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The Knights of Gidea Park Junior Chess Club has moved it's interent footprint,to a new website.
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Please follow the Knights on our new home.

KNIGHTS GET NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Although the Knights have only been a chess club since January this year,as a club they have been very active.
The Knights have gainned many 2nd and 3rd places in tournaments.
Also the Knights have won tournaments,and played for the County team.
Next year we should have players again in the County team.
It seems at almost every tournament a Knight wins a cup.
This level of play has not gone un noticed.

The English Chess Federation (ECF),has awarded the Knights of Gidea Park Junior Chess Club,CENTRE of CHESS EXCELLENCE status.
This is National recognition of a new chess club,and all members of this chess club can feel proud.

A KNIGHT GAINS MAESTRO TITLE

The grading system the English chess Federation (ECF) uses determines a players chess strength.
The higher the grade number the stronger the chess player.
Grading points are gained or lost from results of games played in tournaments.
The more games you win the higher you grade.

The ECF has a range of chess titles that players can qualify for.
They start will Chess Maestro going up to National Master with others in between.
Players qualify for each title by having a certain grade.
The Chess Maestro title requires a minimum grade of 95 on the ECF grading list.

The Knights have several players with grades,but one Knight has a grade above 95,so qualifing for the Chess Maestro title.
That player is Niall Ali,he has a grade of 96,and was granted the title of Chess Maestro in early October,this is a life title.
Well done to him,Niall now has the Team Master title in his sights,this requires a grade of 120.

NEW SEASON AND TOURNAMENT DATES

The new season of chess at the Knights chess club starts Friday the 9th of September 2011,normal time 15:30 to 17:00.
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Also some proposed dates for Essex junior grand prix and local tournaments.

Essex GP1 Chelmsford Saturday 01/10/2011

Enfield Sunday 09/10/2011 London junior championship qualifying event

Essex GP2 Basildon Sunday 20/11/2011 For entry form click here

Essex GP3 Colchester Saturday 14/01/2012.

Essex GP4 South Woodham Ferrers Saturday 25/02/2012 or Sunday 26/02/2012.

Essex GP5 Saffron Walden Sunday 27/05/2012 or Sunday 17/06/2012.

These tournaments will have under 9 and under 11 sections,and would be great for players from the Knights to gain tournament experience.

As soon as entry forms for tournaments become available i will post the links to them.

2nd SEPTEMBER TRAINING DAY IS CANCELLED

The planned club training day proposed for the 2nd of September has had to be cancelled.

This is partly due to a lack of numbers, as players are away on holiday.

The chess club will start as normal on Friday September 9th.

Also new for this season we are going to have a beginners club,this starts a week later on Thursday the 15th.

GREAT GAME FROM BOBBY FISCHER

This is a game played in the Bled tournament in 1961.
The winner of this game is Bobby Fischer,perhaps the greatest chess player ever.
Fischer was World Champion in 1972.
He died in 2008 aged 64.
64 is also the number of squares on a chessboard.

In this game you will see TACTICS,the usual ones,PINS,FORKS and some you may not have seen. Queen SACRIFICE,knight OUTPOST on d6.

While you are playing over the game look for TACTICS,perhaps you could use them in your games.
Also enjoy a great game.

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The game would finish 38...... Kg7 or Kh7
39.Rxf7+ Kh6
40.Rh8+ Kg5
41.Rxh3 wins the black queen with a TACTIC
This leaves white with King,Bishop,2 Rooks and 2 pawns against blacks King,Bishop and 4 pawns.

CLUB TRAINING DAY 2nd SEPTEMBER

The Knights chess club will open on Friday the 9th of September 2011.

But to get you up and running after weeks of no chess,a training day has been arranged to get you back into shape.

The training is proposed for Friday September 2nd.
It will start 10:15-10:30 Welcome.
10:30-11:30 Position training.
11:30-12:00 Endgame training.
12:00-12:30 Lunch.
13:00-16:00 Tournament and finish.

The day will be a good mix of training and tournament play, a great start to the new chess season.

Please call Richard on 07941818617 to book your place.

HONOURS EVEN IN MATCH WITH FAIRLOP

The away match against Fairlop Primary School chess club finished a draw at 9-9.
The match was over 2 rounds, with 9 points to be won each round.
Fairlop won the first round 5-4,then the Knights came back to win the second round 5-4,giving a 9-9 drawn match score.

Both rounds were very close,but some very good chess was played by both teams.
Thanks should go to Fairlop for being very good hosts.
Well done to each member of the team,as Fairlop are a very good chess club.
Atul was the Knights top scorer winning both of his games.
The Knights team was:

Niall Ali (captain)
Sreeram Babu
Angelo Parodi
Atul Sooraj
James Bedford
Matthew Luff
Megan Waters
Tolu Opaleye
Arun Bhargava

As the match was a draw each club will keep the trophy for 6 months.
The Knights as trophy sponsors having the first 6 months.
The match with Fairlop is planned to become an annual event every July,as an end to the chess season.

