It was Richard Payne's idea to make a CSC Training Day part of a weekend junior chess tournament.
Richard, Chairperson of Lothian Junior Chess, had enjoyed the Newcastle leg of the 2016-7 Training Day Tour and was very keen to bring a similar day to Edinburgh.
As Scotland is a missing piece in the CSC jigsaw, it was agreed to proceed with this experimental, innovative idea and to align our training dates with the Edinburgh Junior Chess Congress.
Arriving the day before the event gave me a little time to investigate Edinburgh and to enjoy the sights.
Suddenly, the Duke of Wellington appeared and suggested there was something of great interest to me if I walked a few more yards and then took the next left turn.
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| Thank you, Arthur Wellesley |
He was right! Fortunately, there were tickets available for the very next showing...and very good it was, too.
On to the chess, which took place in the excellent venue of Broughton High School in Stockbridge. With plenty of room and excellent facilities, the school proved to be an ideal venue for both playing and training.
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| All is ready! |
The training day was in two sessions and featured 25 people in total. There were parents, tutors and teachers; an excellent mix.
We couldn't cover as much ground as we could on a normal training day - we crammed a lot into the time available, but only scratched the surface - but the impact was undoubtedly bigger.
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| Andrew MacQueen, in full 'serious mode' |
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| Moving like a bishop |
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| What is the best move? |
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| The queen of chess! |
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| Group one! |
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| Dice chess |
Suddenly the morning session was over and after a quick turnaround to was time for group two, who worked just as hard as group one.
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| David Stewart, explaining his winning technique |
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| Another brave volunteer moves around the room like a bishop |
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| Group two |
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| Group two again; spot the difference |
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| We should always remember to have fun! |
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| Make way for the queen! |
I thoroughly enjoyed working with all of the wonderful delegates in Edinburgh and I am very much looking forward to a return trip as soon as possible.
There is a tremendous swell of great enthusiasm for promoting chess in schools and it will be very interesting to see the effects of the impending chess explosion.
Thank you Richard and to everyone else who made me feel very welcome.
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