The GazetteFebruary 2015

Registered Charity Number 263049

2

BCA Website Address: www.braillechess.org.ukEmail: customerservices@braillechess.org.uk

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.

CONTENTSStop Press.....................................................................................................................................................................3Editorial.......................................................................................................................................................................3Forthcoming Events.....................................................................................................................................................4All Under One Roof.....................................................................................................................................................5Congress Support Policy..............................................................................................................................................6Words from the Whitehouse........................................................................................................................................6Membership Secretary’s Report..................................................................................................................................8Italian Magnetic Chess Sets.........................................................................................................................................8Items with the BCA Logo............................................................................................................................................9Autumn Tournament Report in Memory of Sean and Pat O’Brien.............................................................................9Message from Sean O’Brien’s Sisters.......................................................................................................................11Game by John Gallagher at the Jorvik Congress 2014..............................................................................................11Mark Kirkham at Manchester....................................................................................................................................11Reminiscences by Peter Gibbs...................................................................................................................................12Correspondence Chess Director’s Report..................................................................................................................12BCA Email Correspondence Tournament.................................................................................................................13BCCL Team: “Once more unto the breach, dear friends”.........................................................................................13National Club.............................................................................................................................................................13Chris’s Puzzle............................................................................................................................................................14BCA Song..................................................................................................................................................................14Millennium Club........................................................................................................................................................14Personalia...................................................................................................................................................................15Obituary for Mary Cuthbert.......................................................................................................................................15

3

Stop PressIt is with great sadness that we report the death of David Hodgkins on the 13th of January. David was a longstanding committee member, a regular competitor in BCA tournaments and a great friend to so many of us. We shall miss him immensely.The tragic news came in just as this issue was going to press. The committee is making contingency arrangements to cover David’s areas of work and we already know that Guy Whitehouse will be taking over the organisation of the Haaksbergen trip. However, decisions are still being taken in other areas such as Correspondence Chess. Please get in touch with a committee member if you need advice on what else has been decided. A formal obituary will appear in the next issue. Meanwhile, we send heartfelt condolences, to David’s mother, Phyllis, and the wider Hodgkins family.

EditorialWelcome to the first Gazette of 2015! We are several weeks into our new year already but, as many will know, the Chinese New Year does not begin until later this month. The 19th of February will mark the start of the Year of the Sheep. How fitting then, that this February issue is rammed full of news! There are details of tournaments for players to flock to in droves, more new members have entered the BCA fold and Gill is seeking to round up interest in fleeces! "Shear" delight!In Western tradition, a sheep is often regarded as an unfortunate creature such as a sacrificial lamb or as an animal boring enough to induce sleep when counted. However, in Chinese culture, those born in the Year of the Sheep are considered intellectual and artistic. It occurred to me that these are ideal qualities for a chess player and I wondered whether any of the greats of the chess world were born under the Chinese zodiac sign of the Sheep. Sure enough, Bobby Fischer himself was just such a person. Tremendously gifted and creative, yet also a vicious predator on the chessboard. A wolf in sheep's clothing, one might say. Never dull, he was arguably quite a black sheep of the chess family. There is clearly more to the humble sheep than first appearances would suggest.In chess, players of significantly different strengths can be paired against each other. In such unequal contests, it is well known that the stronger player should never underestimate their weaker opponent but what advice can be given to someone who feels like a lamb to the slaughter as they sit down at the board? In this Year of the Sheep, perhaps they should recall Bobby Fischer and try to find their inner wolf!By now, some readers will no doubt be bleating that they have had enough of the sheep talk so let us leave this woolly subject behind and return to serious matters.The Braille copies of this issue have been produced by the RNIB after winning a contract to carry out this work for us for the next three years. We would like to say a big thank you to Rebecca Blaevoet whose company has been producing the Braille copies to a high standard for the last three years. Rebecca, who has now moved back to Canada, decided not to submit a bid for the work this time round.Permit me to draw your attention to Forthcoming Events, where there is some important advice for people travelling to our championship this summer. In other articles, our secretary, Guy, updates everyone with news from the November committee meeting and is hoping to enter a BCA team in the National Club Championship. Elsewhere, members have submitted games from mainstream tournaments for us all to enjoy, Peter Gibbs takes us on a delightful trip down memory lane and Joan Shorrock has even written a song especially for the BCA! There is also a report on the Sean and Pat O’Brien Memorial tournament and we pay our respects to Mary Cuthbert, whose obituary appears at the end of this issue.Finally, please send any submissions for the May gazette to arrive by the 4th of April.Julie Leonard

Forthcoming Events13 th - 15 th March 2015: AGM and Chess Congress Weekend This will be held at The Holiday Inn, Solihull. The AGM will take place at 2pm on Saturday 14th March.The closing date for entries has now passed, but late entries may still be accepted at the organiser’s discretion, subject to the late entry fee and accommodation availability. Organiser Steve Burnell.30 th May to 6 th June 2015 – BCA British Championship, Auckland Hotel, Morecambe Cost of accommodation, including dinner, bed & breakfast: £265 for members and associate members and £340 for non-members. [Please note: The concessionary rates will not apply to those booking for 1 to 5 days.]

