Rotherham Chess Club

Au revoir Three Cranes...

2024-05-27T00:00:00Z

We recently received the unexpected news that the Three Cranes Inn, our home for the last 3 years, is coming under new ownership and will be closed for refurbishments for at least a month.

Putting chess aside for a moment, this is obviously a difficult time for the wonderful staff who've looked after us so well over the years—we'd like to place on record our thanks to them, and we wish them all the best for the future.

On a happier note, we hope to be able to return to the Cranes in future—we've had a chat with the new landlords who seemed positive about having us back once the refurb is completed.

However, as we don't have a regular home venue for the time being, we've had to change our plans at short notice, particularly as our 2024 Summer League campaign begins on Wednesday.

The current plan is as follows:

• There will be no Wednesday club night from 29 May until at least 26 June
• Our home fixtures on 10 and 19 June will now be played away instead
• Our next home fixture against Chesterfield is on 17 July, by which time we hope to be back 🤞

More updates when we have them.

(Nearly) end of season update

2023-04-18T00:00:00Z

With our 2022/23 campaign nearly over (barring a dead rubber against champions-elect Sheffield Nomads) it's time to take a look back over the season just gone...

It's fair to say it's been tough this year facing off against some very strong sides, but we've secured ourselves a berth in Division 2 for next season when just a few months ago relegation seemed a real danger.

A spate of close-run victories in February and March against fellow strugglers Woodseats B (3½-2½), Sheffield University (4-2) and Ecclesall B (3½-2½) was decisive after we'd only secured a single point from the first half of the season.

It's been great to see new arrivals Jacob, Mark, and Damien taking part in their first full season. A special mention goes to Jacob for being the only Rotherham player to manage a plus score this season with 5½/9 at time of writing.

We now look towards the 2023 Summer League which will kick off on 17th May. Naturally, we'll be meeting at the Three Cranes as normal on Wednesdays when we don't have a match scheduled.

Richardson Cup R1 🏆

2022-10-13T00:00:00Z

We opened our Richardson Cup campaign with an unlikely victory over Sheffield University yesterday. The match was tied at 3-3 and, having lost on both top and bottom boards, most of us presumed that we were out, but surprisingly we qualified for the next round 11-10 by virtue of our lower board count, having won on boards 2, 3, and 5.

The draw for Round 2 is already made, so we'll be facing what could be a terrifyingly strong SASCA 1 side at home, most likely on Wednesday 16th November. We've got the league to worry about before that though, with a visit to Woodseats on Monday 24 October before we welcome University A back to the Cranes on Wednesday 2nd November.

We'll be meeting on Wednesdays as usual on non-match nights. See you there!

For some pics from tonight click "read more" 👇

2022/23 season underway ✨

2022-09-28T00:00:00Z

The 2022/23 season got underway this week. Sadly our first fixture ended in a 4-2 defeat against a strong Hillsborough A side, despite Nat and Mark bringing home the full point. We take the positives and look forward to the next match!

❌ Please note that there'll be no club night this coming Wednesday (5th) as the Millers are at home. We'll return to the Cranes on Wed 12 Oct, when we'll be facing Sheffield University in the Richardson Cup.

Do feel free to come down to the club as normal (even if you're not playing in the match) - you are more than welcome to spectate or just play some friendly games on the sidelines.

2022/23 season update 🚀

2022-09-07T00:00:00Z

Oli attended the S&DCA AGM last night. We've been placed in Division 2 for the upcoming league season. The preliminary fixtures will be announced sometime in the next couple of weeks.

⚠ UPDATE: We're going to try to have a club night on Sep 14, although it might be a bit busy downstairs because the Millers are at home. Normal service will be resumed next week!

We managed a mid-table finish in the Summer League. There were some incredibly tight and exciting matches, particularly (to my memory) the curtain-raiser against Nomads and the two ties against Hillsborough and University. In the final reckoning Worksop came out as worthy champions, only dropping 3 points over the whole season. Thanks to everyone who took part

We could definitely do with more players for the upcoming league season. Have a word with Chris if you want to take part. Also, now would be a great time to take out or renew an ECF membership at Bronze level or above.

League fixtures announced 📅

2022-02-22T00:00:00Z

Exciting news! We've been placed in Division 2 of the "Summer" League, and our first match will be at home on Wednesday 2 March against Nomads B.

We'll play 10 matches at home and away over the next few months. Our fixtures and results can be found here on the ECF LMS.

A reminder: do feel free to come down to the club as normal on match nights, even if you're not playing in the match. And if you want to make yourself available for us in the league, have a word with Chris. Also, now would be a good time to take out or renew an ECF membership at Bronze level or above.

