Categories
Events

The Autumn Blitz

Why Blitz?

Last December, the Committee conducted a Survey on its membership to better understand what members wanted from the Club. One of the many insights that were revealed was that a majority of members preferred faster time controls compared to the much longer, standard time controls that can go on for hours. This revelation was further discussed between the Committee and the membership at the recent August AGM, with a majority wishing for a second Club tournament with shorter time controls as compared with the beloved Club Championship. The Committee listened and decided to take action.

Following from the AGM, the Committee announced the Queens Park Autumn Blitz for the final club night of September. Leagues & Competitions Manager, Jordan McNaught, was in charge of organising the event with support from the Committee. Participants appeared to thoroughly enjoy the event, marking the first success of many for Jordan as he settles into his new role. The tournament marked a special occasion, being the first blitz tournament of its kind hosted by the Club. It was only open to members of the Club, with the aim being to provide members with a mild taster of competitive play and what to expect from the rest of the season as the first league matches draw ever-nearer in October, as well as round one of the Club Championship as it fast approaches in November. Everything was to play for – with the Autumn Blitz trophy up for the taking.

The 2023 Queens Park Autumn Blitz Trophy

Tournament info

The tournament was 7 rounds long and the time control in use was 3 minutes per player with a 2 second increment per move. Games were all unrated as Chess Scotland only grades Allegro and Standard time controls. In the event of tiebreaks at the end, all relevant players would have to play a play-off. A sizable 24 members decided to participate in the tournament, proving that there is indeed a clear interest for faster time time-controls.


Who won?

The race for first place started to tighten from the beginning with some unexpected triumphs. By the 5th round, it was clear that only a handful of players still had a chance of claiming the glory of winning first place, with Thomas Fowley, Moray Lennox and Jonny Livingston looking like top contenders. By the end of round 7, we had our winner… Jonny Livingston won the tournament! Jonny, a new member of the Club, had only recently gotten back into chess and competitive play, making his win that much more impressive. He was awarded with the Queens Park Autumn Blitz trophy after his stellar performance of winning 6/7 games. Thomas Fowley, Moray Lennox and Alistair Ahmed were close runners up, with all 3 players achieving an impressive score of 5/7 wins.

Competitions and Leagues Manager Jordan McNaught (left) & Autumn Blitz winner Jonny Livingston (right)

Results

Final PositionNameWinDrawLossScore
1Jonny Livingstone6016
2Thomas Fowley5115.5
3Alistair Ahmed5025
4Moray Lennox5025
5Connor Thompson4124.5
6Paul Cumming4124.5
7Rhys McCrosson4034
8Marc Sheridan3224
9Hunter Mackay4034
10Craig Thomson4034
11Alex Lane4034
12Iain Shields3133.5
13Harvey Dellanzo3133.5
14Ciaran Melvin3133.5
15Andrew Speirs3043
16Angus Gillies2233
17Douglas Veitch3043
18Gregory Forrest3043
19Jack Spillane2142.5
20Ryan McGill2142.5
21Andy Chisholm2052
22Kris Barr2052
23Thomas Robertson2052
24Tom Cox0070
Queens Park Autumn Blitz results

This tournament marked the first of its kind for the Club, but as its name suggests, it may or may not be the only Queens Park blitz tournament this season…

Categories
Events

Cathcart’s 70th Anniversary Allegro

Cathcart Chess Club, our friends (and rivals!) over the board, have just reached their 70th year since their club’s formation. To celebrate their club’s platinum jubilee anniversary, they decided to host a 6-round Open Swiss Allegro tournament with a time format of 15+10.

The Cathcart Allegro marked the first official open chess tournament hosted in Glasgow since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was also a good chance to get back into the swing of things prior to the start of the new season.

Players from approximately 23 clubs were in attendance, with friend of the the Club, IM Andrew Greet, also competing. Queens Park Chess Club had the largest contingent of players, with an incredible 9 of our members competing as one other spectated. For many players, it was their first experience of an open tournament, rather than a tournament where players are split by grading strength – a baptism of fire indeed!