4

The British Championship will be played over seven days with one game each day. All UK visually impaired players are eligible to enter this event. The entry fee is £10. The rate of play will be 40 moves in two hours for each player followed by an additional 30 minutes for each player for the completion of the game.If there are sufficient entries there will also be a minor event. In recent years, however, there have not been sufficient entries to run a minor event.In 2015 we return to the Auckland Hotel, which was popular amongst those who attended the British Championship in 2013. The Auckland is a comfortable family run hotel, conveniently situated on the seafront at Morecambe.The closing date for entries and bookings is 31st March 2015. Bookings, including payment in full, should be sent to Mrs. Gill Smith. Please refer to the booking conditions for BCA events which indicate the requirements you should include with your booking. For any other information contact a committee member. (Please see list of BCA Officers.)Please note: Last time the championship was held in Morecambe some people experienced long waits for taxis at Morecambe railway station. Members travelling by rail are advised to consider taking the train to Lancaster and getting a taxi from there. 16 th to 18 th October 2015 - International Autumn Tournament The 2015 International Autumn Tournament weekend will be dedicated to the memory of Lucy Walsh, a very popular and much loved member of the BCA who supported BCA events for many years. The tournament will take place at The Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate from Friday 16th October to Sunday 18th October 2015. It will consist of two five-round Swiss tournaments - an Open Tournament and a Minor Tournament for those whose grade or estimated grade is 110 or below. Both tournaments are open to blind and partially-sighted players and to associate members of the BCA. The Old Swan Hotel has proved to be a very popular and suitable venue on previous occasions and we look forward to returning. The hotel is within walking distance of the lovely spa town of Harrogate and a short taxi ride from the railway station.The BCA has once again been able to provide a subsidy for the Friday and Saturday nights. The cost for members and associate members for dinner, bed and breakfast will be £39 per person per night sharing a double or twin room; the cost of a single room is £43 per person per night. The cost for non-members and those wishing to stay the Sunday night will be £56 per person per night in a double/twin room and £62 per person per night in a single room. Payment for all nights’ accommodation and the £10 entry fee plus room requirements should be sent to the Treasurer, Gill Smith by the closing date, Friday 28th August. If you have any queries please contact the organiser: Mark Hague.Booking Conditions and ProceduresThose who make payment into the BCA’s account on-line or by direct bank transfer should make sure their payment is cleared by the closing date. When this has happened inform the treasurer your payment has been made and include your booking requirements as outlined below.If paying by cheque, cheques should be made payable to the Braille Chess Association. Building society cheques should have the name of the sender clearly marked. Postdated cheques are not accepted.If paying by BACS transfer, payments should be made to:Braille Chess Association, Sort Code: 40 52 40, Account Number: 00082456Bookings 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 by the Treasurer, Gill Smith, or when the money has been received by the BCA bank. Payments can only be refunded within the time limit set in the terms and conditions set by the various hotels. Members are advised to take out holiday insurance to cover themselves.When sending your payment to the treasurer, please include details of your booking requirements including:

1 Single room, double room or twin room;2 If you prefer a bath or a shower;3 If you prefer a room in which you may smoke. Please note many hotels now adopt a no smoking policy;4 If you will be bringing your guide dog;5 If you are on a special diet;6 If you have mobility problems and would benefit from being located in a room near to a lift;7 If you are a wheelchair user;8 If you feel you would have any special difficulties in an emergency such as a fire evacuation;

5

9 Any other special requirements.There is no need to send your requests to the organiser as Gill will do this, but you may, of course, contact the organiser on any point. Please do not make special requests to the hotel as this causes confusion.Please note: BCA reserves the right to refuse or cancel any entry or to exclude any person from any event it runs.

All Under One RoofI've been asked to highlight the fact that members can claim support for attending any of these congresses from the Congress Support Scheme. You would just have to flag up with the new Congress Support officer, Mark Kirkham, that you intended 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 any costs incurred by playing in an event.This list should not be treated as definitive and is only as complete as I can make it whilst complying with gazette deadlines. You would be well advised to keep an eye on the ECF calendar yourselves. The quickest way to find the calendar is actually to go on to www.google.co.uk and type, for example, ECF calendar May 2014 into the search box. The following events all take place in hotels, meaning that the accommodation and the tournament itself are at the same venue.Castle ChessThese are organised by Tony and Barbara Corfe. Tony and Barbara are 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 players20th – 22nd February 2015, 7th Portsmouth Congress, Lysses House Hotel, High Street, Fareham This is a six-round Swiss tournament. You can take a half-point bye in two of the rounds, though of course not the final round. The usual grading bands for each section apply, so there’s an Open which also has an U180 section, the Major is for those under 160 with an Intermediate section for U140s, and a Minor section for those with a grade less than 125 with a Challengers section for U100s. 14th – 15th March, 7th Hereford Congress, Green Dragon Hotel, Broad Street, HerefordThis is a five-round Swiss tournament held in a venue at which the legendary Blackburne is supposed to have played, though of course this clashes with our AGM event.Note: You can subscribe to Tony's newsletter yourself; just email him and you will be added to his list of subscribers.e2e4 EventsThe e2e4 website is not showing any future events at the time of writing. .Other EventsPlease note that telephone numbers are hardly ever given on the ECF calendar where I find these events, and sometimes they don’t even appear on tournament entry forms. Some of the numbers I quote are those I have found elsewhere, typically on county association or chess union websites which, in my experience, are not always kept up to date.20th – 22nd February, Dyfed Chess Congress, Fishguard Bay Hotel, Goodwick, Pembrokeshire There will be two five round Swiss events; an Open FIDE rated tournament and an event for those with a rating of under 1600 in the January 2015 Welsh Chess Union list or other most recent national grading list. To convert an ECF grade, multiply it by eight then add 650. Contact Tony Haigh.6th – 8th March, 39th Blackpool Chess Conference, the Imperial Hotel, North Promenade, BlackpoolThere are five sections: an Open, a Major (U181), Median (U155), Intermediate (U135) and a Minor (U115). Email blackpoolchessconference@yahoo.co.uk (no telephone number given on the entry form).14th – 15th March, Lowestoft Open, Parkhill Hotel, LowestoftThis is a five-round Swiss event, though the grading bands for each section are not entirely clear. Contact Warren Kingston.15th – 20th March, Rothay Manor Chess Holiday, Rothay Manor, Rothay Bridge, AmblesideMost of you will be familiar with the format of this chess holiday run by Peter Cloudsdale; it’s a seven-round Swiss with tutorial sessions on openings, the middlegame, the endgame and tactics. There’s an opportunity to go through games you’ve played and also famous games played in the past.

