Easter Saturday – 5 April 2026
We were happy and pleased to receive 13 juniors on Easter Saturday — a good turnout considering the holidays. These juniors love to come and play chess.
Small Easter eggs were handed to all to celebrate the occasion — a lovely treat for a session well played!
1st Session
Tony gave a simultaneous display against Peter, Nathaniel and Harvey. They all did well and draws were achieved by Peter and Nathaniel — a fine result against an experienced coach.
Eric had a game with Neil, who took advantage of a poor move by yours truly to play very soundly and win a good game. Well done Neil!
Steve went through the basics with Atlas, who then went on to play Milan — a much stronger player. We hope this will give Atlas good experience and a positive learning curve.
Graham set out some puzzles for the intermediate group and went through a classic GM game by Alekhine — see the lesson section below.
2nd Session
The 2nd session lesson was taken by Graham and Steve, who advised Mariusz on some tactics which I am sure he will learn from and build on in the weeks ahead.
Results – Easter Saturday
Ladder Board points were given to Neil, Peter, Nathaniel and Harvey, who all played games against coaches.
Other Results
Milan 1 – Atlas 0 / Pavina 1 – Kit 0 / Koko 0 – Nilay 1 / Jake 1 – Manvik 0
Mariusz was also given points for doing well with Steve.
Ladder Board – Winter Term (Jan / Feb / Mar)
1 point = Win | 0.5 points = Draw | 0 points = Loss
1st Session – Advanced
| Name | Played | W | D | L | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Nicolas | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Nathaniel | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4.5 |
| Rafan | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.5 |
| Kautam | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Neil | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Hektor | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Harvey | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
1st Session – Intermediate
| Name | Played | W | D | L | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nirvan | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Markas | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4.5 |
| Pavina | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1.5 |
| Kit | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Sarah | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Milan | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Jack | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
1st Session – Beginners
| Name | Played | W | D | L | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erin | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Omer | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4.5 |
| Atlas | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Arini | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Amaury | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
2nd Session – Intermediate / Beginners
| Name | Played | W | D | L | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nilay | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Manvik | 10 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Teo | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Koko | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2.5 |
| Jake | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| William | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4.5 |
| Sonny | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 |
| Mariusz | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Graham’s Lesson: Alekhine’s Gun
Alexander Alekhine vs Aron Nimzowitsch – San Remo, 1930
French Defence, Winawer Variation
This game is one of the most celebrated positional masterpieces in chess history. Alekhine demonstrates the concept now known as Alekhine’s Gun — the devastating stacking of two rooks and the queen on a single open file. The result was total positional domination, leaving Nimzowitsch completely without good moves.
Annotated Game
| # | White | Black | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | e4 | e6 | French Defence — Black stakes out the centre indirectly. |
| 2 | d4 | d5 | The solid French pawn chain begins. |
| 3 | Nc3 | Bb4 | Winawer Variation — Black pins the knight, aiming to double White’s pawns. |
| 4 | e5 | c5 | White advances and closes the centre. Black immediately counter-attacks d4. |
| 5 | Bd2 | Ne7 | Why can’t Black simply play 5…cxd4? Because after 6.Qg4, Black faces immediate kingside pressure before completing development. |
| 6 | Nb5 | Bxd2+ | White threatens Nd6. Black exchanges the bishop to relieve the pin. |
| 7 | Qxd2 | O-O | Black castles to safety. |
| 8 | c3 | b6 | What’s wrong with 8…Nd6? After 9.f4 Nf5 10.Nf3, White has a powerful centre. Black plays b6 to prepare …Ba6, targeting the b5 knight. |
| 9 | f4 | Ba6 | Alekhine prepares the kingside advance. The bishop targets the b5 knight. |
| 10 | Nf3 | Qd7 | Both sides develop. |
| 11 | a4 | Nbc6 | White grabs queenside space — part of a long-term plan. |
| 12 | b4 | cxb4 | Alekhine opens the c-file — the key strategic plan of the whole game. |
| 13 | cxb4 | Bb7 | The c-file is now open. White’s rooks will soon stack on it. |
| 14 | Nd6 | f5 | White’s knight is a superb outpost on d6. Black tries to limit the f-pawn. |
| 15 | a5 | Nc8 | Black is being squeezed on both wings and is running out of good moves. |
| 16 | Nxb7 | Qxb7 | White removes Black’s light-squared bishop, further weakening the c6 square. |
| 17 | a6 | Qf7 | White gains tempo, chasing the queen away and fixing the a6 pawn as a permanent weakness. |
| 18 | Bb5 | N8e7 | Chasing the Black queen away once more. |
| 19 | O-O | h6 | White finally castles. Black plays a waiting move — there is no good plan. |
| 20 | Rfc1 | Rfc8 | White begins the c-file occupation. |
| 21 | Rc2 | Qe8 | The second rook prepares to join the c-file. |
| 22 | Rac1 | Rab8 | White now applies maximum pressure on the c-file. |
| 23 | Qe3 | Rc7 | Preparing to play Qc1 and complete Alekhine’s Gun. |
| 24 | Rc3 | Qd7 | White stacks the third piece on the c-file. |
| 25 | R1c2 | Kf8 | Alekhine’s Gun! The queen and two rooks are stacked on the c-file (Qe3 / Rc3 / Rc2). White has a decisive advantage. |
| 26 | Qc1 | Rbc8 | The full battery is complete: Qc1 / Rc2 / Rc3. Black has no adequate defence. |
| 27 | Ba4 | b5 | b5 cannot be prevented — Black is desperate for counterplay. |
| 28 | Bxb5 | Ke8 | White wins the pawn. Black’s king flees towards the centre. |
| 29 | Ba4 | Kd8 | The bishop returns. Black’s king is cornered and out of moves. |
| 30 | h4 | 1-0 | Black has no moves. A complete positional masterpiece — Nimzowitsch resigns. |
Key Concept: Alekhine’s Gun
Alekhine’s Gun is the powerful formation of two rooks stacked on an open file with the queen behind them. After move 25 in this game, Alekhine had achieved Rc3 + Rc2 + Qc1 on the c-file — an irresistible battery that Black could not hope to defend against. Look out for opportunities to open a file and stack your pieces. This game shows exactly how it is done at the very highest level.
We look forward to seeing you all plus others returning from holidays next Saturday!
ERIC SACHS
Bournemouth Junior Chess Club – Where Young Minds Learn to Think Ahead.