ross. He is a supreme strategist. From the earli-est stages of a game, Chris has the ability to determine what White and Black should each be doing. We mere mortals are proud if we can analyse (say) five or six moves ahead - Chris analyses thirty or more moves ahead! As his plan unfurls, there's almost an inevitability about it, a bit like meeting an oncoming steam-roller. His op-ponent may squirm and wriggle and conjure up some attempted counter-play – but this is anticipated and brushed aside. I know this first-hand, I've fallen victim to Chris twice this year.The ’50s and ’60s were innocent times. I quite often played the Dutch Defence (1... f5 against 1 d4 or against 1 Nf3). Assume, if you will, that White plays d4, Nf3, fianchettoes his King's Bishop, castles kingside and also plays c4. (These were standard manoeuvres.) Black had a plan, and it was delightfully simple. The sort of thing that you did as Black, in no particular order, was … f5, ...e6, ...d5 and ...c6. You would throw your King's Knight into e4, your Bishop to e7, castle kingside, … Qe8, ...Qh5, … QN to ...f6, or perhaps ...Rf6 with ...Rh6 in the air. Then at a suitable moment you would sacrifice your f-pawn at f4, maybe your e-pawn too, at e5 …. White's pawn structure was ruined, and then your QB would sweep down to g4 or to h3 and White would be dead in the water.White really would be destroyed, time after time, and in spectacular fashion, if he were to simply stand around haplessly and watch on. He could not possibly find enough defenders within reach. Resistance was futile. Lots of opponents went to their end in this sort of manner. What they had been doing was simply reacting, move by move, to each thrust by Black. “What shall I do now ?” A series of still picture decisions. Doomed. Totally doomed.What every player must do is have a plan. Any plan. A plan for what you are going to do. Having no plan is usu-ally catastrophic. You may not find the best available plan – you're not the world champion. But neither is your opponent. Your motto should be “any plan is better than no plan”.In the case in point, the Dutch Defence in the 1950s, White's plan was well known among the stronger players. Yes, you keep a weather-eye on Black's manoeuvres, and when merited you digress from your own plan just to an-noy Black and slow his attack down. But what you are doing, your plan, your bit of the board, is on the queenside. You mass pieces there, you throw pawns down the board, you open files and you win material (Black, after all, is away on the kingside). Then you come in behind Black on the seventh or eighth ranks. Easier said than done, but that's what you have to do. That's your plan. There's absolutely no point in trying to defend Black's own attack – you won't succeed. You have to slug it out, plan against plan, and try to strike your blows first and strike decis-ively. Sometimes you'll win, sometimes you won't. It's fun.Fast forward to Solihull, 2017. I had a very nasty shock when I resurrected my Dutch Defence against Bill Arm-strong in Round Five. 1 Nf3 f5 2 d4 Nf6 3 d5! Well – this wasn't part of the deal!! Nobody plays this against the Dutch, surely? (Not having a chess engine, I have to suppose that the answer is “Oh yes they do!” or “Look be-hind you … !”)My trouble is, you see, that I'm still marooned in the 1950s.The more that I looked at the position, the more my incredulity turned to despair. 3 d5 is an arrow in my heart. Bill's plan is strong. In order to develop my queenside pieces I'm going to have to bite the bullet and play … d6. Ugh – my e6 square is dreadfully weak and likely to be colonised by a Knight – how I would love to have my f-pawn back on f7 to challenge at e6 and to shield my King. However remote the prospect may seem, I have simply got to find a plan of my own. Otherwise Bill will have an absolute field-day on the White squares. His Bishop is murderous on the long diagonal, and at some stage he'll own the a2-g8 diagonal with his queen. His Knights can

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dominate via d4 or g5. The d-file will belong to him. And at a time of his choosing, when my uncoordinated pieces are shuffling around aimlessly on ranks six to eight, he will play a timely e4 and just roll through my de-fences uncontested.“Gotta find a plan.” (This is quite unlike any Dutch Defence I've ever known.) “Gotta find a plan.” (Any plan is better than no plan – the words echoed in my ear.) I need something vigorous that will delay Bill from executing his own plan while he attends to my own threats.As an aside, I can't stress strongly enough, that players should invest their time and their efforts, at these early stages of a game, in deciding on their long term strategies and plans. And then try to stick to the plan. You'll get your time back during later moves, because you won't have to keep thinking afresh, at each move, “What shall I do next?” You'll know, within fairly defined limits, what you'll be doing next – you'll be following your plan, which – all being well – may be better than your opponent's plan, especially if he doesn't have one!I'm not going to commentate closely on my game with Bill. I want readers to concentrate on Bill's plan and my plan as totalities. If I confuse the issues with too much detail, readers might not see the wood for the trees. So, before I give the score, I'll just outline the plan that I decided upon. I shall open the c-file: that will be mine. Both my Rooks will head there. I'll park my White squared Bishop at d7, and develop the QN at a6, probably headed for c5 – or in some lines b4. I'm setting up queenside counter-play – this is my arena. My Queen will go to b6 (or, in some lines, to a5). My black-squared Bishop will be trained on the long diagonal. Everything will be targeted at the c2, b2 sort of area. I can foresee pins, forks, pseudo-sacrifices, all sorts of possible fun. All being well, a mo-ment may come when I can make the freeing move, e5. This may not be a winning plan, or even a drawing plan – but it is a plan, and it seems my best hope.As for Bill, his plan is clear, and his plan is strong.I suggest that you play through our game at high speed, concentrating on recognising the execution of our plans. Don't get obsessed by the detail – trace the bigger picture. Next time, you can go through more slowly, and dis-cover the twists and turns, the detailed threats and counters, and so on. (There's a lot there to be discovered, but – maybe – for another time.)

