Scalby School Chess Tournament 2020.
Scalby School are running a chess tournament - details below.
Venue: Scalby School, Fieldstead Crescent, Scarborough YO12 6TH. Tel: 01723-362301-Neven Buric.
Date: Saturday 1st February 2020.
Times: 9.30-5.0
Rules of Competition: 6 Round Swiss with 20 minutes each on the clock. Where possible games to be scored.
Chess Experience: Suitable for any chess player ages 8-16.
Refreshments: Some available on site or can bring packed lunch.
Entry Fee: FREE ENTRY.
Prizes-To be presented at the end also medals and certificates.
Contact Neven Buric (details above) to enter or for more information.
Match Report - Acomb v Scarborough
Scarborough chess club faced their toughest match of the season, with an away fixture at last year’s champions, and current leaders Acomb. This match had been put back a couple of weeks to avoid a fixture pile-up. Both teams were in good form, with Acomb unbeaten, and Scarborough having won their three latest matches, all by the narrowest possible margin.
The home team not only held the advantage of not having to travel, but on grades they were ahead 1051-968, or very nearly 14 points a board. Only board two, Paul Hutchinson held a rating advantage and then only by a single point. Simon Chester faced the biggest challenge, being 27 rating points lower than his opponent.
First to finish was Neil Pennock, who put up such a good defence that his opponent Michael Jackson found it impossible to “beat it", and the game was drawn. Scarborough captain Simon Dixon then succumbed to the inevitable, with his opponent two pieces ahead for no compensation, to put Acomb ahead. Simon Chester also lost, as his highly rated foe played well in time trouble to put the home side two up with three to play.
Top board John Jarmany then raised the Seasider’s hopes with a nice win after sacrificing a pawn for development, then crashing through. Chris Dossett had been struggling, going first a pawn and then an exchange down, but in the knight and pawn, versus rook and pawns endgame, the steed proved equal to the castle and the game was drawn. This left Paul Hutchinson, in mutual time trouble, to queen a pawn and win the game, securing a very entertaining and close-fought draw in the match.
Match Card
This result leaves both teams at the top of the table, going into the Christmas break, with everything to play for in the second half of the season.
League Table
Scarborough v York R.I. Kings
Scarborough Chess Club entertained Royal Institute Kings on Thursday, hoping to move up the standings with another victory. Their season had started with a narrow loss, but successive wins had boosted their hopes of claiming the York and District League title for the first time in their history.
Captain Simon Dixon had generously agreed to play the match over 4 boards instead of the usual 6, as the visitors were short of two players for the long trip to the coast. There was also a last minute change of venue, as their normal home was double booked. The Cask Inn agreed to let them play there at short notice though, so things were all set for the clash to go ahead.
Scarborough held the upper hand on grades, as for the first time this season both John Jarmany and Paul Hutchinson were available together. The disparity of 690-563, or 31 points a board was the largest they had held all season, but things were to prove much tighter over the board than this would suggest.
First to finish was Paul Hutchinson who crushed his opponent with a strong attack inside an hour. Things were looking much closer on the other three boards though, and it looked as if all three results were still possible. Les Wells then offered a draw in a complicated position, which was accepted by the opposing captain. Chris Dossett was a pawn up but the position was ssuch that either side pushing for a win was too risky, and the game was drawn by repetition. John Jarmany was ahead by an exchange but his opponent had set up a fiendish trap with could lead to a back rank mate. John had a perpetual check against the opposition king though, which he knew would seal the match for Scarborough, so he took it. This gave the Seasiders a third win on the bounce, all by the narrowest possible margin.
Match Card
This victory moves Scarborough up to 2nd place in the league table, level on points with leaders Acomb. These teams clash next Thursday in Acomb, where the Seasiders hope to extend their winning streak to four and, at the same time, claim top spot in the division before the Christmas break.
League Table
Scarborough v Eagle and Child 1
Scarborough Chess Club had their first home game of the season on Thursday when they entertained perennial high flyers Eagle and Child 1. This was all set to be a tough encounter against a team that Scarborough had never beaten. The visitors held a 1000-940 rating advantage, or ten points a board; this isn’t always the deciding factor though. Eagle and Child top board International Master Simon Ansell was not available, whilst the Seasiders kept the same team that won their previous match last month.
Scarborough captain Simon Dixon was first on the scoresheet, giving the home team an early lead with the white pieces. Simon Chester then kept his unbeaten record intact with a draw in a blocked position. Chris Dossett also drew in a complicated position against his higher rated opponent. John Jarmany then ensured at least a draw in the match, making it 3-1 with a smooth finish when both players were short of time. Les Wells had gone a pawn down early in the game and had wrecked pawns. He struggled to a rook and pawn endgame, but could not hold it. This left Neil Pennock to ensure both points came to Scarborough with a hard fought draw.
