CLUB NEWS
11/05/2023
Great news! We won the Minor Knockout Final, with a handsome 4.5-1.5 victory over a strong Bath side. We were unbeaten on all six boards. Wins for Gareth, Jon and Chris, with draws for Tony, Dave and Andrew. Score Sheet Many thanks to all the players who contributed over the four rounds. A great way to finish the season. Now it is time to focus on the club championship.
06/05/2023
The B team managed a commendable draw at home against Yate & Sodbury A, where they were outgraded on all boards. There were wins for Rod and Freddie, supported by draws from Jon and Chris. Score Sheet Many thanks to all who turned out for the B team over the course of the season and to captain Ed. The season is not fully over for the club as we have the Minor Knockout Final at Bath on Wednesday the 11th, so good luck.
06/05/2023
The A team completed their season with a losing 4-2 trip to Downend , with a win for Tony and draws for Dave and Gareth and finishing in a reasonable 4th place in Division Two. Score Sheet Thank you to all seventeen players who participated for the team during the year and to captain Tony his hard efforts in managing the side.
29/04/2023
There was a narrow loss for the B team at North Bristol B 3.5-2.5. There were wins for Chris and again for Freddie! ; also a draw for Rod. We defaulted on board 6. Score Sheet
29/04/2023
The A team had a difficult evening at the Folk House against run away division 2 champions Horfield & Redland B. At one point a cursory glance indicated we were struggling on all six boards, however Richard and Gareth rallied to pick up a win and draw respectively to finish 1.5-4.5. Score Sheet
29/04/2023
On the 17th the B team travelled to play against, Clevedon B, division 3 title contenders with the result going to form and resulting in a loss, 4.5-1.5. The high point being a win for Freddie. Score Sheet
07/04/2023
We are through to the final of the MKO after overcoming Yate. The score was 3-3 but we won on the board count tie-break with wins on 1,3 & 4 trumping wins on 2,5 & 6. The final will be away at Bath next month. Score Sheet
27/03/2023
Both the A and C teams were on the road this Thursday. The C team lost 3-1 against Grendal B with a win for team captain John Robinson. Score Sheet. The A team fared better, drawing 3-3 against Keynsham A with wins for Chris Edwards and Freddie Pick. Score Sheet
21/03/2023
On Sunday 12th March we hosted our first Junior Tournament, a 32 player rapidly over seven rounds. It was hugely rewarding and I believe greatly enjoyed by all. There was also a lot of high level chess being played with Alexis Maibiran and James Thomas, both of Downend coming out top. Hopefully this will be the first of many future events! For more details go HERE!
19/03/2023
The first stage of the Club Championship 2023 is now underway, with seventeen players divided into two single-round-robin groups . The top two players in each group will then qualify to join the A team players in the second stage of the club championship.
19/03/2023
It ended all square for the B team against Horfield & Redland C, a good result as on most boards we were outgraded. There were wins for Jon White and Freddie Pick. Freddie is having a very good first season with just one loss in his six games. Score Sheet
12/03/2023
The A team had a tough evening against a young Bristol University side, losing 4-2. Tony led the team from top board with the win supported with draws by Jon and Chris Edwards, who has gone all four games unbeaten since his competitive debut last month. Score Sheet
08/03/2023
The C team have been busy, first hosting Downend and Fishponds E, which on this occasion resulted in 4-0 loss; with a little more experience these scores could easily change. Alessandro playing his first competitive game reached a complicated endgame with a Queen verses Rook, bishop and pawns where there were likely perpetual check chances. Score Sheet Then, on the road at Yate B there was a much closer result losing 2.5-1.5. Brandon Hewer playing his first match managed a draw with the black pieces against an experienced opponent. Well done! Score Sheet
28/02/2023
Very well played the B team for winning 5-1 away at Hanham tonight! Over-the-board wins for Jon White, Chris Edwards and Rod Taylor and no losses. Score Sheet
26/02/2023
It was all square for the A team against North Bristol A, a win for John Waterfield and four draws. Score Sheet
The C team fought to 3-1 loss against Harambee and we welcome two players, Joseph and Coppola, both making their South Bristol debuts. Score Sheet
19/02/2023
The B team lost narrowly to Downend D 2.5-3.5 There were however three commendable performances on the top three boards. Jon White lead the way with a win on top board, Andrew Milborrow secured a draw against a player graded nearly 300 points higher and Chris Edwards in his second league match beat a fine opponent.
10/02/2023
The A team avenged defeat in the away fixture by convincingly beating Thornbury 5-1 last night. There were wins for Richard, John, Tony , Gareth and also great to see, a win for 15 year old junior Freddie. Score Sheet
02/02/2023
The B had a tough night, losing 5.5 - 0.5 to Clifton B. New player Chris Edwards spared our blushes with a draw on board four. Score Sheet
02/02/2023
Very well played to the C team for a creditable 2-2 draw with a strong Clifton E. Wins for new players Freddie Pick and Simon Hall who amongst so many new club players are proving themselves to be of league standard. Exciting times. Score Sheet
28/10/2023
The B team made the trip to play Bath B resulting in a hard fought narrow loss 3.5-2.5. The Bath team fielded an average grade of 1732, which for Division 3 is very high and reflects well on the current strength in depth. Score Sheet
21/01/2023
It was fantastic to see the introduction of our new C team, on Thursday Night, with so many new and keen chess players. Welcome to competitive chess. Score Sheet
Running simultaneously, the A team hosted Cabot tying the match 3-3. Richard Garrett drew on 1, Tony Harvey and Gareth Cullen winning on 2 and 3 and Dave Neagle drawing on 4. Score Sheet
13/01/2023
Last night South Bristol hosted a Horfield & Redland sextet in the quarterfinals of the MKO. With four games settled we trailed 3-1 with draws for Richard and Gareth on the top two boards and losses on 5 and 6. However Dave and Andrew held their nerve to win on 3 and 4 and tie the score at 3-3. South Bristol advance to the semis thanks to the board count tie break.