Queens Park had an impressive showing, with all of our competing members scoring between 2-4 points over the 6 rounds. Two of our members also won grading prizes for their strong performances.

Despite this tournament only being the third allegro that Ryan McGill had played, he scored an impressive 3/6 which earned him a grading prize in the under-1000 rating bracket.

Ryan McGill accepting his grading prize.

Rhys McCrosson also won a grading prize in the 1000-1400 rating bracket. He scored a strong 4/6 against fierce competition, including a wild time scramble in a tough endgame as a large crowd gathered to spectate.

Rhys McCrosson accepting his grading prize.

When the dust had settled, IM Andrew Greet reigned victorious. IM Greet, from Bearsden Chess Club, scored 5.5/6 which led to an eye-watering performance rating of 2480. Not far behind in second place was another friend of Queens Park Chess Club from Bearsden Chess Club – Rob Colston.

We’d like to thank Cathcart Chess Club and its secretary, Alistair Maxwell, for a well-run tournament that was fun for all involved. You can find the results from the tournament on the Chess Scotland website.

Categories
Club Championship

Beltrami Club Championship – Round 5

After months of work and preparation, two players are battling it out for the ultimate chess crown. The world watches on in anticipation to see who will emerge from the chaos victorious. Will it end in a measured position or a frantic time scramble? And will the crowd of spectators ever stop wincing after every move they’re not sure about?

You guessed it: it’s Round 5 of the Beltrami Club Championship.

Rhys McCrosson and Craig Thomson, both on perfect scores of 4/4, will face off in the final round of the tournament. If the game ends in a draw, the Sonneborn-Berger score will be used to decide the champion.

However, it’s not all about the top boards – we’ll all be doing our best to close our tournament campaign with a victory.

Round 5 will take place on Tuesday 9th May at the Bungo at 6.45pm.

If you need a reminder on how the tournament works, you can find the details on our Club Championship page.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you need to rearrange your match, please contact the Committee in person at a Club night or by email. If you do not arrive for your match without giving us notice, your opponent will claim a default win.

You can arrange to play against your opponent on a different date or in a different venue, but it must be an over the board match with the same time control (60 minutes each).

Standings after Round 4

No.NameRatingPointsSBr*
1Craig Thomson159149
2Rhys McCrosson158348.5
3Connor Thompson166637
4Tommy Lally159037
5Philip Blaber126036.5
6Alistair Ahmed161736
7Harvey Dellanzo137735.5
8Chris Dinwoodie103735.5
9Ash Angappan12902.54.25
10Douglas Veitch02.53.5
11Giuseppe Bosco13962.52.75
12Moray Lennox02.52.75
13Alex Lane139024.75
14Michael Mathieson024.5
15Stewart Gray145623
16Rhys Brown023
17Aidan Doye023
18Thomas Fowley023
19Derek Rankine133122.5
20Graeme McKinnon136922.5
21Sagar Kukreja124022.5
22Paul Cumming142722.5
23Jordan McNaught153622.5
24Iain Shields114922
25David Logue157922
26Ryan McGill01.52.75
27Caitlin McCulloch11381.51.5
28Jonny Linney012
29Ronnie Martin62512
30Paul Stewart012
31Andy Chisholm012
32Gemma Dickson011.5
33Gary Collins011.5
34Andrew Speirs011
35Greg Forrest011
36Thomas McAleer010.5
37Riccardo Olivier010
38Wull Swales000
39Sachin Vats000
40Ethan Small000
41Jackie Logan000
42Harry Thomson000
43Jass McNeill119600
44Paul Chapman000
45James Carson000
* The Sonneborn-Berger score is used to separate tied players

