Knight against king
Twenty-five juniors and four tutors, knight against king on the display board and the Knockout replay settled — with the Ladder tables after the day’s games…
Read moreA fantastic 26 juniors attended today’s sessions, making for another busy and enjoyable day of chess.
We were also delighted to welcome one new recruit, Samuel, to the club. A very warm welcome to Samuel, and we hope you enjoy your chess journey with us!
Thank you to all the players, parents, and Tutor Jon Catchpole for helping to make the sessions such a success.
Theme of the day: why you lose games
More often than not, it’s caused by BLUNDERS!
What are blunders?
- Hanging a piece (leaving it undefended)
- Missing a tactic like forks, pins, skewers, discoveries
Here is an example of why undefended pieces lose games:
Undefended pieces in the Ruy Lopez
0–1
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6
so far a standard Ruy Lopez opening
4. d3 Ne7
what's black up to? can I take e5 with the Knight?
5. Nxe5
White now has two undefended pieces, the Bishop on b5 and the knight on e5
5… c6 6. Ba4 Qa5+
Checks, captures and threats are always strong moves, here this queen check attacks both undefended pieces.
7. Nc3
the Knight blocks the check and protects the Bishop, but the Knight on e5 is lost
7… Qxe5
0–1
Other lost games are a result of creating a long-term losing position. Examples:
- Weakening your king’s structure
- Giving up a key square or file
- Trading the wrong piece
Endgame mistakes — often subtle but fatal. Examples:
- Misplacing the king in a pawn ending
- Pushing the wrong pawn
- Failing to convert a won position
Why blunders happen
- Tactical oversight
- Carelessness
- Time pressure
- Overconfidence
- Fatigue
- Overconfident
- Time trouble
- Tilt or frustration
- Rushing in familiar positions
How to reduce blunders
- Check forcing moves (checks, captures, threats)
- Scan for hanging pieces
- Ask: “What changed?” after every move
- Slow down in critical positions
Ladder results and positions
Wins today for Oscar T, Gagan, Jack, Jonah, Fin, Otis, Uzzaer and Arnav.
Draws for Michal, Wyatt, Julian and Orson.
Other wins in friendly games for Uzzaer, Mason, Zayd, Arnav and Henry N.
Scoring is 3 points for a win, 2 for a draw and 1 for a loss.
Rooks
| Player | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kieran | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Jonah | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Henry | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| Eden | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Oscar T | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 23 |
| Constance | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Uzzaer | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 20 |
Also in the Rooks, and yet to play a game in this group: Lewis.
Bishops
| Player | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constance | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Rowan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Michal K | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Tishi | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Gagan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Arnav | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 19 |
| Eden | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Zayd | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| Wyatt | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Lewis | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
Knights
| Player | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Lenaya | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Otis | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| Seyon | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Mason | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Orson | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| Fin | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| Adah | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Trisztan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Oscar F | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Phoebe | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| Florence | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Henry M | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Julian | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
Also in the Knights, and yet to play a Ladder game: Rupert and Samuel.
The Knockout tournament
Two games played today. Oscar won against Henry N. Fin won against Wyatt, so the wall looks like this:
On the wall: Oscar T and Fin are through to the third row. Kieran and Rowan have still to play each other, and Uzzaer waits for the winner of Tishi and Lewis, who have still to play.
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.