Latest Additions
March 2022 – Thanks to SOCO team for the following games from 2022 SNoCL (25+10) 
March 2022 – Thanks to SOCO team for the following games from 2022 Blitz (5+2) 

Feb 2022 – Thanks to Eduardo Bauza Mercere for games from 1914 Scottish Ch.  

https://www.chessscotland.com/features/game-downloads/

Re the sad passing of J Doyle - a game which shows how dangerous Jimmy could be, and which set me thinking about the role of chance in chess, at least amongst the lesser chess mortals.
 
W Buchanan - Jimmy Doyle, Edinburgh Scottish, 2009
 
1. c4 e5 2. g3 h5 3. Nc3 h4 4. Bg2 hxg3 5. fxg3 Bc5 6. d3 Nf6 7. Bg5 Bf2+ 8. Kd2
 
Jimmy started to think intently. White has been a bit frisky on these black squares, and in allowing his K to be displaced.
 
8...Rh5
This is committal, but I didn't get what Black was up to.
9. Nf3
9. Bxf6 is safer, and better than it looks.
 
9....Rxg5 !? Unexpected, and deep.
10. Nxg5 Be3+!
11. Kxe3 Ng4+
12. Kd2
 
This is forced. We later looked at 12 Kf3 Qxg5 and the WK was mated in two attempts - one on the h file and the other on the a file!
However the engine complains that instead of capturing the N, 12 ...Qf6+! leads to a quick mate.
 
12...Qxg5+ 13. Ke1
 
There are various ways in which a few moves ago it would look like Black can at least regain the material.
A shot like 13...Nxh2 would ordinarily be good, but Black now misses his h-pawn - he can't untangle on the open h-file after 14 Ne4; if the N moves, Rh8+ will be deadly.
 
On the dangerous-looking 13...Qe3 White has Ne4 and if f5, Bf3 saves the piece.
However Black's main intention I believe was the move played.
 
13...Ne3
 
This wins the B on g2; only temporarily however, as the N is trapped on g2 after the fortuitous 14 Qc1.
 
14 Qc1 Nxg2+ 15 Kf2.
 
Surprisingly, even with the WK exposed after 15... Nf4 16 exf4, there isn't anything B can do to it.
 
As Black's clever combination unfolded on me I thought the game would end in a perpetual after 15... Nf4 16 gxf4 Qh4+ , which would have been lucky enough for me. I imagine on move 8 or 9, Black thought this was the least he would have.
Unfortunately for Black, it turns out there's not even a perpetual - as the WK escapes to the d-file after 17 Kg2, only going to f1 when B plays Qg4+, blocking the Black B from going to the h3 square after a ...d6.
So Black was obliged to swap queens on move 15.
Such finesses would be very hard to see on move 8 or 9.
 
To borrow a snooker term, with the 'run of the pieces' in any of the variations around move 13-16 Black could have chalked up a brilliant and deserved victory.
Perhaps in some dystopian future, a brain-intrusive program will rate your moves according to what you actually saw. That would have produced a very different outcome in this game to the actual result!
 

I am very sad to report the death of Shettleston ( and later Stepps) club member Jimmy Doyle on March 12th. he supported chess whenever he could and made the long train and bus trips to whatever tournament and match he could. I always remember our games and could never catch him out. In particular his end game skills were legendary and clinical. If you were lucky enough to get to the endgame thats where he would finish you off. 
Jimmy passed away at his care home on March 1st. I would appreciate any comments and tributes here, We all knew a good story about him. In particular his rook endings were phenomenal. Despite being  partially deaf he was one of the most socially minded people I knew.

Sad news from Cathcart Chess Club in that our longest serving member, Stan Beaton, has passed away at the age of 87 (26 Dec 1934 - 20 Mar 2022).
He joined the club not long after it was formed in 1953 and was its first club champion in 1955. He was made an honorary member of the club some time ago and continued to come to the club until more recently when he began to suffer from dementia. He served on many Cathcart committees and was a stalwart of the Glasgow Chess Congress committee for a number of years. He is survived by his wife Eileen who he married in 1984. Our condolences to Eileen and all his family.

https://www.chessscotland.com/news-post/...arch-2022/

(Voting links will be added to the above news post)

March 2022: Chess Scotland would like members to vote on two motions related to player eligibility. The two motions are to be considered separately.

An Eligibility Working Party (EWP) was set up after the 2019 AGM and over four months from early November 2019 to mid February 2020 examined the rules and procedures related to eligibility for Championship titles and International representation. The covid pandemic and ongoing restrictions prevented an earlier presentation of the proposals.

Vote on Motion 1 to amend the CS Constitution: 

Vote on Motion 2 to establish rights of GM Matthew Turner: 

Voting links will be added shortly. All current members of Chess Scotland are entitled to cast a vote on either or both motions. The closing date will be announced when voting goes live.

***

Background documents to explain the issues. Any reference in the documents to Eligibility as already in the Constitution will be amended if the vote is not passed. However the details of the policy proposals will still be enacted but with the Eligibility rules outwith the Constitution.

CS Constitution

Eligibility proposals details (pdf)

EWP discussions (pdf)

Selection Operating Procedures (pdf)

FIDE ID Operating Procedure (pdf)

FIDE ID application Form (doc)

FAQ guide (pdf)

*****

Motion 1: 

• Proposal to amend the Chess Scotland Constitution
  

1. Eligibility
   

• Proposal to establish the rights of GM Matthew Turner
  

Thread Modes
Rober
I'm sorry to report that I've been informed by John Montgomery that Robert Loughran passed away on March 1st. Unfortunately his funeral was last week. I'm sure we have fond memories of our friend and stalwart from Ayrshire

Just in case you have missed it, the Scottish Chess Tour is organising events again for the physical side of the game.

