It has been interesting period for our club as Anstey Chess Club and its members grow both OTB and off the board. After the successful season and the significant improvement in the last few months, we have now decided to take the next step in our development through the release of a monthly podcast. Throughout the next year, we will use this new platform to give you updates on the season and Leicestershire chess in general. In the future episodes, we will be interviewing people from the club as well as from the area.
In the very first episode of our podcast, Boris “The Toaster” and “El Presidente” Ben gave a little background on the club and the podcast as well. Then they went on to discuss the three summer competitions where four Anstey teams participated and won two trophies. (admittedly, the Harrod cup was a joint win with Ashby 2)
Anstey Chess Club wins two trophies from three competitions as the club grows stronger by the day
Last Thursday (15/09/2022) Anstey played their last game in Chapman cup, thus bringing their summer cups campaign into conclusion. Following the amazing conclusion of the league season and the significant increase in the number of players willing to play OTB competitive chess, ‘El Presidente’ decided to enrol the club into three competitions. Anstey Chess Club participated with one team in each of the elite rapidplay format Wylie Cup, and the classical format with rating handicap Chapman Cup. In addition, two teams from our club took part in the popular rapidplay format Harrod cup.
All Anstey teams played their best during the matches, often outrated significantly by the opposing team. The Wylie cup proved to be too big a bite for our ever improving players, partially contributed by the fact that our top two players never managed to play at the same time. However, our strong first team in the Harrod cup managed to bring their A game and finished joint first with Ashby 2 and both teams agreed to share the trophy following full equality across the stats and a draw in the very last game of the round. The cherry on the cake was the Chapman cup where our team (admittedly with the help of the handicap) finished unbeaten at top of the table, having secured the trophy in the penultimate round and drawing only against Loughborough in the very last game.
Wylie cup:
Anstey vs Thurnby Result: 3 – 5
Arguably the biggest disappointment for our team in the elite rapidplay cup came in the first round as the match was a missed opportunity to start on the front foot. Straight after the end of the league season, a solid Anstey team went on to play against slightly higher rated Thurnby. The match marked the debut of Valdas in rapidplay format and saw him getting his first win as well. Unfortunately, Thurnby managed to get good wins on the middle boards and won the match decisively. Full report of the match following this link.
Wigston vs Anstey Result: 5.5 – 2.5
The visit to Ben’s former club Wigston happened to be an almost impossible task as a solid Anstey team with his top player ‘Mr. Engine’ on board one found themselves outrated on every board, with the third Wigston board already higher rated than any of our players. Nevertheless, Julian and Boris kept the game alive in the first round as Anstey emerged 2-2 after the first four games. Unfortunately, the class of the Wigston players showcased itself in the second round as our team managed to get only half point from all three games. Full report of the match following this link.
Anstey vs Syston Result: 1.5 – 6.5
Unfortunately for our team, the bad results continued with the visit of Syston to our home venue. The away team brought some of their best rapidplay competitors while our team was crippled by COVID-19 and had to play two players from the trenches in Boris and Mike. Unsurprisingly, Anstey could only get half point from the first round. The bad day in the office continued in the second round, as three of our four boards lost again, while Mick brought some light with his amazing win. Full report of the match following this link.
Kirby Muxloe vs Anstey Result: 2 – 6
Although the absence of Matt meant that Boris will play again for Anstey in the Wylie cup, a solid team went to Kirby to face the home team. As expected, the battle was hard due to the similar rating on almost every board (admittedly on board 4 Boris significantly outrated his opponent). Nevertheless, our players showcased an amazing play to seal the deal with the biggest win in the Wylie cup, and one of the top three wins of the whole summer campaign. Full report of the match following this link.
Anstey vs Loughborough Result: 2.5 – 5.5
Sadly, the win against Kirby ended being the first and the last one for our team in the Wylie cup. In the last game, we faced Loughborough at our home venue in the Anstey Methodist Church. Unfortunately, our northern neighbours managed to steal the win in “The Charnwood Derby” edging our team with strong performances on all boards. Full report of the match following this link.
