The GazetteAugust 2019

Registered Charity Number 263049

Supporting Chess Players with Sight Loss.The BCA is grateful to Geoff Patching, whose

legacy will fund 4 issues.BCA Website Address: www.braillechess.org.ukEmail: customerservices@braillechess.org.ukTwitter: https://twitter.com/braillechess @braillechess

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrailleChess

To contact a member of the committee, please see the Braille Chess Association’s website where there is a facility for emailing each officer.

Note: The views expressed in the Gazette do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the BCA, nor those of the editor.

CONTENTSEditorial.......................................................................................................................................................................Forthcoming Events.....................................................................................................................................................All Under One Roof.....................................................................................................................................................Windermere Chess Theme Break 2020.......................................................................................................................Words from the Whitehouse........................................................................................................................................Visit to RNC Hereford.................................................................................................................................................Millennium Club, the BCA’s monthly lottery.............................................................................................................Amazon Smile..............................................................................................................................................................Correspondence Chess Director’s Report....................................................................................................................10th BCA Email Tournament......................................................................................................................................David Hodgkins Memorial Annual Best Game Prize 2019.......................................................................................10Membership Secretary’s Report................................................................................................................................10Haaksbergen 2019......................................................................................................................................................10Sardinia......................................................................................................................................................................12Italian Magnetic Sets.................................................................................................................................................16Skype Coaching – a Reminder and a Slight Change.................................................................................................17BCA Sweatshirts........................................................................................................................................................17Puzzles Selected by Chris..........................................................................................................................................17Personalia...................................................................................................................................................................17RIP Sheila Milsom.....................................................................................................................................................18

EditorialIn April Olly and I holidayed in Malaysia. We travelled with a good friend who grew up in Kuala Lumpur and he proudly introduced us to his home country. We were curious about the new experiences that awaited us!Malaysian culture is hard to define. The nation is young, having only existed since 1963. Yet over the centuries this region was of crucial importance to the lucrative spice trade and was occupied by a series of colonial powers. Each left its mark. In the strategically situated port of Malacca Portuguese creole languages are still spoken and the Dutch town hall is the most prominent building in the old town. Signs that the British were there too include

driving on the left and three pin electric plugs! Add to that influences of indigenous Malay peoples, large Chinese and Indian ethnic groups, near neighbours Thailand and Indonesia and you get a mix that makes your head spin!All this diversity is perhaps best symbolised by Malaysian cuisine. For example, at breakfast alone one can en-joy curry, sushi, pancakes, Indian Ocean anchovies, a fry up, or bread and butter pudding, washed down with Malaysian grown tea, coffee or pink guava juice. As if that weren’t enough, our friend had some extra special food challenges in store. Firstly “Ais Kacang”; a dessert made with shavings of ice cream, red beans, peanuts, sweet corn, and a gelatinous substance obtained from red algae. It’s a colourful and confusing concoction! Secondly “Century Eggs”; duck eggs cured in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls for a hundred days. The process turns the white of the egg into a brown translucent jelly and the golden yolk into an ash grey paste. Despite their grotesque appearance, I found them quite delicious, especially when served in the traditional way with a thin slice of ginger. Finally, the notoriously stinky durian fruit. Its stench is so pungent that hotels ban it, so we had to venture out to find some. Our friend literally sniffed some out for us in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown. The shop owner issued us with gloves so that our hands wouldn’t pong for days afterwards. Feeling anxious about sampling a food that required protective clothing, we held our noses, steeled our nerves and cau-tiously nibbled a few strands of the orange flesh. For me, the taste was a strangely palatable blend of mango, creamy custard and onions. Our friend was delighted that we tried these three delicacies; one that sounded aw-ful, one that looked awful and one that smelled awful. We were relieved that none of them were anywhere near as bad as expected. I confess that the Ais Kacang wasn’t really for me, but I was glad of the chance to try it.This gazette is full of news about members who have also tried new things! A newcomer to the Haaksbergen event, not put off by the sea voyage, had a great time and can’t wait for next year’s event. Others ventured to an IBCA tournament in Sardinia, undeterred by the strength of the opposition awaiting them, but they encountered many unanticipated challenges off the chessboard. Our Secretary, Guy Whitehouse, has confronted one of the most tricky tasks of all – moving house! So if you contact him, please be sure to use his new address.This issue also contains updates on recent email and other correspondence games. Anyone not taking part who thinks it’s a slow or dull way to play chess is advised to give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised! New members are especially encouraged to join in with events of all types. It’s not as scary as you think! If you need to brush up your game first, please read about the recent changes to the way in which we fund coaching. Anyone wishing to try a new garment for Autumn should note that Treasurer, Gill Smith, probably inspired by how smart members look in their BCA polo shirts, may expand the range of branded goods to include sweatshirts!Sadly, in this issue we also say goodbye to Honorary Member, Sheila Milsom, who was undaunted by huge changes in her life and did so much to help the BCA over many years.Please send me your contributions for the November issue by the end of September. I hope this editorial will motivate members to try new things, but if you want to try the durian fruit, please don’t bring it to a tournament! Many thanks, Julie Leonard

Forthcoming Events15 th – 17 th November 2019: The Hans and Stefi Cohn Memorial International Autumn Tournament This year’s International Autumn Tournament is being dedicated to the memory of Hans and Stefi Cohn for all the tremendous work they did to support chess for blind and partially sighted players, not only in the BCA but more widely around the world. The tournament will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Solihull, and we are hoping that some of our friends from overseas might be able to join us. The hotel is located a short taxi ride from Solihull Railway Station, and is also convenient for Birmingham International Airport. It has extensive grounds, a fitness centre, a sauna and a heated indoor pool and is adjacent to Solihull’s indoor shopping centre.The event will consist of two five round Swiss tournaments – an Open and a Challengers for those whose grade or estimated grade is 100 or below. Both are open to blind and partially sighted players and to associate members of the BCA. The entry fee for both tournaments is £10.Prices at the hotel have increased but we are of course doing our best to minimise the effect of this to members. The cost for dinner, bed and breakfast for the Friday and Saturday nights is £45 per person per night for BCA members and associate members irrespective of room type. The cost for members and associate members staying the Sunday night will be £65 per person per night irrespective of room type. For prices for non-members, please contact the organiser, Voldi Gailans. Payment for all accommodation (including Sunday if required), together with the £10 entry fee should be sent to the Treasurer, Gill Smith. The closing date for entries is 20th September. Any queries about the tournament should be sent to Voldi. Please see the list of BCA Officers for contact details for Gill and Voldi.17 th to 19 th April 2020: AGM Weekend Chess Congress This will take place at The Hallmark Hotel, Derby. The AGM will be held at 2pm on Saturday 18th April. We are pleased to be returning to this popular hotel with its excellent facilities. The hotel is very conveniently located within a few yards walk of Derby railway station. There will be two five round chess tournaments. The Open section is open to all visually impaired chess players and associate members of the BCA. The Challengers is limited to those graded 100 or below. The entry fee for both tournaments is £10. The cost of dinner, bed and breakfast for members and associate members is £44 per person per night for Friday and Saturday nights in a single room, and £40 per person per night in a double/twin room. For those staying on the Sunday night, the cost will be £65 per person in a single room and £54 per person in a double/twin. For non-members of the BCA, please contact the organiser for the cost of accommodation. The closing date for entries is 21st February. Please send your entry fee and full payment for all accommodation to Gill Smith by this date.Please send any resolutions or other items for inclusion on the AGM agenda to Guy Whitehouse by 31st January 2020. Also, let Guy know if you are planning to attend the AGM without staying at the hotel so that we can let you have the AGM papers.Organiser Steve BurnellFriday 12 th to Friday 19 th June 2020: The Sheila and David Milsom Memorial Chairman’s Cup. This will take place once again at the Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth, which proved to be a very popular venue for our 2018 event. It is very friendly and comfortable and we also have use of an outdoor heated pool. The parking and green areas are also very good. The Chairman's Cup is open to all visually impaired players whose grade or estimated grade is 140 or below in either the July 2019 or January 2020 grading lists and to BCA associate members within the same grading limit. The event is played over 7 rounds with one round each day. Players may request a half point bye in any one of the first six rounds. If there are sufficient numbers there will be two sections. Entry fee: £10. Cost of dinner, bed and breakfast accommodation to members and associate members of BCA: £300 for the week irrespective of room type. The cost to those booking for less than the full week will be £45 per day for members and associate members. For anyone wishing to stay additional nights at the beginning or end of the tournament, the cost per night will be £65 per person regardless of room type. In addition to the chess tournament there will be a varied programme of social activities. Anyone with ideas for social events, or who wants further information is invited to contact the organisers: John and Pam Jenkins.The closing date for bookings is 27th April 2020. Bookings accepted after that date, at the discretion of the organiser, will be subject to a late booking fee of £10 per person. Bookings, including full payment, should be sent to: Mrs Gill Smith (see list of BCA Officers for contact details). Please note: Rooms will not be reserved until full payment has been received.

