| Stirling B v Badgers Brook B | ||||
| Dave Hewitt John Blake Tony Pitson Craig Manson Brad Duthie |
1584 1574 1469 1455 1428 |
½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 |
1562 1430 1375 1361 1175 |
Graham Kerr Dave McGilvray Derek Raffan Dylan Gillies Gordon Walker |
| 4 - 1 | ||||
Thanks to John for providing the game below, where he had Black against Dave McGilvray.
McGilvray - Blake
| Stirling A v Cumbernauld A | ||||
|
Jim Shemilt Steve Smith Bill Cook Graham Anderson John Blake |
1767 1704 1663 1622 1574 |
½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0 |
1836 1748 1547 1404 1219 |
Steven Kelly Ralph Stirrat George Thomson Derek McAteer Steven Monaghan |
| 3½ - 1½ | ||||
Steve drew, then Bill drew, then Jim drew, and John won to leave the score at 2½-1½. I got into a wee bit of time trouble, and threw away a small positional advantage with a careless move. Derek started to get on top down the Queen-side, before chucking his Queen for a pawn (the lucky underpants strike again!).
| Division 2 - Forth Valley A v Dundee City B | ||||
| Dougie Will Neil Irving Steve Smith Bill Cook Ian Mason |
1894 1879 1704 1663 1601 |
1 - 0 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ 0 - 1 1 - 0 |
1839 1818 1793 1728 1727 |
Carey Groves Sam Gregory Dominic O'Rourke Alistair Dawson Euan Dawson |
| 3 - 2 | ||||
| Division 2 - Forth Valley A v Giffnock | ||||
| Dougie Will Neil Irving Steve Smith Bill Cook Ian Mason |
1894 1879 1704 1663 1601 |
½ - ½ 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 ½ - ½ |
2146 2023 1917 1878 1878 |
Philip Giulian Neil Thomson Loukas Kefalas Antionos Floros Rosie Giulian |
| 1 - 4 | ||||
| Division 4 - Forth Valley B v Bon Accord B | ||||
| Dave Hewitt Bill Gray Brad Duthie Gordon Allcock David Fowler |
1584 1499 1428 1284 1095 |
0 - 1 1 - 0 ½ - ½ 0 - 1 1 - 0 |
1291 1202 1125 1032 908 |
Kalyan Kante Oishanti Dutta Nandini Dutta Pranav Arcot Senthil Ragupathy |
| 2½ - 2½ | ||||
| Division 4 - Forth Valley B v Crouching Tigers | ||||
| Dave Hewitt Bill Gray Brad Duthie Gordon Allcock David Fowler |
1584 1499 1428 1284 1095 |
½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0 |
1765 1390 1334 1256 978 |
Siddarth Berera Benjamin Ridge Jonathan McKay James Hartman Alasdair Sandham |
| 3½ - 1½ | ||||
Some games to follow...
| Cumbernauld B v Stirling C | ||||
| Derek McAteer Steven Gentleman Liam Heron Mark Heron Euan Wallace |
1404 1272 1085 964 883 |
½ - ½ 1 - 0 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 |
1386 1284 1273 1107 |
Tom Wallace Richard Warcup Gordon Allcock Robert Togneri Mick Bloor |
| 1½ - 3½ | ||||
Time control: 15 minutes each for all moves
| Name | Grade | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Place | |
| 1 | Bill Cook | 1601 | 1 W 14 | 1½ B 10 | 1½ W 3 | 2½ B 18 | 3½ W 12 | =4 |
| 2 | Graham Anderson | 1595 | 1 B 13 | 2 W 23 | 3 B 11 | 4 W 6 | 5 B 3 | 1 |
| 3 | John Blake | 1574 | ½* | 1½B 18 | 2½ B 1 | 3½ W 7 | 3½ W 2 | =4 |
| 4 | Tony Pitson | 1496 | 1 B 15 | 1 W 11 | 2 B 19 | 2½ W 19 | 2½ B 6 | =10 |
| 5 | Dave Hewitt | 1558 | 1 W 16 | 2 B 8 | 2 W 6 | 3 B 14 | 4 W 11 | =2 |