CHESS CLUB CLOSED UNTIL SEPTEMBER

The Knights chess club is closed for the summer,until early September.
The club will be holding a training day on a Friday in late August,the date to be arranged.
So keep your eyes on this website for details of the training day,and the first club Friday in September.

On this Friday the 15th of July the Knights have a 9 a-side match against Fairlop Primary School chess club.
This is the clubs first match,and an away match as Fairlop are the hosts.
The winners of this match will be presented with the "Knights cup".
This match will become an annual event.
Match report to follow.
Good luck to all the Knights taking part.

Also i would like to take this opportunity to thank the players for a fantastic 7 months,this club was only formed in January of this year.
During this time players from the club have played in tournaments and played for the county.
They have also won 6 trophies this is a excellent achievement for a new chess club.

I would also like to thank the parents for the support they give to the club,and at tournaments being a taxi service,supplier of food and a shoulder to cry on!!!!!!!
Without your help and support this would not be possible.

A GAME BETWEEN 2 KNIGHTS

This is a game played between Matthew and Theo at the Knights chess club.
When you play through this game,see if you can spot any PINS,FORKS and DISCOVERED ATTACKS.
Also see if you can find the missed checkmate for black.

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Recording your games as Matthew and Theo have, is the best way to improve in chess.
You have a reference to replay your brillant moves.
Also you can see your not so great moves,but this is all part of improving.

QUICK REVIEW OF CHINGFORD GRAND PRIX

The 5th and last Essex Junior Chess Association grand prix of the season, was held in Chingford on Saturday 2nd of July.
The Knights had players in the under 9 and under 11 tournaments.
Sreeram finished 4th in the under 9 tournament,this is a great result in a tough tournament.
Tolu,Atul and Mernan also played in the under 9's,while Theo,James and Matthew played in the equally tough under 11 tournament.
Niall after his recent under 9 wins,stepped up to the under 11 tournament for the first time,but still scored 3 wins.
Full results to follow soon.

JOSE CAPABLANCA THE 3rd WORLD CHAMPION

Jose Capablanca was born in Cuba on the 19th of november 1888,and died on the 8th of March 1942.
Capablanca learnt to play chess at the age of 4,by watching his father play.
Capablanca was perhaps the most naturally gifted chess player ever.
He was world champion 1921-1927,when he lost the title to A.Alekhine.
Even after losing the world Title, Capablanca was able to win many strong tournaments.
Between 1916 and 1924 Capablanca did not lose a single game, until his loss to R. Reti at the New York 1924 tournament.
Capablanca played many great chess games,but the game below stands out as a classic.
Capablanca is white against Frank Marshall.

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At this point Marshall resigned but it would of finished like this:
36....... Rxf7
37 b7-b8/Q+ Kh7
38 Rxh6+ Kxh6
39 Qh8+ Kg6
40 Qh5 is checkmate

Or can you work out the other move variations,if move 36 was not 36.....Rxf7,but was either
36.....Kh8 or 36......Kh7

ENTRY FORM FOR CHINGFORD GRAND PRIX

The 5th and last Essex Junior Chess Association Grand Prix event of the 2010-2011 season, is in Chingford on Saturday 2nd of July.

If you copy and paste the link below into the address bar or into Google up comes the word document entry form.

http://www.ejca.co.uk/ENTRYFORM02.07.11.doc

This will be the last Grand Prix of this season,the new season starts in September,with Grand Prix 1 in Chelmsford.

CHESS CLUB CLOSED FRIDAY 17th OF JUNE

The Knights of Gidea park chess club will regrettably be closed this Friday the 17th of June,thats the bad news.

Now for the good news, it's only closed for that one Friday, and we will be open the following Friday as normal.

SAFFRON WALDEN RESULTS

Five members of the Knights played in the under 9 Saffron Walden Essex grand prix on Sunday 12th of June,and the results are:

Niall 1st 6/6
Sreeram 5th 3/6
Mernan 5th 3/6
Atul 6th 2.5/6
Tolu 8th 1.5/6

These are goods results in what was a very tough tournament.

Mernan is a new member of the Knights.

NIALL WINS SAFFRON WALDEN UNDER 9 TOURNAMENT

On Sunday the 12th of June Niall won the Saffron Walden under 9 tournament with an unbeaten 6 out of 6.
The tournament at Saffron Walden was the Essex Junior Chess Association grand prix 4 in a series of 5.
The other Knights at Saffron Walden were Atul,Mernan,Sreeram and Tolu also in the under 9's.
Full results of this tournament are due in the next few days.
All the Knights played good chess and gave very good accounts of themselves in a very tough tournament.
The next and last grand prix event of 2010-2011 is at Chingford on July 2nd.

