The new season starts: BBC v. Shell

As well as the usual dives, I've played chess in various flash company HQs and the important thing is not to let the fact that the foyer is the size of a large department store intimidate you. Experience tells you you're just as likely to lose to an ungraded player in the damp basement of a church as you are to a guy in a sharp suit in an all glass building. This one has the huge building with the company flag on the roof and a foyer that takes five minutes to cross. So far so standard. What makes this one special is in the basement.

Lift doors open on the basement where we're playing. 
Me: There's a strange smell of chlorine.
The other guy: That'd be the swimming pool.
Me: You've got a swimming pool?
The other guy doesn't say anything but gives me a "doesn't-everyone-look".

The other team were pretty nice but you could tell they wanted to win. I guess you get to work for Shell that way. Anyway the team won and I won so it was a good start to the season.

[Event "LCCL, 2010-11 season"]
[Date "2010.10.05"]
[White "Paul Murphy, BBC"]
[Black "Joel Morales, Shell"]
[ECO "C24"]
[Opening "Bishop's Opening"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d6 4. d3 Nc6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Be7 7. a3 a6 8. Nge2 Na5 9. Ba2 Bg4 10. f3 Be6 11. Qd2 Nc6 12. O-O-O Nd4 13. Bxe6 Nxe6 14. Bf2 c6 15. Kb1 b5 16. f4 Ng4 17. Bg3 O-O 18. h3 exf4 19. Nxf4 Ne5 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Qe2 Bf6 22. Rhf1 c5 23. Rf2 Nc6 24. Rdf1 b4 25. Na2 bxa3 26. b3 Qa5 27. Qg4 Bd4 28. Qxe6 Kh7 29. Rxf8 Rxf8 30. Rxf8 Ne5 31. Qf5 Ng6 32. h4 Qd2 33. Bf4 Qe1 34. Bc1 Qxh4 35. Ra8 Qh1 36. Rxa6 Bb2 37. Rxd6 Qxg2 38. Bxb2 axb2 39. Kxb2 Qg1 40. e5
Qh2 41. Qxg6 *
1-0

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.