| 6 | Richard Warcup | e1450 | 1 B 17 | 2 W 9 | 3 B 5 | 3 B 2 | 4 W 4 | =2 |
| 7 | Martyn Roe | 1442 | ½ W 18 | 1½ B 12 | 2½ W 10 | 2½ B 3 | 2½ W 9 | =10 |
| 8 | David Scobie | e1400 | 1 B 19 | 1 W 5 | 2 B 23 | 2 W 11 | - | =15 |
| 9 | Gordon Allcock | 1368 | 1 W 20 | 1 B 6 | 2 W 22 | 2½ B 4 | 3½ B 7 | =4 |
| 10 | Brad Duthie | 1316 | 1 B 21 | 1½ W 1 | 1½ B 7 | 1½ W 12 | 2½ Bye | =10 |
| 11 | Tom Wallace | 1313 | 1 W 22 | 2 B 4 | 2 W 2 | 3 B 8 | 3 B 5 | =7 |
| 12 | Jonathan Blake | 1289 | ½ * | ½ W 7 | 1½ W 21 | 2½ B 10 | 2½ B 1 | =10 |
| 13 | Robert Togneri | 1200 | 0 W 2 | 0 B 14 | 0 W 18 | 1 Bye | 1 B 22 | =20 |
| 14 | Mick Bloor | 1192 | 0 B 1 | 1 W 13 | 2 B 17 | 2 W 5 | 3 B 15 | =7 |
| 15 | Craig Thomson | 723 | 0 W 4 | 0 B 22 | 1 W 16 | 2 B 20 | 2 W 14 | =15 |
| 16 | Idris Benwell | 394 | 0 B 5 | 0 W 19 | 0 B 15 | 0 W 17 | - | 23 |
| 17 | Alex Brimlow | 377 | 0 W 6 | 1 B 20 | 1 W 14 | 2 B 16 | - | =15 |
| 18 | Martin Pringle | u/g | ½ B 7 | ½ W 3 | 1½ B 13 | 1½ W 1 | - | =18 |
| 19 | Ross Warcup | u/g | 0 W 8 | 1 B 16 | 1 W 4 | 1½ B 21 | 2½ W 20 | =10 |
| 20 | Garth Armitage | u/g | 0 B 9 | 0 W 17 | 1 Bye | 1 W 15 | 1 B 19 | =20 |
| 21 | Douglas Pringle | u/g | 0 W 10 | 1 Bye | 1 B 12 | 1½ W 19 | - | =18 |
| 22 | Chris Mintern | u/g | 0 B 11 | 1 W 15 | 1 B 9 | 2 W 23 | 3 W 13 | =7 |
| 23 | Gordon Bowie | u/g | 1 Bye | 1 B 2 | 1 W 8 | 1 B 22 | - | =20 |
Robert Togneri presents Graham Anderson with his eponymous trophy.
Thanks to Derek McAteer and all of the juniors at Cumbernauld Chess Club for hosting a challenge match last night. We all enjoyed it, and hope for a rematch soon.
| Stirling B v Dunfermline B | ||||
| Dave Hewitt Tony Pitson Craig Manson Brad Duthie Tom Wallace |
1584 1469 1455 1428 1386 |
½ - ½ 1 - 0 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0 |
1581 1541 1465 1452 1370 |
Calum Smith Andy Forbes Stewart Brisbane Douglas Rew Peter Horne |
| 4 - 1 | ||||
| Stirling Bruce 9½ - 6½ Cumbernauld | ||
| Round 1 | ||
| Bill Cook | 0 - 1 | Ralph Sirrat |
| Graham Anderson | ½ - ½ | George Thomson |
| Dave Hewitt | 1 - 0 | George Ford |
| Brad Duthie | ½ - ½ | Derek McAteer |
| Round 2 | ||
| Bill Cook | 1 - 0 | George Thomson |
| Graham Anderson | 0 - 1 | Ralph Stirrat |
| Dave Hewitt | 0 - 1 | Derek McAteer |
| Brad Duthie | 1 - 0 | George Ford |
| Round 3 | ||
| Bill Cook | 1 - 0 | Derek McAteer |
| Graham Anderson | 1 - 0 | George Ford |
| Dave Hewitt | 1 - 0 | George Thomson |
| Brad Duthie | 0 - 1 | Ralph Stirrat |
| Round 4 | ||
| Bill Cook | 1 - 0 | George Ford |
| Graham Anderson | 1 - 0 | Derek McAteer |
| Dave Hewitt | 0 - 1 | Ralph Stirrat |
| Brad Duthie | ½ - ½ | George Thomson |
| Grangemouth B v Stirling B | ||||
| Ian Mason Hugh Hanlon Crawford Welsh David Fowler Scott Dickson |
1601 1351 1335 1095 1014 |
½ - ½ 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 |
1584 1469 1455 1428 |
Dave Hewitt Richard Warcup Tony Pitson Craig Manson Brad Duthie |
| ½ - 4½ | ||||
Thanks to Dave for the following game, where he had White against Ian Mason - who chose a deliberate anti-Trompowsky opening.