Match Card
Scarborough now entertain R. I. Kings, who they have already beaten this season, so they hope to take their winning streak to three.
The league table makes interesting reading, with everyone having dropped at least two points.
League Table
York R.I. Kings v Scarborough
Scarborough Chess Club were on the road again for their second match of the new season, when they faced the Railway Institute Kings. After a disappointing loss in the opening fixture, they were hoping to get back to winning ways. Although new recruit Paul Hutchinson was not available, Scarborough did have club champion John Jarmany back on top board. Otherwise, captain Simon Dixon selected the same team.
On grading, the Seasiders had an advantage of 940-848, or 15 points a board, so they started strong favourites to take both points back to the coast.
First to finish was Neil Pennock who won quickly, when he used a knight to create what is known as a ‘family fork', attacking king and queen at the same time. Chris Dossett then drew in a Budapest Gambit when his opponent returned the gambitted pawn to get an equal position. The sole victor in the previous match, Simon Dixon, then went wrong in an ending with bishops of opposite colours, which levelled the match. Simon Chester then got his second draw of the season, despite being down to his last 5 minutes. Les Wells then showed good technique to finish off his opponent when his rooks mopped up all his opponents weak pawns. This left only John Jarmany on top board, needing a draw to secure the points. His opponent had sacrificed a rook for a vicious looking attack. John gave back the material to reach a queen and pawn endgame where his king had no shelter from checks, so a draw was agreed.
This gave Scarborough victory by the narrowest of margins, after losing by the same score in their first match.
Match Card
Scarborough now have a break until November 7th when they play their first home fixture of the season against a strong Eagle and Child first team. If the hosts have both John Jarmany and Paul Hutchinson (each of whom have wins against Grandmasters in the past), available, they could shock the visitors.
Ye Olde Starres v Scarborough
Scarborough Chess Club started the new season in the York and District League, Division One, with a difficult away trip to the newly renamed Ye Olde Starres. The name change is due to a switch in venue, and they now play in the oldest tavern in York. The home team outgraded the visitors on every board, holding an overall 1014-920 rating advantage, or 16 points a board, but the match proved a lot closer than could have been expected. Scarborough were missing top board and club champion John Jarmany, but they have recruited Paul Hutchinson, a very strong player making his comeback after a ten year hiatus.
Les Wells was first on the scoresheet for the visitors, with a well earned draw against his experienced opponent. Neil Pennock also drew a complicated game in the Queens Gambit declined opening. Chris Dossett then slipped up in a Sicilian Defence after some wild complications, to put the home team in front. Paul Hutchinson mis-remembered the best move order in a Leningrad Dutch and went down to his highly rated opponent. Ye Olde Starres then got the half point they needed to secure victory when Simon Chester could not find a way to win in a blocked position and a draw was agreed. Captain Simon Dixon got a consolation victory on bottom board when his opponent ran out of time. This meant Scarborough lost by the narrowest of margins.
Match Card
Although this is a disappointing start to the season, if Scarborough can get their strongest team out regularly, they could still challenge for a top three finish.
League Table
Doug Rawlinson Rapid Play
The club will be holding an evening event on the 18 June which will give players of all levels the opportunity to play five games in the evening. Anybody is welcome to attend. The event will commence at 7.30 pm at the North Riding Public House, North Marine Road, Scarborough.
Chess report 2018/19 season, matches 1 and 2
Scarborough Chess Club first team had a tough start to the season in prospect with two tricky away games.
Firstly, they were to face the current league champions and favourites to retain their title, Terriers. Scarborough were also behind on ratings, with the home team holding a 1015-925 advantage, or 15 points a board. To make matters worse for the Seasiders, they were missing Chris Dossett who was runner-up in the Scarborough Club Championships in the last two years. They did however have a new recruit in Les Wells who used to play in the York League some years ago when he lived in the area.
The situation looked equal in for much of the match, but gradually things started to move in the direction of the home team. First Colin Weller, then Simon Chester and Simon Dixon lost control and Scarborough found themselves 3-0 down. John Jarmany pulled one back on top board with a well-timed mating attack, but Neil Pennock could not extricate himself and eventually lost on time to secure the points for Terriers. Debutant Les Wells then won, against his highly rated opponent, to make the final score more respectable.
Match Card
Scarborough’s second match of the season was another tricky trip to newly promoted Railway Institute Kings. They ran away with the second division title last year and had already started this season with a victory against a team with higher ratings than themselves. For this match Scarborough welcomed back Chris Dossett, but new player Les Wells was unavailable due to a non-chess related injury. Scarborough held a 940-841 rating advantage, or 16 points a board, so started as favourites, though the home side looked to have strength in depth.