Round 5 pairings

Match date: Tuesday 9th May, 6.45pm start – The Bungo

BoardWhiteRating Score BlackRating
1Rhys McCrosson15831-0Craig Thomson1591
2Connor Thompson16661-0Tommy Lally1590
3Harvey Dellanzo13771-0Philip Blaber1260
4Alistair Ahmed16171-0Chris Dinwoodie1037
5Douglas Veitch01-0Giuseppe Bosco1396
6Ash Angappan12900-1Moray Lennox0
7Paul Cumming14270.5-0.5Michael Mathieson0
8Sagar Kukreja1240 0-1Graeme McKinnon1369
9Stewart Gray14560-1*Alex Lane1390
10Iain Shields11490-1David Logue1579
11Aidan Doye00-1*Rhys Brown0
12Thomas Fowley00-1Jordan McNaught1536
13Andrew Speirs00.5-0.5Caitlin McCulloch1138
14Ryan McGill00-1Greg Forrest0
15Jonny Linney01-0Ronnie Martin625
16Thomas McAleer01-0Wull Swales0
17Gemma Dickson00-1Andy Chisholm0
18Jass McNeill11960-1*Gary Collins0
Harry Thomson0*1-0bye
* Default win
Categories
Club Championship

Beltrami Club Championship – Round 4

Overview

In 2022/23, Queens Park Members have the opportunity to compete in our five round Club Championship, supported by our season sponsor Beltrami & Co.

Each round has a ‘designated date’. This is a Tuesday evening club night at which we encourage Members to play their Beltrami Club Championship games in our usual venue.

Games are played over-the-board at the 60+0 time control, under Chess Scotland rules, involving use of a clock and notating moves. One point is awarded for a win, and half a point for a draw. Using the Swiss pairings format, the number of points Members are on will determine who they are drawn against in the next round – i.e. “winners play winners”.

The designated date for the penultimate round is Tuesday 4 April, with a 6:45pm start time in The Bungo.

Anticipation builds towards the penultimate round

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you are participating in the Club Championship, and cannot make this date, please contact Tournament Controller Alex Lane, or another Member of the Committee, by WhatsApp or email, and we will work with you and your opponent to reschedule.

There were four defaults in round three. Those who do not turn up for their game, or notify us in advance, risk inconveniencing their opponent and forfeiting the game. Repeat offenders may be removed from the tournament, as those affected have to wait around for an opponent to show up, and also miss out on the opportunity for a graded game. We appreciate all cooperation in making the tournament an enjoyable experience for everyone taking part.

Greg Forrest (second from right) beat Gary Collins on board 21 in round three

Standings After R3

42 players were paired in the third round, which whittled down the leading pack from seven to four.

Tommy Lally, Rhys McCrosson, Craig Thomson and Connor Thompson, all on the maximum three points, will face each other on boards one and two in the fourth round.

The full round three results are available on this website.

The results have also been graded and published by Chess Scotland.

Caitlin McCulloch and Sagar Kukreja agreed a draw on board eight

The current standings are:

No.NameRatingPointsSBr*
1Tommy Lally158535.5
2Craig Thomson157834
3Rhys McCrosson155933.5
4Connor Thompson149033
5Alistair Ahmed163323
6Philip Blaber124823
7Derek Rankine133522.5
8Chris Dinwoodie106122.5
9Paul Cumming143422
10Ash Angappan131022
11Harvey Dellanzo135422
12Thomas Fowley022
13Giuseppe Bosco141121.5
14Rhys Brown021.5
15Alex Lane13861.52.75
16Ryan McGill01.52.5
17Caitlin McCulloch11281.51.25
18Douglas Veitch01.51
19Moray Lennox01.51
20Sagar Kukreja12451.51
21Jonny Linney011.5
22Graeme McKinnon135711
23Iain Shields111511
24Jordan McNaught152211
25Ronnie Martin011
26Michael Mathieson011
27Gemma Dickson011
28Paul Stewart011
29Stewart Gray144911
30Ethan Small011
31Sachin Vats011
32Andrew Speirs011
33Aidan Doye011
34David Logue157010.5
35Greg Forrest010.5
36Jackie Logan010
37Wull Swales010
38Jass McNeill124700
39Harry Thomson000
40James Carson000
41Gary Collins000
42Thomas McAleer000
43Andy Chisholm000
44Paul Chapman000
45Riccardo Olivier000
* The Sonneborn-Berger score is used to separate tied players
Deep prep by Ronnie Martin (left) wasn’t enough to avoid defeat to Derek Rankine

