As the website approaches its first birthday, it seems sensible to tidy things up a bit so that current news can be separated from the more ancient.  There is a new category at the top (Season 2014-15) where most of this year’s news has been deposited. The only problem is that everything is on the one page and we can’t as yet separate reports from match results from news etc. Instead, everything is in reverse chronological order for the moment. It may not be possible to change anything but we’re working on it.  A few of the more recent items of news have been retained for the time being but will be transferred for the new season. At the club things are winding down as the various competitions reach their climax and we look forward to the Thanet Congress on August 21st. If you haven’t entered already, there’s still time.   Meanwhile, here’s a photo from the Christmas Dinner featuring (from the left) John Couzens, Tom Lovegrove and David Clifford.

The idea of an end of season blitz tournament – yes, folks, Broadstairs Chess Club is still open until the middle of August – was first thought of ten years ago so just like a well-known out-of-town Thanet shopping centre, 2015 is our tenth anniversary. The routine is tried and tested and appears to work well so there seems little need to change it. The players are divided into two teams of roughly equal ability in grade order. They are then paired against each of the opposing players in turn and the final totals are added up to find the winning team. Token team prizes are awarded but it’s just for fun. There was originally a prize for the individual with the highest score but as it was invariably one of the two number one boards it seemed pointless so that has now been scrapped. Fourteen players took part this year: thirteen from Broadstairs and our guest and long-standing friend, Colin Gregory from Margate.  Each player had six minutes to make all his moves and the theme this year was Waterloo 200 so the two teams were the Wellington Boots and the Napoleon Brandies. It was a close contest throughout with the Wellingtons taking an early lead and clinging on to it until the final round when the Napoleons won their only round sufficiently impressively to win the match.  Where were the Prussians when we needed them?  Next week the club returns to normal for the last few weeks of the season with three competitions still to be decided: the club tournament for the Goodall Cup, the knockout tournament for the John Couzens Vase, and the last two rounds of the Summer Swiss. The club closes for two weeks in August, re-opening in September and new players are always welcome (see ‘About’).

Unlike many chess clubs that shut down after Easter once league matches have dried up, Broadstairs prides itself in remaining open for 49 weeks of the year. The Summer Swiss is a long-standing competition that the club instigated to provide plenty of chess during the supposedly quiet months from May to August.  It consists of five rounds and is notable for the fact that the prize does not go to the winner but to the player with the best grading performance over the five rounds. It is therefore difficult for the highest-graded player to win even if he defeats all five opponents which we think is both laudable and egalitarian.  For many years the prize was free entry to the Thanet Congress but there were two problems with this idea: firstly, the Congress had already taken place by the time of the AGM when the prize was presented and secondly, sometimes the winner did not take part in the Congress anyway. After John Cutting’s death in 2010, it was decided to present a trophy in his name and the John Cutting Cup is now awarded each year.  After three rounds of this year’s competition David Faldon leads the way with 3/3, followed by Bob Page and John Couzens, both on 2½/3.

Here is picture that will bring back a few memories for some but will mean nothing to others.  Apologies for the quality but clearly seated at the table is John Couzens and to his right is Hugh Hosking, who moved to Croydon within a year or two of this photo.  On the far left is Ron Reed, and from the right we have Paul Havens, Bob Page, Bill Gray, who died a year or two later, and Reg Pidduck. The more you look at the photo, however, the more puzzling it appears.  The occasion appears to be an AGM but what year? Who can remember the name of the young man behind Reg’s right shoulder?  Most intriguingly, in what room was the photo taken? Any suggestions would be welcome.

Post script:  Many thanks to all those who offered suggestions.  A big clue to the year was that Paul Havens is clearly holding the Goodall Cup.  John Couzens joined the club in 1990 so it puts the photo at somewhere in the mid-90s. Paul won the Goodall Cup in 1995 and 1996 but only in the latter year did all those in the photo appear at the AGM.   A glance at the 1996 minutes suggests that David Wheatley – to his surprise – took the photo. The young chap to Reg’s left is Chris Newberry and the room is our current Room 10 at the far end. The confusion was caused by the cupboards and fireplace on the right since removed.  The less said about David Wheatley’s suggestion that the chap second from the right (your correspondent) was ‘a young-looking Steve Guy’, the better.  John will be flattered by Michael Doyle’s guess that he was in his late 20s when the photo was taken but then I did say it was poor quality….