The Seasiders started off brightly with a couple of solid wins on the top two boards, John Jarmany and Neil Pennock. With two points on the board and four games still playing, things were looking good, but the situation was worsening on the games still in play. Captain, Simon Dixon though a pawn down, managed to secure a draw, but Colin Weller on bottom board succumbed to his opponent’s sacrificial attack to make the score 2.5/1.5 to the away team. Simon Chester then lost from a good position to bring the scores level. Chris Dossett was 3 pawns down and looked lost, but he managed to swap into an ending where each side had a bishop, but of opposite colours, where the material disadvantage was not decisive, and a draw was agreed for both the game and the match.
Match Card
Scarborough now have a break until November for their first home game of the season against Eagle and Child first team.
AGM and Quickplay Competion
Scarborough Chess Club held its Annual Meeting at the end of May marking another successful season in the York and District League. The first Team came joint third in the First Division and the Second Team came third in the Second Division, whilst winning the knock out cup in a very close final match. The members are now looking forward to the British Chess Championships which this year will be held in Hull at the end of July. This competition has events for all levels of chess player and a number of members of the club are planning to participate.
The club will be holding an evening event on the 19 June which will give players of all levels the opportunity to play five games in the evening. Anybody is welcome to attend. The event will commence at 7.30 pm at the North Riding Public House, North Marine Road, Scarborough.
Club Championship Result - 2017/2018 Season
The Scarborough Club Championship has been won by John Jarmany for the 7th consecutive year. John scored 9 points from a possible 10, winning 8 games and drawing against Simon Chester and the second placed Chris Dossett. Chris finished with 8.5 points and remains unbeaten for the last 2 years.
The Club Championship has been running for over 100 years and all club members can enter. This season it was an "all play all" format.
Match Reports from 29th March 2018
There was an exciting night in prospect at the Scarborough Chess Club on Thursday as the first team were playing a vital league game and the second team were completing in the reserve team Cup Final, this year only open to teams not in the top division.
A difficult decision had to be made first, as only 10 players were available for 11 boards. Simon Dixon, who normally plays bottom board for the first team and top board for the second team, decided that the Cup Final had to take priority.
This meant that the first team started a player short. Coupled with this, Brigantes 1st team had a rating advantage of 831-788, or 8 ½ points a board. The Seasiders had the proverbial mountain to climb.
All the games were long and hard fought, with several swinging forward and backwards as each side strived for an advantage. Simon Chester had to settle for a draw, despite having pressure, but his opponent defended stoutly. Stan Lovell, making his seasonal debut for the first team was playing an old foe in Michael Jackson, but at the end of a “thriller” of a game, Stan succumbed to pressure and lost. This put Scarborough ½ - 2 ½ down with the top three boards still playing, needing a comeback akin to Lazarus.
Next to finish was Neil Pennock who continued his excellent season with a fine win after his opponent dropped a piece. Chris Dossett then applied pressure, with his opponent’s king caught in the open and won with a neat ending. Top board John Jarmany then applied the coup-de-grace after being under pressure for most of the game, to seal the win for Scarborough.
York League Division One 29/03/18
Scarboro Castles 3½ - 2½ Brigantes 1
1 196 John Jarmany B 1 0 Gavyn Cooper 191
2 167 Neil Pennock W 1 0 Richard Cowan 168
3 160 Chris S Dossett B 1 0 Peter R Harrington 179
4 146 Simon Chester W ½ ½ Paul May 152
5 119 Stan Lovell B 0 1 Michael Jackson 141
6 0 Default W 0 1 Richard Mounce 144
Meanwhile Scarborough second team were also facing a ratings disadvantage of 8 ½ points a board, as Brigantes third team lead that particular battle by 608-566. As we all know though, the tension of a Cup Final can do strange things to people and favourites on paper do not always come out on top.
First to finish was top board and captain Simon Dixon. His highly rated opponent took a pawn with queen and announced checkmate, only to find that Simon had a knight protecting the pawn, and it was not checkmate at all. It was a crazy blunder for a beginner to make, yet alone someone graded 157. This win for Scarborough was followed by two draws from Nigel Yates and Malcolm Kirby. Bottom board Ronnie Noble could not weather the storm of pieces invading his position and lost, but Colin Weller stayed calm in his opponent’s time trouble and scored the win that brings the cup to Scarborough.
York League Division Two Cup Final 29/03/18
Scarborough B 3 - 2 Brigantes 3
1 146 Simon Dixon B 1 0 Bob Maltby 157
2 121 Malcolm Kirby W ½ ½ Ashley Carr 124
3 127 Colin Weller B 1 0 Sri Sriharan 114
4 86 Nigel Yates W ½ ½ Rodney Mitchinson 99
5 86 Ronnie Noble B 0 1 James Dessent 114
With one game to go in the top division, Scarborough have an excellent chance of their highest ever finish of third. In their last game of the season, they play Railway Institute Cavaliers, who are just behind them in the table.