Harrod cup:
Ashby 1 vs Anstey 1 Result: 3.5 – 4.5
In their first game of the Harrod cup, our first team found themselves outrating their opponents on every board. However, after the first round we were trailing the home team by a full point after some dubious performances from Mick and Boris. The great leadership by the captain on the night Matt turned the tide and with three brilliant wins our team claimed their first win. It was an unfortunate moment for Mick as in spite of “The Anstey Tiger” being quite up on time, an illegal move from his opponent created the most dramatic moment of our whole campaign. Full report of the match following this link.
Anstey 2 vs Ashby 3 Result: 6 – 2
And while the first team was struggling against Ashby’s first, Anstey 2 had their second best performance in the Harrod cup in the very first round, completely demolishing the solid Ashby 3 team. The match also marked the return of Brian “The Griller” who, although still rusty, quickly adapted to OTB rapidplay chess to draw both of his games. Full report of the match following this link.
Anstey 1 vs Market Harborough 2 Result: 5.5 – 2.5
In the next round, Anstey Chess Club celebrated a double home fixture in the competition. The first team hosted Market Harborough 2 who arrived with a solid team, albeit outrated by our players on every board apart form board one where Mick found himself almost 100 points lower rated than his opponent. Nevertheless, running through both rounds to finish without a loss, our players claimed their second win in a row in the competition. Full report of the match following this link.
Anstey 2 vs Wigston Result: 2.5 – 5.5
While Anstey 1 was slowly grinding out their opponents, our second team had a hard time against one of the favourites in the competition – Ben’s former club Wigston. Although the players fought hard, the team suffered defeats on all four boards as Black and in spite of their valiant efforts could not turn the tide in the match. Full report of the match following this link.
Ashby 2 vs Anstey 2 Result: 6.5 – 1.5
With the format of the Harrod cup, the bad luck for Anstey 2 continued with our second team facing another favourite to win the trophy and eventual joint winner – Ashby 2. It was an unfortunate evening for our players as their suffered a loss against a very strong team. Nevertheless, the match marked the debut of Young John who had been itching to play competitive chess and finally got his moment. Full report of the match following this link.
Wigston vs Anstey 1 Result: 4 – 4
In the following week, the first team went to Wigston to try and claim the top spot from them. A hard fought battle between the two teams led to an overall draw leaving the top spot open for contesting, with the aforementioned Ashby 2 lurking around. Full report of the match following this link.
Loughborough vs Anstey 2 Result: 2 – 6
The fourth round was the best round for our club not only in the Harrod cup, but throughout all competitions. First, our second team travelled to Loughborough to claim the victory in “The Charnwood Derby”. In spite of defaulted fourth board, Mike and Leo “The Lion”, led by their captain Oskar “El Capitan” defeated their opponents in every single game to claim the win. The result was one of the top three wins for any Anstey team in the summer campaign. Full report of the match following this link.
Anstey 1 vs Ashby 3 Result: 7.5 – 1.5
And while the second team were demolishing Loughborough, Anstey 1 were not any less merciful against their opponents from Ashby. Turning up with a strong group of players, our first team left only half point for their opponents to take as Boris missed to capitalise on his winning position with the white pieces. Nevertheless, the team achieved the biggest win of the summer in any competition. Full report of the match following this link.
Ashby 1 vs Anstey 2 Result: 6.5 – 1.5
The unfortunate draw for Anstey 2 continued in the last round as they had to face another very strong team in Ashby 1. As expected, in spite of their valiant efforts, our players could not hold on their strong opponents and conceded an overall loss. The competition concluded for our second team leaving them on ninth place having played three of the top four teams in the competition and won against the other two they faced. Full report of the match following this link.
Anstey 1 vs Ashby 2 Result: 4 – 4
Eventually, it all came down to the game between Anstey 1 and Ashby 2 to decide the fate of the Harrod cup. Both teams entered their final bout equal on points and “goal difference”, having won three and drawn one. The first round found our team on the back foot, having lost two games, won one and drawn one. Boris made it even worse as he lost his second game, but just when everything seemed lost for our team, brilliant wins from Mick “The Anstey Tiger” and Leo “The Lion” combined with a solid draw from John “The Torturer” levelled the field and the teams ended pretty much at the same place where they started – equal on points and “goal difference”. What followed was further deliberation between the captains, only to agree to share the trophy leaving Anstey 1 as one of the Harrod cup winners. Full report of the match following this link.
