CHESS NE1 - Press coverage

Ernie Lazenby

Grandmaster

Posts: 663

Re: Press coverage
Reply #75 - Jan 28^th, 2010, 11:39am

The Herald & Post article for the 28th January has once again been doctored by the editor for space saving reasons. The following is what I sent in for publication and as you can see the reference to football in relation to Middlesbroughs A team problems was intended to show that no one deserves to be in a league purely because of past achievements. By removing that reference it makes it read a little arrogant on my part and that was not intended. Sorry not my fault again. I will have to talk to them to see whats going on.

Middlesbrough’s A team are currently fighting to stay in the top division of the local league. Rooted in the second relegation place is not where the team expects to be. Middlesbrough chess cub has had a team in the local premier league for over 120 years winning the title on 59 occasions from 1914 to date. Excluding the 11 years lost due to the two world wars the club had been the one to beat for over 80 years. There are some who think it would be unthinkable for Middlesbrough not to have a team in the top division next season; however its perhaps relevant to mention what happened back in 1974 when it was said Manchester United football club were two good to go down into the old 2nd division, they were relegated for the first and only time in their history! Middlesbrough A has two important games in the coming weeks and if they are to survive they will need to pick up maximum points. There may be some salvation for the club if the worst happens, the B team is doing well in the B Division. Darlington was until last week best placed to challenge the mighty Peterlee however they suffered a loss to Stockton’s Elmwood A team. Unfortunately Darlington had to default a board in this match due to a player taking ill; this situation not being helped by the team losing one of its best players for the rest of the season. It’s becoming a bit repetative to say it but Peterlee now look unstoppable. Chess can be a cruel game at times; a recent match between the Griffin A and Guisborough A ended up drawn however the result on board five demonstrated why nothing is certain; the Griffins board 5 outplayed his opponent in the opening winning a pawn and achieving a position from which it looked difficult to loose but he did; one bad move can loose a game, that’s the unpredictable nature of chess and football!

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Ste Admin Posts: 425	Re: Press coverage Reply #76 - Jan 28^th, 2010, 4:28pm Article - 28/01/10
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Ernie Lazenby Grandmaster Posts: 663	Re: Press coverage Reply #77 - Feb 7^th, 2010, 6:06pm This weeks H&P has been printed as I wrote it- thankfully. It will appear on the webb site when Steve finds time to do it. I have just finished next Thursday's and have focused on an excellent result by two of our players who recently played in the Netherlands.
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Ste Admin Posts: 425	Re: Press coverage Reply #78 - Feb 7^th, 2010, 7:24pm Article 07/02/10
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Ste Admin Posts: 425	Re: Press coverage Reply #79 - Feb 13^th, 2010, 10:23am Article - 11-02/10
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Ste Admin Posts: 425	Re: Press coverage Reply #80 - Feb 19^th, 2010, 11:16am Article - 18/02/10
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Ste Admin Posts: 425	Re: Press coverage Reply #81 - Feb 25^th, 2010, 3:50pm Article - 25/02/10
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Ste Admin Posts: 425	Re: Press coverage Reply #82 - Mar 4^th, 2010, 6:51pm Article - 04/03/10
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BrianW FIDE Master Posts: 233 Gender:	Re: Press coverage Reply #83 - Mar 4^th, 2010, 10:03pm LOL. Cheers Ernie - fame at last You'll have everyone in Cleveland looking up the Blackburne Shilling gambit and asking 'Who is this Brian Whitaker dude?' and everyone under the age of 40 saying 'What the h@%%'s a shilling?'
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kia

I.M.

Posts: 423

Re: Press coverage
Reply #84 - Mar 5^th, 2010, 8:22am

Great stuff Ernie - really good article and fair reporting across all Divisions of the CCA league.

I remember seeing the smothered mate line ages ago when I was a bit younger and its surprising how many players that Blackburne Schilling Gambit has caught people out.

Anyone know the reason for the gambit name. Well I think it comes from Mr Blackburne's (19th Century English Chess Player (who played Draughts at the highest level before taking up chess at a later age) - probably England's best at the time!) many simultaneous' played for a Schilling when Blackburne was looking for the quick victories. I think that's the history (without using Google!) behind the name!

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NathanH County Master Posts: 84	Re: Press coverage Reply #85 - Mar 5^th, 2010, 11:32am I only knew this one as the OMG trap
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BrianW

FIDE Master

Posts: 233
Gender: male

Re: Press coverage
Reply #86 - Mar 5^th, 2010, 11:47am

Interesting the way you've spelt shilling with a c, as in the German spelling Kia. Here's an extract from a Wikipedia article on the opening....