6

15th – 20th March, Polar Capital Jersey International Chess Tournament, Hotel Ambassadeur, St Clement Bay, JerseyThere are two sections; a nine round FIDE rated Open and a seven round Holiday Tournament for those with a rating under 1900, or graded under ECF 160 if unrated. In addition, the Nautilus Jersey Open Blitz Tournament, will take place on 18th March. Contact Paul Wojciechowski.3rd – 6th April, WECU 68th Open Easter Congress, the Royal Beacon Hotel, ExmouthThe Open will be counted as the West of England Championship. There will also be a Major (u-175) and a minor (u-140). The Elizabeth Walker Cup will be awarded to the lady from the west of England who achieves the highest score in the highest-ranking section. Contact Meyrick Shaw.24th – 26th April, Isle of Man Chess Congress, Cherry Orchard Aparthotel, Port ErinI am not sure, but the entry form only gives details of a section for those with a grade of under 155. Contact Mike Ware.Guy Whitehouse

Congress Support PolicyAt our November committee meeting, it was agreed to simplify the terms of the congress support scheme as much as possible. Nothing has really changed, but I would like to make it clear that eligible members are entitled to claim a maximum of £300 in a single financial year, and a maximum of £150 per congress. For any further information, or a copy of our congress support policy document, please don't hesitate to contact me.Mark Kirkham

Words from the WhitehouseThe committee held its second meeting of the year on Saturday 15th November and here is a brief summary of the main points and actions to come out of it.Junior Championships: We were pleased with the way the first junior championships we had put on in several years had gone and we gave this considerable prominence in our annual trustees report. We did discuss whether to put on a second event dedicated to juniors, but decided to stick with just the championships for now. We also decided to move the championships to earlier in the year as it seemed likely that at the end of August people would be getting in a last holiday away from home before the start of the school term.Gary is stepping down as junior development officer and Voldi has expressed a willingness to take over. We’d like to thank Gary for all he’s done in the role. Voldi has a real interest in moving things forward on the junior development front, and one of the things we’re aware of is that while some of our juniors in Surrey benefit a lot from Owen’s help, there’s another group which Owen can’t reach so easily. Voldi and Gary will be contacting this group, and one of the things we will be doing is providing details of their nearest chess club. We’ve also decided to approve two 1-hour sessions of Skype coaching per month for juniors at £20 per hour.Publicity: Voldi has hit the ground running this year and spoken to various groups about the BCA. We also ran a stand at Sight Village Birmingham and London where we got expressions of interest. Voldi did an interview for InfoSound and this seems to have led to a new recruit. We have decided to produce audio versions of our leaflets and we will ask for these to be put into the bags given to visitors to Sight Village events at which we can’t exhibit. We have decided we will aim to exhibit at one Sight Village a year; at the moment the London event seems to be the best attended so we are going for that one.We have also decided to try a different approach regarding publicity; accordingly we are looking at advertising in RNIB’s Vision Magazine and also Guide Dogs Magazine. We did wonder if we could get word of the association out via the Talking Newspapers Association as well. An interesting development is that we have been asked to give a talk to an RNIB member’s forum in Wolverhampton in February, specifically at RNIB members’ request. Gary is fielding this one.Social Media: Gill and Julie are experimenting with a page on FaceBook; we are aware that our juniors in particular are interested in this, though some of our other members are involved in social media too. We just need to familiarise ourselves with how the comment/post blocking mechanism works. Our current understanding is that we would not be liable for any negative posts and we can moderate and delete them, but we would rather find out about these matters in advance rather than after the fact. The feeling of the meeting though was that we should try to make something happen in this area fairly soon.

7

International and Domestic Tournament Programme: We have a busy international programme next year with parties being sent to Haaksbergen, the Six Nations and the European Individual Championships. At the time of writing, our Six Nations team will include Les Whittle, Philip Gordon and, in his first international event, Mark Kirkham. David Hodgkins had also been selected to represent us. The event will be held in Gonfreville L'Orcher, France, from April 3rd to 7th, 2015. The teams are expected to be from Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands. One change to this year’s Six Nations is that games will be FIDE-rated and they will also be broadcast over the Internet. Bill Armstrong and Chris Ross will be offered the chance to go to the European Individuals, which will also take place in France.The committee were concerned to encourage attendance at the British Championship. We wondered if the tournament suffered a bit from a reputation of being a rather tough, grim affair without any of the attractions of a fun social programme that the Chairman’s Cup has. I can say that when I attended the 2013 championships I did not find this to be the case at all. Joan Shorrock will be in charge of the social programme and although I will admit that Bournemouth has a couple more attractions than Morecambe, I would say I had plenty of fun last time round and the competitive nature of the chess does not clash with the enjoyable atmosphere of the event.One thing we would ask is that people are mindful of the need for a reasonably prompt start to games. There are any number of reasons why people might turn up in the tournament room a little late, slow service at dinner, taking guide dogs for a walk etc, but on Saturday and Sunday morning a late start to the game does mean that people’s lunchbreaks are reduced.We did have a brief discussion as to whether we should find a different name for the minor section of our tournaments. There was no very strong feeling either way, partly because we weren’t really sure if members felt the term minor implied their event was somehow of less importance. Options considered were challengers and simply the under-110 section. The matter was referred back to the tournament sub-committee.Chess Books: Members are now buying ebooks and although we can’t help people with the purchasing process, we have been thinking of ways to try and clean up the pgn files that people use by taking out unwanted and messy punctuation or symbols used by chess engines. Contacts on the Right to Read Alliance have given us two leads to pursue on this one; we’ll report back when we know more. We haven’t forgotten about Braille books; we are checking whether the arrangement whereby we could nominate a book for the RNIB to braille is still in place (the RNIB has been through changes of late).Instructions for Digital Chess Clocks: Chris has put together some draft instructions for programming the digital clock. Gary and Mark have provided him with some feedback and they are being modified. We were thinking of putting these on the website once they were complete, but we are happy to send them as they are to anyone who requests them.BCA Goodies: It’s been a while since BCA t-shirts were produced. We were told that Richard Murphy wears one outside of BCA events and gets enquiries from people who are curious to know more about us and how we play chess. Gill has been looking into the cost of getting various items with the BCA logo on them produced, and we’ll be reporting back on this to the AGM. If members are interested, we’ll go ahead and order a selection of items. Please see Gill’s article for more details. AGM Motion: I have received notification of one motion to be put to the AGM. Gary will be proposing that the Chairman's Cup should revert to a six-round event. He argues that this helps give the tournament a more relaxed atmosphere and a different feel to the British Championships. He also says that more non-chessplaying members of the BCA attend the Chairman's Cup, and that having a six-round event would better cater to the interests of non-chessplayers and chessplayers alike.And finally Administration: We did formally ratify our coaching and investments and reserves policies again and after some consultation with our insurers, we will be renewing our legal insurance unchanged. It seems there have been no developments, either at the level of formal legislation or of case law which mean that our cover would need to be extended, and the policy is still typical of the kind of policy our insurers offer associations like ours.We also conducted a financial review to check we were spending money appropriately. Obviously we have had a busy overseas programme of late and coaching costs have gone up. However although we would want to avoid being profligate in these areas, we still see this as a fully legitimate aspect of our activities. People might be