Chapman cup
Anstey vs Market Harborough Result: 3.5 – 3
The Chapman cup campaign for Anstey kicked off with a win. In this particular game the handicap played massively in our favour as we started with a 2.5 – 0 lead. This meant that the team needed only one win or two draws to secure the overall win. Nevertheless, the rating difference showed itself as our team conceded on the bottom three boards, but Julian “Mr. Engine” stepped in to deliver the necessary blow to our opponents on the night. Full report of the match following this link.
Anstey vs Braunstone Result: 3 – 1.5
Although outrated again, our team did not need the help of the modest handicap (0.5 – 0). Brilliant performance from Julian combined with a lucky turn of events for Boris helped our team to secure a second win in a row to take the lead in the table. Full report of the match following this link.
Loughborough vs Anstey Result: 1 – 3.5
As the matches kept coming, the team appeared to gain momentum and in our visit to Loughborough the players did not need the favourable (0.5 – 0) handicap again. With two solid draws on the top two boards, the brilliant performances from Matt “The Dark Destroyer” and Mike led to a decisive win for our team in “The Charnwood Derby”. The game marked the halfway point of the competition as our team seemed very comfortable at the top with Braunstone emerging as the only team to challenge us. Full report of the match following this link.
Market Harborough vs Anstey Result: 2 – 3.5
The second half of the tournament began with an away game against Market Harborough. Outrated again on most boards, the Anstey players started with a comfortable lead due to the handicap 1.5 – 0. Good draws from Boris and Julian combined with a brilliant win from Matt secured an overall draw over the board and with the handicap the team secured a fourth win in a row to remain the table toppler. Full report of the match following this link.
Braunstone vs Anstey Result: 1.5 – 3
In the penultimate round of the competition our team found themselves in a situation where their fate was in their own hands. The match represented a great opportunity for the club to put forward the team to compete in Division 2 for next league season and met with the perspective, our chairman did just that. Our top rated players delivered and following brilliant performances from Matt and Julian combined with a solid draw from John, our first team did not need the favourable handicap. The game secured the top spot for our team as they emerged as a Chapman cup winner with a round to spare. Full report of the match following this link.
Anstey vs Loughborough Result: 2 – 2
The last game of the tournament and of the summer campaign found our team facing Loughborough again. The match started brilliantly for Anstey as Matt stood up shortly after the games began having checkmated his young promising opponent. Unfortunately, Julian did not have much play on board one while Boris managed to transform a completely winning game into a drawn endgame which he was about to lose when his opponent offered our teammate a draw. With Mick suffering an unfortunate defeat, our players did not manage to capitalise on their advantage and shared a point with the away team. Full report of the match following this link.
Stats
Anstey Chess Club finishes the summer campaign having won two out of three possible trophies, marking a successful continuation of an already amazing year of growth and improvement for the club. The best performing team in the rapidplay format competitions was Harrod cup’s Anstey 1 as the team finished unbeaten with three wins and two draws. In terms of individual game performance, Anstey 1 achieved an astonishing 50% win rate, with 20 wins OTB. In the Chapman cup our team was unbeaten with five wins and only one draw, although handicap helped in a couple of occasions.
The biggest win for the club came from Anstey 1 in the Harrod cup as they delivered a crushing 7.5 – 0.5 defeat to Ashby 3. Anstey 2 were second with their 6 – 2 win over Loughborough and Wylie cup’s Anstey team took third place with 6 – 2 win over Kirby Muxloe.
The best player throughout all competitions was Matt “The Dark Destroyer” who finished the campaign with a total of 10.5 points following nine wins and three draws, having lost none of his games. His runner-up was Mick with the same number of points but with a significantly lower win rate.
Congratulations to Anstey Chess Club for winning the Chapman and Harrod cups!!!
If you want to be part of our exciting journey, join us every Thursday from 7:30 pm in the Anstey Methodist Church. All abilities welcome!
Anstey 1 couldn’t quite keep their 100% record in the Chapman Cup with a draw against Loughborough in the last round but still confirmed their status as undefeated champions:
Loughborough brought a mixture of youth and experience with two juniors and two seniors but overall a slightly weaker team than in the reverse fixture. All the boards were fairly evenly matched on ratings so for the first time in the competition this meant that Anstey did not benefit from a lead from the handicap!
Captains Matt Connor and Stephen Morris tossed for colours, Matt winning the toss and selecting black on odd-numbered boards. The teams settled down for the pre-match photo and the action commenced.
