Macclesfield Chess Club

Macclesfield Chess Club meets every Monday between September and the following May at Macclesfield Cricket Club, Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK. The club runs several teams in the two local chess leagues.

History

Macclesfield Chess Club was founded in 1886 by Dr George Beach. Dr Beach became the Club's first president a title which he held until his death. The Club has won the Cheshire Cup on three occasions: in 1901, in 1915 and in 1920. In 1951 the Club was a founder member of the Stockport and District Chess League. Its only first division title in the League came in 1985. The Club is also a member of the North Staffs and District Chess League. The only first division title (a joint one) in this League came in 1996.

Dr Beach

Dr George Beach (1853-1936) was born at Oldbury, near Birmingham. He trained at Carmarthen before teaching at schools in Wednesbury, Birmingham, Cheadle and Stoke, He was the headmaster of Christ Church School, Macclesfield for a period of over 34 years. He was an extremely talented polymath. Though only the master of a provincial elementary school he obtained the successive titles of B.A., M.A., LL.D, and was called to the bar becoming a fully qualified barrister. His academic interests included mathematics and English on which subjects he wrote several text books. He was proficient in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Welsh and had a good knowledge of Latin and Greek.

Dr Beach was a very strong amateur player who enjoyed a friendship with one of the top English tournament players of the day, Joseph Blackburne. Blackburne described his friend as 'certainly the finest amateur player outside London.' The two men played many games during Blackburne's frequent visits to stay with Dr Beach's family. Blackburne described the game which is given below as the most brilliant and interesting of all his lost blindfold games. The game was played in 1900 during a blindfold simultaneous display at the Macclesfield Club. [Furness, Richard A. (1988). "The Cheshire Hundred (1888-1988): The centenary history of the Cheshire & North Wales Chess Association". Cheshire and North Wales Chess Association. page 126.] [Dr Beach’s obituary. "Chess Magazine, (January, 1937)".] [Dr Beach’s obituary. "British Chess Magazine, (February, 1937)".]

The blindfold simultaneous game

:White: Joseph Blackburne:Black: Dr George Beach:Opening: Evans Gambit, C52

:1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4.b4

This is the Evans Gambit: White offers his pawn in exchange for faster development.

:4. ... Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. 0-0 dxc3

The famous Evergreen game continued with the inferior move 7. ... d3.

:8. e5?!

The usual (and superior) move here is 8. Qb3 with an attack on the f7 pawn.

:8. ... b5 9. Bxb5 c2 10. Qxc2 Nge7

It would have been better to play this consolidating knight move earlier. In the previous two moves Black has unnecessarily given back two pawns.

Chess diagram|=
tright|
=
rd|nd| |qd| | |kd| |=
pd|bd|pd|pd| |pd| |pd|=
| | | | |nl|pd| |=
bd|bl| | | | |rd| |=
| | | | | | | |=
| | | | | | | |=
pl|bl|ql| | |pl|pl|pl|=
rl| | | | | |kl| |=
Position after 19. Nf6+

:11. Rd1 0-0 12. Nc3 Bb7 13. Ba3 Re8 14. Ng5 g6

If 14. ... Ng6 then 15. Nxf7 when 15. ...Kxf7 fails because of 16. Bc4+ Re6 17. Rxd7+ Qxd7 18. Qf5+ and White wins.

:15. Nce4!

The move played is very strong. Another way for White to win is 15. Qb3! when the threat to capture on f7 obliges Black to play 15. ... Nxe5 which allows 16. Rxd7.

:15. ... Nd5 16. Rxd5 Nxe5 17. Rxe5?

An unfortunate error which alters the balance of the game. White should capture on d7 with either the bishop or the rook.

:17. ... Rxe5 18. Bb2 Rxg5 19. Nf6+ Qxf6!!

Black plays a (temporary) queen sacrifice. This is the only move that leads to a forced win.

:20. Bxf6 Rxg2+ 21. Kf1 Rxh2 22. Qb3 Rh1+ 23. Ke2 Re8+ 24. Kd3 Rh3+ 25. Kc2 Rxb3 26. axb3 Bb6 27. Bxd7 Re2+ 28. Kc3 Rxf2 0-1The king hunt has led to the capture of the white queen and has left Black with three connected pawns each one of which is a passed pawn - an easily won endgame.

Location of the Club

Postcode – SK10 3JA

[http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&search_result=&db=pc&lang=&keepicon=true&pc=SK103JA&advanced=&client=public&addr2=&quicksearch=sk10%203ja&addr3=&addr1= Multimap]

External links

* [http://www.mymanchesteronline.co.uk/sites/MaccChessClub Macclesfield Chess Club website]
* [http://www.geocities.com/mjtunstalluk Stockport and District Chess League]
* [http://www.northstaffsleaguechess.com/index.asp North Staffs and District Chess Association]
* [http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&search_result=&db=pc&lang=&keepicon=true&pc=SK103JA&advanced=&client=public&addr2=&quicksearch=sk10%203ja&addr3=&addr1= Multimap of Macclesfield Chess Club]

References