History of Chess in Brighton (Chapter 12) - Brighton and Hove Chess Club

BRIGHTON CHESS

A HISTORY OF CHESS IN BRIGHTON
1841-1993

Chapter 12
1980-1986

THE LAST YEARS AT 4 PAVILION BUILDINGS

The Fourth Brighton Chess Club, 1 January 1980 to 7 March 1986
As the new decade dawned the Brighton Chess Club was still struggling to maintain its existence at 4 Pavilion Buildings. A sharing agreement with the Friends’ Centre was now in operation, but the club’s tenancy was still in doubt as no lease with the Council had been signed. In March 1980 the chess club received another setback when the solicitors who were fellow occupants of the building complained to the Council about the behaviour of some of the students who were being educated by the Friends’ Centre. This unfortunate development resulted in the chess club being offered only a tenancy ‘at will’ instead of the hoped-for three year lease. The club was left with little alternative but to accept the terms if it wanted to stay in the premises, and the new contract was signed in October 1980.

The next few months may have been relatively peaceful on the external front, but internally all was not well. The club’s membership had declined to a total of about 50 to 60 and there seemed to be a general lack of enthusiasm. The junior championship had come to an end in 1979 and the Sir Clarence Sadd Handicap followed in 1980, in both cases because of a lack of entries. The veterans’ championship (the former Regency Chess Club trophy) survived this troubled period, but ceased in 1985. Two other competitions, the Plummer Trophy and the Robinson Cup, continued with reduced entries. When Leopold Winter had been active every new member was made to feel welcome. Now a general apathy reigned and the club failed to enlist enough new members, while there was hardly a junior to be seen. The general appearance of the club left much to be desired, and when the Southampton Chess Club visited the premises early in 1981 a special clean-up operation had to be arranged.

Amid the gloom it was announced at the Annual General Meeting held in September 1981 that the Council were willing to grant a three year lease. One might have expected that the club would have been overjoyed at this development but in fact there was no immediate rush to sign the lease. Morale was low, and there was probably a fear that the club might not be able to commit itself to the expenditure involved in maintaining the lease for a period of three years. At a General Meeting held on 17 April 1982 Geoffrey James suggested that it might not be economic for the club to remain open on a daily basis. Meanwhile the club was presented with the option of moving to the premises of the Brighton Boys’ Club. This was taken seriously, and a General Meeting held on 12 June 1982 went so far as to approve the renting of rooms at the new accommodation. When, however, the Friends’ Centre became aware of this new development they made an offer to meet all costs up to 24 March 1985 if the Brighton Chess Club would pay them £350 per annum. This change of circumstances led to the chess club remaining at 4 Pavilion Buildings and the Brighton Boys’ Club was paid £50 in compensation. The three year lease, which was still on offer, was now signed. It was backdated to 25 March 1982 and was to last until 24 March 1985.

A quieter period now followed, but evidence that the club was struggling for money can be found in the sale of its library. The sharing arrangement with the Friends’ Centre had provided a breathing space, but early in 1985 it was learned that the Friends’ Centre had had their education grant cut and would have to withdraw from the lease. The chess club applied to the Borough Council for grant aid, but this approach was unsuccessful. It was now obvious that a move would have to be made to less expensive premises. By August 1985 an offer by the United Reformed Church in Lewes Road was being considered as a possibility. In September of that year it was learned that the president, Tom Griffiths, was resigning. He was made an Honorary Life Member and Mike Nicholas took over his post. Mike’s energy in a difficult situation was to play a vital part in saving the club. Important allies were now found in Lord Oram, the President of the Brighton Co-operative Society, and Bob Cristofoli, the Mayor of Brighton. Lord Oram had in fact come second in the first ever Dupree Chess Tournament. Bob Cristofoli was also a keen chess player, as was Andrew Bowden, a local MP who came to the club’s AGM in September 1985.

Meanwhile the club faced continuing financial problems. No grants were forthcoming, but in November 1985 the Borough helped to relieve the situation by approving a 50% reduction in rates for the 1985-6 year. It was clear, however, that the club had to leave the premises as soon as possible to avoid a further drain on its resources.

In this difficult situation Lord Oram’s assistance proved invaluable. He gave the club the chance to move to new accommodation. This ‘lifeline’ was accepted at a committee meeting on 21 December 1985 and on 8 March 1986 the club transferred its belongings to the Co-op Social Club at 86 London Road. Nowadays 4 Pavilion Buildings has been converted into the Pavilion Shop.

It was almost inevitable that the club’s external problems would lead to some decline in interest on the playing side. The club continued to enter the National Club Championship, with varying results. Ray Keene was not available to play for the team after 1981 and other strong players had periods when they were not actively participating in chess. The best results in the National Club Championship were achieved in the 1984-5 season, when the players reached the last eight of the competition before losing to the formidable London club King’s Head.

In the McArthur Cup the club at first carried on in the early 1980s as it had been doing for most of the 1970s. Success in the 1982 final crowned a winning sequence which had lasted for ten years. Then Hastings, who were represented by the brilliant Stuart Conquest on board one, broke the sequence by registering a 4-2 win. In the following year Brighton reversed the result to regain the trophy, but in 1985 the club was defeated in the semi-final by Worthing.

Brighton first entered the Mid-Sussex League in 1982 and by 1984 had won promotion to the first division. A second team also joined the league in 1983 and in its first season won promotion to the second division.

During the early 1980s a number of attractive tournaments took place locally. In 1980 Brighton was again the venue for the British Chess Federation Congress and this was repeated four years later. In both cases the Congress was held at the Brighton Centre.

The Brighton International Tournaments were contested from 1979 to 1985. As the years passed they generally attracted stronger and stronger entries until the 1984 competition became the British Sub Zonal Tournament. David Cummings and David Goodman competed in the 1980 tournament, but after that none of the participants had local connections.

Quickplay chess was also featured. Under the initiative of Tyrone Woo, a Brighton Chess Club member who obtained sponsorship from American Express, a quickplay tournament was arranged in June 1985 at the Old Ship Hotel. It attracted over 200 competitors.

Despite all these interesting tournaments there was no lasting increase in the membership of the Brighton Chess Club. There was a feeling that the club was living on borrowed time and that its days at 4 Pavilion Buildings were numbered. In the end a new start would have to be made, with new ideas.