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Booking Conditions and ProceduresBy entering a BCA tournament, a player is deemed to have consented for their name and any special requirements to be passed to the hotel prior to the event. Also, consent is considered to have been given for a player’s name, club, results and possibly also their gender to be sent to the ECF for grading purposes. For juniors, the date of birth is also required if they are to get the age-related grading bonus they are entitled to.If you have any queries about the hotel or the tournament please contact the organiser. Blind and partially sighted UK residents under the age of 25 receive free entry and free accommodation when playing in BCA events. In appropriate circumstances, free accommodation is also available to a parent or guardian accompanying a junior.Visually impaired UK residents in their first year of membership receive their first BCA weekend event free or £100 reduction in the cost of a week-long event. They may also be accompanied by a guide or companion who will receive the same concession. For a first event we ask for payment in advance and we then make a refund at the event. You may pay in these ways:Cheques payable to Braille Chess Association should be sent to Gill Smith, see the front of the Gazette for her address. Online or telephone payments may be made to: Braille Chess Association, sort code 40 52 40, account number 00082456.Credit/debit card payments may be made through the BCA website.If you pay by direct payment then you should inform Gill when the payment has been made. Bookings accepted after the closing date are subject to a £10 late booking penalty for each person. Late bookings and entries are accepted at the discretion of the organiser. Bookings are confirmed when full payment has been received. Payments can only be refunded within the time limit set in the terms and conditions set by the hotels. Members are advised to take out holiday insurance to cover themselves.When contacting Gill please let her know if you want a single, double or twin room and if you have a preference for a bath or a shower. And remember, if emailing Gill, copy in the tournament organiser.Also say whether any of the following apply.

1 If you will be bringing a guide dog;2 If you are on a special diet;3 If you have mobility problems and would benefit from being located in a room near to a lift;4 If you are a wheelchair user;5 If you feel you would have any special difficulties in an emergency such as a fire evacuation;6 Any other special requirements.

The BCA reserves the right to refuse or cancel any entry or to exclude any person from any event it runs.

All Under One RoofA note from your Congress Support Officer, Mark Kirkham:If you would like to participate in any of the following events, or indeed any that are not listed here, then why not make use of the congress support scheme? It's designed to help BCA members meet the costs of entering mainstream congresses such as travel and accommodation expenses, or just the entry fee itself. It's open to all members who have played in a BCA event over the past year who have not also received international funding. Anyone who was previously deterred by the bind of writing a report on the event, will be pleased to hear that this requirement has been removed as we felt it was somewhat formal. All we ask for now is a little feedback.If you are considering entering one of the events listed below you may well find yourself in good company as some of them are popular with BCA members. In order to make a claim there are three simple steps:-

1. Contact the Congress Support Officer at least one week prior to the event. Retrospective claims will not normally be accepted. (See list of officers for Mark’s contact details.)2. Send a receipt or proof of expenditure to the Treasurer on return from the congress. Claims can include entry fee, accommodation, travel and any other reasonable expenses. The Congress Support Scheme does not cover claims for insurance.3. Provide feedback on the event to the Congress Support Officer. This does not need to be formal, and will be stored as an anonymous record for our database. It may benefit other BCA members thinking of attending the same event in the future.

Please note that, in the spirit of the Congress Support Scheme, failure to complete all of the above steps may mean that we cannot guarantee that your claim will be processed successfully, as the scheme is subject to available funds. (Contact details for the Congress Support Officer and the Treasurer are in the list of officers.)

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List of All Under One Roof events by Guy Whitehouse: This list should not be treated as definitive and is only as complete as I can make it whilst complying with gazette deadlines. The following events take place in hotels so the accommodation and tournament are at the same venue.Castle ChessThese are organised by the Castle Chess directors, Tony and Barbara Corfe and Marc Shaw. The website www.castlechess.co.uk gives the email address enquiries@castlechess.co.uk. Castle Chess are well used to having visually impaired participants in their events. I have also found that other participants in Castle Chess events have got to know and befriended BCA players.Please note that unless otherwise stated, all Castle Chess congresses are now six-round Swiss events and you are allowed to take a half-point bye in any two of the first five rounds. The grading bands are an Open which also has an U175 Premier section, the Major for those under 155 with an Intermediate section for U135s, and a Minor section for those with a grade less than 115 with a Challengers section for U95s.4th - 6th October 2019, 15th Fareham Congress, Lysses House Hotel, Fareham. In the past accommodation at the hotel has been limited and you need to get in fairly early if you want a room at the venue. 22nd – 24th November, 2019, 7th Dudley Congress, Quality Hotel, Dudley. Castle Chess held a congress in Dudley in May this year at the same hotel, so it looks as if this is becoming a regular part of their programme.

