Second Sight Into Deep Time

When the penitent is ready the confessor appears.

Czech Lose-a-point Charlie

With time on my hands this week I thought I'd annotate a game I just had as part of my post-match analysis. You can read it by clicking the text below. There is an interactive diagram below the annotations.

J.Heeley - P.Perrett
Thornaby 2010
Czech Benoni

Sun Kite

Stellar Foxes

Things that happened this week:

The new chess season began. As my club, the Thornaby Griffin, has lost five members over the summer, we now have just the one team in the league, which is currently in the first division. This means that any league matches I play in will be against opponents of a considerably higher grade.

Our first match was on Monday against the Middlesbrough Rooks at their club. As we had to default Board Five for this match, I played the black pieces against the President of the Cleveland Chess Association, Ernie Lazenby, whose grade is two points off being twice mine.

The game was a forty-move draw. Unfortunately we lost the match 3-2, but I can't complain about my game. In his match report the Rooks' Captain, Steve Cole, said:

'Board 4 Lazenby v Heeley

The gradings of these players suggested an easy win for white, but watching the game John played way above his grading, Ernie probably missed a win in the end, but proceeding came to a halt when the clock decided to pack up, and a well deserved draw for John was agreed.'

On Tuesday I had the day off work so that Catherine and I could take George to his appointment with the Opthalmologist at James Cook Hospital. George has had a reduced lens prescription for the last six months so that he can get used to wearing his glasses; he'll now get a full prescription, to get them to the strength that he needs.

Afterwards the three of us went up to the Coulby Farm for lunch and a play in the Wacky Warehouse. Then we walked over to my Mam's house to see her, Joan and Hayley and to get my birthday cards. It felt really good to be all together.

On Tuesday night I went to Leeds with Darren M to see KRS-One at Leeds University. Also there were old friends Nicky, Antony, Darren C, Matt, Al and his daughter Maria. It was a blast.

Got home at three a.m. and regretted not having the next morning - my actual birthday - off work, but it was made better by the fact I got many cards from colleagues. My co-workers are a really good bunch of people.

So, yeah, I'm thirty-eight now.

Today - Saturday - is the first day of a fortnight off work; the longest break I've had since I started my current job over a year ago. I'm going to have George with me during the week for some of it; take him to nursery and what-not. Stuff I don't get to do usually.

October is my favourite month.