League Table
Chess Results
It has been a difficult period for Scarborough chess club, with some tough matches. They are trying to achieve a top three finish in the York and District League top division, which would be the highest position in their history.
First on the fixture list was a home match with Terriers, who are fighting it out with Eagle and Child first team for the league title. The visitors had a slender 993-982 rating advantage, or two points a board, so it was set to be a tight match.
Jon Ayres started things off with a draw, shortly followed John Jarmany and Chris Dossett also sharing the points. Neil Pennock then lost for the first time this season to put Terriers ahead. Gary Morris stayed calm after an attempted sacrifice by his opponent backfired, equalising the match. This left everything riding on Simon Chester’s match, but with both players short of time, Simon’s defences collapsed and the match was lost.
York League Division One
22/02/18 Scarboro Castles 2½ 3½ Terriers 1
1 193 John Jarmany B ½ ½ Steve R Hodge 179
2 169 Neil Pennock W 0 1 Patrick Gower 179
3 161 Chris S Dossett B ½ ½ Tim Turner 161
4 160 Jonathan Ayres W ½ ½ Paul M Barber 172
5 146 Simon Chester B 0 1 Christopher Duggan 166
6 153 Gary Morris W 1 0 Neville R Pearce 136
Next on the horizon was a “home” match with University. They are the only team in the league clinging to an old rule which allowed teams to have Scarborough play all games away. It was agreed to play this match at the University over 5 boards, as Scarborough were missing top board John Jarmany. This proved a big handicap as University fielded their strongest side of the season, with two F.I.D.E. Masters on the top two boards. This gave the students a massive 877-776 rating advantage, or 20 points a board.
Things did not start well for Scarborough when captain Simon Dixon got in trouble and lost. Jon Ayres then lost his unbeaten record for the season, followed by Neil Pennock succumbing to his opponent’s pressure, sealing the match for the University team. Simon Chester managed to prevent a whitewash with a solid draw, but Chris Dossett could not convert in a wild game which could have gone either way.
York League Division One
15/03/18 Scarboro Castles 0½ 4½ University Firsts
1 167 Neil Pennock B 0 1 Martin Brown 211
2 161 Chris S Dossett W 0 1 Sam Chow 230
3 161 Jonathan Ayres B 0 1 Tom Leah 170
4 146 Simon Chester W ½ ½ Yousuf Bin-Suhayl 159
5 141 Simon Dixon B 0 1 Eduardo Garcia-Padilla 107
These two defeats had put to bed any chances of Scarborough winning the title, but they still had a chance of their best finish if they could win the last 3 games. The first of these was away at Eagle and Child 2nd team. The home side had International Master Simon Ansell on top board, but Scarborough had their top board John Jarmany back to face him. The home side held a rating advantage of 999-945 or 9 points a board, so it was going to be tough for the seasiders.
Chris Dossett was first on the board with a draw, followed by Malcolm Kirby, making his seasonal debut for the first team, also drawing. Jon Ayres then put the visitors in front with a fine win with the black pieces. Neil Pennock then also drew, as did Simon Chester to secure at least a point for Scarborough, with the top board game still playing. This was an exciting tussle with both kings caught in crossfire, but it was decided in the end by a humble pawn thrust by John, which either lead to mate or loss of the queen for his titled opponent, who resigned.
York League Division One
22/03/18 Eagle & Child 2 2 4 Scarboro Castles
1 235 Simon Ansell B 0 1 John Jarmany 193
2 165 James M Carpenter W ½ ½ Neil Pennock 167
3 148 A Jon Griffith B ½ ½ Chris S Dossett 161
4 140 Owen Robson W 0 1 Jonathan Ayres 158
5 150 Steve Whitehead B ½ ½ Simon Chester 146
6 161 Laurence Cornhill W ½ ½ G Malcolm Kirby 120
This excellent result keeps Scarborough’s chances of third place alive. They have the two teams directly below them still to play, starting with Brigantes first team.
York League Division One : 2017 / 2018
Chess Report
Scarborough Chess Club have had an interesting start to the second half of the season, after ending the first half with an exciting 3-3 draw at home to League Leaders Eagle and Child first team.
The next match was due to be at home to Cavaliers, but the away team cancelled at the last minutes, giving Scarborough the points by default.