Other Clubs in the Brighton Area, 1 January 1980 to 7 March 1986
1980 was a very good year for Varndean. For the first time the young team became Mid-Sussex League Champions. They also performed well in the McArthur Cup, only being defeated in the final by a Brighton Chess Club team which included Ray Keene on board one. Another heartening achievement was the team’s reaching the last 16 of the National Club Championship. Varndean were eventually defeated by the strong Wood Green Club, but Duncan Frost gained the following good win on board two:

(200) D.P. Frost — T. Parkes
Alekhine’s Defence
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 dxe5 5.Nxe5 g6 6.Bc4 Be6 7.Nc3 Bg7 8.Ne4 0-0 9.Ng5 Qc8 10.0-0 h6 11.Nxe6 Qxe6 12.Re1 Qd6 13.Bb3 e6 14.c4 Ne7 15.Bf4 Qd8 16.d5 exd5 17.cxd5 g5 18.Nxf7! Rxf7 19.Bxc7! Qc8 20.d6 Ng6 21.Bxb8 Rxb8 22.d7 Qf8 23.Bxf7+ Kxf7 24.Qd5+ Kf6 25.Qe6 mate 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

Not long after these successes the name of the club was changed from Varndean to Dorothy Stringer (following a reorganisation of local schools a few years previously it had built up close links with the neighbouring Dorothy Stringer School). In 1985 the club was renamed The Holt (from the name of a building in the grounds of the Dorothy Stringer School). Since that time the club has included young players from different schools in the area.

The team continued to perform well in the Mid-Sussex League, sharing the title with Falmer in 1981 and winning the competition outright in 1985. The club’s second team came second in the southern section of the third division in 1981, but was then withdrawn from the league. It returned in 1984 and was placed in the northern section of the third division.

The University of Sussex Chess Club ceased to enter the McArthur Cup after 1981. Perhaps it had decided to concentrate its efforts on the Mid-Sussex League, for in that year one of its two teams was promoted to the first division. In its first season at the higher level the club finished in second place, being pipped by East Grinstead by one point. 1983 brought a temporary relegation to the second division but a year later first division status was regained.

A university second team entered the league for the first time in 1980 and in 1985 it won promotion to the second division.

A university third team first took part in the league in 1984. Like the second team it was promoted to the second division in 1985.

During this period some very strong players attended the university. The list included Byron Jacobs, John Richardson and Andrew Kinsman. Although the first two played on the top boards for Sussex it appears that they did not play for the university team (at least not regularly). Andrew Kinsman played a number of games for the university but he also represented the Seaford and Brighton Clubs at various times. In 1985 he became the university’s first ever county champion when he shared the title with Gary Kenworthy.

The Falmer Chess Club was promoted to the first division of the Mid-Sussex League in 1980. In the following year the team, which included Brighton Chess Club players Brian Denman, Paul Selby and Chris Tucknott, shared the championship with Dorothy Stringer. Success was, however, shortlived and in 1982 the club was relegated to the second division. In 1983 it ceased to compete in adult chess.

Dr Douglas Opie had been the force behind the club right up to the end. He had continued to run the junior congresses up to 1981. The club’s withdrawal from the Mid-Sussex League in 1983 coincided with his leaving Falmer School.

The Brighton, Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College continued to enter a team in the Mid-Sussex League and had periods in both the second and third divisions. In 1980 it did well to come third in the second division and was only a point behind the promoted Crowborough team. At the end of the period the club was competing in the northern section of the third division.

The Peacehaven and Telscombe Cliffs Chess Club held its inaugural meeting on 11 March 1985 when there were six chess players present. At first the new club met fortnightly, but from September 1985 weekly sessions became the normal practice. The first Annual General Meeting was held on 10 June 1985. Fourteen members were present and a constitution was formulated. In its early days the club met at the church hall of the Church of the Ascension in Bramber Avenue, Peacehaven. Towards the end of 1985 the club received a boost when John Dodgson, the Brighton Chess Club Champion, became a member.

The Saltdean Chess Club found itself forced to move premises in 1985. The Saltdean Community Association decided to impose charges for the use of the premises that the chess club could not meet. The club responded by making itself independent of the Community Association and found new accommodation at the Bessant Room at St Martin’s Church Hall in Longridge Avenue.

Finally, a chess team from American Express in Brighton entered the McArthur Cup in 1984 and the Mid-Sussex League in 1985. The inspiration behind the club was probably Tyrone Woo, who arranged the large quickplay tournament at the Old Ship Hotel in June 1985 (he also organised a second event in October 1986). It appears, however, that the club was active only for a relatively short time.

The Players, 1 January 1980 to 7 March 1986

D.H. Cummings
During this period David Cummings went from strength to strength. In 1980 he won the county championship, defeating Brian Denman in the final. He also won the Sussex Lightning Championship in 1980 and 1981, thus completing three successive victories in this type of chess. After he went up to Oxford University his game continued to improve and he played in several Oxford v Cambridge matches. In 1983 he scored seven points out of eleven in the British Championship at Southport, being placed tenth, and in the same year he achieved an International Master norm in the Lloyds Bank Masters tournament. In 1984 he went one stage further, winning the IM title at Tatabanya in Hungary. Another fine performance was his seven points out of eleven in the British Championship at Edinburgh in 1985, where he was placed ninth. He now lives in Berkshire. In 1993, after playing relatively little chess for several years, he achieved second place in the Guernsey Open and joint first place in the Torbay Open. Appended are six of his games from the period covered in this chapter.