BOBBY FISCHER'S FAMOUS GAME AT 13

The American Grandmaster Bobby Fischer (1943-2008) was chess World Champion 1972 to 1975 when he retired from chess,only to make a comeback in 1992.
He was to many people the best ever chess player.

HBO film makers have made a documentary film of his life,to be shown in England in July.

I give a game played by Fischer when he was just 13 years old.
It was this game that made Fischer known worldwide in chess,and marked him as a future Champion.
The game was against a top American player,this game was given the title of
"game of the century"

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ESSEX MEGA-FINAL 2011 RESULTS

The results of the Knights who played in the Essex UK-Challenge Mega-Final held at Basildon on May 22nd 2011.

Toluwaniyi finished 3rd in the boys under 8 tournament.

Niall finished 1st in the boys under 9 tournament.
Atul finished equal 2nd in the boys under 9 tournament.
Sreeram finished equal 5th in the boys under 9 tournament.

James finished equal 5th in the boys under 10 tournament.
Theo finished equal 5th in the boys under 10 tournament.
Matthew finished equal 6th in the boys under 10 tournament.
Aiden finished equal 6th in the boys under 10 tournament.

Well done to them, all these are excellent results, as this was the first non-club tournament for 3 of the players.
This was a tough tournament, each player scored points and played some good chess as well.
To qualify to the Mega-Final players from all over Essex had to have scored enough points in the School/club based tournament held during early spring.

Niall and Atul have qualified to the South of England Giga-Final held Reading Saturday 9th July.

TODAY'S TACTIC THE PIN

Richard Teichmann one of the best players of the early 1900’s said “chess is 99% tactics”.

So following this advice if you understand tactics and use them in your games you will have a better chance of winning. Spotting tactics is difficult, it takes practise. The more you practise tactics the easier it is to see them in your games.

What are tactics?

The common tactics are:

PINS,FORKS,DISCOVERED CHECK,DISCOVERED ATTACK,REMOVE THE DEFENDER,OVERLOAD.

If you can look for tactics in your games they can sometimes be winning moves.

Today we look at the PIN.

1/PIN

“a pin is a piece that cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece on its other side to capture by the attacking piece”

This is a position after only a few moves, black has just moved the bishop from the c8 square to the g4 square.

This is attacking the white knight on f3.

If the white knight on f3 moves from this square it opens up an attack, on the white queen on d1 from the black bishop on g4.

Unless you want to give up your queen for a bishop, the white f3 knight is PINNED.

How to un-PIN yourself.

1/Attack the bishop with pawn to h3, hope it will move away or take the knight.

2/Move the queen from the PIN line or diagonal, in this position you cant.

3/Put another piece between the PINNED knight and the queen.

Can you work out what moves are the answers to number 3 ?

If you know the answers you can put it in the comment section.

Or e-mail the answer to us,the e-mail address is in the ABOUT US section.

ONE OF THE BEST CHESS GAMES EVER PLAYED

This is one of the best games of chess ever played.
It was played at the opera in Paris France in 1857.
The famous American player Paul Morphy is playing with the white pieces.
The Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard are working as a team with the black pieces.
In this game Morphy shows the power of the PIN.
He attacks when his pieces are developed.
To play the game click on show chess board then click right arrow button under the board for each move.
Enjoy a great game.

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Club Championship 2011

Over the past ten weeks the Knights of Gidea Park have held thier first club Championship,this tournament also doubled as a qualifier to the UK-Chess challenge Essex Mega-final in Basildon in May.
The club championship was close at the end as the scores show.
Some very good chess was played throughout the tournament.
1st Naill 20 points out of 21
2nd Theo 19/21
3rd Aiden 17/21
3rd Atul 17/21
4th Sreeram 15/21
4th Toluwaniyi 15/21
5th Angelo 14/21
5th Matthew 14/21
5th James 14/21
6th Megan 12/21
7th Keeley 11/21
7th Thomas 11/21
8th Balthazar 10/21

All the players on 14 points and above have qualified for the Essex Mega-final.

Knight plays for Essex

Niall has recently played for Essex under 9 county team of 12 on board 2 in the Inter Counties East zone in London.
Essex finished 3rd place the team and qualified for the Inter Counties final in Nottingham.
In the final at Nottingham Essex finished 10th out of 20 counties.
Well done to Niall the first Knight to play for the County.

FIRST TOURNAMENT NEWS

Welcome to the Knights of Gidea Park Junior Chess Club,we have only been a club since January 2011.
This has not stopped the players from entering their first tournament,an Essex junior grand prix event held at South woodham Ferrers.
Club members entered the under 9 and under 11 sections.
In the under 9 section Niall finished in 1st place with 6 out of 6 a fantasic performance.
Also in this section Sreeram had an excellent first tournament finishing 4th= and winning the BEST NEWCOMER trophy.
In the under 11 section Theo 7th=,James 8th= and Aiden 9th= all first timers in tournaments played very well and all won some games.