Macclesfield Chess Club
Encyclopedia
Macclesfield Chess Club meets every Tuesday between September and the following May at the New Liberal Club, Boden Street, Macclesfield
, Cheshire
, SK11 6LL, UK. The club runs several teams in the two local chess leagues.
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 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.
This is the Evans Gambit: White offers his pawn
in exchange for faster development.
The famous Evergreen game
continued with the inferior move 7. ... d3.
The usual (and superior) move here is 8. Qb3 with an attack on the f7 pawn.
It would have been better to play this consolidating knight move earlier. In the previous two moves Black has unnecessarily given back two pawns.
If 14. ... Ng6 then 15. Nxf7 when 15. ...Kxf7 fails because of 16. Bc4+ Re6 17. Rxd7+ Qxd7 18. Qf5+ and White wins.
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.
An unfortunate error which alters the balance of the game. White should capture on d7 with either the bishop or the rook.
Black plays a (temporary) queen sacrifice
. This is the only move that leads to a forced win.
The 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.
Multimap
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, SK11 6LL, UK. The club runs several teams in the two local chess leagues.
History
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
Joseph Henry Blackburne
Joseph Henry Blackburne , nicknamed "The Black Death", dominated British chess during the latter part of the 19th century. He learned the game at the relatively late age of 18 but quickly became a strong player and went on to develop a professional chess career that spanned over 50 years...
. 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
Blindfold chess
Blindfold chess is a form of chess play wherein the players do not see the positions of the pieces or touch them. This forces players to maintain a mental model of the positions of the pieces...
simultaneous
Simultaneous exhibition
A simultaneous exhibition or simultaneous display is a board game exhibition in which one player plays multiple games at a time with a number of other players. Such an exhibition is often referred to simply as a "simul".In a regular simul, no chess clocks are used...
display at the Macclesfield Club.
The blindfold simultaneous game
- White: Joseph BlackburneJoseph Henry BlackburneJoseph Henry Blackburne , nicknamed "The Black Death", dominated British chess during the latter part of the 19th century. He learned the game at the relatively late age of 18 but quickly became a strong player and went on to develop a professional chess career that spanned over 50 years...
- Black: Dr George Beach
- Opening: Evans GambitEvans GambitThe Evans Gambit is a chess opening characterised by the moves:The gambit is named after the Welsh sea Captain William Davies Evans, the first player known to have employed it. The first game with the opening is considered to be Evans - McDonnell, London 1827, although in that game a slightly...
, C52
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4.b4
This is the Evans Gambit: White offers his pawn
Pawn (chess)
The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
in exchange for faster development.
- 4. ... Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. 0-0 dxc3
The famous Evergreen game
Evergreen game
The Evergreen game is a famous chess game played in Berlin in 1852 between Adolf Anderssen and Jean Dufresne.Adolf Anderssen was one of the strongest players of his time, and was considered by many to be the world champion after winning the London 1851 tournament. Jean Dufresne, a popular author of...
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.
- 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
Queen sacrifice
In chess, a queen sacrifice is a move giving up a queen in return for tactical or positional compensation.-Queen sacrifice: real versus sham:...
. 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 0-1
The king hunt has led to the capture of the white queen and has left Black with three connected pawns
Connected pawns
In chess, connected pawns are two or more pawns of the same color on adjacent files, as distinct from isolated pawns. These pawns are instrumental in creating pawn structure because, when diagonally adjacent, like the two rightmost white pawns, they form a pawn chain, a chain where the one behind...
each one of which is a passed pawn
Passed pawn
In chess, a passed pawn is a pawn with no opposing pawns to prevent it from advancing to the eighth rank, i.e. there are no opposing pawns in front of it on the same file nor on an adjacent file. A passed pawn is sometimes colloquially called a passer...
- an easily won endgame.
Location of the Club
Postcode – SK11 6LLMultimap