Over-the-board league to resume 🎉

2022-02-06T00:00:00Z

The Sheffield association have decided to resume the league, starting at the end of the month! Naturally, we'll be entering a team, and we're looking forward to some matchplay. Chris is continuing as captain with Oli handling the paperwork.

These will be proper ECF-rated games, 75 minutes for each player, and you'll need to record your moves. (We've got some scoresheets though, and maybe even some pens as well)

We'll be playing our home matches on Wednesday nights at the Three Cranes. On match nights, do feel free to come down to the club as normal even if you're not playing in the match—it'll be a far quieter atmosphere than usual, but you are very welcome to watch or play some friendly games on the sidelines.

In weeks that we have an away match, we may or may not meet on Wednesday. The fixture list will be released in a few weeks and we'll be able to plan better.

If you want to play for us in the league, have a word with Chris. Also, now would be a good time to take out or renew an ECF membership at Bronze level or above. See you on Wednesday for the usual rapid shootout.

Christmas is coming 🎄

2021-12-20T00:00:00Z

We're having a week off for Christmas so there will be no meeting on 22 December.

The virus situation looks very uncertain once again, but we're hoping to be back in action on the 29th.

Stay safe and have a great Christmas everyone ✨

S&DCA Online League Season 3

2021-09-27T00:00:00Z

Fixtures have been released for the 3rd season of the Sheffield & District online league. Matches are played every other Thursday on lichess over 4 boards at a time control of 45' + 15" increment.

We start our Division 2 campaign this Thursday 30th September at 7.30pm against Woodseats B. There's also a knockout cup this season, we'll be facing Nomads B in the first round on 21st October.

Our full fixture list can be found here.

No meeting on the 15th

2021-09-14T00:00:00Z

Due to staff illness, tomorrow's meeting (15th Sep) is cancelled

We will be back next week, see you on the 22nd 👋

Upcoming events in September

2021-09-13T00:00:00Z

OTB

• Wednesday nights at the Cranes have been a great success and will be continuing for the foreseeable future 🎉

• The next event in Geoff Brown's outdoor Kelham Island rapidplay series takes place this Sunday 19th. Usually involves 3-5 games of 15-minute chess with a 5-second increment. Entry is free by email to Geoff (ask me if you don't have it)

Online

• A new season of the Sheffield online league starts soon. Matches are played on lichess every second Thursday at 7.30pm, starting on 30th September. We need more players before the Saturday deadline, so let me know if you would like to participate.

• A new batch of my own award-winning online events will be starting on 22nd September. Join us on Slack and be the first to know when registration opens.

cheers,

Oli

Back over the board

2021-08-05T00:00:00Z

For the first time since March 2020, Rotherham will be meeting in person next Wednesday night! 🚀

📆 Wednesday 11th August, 6.30-9.30pm
📌 NEW VENUE - The Three Cranes Inn, 29 High Street, Rotherham, S60 1PT

🦠 COVID-19: We are all responsible for keeping each other safe.
• Get your jabs if you possibly can 💉
• Don't attend if you have any coronavirus symptoms
• If you aren't vaccinated, we ask that you wear a mask
• Even if you are fully jabbed, it would be a good idea to wear a mask while playing or in close proximity to others

Hope to see a good turnout! 👋

S&DCA Online League season 2

2021-07-15T00:00:00Z

The second season of the S&DCA online league has come to an end. Rotherham finished mid-table in Division 2, scoring 4 wins and a draw from our 8 matches, but some distance behind the eventual winners SASCA A who managed an unbeaten record of 6 wins and 2 draws. Thanks and well played to everyone who turned out for us this season 👏

Peter Ballard (1943—2021)

2021-05-23T00:00:00Z

We are very sorry to report the death of Peter Ballard on Sunday, 16th May 2021.

Peter first came onto the Sheffield chess scene in the 1970s when he started working for British Steel. He was a Rotherham player of very long standing, having represented the club from around 1972 to 2018, when health problems made it too difficult for him to continue over the board. He played at an exceptional standard, being graded over 190 at points during his career (probably well above 2100 today).

During the pandemic Peter made a return to chess online, even winning the rapidplay Congress on his comeback in May 2020. He also enjoyed watching the games, and his username was regularly seen in the 'spectator rooms', where he would sometimes offer a few comments. Although I (Oli) sadly never had the opportunity to meet Peter in person, online he was always encouraging, unfailingly courteous, and often very funny as well.