Matt was white on board 2 verses young Kajus Mikalajunas and unusually for Matt this was the first game to finish. Matt thought that he had walked into some deep opening preparation as Kajus blitzed out the first 10 moves, taking just 1 minute on the clock compared to Matt’s 35. Matt couldn’t resist going for a dodgy queen sacrifice but getting a rook, knight, pawn and a back rank mate threat as compensation. Unfortunately, Kajus missed the mate threat and the game finished 13. … e5 14. Rd8#. Oops.
Position after 14. Rd8#
So Anstey were off to a flyer. Anstey 1 – Loughborough 0.
The next game to finish was Borislav Lazarov as white on board 4 against Peter Hickman. No-one is quite sure how the game ended up a draw but somehow it did. Boris got a good position out of the opening with a nice space advantage. He pushed Gary and Harry (the g and h pawns) forward and castled long. After some tactical exchanges and losing a pawn Peter reacted by also castling long but this was a mistake, white’s active pieces transferring over to the queenside for a deadly attack.
Position after 22. Nxd5
After another nice tactical sequence Boris simplified to a double rook endgame 3 pawns up and looked to be winning easily. But double rook endgames are notoriously tricky. Peter managed to activate his rooks and pushed his kingside pawns and won a pawn back. Caving under pressure Boris made a poor defensive move allowing Peter to double his rooks on the 6th rank targeting white’s now undefended pawns on the kingside and also harassing the white king. Black picked up another pawn but allowed white to mobilise his rooks. Both sides played a series of good moves and although white was still a pawn up it looked like a draw by perpetual check was the most likely outcome. But then Boris thought he had blundered and was losing a rook when Peter offered a draw which Boris gratefully accepted! Turns out he wasn’t but even so, what a rollercoaster! Anstey 1½ – Loughborough ½.
Julian Tarwid faced off against Stephen Morris as black on board 1. The game started off as a slow positional Slav defence, Julian playing rock solidly. After all the major pieces were swapped off on the d file Julian activated his minor pieces and pushed his queenside pawns to create a space advantage. With white’s knight stuck on defensive duties on d1 and a 3 vs 2 queenside pawn majority it looked like Julian had a good advantage. He sacrificed a pawn for more activity but couldn’t quite find a breakthrough. Stephen defended well and the game fizzled out to a draw. Anstey 2 – Loughborough 1.
This Left Mick Sandham playing black on board 3 versus young Lindsey Pyun. Mick equalised fairly easily out of the opening and after Lyndsey exchanged queens on e3 he stood a little better even with some dark square weakness. He tried to get an attack going on the kingside with h6, g5, g4 and h5 but ultimately it came to nothing, Lyndsey manoeuvred her pieces to try and exploit the hole on d6. But the position appeared dead level and at the stage of the match where Boris looked like he was cruising to a win Mick offered a draw. Lyndsey declined, played Nd6 and after … Nxd6 exd6 it looked like she had a dangerous advanced passed pawn.
Position after 31. exd6
The engines say this position is completely equal but as we’ve seen these double rook endings are hard to play over the board. The right idea here is for black to play … Rg5 and … Rd5 but instead Mick went with … Rd8 and … Rd7. This allowed Lyndsey to pick off the a and c pawns and when Mick took on d6 the remaining rooks came off it was 5 pawns vs 4… plus a passed b pawn. Lyndsey made no mistake and Mick was forced to resign. Anstey 2 – Loughborough 2.
So a close match in the end and not a bad way to finish a great summer of chess for Anstey, to be crowned Chapman Cup champions and finishing joint first in the Harrod Cup as well as individual success for Julian in the county championships.
Anstey captain Matt Connor told BBC Radio Leicester: It was a close match. I did think we were winning easily in the first half but we probably sat back too much letting them back into it, a draw was probably a fair result. To finished unbeaten in the cup, 5 points ahead of second place is a great achievement. A big thanks to everyone who played but especially to Julian who was unbeaten against some highly rated opponents with 3 wins and 3 draws. I think with the summer cup success and promotion to division 2 we have put Anstey Chess Club firmly on the map. #thesoulofchessincharnwood.
As well as the Chapman Cup game it was a normal club night. Well, I say normal, but maybe thriving is the new normal with loads of new players following on from our showing at the Anstey Gala. We look forward to welcoming them back and getting to know them! A great night all round!