The only virtue of 3...Nd4 is that it sets a trap that has ensnared many players. After the natural 4.Nxe5!?, Black wins material with 4...Qg5! Now the obvious 5.Nxf7?? loses to 5...Qxg2 6.Rf1 Qxe4+ 7.Be2 Nf3#, a smothered mate. This trap is what gives the line its name; the great English master Joseph Henry Blackburne reputedly used it to win shillings from amateurs. However, Wall has questioned this, stating that there are no recorded games of Blackburne with the opening.[1]

So, as it was 'supposed' to be played by Blackburne, I'd assumed the English spelling. However, earlier in this article it says that the opening was first mentioned in 1895 by Steinitz who was, of course, Austrian. Austria used Schillings as currency right up until they adopted the Euro.

Still, hardly surprising there's no accurate records of something as dubious as this. LOL

Has anyone heard of the Latvian gambit? This is supposed to be another inferior opening too, but much harder to see its weaknesses than the one above. It goes 1. e4 e5, 2. Nf3 f5!? Does anyone know at least one refutation for this? I know White can either accept or decline the gambit and come out with a slight + either way - but how?

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Jimbob Jones FIDE Master Posts: 313	Re: Press coverage Reply #87 - Mar 5^th, 2010, 8:53pm A certain Hawkins, J played (as black) 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 f5 against me a couple of years back. I didn't win.
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StraightLarsen

Patzer

Posts: 18
Gender: male

Re: Press coverage
Reply #88 - Mar 5^th, 2010, 9:03pm

Quote from BrianW on Mar 5^th, 2010, 11:47am:

Interesting the way you've spelt shilling with a c, as in the German spelling Kia. Here's an extract from a Wikipedia article on the opening....

The only virtue of 3...Nd4 is that it sets a trap that has ensnared many players. After the natural 4.Nxe5!?, Black wins material with 4...Qg5! Now the obvious 5.Nxf7?? loses to 5...Qxg2 6.Rf1 Qxe4+ 7.Be2 Nf3#, a smothered mate. This trap is what gives the line its name; the great English master Joseph Henry Blackburne reputedly used it to win shillings from amateurs. However, Wall has questioned this, stating that there are no recorded games of Blackburne with the opening.[1]

So, as it was 'supposed' to be played by Blackburne, I'd assumed the English spelling. However, earlier in this article it says that the opening was first mentioned in 1895 by Steinitz who was, of course, Austrian. Austria used Schillings as currency right up until they adopted the Euro.

Still, hardly surprising there's no accurate records of something as dubious as this. LOL

Has anyone heard of the Latvian gambit? This is supposed to be another inferior opening too, but much harder to see its weaknesses than the one above. It goes 1. e4 e5, 2. Nf3 f5!? Does anyone know at least one refutation for this? I know White can either accept or decline the gambit and come out with a slight + either way - but how?

Hmmm. Can't remember where I read or heard this, but I think it's named after Joseph Schilling - a Swiss chess player from the Morphy/Anderssen days.

There are many good variations against the Latvian gambit all of which start with 3 Nxe5. Nunn gives a convincing demolition of this opening in one of his books based on 3 ..., Qf6 4 Nc4. I tried it once on a game on the internet and got absolutely splattered after 3 ..., Qf6 4 d4, d6 5 Nc4 fxe4 6 Nc3 Qg6 7 f3! which is another good line. Bronstein's 6 Be2 and Nimzovich's 6 Ne3 are also strong.

The 3 Bc4 line is also hugely complex and even if it's not great for white, with black you have to know how to play against it. Most people try to avoid openings against which there are so many strong lines

SL

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BrianW

FIDE Master

Posts: 233
Gender: male

Re: Press coverage
Reply #89 - Mar 5^th, 2010, 9:46pm

Some interesting stuff there SL.
To be honest I've only ever had this played against me once and this was when I was living in NZ. The reason was that one of the Auckland clubs over there had a Latvian member and, although he wasn't such a good player, he was quite wealthy and generously sponsored a congress which he insisted should be called The Latvian Gambit Congress. He offered quite big prize money for the player that dared to play the Latvian and won. The prize going to the individual that beat the highest graded opponent with it.
I lost my game by the way, but that was hardly surprising since there was something like 700 ELO points between us!

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