Thanks also to Brad for the game below, where he had Black against Scott Dickson.
| Dunfermline B v Stirling C | ||||
| Andy Forbes Fred Ossowski Douglas Rew Peter Horne Mark McLintock |
1541 1553 1452 1370 1171 |
½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 |
1386 1284 1273 1107 756 |
Tom Wallace Gordon Allcock Robert Togneri Mick Bloor Tom McKay |
| 4 - 1 | ||||
This season, Forth Valley A are playing in Division 2, and Forth Valley B are in Division 4.
| Division 2 - Forth Valley A v Kilmarnock | ||||
| Kenny McGeoch Dougie Will Neil Irving Jim Shemilt Steve Smith |
2054 1894 1879 1767 1704 |
½ - ½ 0 - 1 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0 |
2103 1988 1903 1729 1449 |
Jamie Malkin Kenny Malkin Douglas Hamilton Jim Kleboe John McNicoll |
| 2½ - 2½ | ||||
| Division 2 - Forth Valley A v Perth | ||||
| Kenny McGeoch Dougie Will Neil Irving Jim Shemilt Steve Smith |
2054 1894 1879 1767 1704 |
½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 |
1907 1644 1512 1451 1200 |
Martin Gourlay Michael Roth Ian Washington Gwenole Le Feuvre Aaron Gourlay |
| 4½ - ½ | ||||
| Division 3 - Forth Valley B v Dundee City C | ||||
| Bill Cook Ian Mason Dave Hewitt Bill Gray David Fowler |
1663 1601 1584 1499 1095 |
0 - 1 1 - 0 0 - 1 ½ - ½ 0 - 1 |
1670e 1600 1539 1453 1377 |
Joshua Crofts Robert Jackson Keith Rose Agnijo Banerjee Ray Flood |
| 1½ - 3½ | ||||
| Division 3 - Forth Valley B v Corstorphine | ||||
| Bill Cook Ian Mason Dave Hewitt Bill Gray David Fowler |
1663 1601 1584 1499 1095 |
0 - 1 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0 0 - 1 |
1585 1291 1265 1199 1016 |
Ricky Dowling Graham Wilson Angus Ruthven Dave Watson Ernesto Salvatore |
| 2½ - 2½ | ||||
It's not often I get sent games like this...
| Grangemouth A v Stirling A | ||||
|
Ubong Archibong Alan Bell Graham Hamilton David Wallace John Smith |
2210 1990 1962 1757 1702 |
1 - 0 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ 0 - 1 ½ - ½ |
1767 1704 1663 1622 1428 |
Jim Shemilt Steve Smith Bill Cook Graham Anderson Brad Duthie |
| 2½ - 2½ | ||||
I was first to finish, in a bit of a crazy game. Both of us got into time trouble, although David was a bit worse, having just less than a couple of minutes to make 9 moves to get to 30. I managed to lay just enough threats, and combined with the rejuvenated lucky underpants, got the win on move 34. We both, unsurprisingly, missed much better variations. Brad got a good draw on board 5, but I didn't see much of the other games.
| Stirling B v Cumbernauld B | ||||
| Dave Hewitt Brad Duthie Martyn Roe Gordon Allcock Richard Warcup |
1584 1428 1419 1284 |
1 - 0 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 1 - 0 |
1404 1272 1085 964 883 |
Derek McAteer Steven Gentleman Liam Heron Mark Heron Euan Wallace |
| 2 - 3 | ||||
Dave Hewitt writes:- An excellent win for Cumbernauld, for whom their juniors did really well. It was one of the notional away matches for Cumbernauld with them required to field at least three juniors, and Stirling (lacking three of their B nominees but with solid reserves available) were comprehensively outplayed. Cumbernauld fairly quickly went one up when Gordon missed a R idea and Mark cashed in. It was soon back level with Richard picking up a couple of pawns against Euan, but the other three games were quite lengthy affairs.
Brad opted for an overambitious exchange sac which eventually led to a loss, while in the battle of the captains on top board I'd nabbed a pawn fairly early on and decided to try and hang on to it, which I did but it wasn't much fun as Derek had the initiative for ages and it was only around the time control that I managed to disentangle and get into smoother waters via a heavy piece ending. That just left the board 3 game between Martyn for Stirling and the older Heron boy for Cumbernauld, and Liam made a very nice job of converting a pawn-up bishop ending with the clocks running down. So that saw Cumbernauld home for a well deserved win, and gave Stirling an early season setback.
| Dunfermline B v Stirling C | ||||
| Mark Brown Kenny Aiston Dave McGilvray Derek Raffan Steve Lawson |
1468 1433 1430 1375 |
1 - 0 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0 0 - 1 |
1388 1386 1284 1273 1107 |
Alex Scott Tom Wallace Gordon Allcock Robert Togneri Mick Bloor |
| 3½ - 1½ | ||||
| Stirling A v Dunfermline A | ||||
|
Jim Shemilt Steve Smith Bill Cook Graham Anderson Dave Hewitt |
1767 1704 1663 1622 1584 |
½ - ½ 1 - 0 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 ½ - ½ |
1919 1675 1661 1660 1581 |
Ian Robertson Stuart Black Jamie O'Connor Michael Roy Calum Smith |
| 3½ - 1½ | ||||
Bill finished first with his draw, then I got my win soon after (see below). Steve then finished with a win, calmly converting a pawn up in a rook and pawn ending. The remaining two games continued on for a while, before Jim offered Ian a draw in what looked a winning position to make sure of the match victory. Dave and Calum continued until each player was down to around a minute. Dave took an en prise bishop then offered a draw which Calum accepted.