09/01/2023
We are very excited to announce the club's first JUNIOR RAPIDPLAY on 12th March - all age groups under-16 years. This is limited to 32 players so get your entries in quick! Details and entries can be found HERE!
07/01/2023
Thursday saw a great result for the A team, winning against a strong, as always, Downend & Fishponds C. Richard and Tony did the heavy lifting on the top boards, both coming away with wins, supported by Dave with victory on board 4 and a draw for Jon on 6. Result 3.5-2.5 Score Sheet
18/12/2022
That is all folks for 2022, that went quick. Wishing everyone and their families a great Christmas and a happy new year!
18/12/2022
Exciting news, we can confirm entry of a third South Bristol chess team in the Bristol & District League, playing in Division Four from January. Good luck.
18/12/2022
The B team came up against a very strong North Bristol B and succumbed 4.5-1.5. Score Sheet
07/12/2022
last night the A team travelled to play an equally matched Horfield B, with the scores ultimately tied at 3 a piece. Things could have been very different however as two of our players got lost en route mistakenly heading for the Gloucester Rd as opposed to the Whiteladies Rd and arriving 40 mins late. Many thanks must go to Horfield for sportingly allowing these games to go ahead rather than claiming default. Score Sheet
04/12/2022
The club will be closed for two weeks over Christmas, with no club nights on the 22nd or the 29th of December. Things will run as usual on December the 8th and 15th and will return on January the 5th.
04/12/2022
South Bristol B 2.5, Clevedon B 3.5. Wins for Ed and for nine year old Akira Booker who has now won all three of his league games! Score Sheet
26/11/2022
On Thursday the A team hosted Keynsham A clearly outgrading our opponents on boards one to six with the result reflecting this in a 4.5 - 1.5. Gareth, Dave and Jon scored emphatic wins, followed up with draws on boards one and two and with the match settled captain Tony offered the draw in his game to wrap things up quite early. Score Sheet
19/11/2022
The A team who were missing a few stalwarts went down heavily against a University B team, losing 4.5-1.5. Jon picked up the sole win and Gareth had to settle for a draw despite winning the exchange early on. Gareth, Jon and Andrew played in both club matches this week. Score Sheet
19/11/2022
The B team, playing at Horfield C scored a handsome win 4-2. Gareth scored an early win on board 1, when his opponent lost the exchange and compounded it with a further error leading to a collapse. Jon deploying an opening gambit neutralised his opponent leading to a static game and a draw. Andrew's game became blocked also leading to a draw. There was little between the sides in Rod's game until late on when he found a nice bishop move trapping his opponents rook, which soon led to Victory. John on board six, playing his first league match, and against an experienced player, created an outside passed pawn which was although stopped made space for a queening d pawn and a win. Well played. Score Sheet
13/11/2022
IMPORTANT NOTICE This Thursday the 17th Nov 2022, there will be no club night or juniors night, because of rewiring work. Things should be back to normal next week.
05/11/2022
Thursday night saw success for the B team against Hanham winning 3.5-2.5. There were wins for Andrew on board 2 against a player graded 300 points higher and young junior Akira on board 5. They were supported with a critical half point from Liam. Hanham travelled a player light. Score Sheet
29/10/2022
The A team lost at the Folk House against North Bristol A 4-2. There were wins on board 2 for Richard and on 6 for Viv. On boards 1, 3 and 4 there were late losses. Well played North Bristol. Score Sheet
29/10/2022
The B team salvaged a late draw away at Yate on Tuesday thanks to Tony on top board conjuring a win out of a drawn game. Vicky also won, making it two in a row now. What were narrow losses are now being converted into wins. Ed and Jason picked up half points. Score Sheet
17/10/2022
The A team had a tough night against Thornbury, losing the match 4-2. New player John Waterfield won for us on board 1 and Dave also won. Apart from that it was a series of reverses. Well played Thornbury. Score Sheet
06/10/2022
Top marks go to the B team, who, on Tuesday, travelled to play Clifton B in their Division Three match and won 4-2. Wins for captain Ed, Rod and Vicky in her first ever league game. They were supported with valuable draws by up and coming Liam and Jon who had a tricky opponent. Score Sheet
01/10/2022
On Thursday the club hosted two teams, Downend Knights and Hanham in the first round of the minor cup. Team 1 had a tough night against Hanham, who despite defaulting on board 6, won the match 4.5-1.5. Well done to Nathan for collecting the half point on board 5. Score Sheet. Team 2 had a far better night against Downend Knights prevailing 4-2, with wins for Richard, Gareth and liam and now progress to the quarter finals. Score sheet
26/09/2022
The Regency Chess Company (https://www.facebook.com/RegencyChess and https://www.regencychess.co.uk) have been supporting South Bristol Chess Club for many years - and have just agreed to continue doing so for yet another year! They are the UK's leading supplier of chess sets - so there's nowhere better to go should you be thinking of upgrading your current set, or maybe thinking of a fantastic birthday or Christmas present!
25/09/2022
On Wednesday our Juniors played their very first competitive match,a rapid double match, away at Downend Juniors. In the first round we had the white pieces and tied 3-3 and in the second round the black pieces holding on for another 3-3 thus tying the match 6-6. Very well done. Plans are now afoot for a return fixture.
