Prison Chess Tournament

Originally posted by Amaurote
Ha, great article, thanks for that, Rahimk - they seem a pretty modest bunch on the whole (one of them conveniently forgot to mention another player who is his deadly nemesis when I was hunting down inmates with an interest and talent for chess), slight difference from that penitentiary in that
gamestations and playstations (PS1s) are available and chess ...[text shortened]... to beg, borrow or steal some stopwatches because there's been no response from the County.

Clocks are always a problem. This depends on how many clocks you will have and how many players but what about pairing up players into teams of 2,3.

That way they can practise democracy and get to know each other better. As long as they get along though.

Other options could be to get a few of the stronger players giving simuls. or if you could get some outsiders. Then usually if there is a clock problem you do it this way.

When the person gets back to your board you have to move. This way clocks are not required. With many of the simuls that is what they do. Polgar's huge simul. was the same way. So the person moves, goes to the next boards...and when he comes back to your, you have to move.

But i think the best way was already mentioned. Get a couple big digital clocks, stopwatch type so everyone can see them and then set them to a timer, and when it beeps, everyone has to move.

When are you think of starting this thing?

Originally posted by RahimK
Clocks are always a problem. This depends on how many clocks you will have and how many players but what about pairing up players into teams of 2,3.

That way they can practise democracy and get to know each other better. As long as they get along though.

Other options could be to get a few of the stronger players giving simuls. or if you could get some timer, and when it beeps, everyone has to move.

When are you think of starting this thing?

Oh, sorry, RahimK, that's excellent advice, a very belated thanks - haven't been this way in a while, unfortunately. I think the number attending is small enough to make time controls less urgent now - informality and unstructured tournaments are probably better to stimulate future recruitment.

When I left at 7.30 tonight, the library looked quite beautiful...five tables, five boards, annotation sheets, pencils, posters of Tal, Kramnik and Kasparov and even a nice stopwatch...looking forward to tomorrow, things will definitely go wrong with call-ups and classes, but all this work should finally produce some interesting contests.

It's unbelievable how complicated it is to organize relatively simple events in prison...if I tried to explain here it would probably look like I was writing a pastiche of Franz Kafka, but between alerts to Security pointing out that algebraic notation is not a cipher to balancing urgency with diplomacy with works party managers who simply couldn't care less, and to finding chess boards on wings and getting permission of SOs, Education officers and finally just damned well making sure inmates are where they promised to be when they promised to be there, I'm sometimes surprised there is any end product at all.

f this goes well, I'm going to arrange things in the Main Location wings, the DSPD, the YOI and the female remand centre and see if I can contact an outside chess association to come into the prison and play with the lads.

Originally posted by Amaurote
Oh, sorry, RahimK, that's excellent advice, a very belated thanks - haven't been this way in a while, unfortunately. I think the number attending is small enough to make time controls less urgent now - informality and unstructured tournaments are probably better to stimulate future recruitment.

When I left at 7.30 tonight, the library looked quite beauti ...[text shortened]... I can contact an outside chess association to come into the prison and play with the lads.

So tomorrow is the big day?

Good luck, I hope it goes great 🙂

Indeed, best of luck with it.

Cheers, chaps - it went well today, only five boards, but we got through to round two with some excellent chess played. The only problem was that one or two of the better players didn't like annotating while they played so didn't take notes more than sporadically, and I couldn't do it for them because I was busy with another table where neither player understood notation. The other problem was that even though I'd sent down guides to algebraic notation to all of the players well in advance, a surprising number were using long algebraic instead. I think it'll work much better once they realize that the more they annotate, the more feedback we'll get them and the more their game will improve. I think this is going to snowball now. More games tomorrow, and then we adjourn for a while - I might see if I can post some PGNs here.

Originally posted by Amaurote
Cheers, chaps - it went well today, only five boards, but we got through to round two with some excellent chess played. The only problem was that one or two of the better players didn't like annotating while they played so didn't take notes more than sporadically, and I couldn't do it for them because I was busy with another table where neither player under ...[text shortened]... ames tomorrow, and then we adjourn for a while - I might see if I can post some PGNs here.

Great, lots of people use different notation. We don't enforce it at our club as long as you write down the moves anyway you want.