Round 4

There will again be 42 participants in round three. The pairings are:

Designated date: Tue 4 April, 6:45pm

BdWhiteRatingScoreBlackRating
1Tommy Lally15850-1Rhys McCrosson1559
2Connor Thompson14900-1Craig Thomson1578
3Philip Blaber12481-0Paul Cumming1434
4Giuseppe Bosco1411.5-.5Ash Angappan1310
5Rhys Brown00-1Harvey Dellanzo1367
6Derek Rankine13350-1Alistair Ahmed1633
7Chris Dinwoodie10611-0Thomas Fowley0
8Alex Lane1386.5-.5Sagar Kukreja1245
9Caitlin McCulloch11280-1Douglas Veitch0
10Moray Lennox01-0Ryan McGill0
11Greg Forrest00-1Graeme McKinnon1357
12Ronnie Martin00-1Iain Shields1115
13Wull Swales00-1Aidan Doye0
14Andrew Speirs00-1Stewart Gray1449
15David Logue15701-0Jonny Linney0
16Jordan McNaught15221-0Gemma Dickson0
17Sachin Vats00-1*Michael Mathieson0
18Andy Chisholm01-0*Jackie Logan0
19Riccardo Olivier01-0Jass McNeill1247
20Harry Thomson00-1Thomas McAleer0
21Gary Collins01-0*Paul Chapman0
* Default win

This table will be updated throughout April as results come in.

The designated date for round 5 is Tuesday 9 May.

Please contact us if you have any queries about the Club Championship.

2022 runner up Aidan Doye (closest) picked up his first win vs Andy Chisholm
Categories
Club Championship

Beltrami Club Championship – Round 3

Overview

In 2022/23, Queens Park Members have the opportunity to compete in our five round Club Championship, supported by our season sponsor Beltrami & Co.

Each round has a ‘designated date’. This is a Tuesday evening club night at which we encourage Members to play their Beltrami Club Championship games in our usual venue.

Games are played over-the-board at the 60+0 time control, under Chess Scotland rules, involving use of a clock and notating moves. One point is awarded for a win, and half a point for a draw. Using the Swiss pairings format, the number of points Members are on will determine who they are drawn against in the next round – i.e. “winners play winners”.

The designated date for round 3 is Tuesday 21 February, with a 6:45pm start time in The Bungo.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you are participating in the Club Championship, and cannot make this date, please contact Tournament Controller Alex Lane, or another Member of the Committee, by WhatsApp or email, and we will work with you and your opponent to reschedule.

There were a number of defaults in round 2. Those who do not turn up for their game, or notify us in advance, risk inconveniencing their opponent and forfeiting the game. Repeat offenders may be removed from the tournament, as those affected have to wait around for an opponent to show up, and also miss out on the opportunity for a graded game. We appreciate all cooperation in making the tournament an enjoyable experience for everyone taking part.

The round 2 standings and the round 3 pairings follow below.

Paul Cumming (left, facing) is one of seven in the leading pack

Standings After R2

38 players were paired in the second round, which saw some notable results. Among the winners were Wull ‘giant-killer’ Swales, whose against-the-odds victory was immortalised in a special Club Newsletter illustration.

The full results are available on this website.

The results have also been graded and published by Chess Scotland.

The standings, with seven players on the maximum two points, are:

No.NameRatingPoints
1Ash Angappan02
2Connor Thompson02
3Tommy Lally15952
4Craig Thomson15802
5Rhys McCrosson15032
6Paul Cumming14342
7Giuseppe Bosco14112
8Harvey Dellanzo13731
9Graeme McKinnon13391
10Alex Lane14331
11Derek Rankine13381
12Ryan McGill01
13Wull Swales01
14Caitlin McCulloch11281
15Iain Shields11151
16Chris Dinwoodie10361
17Andrew Speirs01
18Jonathan Linney01
19Philip Blaber12531
20Sagar Kukreja01
21Alistair Ahmed16351
22Ronnie Martin01
23Paul Stewart01
24Rhys Brown01
25Stewart Gray14491
26Thomas Fowley01
27Gemma Dickson01
28Douglas Veitch00.5
29Moray Lennox00.5
30Jass McNeill12540
31Harry Thomson00
32Jackie Logan00
33James Carson00
34Jordan McNaught14230
35Michael Mathieson00
36Greg Forrest00
37Sachin Vats00
38Ethan Small00
39Aidan Doye00
Boards 1 & 2 in R2, clockwise from left: Tommy L., Derek, Iain & Rhys M.

