Andrew Greet is now #1 in Chess Scotland's grading list! His live grade is currently 2486, which places him ahead of many other very strong players including grandmasters Jonathan Rowson, Jacob Aagard, and Colin McNab.
   Andrew is a well-known and popular member of Bearsden Chess Club, not only for his regular simultaneous displays (see below, 11/1/2023) but also for scoring highly as top board of our A team (see below, 29/3/2023).
   Congratulations!

The Club Championship remained undecided until the very last game. That game was won by Rob Colston, who finished with a perfect 5/5 score, well ahead of Goetz Bucher (4/5), Mel Burt, Stuart Callison, Ishan Kumar, and David Watt (3.5/5).
​   So our club champion is Rob Colston, and the grading prize went to Ishan Kumar. Congratulations to both!

​In Division 1, Bearsden A had a very successful campaign, losing only to arch-rivals Stepps A. But Stepps surprisingly dropped several match points to lower-ranked teams. The leading scores were Bearsden A (10/12 match points), Phones B (8/12), and Stepps A (7/10). Our top individual scorers were Rob Colston and David Watt (4/5).
   In Division 2, Bearsden B also had a good campaign, finishing in second place just behind the leader. The leading scores were Strathclyde University (15/20 match points), Bearsden B (14/20), and Phones B (14/20). Our top individual scorers were Max Cochrane (7.5/9) and Chris Nield (4/6).

Both Bearsden A and B have now completed their Glasgow League campaigns.
   In Division 1, Bearsden A’s campaign has been disappointing, to say the least. Some players performed well, notably Andrew Greet (4½/5) and Rob Colston (4½/8). Despite that, and convincing wins over Polytechnic A and Phones A, the team was unable to avoid relegation.
   Elsewhere in Division 1, the leading teams are currently Paisley A (12/14) and Stepps A (10/14). Paisley A are favourites to finish first, despite an extraordinary ½-7½ drubbing by Stepps A. There were numerous other surprising results in this topsy-turvy season, with Dalmuir and Renfrewshire performing well above expectations.
   In Division 2, Bearsden B had a better campaign. The team’s best results were wins against Cathcart B, Paisley B, and Stepps B. The highest-scoring players were Chris Nield (4/7), Dominik Jargielo (3/3), Dominic Quinn (3/5), and Ishan Kumar (3/7).
   Elsewhere in Division 2, the leading teams are currently Bellshill (15/16), Giffnock (14/18), and East Kilbride (11/14).

Bearsden was well represented in this speed-chess event on 5 February.
   In the top section, Rob Colston finished second with 4/5, losing only to IM Angus Dunnington. Ishan Kumar scored 2/5, beating two higher-rated players.
   In the under-1600 section, Alan Sharp finished first with 4/5, an excellent result given that he was short of match practice.
   Congratulations to all three!

Our 2022-23 Club Championship is well under way. Round 3 is not yet complete, but Goetz Bucher and Rob Colston currently stand on 3/3. Up-to-date details can be found under "Club Championship".
   Meanwhile, the trophy has been (belatedly!) engraved following the lockdowns. This photo shows Stuart Callison (joint winner of the 2021-22 championship) being awarded the trophy by Mel Burt.

Andrew Greet put on a convincing show at his simultaneous display on 10 January. He scored 17 wins, 3 draws (Max Cochrane, Rob Colston, Chris Monk), and only 1 loss (Marco D'Alessio).
   Marco was our club's star junior until he took a break from chess to pursue his studies at school and now university. He claimed to be rusty, but that was not evident when he forked Andrew's king and rook! Andrew also praised Max Cochrane for his dogged determination to achieve his draw. In a game of wildly varying fortunes, young junior Aaron Rae at one point had a large material advantage, but was outplayed in the end.
   Many thanks to Andrew for yet another successful simultaneous display!

In Division 1, Bearsden A have finally shaken off their rustiness, comfortably beating Polytechnic A 5.5-2.5. Elsewhere the results have been topsy-turvy; even the league champions Stepps A have dropped match points to lowly Dalmuir and Renfrewshire. Going into the winter break, Stepps A (5/8 match points) are still in the lead, but are likely to be overtaken by Paisley A and Phones A (4/4).

Our 14-year-old wunderkind, Ishan Kumar, fresh from winning the Oban Major tournament in November, swept to victory in the Bearsden blitz tournament on 13 December. After "only" drawing with Rob Colston in round 1, Ishan continued with six consecutive wins, leaving the opposition far behind.
​The tournament leaders were: 
   1    Ishan Kumar (6.5/7)
   2-4 Rob Colston, David Watt, Max Cochrane (5/7)
   5    Christopher Nield (4.5/7)

The club's popular Juniors section will; restart on Tuesday 17 January. Coaching sessions will run from 6:30 to 7:30pm, and will be led by Rob Colston and Max Cochrane.
   The Juniors section is open to all school-age children, ranging from chess novices to more experienced chess players.