(201) B.J. Denman — D.H. Cummings
Sussex Championship Final, 1980
Sicilian Defence, Taimanov Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 Qc7 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Kh1 Bb4 9.Bg5 Bxc3 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.bxc3 Ne7 12.c4 b6 13.f4 Bb7 14.Qd3 Rg8 15.Rab1 Rc8 16.f5 Qe5 17.Bf3 Qc5 18.Rfd1 Rc7 19.Rb3 e5 20.Ne2 Nc8 21.Qd2 Ke7 22.Qh6 Nd6 23.Ng3 Rxg3! 24.hxg3 Nxe4 25.Rdb1 Nxg3+ 26.Kh2 Nxf5 27.Qxh7 e4 28.Bh5 Qe5+ 29.Kg1 Nd6 30.Rxb6 Qd4+ 31.Kh1 Qxc4 32.Rd1 Bc6 33.Qh8 Rc8 34.Qh7 Qxc2 35.Rb3 Qf2 36.Rh3 e3 37.Bf3 e2 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(202) M. Fuller — D.H. Cummings
British Championship, Brighton, 1980
Closed Sicilian
1.e4 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Ne2 Bg7 5.c3 e5 6.d3 Nge7 7.0-0 0-0 8.a3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.b4 cxb4 11.axb4 Bg4 12.b5 Nce7 13.h3 Be6 14.Ba3 Qd7 15.Nd2 Rfd8 16.Ne4 Bxh3 17.Bxh3 Qxh3 18.c4 Nf6 19.Bxe7 Ng4 20.Re1 f5 21.N2c3 fxe4 22.Nxe4 Rd7 23.Bc5 Rad8 24.Ra3 b6 25.Be3 Rf7 26.Ra2 Qh2+ 27.Kf1 Qh1+ 28.Ke2 Qf3+ 29.Kd2 Qxe4 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(203) S.J.B. Knott — D.H. Cummings
British Championship, Brighton, 1980
Symmetrical English Opening
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 b6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bb7 6.f3 d6 7.e4 e6 8.Be2 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Be3 a6 11.Qd2 Nbd7 12.Rfd1 Rc8 13.Rac1 Qc7 14.b4 d5 15.exd5 Bxb4 16.dxe6 Ne5 17.Qb2 Bc5 18.Na4 Rfe8 19.exf7+ Qxf7 20.Bf2 Rb8 21.Qc2 Nh5 22.Bf1 Nf4 23.Qf5 Qxf5 24.Nxf5 Nh3+ 25.gxh3 Nxf3+ 26.Kg2 Nh4+ 27.Kg1 Nf3+ 28.Kg2 Nh4+ 29.Kg1 Bxf2+ 30.Kxf2 Rf8 31.Nxb6 Rxf5+ 32.Kg3 g5 33.Nd5 Re8 34.Re1 Rf3+ 35.Kg4 Ref8 36.Kxg5 Bxd5 37.cxd5 R3f4 38.Bd3 Nf3+ 39.Kh5 Rh4 mate 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(204) J. Nunn — D.H. Cummings
ARC Young Masters Tournament, Chichester, 1981
Sicilian Defence, Taimanov Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 Qc7 7.f4 b5 8.Be3 Bb7 9.Nb3 d6 10.a3 Nf6 11.0-0 Be7 12.Bf3 0-0 13.Qe2 Nd7 14.Qf2 Rac8 15.Rfd1 Nc5 16.Nd4 Rfe8 17.Nde2 b4 18.axb4 Nxb4 19.Rd2 Qb8 20.Ng3 Bf8 21.Nh5 Kh8 22.Qg3 Nd7 23.Qf2 Nc5 24.Rad1 Qa8 25.Rd4 a5 26.Ra1 Qb8 27.Rd2 Qa8 28.Ng3 Bc6 29.Rd4 Rb8 30.Rd2 Rbc8 31.Rdd1 Bb7 32.Ra3 d5 33.Rda1 dxe4 34.Bh5 Rc7 35.Rxa5 Qc8 36.Nb5 Ncd3! 37.cxd3 Rc2 38.Qf1 exd3 39.Bf3 Bc5 40.Bxb7 Bxe3+ 41.Kh1 Qxb7 42.Nd6 Qc6 43.Nxe8 h6 44.Ra8 Kh7 45.Rd8 Rf2 46.Qg1 Rxb2 47.Qf1 Rf2 48.Qg1 Rc2 49.Qf1 ½-½ (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(205) D.H. Cummings — J. Hebert (Canada)
British Championship, Southport, 1983
King’s Indian Defence, Classical Variation
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nbd7 8.Re1 a5 9.Bf1 h6 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.Qc2 c6 12.Na4 Nh5 13.Be3 Nf4? 14.Rad1 Qf6 15.c5 Qe7 16.Rd6 b5 17.Nc3 Nb8 18.h3 a4 19.Bxf4 exf4 20.e5 Na6 21.Nd4 Nxc5 22.Nxc6 Qg5 23.Nd5 Nb7 24.Nce7+ Kh7? 25.h4 Qxh4 26.Rxg6! fxg6 27.Qxg6+ Kh8 28.Bd3 Bf5 29.Bxf5 Rxf5 30.Qxg7+ 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(206) Y. Murey (Israel) — D.H. Cummings
Lloyds Bank Masters, 1983
Sicilian Defence, Accelerated Dragon
1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.Nb3 Nf6 7.e4 0-0 8.Be2 b6 9.0-0 Bb7 10.c5 Rc8 11.Bf4 Na5 12.e5 Ne4 13.Nxe4 Bxe4 14.Nxa5 bxa5 15.Re1 Bc6 16.Rc1 e6 17.Bf3 Qe7 18.Qd6 Rfe8 19.Qxe7 Rxe7 20.b3 Bxf3 21.gxf3 Ree8 22.Re4 Bf8 23.Be3 Rb8 24.Rd1 Rec8 25.Rxd7 Bxc5 26.Bxc5 Rxc5 27.Rxa7 Rb4 28.Rxb4 axb4 29.f4 Rc2 30.Kg2 Kg7 31.h3 h6 32.h4 Rd2 33.Kf3 Rd1 34.Ke3 Rc1 35.f3 Rc2 36.Ra4 Rh2? [36...h5!] 37.Kd3 Rf2 38.Kc4 Rxf3 39.Rxb4?? Rxf4+ 40.Kc5 Rxb4 41.Kxb4 g5 42.hxg5 h5 43.Kc5 h4 44.b4 h3 45.a4 h2 46.a5 h1Q 47.b5 Qb7 48.a6 Qc7+ 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

G.H. James
Geoffrey James continued to be successful in the county championship, defeating Brian Denman in the 1981 final and Feliks Kwiatkowski in the 1983 final. By this time he had been county champion on seven occasions and only Arthur Winser of Hastings and Ernest Reed had won the title more often. In 1982 he competed in the British Championship at Torquay, scoring four points out of eleven. During this period he rarely entered the Brighton Chess Club Championship. I append four of his games played in the early 1980s.

(207) B.J. Denman — G.H. James
Sussex Championship Final, 1981
Ruy Lopez, Fianchetto Defence
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.0-0 Bg7 5.c3 d6 6.d4 Bd7 7.Re1 Nge7 8.h3 h6 9.a3 0-0 10.Bc4 a5 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Nbd2 a4! 13.b4 axb3 14.Nxb3 Na5 15.Nxa5 Rxa5 16.Bb3 Qc8 17.Nh2 Be6 18.Qc2 Rb5 19.Ba4 Ra5 20.Rb1 Rd8 21.Bb3 b6 22.Rd1 Rxd1+ 23.Qxd1 Qd7 24.Qxd7 Bxd7 25.Ng4 h5 26.Ne3 Ra8 27.Bb2 Ba4 28.Ba2 Rd8 29.Nd5 Nxd5 30.exd5 e4 31.Re1 Bc2 32.g4 hxg4 33.hxg4 Bf6 34.Kg2 Kg7 35.Re2 Bd3 36.Re3 Rh8 37.Re1 Be5 38.Bb3 Rh2+ 39.Kg1 Rh4 40.f3 f6 41.Bd1 Bg3 42.Re3 Bf4 43.Re1 Bd2 44.Rxe4 Bxe4 45.fxe4 Bf4 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(208) G.H. James — S.M. Taulbut
Sussex v Berkshire at Reading (Board 1), 1981
Catalan Opening
1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 c6 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.d4 Nc6 6.Nc3 Bf5 7.Nf3 e6 8.Nh4 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.Qd3 Be7 11.g4 Nd7 12.Nf5 exf5 13.gxh5 Nf6 14.Qxf5 Nxd4 15.Qd3 Nc6 16.Nxd5 Nxd5 17.Bxd5 0-0 18.Rg1 Bf6 19.Bd2 Rc8 20.Bc3 Bxc3+?? 21.Qxc3 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(209) G.H. James — M.J. Basman
British Championship, Torquay, 1982
Basman Defence
1.c4 g5 2.d4 h6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 c5 5.Nge2 Nc6 6.Be3 b6 7.d5 Ne5 8.Ng3 Ng6 9.Nh5 Be5 10.g3 Nf6 11.f4 gxf4 12.gxf4 Bxc3+ 13.bxc3 Nxe4 14.Bd3 Nd6 15.Qg4 Qc7 16.f5 Ne5 17.Qg7 Nxd3+ 18.Ke2 Rf8 19.Bxh6 Kd8 20.Qxf8+ Ne8 21.Ng7 Qe5+ 22.Kxd3 Ba6 23.Rhe1 Qxd5+ 24.Kc2 Qxc4 25.Qxe7+ Kc7 26.Qe4 Qxe4+ 27.Rxe4 Nf6 28.Ree1 Kc6 29.Bg5 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(210) G.H. James — G. Kenworthy
Brighton v Seaford, McArthur Cup (Board 2), 1983
English Opening
1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nc3 Nc7 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.b3 e5 8.Bb2 Be7 9.Rc1 b6
10.b4 cxb4 11.Na4 Bd7 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.Bxe5 Ne6 14.0-0 Rc8 15.Rxc8 Qxc8 16.d4 Qa6 17.Nb2 f6 18.d5! Nc5 19.Bf4 Qxa2 20.Nd3 Nxd3 21.Qxd3 Bc5 22.d6 Be6 23.Bc6+ Kf7 24.Rd1 Qc4 25.Qf3 b3 26.Be4 f5 27.Bd3 Qa4 28.e4 Qc6 29.Be5 h5 30.Qf4 Re8 31.Qg5 Bxf2+ 32.Kf1 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