Autumn Open, Solihull. Round 5. October 30th 2017.White: Bill ArmstrongBlack: David Mabbs1. Nf3 f5 2. d4 Nf6 3. d5 g6 4. c4 Bg7 5. Nc3 0-0 6. g3 c6 7. Bg2 d6 8. 0-0 cxd5 9. cxd5 Na6 10. Nd2 Bd7 11. Re1 Rc8 12. Rb1 Ng4 13. h3 Ne5 14. f4 Qb6+ 15. Kh2 Nc4 16. Nxc4 Rxc4 17. Bd2 Rfc8 18. e3 Rb4 19. Qc2 e5 20. b3 e4 21. Bf1 Bb5 22. Bxb5 Rxb5 23. Rbc1 Rxd5 24. Nxd5 Rxc2 25. Nxb6 Rxd2+ 26. Kg1 axb627. Rc8+ Kf7 28. Rec1 Bb2 29. R1c4 b5 30. Rc2 Rxc2 31. Rxc2 Ba3 32. Kf2 Bc5 33. Ke2 Nb4 34. Rd2 Ke6 35. a3 Nd5 36. b4 Bxe3 37. Rxd5 Kxd5 38. Kxe3 Kc4 39. g4 Kc3 40 White resigns.Remember, folks – remember well, “Any plan is better than no plan”. Go to it! “Enjoy.” And, last but not least, a big thank you to everyone for welcoming me and my wife Jenny among you. For us it's a very great privilege.

Report on Belgian Open Championship 2017Voldi Gailans writes: I attended the Belgian Open Championship which took place from Wednesday 1st November to Saturday 4th November. The journeys there and back went incredibly smoothly, no problem with the Eurostar and the assistance at St. Pancras, Brussels and Blankenberge was flawless.I was met at Blankenberge Station by Herman Jennen, President of the Belgian Blind Chess Association, and his wife, who walked with me the short distance to the hotel Sabot D'or and showed me straight to my room. The hotel itself was comfortable and I'd say that the 320 Euros for four days' full board was very good value. The light breakfast each morning was perfect for a 9 am start to the morning games and substantial meals at lunch time and in the evening ensured that we were extremely well-fed. Whereas coffee and fruit juice came as part of the breakfast deal, drinks at the other two meals and those served during the chess games were at a small extra cost.There was ample room for the players in the chess room - I tended to sit at the same board throughout, with plenty of space between me and the other players and plenty of room on the table for my chess equipment.The tournament was divided into two sections - Group A, the higher one, comprising 8 players and Group B, with 7. This meant an All-play-all in both sections, with a necessary bye in the bottom one.

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Each game was four hours' maximum duration - two hours each for all moves. Round 1 was played in the evening of the day of arrival, with subsequent rounds being played on the following 3 days commencing at 9 am and 2.45 pm.I was placed in Group B and came away with 3 wins and 3 losses. All the games had interest for me, 5 fighting games and a comprehensive defeat in the last round against Bernard Dutoit from France, the eventual winner of the Section. This loss was in some measure due to lack of opening preparation and I finished up in an ending, two pawns down, one on either wing and resigned. I finished in 4th place in Group B. I was made to feel welcome by the people I spoke to and I believe that they appreciated my having made the effort to come and participate. I sat at table with Hugo Roman, the arbiter of the tournament, who will be familiar to some of our members and who I have known since 1986 and he, in a sense, took me under his wing, guiding me back to and from my room to the dining area, which was in a separate building, and generally looking out for my well-being - he arranged for me to go out on the Friday afternoon, during my round 5 bye, on a visit to a small Brewery, about 20 km from Blankenberge. This was fascinating and really enjoyable. The owner of the brewery translated his information into English for me and took trouble to show me the equipment used in the beer-making process. I came away with six bottles to share with the family.We had a prize-giving ceremony after dinner on the Saturday evening and I was given a packet of typical Belgian biscuits. In his speech the President of the Belgian Association thanked me for coming all the way from England to take part and couldn't resist the crack that it was nice to have the only non-European taking part in the tournament. I had to remind him that we weren't leaving until 2019 and that we hadn't gone yet!I left after breakfast on the Sunday and had company all the way to Brussels as some of the Belgian players returned home on the same train as me. This meant that the time passed very quickly as we chatted and exchanged e-mails. As well as Hugo I now have two other e-mail contacts and we are intending to keep in touch.Overall, I'd say the trip was a success from my point of view, the travel was easy both ways, the hotel was comfortable, the food was good, very friendly company and some good chess. Inevitably there were conversations in which I could not participate and where an English-speaking companion would, of course, have been welcome, but I feel that the trip was well worth the effort and, overall, very enjoyable.