Round 3

With more new Club Members joining, there will be 42 participants in round three. The pairings are:

Designated date: Tue 21 Feb, 6:45pm

BdWhiteRatingScoreBlackRating
1Paul Cumming14340-1Tommy Lally1595
2Craig Thomson15801-0Giuseppe Bosco1411
3Ash Angappan00-1Rhys McCrosson1503
4Graeme McKinnon13390-1Connor Thompson0
5Harvey Dellanzo13731-0Wull Swales0
6Ryan McGill0.5-.5Alex Lane1433
7Derek Rankine13381-0Ronnie Martin0
8Sagar Kukreja0.5-.5Caitlin McCulloch1128
9Iain Shields11150-1Rhys Brown0
10Gemma Dickson00-1Chris Dinwoodie1036
11Alistair Ahmed16351-0Andrew Speirs0
12Jonny Linney00-1Thomas Fowley0
13Stewart Gray14490-1*Philip Blaber1253
14Douglas Veitch01-0*Harry Thomson0
15Jass McNeill12540-1Moray Lennox0
16Aidan Doye01-0Andy Chisholm0
17Jackie Logan00-1David Logue1579
18Paul Chapman00-1*Jordan McNaught1423
19Michael Mathieson01-0*Riccardo Olivier0
20Thomas McAleer00-1Sachin Vats0
21Greg Forrest01-0Gary Collins0
* default win

This table will be updated over February and early March as results come in.

The designated date for round 4 is Tuesday 4 April.

Please contact us if you have any queries about the Club Championship.

Giuseppe (left) will be on board two vs Craig Thompson in round three.
Categories
Club Championship

Beltrami Club Championship – Round 2

Overview

In 2022/23, Queens Park Members have the opportunity to compete in our five round Club Championship, supported by our season sponsor Beltrami & Co.

Each round has a ‘designated date’. This is a Tuesday evening club night at which we encourage Members to play their Beltrami Club Championship games in our usual venue.

If Members are not available on this date, Tournament Controller Alex Lane will work with you and your opponent to find an alternative date – and possibly a different venue – that suits both players.

Games are played at the 60+0 time control, under Chess Scotland rules, involving use of a clock and notating moves. One point is awarded for a win, and half a point for a draw. Using the Swiss pairings format, the number of points Members are on will determine who they are drawn against in the next round – i.e. “winners play winners”.

Round 1

32 players competed in the first round. Unusually, all games were decisive, with no draws. Round one winners included the Club’s highest rated players Tommy Lally (1616) and Craig Thomson (1582), and defending champion Rhys McCrosson (1477).

On the lower boards, unrated newcomers Connor Thompson, Andrew Speirs, Ash Angappan and Paul Stewart also picked up full points.

The full results are available on this website.

The results have also been graded and published by Chess Scotland.

All round 1 games were played in November 2022

Round 2

Seven new members joined the Beltrami Club Championship at round two. Most games were played on the designated date of Tuesday 10 January at 6:45pm.

The results follow:

BoardWhiteRatingScoreBlackRating
1Tommy Lally16161-0Derek Rankine1318
2Chris Dinwoodie10250-1Craig Thomson1582
3Rhys McCrosson14771-0Iain Shields1093
4Andrew Speirs00-1Paul Cumming1432
5Giuseppe Bosco14111-0Greg Forrest0
6Connor Thompson01-0Harvey Dellanzo1373
7Graeme McKinnon13390-1Ash Angappan0
8Paul Stewart00-1*Alistair Ahmed1606
9Wull Swales01-0Jass McNeill1254
10Caitlin McCulloch11280-1Ryan McGill0
11Ronnie Martin01-0Aidan Doye0
12Moray Lennox00.5-0.5Douglas Veitch0
13Harry Thomson00-1Sagar Kukreja0
14Rhys Brown01-0*Jackie Logan0
15James Carson00-1*Gemma Dickson0
16Sachin Vats00-1*Jonny Linney0
17Jordan McNaught14220-1*Stewart Gray1449
18Thomas Fowley01-0Michael Mathieson0
19Philip Blaber12601-0*Ethan Small0
* = Default Win

