24 October 2018 - Central League Division 2

Grangemouth B		v		Stirling C
Ian Mason Hugh Hanlon Alisdair Sandham David Fowler Nicholas Whitten	1620 1337 1308 1104 1082	1 - 0 0 - 1 1 - 0 0 - 1 0 - 1	1436 1385 1379 1226 1243	Craig Manson Tom Wallace Martyn Roe Gordon Allcock Robert Togneri
		2 - 3

22 October 2018 - Central League Division 2

Badgers Brook B		v		Stirling B
Dave McGilvray Mark Brown Andrew Gould Derek Raffan Peter Woollven	1547 1483   1359	½ - ½ 1 - 0 0 - 1 ½ - ½ ½ - ½	1576 1488 1550 1456 1456	Bill Cook Brad Duthie Dave Hewitt Richard Warcup Tony Pitson
		2½ - 2½

Thanks to Dave Hewitt for the game below, where he had Black against the returning Andrew Gould.

[Event "Badgers Brook B v Stirling B"] [Site "Badgers Brook CC"] [Date "2018.10.22"] [Round "-"] [White "Gould, A"] [Black "Hewitt, D"] [Result "0-1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. Be2 Bg7 9. O-O a6 10. Bf4 O-O 11. Re1 Nh5 12. Bd2 b5 13. Ng5 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 b4 15. Nd1 Nd7 16. f4 h6 17. Nf3 Qb6 18. Qc4 Rae8 19. a3 a5 20. Ra2 Qb7 21. Be3 Nb6 22. Qd3 c4 23. Qb1 b3 24. Ra1 Na4 25. Bd4 Bxd4+ 26. Nxd4 Qb6 27. Qc1 Qxd4+ 28. Kh1 Rxe4 { White resigns. } 0-1

15 October 2018 - Central League Division 2

Stirling D		v		Stirling C
Craig Thomson Callum Henderson Ross Warcup Douglas Pringle Gordon Bowie	822   542	0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1	1436 1385 1226 1243 1163	Craig Manson Tom Wallace Gordon Allcock Robert Togneri Mick Bloor
		0 - 5

Ross had Gordon squirming for some time, and Douglas went up a pawn up after 4 moves, and there was plenty of areas offering hope for the D team.

A Night at the Opera

A Night at the Opera
for the members of Stirling Chess Club

In 1858 Karl, Duke of Brunswick challenged Paul Morphy to a game of chess in his box at a Paris Opera House, resulting in one of the most famous games in history. Here the ghost of Duke Karl has looked in to say hello and see how your own game is progressing.

I hope I don’t distract you from your game ?
I trust I need not introduce myself –
I think you know … in English is the phrase
" go down in history " – that is, I did,
I have " gone down in history ". Although
the revolutionaries took my rightful
lands, I am Graf von Braunschweig,
" Duke of Brunswick" as the English say
( I lived in London once, when I was young).
Still I can hear the stones, they strike my coach!
Still I can see the flames, they burn my home,
my palace! Then my brother steals my throne.
This you do not remember, no?
Ich bitte – please, forgive – I understand
this is not why you know and honour me.
(Forgive, I do not mean to intrude but
your pawn, King’s pawn, it is slightly perhaps
isolated?) Monsieur Philidor, recall,
he called the little pawn the " Soul of Chess" :
just so, also is Chess the soul of life,
just so it was for me – Chess was my life.

Exile in Paris it was of course most
comfortable : salon, cuisine, musique,
les femmes bien sur, toujours si elegantes.
But no. For me it is always das Schachspiel : Chess.
It is true, there is also diplomacy ;
I have to do a little – but my heart
It is on the board, for truly there are found
my Knights, my Bishops, Castles, Queen – and King.
( Speaking of King, forgive me please: king side,
your Bishop and your Rook – they do nothing.)
But every day I play with Isouard, my friend,
also a Comte ; he plays a noble game.

And then the day I hear, I hear the news:
Paul Morphy is in Paris! Straightaway
I send my messenger, so I invite
the greatest player in the world to play
with me – truth is, I invite him to
the Opera – I know he likes the Opera.
A clever trap, I think – just like in chess …
he does not know the board is in my box.
( Just one small thing. He lets you take his Knight.
You think you should accept this sacrifice ?
No matter : as you say, it is your move. )

But now I think you know me, who I am .
I am the man who played the greatest game
of chess, against the greatest player also.

( A pity that your King he never castled –
And now he has queen side … nevertheless
You would think you would still be strong enough)
Now Isouard and I ( we joined forces),
We placed him so his back was to the stage.
It seemed to irritate him just a little …
at any rate, he had the white pieces.