Hugo’s GameMany thanks to Hugo Roman for sharing his game against a young blind Canadian in the French Championship, 2017. The event was open to visually impaired players from outside of France and Hugo has special permission to enter in recognition of the vast contribution he has made to chess for the blind over many decades.Amine Bousbia (Canada) v. Hugo Roman (Belgium)1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Be7 (Neo – Cunningham variation)4. d4? Bh4+ 5. Nxh4? Qxh4+ 6. Kd2? Qf2+ 7. Kc3 Nf6 8. Qf3 Nc6! 9. Qd3 d5 10. Nd2 0-0 11. b3 dxe412. Nxe4 Nxe4+ 13. Qxe4 Bf5! 14. Be3 Qxe3+? Spoiling this mini- game a bit, and permitting my opponent to continue the game for another 16 moves. I should have played fxe3!

Echoes of an OlympiadJulie Leonard writes:Last year Philip Doyle pointed out to me that 2018 would be the half-centenary of the IBCA Olympiad that was hosted by the BCA in Weymouth. He had found a write up on the event by the organiser, John Graham, in which there were references to daily reports that had been sent to the local paper during the tournament. Philip suggested that we should try to track down these reports to commemorate the event. I must admit, I was sceptical at first. Fifty years is a long time. Would the newspaper archive still exist? Even if it did, would an outsider be permitted to read it? And although daily reports had been sent to the paper, there was no guarantee that any were actually printed. However, in its day the Weymouth Olympiad was a ground breaking tournament. It was the first ever IBCA event hosted by the BCA and the first Olympiad held outside of Germany. I decided it was worth a try, so I wrote to the “Dorset Echo”, not expecting very much in the way of a response, if I’m honest.How wrong I was! To my surprise and delight, I received a reply from Paul Roper of the “Dorset Echo”, who said that the archive was available for viewing by appointment. So two days after Christmas, with snow lying on the ground, my husband, Olly, and I drove from our home in the Cotswolds to the offices of the “Dorset Echo” in Weymouth. On arrival, Paul met us and ushered us through to the boardroom where two huge bound volumes awaited us. Each was the size of a full page newspaper, about 4 inches thick and contained three months’ worth of

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papers. Luckily, we knew the precise dates of interest so were able to home in on the correct timeframe. With bated breath we carefully turned each yellowed page, fearing that our long trip had been in vain. However, nest-ling among news items that ranged from world changing events to items of local interest such as a Dorsetshire cow giving birth to triplets, we found what we were looking for. The Weymouth Olympiad had received excellent cov-erage in the “Dorset Echo”!Many thanks to Paul Roper for his assistance with this research and for letting Olly and me make copies of the art-icles that we found which I have since transcribed. Thanks also to Philip Doyle, who inspired this whole project. Philip said to me that he regards the Olympiad as one of the BCA’s finest achievements and having researched the event I’m inclined to agree with him! So I invite you now to step into a BCA time machine with me and travel back to relive the 1968 Olympiad through John Graham’s reports in the “Dorset Echo”. I do hope you will enjoy them. Of course, the results of the Olympiad are well documented and are available on the internet for anyone to read, but John’s daily updates paint a much more colourful picture than a mere set of scores. You will find yourself in very different context from that of today. Some of the countries represented at the Olympiad no longer exist and the political landscape was very different. International travel was a rare luxury for most people and English was much less widely spoken. UK currency was pounds, shillings and pence and chess games were written down in English Descriptive notation, though for the benefit of modern players I have changed the games in these reports to algebraic. However, despite the dissimilarity with today’s international Braille chess scene, you might be surprised by the number of names you recognise. Some people mentioned are still members to this day!

Friday 29th March 1968Blind Chess Olympiad Opens: 19 NATIONS COMPETE AT WEYMOUTHThe third international Braille chess Olympiad was officially opened at Weymouth today. Nineteen nations are competing in the event being staged for the next fortnight.After the opening ceremony by the Mayor of Weymouth, Mrs. Greta Thomas, play started in the Pavilion Ballroom. Other rounds after today will be held in the Panorama Restaurant, adjoining the Fairhaven Hotel where the competitors are staying.The 19 countries taking part in this, the largest blind chess Olympiad yet, are from Britain, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, West Germany, Eire, Finland, France, Holland, Hungary, Israel, Poland, Rumania, Spain, Sweden, America, Russia and Yugoslavia (who won both previous contests in 1961 and 1964). A 20th team, included to make the pairings easier, is the International Braille Chess Association Executive.