In the Anstey Chess club, the love for chess is the main driving force for everyone involved. Nevertheless, in spite of the notoriously solitary nature of the game of chess, in our club we are proud of our thriving community full of great memories and positive attitude. To promote the great relationships between our members, we have decided to introduce The Monthly Knockabout. As suggested by the name, each month the members choose a date using the below poll and the club will find a suitable location in Anstey or the surrounding area – park, club, café, pub, etc. There our members will be able to enjoy games of chess, including “hand and brain”, “Crazyhouse” and various time controls. All necessary equipment such as pieces, boards and clocks will be provided by the club(except for Boris’ set, “The Toaster” will bring it anyway).
The vote is now closed! The Monthly Knockabout in October is going to take place on Saturday, 15th. The place is most likely going to be the Peppercorns cafe in Anstey close to the Nook. Get in touch if you want to pop over for some fun, chess and a coffee! All abilities welcome!
This Saturday will be the first social event of The Monthly Knockabout. The idea of these events will be to get our members and friends together in a casual setting where they will be able to get some friendly chess games.
This Saturday (17th September) we are going to Bradgate park where we will have a nice walk and then sit down for some knockabout chess. Chess sets and clocks will be provided by the club. If you want to join us, regardless of your rating, ability, and whether you are a member or just want to have a casual knockabout game, pop down to the main entrance to Bradgate park in Newtown Linford at 11am. The main entrance is on Bradgate Road, postcode LE6 0HB. If you are joining late, browse around the park and you will be able to find us, most likely at the outside tables of the café, or if you are not sure, just call Boris ‘The Toaster’ on 07904015188.
Plenty of new and old faces stopped by and engaged in friendly games with our club members
The Anstey Chess Club slightly improvised stall
On Saturday, 10th September, Anstey Chess Club participated with their own stall in the annual Anstey Summer Gala. Almost a last minute decision, Ben and Boris utilised the two weeks prior to the event to organise a basic stall consisting of a table, a couple of chess sets with boards and clocks, and some advertising material in what appeared to be a learning experience for them. Having participated in the annual Anstey event a few years back, Ben anticipated a quiet afternoon, with the expectations for himself and Boris to be able to handle the stall effortlessly. However, the Anstey community proved both of our team members wrong, as both the visitors and the other participants showed great interest in the local chess club due to their respect and love for the game of chess. Luckily for “El Presidente” and “The Toaster” who were wearing their Anstey Chess Club branded t-shirts, Julian “Mr. Engine” and Oskar “El Capitan” stepped in and demonstrated their immense passion for the game of chess and the club.
Our top-rated player and the second team captain (at least for another week) helped with setting up the stall and moving things around, and Oskar even went back to his home to get some chairs, as Ben and Boris in their typical style forgot that they need to sit somewhere. While the chairs were being supplied, the latter two set up the table, losing their posters and signs a few times in the process, and in anticipation of using the cover for the sets, as heavy clouds were still hanging in the sky. Oskar and Julian returned promptly with the chairs and around noon the four members of the Anstey Chess Club sat comfortable waiting for people to come around.
The happy “Mr. Engine”
People passing by started looking at the slightly improvised stall and before long, the games started, unsurprisingly, with the great Mick “Squish” Squire back playing OTB against Julian. Our teammate and one of the founders of the club only stopped “for a quick game”, only to see his better half to do a couple of laps around the stalls while he was trying to hold on the aggressive attacks from “Mr. Engine”.
Boris trying to survive against Brian under the watchful eyes of Oskar and Julian
More people started visiting the club stall, with Brian and Dan giving Boris and Julian very good games, while Nick who used to play for the team in the past even checkmated “The Toaster”. At the beginning of the gala there was also a two-minute silence for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II followed by a beautiful performance of the national anthem. The games on the stall started getting even more frequent and a good-sized crowd gathered around as the youngsters from Anstey went on to play first themselves, and then each had a go at playing “Mr. Engine” and some of them – “The Toaster” as well. Julian went even further by offering reward to the adolescents if they were able to defeat him.