| Stirling Bruce 11½ - 4½ Stirling Wallace | ||
| Round 1 | ||
| Bill Cook | ½ - ½ | Steve Smith |
| John Blake | 1 - 0 | Tony Pitson |
| Dave Hewitt | ½ - ½ | Gordon Allcock |
| Brad Duthie | 1 - 0 | Richard Warcup |
| Round 2 | ||
| Bill Cook | 1 - 0 | Richard Warcup |
| John Blake | 1 - 0 | Steve Smith |
| Dave Hewitt | 1 - 0 | Tony Pitson |
| Brad Duthie | 1 - 0 | Gordon Allcock |
| Round 3 | ||
| Bill Cook | ½ - ½ | Gordon Allcock |
| John Blake | 1 - 0 | Richard Warcup |
| Dave Hewitt | ½ - ½ | Steve Smith |
| Brad Duthie | 1 - 0 | Tony Pitson |
| Round 4 | ||
| Bill Cook | ½ - ½ | Tony Pitson |
| John Blake | 1 - 0 | Gordon Allcock |
| Dave Hewitt | 0 - 1 | Richard Warcup |
| Brad Duthie | 0 - 1 | Steve Smith |
| Stirling C v Stirling B | ||||
| Martyn Roe Kyle Kirkpatrick Alex Scott Gordon Allcock Richard Warcup |
1419 1418 1388 1284 |
½ - ½ 1 - 0 0 - 1 0 - 1 ½ - ½ |
1584 1574 1469 1455 1428 |
Dave Hewitt John Blake Tony Pitson Craig Manson Brad Duthie |
| 2 - 3 | ||||
Thanks to Kyle for providing the game below, the board 2 game where Kyle had Black against John Blake.
| Badgers Brook A v Stirling A | ||||
|
Kenny McGeoch Mark Cooke David McConnell Fabio Biancalana Stuart Ward |
2054 2012 1863 1782 1763 |
1 - 0 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 |
1767 1704 1663 1584 1418 |
Jim Shemilt Steve Smith Bill Cook Dave Hewitt Kyle Kirkpatrick |
| 4 - 1 | ||||
Thanks to Dave for providing the game below, his board 4 clash with White against Fabio Biancalana.
Dave writes:- The computer doesn't reckon there was ever much in it - I felt I had a slight edge but probably Fabio thought he had one too! I offered the draw after the repetition and Fabio accepted immediately. I'm wanting to keep my N on d4 if possible, to prevent any e5 ideas due to Nf5, but I didn't want his Rc5 becoming too active. Ideally I was wanting to push the f-pawn and create attacking chances on the K-side, and there were also ideas along the b3-g8 diagonal, but it felt risky and Fabio's a strong opponent so in the end I was happy to settle for the draw. Later in the season with a few more games under my belt I might well have carried on to see where it might lead.
|
Name
|
Grade
|
Allegro Grade
|
Paul Prescott Shivan Murdochy Neil Irving Jim Shemilt Steve Smith Bill Cook Graham Anderson Dave Hewitt John Blake Robert Leckie Tony Pitson Craig Manson Brad Duthie Martyn Roe Kyle Kirkpatrick Alex Scott Tom Wallace Jonathan Blake Gordon Allcock Robert Togneri Mick Bloor Michael Cook David Little Sam Cook Craig Thomson Tom McKay James Warwick Alex Brimlow Idris Benwell |
1975 1916 1879 1767 1704 1663 1622 1584 1574 1497 1469 1455 1428 1419 1418 1388 1386 1289 1284 1273 1107 1102 1008 867 781 756 594 527 510 |
1975 1916 1750 1694 1586 1601 1595 1558 1574 1472 1496 1233 1316 1442 1416 1388 1313 1289 1368 1200 1192 1102 1299 841 723 756 1003 377 394 |
David Brodie in the middle, with the U1500 Cup, May 2016.
David Brodie, who died on 25 May aged 56, was an absolute stalwart of Stirling chess club, one of its most significant members during the past couple of decades. He was much liked and respected by his fellow players and also by members of the other clubs across the league.