F.J. Kwiatkowski
In 1982 Feliks Kwiatkowski won both the Brighton Chess Club and Sussex Championships. His opponent in the county championship final was R.C. Noel-Johnson. In 1983 he reached the final for a second time but was defeated by Geoffrey James. In the following year he regained his title, defeating Bob Elliston of Hastings in the final.

Although it is now some time since Feliks was a member of the club we follow his chess career through to the present time. In 1986 he competed in the British Championship at Southampton, scoring four points out of eleven. Two years later he scored four and a half points in the British Championship at Blackpool. In the first two rounds of the latter tournament he gained excellent wins against Gary Lane and Mark Hebden. Between 1990 and 1993 he fought out four county championship finals against Brian Denman, winning in 1991 and being runner up in 1990, 1992 and 1993.

Feliks continues to be a very strong correspondence player. In 1980 he gained an International Master norm after playing for Great Britain in the second European Team Correspondence Championships. He also demonstrated his skills in lightning chess when he won the Sussex Lightning Championship in 1984.

I append several of his games which trace his chess career into the 1990s.

(211) J.G. Nicholson — F.J. Kwiatkowski
Sun Alliance v Haywards Heath, Mid-Sussex League (Board 1), 1983
Sicilian Defence, Pelikan Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 0-0 12.Nc2 Bg5 13.a4 bxa4 14.Rxa4 a5 15.Bc4 Rb8 16.Qa1 Kh8 17.0-0 f5 18.exf5 Bxf5 19.Nce3 Be6 20.Rd1 Qd7 21.Be2 Qf7 22.Bf3? e4 23.Rxe4 Ne5 24.Rdd4 Nxf3+ 25.gxf3 Qxf3!! 26.Rxe6 Qxf2+ 27.Kh1 Rxb2 28.Qg1 Qf3+ 29.Ng2 Rb1! 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(212) F.J. Kwiatkowski —B.J. Denman
County Championship Semi-Final, 1984
French Defence, Tarrasch Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 exd5 5.d4 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.0-0 Nge7 9.Nbd2 0-0 10.Nb3 Bd6 11.Nbd4 Bg4 12.Qa4 Qd7 13.Be3 a6 14.Be2 Rfe8 15.h3 Nxd4 16.Qxd4 Bh5 17.Rad1 Rad8 18.Qd2 Bg6 19.Rfe1 Qc7 20.Nd4 Be4 21.Bd3 Ng6 22.Nf5 Bh2+ 23.Kh1 Nf4 24.Bxe4 dxe4 25.Bd4 f6 26.Kxh2 Nd3+ 27.Kg1 Nxe1 28.Rxe1 Rd5 29.Ng3 f5 30.Nh5 Qf7 31.Qg5 Qg6 32.Qxg6 hxg6 33.Nf4 Rd6 34.h4 Kf7 35.b4 Rc8 36.a4 Rc4 37.Re3 a5 38.bxa5 Rxa4 39.Rg3 Rxa5 40.h5 Ra1+ 41.Kh2 b5 42.hxg6+ Kg8 43.Rg5 b4 44.Bc5 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(213) F.J. Kwiatkowski — R.V. Elliston
County Championship Final, 1984
Scandinavian Defence
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bc4 c6 6.Nf3 Bf5 7.Ne5 e6 8.Bd2 Bb4 9.g4 Be4 10.Nxe4 Nxe4 11.c3! Bd6? 12.Nxf7 Kxf7 13.Qf3+ Nf6 14.g5 Nbd7 15.gxf6 Nxf6 16.0-0-0 Qh5 17.Qxh5+ Nxh5 18.Rde1 Rae8 19.Re3 Re7 20.Rhe1 Rhe8 21.Rh3 Nf6 22.Kc2 Kf8 23.Bg5 Kf7 24.Bxf6 Kxf6 25.Rf3+ Kg5 26.Rg1+ Kh4 27.Bf1 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(214) F.J. Kwiatkowski — G. Lane
British Championship, Blackpool, 1988
Ruy Lopez, Closed Defence
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.a4 Bg4 10.h3 Bh5 11.d3 Na5 12.Bc2 c5 13.Nbd2 Re8 14.Nf1 h6 15.Ng3 Bg6 16.Nh4 b4 17.Ngf5 Bf8 18.Nxg6 fxg6 19.Nh4 Kh7 20.d4 g5 21.Nf5 g6 22.Ne3 cxd4 23.cxd4 Nc6 24.d5 Nd4 25.Bd3 h5 26.a5 Nd7 27.Bd2 Rb8 28.Nc2 Nxc2 29.Qxc2 Nc5 30.Bc4 Be7 31.Be3 Qc8 32.Rac1 Qb7 33.Bxc5 dxc5 34.Qe2 Bd8 35.Bxa6 Qa7 36.Bb5 Rf8 37.Bc6 Bxa5 38.Qe3 Qc7 39.Qxg5 c4 40.Rxc4 Bb6 41.Rf1 Qa7 42.Rc2 Rf7 43.Qxe5 Rbf8 44.Qg3 Rf4 45.d6 Bd8 46.Be8 b3 47.Qxg6+ Kh8 48.Qxh5+ Kg8 49.Rc3 Qg7 50.Rg3 Qxg3 51.fxg3 Bb6+ 52.Kh2 Rxf1 53.h4 Bg1+ 54.Kh3 Bb6 55.Bg6 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(215) M. Hebden — F.J. Kwiatkowski
