SCCU/London Clubs team rapid double champions After six rounds of unforgiving G25+5 rapid chess and, if it was not already hot enough outside, a nail-biting final round, Wanstead teams found themselves club Champions in both the Intermediate (team average not more than 1850) and in the Minor (team average of not more than 1600). Going into the last round the Dynamos in the 12 team Inter and the All Stars in the 18 team Minor had the Championships in their […]
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Within the space of two days – 30th and 31st May 2023 – two Championships were decided. Wanstead & Woodford CC – Essex League Champions The first phase of the competition, a single round of seven matches all-play-all, WW finished in second spot with 11 points, a point behind leaders Writtle on 12. The format this season then required a further three matches with the top four in the Division playing each other again for the Championship and the bottom […]
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The “Club evening that wasn’t” turned into a Christmas Cracker to remember. Originally, Wanstead House was not going to be open on this last Tuesday before Christmas, but reversal of this decision allowed one more Club evening for which, of course, nothing had been planned. A perfect opportunity to generate more Blitz results for members to add to their new ECF Blitz ratings by holding a Christmas Blitz. And very popular it was! There were 28 entries, including three invited […]
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Making use of a Tuesday with only a 4 board Essex Minor match in the calendar, Krishna Raikundalia devised and ran a very different kind of handicap tournament from that with which our members are familiar. The handicap was that the stronger player had to play an assigned gambit and the greater the rating differential the more unsound the gambit (though not always as risky). Class will out: Ashley Freeman won on 6½. His only ½ point dropped was to […]
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A dramatic second event in the Handicap Blitz Grand Prix demonstrated how the time handicap formula is a great leveller, with several of our higher rated players conceding points to players in lower rating groups. 24 players entered HBGP2, bringing the total number in the Grand Prix after two events to 31. But the real news is in the startling victory with a 100% score, 6/6, by Rob Parker on his first visit to the club. Rob previously played for […]
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Two wins and a draw Three fixtures, in October, billed as “friendlies” were nonetheless keenly contested. With teams matched for strength, the Club emerged with two wins by the narrowest margin – against Hackney and the Warriors (W&W JCCC) – and a draw in the other, against Chingford. Mark Murrell has penned a comprehensive report which you can find here: October Friendlies report Handicap Blitz Grand Prix 2 Speaking of keenly contested, Tuesday 2 November in the Club Room – […]
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The second half of the Rapid Championship 2020-21 produced more thrills and spills than seemed possible in the three further rounds. The leader after R3, Philip Staniland, lost in R4 to Ashley, while Terry beat Steve Gilmour; Terry and Ashley =1 on 3½/4. In a dramatic R5, Terry beat Ashley to steal the lead, while Philip held John Hodgson (playing hors concours) to a draw, allowing Valdimir to steal into clear 2nd on 4. So to the last round and […]
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