Saturday 21st March 2026 – Week 8
We welcomed back Graham Hillman after his holidays and juniors Amir and Sonny for the 1st time. It was great to see Milan continue after his first week, and it is very encouraging to see new players joining weekly alongside our regulars.
Some of our regulars have been with us since primary school and have continued into senior school — up to years 8, 9 and beyond. Long may it continue!
Yesterday we had 26 juniors come along to learn and play chess. This is extremely rewarding and we will continue for as long as we have the support of our valued coaches.
A note on our website: Can we encourage all parents to confirm they are receiving a copy of the weekly report, share it with their juniors, and send any feedback — it is always welcome.
Please note we will be continuing chess lessons through the Easter break and encourage as many to come along as possible.
1st Session
Tony’s Advanced Group — Rook and Pawn Endgames
Tony took the Advanced group of 8 players through an excellent session on Rook and Pawn Endgames. Six key principles were covered:
- Pushing the defending king from the rear does not work against b-, c-, d-, e-, f- and g-pawns — underpromotion to a knight saves the day.
- In those cases, outflanking is the right approach.
- The strong king has no time to outflank his opponent when the pawn is on the 5th rank, unless the rook is at the rear of the pawn.
- With a knight’s pawn, stalemate themes can occur — be alert!
- When both kings are on the same side of the pawn, the main resources are shoulder-charging and rook checks.
- With a normal rook position, the strong side wins if his king takes side opposition before the pawn reaches the 6th rank.
Tony’s Positional Puzzles
Tony also presented two positional puzzles for the group to work through:
Puzzle 1: The correct answer is Queen to b6 — attacking b2 with the option of going to h6, creating a double attack on the bishop and c1.
Puzzle 2: If White takes on c6, Black has excellent compensation — complete control of d4, a backward pawn on d2 to attack, and the lead in development.
Graham’s Intermediate Group — Fischer vs Euwe, Leipzig 1960
Graham took the Intermediate group through a famous and deeply instructive game: Bobby Fischer vs Max Euwe, Leipzig 1960 — played 66 years ago. Fischer, the 11th World Champion and the first American to break Russian domination of world chess, faced Euwe, the 5th World Champion and a mathematician from Holland.
The game is a masterclass in how to use pins, passed pawns and rook activity to convert a seemingly small advantage. Key moments included Fischer ignoring the doubling of his f-file pawns (normally very bad!), a series of pins building decisive pressure, and a beautifully timed push of the passed a-pawn to win the game.
Game Moves with Notes
| # | Fischer (White) | Euwe (Black) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | e4 | c6 | |
| 2 | d4 | d5 | |
| 3 | exd5 | cxd5 | |
| 4 | c4 | Nf6 | |
| 5 | Nc3 | Nc6 | |
| 6 | Nf3 | Bg4 | Pin 1 for Black |
| 7 | cxd5 | Nxd5 | |
| 8 | Qb3 | BxN | Fischer ignores the doubling of the f-file pawns — normally very bad |
| 9 | gxf3 | e6 | |
| 10 | Qxb7 | Nxd4 | |
| 11 | Bb5+ | NXB | |
| 12 | Qc6+ | Ke7 | |
| 13 | QxN b5 | NxN | |
| 14 | pxc3 | Qd7 | Black concludes: if the queens come off, he has the advantage |
| 15 | Rb1 | Rd8 | What is the threat now for Black? |
| 16 | Be3 | QxQ | |
| 17 | RxQ | Rd7 | |
| 18 | Ke2 | f6 | Why did White play Ke2 and not 0-0? |
| 19 | Rd1 | RxR | |
| 20 | KxR | Kd7 | |
| 21 | Rb8 | Kc6 | Why doesn’t White simply win the pawn? Pin 2 for White — the pin is stronger than simply winning the pawn |
| 22 | BxP | g5 | |
| 23 | a4 | Bg7 | If you have a passed pawn, it’s never usually bad to push it forward |
| 24 | Rb6 | Kd5 | Finally Black tries to free his trapped rook — but White doesn’t want to exchange just yet |
| 25 | Rb7 | Bf8 | Attacking the Black Bishop that really hasn’t got anywhere good to go |
| 26 | Rb8 | Bg7 | Pin 3 — same again |
| 27 | Rb5+ | Kc6 | |
| 28 | Rb6+ | Kd5 | |
| 29 | a5 | f5 | Finally Black gets his Bishop into play |
| 30 | Bb8 | Rc8 | |
| 31 | a6 | RxP | Remember — push the passed pawn! |
| 32 | Rb5+ | Kc4 | |
| 33 | Rb7 | Bd4 | Threatening the Bishop |
| 34 | Rc7+ | Kd3 | |
| 35 | RxR | KxR | What is the winning move for White? |
| 36 | Be5 | ||
| 1 – 0 |
Watch the full game on YouTube:
Beginners Group — Paul & Eric
In Steve’s absence, Paul and Eric spent time with 7 beginners, reviewing openings and mating tactics with rook and king vs king. Both openings and mating techniques are so important and are key to successful chess.
Pics from the 1st session — full house!
Ladder Board Results – Week 8
1st Session –
Peter 1 Hektor 0 / Harvey 0 Nathaniel 1 / Neil 1 Kautam 0 / Milan 0 Nirvan 1 / Jack 1 Pavina 0 / Amaury 0 Omer 1 / Erin 1 Atlas 0 / Arini 0 Kit 1.
2nd Session –
Nilay 0 Jake 1 / William 1 Koko 0 / Manvik 1 Mariusz 0.
Ladder Board Tables — After Week 8
1st Session – Advanced
| Name | Played | W | D | L | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicolas | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 |
| Nathanial | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4.0 |
| Peter | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3.5 |
| Neil | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Hektor | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3.0 |
| Kautam | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2.5 |
| Harvey | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2.5 |
| Rafan | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.5 |
1st Session – Intermediate
| Name | Played | W | D | L | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 6.0 |
| Jack | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4.0 |
| Nirvan | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4.0 |
| Markas | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3.5 |
| Sarah | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Pavina | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.5 |
| Milan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 |
1st Session – Beginners
| Name | Played | W | D | L | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omer | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3.5 |
| Atlas | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3.0 |
| Erin | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2.0 |
| Arini | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 |
| Amaury | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 |
2nd Session – Intermediate & Beginners
| Name | Played | W | D | L | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 |
| Nilay | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4.0 |
| Manvik | 8 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3.5 |
| Teo | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3.0 |
| Jake | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3.0 |
| Koko | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1.5 |
| Mariusz | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 |
| Esilia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1.0 |
Current Term Leaders
- Advanced: Nicolas — 5/5
- Intermediate: Kit — 6/7
- Beginners: Omer — 3.5/5
- 2nd Session: William — 4/4 & Nilay — 4/7
As always, many thanks to our coaches — Tony, Graham and Paul. Steve returns next week!
Eric Sachs
Bournemouth Junior Chess Club – Where Young Minds Learn to Think Ahead