16/09/2022
A fantastic start to the new league season. First the A team, despite a default on board four, defeated Cabot 4-2. Iain led the way with victory on top board. Gareth and Dave held on for the draws on boards two and three . Newcomers Sam and Viv won on five and six. Score Sheet. On Thursday the B team who were outgraded on all six boards against Bath B won the match 3.5-2.5! Nathan and 10 year old Akira were playing their first ever league games and Akira won, very impressive stuff! Score Sheet
10/09/2022
Following the summer break the club returns to league action next week. The A team play at Cabot on the 14th with B team hosting a Bath team the next evening. The junior section is also back up and running, every Thursday from 18:30 to 19:30.
19/08/2022
Next Thursday, the 25th there will be a themed evening featuring Sicilian Accelerated Dragon, which should be fun and a learning experience for many. Normal club night will run alongside.
12/08/2022
Last night the club held it's AGM with a fantastic turnout. Many thanks to Vicky for doing so much of the preparatory work. Also thanks go to Sherif whose input was so valuable that he has now been appointed to the committee as Parent Representitive. Amongst the things agreed on the night were the club's team names with The Woodentops becoming called the A team and the Smurfs becoming called the B team.
The Full Agenda
1) Chairman's Opening Remarks
2) Vote for continuation of the committee/nominations from the floor
3) Apologies for absence
4) Approval of minutes from Committee Meeting 24th Feb 2022
5) Reports
- Treasurer's Report
- Junior Report ( Iain Bourne)
- Team Captain's Reports ( Ed Swann & Tony Harvey)
- Secretary Report's ( From last minutes)
- Adoption of Accounts
12th July 2022
With regret we have had to cancel the Rapidplay on 30th July. Our apologies to anyone who was looking forward to competing.
24/06/2022
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!
30th July 2022
South Bristol Rapidplay
Click here for details and registration
This is limited to 28 players so get your registration in fast (I mean now!) if you don't want to miss out.
24/06/2022
Next Thursday (30th June) we are having another "Opening Themed Tournament" this time featuring the Vienna Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4). Be there at 7.30 to register - and don't forget your opening preparation!
24/06/2022
Last night we had our first "Opening Themed Evening" featuring the Evans Gambit. Two games were played by each player (black and white) with 30 minutes on the clock. Play was typically "wild" but in the end Black came out on top 3.5-6.5. Well done everyone who took part.
29/05/2022
A reminder that there will be no Club Night or Juniors this week 02/06/2022 because of the Platinum Jubilee. Chess will return next week!
06/05/2022
The Smurfs lost narrowly last night in their Quarter-Final of the MKO against Yate & Sodbury. Iain playing on top board, went one better than earlier in the season and won against Andrew Penn. David Campbell, playing in his first season won his game and Rod picked up the half point, making the score line 2.5-3.5 Score Sheet
Next Thursday night the club will once again be hosting a rapidplay, four rounds, 10 mins on the clock. Registration from 7:30 with kick off at 7:45 with an estimated finish at 9:15. All levels are welcome, from complete beginner to experienced league players. Entry is free and everything will be explained.
23/04/2022
We fielded two teams of six in the round of 16 of the league Minor Knockout. First up on Wednesday the Smurfs travelled to play the Downend & Fishponds Knights, winning the contest 4-2, with victories for Sam, Jon and captain Ed. They now progress to the quarter-finals with a home fixture against Yate & Sodbury. The following evening, the club had the opportunity to give some of our fast-improving new players a taste of competitive chess. Tham , Vicky, Nathan and
last minute addition Piers all held their own deep into their games. Vicky, playing white on board 4, showed much promise by building a winning position against her experienced Downend opponent and later could have opted for a perpetual.
16/04/2022
On Wednesday 13th, the Woodentops visited the Colosseum public house expecting a tough match against Cabot A, having previously had a 2-2 draw against their B team. The Cabot team captain was not present and we were greeted by a B- team player who did not know who was playing for the A team (!) Later a further Cabot player arrived, but still no team captain. Thet conceded the match and we spent the evening playing some casual chess. A very strange end to the season.
The following evening the Smurfs hosted league leaders Downend & Fishponds C, where they had all to play for because a 4-0 home win would have handed the Woodentops the league title. The final score, however, went in favour of Downend, 3-1 Score sheet and who are worthy champions. The Woodentops had a strong season finishing runners-up with 11 wins, 2 draws and just one loss. The Smurfs also had a very creditable season.
02/04/2022
Thursday night saw the in- house league clash between The Woodentops and the Smurfs which mostly went to form with the former prevailing 3-1, with wins for Richard, Gareth and recently joined player David Campbell. The upset was on board 3 where Andrew won with an overwhelming kingside attack. Playing his first competitive chess was Liam Bailey for the Smurfs. Score Sheet
18/03/2022
Not to be out done the Woodentops saw off a good North Bristol A team 3.5-0.5 with wins for Richard, Sam and David. Score sheet
16/03/2022
Many congratulations to the Smurfs who on Monday night won convincingly 3.5-0.5 away at Clevedon C and have risen to fourth place out of 30 registered teams in Division 2. Score Sheet
12/03/2022
There was a great turnout of 24 players for the club hosted rapidplay (10/03), including four juniors, four visitors from Grendal Chess Club and four first time visitors. The joint winners were Richard Garrett and Gareth Cullen, each scoring 3.5/4. Many thanks to Iain Bourne for both publicising and running the tournament.
05/03/2022
Both teams were in action at the Folk House, with the Smurfs prevailing 2.5-1.5 against Clevedon B with wins on the top two boards for Dave and Jon. Well played. Score Sheet. The Woodentops faced a good Yate team tying 2-2, with a win for Richard. Score Sheet
Next Thursday, 10th March, with no league fixtures the club will be hosting a four round tournament, with 10 minutes on the clock. Everyone is welcome, starts at 7:45pm, please arrive by 7:30.
