Latest Club News
A Message to all our Players
Hi, All.
This is to remind you that the toilet upstairs at the Coachmakers is strictly out of bounds for all male members of the club.
You must use the one situated downstairs. There was an incident at the club last Thursday that suggested that a male had used
the ladies toilet upstairs and also had not left it in an acceptable condition.
As far as I am aware, the management at the Coachmakers have not actually accused the club of being responsible for this breach but they have made it very clear that if a club member or any male member of a visiting team should violate this rule they will take a very dim view of it indeed.
Therefore, all members please bear this in mind and all captains ensure that visiting team members are made aware of it from the outset of
their arrival at the playing room.
Many thanks,
Ken Ellis ( Chairman ).
This is to remind you that the toilet upstairs at the Coachmakers is strictly out of bounds for all male members of the club.
You must use the one situated downstairs. There was an incident at the club last Thursday that suggested that a male had used
the ladies toilet upstairs and also had not left it in an acceptable condition.
As far as I am aware, the management at the Coachmakers have not actually accused the club of being responsible for this breach but they have made it very clear that if a club member or any male member of a visiting team should violate this rule they will take a very dim view of it indeed.
Therefore, all members please bear this in mind and all captains ensure that visiting team members are made aware of it from the outset of
their arrival at the playing room.
Many thanks,
Ken Ellis ( Chairman ).
The World Chess Championship 2018
I know that the Chessbrahs (Grandmasters Eric Hansen, Aman Hambleton and Robin Van Kampen) will be analysing the games live and performing post game analysis at https://www.twitch.tv/chessbrah . GM Yasser Seirawan will probably show up at some point if he's not otherwise engaged with coverage too from what I've previously seen. There will also probably be a healthy dose of humour mixed in with the analysis.
If you're looking for commentary with a little less banter, then IM Rensch and GM Hess are covering the event for chess.com at https://www.chess.com/tv .
If you're not looking for commentary and just want a relay of the moves then you will be able to find that at https://www.chess.com/events/.
There are probably going to be more high-quality streams with grandmaster coverage, and if people would like I can drop another email with some more alternatives when the first match is starting.
Enjoy!
Riddler
If you're looking for commentary with a little less banter, then IM Rensch and GM Hess are covering the event for chess.com at https://www.chess.com/tv .
If you're not looking for commentary and just want a relay of the moves then you will be able to find that at https://www.chess.com/events/.
There are probably going to be more high-quality streams with grandmaster coverage, and if people would like I can drop another email with some more alternatives when the first match is starting.
Enjoy!
Riddler
Extra evenings for Internal Matches - 10th October 2018
Hi to all members.
After a lot of talk and multitudes of e mails flying back and forth on this subject I think we may have arrived at a workable
arrangement. Gerry has done most of the groundwork with the management at the Coachmakers and after discussions with him, I am, as
Chairman taking the initiative because the league season has already started and the matter has to be resolved.
In the weeks when there are two home league matches, then Wednesday will be the default evening for playing Club competition
games upstairs. By special arrangement other evenings may be available but there will be no extra designated club evening as
the pub management reserve the right to make the room available to other organizations.
As these extra sessions, even Wednesday, cannot always be guaranteed, it will be necessary for would-be players to contact the
Coachmakers to clear it with the management there (Chris or Roy 01603 662080). I imagine that the previous Thursday club
evening would be the most straightforward time to do it. On the arranged evening you then collect the equipment cupboard key,
leave the room as you found it and return the key to the bar when you leave. Please take note of these conditions as this is an
extra free-of-charge concession from the Coachmakers.
Remember, we do not have use of the Matthew Project car park other than on a Thursday and we may not have that for much longer!
Comments and observations, please.
Regards to all,
Ken Ellis (Chairman)
After a lot of talk and multitudes of e mails flying back and forth on this subject I think we may have arrived at a workable
arrangement. Gerry has done most of the groundwork with the management at the Coachmakers and after discussions with him, I am, as
Chairman taking the initiative because the league season has already started and the matter has to be resolved.
In the weeks when there are two home league matches, then Wednesday will be the default evening for playing Club competition
games upstairs. By special arrangement other evenings may be available but there will be no extra designated club evening as
the pub management reserve the right to make the room available to other organizations.