Although never a particularly strong player, David was very solid and reliable in the lower/middle grades and gradually worked his way up from 1100ish strength (which is what he was during his pre-Stirling time at the old Alloa club) to maintain a grade in the upper 1300s / lower 1400s. The highest he reached was 1416 in 2005–06, closely followed by 1413 in 2009–10, and after a dip into the 1200s he was back up to 1381 in what was to prove his final season. He enjoyed fast chess too, and his allegro grades followed a similar path, peaking at 1396 this past season.
The numbers tell only a fraction of the story, however. David was the embodiment of a good team man in terms of his commitment to the club and his strong sense of fair play. He was the ideal C team captain and oversaw a steady improvement in the lower-grade players and keen juniors. He rightly took pleasure in good results – for example a draw and then (last November) a win against the strong Dunfermline B team. One result he particularly savoured was Stirling C’s victory against Stirling B in January 2014, when he scored a fine win in his individual game (see below). His last match was a 3-2 win for the Cs at Cumbernauld B in early February, and even though he was too ill to play thereafter he was pleased to hear that the Cs had finished third in division 2, their best result for many years. Much of this was down to the groundwork David had put in.
He was also a very reliable reserve for the B team, scoring a lot of points and half-points at that level, and he succeeded Robert Togneri as captain of the under-1500 cup team – which picked up the silverware this season for the third time in a row and for the eighth time in ten attempts, a remarkable record. David played in most of those winning campaigns, and the trophy was taken to him in hospital the day after it had been retained. He also captained the Stirling Wallace allegro team for a number of seasons, and provided valuable input as a member of the club committee.
In terms of the internal club competitions, David won the Lindsay Cup twice, in 2000–01 and 2007–08, but overall he was a curiously unlucky player, losing four consecutive Lindsay finals from 2009-10 and similarly four Thornton Cup finals from 2010–11. He was runner-up in the Thornton (and its predecessor the President’s Prize) in six seasons out of eight during this period. Sometimes he met a stronger player in these finals and lost after giving it his best shot, but on other occasions he was simply unfortunate, as when reaching a winning position in a final against Jonathan Blake only to lose on time after having misunderstood how the new-fangled digital clocks added the extra period, an easy mistake to make in the early days of such devices.
His lowish grade but good overall grasp of the game meant he was well placed in the annual Christmas handicap tournament, the Keddie Cup, and he duly won this in 2007. Whatever the format, fast or slow, David was a very competent player and always dignified afterwards regardless of the result. He was also a hard worker in terms of the more mundane aspects of the club, for instance, helping to put out the tables at the start and staying until the end to pack up. He was forever offering people lifts home, even if this took him out of his way.
David had a strong sense of loyalty, and a feature of his captaincy was a preference for selecting members who attended on a regular basis and thus showed willing, rather than those who tended to only be available on match nights. While this might sometimes have reduced the theoretical strength of a team, it had the undoubted benefit of fostering good spirit and making those who did play feel valued. Certainly the way the C and u1500 teams have progressed in recent seasons is testament to the merits of this approach, and the club is healthier for it.
In closing, two anecdotes to give an indication of the value David placed on respect for opponents, and also his commitment to the teams. The first story – which David told while in hospital – dates from his time at the Alloa club. He was graded only 1050 or so at the time and was part of a team that visited Wandering Dragons at the Edinburgh Polish club. His opponent – graded in the 1800s then as now – arrived at the board with, as David put it, “a baby in one hand and a pint in the other”. This, David noted, was "somewhat disrespectful". The game didn’t go well for the home player, and "first he put the baby to one side, then the pint". In due course David won; it remained his best scalp and clearly – from the wry pleasure with which he told the story even when very ill – provided long-term satisfaction about how doing things properly can get its reward.
The second story dates from March last year. David worked as an electrical engineer and was often required to travel considerable distances. He had misread the fixture list – “an error of judgement on my part”, a very polite David phrase, that – and found himself in Lochinver, on the west coast of Sutherland, the same day he was due to captain the C team at Cumbernauld. No matter – after finishing work in the afternoon he drove all the way back to win his game and lead the team to a 4½-½ victory. This was beyond the call of duty – no one would have objected had David asked another club member to stand in for him – but his attendance was never in doubt and he didn’t expect any applause for it.
David was always good company, a cheery and positive presence around the club, and he was almost always there: before his illness, in his couple of decades as a Stirling member he had missed very few nights. He would often as not be engaged in endless allegro games with his great friend Gordon Allcock; the two of them must have played each other hundreds of times over the years, on free evenings and in idle moments between rounds during tournaments or after everyone else had finished.
