A very exciting and lively Saturday morning unfolded once again, with 14 enthusiastic juniors eagerly taking part in a variety of fun and engaging games. In addition to the enjoyable activities, a crucial decider match in the Ladder competition added an extra layer of excitement and anticipation to the event. At the end of the session, as some members will be away holidaying next week, certificates recognizing participation and achievement, along with unique and specially designed ‘Ferndown Junior Chess Club’ pens, were proudly presented to everyone who attended, making the day even more memorable for all the young players.
Good to see making a return guest appearance were Anish and Akshay who have developed into really good players, mum threatens to bring them back in the new year which would be great.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Jon Catchpole for generously spending valuable time with both Anish and Akshay, offering his support and guidance. His willingness to engage and share his expertise has been greatly appreciated by everyone involved.
Photo’s of some who attended and prize winners:-
Winners and runner ups were presented with Medals and trophies.
Michal did very well and receives a Bronze medal for coming 3rd in the Ladder competition.
Gagan won the Ladder Trophy after a tough battle with Advik
Advik won the Mid week Quiz and receives a trophy as well as a silver medal for second place in the Ladder.
Both Lewis and Eden deserved a trophy each for their outstanding participation in the Homework Quiz
More Certificates and prizes will be awarded next week for those who missed today.
Next Weeks Knockout Final is between Constance and Isaac
Front seat tickets available!
Following the winners trophy being presented, there will be a fun few rounds of ‘Chess Roulette’ with prizes for everyone!
Basic rules of trading pieces
There’s no such thing as a completely even trade. Split every trade up into factors and look at it from multiple points of view to see who gets the better of it. Usually there’s a positional reason which helps one side, but not the other.
1) Trade your bad pieces for the opponent’s good ones.
2) If you are attacking don’t trade unless it helps the attack
3) When defending it can be beneficial to trade your opponent’s attacking pieces.
4) If you are down in material – don’t trade.
5) If you are up in material – look to trade.
Other Top Tips to remember: –
- Activate your least active piece – pawns are not pieces!
- Try to illuminate any opponents’ pieces in your half of the board
- Pinned pieces cannot attack.
- Your plan must be faster than your opponent’s.
- Look for pawn breaks that will improve your position.
Your ability to identify a weakness in any position will determine how good you are at Chess.
Next week will mark the final session for this year, bringing our current activities to a close. We will then take a break and resume our events on Saturday, the 17th of January. When we return, you can look forward to welcoming new faces joining us as well as exciting new competitions to participate in.