As these extra sessions, even Wednesday, cannot always be guaranteed, it will be necessary for would-be players to contact the
Coachmakers to clear it with the management there (Chris or Roy 01603 662080). I imagine that the previous Thursday club
evening would be the most straightforward time to do it. On the arranged evening you then collect the equipment cupboard key,
leave the room as you found it and return the key to the bar when you leave. Please take note of these conditions as this is an
extra free-of-charge concession from the Coachmakers.
Remember, we do not have use of the Matthew Project car park other than on a Thursday and we may not have that for much longer!
Comments and observations, please.
Regards to all,
Ken Ellis (Chairman)
Extra Games vs North Norfolk - 20th September 2018
Following Monday's St Johns' Team Captains' meeting I've circularised all Div 3 Captains, requesting friendlies to fill in some of their blank weeks and give a wider range of players competitive games. I've done it this way, rather than request a late league entry for various reasons. For instance, as we only have limited spare Thursdays for home matches we can ignore those teams who don't really want any more fixtures and give the really keen ones more offers; I can prioritise players who might otherwise not get competitive games outside St Johns, including those who are team nominated but have not been offered a game recently, without falling foul of guesting rules. It has long been my experience that a club will keep keen players (and their interest) longer by giving them regular games, whilst not putting undue pressure on the less confident. I've decided on an ad hoc team for this purpose, named St Johns Warts; nothing to do with virally induced excrescences, merely a pun on Hypericum!?
So far I have managed, with help from Peter Hodkinson, to arrange a couple of matches at Sheringham; let's give his friendly squad the working title of North Norfolk Prawns, although I have also suggested a local archaeological reference, ie Mammoths. I am playing these at Sheringham partly for spatial reasons (at the Coachmakers) and partly to encourage North Norfolk's newcomers and youngsters, but also so that Harry and the Delsey (plus whoever else wants to emulate them) can repeat their seaside fish, chips, beer and chess soiree idea. I have set these matches on the same evening as Knights/North Norfolk for flexibility with transport arrangements. Can I ask, Bruce, if you could set these and similar matches up on the NCCA website for grading? A title like Norfolk League Combination (like the old Football League Combination) or Norfolk Single Matches would identify them well. Grading would give the games a more competitive edge. Games involving non-ECF players could be left off the list or whatever else works. Please allow space each time for up to eight games; we're unlikely to dig out (geddit?) any more warts or mammoths than that. Please also note change of date of Knights vs
St Johns Knights vs North Norfolk Crabs (Div 3)
(brought forward from Thu Jan 24)
St Johns Warts vs North Norfolk Prawns (Combination)
Friday 30th November
North Norfolk Shrimps vs St Johns Knights (Div 3)
North Norfolk Prawns vs St Johns Warts (Combination)
If these work out well we can look to repeat the operation once or twice in April/May on the weeks of Knights/North Norfolk fixtures.
St Johns Team Captains may wish to forward this to their squad members not listed above.
Cheers
Alan
So far I have managed, with help from Peter Hodkinson, to arrange a couple of matches at Sheringham; let's give his friendly squad the working title of North Norfolk Prawns, although I have also suggested a local archaeological reference, ie Mammoths. I am playing these at Sheringham partly for spatial reasons (at the Coachmakers) and partly to encourage North Norfolk's newcomers and youngsters, but also so that Harry and the Delsey (plus whoever else wants to emulate them) can repeat their seaside fish, chips, beer and chess soiree idea. I have set these matches on the same evening as Knights/North Norfolk for flexibility with transport arrangements. Can I ask, Bruce, if you could set these and similar matches up on the NCCA website for grading? A title like Norfolk League Combination (like the old Football League Combination) or Norfolk Single Matches would identify them well. Grading would give the games a more competitive edge. Games involving non-ECF players could be left off the list or whatever else works. Please allow space each time for up to eight games; we're unlikely to dig out (geddit?) any more warts or mammoths than that. Please also note change of date of Knights vs
St Johns Knights vs North Norfolk Crabs (Div 3)
(brought forward from Thu Jan 24)
St Johns Warts vs North Norfolk Prawns (Combination)
Friday 30th November
North Norfolk Shrimps vs St Johns Knights (Div 3)
North Norfolk Prawns vs St Johns Warts (Combination)
If these work out well we can look to repeat the operation once or twice in April/May on the weeks of Knights/North Norfolk fixtures.
