That a General Meeting is called once every two years unless a member of the club thinks it necessary to call a meeting or if the club grows substantially.. The proposal was made by Barry and amended in writing by David, who thought that at least two members must agree a meeting, and it must be made in writing to the secretary.
As the leagues for 2015-2016 were not on the agenda it was agreed that we enter a team in both leagues next season as in the last.
Regarding the Calstock Chess Club, the committee agreed mutual assistance in club development, particularly of enhanced playing skills and encouraging junior members (and to form a joint junior team for some Cornwall junior events if possible). The idea of cross-membership was left open as the rules governing such things as amalgamations would have to be changed or relaxed. It was agreed to discuss this matter at a later date.
After a short meeting on the 29th May 2015 with the President Barry had obtained on the club's behalf a further £100 to help with payments for this season. An annual fee of £15 per member was agreed.
It was confirmed that the 2014-2015 Lerryn Cup has been won by David Jenkins and the trophy will be engraved and handed over as soon as possible. The results have been entered for grading purposes.
It was agreed that the tournament runs from June-April to give all participants plenty of time to get their games played.
We will run two competitions in parallel. The second being a long play for the Lerryn Mug (No pun intended).

Club Championship

The 2^nd club championship was contested as an all-play-all with each "tie" consisting of 2 games with 45 minutes on the clock, as in the 500 League. The winner was Barry Childs with 7/10.

Final standings (out of 10)
1. David Jenkins (7)
2. Barry Childs and Steve Pearce (5½)
4. Phil James and Joyce Emmerton (1)

Eightieth Birthday Simul at the Ship Inn, Lerryn

Although chess players tend to be an aging population, there is some convincing evidence that playing chess regularly has the effect of slowing the process of aging, particularly in the brain cell department. To prove the point, David Jenkins celebrated his eightieth birthday recently by giving a simultaneous display in a challenge match against players from the Lerryn and Liskeard Chess clubs at the Ship Inn Lerryn, winning comfortably with the loss of only four games.

David reports that he was expecting to lose and saw it as the first act in a Buddhist renunciation of further ambition in this transient world but natural competitiveness appears to have kicked in. So his process of learning to ‘let go’ has had to be postponed. For the party following the simul, David had brought along a poem to read on the theme of old age, Sailing to Byzantium by WB Yeats:

An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress…
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium.

His prepared theme was that chess had come to the West via Byzantium, first in a form of chess played on a round board called Byzantine Chess (Google it for details) but as he was about to read the poem and make the connection an amazing coincidence occurs. The management of the Ship Inn, our never less than wonderful hosts, had prepared a surprise birthday cake. And low and behold it was in the form of a Byzantine chess set, edible chess pieces and all.

David was able to use it as a visual aid in his speech, but everybody thought it was a stitch up rather than a piece of pure serendipity. Of those present, only Gary Trudeau expects such coincidences to occur routinely in real life.

Unidentified Lerryn Chess Club member (November 2014)

2013/14 Season

Club Championship

The first club championship was contested as an all-play-all with each "tie" consisting of 2 games with 45 minutes on the clock, as in the 500 League. The winner was Barry Childs with 9/10.

Final standings (out of 10)
1. Barry Childs (9)
2. David Jenkins (7)
3. Phil James and Joyce Emmerton (5)
5. Johnnie Posey (4)
6. Frances Brightman (0)

Last updated 26/6/2015