British Championship, Blackpool, 1988
Queen’s Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 c6 8.0-0 d5 9.Qc2 0-0 10.Bf4 Nbd7 11.Nbd2 c5 12.dxc5 Nxc5 13.Rfd1 Bb7 14.cxd5 Nxd5 15.Nc4 b5 16.Ne3 Rc8 17.Qb2 Qb6 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.Be5 f6 20.Bd4 Qb7 21.Rac1 b4 22.Qd2 Rfd8 23.Qe3 Qb5 24.Ne1 Kf7 25.Bxd5 Rxd5 26.Nd3 Rcd8 27.Nf4 Rf5 28.Rxc5 Rxc5 29.Nxe6 Rdd5 30.Nf4 Rd6 31.Re1 Rc7 32.Bxa7 g5 33.Nh3 Re6 34.Qf3 Rxa7 35.Rd1 Qxe2 36.Nxg5+ Kg8 37.Rd2 Qxf3 38.Nxf3 Rc7 39.Kg2 Kf7 40.g4 Bd6 41.Rd5 Be5 42.Rb5 Bc3 43.Rf5 Ke7 44.h4 Ra7 45.Rh5 Kf8 46.g5 Kg7 47.Nh2 fxg5 48.hxg5 h6 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(216) F.J. Kwiatkowski — N. Macdonald
British Championship, Blackpool, 1988
French Defence, Winawer Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 0-0 8.Bd3 f5 9.exf6 Rxf6 10.Bg5 Rf7 11.Qh4 h6 12.Bxe7 Rxe7 13.Nf3 e5 14.dxe5 Rxe5+ 15.Kd2 Qxh4 16.Nxh4 Nc6 17.Rae1 Bd7 18.f4 Rxe1 19.Rxe1 Re8 20.Rxe8+ Bxe8 21.Nf5 Bd7 22.c4 d4 23.Be4 Bxf5 24.Bxf5 g5 25.Be4! Na5 26.Bd5+ Kf8 27.fxg5 hxg5 28.Kd3 Ke7 29.Ke4 Kd6 30.h3 b6 31.g3 d3 32.cxd3 Nb3 33.h4 gxh4 34.gxh4 Nd2+ 35.Kf5 Nf1 36.Kf4 Ke7 37.Ke5 Ng3 38.Bf3 Kf7 39.Kd6 Nf5+ 40.Kc7 Nd4 41.Bd5+ Ke7 42.a4 Ne2 43.h5 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(217) F.J. Kwiatkowski — Dr A.S. Hollis
Ward-Higgs Trophy (Correspondence, Board 1), 1990-1
Sicilian Defence, Scheveningen Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Be2 a6 7.0-0 Nbd7 8.f4 b5 9.Bf3 Bb7 10.e5 Bxf3 11.Nxf3 Ng4 12.Qe2 b4 13.Na4 Nb6 14.f5 Nxa4 15.Qe4 Qb6+ 16.Kh1 Nf2+ 17.Rxf2 d5 18.Qe1 Bc5 19.Re2 exf5 20.e6 0-0 21.exf7+ Rxf7 22.Ng5 Rff8 23.Bf4 Qb5 24.Ne6 Rfe8 25.Qg3 Bf8 26.Re5 Rxe6 27.Rxe6 Nc5 28.Re5 Ne4 29.Qb3 Rd8 30.Be3 g6 31.Rd1 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(218) F.J. Kwiatkowski — B.J. Denman
County Championship Final, 1991
Sicilian Defence
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.d4 Ngf6 5.Nc3 cxd4 6.Qxd4 e5 7.Qd3 h6 8.a4 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Be3 a6 11.Bc4 Qc7 12.Nh4 Nc5 13.Bxc5 dxc5 14.Ng6 Rd8 15.Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.Bxd5 Be6 18.Rfd1 Bxd5 19.exd5 e4 20.Qe2 Qe5 21.c4 f5 22.Ra3 Rd6 23.Rb3 b6 24.f3 Re8 25.Re3 Rd7 26.fxe4 fxe4 27.h3 Kh7 28.Qg4 Rf7 29.d6 h5 30.Qe2 g6 31.d7 Rd8 32.Rxe4 Qf6 33.Re6 Qg7 34.Rdd6 Rfxd7 35.Rxg6 Rxd6 36.Qxh5+ Kg8 37.Rxg7+ Kxg7 38.a5 bxa5 39.Qxc5 a4 40.Qb4 Rd2 41.Qxa4 Rxb2 42.Qxa6 Rdd2 43.Qc6 Rbc2 44.Kh2 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(219) R.A. Allicock — F.J. Kwiatkowski
Surrey v Sussex (Board 2), 1992
Bird’s Opening
1.f4 Nf6 2.b3 d6 3.Bb2 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5! 5.fxe5 dxe5 6.Nxe5? Nxe5 7.Bxe5 Ng4 8.Bg3 Bd6 9.d4 Bxg3+ 10.hxg3 Qf6 11.Qd3 Qf2+ 12.Kd2 Bf5 13.Qb5+ c6 14.Qxb7 Qe3+ 15.Kd1 Nf2+ 16.Ke1 0-0 17.Rh5 Bxc2 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

A.P.H. Kinsman
Andrew Kinsman came to the University of Sussex in 1983. In his first season in Sussex he represented the university in the Mid-Sussex League and also helped the Seaford Chess Club in the National Club Championship (in which the team reached the last eight) and the McArthur Cup. Later he played for the Brighton Chess Club in these competitions. In 1985 he proved his potential by sharing the county championship with Gary Kenworthy.

The following games illustrate his lively play:

(220) D.P. Frost — A.P.H. Kinsman
London Under-21, 1983
Ruy Lopez, Konikowski Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.c3 d5 5.d4 exd4 6.exd5 Qxd5 7.0-0 Bg4 8.Qe1+ Nge7 9.Nxd4 0-0-0 10.Nxc6 Nxc6 11.Be3 Rhe8 12.c4 Qh5 13.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Qa5 Rxe3! 15.Qa6+ Kb8 16.fxe3 Bxe3+ 17.Kh1 Bf4 18.h3 Bxh3 19.Rxf4 Rd1+ 20.Kh2 Bc8+ 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(221) R.V. Elliston — A.P.H. Kinsman
Crowborough v University of Sussex, 1986
Symmetrical English Opening
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.Nf3 e6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bb4 6.Ndb5 d5 7.Bf4 0-0 8.Nc7 Nh5 9.Nxa8 Nxf4 10.Qd4 Ng6 11.Qxa7 Nc6 12.Qb6 Qf6 13.0-0-0 Bxc3 14.e3 Nb4 15.Bd3 Bxb2+ 16.Kb1 Ba3 17.Qd4 Qxf2 18.Qa1 Nxd3 19.Rxd3 Qf5 20.Qd4 dxc4 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(222) J.A. Dodgson — A.P.H. Kinsman
Seaford v University of Sussex, 1986
Benko Gambit
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.e3 Bb7 6.Nc3 axb5 7.Bxb5 Qa5 8.Bd2 Qb6 9.Qb3 e6 10.e4 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 Bxd5 12.Qd3 f5 13.f3 fxe4 14.fxe4 c4 15.Bxc4 Bxc4 16.Qxc4 Bc5 17.0-0-0 0-0 18.Nf3 Nc6 19.Bc3 Ra7 20.h4 Rfa8 21.Ng5 Rxa2 22.Nxe6 [22.Rxd7!] 22...Be3+ 23.Kc2 R8a4 24.Qd5 Rxb2+ 25.Kd3 Qa6+ 26.Kxe3 Qe2+ 27.Kf4 Qf2+ 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(223) A.P.H. Kinsman — J.A. Dodgson
Brighton v Seaford, 1986
King’s Indian Defence, Four Pawns Attack
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 d6 4.Nc3 g6 5.e4 Bg7 6.f4 0-0 7.Nf3 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.e5 Ng4 10.cxd5 dxe5 11.h3 e4 12.hxg4 exf3 13.gxf3 Re8 14.f5 b6 15.Kf1 Nd7 16.Bb5 a6 17.Bc6 Ra7 18.Qc2 Bb7 19.Qh2 Bxc6 20.Qxh7+ Kf8 21.Bh6 Bxh6 22.Qxh6+ Ke7 23.dxc6 Nf6 24.Re1+ 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

J.C. Henshaw
John Henshaw won the Brighton Chess Club Championship in 1980 and in the same year scored four points out of eleven in the British Championship at Brighton. When the British Championship returned to Brighton in 1984 he entered the Major Open tournament and came close to winning a prize. I append five of his favourite games from the period.

(224) J.C. Henshaw — J.W. Branford
British Championship, Brighton, 1980
Caro Kann Defence
1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 Nf6 5.Bb5+ Nbd7 6.Nc3 a6 7.Ba4 b5 8.Bb3 Nb6 9.a4 b4 10.a5 Nbxd5 11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.Nf3 e6 13.Ne5 Bd6 14.Ba4+ Kf8 15.d4 Bxe5 16.dxe5 Qxa5 17.0-0 Qb6 18.Be3 Nxe3 19.fxe3 Qxe3+ 20.Kh1 Qg5 21.Qd6+ Qe7 22.Rxf7+ 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(225) J.C. Henshaw — P. Watson
Brighton Chess Club Championship, 1980
Queen’s Gambit Declined
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.e3 Be7 8.Bd3 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.Qb3 Ne8 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.Rfc1 f5 13.Na4 Nef6 14.Nb6 Nxb6 15.Qxb6 Qd8 16.Qb3 Rf7 17.Rc2 Ne8 18.Rac1 Nd6 19.Ne5 Re7 20.Qa3 g6 21.g3 Kg7 22.f4 Kf6 23.h3 Nf7 24.g4 Nxe5 25.fxe5+ Kf7 26.Qd6 Bd7 27.gxf5 gxf5 28.Bxf5 Bc6 29.Bxe6+ 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(226) J.C. Henshaw — T. Norton
Brighton v Crawley, McArthur Cup Semi-Final, 1981
King’s Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.h3 e5 7.d5 c6 8.Be3 cxd5 9.cxd5 Nbd7 10.Nd2 Ne8 11.g4 Bf6 12.Nf3 Be7 13.h4 Ndf6 14.Nh2 Nd7 15.Qf3 Bxh4 16.Qh3 Be7 17.Qh6 Ndf6 18.Nf3 Bxg4 19.Ng5 Bh5 20.Rxh5 gxh5 21.Bh3 Ng7 22.0-0-0 Re8 23.Rg1 Bf8 24.Nxh7 Nxh7 25.Bf5 Nf6 26.Bg5 Nxf5 27.Bxf6+ Ng7 28.Rxg7+ 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(227) G.M. Boyce — J.C. Henshaw
Buckinghamshire v Sussex, 1985
King’s Indian Defence
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 c5 4.d5 d6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.g3 e6 7.dxe6 Bxe6 8.Ng5 Bxc4 9.Qa4+ b5 10.Nxb5 Bxb5 11.Qxb5+ Nbd7 12.Bg2 Rb8 13.Qa4 0-0 14.0-0 Re8 15.Rd1 d5 16.e3 Qe7 17.Rb1 c4 18.Qc2 Ne5 19.Bd2 Nd3 20.Bc3 Bh6 21.Nh3 Ne4 22.Bd4 Bg7 23.Bxg7 Kxg7 24.f3 Ng5 25.e4 Nxh3+ 26.Bxh3 dxe4 27.Qxc4 Kg8 28.Rd2 Rb4 29.Qc3 Ne5 30.fxe4 Qg5 31.Re2 Rc4 32.Qe3 Qh5 33.Kg2 Rd8 34.b3 Rc3 35.Qf2 Rf3 36.Qe1 Nd3 37.Qg1 Rxg3+ 38.Kxg3 Qxe2 39.Rf1 Qxe4 40.Bg2 Qe5+ 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(228) K. Shovel — J.C. Henshaw
Middlesex v Sussex, 1985
King’s Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 d6 4.Nc3 g6 5.e4 Bg7 6.Nf3 0-0 7.h3 a6 8.a4 Qa5 9.Bd2 e6 10.Bd3 exd5 11.exd5 Re8+ 12.Kf1 Qd8 13.Qc2 b6 14.g4 Ra7 15.Bf4 Rae7 16.Nd2 h5 17.g5 Nh7 18.Nce4 Be5 19.Bxe5 Rxe5 20.Nf3 Rf5 21.Ned2 Nxg5 22.Nxg5 Rxg5 23.Nf3 Rf5 24.Bxf5 Bxf5 25.Qc3 Nd7 26.Re1 Rxe1+ 27.Kxe1 Nf6 28.Nd2 Nh7 29.b3 Qh4 30.Qg3 Qd4 31.Rh2 Bd3 32.f3 h4 33.Qxd6 Qg1+ 34.Nf1 Qxf1+ 35.Kd2 Qxf3 36.Qd8+ Kg7 37.Qxh4 Nf6 38.Kc1 Ne4 39.Kb2 Qd1 40.Qf4 Qb1+ 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

J.I.P. Simpole
In 1983 Julian Simpole won the Brighton Chess Club Championship for the sixth time, an achievement which left him only one victory short of the record seven championships achieved by Cecil Cornwall. In 1984 he decided to leave the club though he returned temporarily in 1985 as a member of the committee, co-opted to provide the benefit of his experience at a difficult time. He later joined the Holt Club.

Julian continued to organise the Brighton International Tournaments with Ray Keene until 1985. In recognition of his hard work he was made an Honorary Life Vice-President of the Commonwealth Chess Association in 1986.