8

interested in figures that Gill produced for us, specifically that for every pound we spent on fundraising, £4.87 was raised as income, and of every pound we received and spent, 80p went directly on chess-related activities or on promotion of chess for the visually impaired. Guy Whitehouse.

Membership Secretary’s ReportLet me start by introducing two new members.First of all I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Felix Laitt, who at the age of fourteen has joined our rapidly growing “Junior BCA”. Felix is a student of New College Worcester and as well as enjoying chess is a keen and accomplished Braille reader. Felix also enjoys football and swimming, and like many of our members, is a keen follower of sport in general. Secondly I would like to extend a very warm welcome to new life member Bill Tatum. As well as chess, Bill is in good company with at least one of our members, as he is a keen radio ham. Bill also told me that another interest of his is studying his genealogy. Well a Saturday morning often entails searching out my jeans whilst engaged with the radio and then off to chess, so I too may have quite a lot in common with Bill!DeceasedMany of you will have heard by now that Mary Cuthbert sadly passed away on 29th October 2014. Although she didn’t play in any of our tournaments, no BCA event was complete without her. Mary was born to be on the stage, having the comic timing and sharp wit worthy of an Oscar Wilde play. A lover of poetry and the performing arts and up until recently a hater of chess! BCA has lost another great personality and our events will be poorer for her absence. Rest in peace Mary.Gazettes sent to Hugh Bowman have been returned saying that he no longer lives at that address. If anybody has any information on Hugh please could I ask you to contact me. Let me close by saying if anybody has any changes to their postal or email address, or know of any possible new members who wish to join the BCA, please get in touch.Gary Wickett

Italian Magnetic Chess SetsThe Italian magnetic chess sets have attracted some interest. As the BCA already sells high quality wooden sets at a subsidized price to our members, we will not be adding the magnetic sets to our conventional stock of equipment or be able to offer any subsidy. However, we plan to purchase some sets on a one off basis for our UK members according to demand.Clearly, whether or not we can obtain sufficient sets from Italy will influence the basis on which we are able to sell to members. Should we have difficulty in obtaining supplies then restrictions may need to be applied. In the event of a significant shortfall we may have to abandon the plan.Apart from using magnets instead of pegs in holes, these deluxe style sets follow the convention of having raised black squares and a point on the top of the black pieces to distinguish them from the white.The measurement of the board is 27 cm squared, each square 3 cm, with a frame of 1.5 cm. The boards do not fold. Buyers may need to source felt pads or similar to go under the pieces.The price is about £67 (depending on the conversion rate from Euros) plus shipping costs which may be £10 to £15 per set. Please contact Gary, our Membership Secretary, by 21st March if you wish to purchase one of these sets.

9

Items with the BCA LogoGill Smith writes: I am considering placing an order for some tops and or bags with the BCA logo and website name on. At the Sean and Pat O’Brien Memorial Tournament a couple of players were wearing tops with BCA logos on. I thought the tops were good and it was pointed out to me that as well as being a nice item to wear, it can be another way to raise awareness of our association. I do not wish to commit a sum of money to items that won’t sell so I am writing this article to gauge how much interest there is in my ordering some promotional tops or bags. Here is a list of prices of items I have looked at. Note prices vary according to how many are ordered: the more ordered, the cheaper each item. I have given the price if I were to order 10 items. If there is enough interest to order more, then the price would be lower.T-shirts £7 each. Polo shirts £9 each. Fleece jackets £10 each.Drawstring bags, carry over one shoulder or use as a back pack, big enough to hold a chess set and clock, £5 each if we order 20 bags. These are water resistant and made of woven polyester.Please contact our treasurer, Gill, to register your interest.

Autumn Tournament Report in Memory of Sean and Pat O’Brien31st October -2nd November, 2014

Shortly before I travelled to this year’s Autumn Tournament it occurred to me that it would be taking place almost 40 years to the day since I played in my first BCA over-the-board tournament. This took place in November, 1974, in Chester. During the 1970s there was a weekend tournament every second year during which a general meeting took place. In the early 80s this became an annual event and was moved to the spring. It was during this 1974 tournament that I first met Sean and Pat. Following Sean’s death last year, I thought it was most fitting that this year’s Autumn Tournament was to be dedicated to them both.

On the Friday morning of the tournament I set out for Derby along with Michael Delaney, his partner, Fionnuala, and their 18 month old daughter, Laoise. We arrived at the hotel shortly after 2 o’clock after a pleasant journey. No sooner had I got settled in and unpacked than I had a phone call from Michael inviting me to join him and Fionnuala on a walk through the town. This I was delighted to do. Following a leisurely stroll, we eventually landed in a pedestrian area. Soon afterwards we found a small shop with a table outside. Here we sat down and enjoyed some refreshments. In my case it was a coffee and a slice of cake. On our way back to the hotel we found a likely pub for a possible later visit close by.

At the dinner table that evening I was joined by three people, all of whom I was meeting for the first time. Margaret, Andy and Ian were most friendly and we had a very pleasant meal together.