I know some places are picky, Fide etc... but let them have fun. As long as they can read it themselves it's good enough.

You know what else is great? Having boards with letters and numbers on them already. The type kids use, those big carpet boards or paper boards.

That makes notation easier for lazy people or people who don't know how etc..

Even b1-c3 is okay notation.

Another great idea.

Since you only have 5 boards, get 1 computer and 1 chess person and set up a chess program and then copy the games moves as they are played.

That way you have perfect notation and all the games are stored for you.

No need to read handwriting and then copy it onto a computer and post online. Saves you a step really.

Originally posted by Amaurote
I'm currently in the early stages of trying to start chess tournaments in two prisons (inmate-only at a male maximum security prison, staff+inmates at a female remand centre) on behalf of the library, and I'd be grateful for any general advice from members of chess clubs etc. here: I've only ever had limited contact with chess clubs, and my knowledge of pro ...[text shortened]... e of them) really the best option here? Is there a more logical way of doing this?

Is there no way of just allowing the inmates to play correspondence chess? I can see how this would give them something constructive to think about while they are in their cells. Just pondering over a position for hours or days before finally deciding on the move. A great time killer!

Many thanks, all, and particularly to Forest9 of the French Defence Clan, who has very generously donated an excellent analogue clock which the lads are delighted with - his clock has a jigger, which is a concept they found very amusing. At the moment we're pricing up educational chess boards, along with some more timers, some cheap sets and trophies. The pgns are causing me some difficulty at the moment, but the final game went broadly as follows:

[Event "HMP Frankland Chess Tournament"]
[Site "Main Library"]
[Date "2006.2.10"]
[Round "Final"]
[White "Inmate X"]
[Black "Inmate Y."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.Nf3 Qf6 4.Bc4 Ne7 5.d3 0-0 6.Bg5 Qg6 7.Bxe7 Bxe7 8.Qe2 Nc6 9.a3 d6 10.Nd5 Qf6
11.Nf6 Bxf6 12.0-0-0 Bg4 13.h4 a6 14.h5 h6 15.Kb1 Bg5 16.c3 Na5 17.Qc2 b5 18.Bd5 c6 19.b4 cxd5
20.bxa5 Rfc8 21.exd5 Bf6 22.Rde1 Bf5 23.Nh4 Bh7 24.Re3 Rc4 25.g3 e4 26.dxc4 bxc4 27.Qb2 g5
28.Qb7 Rd8 29.Ka2 gxh4 30.gxh4 Bf5
31.Rg3 Kh7
32.Rh-g1 Rf8
33.Qc7 Bxc3
34.Rxc3 e3
35.Rxe3 Kh8
36.Re7 Rc8
37.Qxc8 Bxc8
38.Rxf7 Bh3 39.f4 c3 40.f5 c2 41.Kb2 Bg2 42.f6 Kg8 43.Rg7 Kh8
44.Rg1-g2 c2-c1Q+
45.Kxc1 stalemate

PS: Correspondence chess is an option I've seen touted by inmates who have been writing to Inside Time (http://www.insidetime.org/) - Security gets a little bit paranoid about algebraic when you first broach it, but they have no problem with inmate and outsiders playing correspondence chess as a rule.

What about setting up a computer with say Rhp and then allowing them to make one move each per day?

Might keep their minds occupied.

Do you find that chess helps the inmates? Makes them less violent, etc...?

Originally posted by Amaurote
I'm currently in the early stages of trying to start chess tournaments in two prisons (inmate-only at a male maximum security prison, staff+inmates at a female remand centre) on behalf of the library, and I'd be grateful for any general advice from members of chess clubs etc. here: I've only ever had limited contact with chess clubs, and my knowledge of pro ...[text shortened]... e of them) really the best option here? Is there a more logical way of doing this?

Yeah, I like the idea. We criminals have to be given more recreational time in our jails and prisons. Make sure everyone in the prison gets a chess membership and you have a rating system going, okay? because a tournament directory and you're home. Get in contact with your current national chess organization. Good idea! 🙂 But, I bet the warden will put a hold on this grand idea! 🙂 What about study time for tournaments? yeah, right! I've been to jail! If our American jails are harsh, I can only imagine what yours are like.