English Chess Forum

Fire extinguisher

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 25, 2021 2:44 pm

Fire extinguisher

Is that to break up fights in the Surrey League?

I know they are used to deal with Pit Bull Terriers and such like.

Another option is to use a coin toss app on a phone.

Richard Thursby wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 25, 2021 3:08 pm

Another option is to use a coin toss app on a phone.

Is nothing sacred?

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 25, 2021 2:44 pm

Fire extinguisher

John Upham wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 25, 2021 2:59 pm

Is that to break up fights in the Surrey League?

No. I do not play in the Surrey League, so the Curse of Sedgwick does not strike there.

I just remembered that a friend of mine turned up at a notoriously dark Essex venue, with a table lamp, plugged it into a convenient socket, and at least one board had sufficient light.

Geoff Chandler wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 24, 2021 7:37 pm

Hu Matt,

Yes pens. When I was a captain I always brought along two or three extra pens. (and you never get them back.)

And here was me thinking that Matt was suggesting a penalty shoot-out to decide colours!

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 25, 2021 11:40 pm

I just remembered that a friend of mine turned up at a notoriously dark Essex venue, with a table lamp, plugged it into a convenient socket, and at least one board had sufficient light.

The old Farnham Chess Club venue of the Liberal Club was so dingy that I wore a headtorch that I keep in my car for roadside repairs. Also, vast amounts of smoke would drift upstairs from the bar below.

A massive swing to the right occurred when the club moved its venue to the local Conservative and Unionist Club. Much more convivial.

A jack, a lug wrench and a spare tyre in the boot.
Twice when playing in the Scottish central league we had a puncture just outside Stirling.
(probably Caltrops left over from Bannockburn) We arrived wet, covered in mud and grease, clocking ticking... (great days)

"probably Caltrops left over from Bannockburn"

Not impossible - I was talking to a guy with a metal detector on Burnham beach (Somerset) and he said he had found a James I (ours not yours) coin and a Roman coin there on previous visits.

I heard a player from Oban Chess Club was stuck for a week for one league match.

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 26, 2021 7:48 pm

Not impossible - I was talking to a guy with a metal detector on Burnham beach (Somerset) and he said he had found a James I (ours not yours) coin and a Roman coin there on previous visits.

Hi Kevin,

I actually have two metal detectors, one is knackered, never found anything worth mentioning.
Think I'll bury the broken one in the hope some detectorist might find it one day and dig it up.

You are not allowed to scan battlefields but VIZ (mentioned elsewhere in this forum) suggest you fit one
to a dog's belly and walk it across any no go area. You wear the earphones in open sight pretending to be
listening to music and if the dog detector detects anything then your dog digs it up.

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 25, 2021 11:40 pm

I just remembered that a friend of mine turned up at a notoriously dark Essex venue, with a table lamp, plugged it into a convenient socket, and at least one board had sufficient light.

There was at least one venue when I was actively playing where it was advisable to bring your own electric heater. (But having too many people doing that would have probably caused a disastrous overload of the no doubt primitive wiring.)

It helps if both captains bring an accurate team list, complete with ratings, instead of wondering who is going to turn up and faffing about with the board order.

In case you missed it in the obituary of W.A.(Sandy) Cordon a few years ago, I retell the story of a match when he was the away team captain. Irritated by the home team's habit of arriving late at their venue with the chess equipment they couldn't store there, he took six clocks, placed them on the empty tables and started them at 7.30 p.m. prompt. History does not record if he got his three White players to seal their first move. I should mention that the league rules required the away team to have white on odds.

At my Club CCF its a sleeping bag and a change of clothes for the morning with 90 mins plus 30 secs some players have been there until way after midnight . If you can imagine a queen and knight vs Queen and pawn endgame where there is no repetition and the pawn gets pushed once every 50 moves LOl yes we have teas coffees and lots of snacks available and own the building we play in look out for the next one day congress on Sat 2nd Oct 7 round FIDE rated swiss