Let’s set sail
Twenty-three juniors, the Noah’s Ark Trap on the display board, and the first Ladder games of the season — with an early look at the tables…
Read moreOnce again 23 juniors came along over the two-hour morning session. A warm welcome to three new members for this season — Oscar F, Phoebe and Florence.
A master class in room 2
Jon Catchpole made a very welcome return and held a master class in room 2 with Jonah, Kieran, Oscar T and Henry, playing many friendly but very instructive games.
The core concepts of pawn structure
The theme for the day focused on pawns and the importance they have during the game.
Pawns are the soul of chess
- They define the shape of the game.
- Once moved, they can’t go back — so every pawn move is a commitment.
Types of pawn structure
Here are the most common ones you should recognise:
| Structure | What it is |
|---|---|
| Pawn chain | A diagonal line of pawns supporting each other. Attack the base! |
| Isolated pawn | A pawn with no adjacent pawns. Weak, but it can offer dynamic play. |
| Doubled pawns | Two pawns on the same file. Often weak, but they can control key squares. |
| Backward pawn | A pawn behind the others that can’t advance safely. A vulnerable target. |
| Passed pawn | No enemy pawns block its path to promotion. Very powerful in endgames. |
The weakest pawns on the board
The weakest pawns on the board at the start of the game are those on f2 and f7. Each one is defended by the king and by nothing else.
An example of this played in a recent game shows how White targeted the f7 pawn.
Targeting the weak f7 pawn ·
1–0
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6
Typical Ruy Lopez opening
4. Ba4 b5 5. Bb3
Now the Bishop is targeting the f7 pawn
5… Bb7 6. d4 Nxd4
Black thinks that NxN, pxN then Qxp will result in an equal exchange, but...
7. Bxf7+
Boom! White takes that weak f7 pawn
7… Kxf7 8. Nxe5+
winning a second pawn
8… Ke8 9. Qxd4
1–0
Today’s games
Good wins today in the Ladders for Michal K, Phoebe, Wyatt, Oscar F, Tishi, Orson and Gagan.
Wins in friendlies for Wyatt, Zayd, Orson, Gagan, Mason, Rowan and Otis.
The Ladder tables after today’s games
Scoring is 3 points for a win, 2 for a draw and 1 for a loss.
Rooks
| Player | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kieran | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Jonah | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Henry | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Oscar T | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Uzzaer | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
Also in the Rooks, and yet to play a Ladder game: Michal M and Lewis.
Bishops
| Player | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Michal K | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Tishi | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gagan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Zayd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Wyatt | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
Wyatt has moved up from the Rooks into the Bishops. Also in the group, and yet to play a Ladder game: Constance, Arnav and Eden.
Knights
| Player | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Lenaya | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Otis | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Mason | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Orson | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Fin | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Adah | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Tristan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Oscar F | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Phoebe | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Florence | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Also in the Knights, and yet to play a Ladder game: Seyon and Rupert.
The Knockout tournament: Climb the Wall
The draw was made at random by two of the juniors who were there, from the 16 players who have entered.
The draw, in the order it came out: Zayd, Henry, Gagan, Oscar T, Wyatt, Jack, Michal K, Fin, Connie, Kieran, Rowan, Oscar F, Uzzaer, Mason, Tishi and Lewis.
Reporting your results
All Ladder results must be reported back to Graham.
We meet at Ferndown Library every Saturday, 10am–12 noon, and the club is open to 6–16 year-olds.