Other EventsIrish Chess Union tournaments: There are a number of chess events put on by the Irish Chess Union which all seemed to be based at the Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan Road Dublin. Contact the Tournaments Officer, Ivan Baburin.23rd – 27th August 2019, Northumbria Masters, Novotel, Newcastle Airport. This is a nine-round FIDE-rated event with an Open, a Challengers (FIDE U-2050, ECF U-180) and a Major (FIDE U-1825, ECF U-150). Contact Tim Wall.30th August – 1st September 2019, ECF Women’s Championships, the Royal Hull Hotel, Hull. There is only an open event. Entries can be submitted online at https://britchess.wufoo.com/forms/english-womens-chess-championships-2019/. Contact Chris Fegan.31st August – 7th September 2019, 69th DCCA Paignton Congress, Livermead Hotel, Torquay. There is a nine-round running from Saturday to Saturday, a Seven-round event with games held in the afternoon from Sunday to Saturday, and a five-round event with games played in the morning. The grading bands for the nine-round and seven-round events are a Premier, a Challengers (U-180), an Intermediate (U-150) and a Minor (U-120). The five-round event has two sections, a U-180 and a U-135. Postal entries to Mrs L. Crickmore. However online entry is preferred; the link for that is www.dccapaigntonchess.com. General enquiries regarding the tournament should be sent to Paul Brooks. 27th – 29th September 2019, 2nd Crewe Chess Congress, Ibis Styles Hotel, Crewe. This is a five-round Swiss with four sections: an Open, a Major (U-165), an Intermediate (U-135) and a Minor (U-105). Contact Les Hall.4th - 6th October 2019, 23rd 4NCL FIDE-rated Congress, Holiday Inn, Carter Lane East, Alfreton. The sections are an Open, A FIDE U-2000 (ECF u-175) and an ECF U-135. Contact Mike Truran.4th – 10th November 2019, Southwest Chess Festival. This consists of two events. The first is the 20th Royal Beacon Seniors at the Royal Beacon Hotel, Exmouth which runs from 4th to 8th November, contact R. H. Jones. The second event is the 52nd Torbay Congress at the Livermead Hotel, Torquay which runs from 8th to 10th November. Contact P. McConnell. Details of grading bands are not provided, though in the past for the Torbay congresses they have been an Open, a U-170, a U-140 and a U-120.

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Windermere Chess Theme Break 2020Just a reminder to book your place at the 2020 Windermere Chess Theme Break! Details are in your May gazette. If you’ve already booked but haven’t yet informed the organisers, Peter and Celia Gibbs, please do so without delay! If you don’t have their contact details you can get a message to them by writing to any committee member.

Words from the WhitehouseHere is my summary of the latest committee meeting which was held on 11th May.Mobile phones: we revisited the issue of what should happen if a mobile phone goes off during a game. We considered views expressed during the AGM and messages sent to us by individuals shortly before the committee meeting. In the end we took a vote on a suggestion that Norman put forward, specifically that people should be warned before the game to make sure their phone was switched off. If someone’s phone went off during that game, the phone would be switched off, removed from the player and put in a bag. The player would be able to collect it after their game had finished. If that player’s went off in another game, they would default that game. Five people voted in favour, two were against and one abstained.Junior development: we’re looking at making junior development a specific committee post. There is need for some relatively urgent action on this as the imbalance in the association will only get worse if we don’t do something soon. We could of course co-opt someone acting in that role on to the committee; we do need to avoid acting as if we were starting the organisation from scratch and we don’t want to create too many posts as we often struggle to fill the ones we already have. However there was a sense that this was something we couldn’t afford to allow to drift for much longer.Accordingly our new Publicity Officer, Dan Rugman, if necessary working with Voldi, will try approaching a couple of organisations to see if we can find a dedicated recruiter. We’ll try to start something fresh relating to visually impaired pupils with Chess in Schools. We’re also going to try to get chess featured on the British Blind Sport website and on In Touch. We also thought there might be something to be gained from liaising with social media groups dedicated to and run by visually impaired people. However it should be said that with the best will in the world chess would be regarded as somewhat niche; there are statistics to show that even in the mainstream world, out of every twelve juniors who learn the game, only one will be active as a chess playing young adult. It goes without saying we aren’t just targeting juniors.Finance: Julia has continued to do an outstanding job for us in a difficult fundraising climate. However our funds are at their lowest for a while, and we are about to pay the bill for the British Championships in Torquay. Even the hotels we have used in the past are increasing their prices significantly; for example the Hallmark in Derby, having changed the bulk of its single rooms into cosy doubles, asked for £88 per person per night single occupancy for the next AGM congress. To keep the price of accommodation at the level our members have become used to, this means the subsidy we offer has to increase, so if you do know of any hotels which might be suitable and which offer reasonable rates do let us know.Membership lists: a staggering 130 people on our original membership list have not responded to our request to allow us to include their details on an updated list we wish to send out to members. This does not mean they have refused consent, simply that they have not acknowledged or responded to our request. If you are one of those, could you get in touch with Gill, Julie or Mark, hopefully with a yes (contact details at the front of the gazette).Chess sets: we’ve heard that three dimensional chess sets have been printed using internet technology in India; Dan is going to look into obtaining a set for evaluation purposes.Reconstitution of sub-committees: at the first committee meeting after the AGM we reconstitute our various sub-committees. They remain unchanged with the exception of the ICT Sub-committee; John Gallagher has left the sub-committee and Dan Rugman has joined it. We are looking at using some ringfenced funds to make necessary amendments to the site.And finally… talking of the website, I’ve entered ours into the ECF’s chess website of the year competition. Let’s see if it can repeat the success enjoyed by our gazette. Guy Whitehouse

Editor’s note: Publicity Officer, Dan Rugman took part in a discussion about board games for the visually impaired in the "In Touch" programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the 28th of May.

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You can listen again here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005f1n

Visit to RNC HerefordJunior Development Officer, Voldi Gailans, writes: I visited RNC Hereford College on the 26th of June with the intention of interesting the students attending the chess and scrabble club in furthering their chess aspirations by continuing to play and learn the game of chess once they have left the college. Of course, I recommended that they join the BCA and learned the Algebraic notation, which I explained to them, so that they could understand chess material and use it to record and play over their games.I spoke with five students and understand that there are others who attend or who had attended the club previously and I circulated our brochure which will be passed to them all.I am hopeful that we may get some new members from this initiative, but only time will tell how successful it has been.

Millennium Club, the BCA’s monthly lotteryFor just £1 a month you could take part in our prize draw! The Millennium Club raises funds for the BCA by holding a monthly draw at £12 per number per year. You may have as many numbers as you like at £12 each. Every month a lucky winner receives £35. If you wish to enter the draw, send a cheque made payable to "Braille Chess Association" to the treasurer or make an online or telephone payment to the BCA. Or, even better, you could set up a standing order then next year’s subs will not be forgotten.Recent Millennium Club winners:

May: Moira Whittle, number 22.June: John Gallagher, number 58.July: Alec Crombie, number 73.

Gill Smith, Treasurer

Amazon SmileThe BCA has recently signed up to a new fundraising initiative called Amazon Smile. If you shop with Amazon Smile at smile.amazon.co.uk then Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price to the BCA. We have already received £5 from them. We are still enrolled with Give as you Live. This scheme allows you to shop online with many different retailers, including holiday firms and utilities and a percentage of the total is given to the BCA. The prices remain the same so the BCA gains at no cost to the shopper. We have just received nearly £18 from Give as you Live.Gill Smith, Treasurer

Correspondence Chess Director’s ReportAnother tournament comes to an end, the 2018-19 League has finished. Congratulations to Ernie McElroy on winning all his games to become the undisputed League Champion.