The designated date for round three is Tuesday 21 February. The draw will be shared with Club Members via email and WhatsApp, and posted on the blog section.

Please contact us if you cannot play your game on this date and we will work with you and your opponent to reschedule. Those in the draw who do not turn up to play their fixture, or notify the Club in advance, risk a loss by default.

Categories
Club Championship

Beltrami Club Championship – Round 1 Draw

Background

Last season, Queens Park held it first ever Club Championship. 20 players competed in the five round classical tournament between January and May 2022, testing their skills in a formal, competitive setting. The results were published and graded by Chess Scotland.

The closely fought contest was won on tiebreak by Rhys McCrosson, who finished equal on points with Aidan Doye, and half a point ahead of Alex Radevic.

This season, with sponsorship support from Beltrami & Co. Solicitors, the tournament will be even bigger, and a special engraved trophy will be awarded to the winner.

Can the champion defend his hard-won title? Will Aidan mount another challenge? Could one our many new members – tournament prize-winners among them – emerge victorious? Will we see some big rating upsets? There is only one way to answer these questions….

Jonny (l) & Giuseppe (r) met in round one

How It Works

The five round tournament starts in November 2022. Subsequent rounds will take place over the remainder of the season, concluding at the end of May 2023. Each round has a “designated date”. This is a Tuesday evening club night at which we encourage Members to play their Beltrami Club Championship games in our usual venue.

If Members are not available on this date, Tournament Controller Alex Lane will work with you and your opponent to find an alternative date – and possibly a different venue – that suits both players.

Each game will last up to two hours, at the 60+0 time control, played under Chess Scotland rules, involving use of a clock and notating moves.

One point is awarded for a win, and half a point for a draw. Using the Swiss pairings format, the number of points Members are on will determine who they are drawn against in the next round – i.e. “winners play winners”.

For newer players, the Beltrami Club Championship provides a valuable introduction to competitive, classical chess, and results will count towards achieving a national grading.

In the event of tied scores, the Sonneborn-Berger score will be used to determine final placings. This takes the performances of players’ opponents into account.

Jordan (l) vs Harvey (r) on board six

Round 1 Draw

Designated date: Tuesday 1 Nov, 6:45pm

BoardWhiteRatingScoreBlackRating
1Douglas Veitch00-1Tommy Lally1620
2Craig Thomson15901-0Harry Thomson0
3Jackie Logan00-1Rhys McCrosson1477
4Paul Cumming1437D-0James Carson0
5Jonny Linney00-1Giuseppe Bosco1411
6Harvey Dellanzo13541-0Jordan McNaught0
7Michael Mathieson00-1Graeme McKinnon1339
8Alex Lane13161-0Philip Blaber0
9Ryan McGill00-1Derek Rankine1277
10Jass McNeill12540-1Connor Thompson0
11Greg Forrest00-1Caitlin McCulloch1128
12Iain Shields11221-0Wull Swales0
13Sagar Kukreja00-1Chris Dinwoodie1025
14Aidan Doye00-1Paul Stewart0
15Gemma Dickson00-1Andrew Speirs0
16Ash Angappan01-0Ronnie Martin0
D = default win

The above table will be updated as results come in. Once all round one outcomes are confirmed, they will be shared with Chess Scotland for grading, a standings table will be produced, and pairings for round two will be generated.

For any questions about the Beltrami Club Championship, Members can contact Alex Lane via WhatsApp.

Gemma vs Andrew on board 15
Categories
Events

The Scarecrow and the Grand Prix

Hamilton Scarecrow

Queens Park Chess Club and friends were out in force at another well-organised tournament by Hamilton Chess Club (see also 2022 Hamilton Open) on Sunday 11 September 2022.