25/02/2022
Bristol Swiss Rapid 2022 Online Sunday 27th Feb 7pm start ( 5 round swiss 15min + 5 sec ) Open to any players from Bristol area of any standard. Thank you to John Stubbs for organising. https://lichess.org/swiss/iqpugllH
18/02/2022
Well played the Smurfs for winning 2.5-1.5 at North Bristol B and a big congratulations to Sam Inman who in his first competitive over-the-board chess both played on top board and won! Score Sheet
17/02/2022
Last night the top two Division Two teams, the Woodentops and Downend & Fishponds C, clashed at Downend. The home team fielded a very strong quartet, all of whom had current First Division chess experience and also outgraded us by an average of 148 points per board. Ultimately it resulted in a first loss of the season for the Woodentops 3-1. Tony and Gareth scored draws and Jon had a good chance of a win when his opponent blundered in the opening but who kept his remaining pieces active and with a clever tactic inflicted a loss. Score Sheet The Woodentops now trail in the league by one point.
15/02/2022
Last week, 11th Feb. we ran an in-house Quickplay tournament(10 mins on the clock) with twenty players, including three juniors, competed in a four round Swiss. There were several players new to the club and the result was still in the balance late on in the final round. After several thrills and spills, however, Richard Garrett came out on top with an unbeaten 4 out of 4.
Tomorrow the Woodentops play, followed by the Smurfs on Thursday.
04/02/2022
Both our teams competed last night. The Woodentops won convincingly away at Keynsham 3.5-0.5, Score Sheet with wins for Richard, Dave and Gareth making it eight wins and one draw out of nine fixtures so far for the team this season and topping the league. Meanwhile the Smurfs hosted University B drawing 2-2 with victory for Andrew supported by draws for Colin and Ed. Score Sheet Additionally Iain organised a rapidplay with ten players, nine of whom were new to the club, and the eventual winner was Andy Owen. Congratulations!
21/01/2022
It was all action last night at the Folk House. Both the Woodentops and the Smurfs were in action. The Woodentops maintained their place at the top of the league with a 3-1 victory over North Bristol B. Wins for Richard and Gareth and a pair of well fought half points for Iain and Jason. Score Sheet The Smurfs were handed a 1-0 lead over Keynsham who defaulted a board. Dave doubled the lead. The remaining two boards went deep into the endgames with equal material but both were losses. Final score 2-2. Score Sheet It was great to see a big turnout of players in the other rooms as well, some of whom were playing practice matches under league conditions in preparation for entry of a third South Bristol team.
17/12/2021
There was a great turnout last night at the handicap, with a big range of grades pitting their wits. After four rounds separated by refreshment breaks, Iain emerged victorious with 3.5 followed by Gareth and Andrew on 3. Thank you to Tony and Kathy for the catering. That is all for this year. So have a good and safe Christmas. We will be back on the 6th January.
14/11/2021
A heads up that this Thursday the 16th there will be the club's annual Xmas Handicap tournament, in place of the club night. The tournament begins at 8pm and participants are asked to arrive by 7:45pm. Players of all standards are invited. For those who haven't played a handicap before basically the stronger player forfeits pieces in line with the difference in players estimated grades. It is a fun evening with refreshments and prizes.
11/12/2021
Well played the Smurfs who scored a well earned draw at University C (the university have strength in depth this season) Score Sheet
08/12/2021
I'm delighted to report that the Woodentops are top of the division for Christmas. Yesterday they visited the only other unbeaten side, Yate & Sodbury A, coming away with a handsome 3.5-0.5 victory. Score Sheet
27/11/2021
On Thursday night the Woodentops hosted Downend D, winning 3-1, with a pair of white piece wins and a pair of black piece draws. Score Sheet
Meanwhile the Smurfs travelled to St Pauls to play Harambee only to be disappointed to find their opponents didn't turn up and hence defaulting on all boards. 4-0 to the Smurfs.
12/11/2021
The Smurfs came up against high flying Cabot A yesterday at the Folk House, ultimately losing 3-1, but there was a good win for Jon on board 2 and the other boards were undecided until late on. Score Sheet
10/11/2021
The Woodentops had an excellent evening at Hanham winning 3.5-0.5
Score sheet
02/11/2021
We would like to welcome two new committee members; Jon White as treasurer and Ryan Langdon as grants officer.
28/10/2021
The Woodentops hosted Downend C this evening and won 2.5-1.5 . All boards were drawn except board 4 where Dave broke through, late on, on the kingside with rook and queen securing the full point. Score Sheet Ian Pickup of Downend reports; we couldn't have described it any better! LINK
28/10/2021
It proved a tough night last night for the Smurfs in East Bristol, where they were largely outgraded by a Downend D team and finished 0.5 to 3.5 Score Sheet
26/10/2021
Link to tomorrow's Lichess arena tournament. All welcome! link
16/10/2021
A good night for the Smurfs scoring a 2.5-1.5 win over Downend E. Score Sheet
14/10/2021
The Woodentops played our south of the river neighbours, Cabot B last night, with the match tied 2-2. Score sheet
Tony reports " SB Woodentops made the twenty minute journey to our South Bristol neighbours to Cabot B for a division two match. It would be fair to say that challenges don't come any bigger. On Bd1) White by some nifty pawn play and delicate manoeuvring gained a large advantage. To stay in the game David was forced to sacrifice the exchange. However when Iain in mid-move changed his mind Black was able to capitalise and force an ending two pawns to the good, which he prosaically converted. A neat save my Cabot. Bd2) was an intriguing battle in which both players were willing to ignore opening lore and chart their own course. Gradually black's advantage in the centre seemed to dictate the outcome. Jack's sacrifice only delayed the end by a few moves. Score Cabot 1 Woodentops 1. On Bd3) White may have castled into a kingside attack. And despite Gareth's best efforts Black bt calm and expert play broke through. A well played game by Mike. On Bd4) I played what I thought at the time was a competent game; but subsequent post mortem with my colleagues with Richard and Ed shattered by illusions. Simply I miss-played a combination and did not understand the resulting position. Fortunately a slip by my opponent at the end allowed me to be victorious. The final score was a 2-2 draw, with wins for black on all four boards. The play by the successful players could respectively be considered as resolute, thoughtful, energetic and ridiculous."