PROUDSpeeches made at this morning's opening ceremony were translated into German by Weymouth schoolmaster Mr. Fred Samuel of Westham Secondary Modern School. President of the I.B.C.A., Mr. Reg Bonham, told competitors, "We are particularly pleased to greet teams from the U.S.S.R., America, Israel, Rumania, Spain, France, Finland and Holland, who are taking part for the first time. That we have been able to hold this Olympiad in England fills me with pride."Through the efforts of Hans Cohn, our secretary, and John Graham, editor of En Passant (The "Echo's" chess correspondent), necessary funds were mustered to make this tournament possible."We have received donations from many people and organisations. We have received £1,000 from the Royal Institute of the Blind, and £500 each from the Nuffield Foundation for the Blind and Marks and Spencer. To these and others, we acknowledge our appreciation."Among the other messages was one from Mr. Duncan Watson, president of the National Federation of the Blind. Mr. Watson said: "How splendid it would be if our chess players would emulate the feat of the English soccer team who won the World Cup in their centenary year here in England."

RECORDSThis Olympiad has established several new records. The American team set a new travelling record for the competition and this is the biggest ever staged.In 1961, seven teams took part at Meschede, in West Germany, and three years later nine teams competed for the title at Kuelungsborn in East Germany. Britain finished fourth and fifth respectively.Draw for the first round: America v Israel; France v. Russia; Britain v. Poland; East Germany v. Denmark; Spain v. Czechoslovakia; Holland v. Executive; Rumania v. Hungary; Eire v. Sweden; Yugoslavia v. Finland; Austria v. West Germany.

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The event will be controlled by a team comprising Mr. G. H. Simmons, B.C.F. controller; Mr. Harry Golombek, International Master; Mr. R. H. K. Mann, Dorset Chess Association secretary; and Mr. G. W. Kilminster, editor of the Hampshire Chess Bulletin.

Saturday 30th March 1968Blind Chess Olympiad: A RUSSIAN SURPRISES THE SPECTATORS ...Some competitors in the third International Braille Chess Olympiad at Weymouth yesterday suffered from first-round jitters. After the formal opening ceremony and amid considerable Press and T.V. coverage, this is only to be expected. However, there was no nervousness at all in the performances of the Soviet and Yugoslav teams, both of whom demolished their opponents, France and Finland respectively, by four points to nil.Neither was there any nervousness apparent in the match between Rumania and Hungary which, after an adjournment session, only produced three hard-fought draws with one game still to be played out.Many of the players were playing for the first time in an international competition and although they settled down, several blunders were committed.At one point the Soviet No. 1 player, N. Rudenski, spurned a queen left en pris by his French opponent, much to the amazement of spectators. The reason? He didn't want to win from a blunder by his opponent.The British team, drawn against a tired Polish quartet, who had arrived in Weymouth in the early hours of the morning, gained an efficient 3-1 win. Meanwhile, two new teams to the Olympiad, U.S.A. and Israel, fought a very nervous and close match, which ended in a 2.5-1.5 win for the U.S.A.Other results were: East Germany 3.5, Denmark 0.5; Czechoslovakia 3, Spain 1; Eire 2.5, Sweden 1.5; Austria 2.5, West Germany 1.5; and the Reserve team 2.5, Holland 1.5.

POSITIONSThus the order after one round is: Equal first, Soviet Union and Yugoslavia 4; third, East Germany 3.5; equal fourth, Czechoslovakia and the United Kingdom 3; equal sixth, Austria, Eire, United States and the Reserve team 2.5; equal 10th, Hungary and Rumania with 1.5 plus an adjourned game; equal 12th, Holland, Israel, Sweden and West Germany 1.5; equal 16, Poland and Spain 1; 18th Denmark 0.5 and equal 19th, France and Finland 0.The tournament is arranged as an 11-round Swiss event which pairs leading teams against each other in each round and so the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia were meeting today in what must be the needle match. The full draw for the second round is: U.S.S.R. v. Yugoslavia; Czechoslovakia v. East Germany; Executive Reserve team v. United Kingdom; U.S.A. v. Eire; Austria v Rumania; West Germany v. Hungary; Israel v. Sweden; Poland v. Holland; Denmark v. Spain, and Finland v. France.

