Here is a position from the game E.Parr v P.Johanssen 1995 and, as you can see, Black is in a bit of trouble. White is threatening 1.Qh8 mate and 1.Qh7 mate. Black could play 1…Qxh4 giving up his Queen for a Rook but that would just leave him hopelessly down on material. Does he have a sneaky defence that will blunt White’s attack and force him to take a perpetual check …. or does he not? That is today’s puzzle.
Does Black to play have a defence?
Canada is the latest in a string of countries to adopt chess as a curriculum subject. This time for year 12 students!
After 20 years of research, proposals, paperwork and jumping through hoops Arnie Nermo (B.Ed.) Robert Bateman Sec. School, Abbotsford, BC and Luke Campbell (Language and Technology Department Head at Mount Boucherie Senior Secondary) have finally had their chess course approved by the School Board and the Ministry of Education.
Now any school can use their template and experience to introduce chess as part of their high-school curriculum.
Toddler chess classes run every Wednesday at 4pm in Ormond. If the time or location doesn’t suit, never mind.
We’ve got the Top 5 Tips for teaching your 4 year old to play chess.
Parr is a famous name in Australian Chess. Peter Parr has run a chess business in Sydney for over 40 years and captained Australia’s Chess Olympiad team on six occasions, but Peter is not the only famous chess player in his family. His father, Frank Parr, was a good player also and competed in the British Championships for 55 years from 1936 to 1991.
Today I want to talk about Peter’s older brother David. David Parr was not a titled player but played internationally for England for some years and had a few notable scalps on his belt. He spent some time in Australia and in 1974 entered the Australian Championship for which he was one of the favourites. Unfortunately his ability was not reflected in his score and he withdrew from the event after a few rounds with a poor score complaining that “his opponents were so weak that he couldn’t concentrate.”
I thought it may be interesting to see David Parr in action so have a look at the position below from a Challengers Tournament in Yugoslavia in 1999. White has just played 12.Rd1+ and Parr (Black) must now chose between 12…Ke8, 12…Bd7 and 12…Kc7. Unfortunately he made the wrong choice and after White’s reply he resigned! The puzzle is what move did Black choose and what was White’s crushing reply?
Keely v D.Parr 1999
Press “more” for the solution.
What a fantastic day!
The first 7 Junior Master titles were awarded today at the Junior Masters Knock-Out event held at the Victorian State Library.
The format copied the AFL Finals Series; with the top 4 seeds having a double-chance and others being eliminated in each round. There was also a special prize for the best player in each age-group after a single-game playoff.
Results and ratings are here, but for a full report; including pictures and games…
Read more…
Safe, fun and free - battle other Chess Kids from around the World.