13/10/2021
South Bristol Open Committee Meeting
We had a very productive and good humoured meeting last night, called to keep up with the rapidly changing club circumstances, and covering a lot of
ground. The informal agenda included Finances, Building rent, Safety matters, Sponsorship & Website, Memberships, Juniors and Premises. Thank you to Club Secretary Vicky for spending time organising the agenda and keeping the lengthy minutes, which will be shared with the membership in due course.
Thank you to all who attended.
09/10/2021
South Bristol Chess Club as shown on TV! (07/10/2021)
08/10/2021
Last night, ITV West Country News reporter, Alex Wood, visited a busy and lively Folk House Club Night, (which included a junior section) to film a piece for this evening's show ITV 18:00. Many thanks to Iain Bourne for putting all this together.
03/10/2021
The club's thoughts are with Gerald who is currently staying in the BRI. Visiting is not allowed under Covid restrictions but it is hoped that he will be able to return home on Wednesday.
03/10/2021
Smurfs v Hanham Tony reports:
"The Smurfs welcomed Hanham on Thursday in a competitive Division Two match. On board 1 Jon and his opponent engaged in a deep strategic battle. The South Bristol player missed an opportunity to gain a large advantage and later allowed his queen to wander away from the the centre. Jonathan attacked smartly and Black was unable to find an adequate defence. A very pretty tactic forced resignation. Nil One to Hanham. On board 2 Rod played an ambitious opening to capture space. Later in the middlegame Phillip expanded on the kingside and seemed to have an equal game. However a petite combination by White- leaving his queen under attack caused the Hanham player to miss the best defence. Consequently Rod was able to force a "mate in two". One all. On board 3 another exciting game played at a high level. Andrew had a slight material advantage in the late middlegame however an active defence by his opponent led to a dynamic but equal position. A draw was agreed. Smurfs 1.5 Hanham 1.5. On board 4 captain Ed was a late addition to team Smurfs and he came through with a quick victory. Sacrificing a bishop he was able to invade his opponent's kingside, and with the aid of two minor pieces Ed's Queen was able to force victory. Final score Smurfs 2.5 Hanham 1.5."
01/10/2021
It was busy at the Folk House last night, with both the Woodentops and Smurfs hosting league opposition. The Woodentops scored a 3-1 victory over Horfield C ( match score sheet) and the Smurfs defeated Hanham 2.5-1.5 (match score sheet) .
Tony reports on his observations of the Woodentops match: "On board 1 a sharp opening dissolved into a bishop v bishop and pawn ending. Iain managed to shield the queening square to promote causing Prakash to resign. On board 2 it was a complex game. White attacked on the kingside which was defended successfully by Peter. Gareth then tried his luck in the centre but was unable to capitalise on his advantage. His Horfield opponent played well and it was a draw. On board 3 there was a tough battle where Jason gained an exchange advantage. Excellent play in the resulting endgame of two rooks verses rook and bishop forced Piotr to resign and victory to South Bristol. Well played Jason. Board 4 saw another complex game. Scott outplayed his opponent and entered a three pieces and king endgame material up with added positional advantage. There then followed a period of mysterious endgame play. Black gifted a knight to David who then kindly returned the piece. An extremely complicated double rooks and pawns endgame followed. After further adventures a draw was agreed. Final score Woodentops 3 Horfield C 1!
17/09/2021
A Brilliant win for the South Bristol Woodentops!
Last night the Woodentops started the new season by travelling to play against North Bristol A. Tony reports " A strong start by South Bristol Woodentops. My game was the first to finish after my opponent went astray in the opening. His position became untenable when he played 15.B(e3)-c1 and 18.B(a2)-b1 with his rook still on a1.1 nill to SB W. Next to complete was Dave's game. I think he was winning but he overlooked a back row check which won a piece and the game foe white. Equaliser for North Bristol. Score 1-1. Gareth dropped an early pawn... but in a very complex position kept his opponent under constant pressure and concluded the game with a fine tactic and commanding display of technique. 1-2 in favour of the Woodentops. The final game to finish was Richard's on board 1. This was played down to a drawn rook and pawn ending after three hours of uncompromising chess. Final score North Bristol A 1.5 South Bristol Woodentops 2.5." Link to league result
17/09/2021
Iain Bourne will be interviewed along with promising junior Walter and his mother by BBC Radio Bristol and broadcast at 07:20 on Monday 20th September.
05/08/2021
Many thanks to Iain for organising and running the Junior chess tournament last Thursday, a lot of work went in behind the scenes. Also a special thank you to Roy for taking time out from his holiday to travel back to Bristol to set things up.
It is time to look forward to the new season now with our two teams playing their first fixtures on the 14th and 16th of this month.
21/08/2021
On Thursday night It was delightful to see five more new faces, and a very diverse group of people showing how chess is for everyone!
The link to this week's online ( lichess) rapidplay. All levels welcome! https://lichess.org/tournament/8QE9s99P
Junior Chess Champions On 2nd September, 7:45-9:00, Iain Bourne, in conjunction with South Bristol chess, is organising a relaxed introduction to over-the-board chess for under 16s. No prior experience is required and everything will be explained. Parents will be able to attend the introduction and to settle the child prior to the commencement of play. We hope to broadcast the tournament via zoom to a separate room where parents can watch and discuss without interfering with play or play against themselves! The tournament is limited to 16 players who will play 5 games of 5minute chess. This is an unrated tournament so we will help any players who look confused.( Hopefully that won't happen)
16/08/2021
The link to Wednesday evening's rapidplay Lichess 18/08/2021
14/08/2021
I'm happy to report that our first post pandemic club night was a success and it was lovely to welcome four new faces, largely thanks to Iain's facebook campaign. Let's hope for a repeat this Thursday!