Ben was happy to discuss junior chess with many parents as they were looking to get their children more involved in the game, mainly for the many benefits and soft skills which the game develops, such as decision-making, problem-solving, strategical and logical thinking, pattern recognition, visual memory, etc. Prompted by their parents, several juniors had a go at playing proper OTB chess against “El Capitan”, “Mr. Engine”, and “The Toaster”, and we are looking to welcome a good part of them in the upcoming junior sessions held every Saturday in Beenies Soft Play in town. In-between the games with the many young participants, our club members played also some of the adult visitors of the gala, including firefighter Dave who gave “The Toaster” a good game, only to narrowly lose due to the time pressure. At some point during the busy period John “The Torturer” stopped by to say hi as he was also visiting the Gala. As the saying goes: “Time flies when you’re having fun.” and with all the fun going around, Boris could not believe his ears after upon asking Oskar about the time, the latter replied that it was 16:35 and the gala had pretty much finished.
Julian and Ben in a Central Park style blitz display
A happy Anstey Chess Club gala team finished with a blitz display from Ben and Julian over two games and then packed up. Our members left the event happy after meeting so many great people not only from the local community, but also visitors from as far as Cambridgeshire. An amazing afternoon and a great learning experience for our club, as we are looking to come back next year with more boards, more advertising materials and a lot better prepared over the upcoming year.
Big thank you to Julian and Oskar for their great help and support for this year’s event after they volunteered their services. Thank you to Boris for getting the table from Newtown Linford and printing out posters and signs, as well as helping greatly with the stall layout. The biggest gratitude as always goes to Ben who continues to work really hard for the good of the club and his members. “El Presidente” did not spare any effort and time during this hectic period and in spite of his busy personal and professional life, he managed to organise the stall, the posters, a big sign and even refreshments for our team.
El Presidente and The Toaster looking to present the club to the local community while engaging in a few friendly games
The Anstey Summer gala is back this year on Saturday, 10th September. As usual, there will be all sorts of entertainment, local stalls and food. Being one of the local venues for recreational activities, Anstey Chess Club will also participate in the gala with its own stall.
Ben ‘El Presidente’ and Boris ‘The Toaster’ are looking forward to a great afternoon on the Stadon Road Recreation Ground where they will be able to engage with the people from Anstey and the area. Our chairman and the Bulgarian website admin will make use of their brand new Anstey Chess Club t-shirts and play friendly chess games with people willing to have a go at tasting the challenge of competitive chess.
Ben will be playing in blitz format 5/0, giving the gala attendees the opportunity to spend a little more time in thinking strategies and combinations. Boris, on the other hand, will engage in the high-pressure bullet games in 2/1 format. Our teammates will also provide flyers with information about the venue and ways to contact us and will present to the local community the joy of being part of our great club. Regardless of whether you are just curious, want to try some games on a proper board with a clock, or just to show your support for the club, come and say ‘Hello’ to our friendly representatives at the Anstey Summer gala!
In the Anstey Chess club, the love for chess is the main driving force for everyone involved. Nevertheless, in spite of the notoriously solitary nature of the game of chess, in our club we are proud of our thriving community full of great memories and positive attitude. To promote the great relationships between our members, we have decided to introduce The Monthly Knockabout. As suggested by the name, each month the members will choose a date using a website poll and the club will find a suitable location in Anstey or the surrounding area – park, club, café, pub, etc. There our members will be able to enjoy games of chess, including “hand and brain”, “Crazyhouse” and various time controls. All necessary equipment such as pieces, boards and clocks will be provided by the club(except for Boris’ set, “The Toaster” will bring it anyway).
You can find the available dates for September, please vote as the results from the poll would decide which date will the event be held. The date will be announced on the website on 31st August and the club will organise the venue and announce the event shortly after.
UPDATE! The vote is now closed and the first Monthly Knockabout will be on 17th September!
A growing Anstey Chess Club prepares to attack three divisions in the Leicestershire league in the 2022-23 league season
On 11th August thirteen Anstey Chess Club members gathered in the Anstey Methodist church for the the club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). Chaired by ‘El Presidente’ Ben, the meeting consisted of lively discussions, important decisions, presentation of the new Presidents trophy and the usual informal and friendly environment which distinguishes our club. Next to the chairman, Boris ‘The Toaster’ almost set his hand on fire trying to keep up with the conversation as the minute taker. ‘El Capitan’ Oskar, Matt ‘The Dark Destroyer’, Mick ‘Just Mick’, Julian ‘Mr. Engine’, Mike, Brian ‘The Griller’, ‘The Lion’ Leo, Bob, ‘Big Daddy’ Valdas, and regular Dave were all at the venue, seated and ready for the meeting which started promptly at 7:30pm sharp.
