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Week ending 15th April 2018

Three articles this week!

Beating the boredom in the French Exchange. An alternative treatment on move 3.
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/04/1 ... -exchange/

Razzle Dazzle. Chris Russell joins the call to arms for better promotion and innovation in tournaments promotion
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/04/14/razzle-dazzle/

The unlikeliest move: Minor pieces - part 3. Mike Harris concludes his search for the rarest chess notation
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/04/1 ... or-pieces/

Enjoy!

There's a good quip about that French Exchange line, can't quite remember it, somebody must know what I mean (the one about its sole merit being the ingenuity you can display to get away with it).

JustinHorton wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 17, 2018 9:22 am

There's a good quip about that French Exchange line

The game quoted starts out as another rare treatment, namely 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Qd5.

Checking my collection of British games, a handful of players have used it a few times, in fact there are more games than with .. Qxd5 in the Exchange French.

Against .. Qxd5, White could first play Nf3, Bd3 and 0-0 before chasing the Queen with Nc3 or c4. Black may be able to hold on, but with very limited prospects of winning.

The line with the Bishop on b4 pinning the Knight on c3 is a also Winawer rarity. 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. exd5 Qxd5

This week we have three new articles:

Mental Health and 5-aside chess: Small board, big impact
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/04/1 ... ig-impact/

Chess Tournament Innovation - The BCT Invitational 14th May 2018
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/04/2 ... -may-2018/

Chipping Sodbury Rapidplay - 29th April 2018
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/04/2 ... pril-2018/

Enjoy!

Jon Fisher wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 28, 2018 8:28 am

Chess Tournament Innovation - The BCT Invitational 14th May 2018

An interesting format, but why the nonsense of 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw? It's a double round after all.

Its just a bit of fun. I'd go if it was 3 points for a win, 3million, or -33.

Ha ha, it’s just to mix the scores up a little. Get rid of those pesky 0.5s everywhere

Jon Fisher wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 28, 2018 8:28 am

Mental Health and 5-aside chess: Small board, big impact
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/04/1 ... ig-impact/

Can I suggest an improvement to 5-a-side chess?

Black gets draw odds.

I've thrown some pieces around on a 5x6 board, and I think White has a big initiative for little risk, since it'll probably peter out into a drawn endgame rather than into a Black edge. You've already got opposite coloured bishops on the board, and if your king's on the central file then no passed pawns are getting past it.

A quieter week on the BCT this week with all the sun! But we did publish a review of April and division winners individual records and stats for the Bristol & District Chess League:

https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/05/0 ... asons-end/

Two new posts this week on the Bristol Chess Times:

You can’t calculate what you can’t see - we look at a mate threat that amateur players seem to be struggling with
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/05/1 ... -cant-see/

BCT May 1993 - John Richards returns with another copy of the BCT from 25 years ago. A must for league historians
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/05/1 ... -may-1993/

Enjoy!

Three new articles this week:

BCT Invitational Tournament - A review of our experimental casual tournament
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/05/1 ... er-trophy/

Bristol juniors march on in UK chess challenge
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/05/2 ... challenge/

What is the 4NCL? - an introductory article from the Chess Tigers Chris Skulte trying to persuade Bristol to participate.
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/05/2 ... -the-4ncl/

Enjoy!

Jon Fisher wrote: ↑

Fri May 25, 2018 5:28 am

What is the 4NCL? - an introductory article from the Chess Tigers Chris Skulte trying to persuade Bristol to participate.

A team representing the Bristol League in particular and drawing from West Country players in general had been part of the 4NCL from the very beginning in 1993. I believe it ran out of organisers some years ago and the participants either joined other teams or retired from playing 4NCL chess.

Two new articles this week:

From the frontline: Frome Congress May 18th to 20th.
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/05/2 ... -may-2018/

Game of the month for May: “Who needs pawns?”. A nice open Sicilian takes the title in May
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/06/0 ... eds-pawns/

Enjoy!

JustinHorton wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 17, 2018 9:22 am

There's a good quip about that French Exchange line, can't quite remember it, somebody must know what I mean (the one about its sole merit being the ingenuity you can display to get away with it).

From page 245 of Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (1996), C.N item 1283:

Three new articles this week on the Bristol Chess Times:

Sometimes everything just flows - Bristol Chess Times in Twitch. We will be live streaming a range of topics from blitz to league game analysis. Also, a lovely attacking game is featured
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/06/0 ... on-twitch/

Reviewing my opening repertoire: “Is the Scandinavian holding me back?”
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/06/1 ... g-me-back/

Attacking chess then and now - Mike Wood commemorated. Ian Pickup with a lovely showcase of Mike Wood’s attacking legacy to Downend Chess Club
https://bristolchesstimes.com/2018/06/1 ... memorated/

Enjoy!