06/08/2021
Good news that following the Covid break over-the-board-chess is about to resume!
Firstly the Folk House, Whitchurch, will be open for chess every Thursday evening from 7:00pm, where we will hoping to welcome new players. Online chess participation is reported to have boomed during lockdown. Iain has been active on social media.
Secondly, the Bristol League have shared their plans for a recommencement of the league from September. We as a club have entered two four player teams . Fixtures will be fortnightly.
Our Wednesday online rapidplays are continuing . Last week saw some wild games, with Gareth emerging in first place. Lichess 04/08/2021 Next week's link Lichess 11/08/2021
23/06/2021
Good chess from Richard while going unbeaten last week. Tonight we revert to a 120 min Arena. https://lichess.org/tournament/ZgnzUacv
16/06/2021
Congratulations Florin for deservedly winning last week's rapidplay achieving straight wins after having to default the first game.
Tonight's link South Bristol Rapidplay All are welcome!
09/06/2021
Well played Florin and Richard for tying for first place with 4.5/6 last week. Tonight's link https://lichess.org/swiss/Ydwe41Dx
02/06/2021
The link to this evening's rapidplay https://lichess.org/swiss/D1yIT9T1 Hope to see you there.
26/05/2021
Well played Richard, with normal service resumed and winning last weeks rapidplay. To enter tonight's Swiss follow the linkhttps://lichess.org/swiss/zmVyamNz
18/05/2021
Congratulations Florin for winning Sunday's Bristol Swiss Blitz with a commanding 6 wins and a draw! https://lichess.org/swiss/5lW4ZbwS
and to Gareth for winning last week's SB rapidpaly.
For tomorrow Charleville have set up a 10+2 arena style https://lichess.org/tournament/GJSk3NiT
12/05/2021
Tonight's rapidplay https://lichess.org/tournament/fgjxwb9D All are welcome!
05/05/2021
Following a closely fought rapidplay last week Gareth emerged in first place with Tony leading the chasers in second. To access tonight's edition https://lichess.org/tournament/4iblJYeO
28/04/2021
Well played again Richard on his runaway victory last week. We have made the late decision to opt for the French Tarrasch tonight. All are welcome. https://lichess.org/tournament/iGnv2T8i
20/04/2021
For tomorrow's tournament our Irish rapidplay partners Charleville have chosen a traditional unthemed set up. As always any Bristol & District players are welcome and Richard is on a potential hatrick after coming top the past two weeks! https://lichess.org/tournament/Ac8D45M9
13/04/2021
For this week's rapidplay all games will begin from the Alekhine Defence 1. e4 Nf6 so get practising. https://lichess.org/tournament/MnJQ2lRu
06/04/2021
Congratulations to Florin for topping last week's tournament. Tomorrow we return to a standard non-thematic format. 120mins , 10min no increment games 19:45 start. https://lichess.org/tournament/XTbd5NeA
30/03/2021
Tomorrow's theme will be the Grunefeld Defence. To join use the following link address https://lichess.org/tournament/IdLyiWD3
23/03/2021
Well played Richard for topping last week's rapidplay and Florin for winning the Bristol Swiss with an impressive 6.5/7. Tomorrow (24/03/2021) all games will start from the Budapest Gambit 1.d4 Nf5 2.c4 e5. https://lichess.org/tournament/tisYmk36
16/03/2021
Tomorow's rapidplay (17/03/2021)
https://lichess.org/tournament/oMpYbs7F
09/03/2021
Last week's Danish gambit mixed things up a bit which seemed to suit Gareth who topped the table and Florin who joined late but won his games. Tomorrow, (10/03/2021) we return to regular rapidplay. To join use the following link. https://lichess.org/tournament/Amd6BPf6
02/03/2021
Congratulations Richard. Top man last week.
This week, (03/03/2021) something a little different; all games will begin
with a Danish gambit 1.e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Bc4 https://lichess.org/tournament/hj98DGPO Have fun!
23/02/2021
Well played Florin for topping the 11 player tournament last week. Tomorrow (24/02/2021) we return to a regular (non-themed) format. Thank you Charleville for organising. To enter please use the link https://lichess.org/tournament/Qnwa5dzx
16/02/2021
This week(17/02/2021), we are organising a thematic rapidplay where all games begin with The Old Benoni, code A44, moves 1.d4 c5 2.d5e5. As usual all are welcome, starting at 7:45 for 120 mins on lichess. https://lichess.org/tournament/3egqIuLs
A reminder that this Wednesday's rapidplay (10/02/2021) 19:45 is hosted by Charleville, and you need to join the Lichess Charleville team first, so those intending on playing please leave a bit of time when entering.
https://lichess.org/tournament/htTj05we
For those members interested Downend's Sunday tournament (10+2) 5 rounds starts 19:00 https://lichess.org/swiss/9MLeibNW
Also Yate's Tuesday (15+0) Swiss starts 19:45 https://lichess.org/swiss/h8gyieKF
Thank you Charleville Chess Club!
We were very pleased to welcome a number of Charleville players last week, greatly enhancing the tournament. Gareth took first place with five wins and two draws. ( see below)
To enter the next edition of our open- to- all rapidplay (03/02/2021) please use the link
https://lichess.org/tournament/pIICUPXC
Top marks Richard!