Peter made an enormous contribution to Rotherham over many years, and all of us at the club would like to extend our sincere condolences to Peter's family and friends. A full obituary by Steve Mann has been posted on the S&DCA website.

Rotherham online: the first year

2021-03-24T00:00:00Z

When we were first told to stay at home on 23 March 2020, I had a funny feeling we might be stuck inside for a bit longer than three weeks.

Sheffield chess had already entered its own lockdown the week beforehand, so that night, as the Prime Minister spoke, I created a workspace on Slack. Three weeks seemed hopelessly optimistic, but surely it'd all blow over in a couple of months' time. I started planning to run a six-week tournament. I'd played in the lichess4545 online leagues before and thought I could put something similar together that would work on a local level. At that point, I had never organised a chess tournament, didn't own a facemask, and Pfizer and AstraZeneca were not yet household names.

Here we are, a year and 20 tournaments later... with 5 events currently running. The first Online Championship started on 1 April 2020 and since that time 147 players have played over 1,600 games in the various competitions.

Amidst the horror and tragedy of a pandemic that has completely changed the way we live our lives, chess has somehow enjoyed an annus mirabilis, helped in no small measure by Beth Harmon, but also by the ease of playing and the ready availability of chess content online. Chess is one of the few esports that don't need an expensive console or gaming PC to play—you can play a perfectly good game on your phone, if you squint a bit.

The COVID aftermath presents both tremendous challenges and enormous opportunities for the game as we know it—pushing wood (or more often plastic) in the pubs and school halls of old England. Many clubs and leagues face an existential crisis due to falling memberships and possible losses of venues. Will the online boom translate into more league players? Will our clubs and congresses be inundated with fresh new faces when (if) OTB returns? I certainly hope so. If chess is to hold onto its recent gains among a largely younger, more diverse public, then we must modernise and strive to make our spaces as open, inclusive, and welcoming as possible. We also need to win back those players who, for whatever reason, didn't jump on the online chess bandwagon.

I'll continue putting events on for as long as restrictions prevent OTB from resuming on a reasonable scale (and as long as people want to play, of course). Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of this little venture and particularly to Pete Catt and Dan Sturman who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly.

S&DCA Online League

2020-12-18T00:00:00Z

The Sheffield association's online league is well underway. It's a five-round team Swiss played over 4 boards on Thursday nights.

The Rotherham squad consists of stalwarts Oli, Nat and John, along with former Rotherhamite Pete Catt and new signing Rich Dennis. As I write we are top of the league table thanks to victories over Sheffield Deaf and Woodseats A.

There are three rounds remaining and our next match will be on 7th January at 7.30pm. If you want to watch (or even better, play) get in touch with Oli.

2019/20 season closes

2020-11-12T00:00:00Z

The S&DCA executive decided to declare the 2019/20 league season closed and award final placings based on average points per match.

On this metric, Rotherham A retained their 6th place in Division 2, just clear of relegation. A mid-table switcheroo in Division 3 meant Rotherham B dropped down to 5th place, having lost their game in hand.

Andrew P Baxter (1967—2020)

2020-10-22T00:00:00Z

Rotherham Chess Club are very sad to report the sudden death, after a short illness, of Andrew Baxter aged 53. He leaves a partner, Tracy, and a family to whom we offer our sincere condolences.

Andy was a strong playing member of our club for many years, a quiet man, and a gentleman at the board. He loved his chess whether playing in the league or in tournaments and always paid a compliment to good aspects of play from his opponents. He will be missed by all who knew him.

Chess in the age of coronavirus

2020-03-24T00:00:00Z

With over-the-board chess being largely outlawed for the foreseeable future, it's time to think about how we keep playing through this crisis.

To that end, Oli is trying to get an online championship set up, to keep local players occupied during these strange times. If you're interested in playing, or know anyone who might be, please spread the word.

Isolated pawns

2020-03-18T00:00:00Z

Well, our hiatus just got a bit longer. In light of the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) it was announced this week that all Sheffield chess fixtures are to be postponed indefinitely.

“The Executive Committee has decided to suspend the current S&DCA chess season with immediate effect because of risks of transmission of the [SARS-CoV-2] virus among potentially vulnerable S&DCA chess club members[...] Discussions will be taking place in due course about how to conclude the league programme, e.g. whether or not it would be possible to complete outstanding matches towards the end of the summer, in the "gap" left because the Summer League will not be organised in its usual format, if at all.”

In line with recent government advice to avoid gatherings—and pubs and clubs in particular—we'll be pausing club nights from tomorrow.

Maybe it's time to get into some online chess? Stay healthy, keep washing your hands, see you again soon.