Just before 8 o’clock we were all set to start play in the first round of the tournament. First there were a few words of welcome from organiser, Lea Ryan followed by a request from BCA Chairman, Norman Wragg, that we should stand in silence for 1 minute as a mark of respect to associate member, Mary Cuthbert, who had died two days previously.

Then the clocks were started with six games in both the open and minor sections. John Gallagher was the only seeded player to win in the open section. Bill Armstrong and myself came out on the losing side with the other three games drawn. Playing against Mark Kirkham, a mistake coming out of the opening left me with a weak a-pawn. Mark set about winning this pawn and once he had done so, he was well on the way to victory.

The minor section, by contrast, provided six outright winners. When I met Mike Lowery in the bar, he was very happy with his win against Dan Rugman, but he was eager to point out that he would have to play very well in his remaining games to make further progress.

Next morning at 9.30 we were at our boards again. There was now a seventh board in the open, Chris Ross and Guy Whitehouse having each taken a travelling bye in Round 1. Chris beat Michael Delaney and Guy drew with Norman Wragg. Other winners were Bill Armstrong, Les Whittle and John Gallagher. This moved John into outright leadership on 2 points. The other two first round winners, Ian and Mark, drew with each other and this put them level with Chris and Les on 1.5.

10

Round 3 resulted in a change of leadership with wins for Chris and Les against John and Ian respectively moving them into joint first place. David moved into third place with a win against Guy. There were also wins for Michael and myself and a full point bye for Richard.

Meanwhile, in the minor section the second round produced 5 more wins. In the sixth game Gary Wickett took a half point bye and Denis Warren received a full point bye. There was now a 3-way tie for first place involving George Philips, Mark Hague and Ian Blackmore. In Round 3 wins for George and Mark meant that there were now just two sharing top spot. The other four games resulted in wins for Andy Lee, John Osborne, Gary Wickett and Richard Harrington.

During the afternoon our two special guests of the weekend arrived. These were Philomena Lyons and Eileen Kelly, sisters of Sean O’Brien. Another very welcome visitor was Gerry Walsh, who unfortunately had to leave us soon after the evening meal. At the dinner table I was very happy to be sitting near to two other most welcome arrivals, Olly and Julie Leonard.

The meal was totally informal and most pleasant. Afterwards there was lots of conversation and I was able to enjoy a drink or two standing at the bar. Some of our number sought a change of scene at a nearby pub, but I felt very content in the friendly atmosphere of the hotel.

On Sunday morning it was time for the penultimate round of the chess tournaments. In the open Chris and Les did battle for the outright lead. Chris’s massive grading advantage was not to be overturned and he took sole possession of first place. In the minor a draw between George and Mark left them still sharing the lead.

Before the final round got underway we had the draw for prizes in Sheila’s raffle. Some sixteen lucky tickets were pulled out and the draw produced a profit of well over £100 for the BCA.

Then the clocks were started and the games to determine the final placings began. A win for Chris against Bill assured him first place and John beat Les to finish second. A draw with Michael was good enough to give David third place. Half a point behind David there was a seven-way tie for places 4 to 10 on 2.5 points, with five players sharing the two grading prizes. With four draws in the final round and 13 of the 33 games played finishing without a winner, I wondered if anyone might possibly have drawn all five games. Sure enough we did have a draw specialist; Norman Wragg.

The final round of the minor saw the joint leaders, George and Mark, paired against Dan and Ian respectively. A win for Ian moved him half a point ahead of George, so George had to win to secure outright first place. Dan was not making it easy for him and with all other games finished, the two were still battling away. With the time control very near, word came to those of us waiting in the bar that George had won. We could now return to the tournament room for the prize giving. As we made our way in I remembered that George had also been a participant in that tournament at Chester in 1974. Sean’s sisters, Philomena and Eileen had returned to present the prizes. The names of the winners were called out, the prizes presented and photographs taken. Afterwards Philomena spoke to us in some very well chosen words.

There were words of thanks for arbiters, Roger Edwards and Matthew Carr and steward, Norman Andrews. There was also appreciation for organisers Mark and Lea and acknowledgement for the helpfulness of the hotel management and staff. Then it was time for goodbyes with people heading for railway station and car park. Those of us staying on overnight could now just relax and prepare to enjoy the rest of the evening.

Sean Loftus

Open4.5 points Chris Ross4 points John Gallagher 3 points David Hodgkins2.5 points Bill Armstrong, Les Whittle 2.5 points, sharing Grading Prize 1 Michael Delaney, Sean Loftus, Norman Wragg2.5 points, sharing Grading Prize 2 Mark Kirkham, Richard Murphy2 points Ian Blencowe, Guy Whitehouse1.5 points Steve Brown1 point Voldi Gailans

11

Minor4.5 points George Phillips4 points Ian Blackmore, John Osborne 3.5 points Mark Hague3 points, Grading Prize 1 Andy Lee2.5 points Gary Wickett2 points, Grading Prize 2 Michael Lowery2 points Dan Rugman, Gill Smith, Denis Warren1 point Richard Harrington0 points Eleanor TewThe prize money was kindly donated by Freemasons of Derby.

Message from Sean O’Brien’s SistersSean O’Brien’s sisters, Philomena Lyons and Eileen Kelly, presented all of the prizes, including ‘Sean and Pat O’Brien Memorial’ trophies for the winners of the Open and Minor sections. Philomena said: My sister Eileen and I would like to thank you for your kindness in inviting us to share in this wonderful weekend. We were delighted to hear that this gathering is known as 'The Sean and Pat O'Brien Memorial Tournament'. Our brother and sister in law would be honoured to be remembered in this way because the BCA played a very important part in their lives. After joining the association in 1972 they began helping to organise tournaments and of course they both greatly enjoyed the sociable aspect of these events.Those of you who knew Sean understood how much the BCA meant to him. In the latter years, as his health declined, he relinquished many of his hobbies. Chess however, was the one constant in his life; in fact he had a conversation with BCA member about a postal game they were playing, just a few hours before he had the stroke which sadly led to his death.He also understood the importance of encouraging 'new blood' into the Association and he worked hard to achieve that end. It pleases us that fruits of his labour can be seen here this evening.We feel that the following words written by Benjamin Franklin aptly sum up how our brother Sean, felt about the game and also his amazing attitude towards life. “Chess teaches foresight, by having to plan ahead; vigilance, by having to keep watch over the whole chess board; caution, by having to restrain ourselves from making hasty moves; and finally, we learn from chess the greatest maxim in life - that even when everything seems to be going badly for us we should not lose heart, but always hoping for a change for the better, steadfastly continue searching for the solutions to our problems.”