This was followed by the reverse fixture against Eagle and Child first team. Unfortunately for the Seasiders, board one John Jarmany was unavailable, but this was balanced by the home team only having 5 players, so Scarborough started one board ahead. The home team had a rating advantage of 858-773, or 17 points a board, so Scarborough’s task was a tough one, even with a 1-0 start
The first two games to finish both ended in draws, with a particularly well played game by Neil Pennock against his highly rated opponent. Unfortunately for Scarborough though, this proved to be the high water mark as Chris Dossett, Simon Dixon and Simon Chester all suffered defeats to end the match with a 4-2 defeat.
From playing the top of the league, four days later Scarborough then travelled to face the team at the foot of the table, Brigantes 2nd team. Scarborough were boosted by the return of John Jarmany on top board, which helped them have a 959-800 lead on gradings, or 20 points a board.
Both Simons. Chester and Dixon, got things moving with smooth victories, shortly followed by John Jarmany forcing resignation with a neat mating combination. Chris Dossett then made the match safe when his opponent used inordinate amounts of time and lost a rook and pawn endgame. Neil Pennock kept his superb form this season with another win and the home team were only saved from being whitewashed when Gary Morris was forced to agree a draw in a better position due to having only 90 seconds left on his clock to complete the game.
Results for both matches
This result puts Scarborough into second place in the table with five games to go. They are still hoping for their highest ever finish, which they would achieve if they were able to hang on to second spot.
League Table
York University v Scarborough
It was anybody's guess how strong the University side would be when Scarborough travelled to play them on campus in the latest York League Division One match. In the squad they have three titled players who have all turned out this season, but they are very rarely all available together. As it turned out, only Fide Master Martin Brown was on the teamsheet of this triumvirate. Scarborough held a 927/888 rating advantage, or 6 points a board, but this was mainly because the University bottom board was 57 points below his opponent. Other than that disparity it looked to be a close game.
Colin Weller on bottom board was the first triumph against the magnificently named Cassius-ghandi Livingstone, who failed to channel the brilliance of any of his three namesakes. Chris Dossett then drew with the opposing captain. Simon Dixon then won a topsy-turvy battle where he was a room down for a while to put the Seasiders in charge. Even though Simon Chester lost, Neil Pennock had a won ending and duly sealed the points when his opponents ran out if time. John Jarmany could not hold back the storm of black pieces invading his position in the last game to finish, but that did not affect the result.
University Firsts 2 ½ Scarborough 3 ½
Martin Brown (FM) (219) 1-0 John Jarmany (193)
Tom Leah (172) 0-1 Neil Pennock (163)
Yousuf bin-Suhayl (164) ½ ½ Chris Dossett (160)
Pawel Golimowski (123) 1-0 Simon Chester (148)
Eduardo Garcia Padilla (143) 0-1 Simon Dixon (139)
Cassius-ghandi Livingstone (67) 0-1 Colin Weller (124)
League Table
Scarborough’s last match before the Christmas break will be a top of the table clash against league champions Eagle and Child first team.
Double Match Report
Scarborough first team had a tough week ahead of them with away games at Eagle and Child 2 in the knockout cup, as well as Terriers in the league.
In the Cup match, as predicted, both sides were vastly different from those who faced off in the league just 7 days previously. The home team had switched their teams around to such an extent that not one of them played in both matches. Meanwhile Scarborough were struggling with the three highest rates players absent and could only raise 4 players for the five board match. Eagle and Child 2 had a massive rating advantage of 748/573 or 44 points a board. With the match already at one-nil before a piece was moved, things were looking from for the visitors.
First to crack for the seasiders was captain Simon Dixon who struggled throughout against one of the counties strongest female players. Simon Chester, who had dropped a piece early on to a trick, sacrificed another piece for an attack, but that eventually fizzled out. On top board, Chris Dossett was holding it together against his International Master opponent until first one, then a second and finally a third pawn was list in a knight, rook and pawn endgame. Finally Colin Weller succumbed to the inevitable as his opponent forced a pawn to the queening square.
Eagle and Child 2 v Scarborough
Simon Ansell (I.M.) (238) 1-0 Chris Dossett (160)
Mark White (180) 1-0 Simon Chester (150)
Martina Flint (174) 1-0 Simon Dixon (140)
Anastasia Nesis (156) 1-0 Colin Weller (123)
Adam Ismail 1-0 Default
Five days later, Scarborough travelled again to face a strong Terriers side. The home team, though without any stars, had a strength in depth which gave them a narrow 1010-965 rating advantage, or 7 points a board. Scarborough were defending their 100 percent record in the league, but this was always going to be a tough encounter.
After an hour, things were looking close with Scarborough struggling where they were outgraded, on the bottom boards. Neil Pennock secured a comfortable draw on board 2, before both the Simons on boards 5 and 6 lost in quick succession. Chris Dossett then drew on board 3, from a tricky position. Jon Ayres then found himself in a worse position and was offered a draw, which he accepted. On top board John Jarmany was material down after missing his best continuation, but also accepted a draw offer to make the final score four-two to the Terriers.
