15 players – club members and two welcome visitng guests, simultaneously challenged Chess Master player Mark Rich on Friday 18 July. Two hours of concentration and pressure on Mark, resulting in 3 draws ( Luke Chapman, Lawry Rhodes, Ed Booth – pictured R below next to Mark.
Mark judged that Ed had the best game as after 2 hours it still looked a dead draw and awarded a brand new chess book for Ed.
At the end of the session, Mark lost on only two boards against Michael Hayward and Bill Tracey though Bill commented it “only happened as Mark tired and unfortunately blundered his Queen.” If my maths is right that meant Mark had victories over 10 of us.
..has just put together a report on a successful tournament our members took part in at Tunbridge Wells. His report follows :
“Here is a brief report on the recent Tunbridge Wells Chess Congress:
Over the weekend of 11th, 12th and 13th July 4 members of our club took part in the Tunbridge Wells Chess Congress.
In the Open section Luke Chapman was only able to play 3 of his 5 matches as he had other sporting commitments on the 13th. As has become his norm he played very well and won 2 of his 3 games only losing to the top seed who was rated 2286. Although down 6 pawns to 5 in the endgame, Luke did have have a chance of a draw but as is so often the case in a tight endgame one wrong move can be enough to settle the game.
Michael Hayward, Bill Luxton and myself entered the u1900 section
Michael Hayward had a very solid tournament scoring 2.5 from a possible 5.
In one game his analysis showed that he had played at 96% accuracy over 23 moves for a fine win. He eventually finished in 16th place after starting the tournament in 26th place.
I had one of my better tournaments. Based on my ECF rating I started in 28th position in a field of 31 and ended in joint 5th. I had one win, three draws and a bye which, given my opponents ratings, meant I had a performance rating of 1878 some 340 points above my ECF grade.
Bill ended with 2 points including a fine draw with an opponent who out rated Bill by 220 points. Unfortunately for Bill he lost the battle of Bexhill when he was beaten by Michael!
All 4 of us would definitely recommend this congress to anyone looking to play in a very well run tournament based in a quality facility and only a 45 minute drive from Bexhill.”
______________________________________________
Well Done all who took part ( Editor)
So, by way of giving a wider attention to our members I thought I would feature one of Bill’s wins from the 2023-4 season against me, below
I’m experimenting with a Fritz 19 program which I find very difficult to master. But I’m making some progress. This is also an experiment on my part to feature individuals’ actual play from time to time, incorporating both Fritz’ basic analysis and a diagram. The comments on the game and evaluation at the end are entirely Fritz’! Lert me know what you think of the format, so far. I hope to improve at this, even if my chess doesn’t ( as you will see from the flaws in the real world of club matches)
It’s not every day we get to play against chess Masters. We are fortunate to have one amongst us, and Mark’s taking the 20-1 odds against all-comers – in what’s known as a Simultaneous Display. 20 of us against one. Members playing but guests welcome as observers.
On Friday, evening, we enjoyed a fresh challenge at the club- not tried here before.- Lightning Chess. Make your move on the BUZZER, which sounds every 10 seconds. Sound easy? Great for about the first 7, maybe 10 moves , if your opening knowledge is advanced, but in a complicated middlegame or endgame – not for the faint-hearted. It was a delight to have some guests join us especially for this event. Here are some great photos from Karen and an excellent report from Bill Tracey our chairman, who sacrificed playing to keep tabs on the rest of us.
Bill’s report :
Friday 4th of July saw us host our first ever Lightning competition.
There were 12 entrants which were divided into two groups of roughly equal rating.
The five rounds saw plenty of close and hard fought matches.
In group 1 despite the best efforts of the other 5 entrants Luke emerged victorious with the only 100% record from either group, and as a result progressed into the final.
The other group was rather closer with 4 of the 6 players ending on the same score. After count back, including a coin toss, Steve Blewitt was the winner and progressed to the final to take on Luke.
The final saw some excellent chess from both players, but Luke eventually emerged victorious.
The evening was enjoyed by all and we will aim to hold another Lightning event next year.
Particular thanks go to Karen and Rose for supplying some wonderful home made cakes ( pics by Karen ) which went down very well with all of us.
An opportunity has arisen for a schools chess tutor in this area. This is a re-post via our Secretary with the details for anyone interested.
From: ajwallace@chessinschools.co.uk <ajwallace@chessinschools.co.uk> Sent: 24 June 2025 09:20 To: HastingsChessClub@outlook.com <HastingsChessClub@outlook.com> Subject: Chess in Schools
I am the regional organiser for the charity Chess in Schools and Communities. Please do take a look at our website to see the work we do in state schools and elsewhere:
We currently have a school in Hastings very interested in our chess programme offering lessons in curriculum time. However we currently have no tutor in the area and are urgently seeking one for September.
If you know of anyone who might be interested in becoming a tutor (on a paid or voluntary basis) please do get in touch with me for more information.