On 1 January 1988 Julian teamed up with Ray Keene again to form the English Chess Association. The new organisation used as its base rooms within the Granada Social Club at 58 St John’s Hill, Clapham, which were opened by World Champion Garry Kasparov on 4 May 1989. The administration of this chess centre took up a lot of Julian’s time and he gave up regular competitive chess. In this period, however, he derived much satisfaction from discovering the potential in child prodigy Luke McShane and providing him with early coaching. In July 1992 Luke became the youngest ever World Under-10 Boys’ Champion at the age of eight, and consequently the youngest FIDE Master in history.

In 1991 the Granada sponsorship ceased and the English Chess Association was deprived of its premises. Although the Association continued to distribute information Julian now looked to involve himself in other activities. He became Executive Editor of Synapsia, the international Brain Club journal, and brought out the four quarterly issues for 1992. It is to be hoped that this talented player will one day return to competitive chess.

I append three of Julian’s games spanning the period from 1982 to 1991.

(229) J.I.P. Simpole — R. Grundy
Ward-Higgs Trophy (Correspondence), 1982-3
Caro Kann Defence
1.d4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ gxf6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Be2 Qc7 8.Be3 Nd7 9.h3 Bh5 10.0-0 0-0-0 11.c4 e5 12.d5 Nb6 13.Qb3 c5 14.Qc2 Bg6 15.Bd3 Re8 16.Be4 Qd7 17.Nh4 Rg8 18.Kh1 Kc7? 19.Rfd1 Nc8 20.d6+ Bxd6 21.Nxg6 hxg6 22.Bxc5 Qe7 23.Qb3 b6 24.Bxd6+ Nxd6 25.Bd5 Rb8 26.Qa4 Nc8?? 27.Qc6+ 1-0 {White had announced mate in 6}. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(230) J.I.P. Simpole — F.J. Kwiatkowski
Sussex Trial Match at Crawley (Board 1), 1984
Nimzo Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Bd3 Bb7 6.Nf3 0-0 7.0-0 d5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Qb3 Bd6 10.Nb5 Be7 11.Ne5 a6 12.Nc3 Nbd7 13.Nxd7 Qxd7 14.a4 Bd6 15.f3 Rfe8 16.Qc2 c5 17.Qf2 c4 18.Bc2 b5 19.Bd2 b4 20.Ne2 a5 21.g4 g6 22.Qh4 Be7 23.g5 Nh5 24.f4 h6 25.Ng3 hxg5 26.fxg5 Nxg3 27.Rxf7 Kxf7 28.Qh7+ Kf8 29.hxg3 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(231) J.I.P. Simpole — Novag Diablo 68000 Computer
1991
Queen’s Gambit Declined, Slav Defence
(6557) Simpole,J - Novag Diablo 68000 Computer [D18]
1991
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 dxc4 4.Nc3 c6 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3 e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.0-0 0-0 9.Qe2 Nbd7 10.Rd1 Bg6 11.Bd3 Bxd3 12.Qxd3 Qc7 13.e4 Rad8? 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bh4 Rfe8? 16.e5 g5 17.exf6 gxh4 18.Qe3 Bf8 19.Ne4 h3 20.Ne5 Nxe5 21.Qg3+ Kh8 22.dxe5 Rxd1+ 23.Rxd1 hxg2 24.Nd6 Rb8 25.Qg4 h5 26.Qxh5+ Kg8 27.Rd4 Qxd6 28.Rg4+ Bg7 29.Rxg7+ Kf8 30.Qh8 mate1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

M.D. Nicholas
Mike Nicholas made his name in Sussex chess circles in 1968 when at the age of 17 he contested the West Sussex Queen final with older brother Geoffrey. Though he was unsuccessful on that occasion he won the trophy in 1969. He was particularly strong at lightning chess and in 1973 won the Sussex Lightning Championship. Not long after this he gave up active chess for several years. When he returned to the local chess scene he won the East Sussex Queen and the Brighton Chess Club Championship in 1984. In 1985 he became president of the club and helped to secure its future by obtaining new premises at the Brighton Co-op Social Club. In 1990 he shared first place in the Sussex Lightning Championship. A few months later his organisational skills were needed once again when the club was forced to seek new accommodation. He played the leading role in the negotiations with the Nalgo Club which resulted in the club’s move to Edward Street in 1991. Shortly after this the demands of a new job forced him to give up the presidency and on 8 May he received a presentation for all the work that he had put into the club. More recently he has joined the Holt Club and has gained some good wins on board one. The following are three of his games:

(232) J. Gallagher — M.D. Nicholas
Hastings Weekend Tournament, 1984
Alekhine’s Defence
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 g6 5.Ng5 f6 6.c4 Nb6 7.e6 fxg5 8.d5 Bg7 9.h4 gxh4 10.Bd3 N8d7 11.exd7+ Bxd7 12.Rxh4 e6 13.Rxh7 0-0 14.Bxg6 Qf6 15.Qh5 Qxf2+ 16.Kd1 Qf1+ 17.Kc2 Ba4+ 18.b3 Qxc4+ 19.Kd2 Rf2+ 20.Ke3 Qd4 mate 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(233) M.D. Nicholas — S.O.N. Hawes
Sussex Jamboree, 1985
Ruy Lopez, Bird’s Defence
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.0-0 c6 6.Ba4 Bc5 7.d3 d6 8.Nd2 Qf6 9.Qf3 Qg6 10.b4 Bxb4 11.Rb1 Bc3 12.e5 dxe5 13.Nc4 Ne7 14.Ba3 b5 15.Nd6+ Kf8 16.Bxb5 Bg4 17.Qxc6! Nxc6 18.Bxc6 a5? 19.Nf5+ Bb4 20.Rxb4 axb4 21.Bxb4+ Kg8 22.Ne7+ Kf8 23.Nxg6+ Kg8 24.Ne7+ Kf8 25.Bxa8 Ke8 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(234) M.D. Nicholas — T. Hart (Essex)
Counties Correspondence Championship, 1988-89
King’s Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nge2 Nbd7 6.Ng3 e5 7.d5 h5 8.h4 Ng4 9.Be2 Nc5 10.f3 Nh6 11.b4 Nd7 12.Bg5 f6 13.Be3 a5 14.a3 0-0 15.Rc1 axb4 16.axb4 f5 17.exf5 Nxf5 18.Nxf5 gxf5 19.Bg5 Nf6 20.0-0 Bd7 21.Bd3 Qe8 22.Qd2 Qg6 23.c5 e4 24.Bb5 Rf7 25.c6 bxc6 26.dxc6 Be6 27.Ne2! Ra2 28.Qd1 exf3 29.Rxf3 Rxe2 30.Bxe2 Ng4 31.b5 Bb2 32.b6 cxb6 33.Qxd6 Ne5 34.Re3 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

