Attended my first Chess Club

It was just a bunch of guys playing chess in the "coffee and tea" area at a book store.

My results went something like this:

First game lost to a guy named Skip. I ended up forgetting about the fact that if my opponent's rook and queen are filed on my king, my pawn is pinned when his queen takes my knight! (lesson-> move the king so that the blasted pawn isn't pinned). He was a real nice guy.


Second game-> Played a cocky red neck type who said although he doesn't have a rating he know's he's a 1700-1900 player. I played a Bird type opening, so he decided to attack me with his two knights, hoping to play the queen h4 check. He ended up putting himself in a real bad position and when his attacked failed and I was up a full piece he decided he didn't like the position anymore and resigned. He then went on to tell me that he was amazed that I kept lucking into good moves. He could tell from my earlier game that I have never studied openings and didn't know much about chess.


Third game-> A very nice short guy who was evidently a doctor, probably about 60. He said he had a FIDE rating in the 1600's. He ended up giving up the exchange in his attack on my kind, but I saved my position by giving back the exchange. I felt like my rook wasn't doing much and his queen was in line with the bishop and about to get really ugly for me. I felt like I was in the coils of a snake, but I was able to defend myself and force his king to the side of the board before entering the end game. By the time it was all said and done, I had a rook and pawn to his rook. He traded me rooks and took the oposition, so we drew.


Fourth game-> I ended up playing big black guy named Chris, I'm pretty big (6 ft 3 in and weigh in excess of 300 lbs. I was a scholarship offensive lineman in college, Div II) and he made me look small. He got his knight in on me early on and busted me up pretty good. He ended up winning the exchange with that knight and had my king stranded in the middle of the board. I felt like I was getting thrashed pretty bad, but I had my bishop on an open a1-h8 diagonal and ended up checkmating him with Ne7. He had castled with is rook on f8, pawns on f7 and h7. I had captured the pawn on g7 earlier in the game. It was the last move of a desperate guy, but I'll take the win.


I had a great time and did much better than I thought I would. 2 wins 1 loss and a draw. Not too shabby for the first night at a chess club.

congrats, sounds like a long afternoon...

now it would be even more fun, if you would go through the struggle to post one or two of those games, so to better connect the stories of the players to the stories on the board... 🙂

I didn't write them down! These were just games between a couple of guys sitting at a table in the book store.

I was there for a little more than 3 hours and didn't have much down time. I didn't even buy a drink. After reading Ragwort's post in the "lucky" thread, maybe I should order a tea the next time I play, but it'll have to be decaf, I have to go to work the next day!

I enjoyed your stories and hope to read more.

This group meets up on Monday and Wednesday nights, which are good for me even during the school year, so I plan on continuing. I'll see if I can get a paper off of the head guy to record my game. I saw him recording his game last night.

I also enjoyed the stories. There have been a few skittles games that I wish I'd recorded, but for most of them, I'm glad they're forgotten.

I use to write down all my skittles games. I am so glad I did as
some of them are quite good. You should write and record every game.
(also helps stopping you making daft quick moves.)

A normal note book will do. I have dozens...yes dozens of books full
of skittles and blitz games I played.

You can pick up more from one OTB skittles game than you can
from 20 on here because you are only playing one game.
It is getting your full and undivided attention.

(The stories are good, but be careful what you say, one of them may
be an RHP member and this is an open forum) 😉

Botvinik rec'd you keep a score of all games including skittles.

Skittles. Taste the rainbow.

I'll try bringing a notebook on Monday. We'll see if I have the discipline to write down every move we make.

As for some of the guys reading this site, the only guy who got a negative view was the red neck guy. If it wasn't for the fact that I played on line and know how chess players are, he would have really insulted me. As is, I just wrote it off as par for the course.

As I think back on that last game, I wonder how many moves I sat there with the checkmate before I actually had it. It was really a very cool position. My knight was on f6, which means my bishop was on d4. I know this because my knight was supporting my bishop which was being attacked by his rook on d8. His dark squared bishop was on g6 attacking both of my mating squares(e7 and h6). I got him to move that bishop by offering my pawn with h4. I figured he'd take seeing as if I played Nxh4 he'd play Rxd4, but he played Bf4 instead. This made me very frustrated because I was trying to play Nh6 for the win. It took me a couple of seconds to remember that a knight can attack the same square from two different locations (thank you ChessTempo), if h6 was covered, maybe the other one wasn't. I smiled when I saw that his rooks were on d8 and f8. His knights were on my side of the board giving my king all he could take, so the square had to be free.

Originally posted by Eladar
I'll try bringing a notebook on Monday. We'll see if I have the discipline to write down every move we make.

As for some of the guys reading this site, the only guy who got a negative view was the red neck guy. If it wasn't for the fact that I played on line and know how chess players are, he would have really insulted me. As is, I just wrote it off as ...[text shortened]... re on my side of the board giving my king all he could take, so the square had to be free.

What town is your club in?

I live in the Oklahoma City area. This club meets in northern OKC, so its a bit of a drive (about 40 minutes or so) but the nights are good for me.

Originally posted by Eladar
I live in the Oklahoma City area. This club meets in northern OKC, so its a bit of a drive (about 40 minutes or so) but the nights are good for me.

So you have a knight out on the town. Sweet🙂

We have a club here in Allentown Pa, but only once a week, Saturday's.
We had an informal club meeting at a local Borders book shop but they went out of business so that ended that.

We had one here in my actual town, Slatington, but it went the same way when the little coffee shop closed. We are about 15 miles north of Allentown.

I played again last night (same group, but meets at different Borders on Mondays), once again a very enjoyable night.

Played two people, three games each. Lost all three to the guy I drew last week and beat a guy I hadn't played yet. I'm amazed at all the 1.d4 players I'm finding at this club. Perhaps it is just that I haven't played enough people yet.

I forgot my notebook, so I didn't record the games, but I did come to one conclusion, there is no way that I'm going to record games on the clock. I lost one game on time (15 minute game) when I was up in a rook pawns vs knight and pawns endgame. Just clicking that clock was distracting enough, I wouldn't be able to think or have time to record the moves! That's just ridiculous!!


Ah yes one other thing, if I understood correctly the leader of the club grumbled that he believed a group was splitting off. He seemed rather irritated by it. Do chess club breaks happen from time to time or is this kind of thing rare?

Originally posted by Eladar
I played again last night (same group, but meets at different Borders on Mondays), once again a very enjoyable night.

Played two people, three games each. Lost all three to the guy I drew last week and beat a guy I hadn't played yet. I'm amazed at all the 1.d4 players I'm finding at this club. Perhaps it is just that I haven't played enough people yet. ...[text shortened]... ted by it. Do chess club breaks happen from time to time or is this kind of thing rare?

I suggest getting in the habit of recording games, especially if 30 minute games or greater. Though, at that club you may only play shorter or blitz games.

Many people miss the advantages of 1.e4. On the other hand, a focus on 1.d4 ain't bad. Do you see the odd stuff such as 1.b3?

As for as the leader frumblings, personality differences, whether at the chess club, at work, etc., can be a waste.

I don't see 1.b3, but my opponents do! 😀

30 minute games! Great, I'll ask if they want to play 30 minute games if they want to use a clock.