Terriers v Scarborough
Steve Hodge (182) ½ ½ John Jarmany (194)
Paul Kendall (171) ½ ½ Neil Pennock (162)
Phil Gower (173) ½ ½ Chris Dossett (160)
Tony Slinger (167) ½ ½ Jon Ayres (160)
Tim Turner (161) 1-0 Simon Chester (149)
Michael Cawston (156) 1-0 Simon Dixon (140)
Scarborough now face another tough away match against York University, who have three titled players amongst their squad. The Seasiders will have to be on top form to bring back the points.
Scarborough v Eagle and Child 2
Scarborough's third match of the season was at home to Eagle and Child second team. The visitors were still strong in depth, despite their top board, International Master Simon Ansell not being available. Their lowest rated player was 142, but the home team held a narrow rating advantage of 963-922 or 7 points a board.
Jon Ayres, on board four, started things off with a ‘blink and you missed it' draw. Two hours later this was the only result on the board though. Neil Pennock then put Scarborough ahead with a smooth win where he never seemed in trouble. Captain Simon Dixon then forced a draw by threefold repetition, followed by Simon Chester keeping his 100 percent record with a boaconstrictor-like victory. Chris Dossett then turned the tables after struggling for most of the match, with a swift counterattack to secure the points. Top board and club champion then put the icing on the cake with a win when his opponent's clock ran down in a tricky position.
This means that after three matches, the only thing stopping the Seasiders topping the league is the fact they have a game in hand on most of their rivals.
Scarborough v Eagle & Child 2
John Jarmany (193) 1-0 James Carpenter (169)
Neil Pennock (162) 1-0 Paul Moulton (165)
Chris Dossett (158) 1-0 Jon Griffith (160)
Jon Ayres (162) ½ ½ Owen Robson (142)
Simon Chester (148) 1-0 Paul Anderson (142)
Simon Dixon (140) ½ ½ Steve Whitehead (144)
League Table
Scarborough now have a week off from the league, with a trip to visit the same opponents in the knockout cup. Both sides are expected to make several changed for that match.
Chris Dossett
Scarborough v Brigantes 1
The latest chess match report from Chris Dossett:
Scarborough played their second match of the new season away to Brigantes 1st team. After a narrow win again Brigantes 2nd team last week, they were expecting a much tougher match. As it turned out, they had a rating advantage of 998 to 840, or 26 points a board, bigger than the previous match. This was due to the home team missing a couple of top players whilst Scarborough had welcomed back their star performer last year Jon Ayres on board 4.
Chris Dossett got the seasiders off to a flying start when his opponent's sacrifice proved unsound. Jon Ayres then drew, shortly followed by captain Simon Dixon winning an endgame with just kings and pawns. Simon Chester also continued his good start to the season with a win, after his opponent missed a chance to swap off into an opposite coloured bishop end game that would have been tough to win. This left top boards Neil Pennock and John Jarmany who both came through with wins to give Scarborough a thumping 5.5/0.5 victory.
Peter Harrington 0 – 1 John Jarmany
Paul Brencher 0 – 1 Neil Pennock
Richard Mounce 0 – 1 Chris Dossett
Paul May ½ ½ Jon Ayres
Ian Carrigan 0 – 1 Simon Chester
Ashley Carr 0 – 1 Simon Dixon
The league table makes pleasant reading for anyone from Scarborough, but with 14 matches still to play, there is a long way to go.
P W D L F Pts
Eagle & Child 1 3 2 1 0 9.5 5
Brigantes 1 3 2 0 1 10 4
Scarborough 2 2 0 0 9.5 4
Cavaliers 2 2 0 0 9 4
Terriers 3 1 1 1 9.5 3
University Knights 2 0 1 1 5 1
University Firsts 2 0 1 1 4 1
Eagle &Child 2 2 0 0 2 4 0
Brigantes 2 3 0 0 3 3.5 0
Scarborough v Brigantes 2
Scarborough started the new season with a home match against newly promoted Brigantes 2 in the York and district first division. Scarborough had a rating advantage of 918 to 777, or 23 points a board.
Things were looking grim for the seasiders after an hour though as both Colin Weller on board five, and captain Simon Dixon on bottom board looked like they were about to lose. This turn of events meant the rest of the team pushed harder as they needed to win, causing their games to become more chaotic.
First to finish was Neil Pennock who drew with his experienced opponent on board 2. Then Simon Chester capitalised on a few weak moves to put the home side ahead. Simon Dixon then did his patented ‘victory from the jaws of defeat’ act, shortly followed by Colin Weller drawing a game in which he had struggled throughout. Chris Dossett was material down but ahead on the clock when he was offered a draw and, as this secured the win, the offer was accepted. John Jarmany on top board also ground out a draw to secure a 4-2 victory.