M.J. Nimtz
Manfred Nimtz, a student from West Germany, joined the Brighton Chess Club in 1980. To many he was an unknown quantity but his skills were soon realised as he won the club championship in 1981. By the time his name had been painted on the championship board he had returned to West Germany. In fact it was not until he made a further visit to Britain in 1984 that he saw the inscription. In January 1981 Manfred won the following game on board seven for Sussex against Surrey at Eastbourne:

(235) M.J. Nimtz — A.T. Muir
Sicilian Defence, Velimirovic Attack
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Be3 a6 8.Qe2 Qc7 9.0-0-0 Be7 10.Bb3 0-0 11.g4 Nxd4 12.Rxd4 b5 13.g5 Nd7 14.h4 Nc5 15.h5 f5 16.exf5 Rxf5 17.Rg4 Nxb3+ 18.axb3 Bb7 19.Rh3 d5? 20.g6! Bf6 21.h6! hxg6 22.Rxg6 Kf7 23.Qg4 Rg8 24.Rg3 Kf8 25.Ne2 Bc8 26.Nd4 Bxd4 27.Bxd4 e5 28.h7! Rh8 29.Rxg7 Qa5 30.Bc5+ Ke8 31.Qg6+ 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

B.J. Denman
Brian Denman was active in local chess for only about half this period. He reached the county championship final in 1980 and 1981, but lost against David Cummings and Geoffrey James respectively. In 1980 he scored 5½ points out of 11 in the British Championship at Brighton. Appended below are his four favourite games from this period.

(236) P.H. Clarke — B.J. Denman
British Championship, Brighton, 1980
English Opening
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 c6 4.Nf3 e4 5.Nd4 Qb6 6.e3 d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.d3 Bb4 9.Bd2 Nc6 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.dxe4 dxe4 12.Qc2 0-0 13.Bg2? Ba6 14.Nxe4 Nxe4 15.Bxe4 Bxd2+ 16.Kxd2 Rfe8 17.Bxh7+ Kh8 18.a4 Re5 19.Ra3 Rc5 20.Rc3 Rxc3 21.bxc3 g6 22.Bxg6 fxg6 23.Kc1 Rb8 24.Rd1 Qc5 25.Kd2 Qa3 26.Rb1 Rd8+ 27.Ke1 Bd3 28.Qb2 Qf8 29.c4+ Kg8 30.Rc1 Qf3 31.c5 Bc4 32.Rxc4 Rd1 mate 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(237) B.J. Denman — R. Britton
British Championship, Brighton, 1980
Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Bc4 b5 9.Bxe6 fxe6 10.Nxe6 Qa5 11.0-0 Kf7 12.Bxf6 Nxf6 13.Ng5+ Ke8 14.e5 Ng4 15.Qd5 Qb6+ 16.Kh1 Ra7 17.exd6 Nf2+ 18.Rxf2 Qxf2 19.Qe5+ Kd8 20.Nd5 h6 21.Nc7 Bd7 22.Nf7+ Kc8 23.Qc3 Kb8 24.Ne5 Bf5 25.Nc6+ Kb7 26.Na5+ Kb8 27.Nxa6+ 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(238) B.J. Denman — N. Povah
Sussex v Surrey, 1981
Caro Kann Defence
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.Nge2 c5 7.h4 h6 8.Be3 Nc6 9.f4 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Nge7 11.Ndb5 Nc8 12.f5 Bh7 13.fxe6 fxe6 14.g5 Nxe5 15.gxh6 a6 16.Qh5+ Nf7 17.0-0-0 Ncd6 18.Nxd6+ Qxd6 19.Bh3 Qg3 20.Bd4 Bg6 21.Qe2 e5 22.Nxd5 and Black lost on time 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(239) J. Tisdall — B.J. Denman
Middlesex v Sussex, 1981
Modern Benoni
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nf3 g6 7.Nd2 Bg7 8.e4 0-0 9.Be2 Re8 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Qc2 a6 12.a4 b6 13.Ra3 Qe7 14.b3 Rb8 15.Bb2 Ne5 16.Raa1 g5 17.Rae1 Ng6 18.Kh1 Nf4 19.Bc4 Qd7 20.g3 Qh3 21.Rg1 Ng4 22.Nf3 Ng6 23.Rg2 N4e5 24.Ng1 Qh5 25.Be2 g4 26.Qd1 f5 27.f4 gxf3 28.Nxf3 Ng4 29.Bd3 f4 30.Qd2 Ne3 31.Rxe3 fxe3 32.Qxe3 Bh6 33.Qf2 Rf8 34.Be2 Bg4 and White lost on time 0-1 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

J.A. Dodgson
John Dodgson joined the Brighton Chess Club in 1983. He was a very experienced player who in 1975 had been the champion of the Postal Chess Club organised by Chess Ltd. at Sutton Coldfield. He had also won the championship of the Gravesend Chess Club a number of times and had often represented Kent in county matches.

On arriving in Sussex in the early 1980s John was soon playing on a high board for the county. As well as representing the Brighton Chess Club he was also a member of the Seaford Chess Club, and in 1984 he helped that club to reach the last eight of the National Club Championship. In 1985 he won the Brighton Chess Club Championship. Later in that year he joined the Peacehaven and Telscombe Cliffs Chess Club. In 1988 he moved to Camber in East Sussex and nowadays plays for Hastings. In 1993 he won the East Sussex Queen competition.

The following game was played in the 1975 championship of the Postal Chess Club:

(240) J.A. Dodgson — P.R. Pickersgill
King’s Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Be3 b6 7.Bd3 e5 8.d5 Nh5 9.Nge2 a5 10.Qd2 Nd7 11.g4 Nhf6 12.Ng3 Nc5 13.Be2 Qd7 14.h4 Na4 15.Nd1 Ba6 16.b3 Nc5 17.Nc3 Ne8 18.h5 Qe7 19.0-0-0 Bc8 20.Rdg1 f6 21.Bd1 g5 22.a3 h6 23.b4 axb4 24.axb4 Na6 25.Qa2 Bb7 26.Qb2 Bc8 27.Ba4 Bd7 28.Bb5 Bxb5 29.Nxb5 Qd7 30.Nf5 Rf7 31.Nc3 Qc8 32.Kd2 Nb8 33.Ra1 Rxa1 34.Rxa1 c5 35.Nb5 Bf8 36.Ra8 Rb7 37.bxc5 bxc5 38.Qa3 Qd7 39.Qa5 Kh7 40.Kc2 Ng7 41.Ng3 Be7 42.Bd2 Bd8 43.Qa4 Bb6 44.Ba5 Bd8 45.Kc3 Kh8 46.Bxd8 Qxd8 47.Qa6 Rd7 48.Qa5 Qf8 49.Qb6 Rd8 50.Nxd6 Kg8 51.Nb7 Rc8 52.Nxc5 Kh7 53.Ne6 Nxe6 54.dxe6 Qg8 55.Qb7+ 1-0 (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

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