The club felt odd during the spring session when David’s declining health meant that he wasn’t able to attend, and there will be a significant gap when we face the start of the new season without him. His kindly enthusiasm and commitment is an enormous loss to the club and to the league – and of course to Christine and the rest of the family, to whom sincere condolences are sent.
| Badgers Brook v Stirling | ||||
|
Kenny McGeoch Mark Cooke David McConnell Stuart Ward Graham Kerr Dave McGilvray Gordon Walker |
2060 1949 1812 1742 1617 1493 1188 |
1 - 0 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 |
1910 1845 1756 1692 1676 1657 1474 |
Shivan Murdochy Neil Irving Jim Shemilt Graham Anderson Steven Smith Bill Cook Dave Hewitt |
| 3 - 4 | ||||
This is Stirling's first win in this competition since 2005/06. Bill won first after Dave resigned when his phone went off during the game. Shortly afterward Dave made it 2-0. Jim agreed a draw with David, then I lost. Steve finished shortly afterward with a win, leaving just the top two boards playing and Stirling needing just a half point to win. Shivan lost when Kenny's Queenside pawns marched through. Neil's game against Mark was down to Queen and Rooks with 7 pawns each in quite a closed position. Time ran down, and with about two minutes left each, Mark accepted Neil's draw offer.
L to R: Jim Shemilt, Dave Hewitt, Steve Smith, Bill Cook, Neil Irving, Graham Anderson (missing: Shivan Murdochy)
Thanks to Steve for providing the game and analysis below, where Steve was Black against Graham Kerr.
| Cumbernauld v Stirling | ||||
| Ronnie Wallace Derek McAteer Steven Monaghan Daniel McAteer Steven Gentleman |
1460 1330 1284 |
½ - ½ 1 - 0 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 |
1474 1454 1449 1387 1243 |
Dave Hewitt Gordon Allcock Brad Duthie Craig Manson Tom Wallace |
| 1½ - 3½ | ||||
Dave Hewitt writes:- A tight and exciting cup final. Stirling went ahead early on due to Brad's quick win against Steven M courtesy of a Bxf7+ tactic, and the lead was extended after Tom beat the other Steven in a very sharp-looking game. Things looked good for Stirling at this stage, but Derek won an exchange against Gordon and duly converted the win, so that put things very much back in the balance. I'd perhaps been better for a while against Ronnie but lost my way a little against good defence and we found ourselves in drawish territory but without either of us being able to offer due to the match situation.
Meanwhile Craig and Daniel were having a right old scrap on board 4, with Craig having passed pawns and back-rank threats but starting to run short of time. I kept shuttling across the room to see what was what, and was relieved when a N exchange led to a clear win for Craig as he was able to queen two pawns in quick succession and then deliver mate with two minutes left on his clock. With the match now decided, Ronnie and I immediately shook hands and we all went home.
Thanks to Cumbernauld for their hospitality and good sportsmanship in a match that could have gone either way - a Cumbernauld win on board count was a distinct possibility for a while. Stirling thus win the u1500 cup for the the eighth time in the past ten seasons. This one was particularly nice for the club to win, on behalf of David Brodie who is still the u1500 captain but has been absent due to illness this past while as most of you will know - I've been acting as his stand-in.
L to R: Brad Duthie, Tom Wallace, Craig Manson, Gordon Allcock, Dave Hewitt
Thanks to Tom for providing his game.
Thanks to Dave and Tom for providing the games below. The first is Tom as White against Scott Dickson of Grangemouth, from the recent Under 1500 Cup match. It's a strange case of when doubling rooks on an open file doesn't bring the expected result.
This second game is from the recent Stirling Congress, Dave's round 4 clash as Black against Andrew Sutherland. When Andrew sat down at the start of the game Dave noticed a big book of tactical puzzles on top of his bag - so he endeavoured to get Qs off as soon as possible!
Congratulations to Dave Hewitt, who won the Challengers section of the Stirling Congress last weekend with an unbeaten 4/5.
Dave, on the right, receiving his prize from organiser Gary McPheator.
| Dunfermline B v Stirling B | ||||
| Jamie O'Connor Calum Smith Stewart Brisbane Douglas Rew Matt Harris |
1642 1568 1512 1490 |
1 - 0 0 - 1 1 - 0 1 - 0 ½ - ½ |
1553 1474 1360 1387 1449 |
Tony Pitson Dave Hewitt Kyle Kirkpatrick Craig Manson Brad Duthie |
| 3½ - 1½ | ||||
Congratulations to Dunfermline B, who retain the Division 2 title!
| Grangemouth v Stirling | ||||
| Hugh Hanlon Crawford Welsh David Fowler Scott Dickson Harry Leishman |
1394 1272 1010 977 |
0 - 1 1 - 0 1 - 0 0 - 1 0 - 1 |
1474 1454 1449 1243 1163 |
Dave Hewitt Gordon Allcock Brad Duthie Tom Wallace Mick Bloor |
| 2 - 3 | ||||
Thanks to Dave Hewitt for the game below, the board 1 clash where Dave had White against Hugh Hanlon.
