Posted on behalf of Paul MacDonald....

When I look at the map of where Scottish chess clubs are situated I am sometimes underwhelmed by the lack of established clubs outside of the central belt. North of Oban is a chess desert, as is the whole area North of Inverness on the other coast. Argyll and Bute has no prescence other than Oban. The difficulty in establishing clubs in these areas is that much of the impetus tends to hang on one individual. Take the example of Lewis a few years back, where a tournament even attracted a GM match between Short and Agdestein. A fledgling club collapsed when the main organiser left to take up a job in England and not much happened on the island in a chess sense, until Colin McNab gave a simul there this summer. In my own experience, I had a small club going at Sleat in Skye in 2003-04, where we once had 16 people turn up to play. Once again the impetus wasn't maintained once I left to take a job back on the mainland.

As someone who spent a lot of his childhood in a remote West Highland community I realise how difficult it is for local communities to kickstart activities and when a community council approaches me for help in getting a chess-related event going then I'll do my best to help them and hopefully help chess in Scotland.

My work with a Gaelic-language organisation has put me in touch with the local community council in Dunoon, a few of whose members have made me aware of the existence of a chess club in its infancy. Currently boasting 10 members (4 of whom are juniors...all absolute beginners.) they meet in a private house once a week, mainly for off the cuff matches and an informal 'club championship'.

They have however become aware of the success of the annual Congress in Oban, which although well over an hour away is seen as a local town, To cut a long story short, I've been asked to help make a chess congress in Dunoon happen. The venue would almost certainly be the Burgh Hall, a 10 minute walk from the Pier and right in the midst of the shops, pubs, restaurants and hotels, The Burgh Hall is a lovely, striking Victorian building with a huge hall probably easily capable of hosting 25-30 boards. Because local contacts are well in the loop with the Hall administrators and the town are keen to have this venue used more often I'm certain that we would get a fantastic deal on a weekend hire.

Opinions please?

Regards

Paul.

Link for all games today

http://www.chessscotland.com/livegames/C...ve/tfd.htm

7 Rounds

Reminder that this Saturday is the Edinburgh (East of Scotland) qualifying heat for the Chess for Kicks junior event. For those that dont know, all the Chess for Kicks heats are standalone tournaments with trophies & medals as prizes for each section. The top players qualify to take part in the National Chess for Kicks Finals in June 2012. Please note we have a Novice section for ungraded & those graded U300 as well as sections for more experienced junior players - please see entry form. Sections will be looked after by qualified/experienced arbiters & clocks will be used.

Venue
St Catherine’s Church Hall,
2 Captains Row, Gracemount,
Edinburgh,
EH16 6QP

entry form can be found on calendar or email <!-- e --><a href="mailtojc@uwclub.net">sjc@uwclub.net</a><!-- e --> with your entry or for more details or ring Michael on 01698 850303

To date we have a disappointing entry of 10 from the Edinburgh area & those are from juniors that we had direct contact details. Can all junior chess club organisers & coaches please make their juniors (& their parents) aware that the event is taking place. IF the entry does not improve this years event will go ahead irrespective but any future ones will be uncertain.

Chess Event

Glasgow Polytechnic Chess Club
Wellington Church, 77 Southpark Avenue
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~daw/Poly/">http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~daw/Poly/</a><!-- m -->

Grand Master Colin McNab will demonstrate some master games on Thursday 17 November 2011 at 19:30. This special event is also open to non-members of Polytechnic at a nominal fee (£3). It would be helpful but not essential for non-members to contact our Secretary in advance at <!-- e --><a href="mailtoairena.gaffney@glasgow.ac.uk">Dairena.gaffney@glasgow.ac.uk</a><!-- e --> so that we have an idea of numbers.

That Andy is at it again!!!

The practical joker has done the fixture list and has posted it on the SNCL website. Ignore the fact that he has titled it 2010-11 fixtures. If you click on the divisions it is this seasons teams (I know that as I checked Div 4 and the new teams are there so I am assuming the other divisions have been done!!!)

To get to the website, go to CS website, main menu, click on leagues and then scroll down to SNCL, click website.

We have 32 teams this year -- Perfect!!!!

Andy thank you very much for doing the fixtures.

GG

This will take place in Rogaska Slatina, Slovenia from 26th March until 5th April 2012. If there is sufficient interest Chess Scotland will send two or even three teams.
Players must pay their own costs. In 2010, Scotland finished 10th and in 2011 they finished 11th. .
Entitled to participate are men who have reached the age of 60 years and women who have reached the age of 50 years, by 1st January 2012."
If you are definitely available to play, please contact Andrew Muir by 15 December 2011

Good luck to the Scottish U16 team:-
Andrew Mc.
Shivan M.
Ali R.
Sam G.

That is playing in the U16 Olympiad in Turkey over the next two weeks.

http://wyco2011.tsf.org.tr/

Plan is to show 4 boards at the Chess for Kicks on Saturday then 8 board at the SNCL on Sunday

Are available on the SNCL website

Round 1
Division 1
Cumbernauld v Kingdom Kings
Giffnock & Clarkston A v Hamilton A
Forth Valley v Edinburgh West
Greenwood v Dundee City A

Division 2
Edinburgh 1 v East Kilbride
Dumfries and District v Edinburgh University
Kingdom Knights v Stonehaven
Kilmarnock v CS BOS 1

Division 3
Edinburgh 2 v Pentland Hills
Hamilton B v Irvine
Inverclyde v Lanark
Dundee City B v Oban

Division 4
Forth Valley 2 v CSBOS2
Bon Accord v Corstorphine
Giffnock & Clarkston B v Kingdom Knaves
North Ayrshire Crusaders v SJC

Round 2

Division 1
Edinburgh West v Greenwood
Dundee City A v Giffnock & Clarkston A
Hamilton A v Cumbernauld
Kingdom Kings v Forth Valley


Division 2
CS BOS 1 v Kingdom Knights
Stonehaven v Edinburgh 1
East Kilbride v Dumfries and District
Edinburgh University v Kilmarnock

Division 3
Lanark v Dundee City B
Oban v Hamilton B
Irvine v Edinburgh 2
Pentland Hills v Inverclyde

Division 4
Corstorphine v Giffnock & Clarkston B
Kingdom Knaves v North Ayrshire Crusaders
CSBOS2 v Bon Accord
SJC v Forth Valley 2