Monday 1st April 1968Yugoslavs take lead in blind chessIn the second round of the Blind Chess Olympiad being held in Weymouth, the two leading teams, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, fought a tense draw. Each side won one game and two were drawn in the four-board match. Thus at the end of the second round on Saturday, the two sides again led the tournament with six game points out of a possible eight.Close behind were East Germany and, surprisingly, the reserve Executive team with 5.5 points. East Germany had drawn with Czechoslovakia to reach this position, whereas the Executive team had actually beaten the United Kingdom side by three points to one.In the third round played yesterday morning, the Soviet Union met East Germany and won by three points to one - two wins and two draws - to give them a total of nine game points.However, the Yugoslav team met the reserve quartet, who had done better than expected to that point, and they proved their superiority in a 4-0 win. Thus Yugoslavia, with ten points, led the tournament.Behind Yugoslavia and the U.S.S.R. come Czechoslovakia and West Germany (with a third round win over Hungary by 3.5-0.5) with eight points, Poland 7.5, Rumania 7 and then a group of teams with 6.5 points, East Germany, Spain and the U.S.A. The United Kingdom, with six points, came among the next group.Full details: Round Two: Soviet Union 2, Yugoslavia 2; Czechoslovakia 2, East Germany 2; Executive 3, United Kingdom 1; U.S.A. 2, Eire 2; Austria 2.5, Rumania 1.5; West Germany 3.5, Hungary 0.1; Israel 1.5, Sweden 2.5; Poland 3, Holland 1; Denmark 2.5, Spain 1.5; Finland 3, France 1.Round Three: East Germany 1, Soviet Union 3; Yugoslavia 4, Executive 0; Czechoslovakia 3, Austria 1; Eire 1, West Germany 3; United Kingdom 2, U.S.A. 2; Sweden 0.5, Poland 3.5; Denmark 3, Finland 1; Rumania 3.5, Israel 0.5; Hungary 3.5, Holland 0.5 and Spain 4, France 0.

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IMPROVEDRound Three certainly showed teams out to win and it also showed the remarkable improvement of the Polish team, who shot into fifth place despite their first-round loss to the United Kingdom contingent.The draw for the fourth round (taking place at the Panorama Restaurant today) is: West Germany v Yugoslavia; U.S.S.R. v Czechoslovakia; Poland v Rumania; Spain v East Germany; U.S.A. v Denmark; Hungary v United Kingdom; Austria v Eire; Executive v Sweden; Israel v Finland and Holland v France.The competition is still wide open.

ENTERTAINEDLast evening the visitors were entertained to a special issue of the locally recorded programme, "Sound of Weymouth." This had been specially prepared to introduce Weymouth to the visitors and the visitors to their hosts. The embassies of most of the countries involved had helped to provide music for the programme and several had sent recorded messages of greetings to their teams.One of these, to the U.S. team, ended with "... a properly restrained, not overly chauvinistic but slightly vulgar exhortation to win." The music ranged from Swedish cattle calling recordings to the Spanish bullfight and from the Strauss waltz to a German music hall.It seemed, certainly from the applause, that the audience, a record number for any performance of "Sound of Weymouth," enjoyed the evening.

Tuesday 2nd April 1968Yugoslavs increase lead in chess OlympiadAfter the fourth round in the blind chess Olympiad at Weymouth, in which Yugoslavia dispatched West Germany by three points to one, and the Soviet Union were held to a draw by Czechoslovakia, the champions from Yugoslavia drew further ahead of the field. They are now two clear points in the lead.In the leading group the countries of Eastern Europe are dominant except for the U.S.A. who have been coming up from behind. Full details of yesterday's matches:Round 4: West Germany 1, Yugoslavia 3; U.S.S.R. 2, Czechoslovakia 2; Poland 0.5, Rumania 3.5; Spain 0, East Germany 4; U.S.A. 3, Denmark 1; Hungary 3, United Kingdom 1; Austria 2, Eire 2; Executive Team 4, Sweden 0; Israel 4, Finland 0; Holland 3, France 1.

TABLEThus the leading scores are now: 1. Yugoslavia (13); 2. Soviet Union (11); 3. equal, East Germany and Rumania (10.5); 5. Czechoslovakia (10); 6. equal, U.S.A. and Executive Team (9.5); 8. equal, West Germany and Hungary (9); 10. equal, Poland and Austria (8); 12. equal, Eire and Israel (7.5); 14. equal, Denmark and United Kingdom (7); 16. Spain (6.5); 17. Holland (6); 18. Sweden (4.5); 19. Finland (4); 20. France (2). Finland may occupy a fairly lowly place in the table, but their behaviour is something that many of the higher placed countries could well copy. They only speak Finnish, and so throughout play they are silent, for they don't think it right to speak a language that their opponents cannot understand. In other teams, perfectly innocent, but unintelligible, words between player and guide are sometimes misconstrued.The draw for the next round, the fifth, is:- East Germany v Yugoslavia, Rumania v U.S.S.R., Czechoslovakia v U.S.A.; West Germany v Executive team, Poland v Hungary, Israel v Austria, Eire v Denmark, United Kingdom v Spain, Finland v Holland and Sweden v France.

TOURThe fifth round will take place tomorrow morning, for today is a rest day when all the visitors will be treated to a guided coach tour of Dorset as guests of the town.After four rounds, approximately a third of the way through the competition, the leading performances have been given by Albert Sandrin, of the U.S.A. and S. Mehidic, of Yugoslavia, at Board 1, for they have both scored 3.5 from 4 games.At Board 2, I. Novak, of Czechoslovakia, and N. Dragun, of Yugoslavia, have both a 100 per cent score at this stage, while at Board 3, J. Brychi, of Poland and M. Muller, of East Germany, both have 3.5 out of 4. T. Turukin of the U.S.S.R. has the best Board 4 score with 4 points.

