So what's it about?

I started playing chess again two and a half years ago after a thirty year hiatus and six months later joined Hackney Chess Club. Last year I started playing for the team at work in the London Commercial Chess League.

I've played in whatever the bottom team for Hackney has been for the last two years. After my first season my ECF grading was 115. This year, in the gradings released yesterday, I have slumped to 107 which I is probably a fairer reflection of my abilities. The first year was boosted by a couple decent wins against much higher rated players while this year's has suffered by some tremendous losses to ungraded players. Just because a player is ungraded doesn't mean they're crap. All it means is that they haven't currently got a grade. Playing against the police (really) I got roughed up by an ungraded player. Like me he's just started playing again. Unlike me he said that when he was a youth player he was in tournaments with Nigel Short "and other people like that." He was very good and used around five minutes on his clock against my 90 minutes.

The aim is to try and get better at chess and to use this space to do it. Here are some pictures of places I've played chess in the last 12 months.

Yesterday I went to Hackney's AGM at The Prince in Stoke Newington. I ended up as captain of a four board team in a cup competition. I think it's because I have a car.