45th BCA CORRESPONDENCE TOURNAMENT 2019-20 Premier - Group Leader Paul Benson Crombie 0.5 - 0.5 Whitehouse, Caro-Kann, 25. Phillips 1 - 0 Warren, Queen's Pawn, 17. Scores: Alec Crombie 1.5-2, George Phillips 1-1, Guy Whitehouse 0.5-1, Ernie McElroy 0-0, Denis Warren 0-2. Challengers - Group Leader Gary Wickett Gallacher 1 - 0 Tew, French, 29. Scores: Voldi Gailans 4-4, Eric Gallacher 1-2, Mike Hague 0-0, Jim Cuthbert 0-1, Arthur Greatrex 0-1, Eleanor Tew 0-2.

BCA LEAGUE 2018-19 Division 1 - Group Leader Guy Whitehouse McElroy 1 - 0 Crombie, Sicilian, 38. Mike Hague 0 - 1 McElroy, Sicilian, 26.

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Final scores: Ernie McElroy 3-3, Alec Crombie 1.5, Mike Hague 1, Mark Hague 0.5. Congratulations to Ernie McElroy on winning the League with a perfect score. Division 2 - Group Leader Voldi Gailans Final scores: Derek Heyes 2-2, Voldi Gailans 1, Denis Warren 0. Division 3 - Group Leader George Phillips Tew 0.5 - 0.5 Gallacher, no details. Gallacher 1 - D Greatrex. Greatrex D - 1 Cuthbert. Greatrex D - 1 Tew. Final scores: Guy Whitehouse 4.5-5, George Phillips 4, Jim Cuthbert 3.5, Eric Gallacher 1.5, Eleanor Tew 1.5, Arthur Greatrex 0.

FRIENDLY LADDER TABLE Anyone wishing to play a friendly game on the Ladder should now contact myself, details as shown in list of Officers. Any friendly games played under correspondence conditions, such as by Braille, cassette, email, telephone, can qualify as a Friendly Ladder game. Please report such games and let your efforts be reflected in your accumulating score. Swanepoel 0 - 1 Benson, Sicilian, 25. Benson 1 - 0 Swanepoel, English Opening, 35. Benson 1 - 0 Flood, Scotch Game, 18. Scores: 7 Jim Cuthbert; 6 Paul Benson, Eleanor Tew; 5 Stan Lightowler; 4 Mark Hague, Dorothy Hodges, Stan Lovell, Denis Warren; 3 Ernie McElroy, Lea Ryan; 2 Lionel Bryant, Derek Couchman, Tony Elbourn, Jason Pearce, Bill Tatum; 1 Christopher Huby.

In closing, to those about to start a game: Break a peg!Paul Benson

10th BCA Email TournamentOur 10th email tournament came to a conclusion in May. Fittingly, the last game to finish was the decisive game in Division 1 between the two outstanding players over our first 10 tournaments, Peter Gibbs and Rod MacDon-ald. On this occasion Rod achieved the victory in a very exciting game. Division 2 resulted in victory for Steve Burnell who had a half point to spare over Philip Doyle in a very hard-fought duel. For the second tournament in a row, Gill Smith won her division on count back. Once again, she won because she had two blacks, whereas her rival Steve Thacker had two whites. Division 4 ended up in clear-cut victory for Tony Elbourn who had a full point to spare over his rivals.In conclusion, we would like to thank all those who took part in our latest event, and helped to make it a very en-joyable and friendly tournament. We would also encourage those who have not yet participated, to give it a go. We would hope to have our next tournament in September.Philip Doyle and Eamonn Casey

Final Results

Division 1:Rod MacDonald 3 out of 3; Peter Gibbs 2; Bill Armstrong and Colin Chambers 0.5

Division 2:Steve Burnell 3.5 out of 4; Philip Doyle 3; Stan Lovell 2.5; Eamonn Casey 1; Voldi Gailans 0

Division 3:Gill Smith and Steve Thacker both 2.5 out of 3; Tony Lawton 1; Anthony Borg 0

Division 4:

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Tony Elbourn 3 out of 3; Ednun Pourtahmasbi 2; Rebecca Blaevoet 1; Edward Green 0

David Hodgkins Memorial Annual Best Game Prize 2019By the time you read this many of you will have taken part in the BCA Championships in Torquay so it’s a good moment to remind you that Stan Lovell is judging our 2019 Best Game Prize and will be happy to receive any games that you’re proud of from that event. Likewise, any British Isles based members can send in their games from the 10th BCA Email Tournament or other BCA correspondence events. Games can be sent to me for inclu-sion in the gazette in which case they will automatically be entered into the competition. If you prefer you can write to any committee member or simply send your game direct to Stan himself. Stan’s contact details were in the May gazette. Julie Leonard

Membership Secretary’s ReportI am delighted that we have three new members joining our Association this quarter.Abdirahman Farah has joined as a 5 year member as a result of attending one of Voldi's chess introductory sessions. Also joining as a 5 year member is Gordon Collinge, who found about our Association via our Facebook page. Michael Micallef from Malta has joined as an overseas life member. We have a new Junior member, Daniel White and we also have a number of other junior members who are now in the process of joining our association.

Change of AddressGlen Graham has recently moved.

DeceasedI'm extremely sad to report the death of Honorary Member, Sheila Milsom. Sheila was much loved in the BCA, her tireless work involving organising quizzes, raffles and trips out during tournaments greatly added to the enjoyment of our events. she will be very much missed.

Mark Hague

Haaksbergen 2019Ednun Pourtahmasbi writes:According to Wikipedia, Haaksbergen, is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel, in the Twente region. As of right now, you know more than I did when Guy Whitehouse contacted me to ask if I wanted to go. I replied somewhat befuddled, it takes my brain a while to get going on Monday mornings you understand, to the effect of, "What's that? What's it all about? Why me?" Guy patiently explained it had been in the gazette. "Oh, erm, well, in that case, yes", I said, "I'm always up for a laugh, why not?"Within seconds, the great gears of the BCA had ground into action. Guy called Gill, Gill shot to the computer and booked me a ticket so fast that I swear the thing was smoking when it came via email moments later. At this point, I realised I might have made a tiny bit of a mistake. True, the event ran over a weekend, however that weekend also included Thursday evening and Tuesday morning and was, by unhappy coincidence the same weekend as a large IT release at work.I did the blind man mincing shuffle walk to my boss, mumbled something about chess, being blind, yes I can in fact play chess even though I can't see, international relations, need to show a good face during the stupidity of Brexit, raised my mumbles to a slightly higher and more nervous pitch whilst relating that I'd not had a holiday for some months and was duly given leave to go.On Thursday evening, I arrived at Liverpool Street station having had approximately three hours sleep the night before, and was placed in the very capable hands of Mike Murphy, who it turns out has been making this trip for the last twenty-five years. Filling ourselves with various catered wonderments from the station, we boarded a train containing some very excited and loud Dutch teenagers, some of whom had washed, others who were evidently still exploring their relationships with soap and water. Needless to say, I was fairly sleepy on that journey, but I do remember Mike joking that I was quite quiet compared to the usual BCA riff raff he usually travelled with.

