Some months fly by. Many things happened in January 2023 but really much has changed since October 2022, when we moved to our winter venue at Crux. To business, then!

Joe L (left) receives the 2022 Chess Champion trophy Club Chess Champion, 2022

Don’t miss our round-up of Joe L’s victories in 2022. Joe’s a worthy champion - not just in strength of play, but by example and character too. A well earned trophy!

Hats! Get them while its cold! A woman models a club branded hat.

This is probably a good time to mention that the club now has a website at bendchess.com and that we even have a shop. Personally, I’m looking forward to turning up with my Bend Chess & Go club hat.

Intruiged? Check out our hat collection!

Justin awaits his opponent for a Quad game. Quad-Night

The first club-night of every month is Quad-Night.

Quad-night is the same as any club night. Everyone is welcome! On Quad-night, however, Quad-games earn extra points:

  • Tie-break points which decide who wins the Quad incase any players tie.
  • Grand-prix points which contribute to the active Quad Grand-Prix race.

The intention behind this is to promote attendance on the first evening each month. Quads is supposed to be a tournament where it doesn’t matter if some games are unplayed - however, it turns out that it does matter if no games are played! To help with this, a few tools have been introduced:

  1. Pairings are available online.
  2. Mugshots of players are available with the pairings, too.
  3. Quad-nights encourage attendance on the 1st week of the month.

One subtle change has been encouragement for participation. Instead of encouraging everyone to take part we’re now actively discouraging people from doing so until they are established at the club.

Quads haven’t been plain sailing since launch in September. We’re actively making changes to how the competition operates and we’re trying to maintain a spirit of friendly play. Thank you, everyone, for being patient while we figure it out.

Causal Play Leif plays Go with a new member.

While the club undergoes so many changes its helpful to remember the promise of Bend Chess & Go Club and why it’s different to many of the Chess or Go clubs that we’ve been to around the world. Adding a competitive element to the club hasn’t happened in a vacuum either.

We choose informal, lively environments. We claim that Chess & Go, whilst being competitive in nature, don’t have to be so serious. Indeed the reward for taking them seriously is being playful, exploring, and have a great evening!

On that note, play on! (And see you next week!)