And a cracking start it was with the Time Handicap Tournament on Friday 20 June, and event which did not go un-noticed by the English Chess Federation – thanks to great publicity efforts on our behalf by Karen Burgess :
Here is Bill Tracey’s Tournament report on this very successful event :
Friday 20th of June saw the first of our Summer club tournaments, the Time Handicap .
Although the entry numbers were lower than hoped, the standard was high and many very competitive games were played.
The time control was 7 minutes each if the players were in the same rating group, but some of the matches saw a time difference of 3 minutes to 11 minutes in favour of the lower rated player.
Some of the higher rated players were sorely tested by the handicap with one game that finished in a draw with the higher rated player down to 19 seconds, whilst another saw the higher rated player win with 2 seconds left.
All the games were played without increments.
After the completion of five rounds four players were tied for 3rd place on 11 points, these were
Rose, Harry, James and Michael Hayward.
In second place with only 1 loss and on 13 points was Luke.
In top spot with 4 wins and a draw, V Michael was Mark Rich.
So congratulations to Mark and thanks to all who took part.
Our next event is the Lightning Tournament on Friday 4th July.
SO PLEASE CHECK OUR EVENTS Page and CALENDAR Page on this website for details of upcoming events. In brief these are :
4 July LIGHTNING CHESS
18 July SIMULTANEOUS DISPLAY by MARK RICH
1 August HEAD AND HAND TOURNAMENT
15 August BLITZ TOURNAMENT
Look out on the WhatsApp group also, or arrange among yourselves, to use the public Chess Tables on the Seafront. Just make sure the pieces are weighted in the event of wind! Maybe bring a picnic!
See our CHAMPIONSHIP page on this website for full tournament crosstables, provided by our Controller Sharon Merchant.
After a season of intense competition – many congratulations to our Championship tournament winner this year :
LUKE CHAPMAN with a score 6/7.
Runners up – congratulations to :
in 2nd place STEVE BLEWITT with 4.5/7
in 3rd place HOWARD TEBBS with 4/7
In the CHALLENGERS tournament, a fine victory was achieved by :
PHIL SWAIN with a score of 7/9
He was followed closely in joint 2nd by BILL TRACEY and MICHAEL HAYWARD on 6.5/9
Winning the GORDON CUP, an excellent achievement by :
HARRY MORTER scoring 8/9
In close pursuit were DAVID PRATT with 7.5/9
and M IKE CHAPMAN with 6/5/9
CHECK our GRAND PRIX page on this website for the season’s final GP10 and overall outcomes with full crosstables.
The season’s winner is LUKE CHAPMAN
Here is the very last game of this season’s Grand Prix, in the words of James Lumsden – a “double Bill” ( Bill Luxton – L and Bill Tracey – R, overseen by Sharon – L and Janis – R
OUR THANKS TO SHARON FOR CO-ORDINATING ALL THESE EVENTS and to all who took part in successfully completing the many fixtures, on time, and throughout an exceptionally busy and competitive season.
We hope to celebrate these outcomes at a prize-giving soon.
A Historic win for Bexhill Juniors playing for Bexhill Academy –
The u-14 Butler Cup has been won for the first time, since its inauguration in 1903, by Bexhill’s Academy. Yesterday 10 June at Windlesham House school., near Worthing. Having been seeded in Division 1 after a great performance in the heats, Bexhill went on to win that Division, narrowly but by a clear point with 8.5/12 ahead of Brighton College ‘A’, Windlesham House ‘A’ and Lancing College ‘A’.
Bexhill’s team comprised 3 of our Bexhill Chess Club juniors: Andy Nguyen, Luke Chapman, and Harry Morter. The fourth board player was Isaac Jennings who plays at the Academy’s Monday afternoon chess club and was making his debut in competitive chess at this level.
It was amazing to see 172 young players (separate secondary and primary levels) in one venue in a large sports hall, hosted by Windlesham House staff, and organised by Sussex Junior coaches, Jonathan Tuck and Callum Brewer.
What turned out to be the decisive encounter was in the first round. With 12 minutes each on the clocks with 3 seconds increments/move, play was fast-paced. Andy had Black, and faced a Catalan system. He accepted the pawn offered on c4, and propped the gain with ..b5. White looked to have some pressure on the black squares, with a N controlling d6 in the heart of Andy’s position. However, with better time management, Andy remained calm and determined, neutralised the pressure in the endgame and the result quickly tipped in Andy’s favour. Luke with White played a Closed Sicilian and exploited an unusual q-side castling by his opponent, winning a pawn on c5, blocking the q-side (with a protected passed pawn in the bank) and then pushing an f5 break. Eventually Luke connected another passed pawn with the first one, as far as the 7th rank when his opponent’s position collapsed. With the match 2-0 in Bexhill’s favour, Harry , with Black ,faced an English opening and replied with ..e5. Harry maintained a solid position but eventually lost a pawn, then turned it round completely in a Bishop and pawn ending which he drew confidently. That guaranteed the match win. Isaac with with obtained a solid position out of the opening but missed some threats and lost decisive material. Match score 2.5- 1.5
In the next round Andy, with White, played a Maroczy Bind formation against Black’s Sicilian defence, and after doubling his opponent’s central pawns exploited the pressure he had on the q-side with a 3-2 pawn majority. Luke, with Black, played against an isolated d-pawn. In the complications Luke gained a piece for 2 pawns and converted the advantage in short order. Harry , with White, was well-matched against an opponent and it resolved to a hard-to-assess major pieces endgame. In the end a very slight weakness on g3, after Harry had played both f4 and h3, allowed the Black Q to g3 and the back row threats with a battery of rooks on the e-file led to a back row mate. Isaac again made a solid start but he missed a threat to his Q. Match result 2-2.