John Jarmany ½ ½ Paul Johnson
Neil Pennock ½ ½ Herbert Lockwood
Chris Dossett ½ ½ Robert Moneagle
Simon Chester 1 0 Bob Maltby
Colin Weller ½ ½ Ashley Carr
Simon Dixon 1 0 Stuart Acton.
Scarborough travel to play Brigantes first team next Thursday and will have to play much better to secure a win and keep the pressure on the rest of the division.
Doug Rawlinson Rapidplay
The Doug Rawlingson Rapid Play on the 13 June 2017 resulted in an exciting last round. John Jarmany was held to a draw by Neil Pennock with the White pieces which left Simon Chester the opportunity to tie for first place with four points if he could beat Jon Ayres with the Black pieces which he eventually did in the last game to finish. No tie break play off again this year. In joint third were Chris Dossett, Neil Pennock and Colin Weller all on three and a half points each. The prize of a copy of British Chess Magazine when to Tom McNally for his 2 points having faced some of the strongest players in the club. A total of fourteen players participated.
League Match - 6th April 2017
Scarborough first team played their last match of the season against Super Knights at the RI on the 6 April. Even with a number of first team regulars not been able to make it the team had a rating advantage of 817 to 768 . The match proved a far closer contest. Neil offered an early draw for it to be turned down but having it accepted later when his position improved. Nigel then lost a piece and his game followed by Colin finding himself in a lost ending. At this stage Simon Dixon was in a worse middle game and Gary was only sightly better. Simon Chester was better and then his opponent allowed a neat combination allowing Simon to win a rook which he then swapped for a knight and continued to exchange material and win. In the meantime Simon Dixon had reached a very good endgame with a Knight against a Bishop which he won. All then depended on the last game with both players getting low on time. This was a bishops of the same colour ending in which Gary could win if the Bishops were exchanged and his King could penetrate the position but had to keep protecting his queen side pawns which were on the same colour square as the bishop. The players finally agreed a draw and we were able to draw the match.
Match Card
League Game and Plate Final
Last week Scarborough played their only Monday game of the season away at Terriers, whose club is not available on Thursday evenings. This followed a defaulted match by Cavaliers gave Scarborough 2 points. Terriers had a strong side out, and held a 1,012-989 grading advantage over their rivals. In the end, Scarborough could only muster two draws and went home defeated 5-1.
Later the same week, The seasiders again travelled to York to play the Plate Final, a competition for teams knocked out of the Cup in the first round. Scarborough were missing their top two boards, but were still heavy favourites to lift the trophy, as they outgraded their opponents 602-442, or 32 points a board. The match was originally meant as a home game for Scarborough, but after being told of transport problems for the Apprentices, captain Simon Dixon generously offered to switch venues and travel to York Railway Institute to play the tie.
Ronnie Noble, playing his first game for the A team this season, secured a solid draw on bottom board. This was followed by top board Chris Dossett winning with the black pieces against the opponents captain. Scarborough captain Simon Dixon then won on time in a superior position, which put them just half a point from victory. Jon Ayres then capped a fine season by supplying the win that lifted the trophy. Simon Chester's magnanimous draw against an opponent very short of time sealed a 4-1 victory.
Match Card - Plate Final
York League Report
Scarborough first team have had a busy fortnight, with two more matches in the York League top division. The first was meant to be a home game, but University again said they were unable to travel so Scarborough agreed to play the match in York.
Although University were without their three top rated players, they still outgunned Scarborough by an average of 15 rating points per board. This shows the strength in depth, though how many of these players would have been available if they had had to travel to the coast is debatable. It is certainly a huge advantage to get to play at home.
The seasiders were missing their unbeaten star performer Jon Ayres for this one, and that really showed in the final result. It turned out to be Scarborough's worst performance of the season, with only Neil Pennock playing anywhere near as well as they can.
Match Card
The latest match was away at Brigantes, always a tough match despite their poor form this season. Scarborough had a miniscule 983/976 rating advantage, which is just over 1 rating point per board, so it was always going to be a closely fought thing. Jon Ayres returned for the visitors and carried on his superb form with a brilliant display of endgame technique where his King played the major role in the win. This had followed a quick draw from Neil Pennock, but defeats for Chris Dossett and John Jarmany then put Scarborough on the back foot. Simon Chester was playing old foe Michael Jackson, and it certainly did turn out to be a "thriller". Both sides were pressing for checkmate in a rook and pawn endgame, but the killer blow came from Simon. Gary Morris then agreed a draw to secure a point each in a topsy-turvy encounter where the players with the white pieces failed to win a single game.