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Wednesday 3rd April 1968The chess master who doesn't bother with a boardCompetitors in the Blind Chess Olympiad were treated to a guided coach tour of Dorset by courtesy of the Borough of Weymouth and at the same time to a complete cross-section of possible weather conditions by courtesy of the British climate. Beginning with rain and mist and moving through snow to cold winds and eventually to sun, the visit to Swanage was nevertheless greatly appreciated. A rest day is a time for reviewing past games and making ready for those to come. Albert Sandrin, a master from the United States, does not use a board for his games except as an indication to others of the position reached.It was therefore very simple for him to dictate me one of his games from memory.

THE MOVESThis one was played in the match against the United Kingdom in Round Three: White: R. W. Bonham (United Kingdom). Black: A. Sandrin (U.S.A.). 1. P-K4, P-K4; ... (The game has been transcribed into algebraic notation below.)1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.Bxf7+ Probably insufficient. The M.C.O. shows the line as a plus for black although the white player here tried a different 11th move ... Be3 instead of Qd3. Sandrin considered the game good for black if he could hold his position. 6. … Kxf7 7.Ng5+ Kg8 8.Ne6 Qe8 9.Nxc7 Qg6 10.O-O Rb8 11.Be3 Nb6 12.f3 h6 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.N7d5 Nfxd5 15.Nxd5 Nxd5 16.Qxd5+ Qe6 17.Qxe6+ Bxe6 18.Bxa7 Rc8 19.c3 Kf7 20.f4 exf4 21.Rxf4+ Kg6 22.Bd4 Bg5 23.Rf2 Ra8 24.a4 Ra6 25.b4 Bd8 26.Rb2 b5 Note how black blockades the white pawns. 27.a5 Re8 28.Re1 Bc4 29.Rf2 Rae6 30.Rf3 Bc7 31.e5 Bxe5 32.Bxe5 Rxe5 33.Rg3+ Kh7 34.Rxe5 Rxe5 35.Kf2 Re2+ 36.Kf3 g5 A zwischenzug to cut off the white king and-or rook from the queen side, where they might be dangerous37.Rg4 Rc2 38.Ke4 Rxc3 39.Kd4 Rc2 40.Rg3 Bf1 41.Rc3 Rxc3 42.Kxc3 Bxg2 43.Kd4 h5And the pawns roll on!44.Kc5 g4 45.Kxb5 h4 46.Kc5 g3 47.hxg3 h3 0-1Sandrin at present jointly holds the best score at board one. 3.5 games from 4.

A much shorter game but with an amusing finish is the following. It was played at board one between Holland and the Executive team, a reserve entry to even the numbers.WHITE: Van Gelder (Holland) BLACK: Hans H. Cohn (Executive)1. P-Q4, P-Q4 ... (The game has been transcribed into algebraic notation below.)1.d4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 dxc4 4.Bxc4 e6 5.Nc3 c5 6.Nf3 a6 7.a4 Nc6 8.O-O Be7 9.Qe2 O-O 10.Rd1 Qc7 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.e4 Ng4 13.Rf1 Be3 14.Nd4 0-1

'BLITZ'Today, after the fifth round in the competition, the guides have their opportunity to play in a five-minute "blitz" tournament.In the evening, George Koltonowski, the Belgian-born American international master, will be giving a display of simultaneous chess, followed by a lecture.Anyone can enter for this and it will cost 15s. per board. George Koltonowski is well-known for his simultaneous displays, especially in blindfold play, in which he holds the world record of 34 games.

Thursday 4th April 1968Yugoslav maestros march on in Blind Chess: BUT THE BATTLE HOTS UP FOR SECOND PLACEIn the fifth round of the Blind Chess Olympiad at Weymouth, the Yugoslav team increased their lead to an almost impregnable 3.5 points by thrashing East Germany by 4 points to nil. Meanwhile, however, their nearest rivals, from the Soviet Union, were beaten 2.5 to 1.5 by Rumania allowing Czechoslovakia, who beat the U.S.A. by 3.5 to 0.5, to slip into second place.The battle for second place is likely to be a fierce one indeed. At present 1.5 points separate six teams who are well ahead of the main group. Today's matches between Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia and the U.S.S.R. and Hungary, could change the order among these six.

