Brighton & Hove Chess Club

The Railway Club, Belmont House, 4 Belmont, Dyke Road, Brighton, BN1 3TF (near Seven Dials)

CLUB MATCH WITH DIEPPE CHESS CLUB on 29th September 2007 (Updated: 3rd October 2007 by Duncan Roy)

Players, Grades & Match Results

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The recollections, views and opinions expressed on this page are those of Duncan Roy and not necessarily of the Brighton & Hove Chess Club.

Led by our President, David Bennett (above), the Brighton & Hove Chess Club set sail from Newhaven at 8:00am on Friday 28th September 2007.

The Match was to be a friendly, with no effect on our grades. It was intended as the centre-piece of a weekend jolly for our club, after the end of the playing season.

Collectively, we were in a state of nervous anticipation because the club had never gone on a journey of this nature before, let alone played the Dieppe Club. We felt the weight of the historical novelty upon us. We were also extremely tired because the ferry company had asked us to check in 1½ hours prior to departure. Sensibly, we all ignored that stupid rule and arrived within an hour of departure. Duncan & Hermione Roy and Duncan Badham had stayed up insensibly late the night before with former club member Danny Brooks, who had attempted to give us some pre-Match training until approximately 2:30am.

We were also extremely concerned about Charles Holcombe who had been hospitalised shortly before departure, following many weeks of illness, and who had been due to play for the team. At the time of writing this page, the prognosis for Charles is good, with his health on the mend. Although not with us in person, Charles "The Wit" Holcombe definitely travelled with us in spirit. It is characteristic of him, that he ordered his wife, Shelagh and his best pal, Brian Green, to play in the Match, regardless of the state of his health.

Duncan Badham and Grant Minshull turn their backs on Old Blighty for the weekend, turn their faces to France and smile, smile, smile.

Duncan had just travelled back from France, battled unsuccessfully with some train company's lost baggage department. Grant had spent the previous two months working and looking after his newborn child (his second), working, childcaring, working, childcaring etc., How these two remained so perky so early in the morning is a mystery which will not be solved until the end of time.

We arrived in Dieppe and all went to pray for our success. Atleast that is how I remember it.

Luckily there was no shortage of fine churches to choose between.

After prayer (for which, read: locating our hotels), we split up into smaller groups and started to eat in various local restaurents. On the left is John Smuts and Grant Minshull, getting ready to fill their bellies with fine French food.

There was widespread astonishment that the French have indeed simply ignored the smoking in public workplaces ban (which was introduced earlier in France than it was in England). There were ashtrays on every bar and smokers at every table.

We ate and ate and ate.

Myself, Hermione, Geoff, John, Simon & Grant went to the museum dedicated to Operation Jubilee, which was inside an old opera house. The opera house was as beautiful as the facts of the raid on the German positions in Dieppe on 19th August 1942 were terrible. For further information, see (i) Canadian Encyclopedia; (ii) historyofwar.org; & (iii) Wikipedia, all of which open in external pages to this site.

Then we hit the town. Some of us hit it a bit too hard and... it was another late night, ending variously between 2:00am and 5:00am.

On Saturday 29th September, the big Match day, we settled out nerves and stomachs by either wandering around the huge market which had arrived in the centre of town or by lying in bed.

Dieppe's local authority's public relations department had made a poster to advertise the Match, which was all over town. The local newspaper had covered the Match in advance and sent reporters to the Match to interview the Brighton & Hove Club, with the intention of reporting the Match afterwards. Here are their reports from before the match:

Translation: Dieppe-Brighton: Checkmate

SPORT. An international tournament between the Dieppe Chess-Board and a Brighton club to take place on Saturday. A meeting called upon to be repeated.

It's a question of the first friendly encounter against the Brighton club. We wish that this meeting will become an annual event. Besides, We're invited to England in 2008," explained Olivier Delabarre, 35 years, organiser of the contest. Fifteen French will confront fifteen English on Saturday, Jehan-Ango Hall, above the Tourist Office from 2.00 p.m. till 6.00p.m.. But the battle stays friendly. "We hope that there will be maximum people. It's the occasion to shine the spotlight on the club and to find new members," continued Olivier Delabarre. The winner will take away a bottle of wine with a miniature poster of the contest by way of ettiquette. The organiser is also the coach and sporting instructor for the French Chess Federation since the beginning of the week. He's played from the age of 12 and his son, Edouard, follows in his father's footsteps as he's known the Queen's and the Bishop's moves since he was five years old and has already won some games!

(Caption below the photograph: Olivier Delabarre explains tactical moves to a pupil at the MJC)

Translation: Saturday 29th September in Dieppe Chess : first international contest

For the first time in it's existence, the chess club the Dieppe Chess-Board is organising an international contest by a team.