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We boarded our ferry and I fell straight to sleep, to be woken at around half five in the morning as we pulled into the Hook of Holland. A bus ride and a couple of trains later during which we met up with Steve Hilton, having passed through Rotterdam and Mike having fed me about eight cheese rolls, we met our host families.Mike and Steve went off with ten Vregelaar family, having stayed with them for many years, and I went off with the Verveek's. Gerrie and Henk are a lovely couple living in a leafy quiet area of Haaksbergen, their children having left home some years ago. After feeding me yet more cheese rolls, (what is it with the Dutch and cheese rolls anyway?) we had a good chat about the tournament. Henk is one of the organisers and is in charge of all the equipment, boards, tables etc.My bedroom was upstairs which suited me perfectly but for two reasons. Firstly, it is a traditional tall Dutch house meaning there were many steep stairs. I am quite fat and lazy and climbing with 4 kilos of bread and cheese inside one is not easy. Secondly, as with most traditional Dutch houses, there are many low beams, often at shoulder height which run across the room. I cursed words in that room that I didn't even know I knew and my head now has a series of deep ridges not unlike a Klingon. That aside, the people were lovely, the area was beautiful, the walks were idyllic and the food wonderful.We travelled to the venue on Friday night and met some of the international participants. Members from Germany, Holland, Spain, Poland to name but a few were there. Players have a range of visual impairments, some in fact have full sight. The atmosphere was friendly and jolly, people of all ages were taking part and there was a great sense of coming home for the members. My favourite moment was being introduced to a gaggle of German children in the care of a very excitable coach who was over the moon at having found someone willing to play his students over Skype.I arose fresh and ready for the first of two matches on Saturday morning. I was placed on Table 9, which is not quite bottom, but almost. Hey, I'm new at this game, I'll take what I can get. Mike was on Table 8 and Steve, muttering something about Scottish pride, was on Table 1.After an opening speech from the organiser, turns out this tournament has been running for many years, we began. My first opponent was a German lad who gave me a run for my money, but I was eventually able to check his king and take his queen, eliciting a shocked gasp and what may have been a German swear word from his mother who happened to be passing. The matches ended with the English winning all 3 of our games. I say English, Steve was still muttering something about being Scottish, though no one was paying him much attention at that point.Off to lunch we went, can you guess? Yes, more cheese rolls and then a dairy filled waddle back to the second match. This one was harder. My Dutch opponent kept wiggling out of my attacks until finally, we were chasing each other about the board with a rook each and a few pawns, and I eventually ran out of time. Good for Steve and Mike though, they won their matches, we English could still hold our heads high, even if one of us kept insisting he was of a more Celtic disposition.That night there was a party for both the organisers and the players. What struck me yet again about this community was how welcoming everyone was. People would pop up to translate between two speakers, nearly everyone spoke English and you got the sense that your story, your ideas were important, no matter where you came from and no matter your level of chess. No cheese rolls this time, but lots of lovely salads and cold meats. At this point I had acquired a rather spherical shape and had to be rolled into the back of Henk’s car, taken home and retired to bed. It had been a long and busy day. Both my matches had lasted around three hours each and I was in a stupor brought on by ingesting several large Dutch animals and an even larger quantity of Dutch cheese.Sunday morning and a final match before the off. I was worried. My last opponent had beaten my previous opponent the day before. Also, his chess set scared me. He had made it himself. Each figure was about eight inches long and some of the pieces tapered to sharp points. It was quite possibly the most bizarre set I'd ever seen and I doubt it would have been allowed in a regular tournament. I'm told that is not unusual though. In fact I was trying to get my hands on a Polish set as apparently they are of superior manufacture, but definitely do not follow any Staunton or other recognisable patterns.A lucky mistake by him allowed me to take his queen in the first few moves with a rampaging knight, then ensued a mop up operation for the next couple of hours. There was a white knuckle moment when he missed a one move mate, but it ended with my over-friendly queen backed up by a tired and sweaty knight pinning his king in the corner. Mike lost his last match and Steve got a one point bye, his opponent having been taken ill that morning, thus avoiding the obviously deserved Scottish beat down.

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We then moved to another room and played one of their top skilled players who had ten simultaneous games running and was smiting everyone within reach. I lost in about ten or eleven moves and decided it was time for food. Three delicious bread crumb and cheese filled Croquettes later and I was ready for the closing speech.Steve won Table 1 outright, Mike and I were joint winners on Tables 8 and 9 respectively. The chairman made it very clear that even if Brexit goes ahead, we're still welcome to come back at any time which was frankly a relief, as I'm not sure I could legally get hold of croquettes in London in the quantities I desired without being arrested.There was a sense of sadness leaving the venue, overlaid with the sound of a blind player crashing into a table and spilling 4 tournament sized boards worth of pieces all over the floor, some Dutch cursing, a thud, and then mostly silence as a lone rook puttered past me on its way to the other side of the room.Everyone shook hands, said good bye and then it was off to a Dutch supermarket with Gerrie to pick up several kilos worth of edible gifts. My girlfriend is rather fond of cheese and 5 kilos later I staggered back to the Verveek's, where we spent a lovely afternoon in the sunshine.Both our host families took us to dinner at a BBQ joint which was a sort of hybrid Texan German Dutch affair with more spare ribs than you could shake a stick at. Once again in a complete food coma I galumphed my way back and spent the evening chatting to Gerrie and Henk, relating how dissimilar Dutch is to English. Did you know the word for sparrow in Dutch is pronounced moose? Which incidentally, rhymes with the Dutch word for bus, pronounced boose. Hence, the popular children's book, the moose on the boose.I was sad to go on Monday. I had made a home and gained friends over that weekend and felt like I was leaving a part of me behind. We said good bye until the next time and then it was off on our long way home. Luckily, Mike and I had discovered that we both have a very politically incorrect sense of humour by this point, so we were able to keep each other amused throughout the various bus, train and boat rides.About the only thing of note on our way home was a very power mad passport controller who didn't believe our story of attending a tournament in the Netherlands, and insisted I could not possibly play chess if I was blind. "I mean", he said indignantly, "how could you tell if a piece was a rook or a king"? I was on the point of inserting said pieces into him when his colleague told us we were allowed to re-enter England and all was well.Haaksbergen, is a truly unique event. Players of all ages and abilities, differing visual impairments and a fantastic atmosphere. Combine this with host families who ask for nothing in return, a peaceful country setting and you have the recipe for a perfect weekend away. I thank the BCA for helping me go there and I know that if work permits, I will be headed back next year.

Editor’s note: For those who are considering going to Haaksbergen 2020, the tournament is on the weekend of 25th – 26th April, with travelling days either side. The BCA offers a £75 subsidy to members who attend.

