The Charter Competition Begins!

What a start to the first round of competitive matches for the Queen Anne’s Chess Club! The competition saw a number of fierce and fraught head-to-head battles over the black and white squares. Mr Jackson has provided a summary of this exciting event!

In game 1, Zahra (L5), representing Watson House, was paired with experienced player Yi Shan (L5)of Austen. This was a finely balanced match with both players developing pieces and competing well in the opening and middle game. Zahra, playing with the white pieces, put a fair bit of early pressure on Yi Shan (playing black); however, Yi Shan’s composure in the end game saw her dominate and take the win.

In game 2, we saw a civil war of sorts as two members of Austen House went at it, hammer and tongs! Temi (L5), playing with the black pieces took on Adetoni (L5) (playing white) and the game started swiftly, with both players bringing their minor pieces into the centre of the board. A lost queen, however, put Temi on the backfoot for the rest of the game and Adetoni secured an excellent win.

Game 3 was truly memorable. An epic clash between two seasoned club members, Gabby (L6) and Olivia (L6). Once more, both players were representing the mighty Austen House, with Gabby playing as black and Olivia white. Both players have learnt the art of solid openings, so it was a cautious game to begin with; however, after creating some excellent tension in the centre with a deliberate pawn push, Gabby’s position faltered and Olivia kept her composure, playing with tactical skill. The game, played over a real board (not on the computer), ended with a climactic fork, in which Olivia skewered Gabby’s king and only rook, before gobbling up the waiting castle with glee. Gabby did the only honourable thing left and duly resigned. A great game!

Special mention goes to Gabby as she personifies the spirit of Queen Anne’s Chess Club. There is no winning or losing with us – oh, no! There is only true sportsmanship, self-reflection and a desire to be as good as we can be. After the match, she had these two important reflections: “I really learnt the value of keeping the tension within the game and I must remember that sometimes having a great defence and protective strategy is better than a rushed attack”  Quote of the day! We can all learn from these wise words, no doubt.

Game 4 was very interesting indeed. Committed chess club regular, Sherry (L5), playing with the white pieces, was matched with one of the most skilled members of the club, Sophie (L5). Sherry, representing Franklin House, put up such a brilliant fight in the opening against her opponent from Watson that the game was locked for a while. However, with clever positional play, Sophie managed to create a series of forceful attacks which meant Sherry was defending valiantly from the middle game on. Eventually, Sophie manged to secure the win and earned some important points for Watson. So, after all that, we are in a position to review the scores.

Here are the points after round 1:

• Austen = 40 points
• Watson = 15 points
• Franklin = 10 points
• Pankhurst = 5 points
• Curie = o points

Another competitive match is still ongoing, however. We have Hannah (L5) (Pankhurst) as white, fighting against Jasmine (L5) (Franklin) as black – here is the position of the game as it stands. Things look quite difficult for white:

Away from the charter competition, a number of friendly matches were also played:

• Hannah (L5) (Franklin) and Poppy (L5) (Pankhurst) vs Melissa (L5) (Curie) and Lucinda (L5) (Austen)

• Lav (L5) (Pankhurst) and Sophia (L5) (Franklin)

• Lav (L5) vs Sophia (L5) and Sophie (L5)

Here are the list of attendees: Hannah (L5), Jasmin (L5), Zahra (L5), Sofie (L5), Olivia (L6), Yi Shan (L5), Lucinda (L5), Sherry (L5), Gabrielle (L6), Temi (L5), Adetoni (L5), Melissa (L5), Hannah (L5), Tsz Huen (U5),  Paris (L6)

We should also say welcome to new members: Poppy, Lav, and Sophia