A successful chess variants night was held, where many in the club enjoyed discovering new variations of our beloved game. Alan Winfield and Ross Jackson had an epic showdown to determine who was the best at Fischer random, with perennial tournament winner Alan Winfield taking the prestigious prize. Valera discovered a new passion for Stratego Chess, Hamish dared to play Lars in Kung Fu chess, and everyone had fun.

The first four rounds of the first series of our Freebird (10+5) tournament were held. This six-night, 24 round extravaganza is the longest tournament in the club in terms of number of rounds, but capturing an early lead is still a good advantage. Alan Winfield, Gordon Lyall and Ross Jackson top the standings, with Guy Burns and Lars Dobbertin-King chasing just half a point behind. Valera leads the juniors by a slim margin. Full results here. Play continues with the next four rounds scheduled for next week.

The committee discussed whether we want to hold a Swiss-format club championship or one with a round-robin among the top “A grade” players and something else for the rest of the club. This will be decided in a future committee meeting and many issues on both sides of the argument were discussed. Members with opinions on the topic are strongly encouraged to contact one of the committee members, either on a club night, or using the contact details on the governance page.