Match Card
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York League Report
On Thursday, Scarborough first team played hosts to the league leaders Eagle and Child first team, in a make-or-break match. A loss for the Seasiders would effectively end their season's hope of winning the title. Scarborough had their strongest team out, with a grading average of 166, but the opposition, despite missing a few players, averaged 172 for a 6 points-a-player advantage. This is one reason that they are riding high at the top of the league. Their squad is strong enough to bring in replacements such as board three Paul Hopwood, rated 189, for his first game of the season.
Scarborough started the match well, with a quick draw from Jon Ayres, shortly followed by a win on bottom board by Gary Morris, who's attack proved unstoppable. Simon Chester, so often Scarborough's hero this season, then succumbed to a kingside pawn storm. This put the match level with the top three boards still playing. Chris Dossett then salvaged a draw, after being a pawn down for much of the game, leaving the match all square again. Both the top boards went down to the final few seconds, but unfortunately for the home side, both went the way of Eagle and Child and the match ended in defeat.
Match Card
York League Report
Scarborough's latest match in the York and District League, First Division, was against Eagle and Child second team, played at the North Riding Hotel on Thursday. They were expecting a tough encounter as the York team have two International Masters in their squad. Only one was available though, which meant that Scarborough started slight favourites on ratings, with average ratings of 166 to 152 in favour of the seasiders.
As the match turned out, Scarborough dominated on the bottom boards, winning all three. This included another win from Jon Ayres, who has now gone eleven league and cup games without defeat this season, winning five and drawing the other six. Unfortunately for Scarborough, the players on the top boards could not match their teammates, losing all three games, and the match was tied, three all. This leaves Scarbrough in mid-table with a record of four wins, two draws and two defeats. They have games in hand on some of their rivals above them in the table though, so they are looking to improve their position.
Match Card
York Cup Semi Final Report
Scarborough travelled to York University second team, who are riding high on top of the second division, for a cup semi-final tie. The Seasiders started favourites, but not by a huge margin. Average grades were 152 for the students to 161 for the visitors, so there was no complacency.
Simon Chester was first to finish, holding his opponent to a draw in a complicated position. Shortly after this, captain Simon Dixon was forced to also concede a draw, with no way to play for a win in a rook and pawn endgame. Jon Ayres then continued his unbeaten streak that has yet to be broken this season with another draw. This left the top two boards in play. Both were looking good for Scarborough and, shortly afterwards, John Jarmany forced the win of his highly graded opponents queen, which forced immediate resignation. Chris Dossett was better, but without a winning line, but a draw was enough to win the match. He forced a perpetual check, which took Scarborough through to the final, where they will play another Second Division side in The Apprentices from Railway Institute.
Match Card
Harrogate Congress
Just before the last league match, three club members travelled to Harrogate to play in the 4NCL Congress there. Over 120 players were in 3 sections. Colin Weller finished on 50% in the Minor, whilst Chris Dossett had 2/5 in the strong Open. Star performance of the event was from John Jarmany. He finished as joint winner of the Open on 4/5, including a win over Grandmaster Danny Gormally. If you want to see that game, Danny has posted a YouTube Video entitled "My Chess Hell", where he goes through some of the many reasons he played so badly in that game. I know John has slightly different views on some of the judgements Danny gives on the possible variations. Congratulations on your win John. It's not everyday a Grandmaster resigns in under 25 moves to someone graded over 300 Elo points below him.
York League Report
Scarborough travelled to Eagle and Child first team for a rearranged match. This was supposed to be a home tie for the seasiders but the venue was not available so the tie was switched, meaning the return fixture will be in Scarborough later in the season. Both teams have been in excellent form in the first half of the season, so a tough tousle was expected, and whoever came out victorious would go to the top of the league table. The Home team held a grading advantage of 1031 to 966, or 11 points a board, so the odds were in their favour.
Jon Ayres kept up his unbeaten run in the league with a hard fought draw, shortly followed by Simon Chesters agreeing parity in his game. Neil Pennock looked to have a slight advantage against Mark White, but it wasn't enough for the full point. Captain Simon Dixon's early foray with his King looked dangerous to the monarch's health. Unfortunately for him his "long march" proved to be his downfall ending in checkmate. Chris Dossett was an exchange down after missing a trick. His opponent, Andy Pickering who had won every game in the league to this point, blundered the exchange back into a drawn rook and pawn endgame. This left top board John Jarmany needing a win to tie the match. There was an amazing double blunder where his opponent captured with the wrong piece, allowing a forced checkmate, which John missed in time trouble. This meant the game was drawn shortly after, with Scarborough going down by the narrowest of margins for the second match in a row.
League Table
Match Card