Latest Update
Welcome Back!
After a holiday break for Graham and myself, we welcomed back 23 enthusiastic juniors ready to learn and play chess. It is a great feeling to see the enjoyment from the players and the appreciation of all parents.
We were delighted to welcome two new players — Mariusz and Jack — and were pleased to hear they enjoyed the lessons and will be coming back to continue their progress.
📋 Session Report
First Session
The Advanced Group was taken as always by Tony, and it is so encouraging to see all of his group improving and playing really good chess.
Lynsey from Bournemouth Chess Club came to support us — many thanks Lynsey! He ran a great session with Pavina and Nirvan.
Eric took newcomer Jack through a couple of games and was very impressed by his standard. We are confident Jack will develop into a strong player in time.
Steve, our Beginner Master, despite feeling unwell, pushed through and went through various tactics with Atlas, Erin, and Arini. Well done Steve!
Second Session
Groups were taken jointly by Paul and Lynsey, working with William, Jake, Manvik, Nilay, and Teo.
Eric went through a game with Hektor, who is playing at a strong level — we recommend he joins the 1st Session Advanced Group to keep progressing.
Steve carried on with newcomer Mariusz, Andreas, and Esilia. Another great effort from Steve seeing the session through!
♟ What We Learned — Tony’s Advanced Group
Yesterday’s session was split into two parts:
Part 1: Queen vs Pawn on the Seventh Rank
We explored how to play positions with a queen against a pawn on the seventh rank. Three key rules were studied:
- The queen wins against an ordinary pawn (on the b-, d-, e-, or g-files) on the 7th rank, as long as she can check the enemy king.
- To win against a 7th-rank rook’s pawn, the strong king must be just two steps away from either of the two key squares (f7 or g6 in the example position).
- Just as with the rook’s pawn, the queen needs her king’s assistance to win against a 7th-rank bishop’s pawn.
Part 2: Evaluating Positions & Making Plans
The second half of the session focused on how to evaluate a position and come up with plans for both sides, using key factors such as pawn majorities and the bishop pair.
📸 Photo Gallery
🏆 Ladder Board Results
First Session
| White | Score | Black | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rafan | 0 | Peter | 1 |
| Nathaniel | ½ | Coach | ½ |
| Neil | 0 | Kautum | 1 |
| Harvey | 0 | Nicolas | 1 |
| Jack | ½ | Coach | ½ |
| Pavina | 0 | Nirvan | 1 |
| Arini | ½ | Coach | ½ |
| Atlas | 0 | Erin | 1 |
Second Session
| White | Score | Black | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nilay | 1 | Manvik | 0 |
| William | 1 | Jake | 0 |
| William | 1 | Teo | 0 |
| Mariusz | 1 | Andreas | 0 |
| Esilia | ½ | Coach | ½ |
🏅 Dorset Championship — 1st March
We were very pleased to see that 10 of our juniors have entered the Dorset Championship on 1st March at Lytchett Matravers. Entries are still open to all Dorset players and there is still time to enter if you are quick!
“I would encourage all players to enter — it’s a measure of your skills and will give you great experience playing in an open chess congress.”
📅 Next Session
We look forward to seeing everyone next Saturday 28th February. A huge thank you once again to our loyal team of coaches and helpers: Tony, Steve, Paul, Lynsey and Dee for their continued support of the club.
— Eric Sachs