The final round, against Lancing College, required a 4-0 victory to ensure the silverware or a tie with Brighton. Lancing defaulted on Board 4 so a point was in the bag. Isaac went on to play a social game with another school player, and, perhaps with the pressure of the occasion off him, he played a much more confident game and succeeded in a win anyway. Frankly, Bexhill outmatched Lancing significantly on the other boards. Andy achieved a great initiative with a fluent use of a Najdorf Sicilian , where his backward d6 pawn was anchored by his bishop on e7, and created an attack on a K-side fianchetto position where the white-squared bishop had gone, when Andy wedged a pawn on f3, and his Q on h3, while White was trying ( unsuccessfully) to demolish Andy’s Q-side. Luke quickly won a piece with a pawn fork and concerted it very promptly. Harry won two pawns and converted it accurately as he pushed them through the centre. So 4-0 – job done.
Brighton College , who were playing Windlesham House, had a top board contest with a pawn advantage on the board position. But the Lancing player was in time trouble and missed opportunities to win, and finally blundered his queen. Had he won instead, the points between Brighton and Bexhill would be tied. We wonder if Bexhill’s individual match result earlier would have counted to tip the trophy to Bexhill? BUT- Bexhill were a clear pint as it transpired.
It was an exciting event and a proud moment for the Academy, and for your editor an opportunity to meet and talk to Junior coaches and other staff.
Bexhill Academy intend to enter the Nationals next year.
Here is Karen Burgess’ post on FB :
“Three Bexhill juniors (Harry, Luke and Andy from left to right) claimed the prestigious Butler Cup, one of the oldest and most respected school chess competitions in the country.”
( Far R is Isaac Jennings from the Academy club making his competition debut– Editor)
“The team secured victories over Brighton College and Lancing College before holding their nerve in a decisive draw against Windlesham House to clinch the title for their school, the Bexhill Academy.
We are very proud of our bright young stars. Congratulations to the whole team.”
_________________________________________
LUKE WINS DEBUT MATCH FOR SUSSEX COUNTY
Sussex faced Cambridgeshire. Luke’s recent successes outlined in our recent posts resulted in him being selected for this adult match on Saturday 7 June. Wanstead House ( London) was the venue for the semi-final match with Cambridgeshire. Sussex had been the ECF champions the previous season. This time we weren’t to prevail. Cambridgeshire won by 9.5–6.5. Wins were recorded for Sussex by Paul Edwards, Henry Cove and Luke Chapman. Luke faced Francis Bowers, with White, against a Philidor Defence, where Black had conceded some space by releasing the tension with …exd4.
It has been another very full week of inspiring progress by Bexhill Juniors.
We have mentioned the strength in depth of our leading juniors:
Here they are pictured preparing for the Grand Prix 9 event on Friday 23 May.
Rose Burgess (featured recently) seated -L, and Sam Merchant, (featuring today) seated – R.
Against very strong all-club opposition (16 players of all grades) young Sam took joint second place, alongside Howard Tebbs, with 3/4 points.
Is Sam now unstoppable?
See the Grand Prix section on this website for full details. This cannot be without a mention for Luke Chapman, recently featured, winning this round with 4/4. Luke remains the overall Grand Prix leader with 24 points, James Lumsden second with 19.5, and Sam currently in third place, in close contest with 18.5 overall.
——————————————————
Sam ‘s greatest recent achievement is making his debut for England in a match against Flanders for the u-12 category. There he played 2 classical games on the first day and won one, lost one. On the second day there was a mini blitz tournament, and Sam scored an impressive 4.5/9.
Here are photos from Sam’s England debut:
And earlier in May, with the leading Bexhill contingent, Sam excelled in the Sussex Junior Grand Prix. Harry won 1st place in the u-12, Luke took 2nd in the u-14s, and Harry, Rose and Sam were presented with loyalty medals. Sam had been moved up, at the end of last season, into the u-18 major section. He is competing against the best u-18s in the county.
He has years ahead to climb upwards in this arena.
Pictured here at the Junior Grand Prix with Back Row : L-R – Sebastian Merchant, Rose Burgess, Luke Chapman and Front Row : L- R Harry Morter and Sam Merchant.