Very well played Richard for emphatically winning last week's rapidplay with EIGHT straight wins. To participate in the next edition (27/01/2021) use the following link.
https://lichess.org/tournament/N7ZPXl48
Competitive Chess
I'm glad to report that we had a very competitive tournament last week, where no players either dominated or struggled. Even the winner had three losses! For more of the same (20/01/2021) use the following link https://lichess.org/tournament/7ymJzLd0
This week's rapidplay (13/01/2021) link
https://lichess.org/tournament/jw9sCbkQ
Congatulations Florin
Many congratulations to Florin for his recent online victories over an IM and a WIM. These wins were then hansomely followed by topping the tables at both our last week's rapidplay and then the Bristol District rapidplay.
Welcome to 2021!
Following our Christmas break, we are back with our weekly online rapidplays, starting Wed 6th Jan @ 7:45. They'll run for 120 mins Arena style on the free to use Lichess platform. Entry is not limited to South Bristol players any Bristol league players are welcome. To join please use the following link
https://lichess.org/tournament/I1GpoUgY
16th December 2020
All players regardless of club are welcome to join us this evening for
our weekly rapidplay. Please use the followung link address. https://lichess.org/tournament/v2MzOGuE
2nd December 2020
All are welcome to join and play our weekly rapidplay this evening, with the same parameters as last week. ttps://lichess.org/tournament/QJyNgYf9
25th November 2020
Tonight we are sticking with Lichess arena format. 10 mins per player with the option of playing 5 min berserk. It'll run for 120 mins so equating to about 8 games each. Non South Bristol players are welcome to join the fun. Please use the following link. https://lichess.org/tournament/mrtQIDCa
17th November 2020
Tomorrow's tournament will be a small change from a Swiss system to Arena style. Starting as usual at 19:45 on Lichess and lasting 120 mins. https://lichess.org/tournament/diSBimbH
11th November 2020
We are sticking with Wednesday tournaments. To join tonight's use the following. https://lichess.org/swiss/ffLJqKgH
3rd 11th November
A quick reminder, to those not using our whatsapp group, that we are switching our weekly rapidplay from Thursday to Wednesday evenings starting from tomorrow. As previously, any Bristol & district players are welcome to play. This week's link https://lichess.org/swiss/rk5FGISK
22nd Oct 2020
The link to tonight's Rapidplay Swiss https://lichess.org/swiss/6c1lgTQH
13th October 2020
Thursday's tournament is a simple 7 , 10 min round Swiss, commencing at 19:45 with 2min intervals between rounds. As always non South Bristol players are more than welcome to play.
To enter use the following link address https://lichess.org/swiss/ww1Jjx1W
29th September 2020
A reminder that our next tournament will run this Thursday 1st Oct from 7:45 and will consist of a 7 round 10 min Swiss. As always non South Bristol players are very welcome to play. Hope to see you there. Please use the following link https://lichess.org/swiss/rbQt93hj
21st September 2020
Very well played Richard Garrrett for winning last week's tournament with a perfect score of seven wins. This Thursday's ( 24th Sept) will again be a seven 10 min round Swiss format. As always entries from non South Bristol players are very welcome. To join use the following link https://lichess.org/swiss/ZrE8fPdh
15th September 2020
This weeks rapidplay ( Thursday 19:45) will again be a 10 min, 7 round, Swiss format. Non South- Bristol players are very welcome to play. To join please click on the following link. https://lichess.org/swiss/ax6UjQXK
9th September 2020
This week ( tomorrow, 19:45) we will be hosting a ,7 round, Swiss style tournament, set at 10 mins and no increments, using the Lichess platform. As always all are welcome; the more the better and to join use the following link https://lichess.org/swiss/aS5BOKBc
3rd September 2020
A late reminder : tonight's rapidplay (19:45) , will be 10 +0 arena style and 2 hrs duration. All welcome and to play/spectate use the following link. https://lichess.org/tournament/MgX92Hfi
For those ambitious players or those who would like to test themselves against the best, GM Danny Gormally will again be taking part in the Bristol online blitz Swiss, this Sunday. To play please use the following link https://lichess.org/swiss/qYoPSUy3
25th August 2020
Florin triumphed in last week's rapidplay following his recent consistency. On Sunday Gareth, Florin and Tony represented South Bristol in the Bristol Swiss Blitz and Gareth played his 4th round match against GM Danny Gormally which was an experience to remember. The game was close to parity for about 15 moves before Danny showed his class.
This week our rapidplay will revert to 10min games, with no themed openings. As always non south Bristol players are very welcome. To play or spectate please click on the following link.https://lichess.org/tournament/D98tWwY1
16th August 2020
Well played Iain Bourne for topping the podium of last week's tournament.
