DCC
I went to the second meeting of the Durham Chess Club yesterday. It was fun. There were only two people there, Conrad and Eric. They were good players compared to me, and also just the kind of player it is good for me to play. They don't know much about openings, but are very good middlegame players. So while I would consistently get a better game out of the opening, in my losses it was due to kooky middlegame tactics.
So, I will go again. It was very mellow and relaxed--no chess clocks, and quite a bit of innocent chatter. They aren't USCF players, and don't play online, just a couple of guys that want to play chess because they like the game. It is hard to rate them for anyone out there thinking about coming. I'd put them at around 1200 or so USCF though Conrad may be higher. He's been playing chess for like 50 years. Eric is one of those players that tries to construct elaborate traps in every game, and when they work you are totally fucked, when they don't he is fucked. That makes the games quite fun.
In one game I hung a rook. I thought I had a great response to an attack, putting my rook on the seventh rank, but I moved too fast and sloppy and didn't even think that his Knight was on the eighth rank and just took my rook. I'm still thinking about why I did that, given that I had explicitly moved my rook from the seventh rank when he moved his Knight back to the eighth! :(
Anyway, I will try to do some promotion of this club, but it is odd as now there are three chess clubs in Durham. Duke Chess started meeting again (Wednesday nights), then there is the Francecsa's Underground Club (Tuesdays (and sometimes Thursdays) at 730PM), and now this North Durham Library club.
So, no more whining from me about the lack of Durham Chess clubs.
So, I will go again. It was very mellow and relaxed--no chess clocks, and quite a bit of innocent chatter. They aren't USCF players, and don't play online, just a couple of guys that want to play chess because they like the game. It is hard to rate them for anyone out there thinking about coming. I'd put them at around 1200 or so USCF though Conrad may be higher. He's been playing chess for like 50 years. Eric is one of those players that tries to construct elaborate traps in every game, and when they work you are totally fucked, when they don't he is fucked. That makes the games quite fun.
In one game I hung a rook. I thought I had a great response to an attack, putting my rook on the seventh rank, but I moved too fast and sloppy and didn't even think that his Knight was on the eighth rank and just took my rook. I'm still thinking about why I did that, given that I had explicitly moved my rook from the seventh rank when he moved his Knight back to the eighth! :(
Anyway, I will try to do some promotion of this club, but it is odd as now there are three chess clubs in Durham. Duke Chess started meeting again (Wednesday nights), then there is the Francecsa's Underground Club (Tuesdays (and sometimes Thursdays) at 730PM), and now this North Durham Library club.
So, no more whining from me about the lack of Durham Chess clubs.
posted by Blue Devil Knight at 3/22/2009 10:53:00 AM
6 Comments:
You could join all 3 clubs and play 3 or 4 nights a week.
Then you will improve quicker.
Awesome! It's good to be able to go to club and interact with actual people. I would love to have a casual club where I could just go and play some laid back games.
That sounds fun. I wish I knew where to find players around my rating who lived nearby and wanted casual games.
Perhaps this is the way chess should be played nice and relaxed.
Instead of playing chess on a computer screen, playing chess on a real board against real people.
That takes me back!!!!!
Always more fun if you can play otb chess and have live interaction. I hope that you visit the other clubs also for comparison and then go to the one you feel most comfortable with.
The why you gave your rook away? Like you said, moving to fast and so forgot your threat scan after you decided to play rook to seventh rank.
Coincidentally I just posted about playing at the club without clocks as well. Had a good 2-hour game on Monday. I had almost forgotten than chess and relaxing could be in the same sentence.
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