Hewitt - Hanlon
Some very sad news to report, with the death on 8 April of the much-loved former Stirling chess club member Nick Blake, aged just 22. Along with his brother Jonathan, Nick was a very active player from the middle part of the 2000s, encouraged by his father John who was club secretary at the time.
Nick was always keen, and his chess understanding and ability developed steadily, as shown by an increase in grading strength. By the 2012-13 season he was 1230 regular and 1398 allegro, with the grades having jumped by around 100 and 200 respectively since the previous year. The particular prowess at fast chess was evident to anyone who played Nick during this period, as he developed an efficient style that won him plenty of games.
There was a marked – and very encouraging – leap forward in the first few months of 2012. Prior to that, Nick had played in quite a few external tournaments with some good results but without much overall success (although as a young junior he had won the S1-2 section at the 2006 Glasgow Congress with a 7/7 score, and had come joint-second with 4/5 in the secondary tournament at the Edinburgh Congress in 2007). Now, though, he began winning prizes in stronger company: first place in the Minor section of the Lothians Allegro in January 2012 (another 100% score, 5/5 this time), then first in the Minor at the Perth Congress later that month (scoring 4½/5 and having beaten club colleague David Brodie in the last round). In the Knights section at Edinburgh that same spring he came joint-second with 4/5, and he was also joint-second in the Stirling club allegro that May. These were all excellent results, achieved against experienced players and indicating definite progress.
Just before this, Christmas 2011 had seen Nick win the club’s festive tournament, the Keddie Cup, for the third time in four seasons. This was a remarkable and unprecedented sequence, and it’s safe to say that he gave a lot of thought to how best to tackle the Keddie’s notorious handicapping system – to the extent that there began to be murmurings and mutterings about possible rule changes to prevent him winning it year after year! In the three years in which he took home the trophy – 2008, 2009 and 2011 – Nick had a 100% score each time (including beating his brother Jonathan in the 2008 final and his uncle Gerry in the 2009 one), and he was without doubt the most accomplished Keddie player the club has produced.
He also played in plenty of league matches during these years, for the Cs and occasionally the Bs, and in the allegro league there was even a spell when the club fielded a third team (as opposed to the two of recent seasons), with this extra foursome, Stirling Douglas, seeing Nick playing alongside his father and brother. The progress of 2012 petered out, however: another big interest, bowls, began to be the priority (partly because the timings often seemed to clash), and while Nick scarcely played any more competitive chess he became an equally respected – and equally missed – member of the Alloa East End Bowling Club. Had he continued with the chess – and continued to make progress as in that sequence of tournaments in 2012 – then Nick would certainly have become at least a B team regular, and quite possibly graduated to the As in due course. As it was, there was always quiet hope that he would return to the game some day – something which, sadly, will now never happen.
The club sends sincere condolences to John, Fiona, Jonathan and the rest of the Blake family.
Nick, left, meets his brother Jonathan, 2006.
Nick, right, meets his brother Jonathan, 2008.
Nick receives the Keddie Cup.
| Stirling B v Badgers Brook B | ||||
| Tony Pitson Dave Hewitt Brad Duthie Craig Manson Tom Wallace |
1553 1474 1449 1387 1243 |
0 - 1 1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 1 - 0 |
1617 1315 1306 1188 |
Graham Kerr Mark Brown Derek Raffan Dylan Gillies Gordon Walker |
| 4 - 1 | ||||
Thanks to Dave for the game below, his board 2 clash with Black against Mark Brown.
Brown - Hewitt
| Stirling C v Grangemouth B | ||||
| Craig Manson Brad Duthie Tom Wallace Robert Togneri Mick Bloor |
1387 1449 1243 1267 1163 |
1 - 0 ½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0 0 - 1 |
1721 1700 1272 1010 977 |
Ian Mason Baha Eksioglu Crawford Welsh David Fowler Scott Dickson |
| 3 - 2 | ||||
Thanks to Craig for the game below, from board 1, where he had Black against Ian Mason.
Mason - Manson
| Stirling v Cumbernauld | ||||
|
Jim Shemilt Graham Anderson Steve Smith Bill Cook Dave Hewitt Gordon Allcock Tony Pitson |
1756 1692 1676 1657 1474 1454 1553 |
½ - ½ ½ - ½ ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0 0 - 1 1 - 0 |
1729 1624 1556 1330 1284 |
Ralph Stirrat Mark Monaghan George Thomson Derek McAteer Steven Monaghan Daniel McAteer Steven Gentleman |
| 4½ - 2½ | ||||
The position below is from my game on board 2, where I was Black. Can you find the correct defense to the mate threat on g7?