St Johns Team Captains may wish to forward this to their squad members not listed above.
Cheers
Alan
Players team allocation - 19th September
All players have now been given their teams, whether it be The Crusaders, The Bishops, The Templars or the Knights. Enjoy the season!
Membership - 30th AugustWe now have twenty eight chess players in our club! and four teams in the Norfolk league....The Crusaders, The Bishops, The Templars and The Knights. In the past few months eight new players have joined up.
Upcoming Competitions - 26th AugustDear Norfolk Chess Players,
With about a month to go I have 24 entrants in the Norfolk Championships, which means we are half full. While there is plenty of room currently I would suggest that you enter early to avoid disappointment. A list of those entered to date can be found on this link: https://www.c4results.org.uk/chess/php/DisplayEvents.php?EventId=15 The time limit this year will be 90 minutes for the whole game plus 15 seconds per move from move one. A copy of the entry form is attached and I have also attached entry forms for: Cambridgeshire Rapidplay 23 September 2018 36th Bury St Edmunds Congress 20/21 October 2018 Lowestoft Rapidplay 18 November 2018 Hope to see several of you at these events. Regards John Wickham (sent by Brian Cunningham) |
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Preseason Match vs N&N
Thursday 27 September 2018
Note the date!
As part of the pre-season programme, we have accepted a challenge from the Norfolk and Norwich Club of a 100-board match (two teams of ten players, each player from one team plays games against the ten players from the other team - 5 minute blitz). The venue will be our home turf of the Coachmakers Arms - start around 7.30 p.m.
Requests for availability to participate in the match will be circulated about mid-September.
Note the date!
As part of the pre-season programme, we have accepted a challenge from the Norfolk and Norwich Club of a 100-board match (two teams of ten players, each player from one team plays games against the ten players from the other team - 5 minute blitz). The venue will be our home turf of the Coachmakers Arms - start around 7.30 p.m.
Requests for availability to participate in the match will be circulated about mid-September.
Richard’s Report on the Club Website - 5th July
At the AGM last season, it dawned on us that the numbers were reaching a crucial level, and something had to be done about it and fast ….or we would be facing a slow and tortuous extinction. Indeed, we were forced to cull on of our teams, The Templars, for this very reason. We had toyed for around three years with the pushing ahead of the website as a means of attracting players as well as a means of communicating and enjoying chess reports, games etc, though nothing was ever really done about it.
The falling attendance was a wake-up call. We had around fourteen members at that time. The first thing we had to do was to make the website more attractive and to add more spice to it. To this end, with his keen and insightful ideas Brian Cunningham proved invaluable and we bounced many projects back and forth, and spent countless hours polishing up the website. We agreed to have members add anything that wanted to put out on the website within reason. We also added a couple of “roving reporters” Nathan and Harry, and were delighted and impressed by the coverage, and banter.
Suffice to say it was a raging success and month by month we watched as more and more players responded…the number of hits zoomed, and even more surprised we were that the number of newbies increased to dramatic proportions. It hit a plateau a month or so ago and we now have double the number from last season, though I am sure quite a few of those members (five or six) will drop out through one reason or another. However, more new members will certainly come in…already one or two newbies have shown their faces, and both Brian and myself remain convinced of the validity of having a fine website to be proud of.
Richard Downing
The falling attendance was a wake-up call. We had around fourteen members at that time. The first thing we had to do was to make the website more attractive and to add more spice to it. To this end, with his keen and insightful ideas Brian Cunningham proved invaluable and we bounced many projects back and forth, and spent countless hours polishing up the website. We agreed to have members add anything that wanted to put out on the website within reason. We also added a couple of “roving reporters” Nathan and Harry, and were delighted and impressed by the coverage, and banter.
Suffice to say it was a raging success and month by month we watched as more and more players responded…the number of hits zoomed, and even more surprised we were that the number of newbies increased to dramatic proportions. It hit a plateau a month or so ago and we now have double the number from last season, though I am sure quite a few of those members (five or six) will drop out through one reason or another. However, more new members will certainly come in…already one or two newbies have shown their faces, and both Brian and myself remain convinced of the validity of having a fine website to be proud of.
Richard Downing
