Search found 336 matches

by David Williams
Mon Nov 30, 2015 10:24 am
Forum: Chess Questions
Topic: Pairings Jam
Replies: 9
Views: 2456

Re: Pairings Jam

My brother-in-law told me once of a golfing weekend with a group of friends. Sixteen of them, who played five rounds of golf in groups of four, and he was bemoaning the fact that, although the aim was to play with or against as many of the others as possible, in practice you always ended up with the...
by David Williams
Mon Sep 14, 2015 8:15 am
Forum: Not Chess!
Topic: Any Londoner to help me?
Replies: 11
Views: 1643

Re: Any Londoner to help me?

If you Google the number in its local UK form (02072537887) it belongs to Gloucester Publishing Limited, and you should be able to find other contact details.
by David Williams
Fri Aug 28, 2015 4:09 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Public liability insurance
Replies: 11
Views: 1800

Re: Public liability insurance

It doesn't cost much via the ECF. It would have cost an extra £75 - we already have £1 million public liability insurance. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has actually claimed damages against a chess organisation. £75 to get cover increased from £1 million to £5 million. So the insurer needs to...
by David Williams
Thu Jul 09, 2015 2:27 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: League Matches Between Teams Of Same Club
Replies: 28
Views: 4099

Re: League Matches Between Teams Of Same Club

The vital rule has to be that an individual cannot play for more than one team in the same division. For me that is necessary, and sufficient. You won't like me very much then, I managed to play for all 3 Drunken Knights teams this season. Next season when the 3rd team will be in Div 2 this may wel...
by David Williams
Tue Jul 07, 2015 10:03 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: League Matches Between Teams Of Same Club
Replies: 28
Views: 4099

Re: League Matches Between Teams Of Same Club

The vital rule has to be that an individual cannot play for more than one team in the same division. For me that is necessary, and sufficient.
by David Williams
Fri Jun 12, 2015 9:59 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Do Arbiters Know The Rules Of Chess?
Replies: 109
Views: 12342

Re: Do Arbiters Know The Rules Of Chess?

I'm with Hammer. The game should be played in a spirit of fairness and respect towards your opponent. Pedantry and the use of obscure technicalities to gain advantage is not what chess is about for me, and frankly shouldn't be for anyone else. While I totally agree with the spirit expressed, I very...
by David Williams
Sat May 16, 2015 10:59 am
Forum: Not Chess!
Topic: Kevin Pietersen
Replies: 19
Views: 3232

Re: Kevin Pietersen

I never understood the Zola Budd thing. To me it looked like a major embarrassment to the South African government, so I would have expected the anti-apartheid movement to encourage it. So the Daily Mail would be against it, probably going on the grounds that the fast-tracking was somehow not fair p...
by David Williams
Fri May 15, 2015 7:27 pm
Forum: Not Chess!
Topic: Kevin Pietersen
Replies: 19
Views: 3232

Re: Kevin Pietersen

Any chance DR giving us his views on Zola Budd? I certainly enjoyed her Olympics at least as much as Mo Farah's.
by David Williams
Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:27 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Is Chess a Sport?
Replies: 41
Views: 6882

Re: Is Chess a Sport?

"Arguing against the decision, Gallofent said there was an “absolutely clear bright line” between bridge, chess and currently recognised sports. In snooker or rifle-shooting, no one else could take your shot, she said. While in bridge, “somebody else could step up and play my cards for me in these ...
by David Williams
Sun Apr 26, 2015 7:44 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: The Death of League Chess?
Replies: 124
Views: 23008

Re: The Death of League Chess?

I suspect that persuading young people to play league chess is about as likely as persuading them that it is better to use a red phone box than a mobile.
by David Williams
Mon Apr 06, 2015 1:47 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Chess Grading Destruction
Replies: 96
Views: 13581

Re: Chess Grading Destruction

JustinHorton wrote:How important is the difference between 190 and 195?
Possibly two bad moves in thirty games.
by David Williams
Mon Apr 06, 2015 12:35 pm
Forum: Chess Questions
Topic: Chess in the factories.
Replies: 24
Views: 5913

Re: Chess in the factories.

These teams used to bring in a lot of players who would never join a chess club. Typically started by one or two keen players, who would recruit workmates who used to play at school but never kept it up. That's how I came back to chess. We did very well for a while. But gradually the league's eligib...
by David Williams
Fri Apr 03, 2015 5:49 pm
Forum: Adverts
Topic: TFL chess club
Replies: 2
Views: 1889

Re: TFL chess club

If the employees of TFL were ever to embark on a work-to-rule, I can think of one thing they could do that would have no impact on their customers, cost their employer a lot of money, and be highly beneficial to the ECF.
by David Williams
Fri Apr 03, 2015 4:59 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Rules query - starting clock without moving
Replies: 27
Views: 3853

Re: Rules query - starting clock without moving

It's not really something the ECF or the BCF has ever really had to courage to try and write. Namely a standard set of rules for the conduct of evening league chess matches. I think I prefer muddling through, which works pretty well in practice! I do think it would be a small improvement to the Rul...
by David Williams
Fri Apr 03, 2015 12:36 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Rules query - starting clock without moving
Replies: 27
Views: 3853

Re: Rules query - starting clock without moving

The logic behind this is not the worry that your opponent could take five minutes to read up all the theory on 1.e4. It's that you don't know who your opponent is in a team game. If you normally open 1.e4, but a particular opponent always does well against you in his pet variation, you might want to...