SardiniaReflections by Bill Armstrong on IBCA event in Sardinia. In early April, when I told friends I was heading to Sardinia to play in the 14th World Championship for visually impaired chess players, their incredulity was mixed with envy. I usually explained that I was going because I had won the BCA championship in 2017 by a tiny margin and that the chief British hopes rested on our strongest player, Chris Ross, a Candidate Master who aided by his coach GM Neil Macdonald could be a real contender. That satisfied their incredulity but the envy persisted. Sadly, the envy was misplaced. The weather was beautiful on the day of our departure from Sardinia but up to that point black clouds and sudden downpours made leaving the hotel a risky venture. As for the hotel, there is a corner of a foreign dining room which seems to be forever waiting for service from over-worked waiters who had to reach us by passing the tables of the IBCA officials, then the host nation and all the other country groups. The outcome was not a great advert for Italian hospitality. But, I guess you may be thinking, “You were not there to enjoy yourselves, you went to take part in a chess competition.” Leaving aside the possibility we went for both chess and enjoyment I will now focus on the chess.The event attracted 86 entries, including GM Tazbir from Poland (FIDE rating 2540), 6 International Masters and a goodly number of players with lesser titles including Chris. We had the reigning champion, Stachanczyk, from Poland, and Smirnov of Russia who was untitled but had an impressive rating of 2451, making him the second seed. For reference, Chris was graded 2224 and I was exactly 1800. In football terms if Tazbir was Manchester City, Chris was at the level of Leicester/ Wolves and I was Huddersfield/Brighton. In the first round I was paired

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with Stachanczyk. While I concentrated solely on the board position, I gave a good account of myself. When around move 30 I began to dream of pulling off a draw against a world champion if I could maintain the established equality, I chose too cautiously, lost the initiative and thus the ending. Round two paired me with a weaker opponent and gave me a point. Rounds three, four and five gave me two losses to strong players and a point gifted by a weak opponent who up to his blunder had played well. Round six gave me white against Rutkowski, grade 1980. I am going to give the score of this game with a few comments.

White, Armstrong (1800). Black, Rutkowski (Poland, 1980) 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 cxd4 6. exd4 Bd6 7. Bg3 Qc7 8. Nd2 Nc6 9. Ngf3 0-0 10. 0-0 Bxg3 11. hxg3 e5 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Qxe5 After these opening moves the position was slightly in favour of White. White has doubled g-pawns and possibly my opponent hoped to exploit this weakness but Black has an isolated d-pawn which can be a target for White’s pieces and at this point an exposed queen to assist White’s development. 14. Re1 Qd6 15. Nc4 (with Bxh7+ as a reply to dxc4) 15. ... Qd8 Here the balance tips in White’s favour. 16. Ne3 g6 17. Be2 Be6 18. Qd4 Ne8 19. Bf3 Nc7 20. Rad1 Once the d-pawn was captured I wanted to have Rooks well placed for the endgame and possibly the gain of a second pawn. 20. ... Qg5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 22. Re5 Qf6 23. Rxd5 Qxd4 24. R5xd4 The extra pawn ought to be decisive but my opponent was the stronger player according to the rating and determ-ined to make me work for the full point. 24. ... Rab8 25. Bd5 Black’s best reply and his eventual reluctant choice was:25. ... Bxd5 26. Rxd5 (simplifies the ending to one where, if I can gain another pawn, I have a clear win)26. ... Rfe8 27. Kf1 (reducing the chances of a back rank mate)27. ... b5 28. Rd7 b4 29. c4 a5 30. Ra7 Re4 31. b3 Re5 32. f4 Re3 33. Rxa5 Rbe8 34. Rd2 Re1+ 35. Kf2 Ra1 36. Rb5 Ra8 37. Rxb4 R8xa2 38. Rxa2 Rxa2+ 39. Kf3 Kf8 40. c5 Ke7 41. Rc4 Kd7 42. b4 Kc6 43. Re4 Kb5 44. Re7 Ra3+ 45. Kg4 f5+ 46. Kh4 Kxb4 47. c6 Rc3 48. c7 h6 49. Rh7 Rc1 50. Rxh6 Rxc7 51. Rxg6 After another 11 moves my opponent resigned. I had 3 points from 6 games!

Meanwhile the favourites for the title had significantly higher scores from their six games and were beginning to meet in the pairings. Expectations of thrilling matches were discouraged by this game in round 6 where it appeared that not losing was the major concern of the leading contenders.White Nikac 2297, Black Smirnov 2451, 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. a4 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be2 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. f4 exf411. Bxf4 Nc6 12. Kh1 Rc8 13. Nd4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 Qc7 15. e5 dxe5 16. Bxe5 Rfd8 17. Qf4 Bd6 18. Bxd6 Qxd6 19. a5 Qxf4 20. Rxf4 Rd2 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Rd4 Nxc3 23. bxc3 g6 24. Be4 Re2 25. Bxb7 Rxc3 26. Bxa6 Ra3 27. Rdd1 Rd2 28. Rdb1 Ba2 29. Rc1 Rxa5 30. Bc4 Rg5 31. Rxa2 Rgxg2 32. Ra7 Rxh2+ 33. Kg1 Rdg2+ 34. Kf1 Rf2+ 35. Kg1 Rhg2+ 36. Kh1 Rh2+ 37. Kg1 1/2-1/2 leaving the leading group on 5 points.

On the top three boards in Round 7 featuring players on 5 points, Tazbir drew with Smirnov, Dukaczewski beat Babyrikin and Nikac won with Black against IM Tula. Nikac (Montenegro) went on to hold his lead, finish with 7.5 from 9 and win the title while Smirnov (Russia) squeezed into second place ahead of GM Tazbir (Poland).

Chris had wins in the early stages but then struggled to get full points against players he would expect to beat. He dropped out of the top group and faced a tough opponent in the veteran, eighty year old Zoltek playing stubbornly for a half point. Anxious to stay in contention, Chris wanted more than the offered draw and eventually lost. A

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similar scenario in round six took his score also to three points from a possible six. For the two of us the emotions were very different. For me, 50% was an achievement while for Chris it was a great disappointment. He disliked the cramped playing conditions and found eating late and frequent disturbances near his bedroom interfered with his sleep patterns. He did less than justice to his chess abilities. He had a good win against Jürgen Pohlers (Germany) in round seven.