Game by John Gallagher at the Jorvik Congress 2014Round 3: Noel Stewart v John Gallagher1. d4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. Be3 Nf6 5. Nbd2 O-O 6. Bd3 c5 I am not sure if this is correct.7. c3 Ng4 8. Qe2 cxd4 9. cxd4 d5 Again, is this wrong? I’m not sure.10. exd5 Qxd5 11. Bc4 Qd6 12. O-O Nc6 13. Ne4 Qc7 14. Rac1 Bxd4 He missed this, of course. The h2 square is weak.15. h3 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bg7 17. Nfg5 Now I’m scared of the semi-open F file, but I have that very nice black squared bishop.17. … e6 18. Nf6+ Bxf6 19. Rxf6 Qe5 20. Nxh7 Kxh7 21. Rcf1 Nd8 22. Bd3 Rg8 23. Qf3 Bd7 24. Rxf7+ Nxf7 25. Qxf7+ Rg7 26. Qf2 Qg5 27. h4 Qe5 28. g4 Rf8? Where did I find that from? 29. Bxg6+ Rxg6 30. Qxf8 and White resigns. 0-1 I found Bxd4 very pleasing. Amazing game!

Mark Kirkham at Manchester I was delighted to be able to follow up my success at Sheffield last summer with another 100% score in the 'Knights' section of the Manchester Autumn Congress. I hope readers will enjoy this selected game, which features my favourite French Defence. Although I won an early pawn, you will see that I had a little scare in the middlegame that I was able to overcome, and went on to achieve a nice finish once my pieces were finally coordinated.

12

White: Gordon SommervilleBlack: Mark Kirkham30th August 2014, Round 31. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Ngf3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Bd3 Qb6 8. O-O cxd4 9. cxd4 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Nf3 Qb6 12. Re1 Be7 13. Qa4 Qb4 14. Qc2 Nc5 15. Bd2 Qa4 16. b3 Qd7 17. Bxh7 g6 18. Bxg6 fxg6 19. Qxg6+ Kd8 20. Ng5 Kc7 21. Rac1 Kb8 22. Bb4 b6 23. h4 Rxh4 24. Bxc5 Bxc5 25. Nf3 Rh8 26. Red1 a5 27. a4 Ra7 28. Nd4 Bxd4 29. Rxd4 Qh7 30. Rxc8+ Rxc8White resigned!

Reminiscences by Peter GibbsMembers might be interested that when playing in a recent match I gained the impression that my opponent, before the game, thought that he was taking on an old 'fogey'. I was White in the game and the moves were 1 e4 c5, 2 Nf3 d6, 3 d4 cxd4, 4 Nxd4 Nf6, 5 Nc3 g6, 6 f4 Nc6, 7 Bb5 Bd7, 8 Bxc6 bxc6, 9 e5 Ng4, 10 e6 fxe6, 11 Qxg4 e5, 12 Ne6 Qc8, 13 f5 gxf5, 14 Qh5 mate. At this point I fully expected my opponent either to discuss the game or, if he preferred, to play some friendly games. However, he put on his coat and in a high dudgeon left the chess room. I contrasted this experience with the game I played on my 21st birthday, 28th May 1955, in the British Championship Qualifying Competition which I played in the home of Reg Bonham, well-known as a World Blind Chess Champion on several occasions. In this game I had the Black pieces. I have changed the descriptive notation to algebraic. The moves were as follows: 1 d4 Nf6, 2 Nf3 g6, 3 g3 Bg7, 4 Bg2 0-0, 5 0-0 d6, 6 c4 c5, 7 Nc3 Nc6, 8 h3 Bd7, 9 Kh2 cxd4, 10 Nxd4 Nxd4, 11 Qxd4 Ng4+, 12 Resigns. In this game my opponent was very sporting about it and he and his family made me most welcome after the game. Ironically, in Round 5 of the British Championship at Aberystwyth I played Reg again on 26th August 1955. I am sure it would not be allowed by the arbiters today but Reg got out his pipe and twist tobacco and we played the game hidden from everyone else in a thick cloud of smoke and much to the hilarity of neighbouring players. The game was quite a battle which was drawn in 83 moves but afterwards Reg, with a smile, pointed out to me that I could have won on move 17. I duly played him on subsequent occasions and they were always most enjoyable games. He was a true gentleman! Peter Gibbs

Correspondence Chess Director’s ReportThere were no additional entries received for the 43rd BCA Correspondence Championship 2015/2016 which is due to commence 1st January 2015, so the groups are as below (also listed in the November Gazette).Congratulations go to Denis Warren who has won the Ladder Competition for 2014. Denis has finished on 13 points.If anybody has any correspondence issues, or would just like to know more about it, please do not hesitate to contact a committee member. (See contact details at the front of this Gazette).Listed first below are the Groups for the 43rd BCA Correspondence Championship along with the results for other competitions which this time there are not many to report: 43 rd Correspondence Championship Premier GroupGroup leader – David HodgkinsAlec Crombie, Mark Hague, Ernie McElroy, David Mears, Les Whittle, Guy Whitehouse.Note: David Hodgkins was also due to take part in this group.Challenger Group AGroup leader – Denis WarrenStephen Brown, Derek Couchman, Jim Cuthbert, Eric Gallacher, Denis Warren.Challenger Group BGroup leader – David Hodgkins Hans Cohn, Mike Hague, Steve Hilton, Geoff Patching, George Phillips, Eleanor Tew.League Division 1Group leader – David HodgkinsHodgkins – Crombie – 0-1; (Ruy Lopez) 41