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Full results of yesterday's play were: Round 5: East Germany 0, Yugoslavia 4; Rumania 2.5, U.S.S.R. 1.5; Czechoslovakia 3.5, U.S.A. 0.5; West Germany 3, Executive Team 1; Poland 0.5, Hungary 3.5; Israel 0, Austria 4; Eire 2, Denmark 2; United Kingdom 1, Spain 3; Finland 2, Holland 2; Sweden 4, France 0.The Reserve Executive Team continue to maintain their position and now lead the main group with 10.5 points. The full order of teams is:1, Yugoslavia 17; 2, Czechoslovakia 13.5; 3, Rumania 13; equal 4, Hungary and U.S.S.R. 12.5; equal 6, Austria and West Germany 12; equal 8, East Germany and Executive Team 10.5; 10, U.S.A. 10; equal 11, Eire and Spain 9.5; 13, Denmark 9; equal 14, United Kingdom and Holland 8; 18, Israel 7.5; 19, Finland 6; 20, France 2.

THE DRAWThe draw for the sixth round is:Yugoslavia v Czechoslovakia; Rumania v West Germany; U.S.S.R. v Hungary; Executive Team v Austria; U.S.A. v East Germany; Spain v Eire; Denmark v Poland; Holland v Sweden; Finland v United Kingdom; France v Israel.

Yesterday the guides and controllers also had their chess competition. This took the form of 16 player all-play-all for five minutes chess. In this form of chess each player starts with five minutes on the clock and if he hasn't beaten his opponent by the time his flag falls then he loses. It demands quick thought rather than automatic response.The winner, overwhelmingly, was Golz, the international master from East Germany, who won all 15 games. The full list reads:1, Golz (East Germany) 15; 2, Pesch (West Germany) 14; 3, Molnar (Hungary) 12.5; 4, Loikkanen (Finland) 11; 5, R. H. K. Mann (England) and Pithart (Czechoslovakia) 10.5; 7, Siren (Finland) 10; 8, Bogren (Sweden) 8; 9, Graham (Wales) 6.5; 10, Backstrom (Sweden) and Aizikowicz (Israel) 6; 12, Steffes (West Germany) 4; 13, Norris (England) and Perry (U.S.A.) 3; 15, Sherman (Portland) 2; and 16, McKeon (Eire) 0.In the evening George Koltonowski entertained local players in a chess "display." First of all he took on 14 players simultaneously and in 90 minutes he won 11 games, drew two (to C. Durston and R. H. K. Mann) and lost only one, to the Winfrith player, K. E. G. Perry.

MEMORYThen he presented a blackboard "chess board" on which each square was occupied by a name or number. Then from memory starting off from a square chosen by the audience, he read out a knight's tour of the complete board, without looking at the board. A knight's tour is a complete coverage of all squares once only by a knight which moves in the normal way over the board. The difficulty in calculating a knight's tour of the board is bad enough, without doing it blindfold!To round off the evening Koltonowski took on the player who defeated him in the simultaneous, and beat him blindfold, that is without sight or touch of the board; sweet revenge. Each of the audience was presented with a book of Koltonowski's chess problems and all were well satisfied with an original and most entertaining evening. Tonight all the participants at the 3rd Olympiad will be entertained to a concert at the Winfrith Social Centre.

Friday 5th April 1968

On this day, the front page of the “Dorset Echo” bore a headline telling of an event that rocked the world: LUTHER KING ASSASSINATED

It is humbling that our Olympiad got a mention on the front page of same issue. John was making an appeal:

Can you help a blind man to make music? International teams here for the Blind Chess Olympiad at Weymouth enjoy musical programmes and singing during the evenings, writes JOHN GRAHAM, "Echo" chess correspondent.A blind professional accordionist from Austria would like to play for us and if any reader could loan an accordion to me for an evening it would provide immense pleasure.The Russian team choir is in great voice and just waiting for accordion accompaniment. Can you help?If you have an accordion you could loan, I can guarantee the care it would receive.

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John’s full report on round six appeared later on in the issue:

Yugoslav champions slip in Blind Chess: SOVIET UNION AND RUMANIA CLOSE THE GAPJust as the champions seemed to be romping up the home straight in the Blind Chess Olympiad at Weymouth, they faltered against Czechoslovakia and went down by 1.5 to 2.5. Meanwhile the Soviet Union beat Hungary 4-0, their first board, N. Rudenski, finishing in the first hour of play. These two results enabled the Soviet Union and Rumania, who beat West Germany by 3.5 to 0.5, to approach within two points of the leaders. One more slip by Yugoslavia and there will be a radical change in the order.Yesterday the United Kingdom won, beating Finland by 3 points to 1, and this brings them into the middle of the table, a half point ahead of the U.S.A.Full details of yesterday's play are: Round 6: Yugoslavia 1.5, Czechoslovakia 2.5; Rumania 3.5, West Germany 0.5; U.S.S.R. 4, Hungary 0; Executive Team 0.5, Austria 3.5; U.S.A. 0.5, East Germany 3.5; Spain 2.5, Eire 1.5; Denmark 1, Poland 3; Holland 3.5, Sweden 0.5; Finland 1, United Kingdom 3; France 0.5, Israel 3.5.Scores to date: 1, Yugoslavia 18.5; 2, Rumania and U.S.S.R 16.5; 4, Czechoslovakia 16; 5, Austria 15.5; 6, East Germany 14; equal 7, Hungary and West Germany 12.5; 9, Spain 12; 10, Holland and Poland 11.5; 12, Eire, Israel, United Kingdom and Executive Team 11; 16, United States 10.5; 17, Denmark 10; 18, Sweden 9; 19, Finland 7; 20, France 2.5.Many of the teams involved are experienced in this type of competition and it is therefore pleasing to see that the new members are settling down and the standard of the French games have considerably improved throughout the past week.