White Ross 2224. Black Pohlers 1923 (annotations by Chris Ross){B31: Sicilian: Rossolimo}1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Nd7 8. Be3 b6 9. Qd2 h6 Recent games by Carlsen have triumphed with this concept of not permitting White to exchange the Dragon bishop. Black reasons that since the position is somewhat closed, he need not rush to castle and secure the king. Instead, the fight for the dark-squares, especially through the centre, including d4 and f4, is the focus point. Black may expand with g6-g5 and after e7-e5, the manoeuvre Nf8/Ne6/Ng6 are possible. 10. O-O Nf8 {Continuing with the plan, but throwing in e7-e5 first should be preferred. For example: 10... e5 11. Nh2 g5 12. Ne2 Nf8 13. Ng3 Ng6 14. a3 O-O 15. b4 cxb4 16. axb4 Nh4 17. f3 f5 18. exf5 Nxf5 19. Nxf5 Bxf5 20. Ra6 Qe7 21. Ng4 e4 22. dxe4 Rfd8 23. Qe1 Be6 24. Ra3 Bc4 25. Rf2 Caruana,F (2787)-Nakamura,H (2793)/Saint Louis USA 2015/1/2-1/2 (44)}11. Nh2 Ne6 {Somewhat artificial. Black should release the E-pawn and create tension in the position. White should not be permitted to launch his F-pawn and be able to march onto f5. Black should exchange on f4 to ensure that the Dragon bishop is not sealed in and that open lines are created to enable counter-play. 11... e5 12. f4 exf4 13. Bxf4 Ne6 14. Be3 Nd4 15. Rae1 Be6 16. e5 Nf5 17. Bf2 Qc7 18. Nf3 O-O-O 19. Ne4 Kb8 20. b4 c4 21. Qc3 cxd3 22. cxd3 Rd7 23. a4 Rhd8 24. Rd1 Ne7 25. Bg3 Nf5 1/2-1/2 Xu,Y (2520)-Firouzja,A (2618)/Moscow RUS 2019)}12. Rae1{Centralising the rook and removing it from the long diagonal. White anticipates that lines will open through the centre very shortly. Also, Nd1 and c2-c3 are facilitated to expel any occupying knight wishing to outpost on d4.}12... Ba6 {Black seeks to force through a pawn-break with c5-c4, but this bishop just proves to be off-side. Black could have considered sacrificing a pawn with 12... c4 and would probably regain it with impunity.}13. f4 {White disregards the threatened pawn break by Black and rushes to open the F-file. The idea is to catch the black king in the centre since he has refrained from castling and is further unable to do so due to the hanging nature of the h6-pawn.}13... Bd4 {Black seeks exchanges in the hope that the white attack through the centre can be diminished. If Black can reach an endgame, his superior light-squared bishop may prove to be more effective than the white knight, as long as the position is relatively open.} 14. f5 {Releasing the e5-square, but the opening up of lines is more important. Captures on g6 will now allow penetration on the light-squares and the h5-e8 diagonal is vulnerable.} 14... Nf8 {14... Bxe3+ 15. Rxe3 Nd4 16. Nd1 and the aforementioned plan of evicting the knight with c2-c3 and the white rook on e3 is activated and defends the loose backward d3-pawn at the same time.}15. fxg6 Nxg6 16. Kh1 {Securing the king and forcing Black to make a decision about the dark-squared bishops. H6 is now hanging and can be snatched. The black fractured pawn structure is becoming very weak and targets, such as f7, becoming more apparent.}

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16... Bxe3 17. Rxe3

{Activating the rook along the third rank. Doubling on the F-file is facilitated.}

17... Bc8

{Preventing Rh3 and drawing the bishop back to the centre, where it has more potential. Be6 to defend the loose f7-square is also enabled.}

18. Ref3 Be6 19. Ne2

{Bringing the knight around to exchange it for the defensive steed on g6. Black is not able to snaffle the a2 pawn as the light-squared bishop will be trapped with b2-b3.}

19... Qd6

{Black rushes to castle his king on the queen-side, out of any danger through the centre. Black also aims for exchanges to ease his awkward position.}

20. Nf4 Nxf4 21. Qxf4 Qxf4

{Played with a draw offer. Despite Black having exchanged pieces and the queens removed, the endgame is always problematic for him. The isolated h6-pawn gives White a target for future play. A solid position founds white the platform to play without taking any huge risks. If White can get the rooks off the board, it might even become a classical good-knight vs bad-bishop scenario. Although not fatal, the final aspect is that White has two pawn islands, whereas Black has three. Protecting one more island may just stretch the black forces.}

22. Rxf4 O-O-O 23. b3 Rdg8 24. R1f2 Rg7

{With the potential threat of doubling on the G-file. Black is essentially in a holding pattern, since White has no targets to aim for. White’s next objective is to bring the knight to bear an influence on the game without it being exchanged for the light-squared bishop. This will involve a certain amount of manoeuvring, but Black’s not doing much in the meantime.}

25. Nf1 Rhg8 26. Kh2

{Securing the king – as it is now not on the same coloured squared as the enemy bishop – and safeguarding the g3-square.}

26... Kd7 27. R4f3

{Played to enable Ng3. 27. Rh4 Rh7 does not make progress for White.}

27... Rg5 {Anticipating White’s option of cementing a knight on h5 via Ng3 and g2-g4, Black prepares the pushing of his H-pawn to prevent this.}28. Ng3 h5 29. Ne2 f6 {Creating an anchor, from which Black’s ultimate demise lies. White had the simple plan of Nf4 and Nxe6, removing the defender of the f7-pawn.}30. Rg3 {Strictly not necessary, but the exchange of a pair of rooks may ease White’s difficulties to convert the advantage. This also tempts Black to push with h5-h4, but the pawn on h4 would only be weaker and more vulnerable and not able to be defended by his own light-squared bishop.}30... Kd6 31. Re3 {Whilst the black rook is on g5, the exchange does not favour White. 31. Rxg5 fxg5 32. Ng3 h4 33. Nf5+ Bxf5 34. Rxf5 b5 and Black should be able to defend this ending easily enough.}31... Bd7 {Black is attempting to retreat his pieces from the attack of the white knight. Be8 to defend the h5-pawn is also now possible.}

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32. Ng1

{Rerouting the knight to f3, from where it will exert a great deal of pressure on the black centre. The pressure of the last 15 moves is now beginning to show and the black forces are losing their fortitude.}32... R8g6 33. Nf3 Rg3 {Pinning the knight temporarily, but this can be easily broken.}34. Ree2 Rg8 35. e5+ {Having achieved this pawn-break, White’s advantage exponentially grows. This will force yet another pawn island in the black formation. The accumulation of this weaknesses will eventually yield material.}35... Kc7 36. exf6 exf6 37. Nh4 {Winning a pawn. G2 is guarded and Rg6 by Black is prevented. The F-pawn is now doomed.}37... f5 38. Nxf5 R3g5 {Exchanging the bishop now for the knight will not improve Black’s position. Indeed, having now lost a pawn, he needs to keep as much material on the board for tactical possibilities. The knight, having done its work, need not get embroiled with tactics and retreats to its former secure position.}39. Nh4 R8g7 40. Nf3 Rf5 41. Re5 {Naturally, all exchanges favour White now. The passed pawn on the king-side will cost Black further material. The black race is now run.}41... Rgf7 42. Rxf5 Rxf5 43. Re2 Kd6 44. Kg3 Rf8 45. Kh4 {Not only attacking the loose H-pawn, but facilitating the pushing of the passed pawn.}45... Be8 46. Ng5 Kd7 47. Ne4 Bg6 48. Kg5 Bxe4 {A last attempt to hold the rook-ending, but it is a hopeless cause. Black couldn’t allow Nf6 and then Nxh5, for the two passed pawns will roll without impunity.}49. dxe4 Ke6 50. Kxh5 Ke5 51. Kg6 Rg8+ 52. Kf7 Rg5 53. g4 1-0

But luck was against Chris when he was paired against Kumar in round 8. On grading, this should have been an easy victory for Chris. Kumar, rated well below his talent, went on to win the award for the player achieving the best place relative to his original ranking. He was able to add Chris to his list of surprising conquests. Meanwhile I suffered two losses to strong opponents. In the last round Chris and I both agreed draws and Chris finished on 4.5 while I reached 3.5.The IBCA used the occasion in Sardinia to hold a delegate meeting for member countries. The major outcomes were announced by the president at the closing session. These were executive satisfaction at the growth of IBCA in South America, a decision to make greater use of digital communications which would, he claimed, make the IBCA processes more efficient and transparent, and a tightening of the regulations about visual impairment for future competitors in IBCA events. Players will need a certificate as proof that they are suffering a degree of visual loss that makes them eligible to compete. In the twenty years of my experience of IBCA events, “visually impaired” has become a rather ill-defined concept and this seems an IBCA step in the right direction. Reflecting on the whole experience, I was disappointed. I had hoped to have a vicarious excitement from Chris being near the top contenders, to have finished with a personal 50% score and being in Italy to have relaxed in the spring sunshine that people tell me they had in Britain. Ah well, perhaps Torquay will fulfil more of my hopes.