We start off with on April the 8th and 9th in Edinburgh with a blitz and then an Allegro followed up with the return of the Ayr Congress on 22nd to 24th.

Check the events calendar on the home page for details when the links to the entry pages will become live. 

Further events in Livingston and another in Ayr will also be available to enter soon.

We will continue with the online weekend events on the first weekend of the month as well, as long as the demand exists for it.

Hope to see you there.

Here is the setup for the chess teams challenge. Sorry about the delay in announcing the division structures, we were giving teams who missed the boat the opportunity to play.
Willie Hulme will set the League Management System (to display the results)
Here's how it will work
Each  home team captain will contact the other captain and arrange the game, the match is to be played on the home team's preference (preferred online match night) unless both teams agree another evening. For that night the home team sets up a challenge to the away captain. Both teams fill up the spaces (four) . When the match starts, there are two games (one white and one Black against the same player and this is done automatically by the chess.com software.) The match can be set up to the week and the players can withdraw or join the match at any time. The time control is twenty minutes plus 5 second increments  which is set up by the home team captain
It has also been decided that there will be no entry fee this year for either the SNOCL or Chess Teams Challenge. As with the SNOCL all games will be governed by the Chess Scotland fair play policy and will be allegro graded.
 
 
Div.1                                                   Div.2
xxxxxxxxx                                            Lenzie A
Aberdeen A                                        Lenzie B
Dundee A                                            Aberdeen B
Pentland A                                          Pentland B
Stepps                                                  Hamilton
Dundee B                                            Strathclyde
Troon                                                    Govanhill
 
Any questions, contact me by email ian@ianbrownlee.co.uk or by mobile 07899 832770
Ian

Giffnock Chess Club has lost a long-time stalwart in the death of David McDonald who passed away suddenly at home on Friday, 7th January.
 
David was a long-time member, he was certainly there when I arrived 20 years ago, who gave enormous service to the club in his role as treasurer over many years.  As well as an enthusiastic club player who never missed an evening David was a regular player in the Glasgow, Dumbarton & District and SNCL leagues where he was known for his calm, polite ways, and his infectious laugh and warm smile.
 
The funeral service for David, husband to Dorothy and dad to Andrew and Katie, will take place at 10am on Tuesday 1st February at the Linn Crematorium, following which the family invite you to celebrate his life, share stories and music at the Redhurst Hotel in Giffnock.
 
There is a link to watch the service live if anyone would prefer or cannot make it in person.
 
Joe Jordan
Secretary
Giffnock & Clarkston Chess Club

updated rules and regulations for the SNOCL and Chess teams Challenge 
1. Games will be run on the chess.com team format using the teams setup provided by chess.com     
2. The SNOCL is a five man team event which will run , two rounds per day on a Sunday with dates already mentioned on the Chess Scotland Calendar and Chess Scotland website. The CTC is a four man team played two rounds on the same night between the same players using the chess.com teams format. 
3. For the Chess Teams Challenge (CTC), there will be two games per player, one Black and one White, Each game will last 20 minutes plus 5 second increment. For the Scottish National Online Chess League, the time control is 25 minutes plus 10 second increment. 
4. Games will be screened for fair play by Chess Scotland and graded on the Chess Scotland allegro grading system. 
5. The online league will be run based on the existent format of the typical over the board chess league.
6. In the case of a dispute on either tournament, there will be an initial attempt to resolve between the teams by the SOCO committee after the match, failing that an appeals committee shall be set up.
7. Games will be submitted for Chess Scotland Allegro grading.
8. It is envisaged at least one match is played each month, probably two matches per month, preferably during the week although weekend matches would be acceptable.
9. Any teams wishing a practice run should contact me and I will arrange friendlies.
10. If there is sufficient interest over the country then we will regionalise the leagues with a finals format. If not then will compile league based on playing strength.
11. Entries to be sent to Ian.brownlee@systemsit.co.uk. 
12. The management system for the league will be the LMS system operated by the Scottish Online Chess Organisation, administered by Ian Brownlee and Willie Hulme
13.   All players will be required to have a chess.com user account and join the SOCO club on chess.com. Anyone joining the SOCO online club should contact myself or Willie Hulme (Ian.brownlee@systemsit.co.uk) using their username, actual name and email address. Anyone aged 21 or under should also supply their year or birth. For the chess teams challenge, 
14. Clubs will also be required to set up their own online club at chess.com. This is to facilitate the automatic challenge between clubs for the Chess Teams Challenge
15. Anyone who has their chess.com account suspended for any reason should contact the committee immediately. If the suspension is a result of violating either Chess Scotland or chess.com fair play procedures, then all games played by themselves will have the results of their individual games marked as a loss. 
16. We reserve the right to transfer teams between leagues according to average playing strength even if team is due promotion/relegation - to facilitate the smooth and fair distribution of teams / running of the tournament. 
17. Lastly, but not by all means least team captains will be responsible for having a good working knowledge of the chess.com systems for both tournaments, including ensuring each of their players are able to contact opponents, setting their opponent challenge level to infinity etc. There will be a zoom meeting on Tuesday 25th January at 7.30 pm for team captains to explain these fine details and to offer pre match assistance.