13

Mark Hague – Hodgkins – 0-1; (French) 21Mark Hague – Phillips – 0.5-0.5; (Centre Counter) 53Whitehouse – Mark Hague – 1-0; (Pirc Defence) 21McElroy – Mark Hague – 0.5-0.5; (No opening given) 21Scores: Alec Crombie 3.5-4; Guy Whitehouse 1.5-2; David Hodgkins 1-2; Mark Hague 1-5; George Phillips 0.5-2; Ernie McElroy 0.5-1.Obviously, once again Alec Crombie is the one to catch. However, a few like Ernie McElroy and Guy Whitehouse might have something to say about this. There is still all to play for!League Division 2Group leader – Denis WarrenNo further results at present. Scores: Stephen Brown 3-3; Derek Heyes 2-2; Mike Hague 1-3; Denis Warren 1-3; Eric Gallacher 0-3; Mike McGuigan 0-0.It appears that the game between Stephen Brown and Derek Heyes will be crucial in deciding the winner together with Mike McGuigan’s results.League Division 3Group leader – David HodgkinsNo further results at present. Scores: David Mears 2-2; Derek Couchman 1.5-2; Geoff Patching 1-1; Eleanor Tew 1-3; Jim Cuthbert 0.5-5. It appears there is all to play for in this group. Ladder TournamentWarren – Couchman – 1-0; (Giuoco Piano) 36McElroy – Patching – 1-0; (Ruy Lopez) 45Mark Hague – Hodgkins – 0.5-0.5; (Pirc) 27Scores: Denis Warren 13, Stephen Thacker 9, Roger Bishop 8, Jim Cuthbert and Gary Wickett 7, David Hodgkins 6. David Hodgkins

BCA Email Correspondence TournamentOur second email tournament started on 12th January 2015.Following feedback from of those who took part in the first event, we have introduced different conditions:1. The event will be run as a league, with promotion and relegation between two or more divisions, dependent on the number of entries. Each division will have up to five players. This means each player will play four games.2. The event will be for members and associate members of the UK BCA.3. The use of chess engines will not be permitted.4. The event will be controlled jointly by Eamonn Casey and Philip Doyle. We are grateful to Eamonn and Philip for undertaking this role.Stan Lovell

BCCL Team: “Once more unto the breach, dear friends”Once again we have entered a team into the British Correspondence Chess League postal competition. Sadly we were relegated last time, so the aim this year must be to get back into the premier division. To this end I've been looking to strengthen our team, and am pleased to announce that this year's band of warriors are Colin Crouch, Peter Gibbs, Steve Hilton, Les Whittle, Norman Andrews and Alec Crombie. I'm sure you'll all join with me in wishing them every success.Guy Whitehouse

National ClubAt the 2014 AGM and at a couple of other points during the year we mentioned that our ECF Representative, Bill Armstrong, had suggested we might be able to enter a team into the national club championships. It was too close to the actual event last time, but this time a message has already gone round the user group inviting expressions of interest and, at the time you are probably reading this, we still have a couple of months before the championships take place.

14

The 2015 championships are scheduled for 11th - 12th April and take place at the Holiday Inn near Birmingham Airport. There are four rounds and teams can be entered into one of four sections depending on the average grade of the team: an open, a Major (U175), an Intermediate (U150) and a Minor (U125). I have had several expressions of interest.We have not put together any formal policy on team selection for this event; obviously we want to give members every opportunity to play, but it makes a certain practical sense to have a couple of associate members go as well and they may also want to participate. I'd anticipate hotel expenses being met.If you are a UK resident member and are interested in taking part, could you let me know as soon as possible so that I can make any necessary arrangements.Guy Whitehouse

Chris’s PuzzleNovember Puzzle: White: King b8, Queen h6, Rooks d2 and g7, Bishops c4 and h8, Knight a3, Pawn h7Black: king a1, bishops b1 and g1, pawns c5 and g2fen: 1K5B/6RP/7Q/2p5/2B5/N7/3R2p1/kb4b1 White to play and mate in two. Solution: 1 Qh1!If 1... gxh1=Q 2. Rxg1# 1... Bb1-any 2. Rb7#1... Bh2+ 2. Rg3#1... Bg1-other 2. Ra2#February Puzzle:FEN: 7k/1R4N1/8/8/7K/6R1/8/7QWhite: King h4, Queen h1, Rooks b7 and g3, Knight g7 Black: king alone on h8White to play and mate in two. The solution will be published in the May issue.Chris Ross

BCA SongJoan Shorrock writes:Some time ago Michael Lowery suggested we have a BCA song, so I composed one. The tune is The Eton Boating Song. We sang it at the soirée in Bournemouth last year.

Come on all you chess buffs!Let us all uniteWith coaches, guides and playersWith or without sight.

Chorus: So we all stand together, Whatever your state of play.BCA forever, Forever the BCA.

Some of them are champions.Some are learning to play.Some need help and guidance.Others show them the way.

(Chorus)

Millennium ClubRecent Millennium Club winners:

November: Paul Benson, number 57.December: Steve Thacker, number 26. January: Stan Lovell, number 36.