I played 37 ... Ng4+ 38 hxg4 Qf6. This should just lose for Black - White swaps Queens, takes the pawn on c7, gets the Knight to a2, and plays the pawn majority down the king-side. In the time-scramble at the end, I managed to capture all of White's pawns to steal the draw.
The correct defense is 37 ... Qd6+ 38 g3 Nh5. Not exactly intuitive. If White captures the Knight on h5, his own Knight on e6 is en prise. Moving the King to break the pin on the g3 pawn leads to checks until the King has to return to h2, and Black just plays Qd6. Easy when you know how...
Thanks to Dave Hewitt for providing the game and analysis below, as an example of a blunder which he thinks is worse than 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. Nc3.
Chadha - Hewitt
| Stirling Wallace 7 - 9 Dunfermline Sharks | ||
| Round 1 | ||
| Jim Shemilt | ½ - ½ | Stuart Black |
| Steve Smith | 1 - 0 | Peter Horne |
| Craig Manson | ½ - ½ | Stewart Brisbane |
| Tom Wallace | ½ - ½ | Michael Roy |
| Round 2 | ||
| Jim Shemilt | 1 - 0 | Stewart Brisbane |
| Steve Smith | ½ - ½ | Michael Roy |
| Craig Manson | ½ - ½ | Peter Horne |
| Tom Wallace | 0 - 1 | Stewart Black |
| Round 3 | ||
| Jim Shemilt | 1 - 0 | Peter Horne |
| Steve Smith | 0 - 1 | Stuart Black |
| Craig Manson | 0 - 1 | Michael Roy |
| Tom Wallace | 0 - 1 | Stewart Brisbane |
| Round 4 | ||
| Jim Shemilt | 0 - 1 | Michael Roy |
| Steve Smith | 1 - 0 | Stewart Brisbane |
| Craig Manson | 0 - 1 | Stuart Black |
| Tom Wallace | ½ - ½ | Peter Horne |
I was going to do a post to detail the results of rounds 5, 6, and 7 but I now realise that I haven't documented rounds 3 and 4, played back in November, so here we go...
Division 1:-
Round 3 - 26 Nov 2016 - Thistles 3 - 2 Forth Valley A
Round 4 - 26 Nov 2016 - Forth Valley A 0 - 5 Dundee City A
Round 5 - 26 Feb 2017 - Forth Valley A 4 - 1 Wandering Dragons A
Round 6 - 26 Feb 2017 - Hamilton A 4½ - ½ Forth Valley A
Round 7 - 26 Mar 2017 - Forth Valley A 1½ - 3½ Edinburgh West
Forth Valley A are relegated from Division 1.
Divison 3:-
Round 3 - 26 Nov 2016 - Dunfermline Knights 3½ - 1½ Forth Valley B
Round 4 - 26 Nov 2016 - Forth Valley B 2 - 3 Oban
Round 5 - 26 Feb 2017 - Edinburgh 2 1½ - 3½ Forth Valley B
Round 6 - 26 Feb 2017 - Forth Valley B 1 - 4 Bon Accord
Round 7 - 26 Mar 2017 - Forth Valley B 4 - 1 Wandering Dragons B
Forth Valley B are relegated from Division 3.
Thanks to Dave Hewitt for providing the game below - his 7th round clash as Black against Edward McCosh.
McCosh - Hewitt
| Stirling A v Grangemouth A | ||||
|
Jim Shemilt Graham Anderson Steve Smith Bill Cook Dave Hewitt |
1756 1692 1676 1657 1474 |
0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 1 - 0 ½ - ½ |
1986 1938 1913 1859 1721 |
Alan Bell Graham Hamilton Dougie Will David Wallace Ian Mason |
| 1½ - 3½ | ||||
This result means Grangemouth win Division 1 - congratulations to them!
It's been a while since a game got posted here, so below is my effort. It went from being OK to very uncomfortable once I got into time trouble - need to check the clocks, as mine always seems to run faster.
Anderson - Hamilton
The second game below is the board 4 clash, where Bill had Black against David Wallace.
Wallace - Cook
| Stirling B v Cumbernauld B | ||||
| Tony Pitson Robert Leckie Dave Hewitt Brad Duthie Craig Manson |
1553 1469 1474 1449 1387 |
0 - 1 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 |
1460 1330 716 |
Ronnie Wallace Derek McAteer Steven Gentleman Daniel McAteer George Ford |
| 3 - 2 | ||||
| Badgers Brook B v Stirling B | ||||
| Graham Kerr Dave McGilvray Kenny Aiston Dylan Gillies Mark Brown |
1617 1493 1437 1306 |
1 - 0 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 0 - 1 1 - 0 |
1553 1474 1469 1360 1454 |
Tony Pitson Dave Hewitt Robert Leckie Kyle Kirkpatrick Gordon Allcock |
| 3½ - 1½ | ||||