This Thursday there wiil be a change of format with games set at 5mins plus 2 second increments and with no restrictions on openings. As always the competition is open to non-South Bristol players; the more the better. To join use the following link https://lichess.org/tournament/9XIXFnaG
11th August 2020
Congratulations to Richard Garrett for topping last week's Polish rapidplay with an unbeaten run of Eight wins. This week's theme is the Budapest Defence (1.d4,Nf6 2. c4, e5) As always non-South Bristol players are welcome to play. Please you the following link.https://lichess.org/tournament/kOtEPSsV
For those chess addicts amongst you, every other Sunday evening there is a Bristol Swiss online blitz, seven rounds of 5min plus 2 sec increments. There is rumour of a GM playing next time. Please use the link https://lichess.org/team/bristol-swiss
3rd August 2020
This Thursday we will once again be using the free-to-use Lichess platform to host our weekly rapidplay. All games this week will begin with the Sokolysky (Polish) opening; 1. b4 . Should be fun
and maybe a surprise weapon for next season. Please use the following link https://lichess.org/tournament/5F21i09q
27th July 2020
Following on from another successful themed tournament last Thursday, all games this week will start from the Benko gambit characterised by the move 3...b5 in the Benoni Defence. Moves, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 . As in previous weeks all games have a 10 min time limit and any non- South Bristol players are very welcome to play. Please use the following link https://lichess.org/tournament/BI4A7M7x
21st July 2029
We continue the series of alternative openings this Thursday 23rd with the Albin Counter Gambit response to the queen's gambit. Hopefully when there is a return to over-the-board-chess we will have a broader chess understanding and be used to playing outside of our comfort zones. As always non-South Bristol players are welcome to play. Please use the following link https://lichess.org/tournament/dXro2j2k
14th July 2020
The theme for this weeks' themed rapidplay will be the Smith-Morra gambit variation against the Sicilian. As always all are welcome and it runs for 120 mins starting at 7 on Thursday. Please use the following link https://lichess.org/tournament/3Bm1yZyp
5th July 2020
This Thursday's tournament ( 9th July) continues the English opening theme with the Reversed Sicilian (1. c4 e5) See link https://lichess.org/tournament/XoftOSvV
27th June 2020
Very well played Florin for winning each of the last two week's tournaments! and which for a relative newcomer at this level is very impressive. This weeks theme will be the English opening with all games commencing 1) c4 c5. Please follow the link https://lichess.org/tournament/r4SvVQNu
23rd June 2020
A reminder that this week's rapid play tournament will be King's Gambit themed with all games starting ( e4, e5, f4) which should be entertaining! As always the tournament starts at 7:45 Thursday runs for 2hrs and is open to non- South Bristol players. To join or spectate follow the link https://lichess.org/tournament/IDBxYywS
15th June 2020
Congratulations to Iain Bourne for winning the club one move/day competition by beating Richard with both the black and white pieces, to impressively record a 100% record of 14 straight wins!
This week's rapid play tournament will be Dutch themed with all games beginning with the moves d4 f5. As ever, everyone whether South Bristol or not are welcome to play. Please use the following link address. https://lichess.org/tournament/xfT2D6nN
8th June 2020
There will be another 10 min/game tournament this Thursday, once again commencing at 7:45 and lasting 120 mins Arena style and open to non- South Bristol players.To mix things up a bit all games will start from the initial position 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5! Link address. https://lichess.org/tournament/mWujPAOx
2nd June 2020
As the first move per day tournament draws to a conclusion Iain has kindly set up a second tournament starting next Thursday 11th June. The link address is here. https://www.chess.com/tournament/south-bristol-chess-club-1
30th May 2020
An update on the club move/day chess.com: Group 2 swiftly finished off their games a couple of weeks ago, with Iain heading the table with a perfect 10 wins and Ed showed his ability over the longer move formats by finishing second ahead of two A team players. Group 1 are still in progress and Richard leads following his 10 wins and a draw with one game to play.
30th May 2020
Our next tournament, this Thursday at 7:45, uses the same format as last week with the slight tweek of dropping the "Arena Streaks " option where you get double points for a streak of wins. To enter or spectate please use the link https://lichess.org/tournament/zsgNtby0
26th May 2020
The club will be running another tournament this Thursday 28th May starting at 7:45, with the same format as last week, a 120 mins arena system on Lichess with 10 min/game and with the 5min beserk option. Once again non-South Bristol players are welcome to play. https://lichess.org/tournament/tsDeQ07o
15h May 2020
Following on from another successful tournament last week, the club is again offering a 120 minute, 10 min/game arena style format on the free- to- play Lichess site. It starts this Thursday 21st at 7:45 with the additional fun 5 min/game beserk option. Players other than from South Bristol are also welcome. Please use the following link. https://lichess.org/tournament/GIpcTfb0
11th May 2020
A reminder that our next tournament is at 7:45 this Thursday 14th on Lichess. It runs for two hours, with 10 mins on the clock and no increments. The more players the better and non- South Bristol players are also welcome. Please use the following link
https://lichess.org/tournament/RMB7Tf4s
5th May 2020
The one-move -per-day tournament is now well under way, with 13 participants and many games already completed. ( note, 24 hours is the longest you can take on a move, but in reality most games have many moves per day.)
This Thursday, 7th May, there will be another 10min/game tournament , a Swiss Style, on offer at 7:45. To enter you must first join the club https://www.chess.com/club/south-bristol-chess-club. Then once you have joined the club you must use the link https://www.chess.com/live#t=1213314
Following on from last week's successful tournament where we had 17 competitors there will be another this week, with the same format, again starting at 19:45 on Thursday and lasting for two hours and 10 mins per game, To enter use the link ENTER
The club is also running a one-move-per-day tournament. This also begins on Thursday the 30th of April, with entry before 19:30. To enter click ENTER.
Please note that whilst the 10 min/game tournament is open to all the one-move-per-day is restricted to South Bristol players. Good luck.
We hope people are staying well. The good news, is that the club has managed to adapt to the current circumstances and through a thriving whatsapp group we have been meeting through online tournaments where up to around 10 players have been competing. To anyone who is missing out the more players the better. Having trialled a couple of platforms we have settled on using the free to use Lichess.org because of its superior post game analytical functions. Our next tournament is scheduled for 19:45 on Thursday 23rd April and to last for two hours, with each game set at 10mins and no increments. To join or spectate please use the following link https://lichess.org/tournament/H1zSVPKG
16th March 2020
The Bristol and District Chess League have announced that they are suspending the league with Immediate Effect.
After the latest government announcement today with regards the 'coronavirus' outbreak we unfortunately have no option but to suspend the league with immediate effect. We hope that all our members are able to keep safe in the next few months and will provide an update once the situation becomes safe to play over the board chess again.