A Rook for knight?! He has overreached himself
perhaps? I know you still have more
material and that is still what counts…

His Queen en prise ?! I know, for one second
you know you have him – he has lost the game!
… playing too hasty, simply a mistake ?!
You have to take her anyway – it’s check –
two pieces up, and you still have your Queen …
attack repulsed, and victory assured.

But now – what is he doing? He lifts the Rook
up in his fingers and he carries it
from one end to the other of the board,
sets it beside our King! Must be the end –
even he can’t beat us with one piece!
Alas, he can , his Bishop lies in wait,
protects the Rook, who stands , and gives - Checkmate.

Clive Wright (Makar of Stirling)

Many, many thanks to Clive for this. For those who may not know it, the game itself is below.

[Event "Paris"] [Site "Paris FRA"] [Date "1858.??.??"] [EventDate "?"] [Round "?"] [Result "1-0"] [White "Paul Morphy"] [Black "Duke Karl / Count Isouard"] [ECO "C41"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "33"] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Bg4 {This is a weak move already.--Fischer} 4.dxe5 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 dxe5 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.Qb3 Qe7 8.Nc3 c6 9.Bg5 {Black is in what's like a zugzwang position here. He can't develop the [Queen's] knight because the pawn is hanging, the bishop is blocked because of the Queen.--Fischer} b5 10.Nxb5 cxb5 11.Bxb5+ Nbd7 12.O-O-O Rd8 13.Rxd7 Rxd7 14.Rd1 Qe6 15.Bxd7+ Nxd7 16.Qb8+ Nxb8 17.Rd8# 1-0

11 October 2018 - Central League Division 2

Cumbernauld B		v		Stirling B
Derek McAteer Liam Heron Mark Heron Ulugbek Abdurahmanov George Ford	1429 1189 1000 1139 697	½ - ½ ½ - ½ 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1	1488 1550 1456 1456 1226	Brad Duthie Dave Hewitt Richard Warcup Tony Pitson Gordon Allcock
		1 - 4

8 October 2018 - Central League Division 2

Stirling C		v		Badgers Brook B
Martyn Roe Tom Wallace Gordon Allcock Robert Togneri Mick Bloor	1379 1385 1226 1243 1163	0 - 1 1 - 0 ½ - ½ 1 - 0 1 - 0	1673 1547 1462 1142	John Smith Dave McGilvray Kenny Aiston Gordon Walker Peter Woollven
		3½ - 1½

Thanks to Tom Wallace for the game below, where Tom had Black against Dave McGilvray.

McGilvray - Wallace

1 October 2018 - Central Allegro League

Stirling Bruce 7½-8½ Stirling Wallace
Round 1
Bill Cook	½ - ½	Steve Smith
Dave Hewitt	0 - 1	David McAlister
Brad Duthie	0 - 1	Gordon Allcock
Richard Warcup	1 - 0	Craig Manson
Round 2
Bill Cook	1 - 0	Craig Manson
Dave Hewitt	0 - 1	Steve Smith
Brad Duthie	0 - 1	David McAlister
Richard Warcup	½ - ½	Gordon Allcock
Round 3
Bill Cook	½ - ½	Gordon Allcock
Dave Hewitt	½ - ½	Craig Manson
Brad Duthie	0 - 1	Steve Smith
Richard Warcup	0 - 1	David McAlister
Round 4
Bill Cook	½ - ½	David McAlister
Dave Hewitt	1 - 0	Gordon Allcock
Brad Duthie	1 - 0	Craig Manson
Richard Warcup	1 - 0	Steve Smith

Dave Hewitt writes:- Congratulations to Stirling Wallace, captain by Gordon Allcock, who ended one of the league's longest sequences last night by beating Stirling Bruce in the allegro league opener. Bruce had won the previous eight editions of this match, but lacking any A-team players (the team comprised four B nominees) and faced with a Wallace lineup strengthened considerably by the arrival of David McAlister (who was top scorer on the night), the turning of the tide wasn't a huge surprise.

The final result was 8½-7½ to Wallace but it was never as close as that makes it sound. Wallace won the first three rounds (the last of these was probably the crucial one) to put themselves 8-4 ahead at the start of the final round - whereupon the first game to finish was drawn, thus clinching the match. Although the Bruce players suddenly then found a bit of form and won the remaining three games, it was far too late and these were just consolation prizes: overall the match was a clear victory for a Wallace team that has steadily improved in recent seasons and should now have a decent chance of a high-place finish in the league.