The first point of attention were the reports from the chairman and the captains, and ‘El Presidente’ began with a long dramatic speech of gratitude aimed at the members, mentioning the growth and progress of the club throughout its short but colourful life. Ben continued with the numbers, showcasing his and John ‘The Torturer’ ‘s great book-keeping ability, which came as no surprise with the latter being a former accountant. The first team captain then preseted the report for the first team and gave the deserved honourable mentions for Matt and Julian who made the big difference in the second part of the league season. (for a full league season report, click here) With the last report, the chairman passed the ball to our second team captain Oskar who presented his report which included interesting stats which highlighted the great progress for our Anstey 2. Honourable mentions received Mike, Boris, Leo, Matt and Hal, all deeed responsible for the amazing performance of our second team in the second half of the season. ((for a full league season report, click here)
The meeting continued with a lively discussion about a Club Championship to be held this year. ‘Just Mick’, ‘Mr. Engine’, ‘The Griller’, ‘The Dark Destroyer’ and Mike all stepped in with ideas and opinions about the idea. The pros and cons of all formats were outlined and in the light of the expressed interest Ben summarised that there will be a sort of Club Championship in the incoming year, and that he will organise it appropirately with the members interested to take part. Following the agitated conversation, ‘El Presidente’ went on to present ‘The President’s Trophy’ which was given to ‘The Toaster’ for the time he had spent last year in developing the club’s website and Facebook page.
The membership fees were discussed and Ben confirmed that all subs would be due by the end of September.
The topic went by quickly as it preceded the main event of the evening – the decision of how many teams to participate in the next league season. As expected, all members weighed in with their opinions and conversation quickly started leaning heavily towards having three teams as opposed to two. The only concern was defaulting boards and the need for ‘doubling up’ (one player playing for two teams regularly) as the former would harm the teams while the latter was deemed as unacceptable by ethical and moral standards. Nevertheless, the members of our great club stepped in with ideas and commitments in order to ensure that even the most difficult periods will be addressed accordingly, and that all of the players would receive the opportunity to play competitive chess. Halfway through the conversation, returning Alan decided to join the meeting, apparently unaware of its starting time. At the end, all hands were raised in favour of having three teams in the Leicestershire Chess League’s 2022-23 season. Following their great performance, both the first and the second team were promoted, and in the next season Anstey 1 will be in Division 2, Anstey 2 will be in Division 3, and the brand new Anstey 3 will be in Division 4.
With the above put through, the members decided that the new first team captaincy would fall to Matt who agreed to step in, as he was already deputising for Ben at certain events. ‘El Presidente’ himself is taking the leadership of the second team while ‘El Capitan’ will be the captain of the third team. After the captaincy, the subject ‘Any other business’ encompassed several conversations about various ideas, from renaming the club to getting branded Anstey Chess Club t-shirts for the members. With topics like library initiatives, club promotion via various means, podcasts, Junior chess and even Reykjavik Open, the future looks bright and exciting for our favourite Anstey Chess Club. The meeting ended around 9pm and several members headed to ‘Passage to India’ where they enjoyed fun conversations, cold beer (except for ‘The Lion’ who naturally had Coke) and great curry.
After another great evening for the club, we are looking forward to what appears to be a bright future in front of Anstey Chess Club and its members. If you want to be part of this exciting journey, whether as a competitive player or just casual chess enthusiast, pop over to the Anstey Methodist Church every Thursday from 7:30pm. All abilities welcome!
Following the Anstey Chess Club Facebook page, the club decided that it is time for to become even more accessible to the people by joining one of the most popular social networks – Instagram. Founded in 2010, in the last several years, the social media has established itself as one of the most recognised video and photo sharing social networks, with millions of users around the globe. Follow the club on the Anstey Chess Club Instagram page for the latest content from our teams and members. As expected, we are planning to share a little bit of everything, including photos, videos, memes, and more. The only thing we would like from you is to like and share our posts, and keep the good tone in the comments. Pop over to Instagram and see what we are up to!
Anstey Chess Club 