The 2022 Scaregrow Allegro – delivered as part of the Bothwell Scarecrow Festival – was a six round rapid event held at the Alona Hotel in Strathclyde Country Park.

Following on from the East Kilbride Allegro, Queens Park was again represented among the prize-winners.

The event featured in the programme for a popular scarecrow festival

Major Section

Jordan McNaught (right, above), who holds dual Queens Park and Strathclyde Uni membership, scored 3.5/6 in the under 1800 Major.

Rhys McCrosson (3rd from right) achieved 3/6, and won the grading prize with a 1427 performance rating.

Alex Lane (left) and Strathclyde Uni’s Liu Zizheng (3rd from left), a regular visitor at Queens Park, also scored 3/6, while Giuseppe Bosco (2nd from right) got 1.5.

The section winner was Hamilton’s Duncan Walker; it was a double success for the host club as Hamilton’s James Montgomery won the Open section.

Major section results from Chess Scotland.

Minor Section

10 year old Chess in the Park regular Alagu Karthick (centre) won the under 1400 Minor section grading prize with an impressive score of 4.5/6.

Alagu finished in joint third place out of 33 participants, as did smartly dressed Iain Shields (2nd from left) a dual Phones & Queens Park player, with the same score.

Chris Dinwoodie scored 3/6. The section winner was Lenzie’s Angelo Lynn, who hopes to join Chess in the Park in its remaining six weeks.

Minor section results from Chess Scotland.

Bearsden Grand Prix

Queens Park competed in a four-month long online Grand Prix

Queens Park have a long-standing friendship with Bearsden Chess Club, who donated boards and clocks to help us get started in 2019, played a series of graded friendlies with us during the pandemic, and invited us to special events like a March 2022 simultaneous match vs GM Jacob Aagaard.

Their generosity continued over the summer break, as Queens Park was offered five places in the 2022 Bearsden Grand Prix, a weekly online rapid tournament that offered cash prizes in three sections: under 1800, under 1500 and under 1200.

The games were played on chess.com on Tuesday evenings from mid-May to mid-September. The time control was 12+5, with up to five rounds played each night, points being awarded for wins, draws and participation.

The tournament concluded this week. While Queens Park’s contingent didn’t take any gold medals, Derek Rankine was runner-up in the u1500 section with 31 points and Jass McNeill was also second in the u1200 section with 25.5 points. Graeme McKinnon, Giuseppe Bosco and Rhys McCrosson also took part in the series.

Our thanks to Bearsden and our congratulations to host team winners Alan Sharp (u1800), Alistair Goodall (u1500) and Chris Monk (u1200).

We hope to continue collaborations with Bearsden in 2022/23 and are planning towards two special events – watch this space!

Above images created with the help of artificial intelligence using DALL-E.

Categories
Events

History Made at East Kilbride Allegro

It has been almost 90 years since a player represented Queens Park Chess Club in official competition. As far as we can tell, the last occasion in which the historic Queens Park Chess Club played in formal competition, was losing to Dundee in the 1936 Spens Cup final.

Fast forward to the 21st century, and those of us in the modern club like to think our ancestors would be proud of our picking up points and prizes at the Scottish Chess Tour East Kilbride Allegro.

The rapid event, played over five rounds in a Swiss format (i.e. ‘winners play winners’) tournament at the 20+10 time control, was held in East Kilbride’s Holiday Inn hotel on Sunday 4 September 2022.

Not only did the name of Queens Park Chess Club once again grace a national competition, but the Club was recognised among the prize-winners. The top performers were:

Alex Lane: Alex (pictured above, left) shared second prize in the internationally rated intermediate section with a superb 4/5. On the top board in the final round, Alex narrowly lost to section winner Ishan Kumar of Bearsden, and shared 2nd prize with Liu Zizheng (above right) of Strathclyde University, a regular visitor to Queens Park.