A manifestation which conveys the excellent relations woven between the Dieppe club and that from across the Channel, the Brighton and Hove Chess Club. "We wish this kind of meeting long-life, it's henceforward a done deal and above all we hope that this will become perennial," remarked the local president, Olivier Delabarre.

The Dieppe Chess-Board is thus expecting fifteen competitors "who will be coming ?

[The next word is obscured and I've not been able to guess what it might be. It's the second last word in the last line of the first column between "viendront" and "ren-"] to meet before all in a convivial and friendly spirit with a balance of equal respect between the players."

The idea is also to make the club known to the larger public and to invite, in that case, enthusiastic potentials to join it. As of now, the Dieppe Chess-Board, founded in 1999, hopes to set up tournaments and international chess opens.

Practical: The first International chess encounter Brighton – Dieppe, Saturday 29th September at 2.00 p.m. till 6.00 p.m. in the Jehan-Ango Hall. (above the Tourist Office) Free entry. For all information : 06 16212477

On a happier note, Olivier Delabarre, the President of the Dieppe Chess Club, formally welcomed us in a speech. John Smuts stepped up to the mark to translate this speech. John translated for many people all weekend. Considering he did not volunteer to do so in advance and was not the only French speaker in our team, his greatly appreciated assistance has to be noted as going well beyond the call of duty. He said to Duncan Roy afterwards, "I haven't spoken as much French with as many different people in I don't know how long."

The assembled players listened to the pre-Match speeches and studiously avoided eye contact with their opponents. Tensions rose. The speeches were not long enough. The big Match grew nearer.

Having been given very little warning by Duncan Roy, who organised the Match, the Brighton & Hove Chess Club President, David Bennett (on the right, above) gave a fine speech, thanking the Dieppe Club for their hospitality, inviting them over to play us in England in 2008 and wishing every player a good game.

Despite our nerves, it was a memorable moment when the speeches came to an end and we were just seconds away from the big Match. We applauded vigorously, savouring it.

In keeping with other civilised pursuits, a chess Match begins with a handshake. Here is Sue Chadwick, playing Black, shaking hands with Albert Delvigne, her stronger opponent playing White.

There had been a discussion as to how to set the colours for the Match but Mr Delabarre insisted that our side took the white pieces on top Board (which meant that the colours alternate down the boards from there). When the Dieppe Chess Club visit us in 2008 they shall have white on top board.

Deep in meditation, disciplined by the clock. We had agreed what were, for us, unusual time controls: each player had 2 hours to play the game.

Simon Hayward (foreground on the right) practising good body posture, during a tricky set of moves, by standing up. He is not attempting to intimidate his opponent!

Note our President's good posture. Healthy body, healthy mind!

John Smuts (on the right) using all of his time - at this point he has 22 minutes left to play and his opponent 1 hour and 5 minutes.

Michael Cain (on the left), who agreed to play for us following a late cancellation.

Mr Delabarre waits, like a wildlife photographer, to capture the dramatic moment.

Slowly, little by little, the games come to an end. Finished players tip-toe around those lost in concentration.

Jean-François Peau was held to a draw by Steve Diver, despite Steve being an equivalent of 20 points below Jean-François on the ECF rating scale. After the Match Jean-François and his girlfriend, Delphin, took us out to dinner in an excellent local creperie.

Eventually games have to end and players exchange notation sheets.

Grant Minshull (on the right) displaying his comparative lack of experience with his slumped posture. His opponent appears to crouch even further towards the pieces.

The 2 top boards (French players facing). These boards attracted the most attention from other players and members of the public who came into watch the event.

The 2 top boards (English players facing). Geoff James, cool as anything, casually studies Neil Tasker's board position, as if disinterested in his opponent's game.

In chess, neither language, nor age, nor class, nor wealth, nor whether a player is amateur or professional is relevant. After a Match it is common for opponents to analyse the game which has just occurred. Here a Dieppe team member helps another with his game (after it has finished).

Mr Delabarre presented every one of our players with a bottle of wine after the Match.

The label on the bottle is a scaled version of the poster advertising the Match.

Afterwards we were taken to a local creperie to celebrate our success and toast international friendship.

That's me, at the head of the table, because I was last in the door.

I don't shake - everything else does. Seriously though, it was great to see Sue & Olly (Mother & Son, 2nd left and left respectively) go out on the town together.

Scrollable Panoramas of Dieppe

These are very large files which each have their own page (so they didn't slow the main page loading).

Front Quay (Match venue behind viewpoint)

Front Quay (Match venue to left of viewpoint)

View from Cliffs

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