Chess Chess Chess

We have now moved to tournaments which take place on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings.  The articles will generally be once a week from now on, usually on a Wednesday  - that way weeding in the garden can be done!

Last Sunday...
...we had two events - a Blitz event followed by a Bullet event.  Chess is typically played in 4 formats.  'Over the board' chess is normally either Standard Play or Rapid Play.  In Standard Play, players generally get upwards of an hour each in which to play their moves, and often get an additional 15 seconds or so per move.  In 'Rapid Play', players generally get between 25 and 40 minutes or so each for their moves and would not normally get additional time for each move.  Then there are the faster forms which are Blitz and Bullet.  In Blitz, players typically get around 5 minutes each, and Bullet even less time.

Why play Blitz or Bullet?
Who knows? - I could never cope with the time limit!  I think the reason people play this form of chess is mainly enjoyment - it is really good fun having to play moves really quickly.  I spoke to an International Master once and he said that he prepares for major tournaments by playing Blitz chess online.  I think the reason was to really sharpen his thinking, and also to get lots of games under his belt in a short time.  In these very short forms of the game, players who know their openings really well have an advantage because they will not need to think about these moves as much if they know the right move from memory.  It also rewards players who perhaps have a bit of an instinct for the right move, and who know what move looks right.  That is probably why I would not play this form of the game - I have neither of these attributes!

The Results...

...Blitz - time control: 5 minutes each
theworldoflegend played a blinder, winning all 3 of his games.  AbleLopsidedGiraffe took second place with 2/3.  kolifl0w37 took 3rd place, narrowly beating WiseCrabbyCoconut on tiebreak score.

...Bullet - time control: 3 minutes each and an extra 3 seconds a move
This time, AbleLopsidedGiraffe took the glory with 4 wins from 4 games - very well played.  RedNuttyCactus had an excellent tournament with 3 wins from 4 games, only losing to AbleLopsidedGiraffe.  theworldoflegend, winning 2 form 4 games, narrowly took 3rd place on tiebreak score, edging ahead of SillyLimit, MeanCactus, and ORichards who all also scored 2/4.

Very well played to these players and all who entered the Blitz and the Bullet events.  These tournaments do reward good chess, but it is very easy to make a mistake when there is little thinking time, so if you didn't do as well as you would have liked, try again next time.

If you have a ChessKid login, you can see all these games and the full results at the following links:
Blitz: https://www.chesskid.com/tournament/sunday-morning-blitz-102267/results
Bullet: https://www.chesskid.com/tournament/sunday-morning-bullet-102268/results

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Blitz Results...

Bullet Results...

Wednesday Seven's
So, we know what Blitz and Bullet chess are; so what is Seven's?  Well, I suppose it is a type of Rapid Play.  I like to mix up the time controls for the events, partly to make sure that they are not always the same, and partly because some tournaments will be preferred by some, and others will like a different arrangement - so change is a good thing.  I like the time control - it is probably the gentlest time control we have in these events.  Seven minutes may not sound like long, but you get an extra 7seven seconds for every move.  So, if you need to think for a while about a move, then you can, but you still need to keep a careful eye on the clock.  It also helps for those who may sometimes have a slow internet connection.  Those extra seven seconds can be a real help.

The Results...
This event was won by Rowantree who won three games and drew a close game with RichSmoothPanda.  RichSmoothPanda took second place with two wins and two draws.  But, the player with the best performance this evening was probably MerryJazz.  MerryJazz took third place with 3 wins from 4 games, only missing out on second place on tiebreak score.  So, why is MerryJazz the best performer? - well, the only game he lost was to RowanTree, the eventual winner, and all of his wins came against players with a higher ChessKid grade than his own - very well played.

If you have a  Chesskid  login, you can see all the games and the full results here: https://www.chesskid.com/tournament/wednesday-sevens-102680/results

​Chess Puzzle - Mate in 1
In the position below, can you see how Black can secure Checkmate in One move?  Answer beneath.

Bg5# - That is code for B (Bishop) moves to the square g5, and the # means Checkmate