THE DRAWThe draw for round seven today is: Yugoslavia v. Rumania, Austria v. U.S.S.R., Hungary v. Czechoslovakia, East Germany v. West Germany, Poland v. Spain, Eire v. Holland, United Kingdom v. Israel, Executive Team v. U.S.A., Sweden v. Finland and France v. Denmark.Last evening at the Social Club at Winfrith Olympiad participants were entertained to a concert of English music by members of the Bournemouth Territorial Army Band, the South Dorset Recorder Trio and the Egdon Singers.The concert was organised by Don Shepard of Winfrith, and visitors were unanimous in their praise of the singers and musicians. The musical mood was so infectious that they sang their way back in the bus.

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Suddenly, with a jolt, we’re back in 2018. Sadly, I cannot put all of the material gathered into this issue of the Gazette. So I will leave you with that delightful image of a bus full of singing chess players and we’ll pick up the story again in the May issue, when you will be able to discover whether the Yugoslavs held on to their lead and whether the good people of Weymouth responded to the plea for an accordion.

Chris’s PuzzleNovember Puzzle: FEN: K7/8/8/n7/8/4N3/R3P2R/4k3White: King a8, Rooks a2 and h2, Knight e3, Pawn e2 Black: king e1, knight a5White to play and mate in two. Solution: 1. Ng4!A. 1... Kf1 2. Ra1# B. 1... Kd1 2. Rh1# C. 1... knight any move 2. Rh1#

February Puzzle: FEN: 2k5/R7/2N2K2/5N2/5r2/8/5Q2/8White: King f6, Queen f2, Rook a7, Knights c6 and f5 Black: king c8, rook f4White to play and mate in two. The solution will appear in the May issue.

Chris Ross

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Millennium ClubRecent Millennium Club winners:

November: Moira Whittle, number 82. December: Graham Lilley, number 39.January: Richard Harrington, number 5.

The Millennium Club raises funds for the BCA by holding a monthly draw at £12 per number per year. Each month a lucky winner receives £35. If you wish to enter the draw, send a cheque made payable to "Braille Chess Association" to the treasurer or make an online or telephone payment to the BCA.Gill Smith, Treasurer

PersonaliaMembers will recall from the previous issue that David Welch was taken seriously ill over the summer. Since then he has made good progress and at the time of writing he is in a care home near Liverpool. David had been due to control our Autumn Tournament in Solihull and although a replacement was found, David’s absence and illness were very much on people’s minds so Bill Armstrong organised a get well card in which many members expressed their ongoing good wishes.

Michael Delaney was also absent from the Autumn Tournament but for a very different reason. Michael was running the Dublin Marathon on Sunday 29th October! He finished in 3 hours 27 minutes and 6 seconds! So in the time it took us to draw raffle tickets and play round 5, Michael had run 26.2 miles! That’s not bad considering that he had celebrated his 50th birthday one month earlier. Many congratulations to Michael on both counts!

Members will be saddened to read that Chris Ross’s dog, Bovis, was hit by a car in November. His injuries were severe enough to require surgery but the good news is that he has had excellent veterinarian care and at present there is every hope that by the time you read this Bovis will be well on his way to a full recovery and to resuming his work as Chris’s guide dog. We send best wishes to them both!

Congratulations to our Chairman, Norman Wragg, who scored 4 points from 5 games in the Intermediate section of the 2017 Scarborough Chess Festival to finish joint second! The festival took place 20th -22nd October i.e. just one week before the BCA Autumn Tournament, but this didn’t deter BCA members from taking part! Norman Andrews also competed in the Intermediate section, Ian Blencowe and Matthew Carr played in the Minor and Roger Waters in the Foundation section.

R.I.P. Milenko CabarkapaInternational Master Milenko Cabarkapa of Serbia died on the 3rd January, in his 80th year. Milenko was a prominent figure in IBCA circles for many decades. He served as Vice President, but was better known for his accomplishments over the chess board. Originally playing for Yugoslavia and later for Serbia, he took part in every single IBCA Olympiad from 1963 to 2000 and competed in numerous other events such as World Cups. Arguably his finest achievement was winning the Gold medal at both of the first two IBCA World Individual Championships in 1966 (in West Germany) and 1970 (in the Netherlands). This feat, taking place as it did during the Fischer era, resulted in Milenko being affectionately nicknamed “Blind Bobby”! The international Braille chess community mourns the loss of one of its great players.

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