Italian Magnetic SetsIn the May 2019 gazette Ednun Pourtahmasbi asked for expressions of interest in the Italian magnetic chess sets. As at the end of June, he had already heard from a couple of people. Ideally he wanted responses by the end of July but if you’re very quick he could still be able to include you in any order that might be placed. Presto!

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Skype Coaching – a Reminder and a Slight ChangeFirstly, a reminder to all UK-based visually-impaired BCA members that coaching via Skype or phone, or face to face if this can be arranged, is available to those who find it useful. Currently six hours' coaching each year has been available at the BCA's expense, with year running from 1 October to 30 September.From 1 October this year the scheme will change slightly as follows: Instead of six hours coaching members will be entitled to £120 worth of coaching time, to be used as required in terms of how the time is allocated. The BCA will need to approve the coach to be used, but every effort will be made to meet the wishes of the individual in each case. The scheme can only be used to pay for coaching time and so any chess material must be paid for by the individual. Anyone wishing to take advantage of the scheme should write to me and I will do my best to make suitable arrangements and will, of course, keep track of any coaching arrangements made.Voldi Gailans, Coaching Co-ordinator

BCA SweatshirtsI am thinking of ordering some sweatshirts with the BCA logo on. The more we order the cheaper each item will be but I do not want to be left with a lot of unsold stock. I expect the price to be about £12. If you are interested please let me know and tell me what size you may want, there is no obligation to buy but this will give me an idea of how many to order.Still available are polo shirts at £9 and drawstring bags at £5.Gill Smith

Puzzles Selected by ChrisMay Puzzle FEN: k1Kn4/p2p4/8/8/8/8/8/3R2Q1White: King c8, Rook d1, Queen g1 Black: king a8, knight d8, pawns a7, d7White to play and mate in two. Solution: 1. Qb6A. 1... axb6 2. Ra1# B. 1... a6/a5 2. Qb8# C. 1... d6/5 2. Qb8# D. 1... Nb7/any 2. Qxb7#/Qb7#

August Puzzle Gazimon 1969FEN: 8/8/8/8/1R1P1R2/3k4/B7/3K4White: king d1, rooks b4 and f4, Bishop a2, pawn d4 Black:king d3White to play and mate in two. The solution will appear in the November issue.Chris Ross

PersonaliaGrateful thanks to our associate member, Peter Gibbs, who was interviewed by BBC Radio Leicester on the 20th of June. He was asked about his own long and distinguished chess career, which includes a game against Boris Spassky in Leningrad in 1960, yet Peter still devoted lots of air time to speaking about the BCA! You can listen again at the link below. The interview starts at 2:11:30 in the program recording.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07blt70

Paul Benson finished joint first in the North Wales Major in Llandudno 21st to 23rd June, 2019, by scoring an unbeaten four points from five rounds to finish joint top with one other person in a field of 39 players. Fantastically well done Paul!

Congratulations to Ednun Pourtahmasbi, who got engaged to girlfriend Emily on the 3rd of July! We wish the happy couple all the best for the future and hope that Ed will bring Emily along to a tournament soon!

Please let me know if you have any news for the next issue!Julie Leonard

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RIP Sheila MilsomFrom Sheila’s daughter, Joy.

Sheila was born and grew up at Bankside Cottage in Wraxall, the oldest of four children.

Sheila won a scholarship to Clifton High School, and then went on to work at the Post Office in Bristol. On the day she turned 21 she leapt up touched the ceiling and said to her mum “I’m 21 and I’m never going to get mar-ried”. You guessed it, before her 22nd birthday, she married David Milsom.

After a while, Sheila and David gave up city life, moved to the country and became youth hostel wardens. First at Chepstow (where their daughter Joy was born) and then at Holford on the Quantocks. At Holford they had a little menagerie with 2 pigs named Percy and Prue, a small herd of goats, and a flock of geese. They ate one of the geese one Christmas. Sheila said never again. David had several beehives and they used to sell the honey in the local village. Sheila would take the jars of honey around the village, carrying them in an open basket on her back. Joy would toddle along next to her, all through the village. When all the honey had been sold, Sheila would pick Joy up, put her in the basket and carry her home.

In 1964 David lost his sight, becoming totally blind. For many people this would be a disaster, something they’d never recover from. But Sheila and David were resilient, strong and resourceful. They persevered. David went away on many blind rehabilitation courses. Sheila stayed in Wraxall looking after Joy; and on Saturdays, when David was back home to take care of Joy, she worked at the SWEB in Nailsea to help supplement things. She also kept her hand in at the Post Office, looking after the Wraxall Post Office when the Postmistress went on holiday.

Eventually David got a job in Birmingham, and they moved. A huge change from the country to the second largest city in England! In Birmingham, Sheila worked as a library assistant at Bournville College. A job which she loved and where she formed lasting friendships - she was still in touch with three of her old colleagues, right up until the end.

A while after David’s death, Sheila moved to a retirement flat in Birmingham. There she became a kind of events organizer and social secretary, putting together coach trips to places of interest, organizing coffee mornings and other events. She was always active and busy.

Nine years ago Sheila returned to Somerset to be closer to family. She lived happily at Pegasus Court in Nailsea where she was again very active organizing things, including Macmillan Cancer Support coffee mornings. So many people at Pegasus Court have commented on how kind, thoughtful and helpful Sheila was.

A very large part of Sheila’s life was spent helping the Braille Chess Association. David was Treasurer of the as-sociation for a number of years; and Sheila would accompany him to chess tournaments and other BCA events. Through these trips she made many many lasting friends. In 2002 the Braille Chess Association gave Sheila a Service Award in recognition for her work, and in 2012 an Honorary Life Membership. She was deeply touched by these awards, they meant so much to her.

Here’s what Stan Lovell, a long-time member of the Braille Chess Association had to say about Sheila when he heard of her passing: “We have lost a lovely friend and great supporter. Sheila’s husband, David, joined BCA during the 1970’s and became our treasurer in 1980. He served for a number of years, with loyal help from Sheila. When we lost David, Sheila continued to give great support. Her quizzes became part of our seven day events. She also played an active part in Bring and Buy sales and ran many raffles at our events. There were many other ways in which Sheila helped, including escorting many for walks and shopping trips during our events. She was thoughtful and full of kindness to all. A dear friend who will be greatly missed.”

Stan’s words sum up how Sheila will be remembered:

Sheila loved people, loved helping people. She had a big heart. And she will be greatly missed.

Editor’s note: BCA members Gill Smith, Roger Waters and Julie Leonard represented the association at Sheila’s funeral service, which was very well attended. At the committee meeting in May it was decided that the 2020 Chairman’s Cup in Bournemouth will be held in memory of Sheila and David Milsom. See Forthcoming Events for further details of the event.

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