Rhys McCrosson: despite being a major rating underdog in the open section, Rhys (fourth from right) scored 2/5 against fierce opposition. Rhys, who holds a current Chess Scotland Allegro rating of 1240, delivered a performance rating of 1734.

Graeme McKinnon: Graeme (third from left) achieved 3.5/5 in the intermediate section and was placed 5th of 43 in the final standings.

A number of other Queens Park members, plus regulars from Chess in the Park & Brodies Chess Group, scored points and strong mid-table finishes in the intermediate section. Those competing included Jordan McNaught, Caitlin McCulloch, Derek Rankine, Iain Shields, Chris Dinwoodie, Ryan McGill, Jonny Linney and Finn MacLeod.

Several were playing competitive chess for the first time and reported greatly enjoying the experience.

The overall standings and individual results are available on the Chess-Results website:

Open Section

Intermediate Section

A list of prize-winners is available on the Chess Scotland website, while selected games from the open section can be viewed on the Live Chess Cloud.

Categories
Club Meetings

New Season, New Name, Same Ancient Game! 

The Year Ahead

Newcomers, beginners and those returning to chess after a long absence will receive a very warm welcome at the first evening of the new season, alongside returning members, on Tuesday 30 August at 6:30pm.

The Club is expecting an influx of new members for the 2022/23 season as a result of awareness-raising activity through the summer. We held chess sessions at the Queens Park boating pond weekly on Sunday mornings from the start of June (pictured above), promoted our activities on social media, met a great bunch of folk at weekly chess meetups on Thursday nights in Brodies Bar, and we even appeared on ITV’s News at Ten!

To that end, at the first meeting of the new season, Club Champion Rhys McCrosson and Club Secretary Derek Rankine will provide a free introductory session on classical over-the-board chess, covering rules, etiquette, use of clocks and scoresheets, and practical gameplay tips.

We meet on Tuesday evenings in Wellcroft Bowling Club, Queens Park

A new Club President, Graeme McKinnon, will also be providing a formal welcome alongside Derek, with news on plans for the season ahead. Meanwhile, Graeme and Rhys, plus Alex Lane, Jass McNeill and Alex Radevic, have joined Derek and Harvey Dellanzo on an expanded Committee with new roles

The Club has registered teams in the Glasgow Chess League and Dumbarton & District Chess League, and will also be running a 2022/23 Club Championship based on last season’s successful tournament. All competitive games will be graded by Chess Scotland and the Club will support new members to work towards a national rating.

Queens Park Chess Club

Another major item of news is: the Club has a new name. At its 2022 AGM, the Committee decided to change the name from Govanhill Chess Club to Queens Park Chess Club. 

The purpose of the change is to highlight our current home in Queens Park, to reflect the reality that our members are drawn from a number of communities around Queens Park, including Govanhill, Crosshill, Shawlands, Langside and Mount Florida, and to develop a link to a historic club with the same name, which started in 1873. 

The roots of both the historic and the current Queens Park Chess Club lie deep in Govanhill, and Govanhill will continue to be at the heart of our meetings and activities

Check out our in-depth report on the fascinating history of the original Queens Park Chess Club, produced with the generous assistance of Chess Scotland historian Alan McGowan, and the story of the new Club, which was established in 2019.

Historic Queens Park players faced World Champion Capablanca in 1919

With membership fees set at just £40 annually, and a £20 concessionary rate, we are confident Queens Park Chess Club will provide superb value for money, as well as a highly valuable and enjoyable opportunity to learn and socialise with other chess enthusiasts. 

We look forward to bringing a greater number of local people together to learn, play and appreciate the ancient game, and we hope to see you at a future meeting on Tuesday evenings in Queens Park from 30 August.

Social Media & Contact 

In addition, Queens Park Chess Club now has an Instagram profile where we will be sharing stories of our adventures throughout the season. Visit and follow here.

Queens Park Chess Club joined Instagram in August 2022

We have also updated our Facebook page to reflect the name change. The website domain name will follow suit later in the season.

For any queries about any aspect of Queens Park Chess Club, please contact Graeme at president@queensparkchessclub.com or Derek at secretary@queensparkchessclub.com