15

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 Gill Smith, or you can pay using the following details: account name Braille Chess Association, sort code 309620, account number 00296072, make Millennium Club the reference. Gill Smith, Treasurer

PersonaliaThis quarter, Personalia focuses on two BCA members who are making exceptional contributions in their local communities. Firstly, thanks to Juliet Reeve for bringing us news of a BCA member who is making his voice heard in Northumberland and beyond.Juliet writes; Lowery on Lionheart! For a lively mid-week sports roundup, do tune into Lionheart Radio, the Alnwick local community radio, for an hour long programme presented by BCA member, Michael Lowery. You’ll hear up-to-date information and comment about a wide range of sports: football, rugby, tennis, Formula 1, boxing, basketball and racing (including tips!). Michael’s interesting commentary is interspersed with a selection of his favourite musical tracks.“Lowery on Lionheart” can be heard on Thursday afternoons from 3pm until 4pm on 107 FM. It’s also available worldwide on the internet at: www.lionheartradio.com.Journeying south to Rutland, there is news of our old friend, Alec Crombie, who, I discover, was voted in as Uppingham's Deputy Mayor following a contested election in May. For anyone interested in their Town or Parish affairs, Alec asks, "Does your Council have the General Power of Competence, enabling it to broaden the scope of its activities?" and "Have you got or are you considering a Neighbourhood Plan courtesy of the Localism legislation, giving you greater control over local issues including planning development?"Alec says the highlight of his office so far has been leading the town in the August 4th commemoration parade, when more than 350 people took part in a candlelit procession to mark the centenary of Britain's entry into WW1.Without doubt there are many other members doing important work in their areas and the chances are that, like Michael and Alec, these individuals would be far too self-effacing to draw attention to their activities themselves. So if you know of a member doing sterling work that remains largely unsung in BCA circles, please do consider asking the person for permission to send in a few details for inclusion in the gazette. I'd still like to hear about any important birthdays, anniversaries, awards or achievements too!Julie Leonard

Obituary for Mary CuthbertWith great sorrow, we pay tribute to Mary Cuthbert, a much loved associate member who passed away at the end of October. Cherished wife of Jim and dear friend to many of us in the BCA as well as in her local community, her vivacity and sense of fun will be widely missed.On hearing news of Jim's bereavement, very many people expressed their condolences together with their own personal sense of loss. Therefore, it seems appropriate that this obituary for Mary contains the thoughts and recollections of several people.We begin with a eulogy, written for Mary by Peter Eastwood, and read by him at Mary's funeral on the 20th of November. As you will discover, Peter is a longstanding friend of Mary and Jim, who has generously given permission for his celebration of Mary's life and her achievements in the parish where she lived to be reproduced here in our gazette. This is followed by some words from a few BCA members. Not surprisingly, the messages from members were too numerous for them all be included here, but hopefully this small sample accurately represents the thoughts expressed by so many and reflects the wide range of contributions Mary made to our association over more than twenty years.Peter Eastwood: I first met Mary over fifty years ago when my family moved to Eltham. We used to meet at Mass every week as there was very little social activity at that time. It wasn’t long before things started to happen when the Drama Group, “The Priory Players”, was formed in 1965, with Mary being one of the founder members. Mary was an outgoing girl who became an active member of the Company. As we had no hall for the first few productions we performed at St Thomas More School in a farce called “The Happiest Days of Your Life”. Mary was the outspoken headmistress of a girls’ school who, due to an administrative error was evacuated to a boys’ school. Her demands left the Headmaster almost a nervous wreck.

16

Then in 1970 the Parish Hall was built and we moved into our new home where we performed a variety of shows spanning the next forty years. Mary became a multi-talented actress, playing a variety of roles ranging from a Fairy in our first pantomime “Pantomania”, Madam Arcati in Blithe Spirit and another pantomime role as the witch, Origana, who according to her theme song, was the girl with the ripe banana! I leave you to ponder on that. Mary also turned her hand to direction and when someone else tried to tell her what she should do Mary said “There is only one Director!”; a phrase which the players still use today.Mary was very much involved in the life of the parish and we were to be found most weekends here at the Monty Club in the Hall. Mary sang in the church choir for many years and she was always helping out at the annual fêtes and bazaars.Then, in 1979, someone else entered her life when Jim appeared on the scene. Jim was introduced to Mary by Fr Joseph Levins. Mary took Jim under her wing and soon they became inseparable. They both shared the same birthday, the 19th of June, and that day became very special because they married here in Christchurch on that same date in 1982. And so life continued, the Priory Players productions, the choir, the Monty Club and fun days out. At the Christmas bazaar Mary would always run the raffle whilst Jim would be at the door taking the entrance fee. And who could forget the Christmas Carol Singsong in the Monty Club, where every year Mary would belt out the twelve days of Christmas to huge applause and at least one encore. On a personal note, for many years Mary and Jim would come to lunch on Boxing Day, arriving with a huge turkey and loads of parcels, and joining in with our children, contributing to the chaos and in recent years doing the same with our grandchildren. Great fun and laughter was had by all. Sadly, over the last few years, Mary did not enjoy the best of health but being the trouper she was she did not let it get her down. She continued to help out at the Priory Players and at the church fêtes whenever she could and it was always with a glad heart and a big smile. Mary passed away on 29th October after a short illness which she bore with great fortitude.Mary, we will miss you, but you will not be forgotten. May you rest in peace.

Peter and Celia Gibbs:Mary was a lovely, warm lady and we enjoyed her company at BCA events. She was the life and soul of the party at the annual Chess Theme Breaks which we organise and at our soirées she gave wonderful recitations. We shall miss her greatly. We shall not see her like again.

Gary Wickett:Together with being a regular contributor at the BCA soirées, where her renditions of Hilaire Belloc’s 'Matilda' and Lewis Carroll’s 'You are old, Father William' brought the house down every time, Mary enjoyed the social side of BCA events, and albeit she rarely consumed alcohol, she was always amongst the last of us to leave the bar each evening.

Colin Chambers: Mary and Jim joined the BCA in 1993 so that Jim could pursue his interest in chess. However, they quickly discovered that BCA events are not just about the chess. They met many new friends and evening entertainment programmes began to benefit from Mary's theatrical talents. On the administrative side, Mary helped the late Sean O'Brien in the search for suitable tournament venues.Together with Jim, Mary regularly attended the ever popular Chess Theme Week at the Windermere Manor Hotel, where she was coached by Norman Andrews. Norman's invaluable help, for which Mary was most grateful, inspired her to take part in a simultaneous display. However, as at BCA chess events, Mary will be better remembered for her hilarious poetry recitals and her delightful singing. Mary’s ashes are to be laid to rest in the Garden of Remembrance at St. Thomas More Church, Eltham at 2pm on Saturday, 17th January.Mary, you will be sadly missed by all your many friends in the BCA.

17