My 2009 Wishlist

[Ben Purton]

1) A New team in Charge of ECF
2) Gawain Jones 2600, Dave 2700.
3) WFM for Sarah Hegarty
4) Sambuca Sharks staying in division one(its naive, but more likely than number 1!)
5) I guess considering 2, I should put "norms for Tom Rendle!"

Ben

PS: What do you hope the new year to bring

[Paul McKeown]

"I am a chess pawn, dating a Chess Queen"

That's a much nicer signature, Ben!

My list is:
1) Add some new endings, middlegames and openings to my chess arsenal.
2) Play with renewed interest and vigour.
3) Thereby preserve my 170+ grade (based on the old reliable grading levels)
4) Find the necessary time, finance and help from others to finish my biography of Bob Wade to the standard that Bob and I have already set.
5) Continue to captain the Staines 'A' team in its first ever year in the Thames Valley League Div. 1 to the standard I have managed so far this season (4 matches, 3 wins, 1 unfinished but likely draw) so as first to ensure safety from relegation and then try for a good top half placing.
5) Improve Staines placing in the TVL Cup from last season's position of losing finalists...
6) Hope that Staines B also continue as well as they have started (P5 W4 D1) and earn promotion to Div. 2.
7) Hope that Athenaeum's 2nd team will finally earn promotion to Division 1 under Mark Johnstone's match captaincy and that I do my bit in helping him by playing well. Surely, with 7 or 8 players 170+, it must get promoted at last?
8) Hope that James Toon's team in Div. 1 of the London League finishes in the top two or three for the club's best placing for thirty years.
9) Hope that the Athenaeum's other teams perform well in the lower divisions of the London League, in the Middlesex League, Hammersmith League, Bank's Swiss, Combined Banks and Insurance League, Eastman Cup, etc.
10) Hope the club continues to prosper and grows beyond its current 60 or so members, and, importantly, finds more people who are willing to do the donkey work of match captaincy, attending league meetings, collecting dues, etc.
11) Hope the ECF decides NOT to mess up the current grading system, or at least decides to postpone implementation until after further study.
12) Hope that the ECF board is replaced almost in its entirety with energetic, capable, wise individuals with good ideas and the fortune and finance to implement them
13) Hope that Iljumzhinov retires from messing up chess and that similar reforms take to place in FIDE
14) Hope that Kasparov returns to playing chess

That's a long list; maybe Santa will need more than one little helper!

[Ben Purton]

Thats some list!!!

I Think we both forgot Middlesex to win the County championship ? To make Antony Fultons year!!

I guess I could put Hayes going up from TVL, but I think thats in the bag at the moment *tongue in cheek*

Think your wish on coming in top 3 is quite likely now youve got Gawaino playing board 1/2.

You playing on the 10th?

Ben