Last night, a Hendon team made its way to Muswell Hill to play a start-of-season friendly match for players rated 2000 or below. The match was closely contested and ended in a tie. Many thanks to Muswell Hill for hosting, and to everyone who played!
| Muswell Hill | Muswell Hill | Hendon | Hendon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alper Dilek | 1960 | 0 - 1 | Daniel Duma | 1952 | ||
| 2 | Dominic Norcliffe-Brown | 1803 | 0 - 1 | David Amior | 1900 | ||
| 3 | Laurens Stegink | 1 - 0 | Onur Ayan | ~1800 | |||
| 4 | Niall Guinness | 1608 | 0 - 1 | Faye Ainscow | 1608 | ||
| 5 | Sadik Bugraisler | 1 - 0 | Stanley Jacobs | 1390 | |||
| 6 | Fred Ceder | 1 - 0 | Matty Berenblut | 1309 | |||
| 7 | Robert Sharrock | 0 - 1 | Marcel Berenblut | 1300 | |||
| 8 | Tom Butler | 1 - 0 | Tony Artman | ~1200 | |||
| 4 - 4 | |||||||
This match was suggested by Muswell Hill, to get the season started, since the Middlesex League is getting underway a bit later than normal this year. It was a great opportunity to offer over-the-board playing opportunities to some of our members who have only played online until now!
There was a very good atmosphere at the Clissold Arms, with more experienced players helping newcomers get used to playing over the board. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and we hope to see everyone again over the course of the season!
One thing that really struck me, as I sat outside the match room reading a book, was just how many people have got into chess during the past year and are now looking to take their interest further. A couple of Muswell Hill members came up to me and offered me a casual game, having been playing chess for less than a year.
This is really encouraging, and it seems clear we have all the necessary ingredients for a chess boom in this country, if we can take advantage of it!
You can find a list of all stories about friendly matches here.