Basingstoke Chess Club

And the official announcement is here. Well done, Danny Gormally! You well deserved your place in the competition and the recognition you’ve received. Congratulations to everyone!

A quick but big congratulations to Danny Gormally, who finished 2nd in the European Senior Chess Championship! 🥳👏👏👏

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

The Annual Junior Championship attracted 20 entrants, and an enjoyable three hours of chess was played by all participants.

Junior McGoohan started as the firm favourite, thanks to his experience playing at the adult club and in several league matches. He lived up to expectations, finishing as champion with a perfect 6 points from 6 games.

In second place on 5 points was Vishwa Vikram, repeating the excellent performance he achieved last year.

Below the top two, the placings largely reflected age and experience. The standout exception was 7-year-old Anuksha Pradeep, who recorded a remarkable 4 points against strong opposition.

A special mention must go to the younger players who finished on two points or fewer. They all played extremely well and, with just a little more experience in the late middlegame and endgame, could easily have produced a few surprise results against older opponents.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped on the day and ensured the competition ran smoothly. In particular, Adam Matthews, who acted as Tournament Controller and did an excellent job managing the pairings.

Every one of the 20 entrants received a trophy, with Junior McGoohan also being presented with the prestigious Silver Bishop, which was donated to the club in 1935 by the local Member of Parliament.

Congratulations to all who took part—we look forward to seeing everyone back at the board next year! ♟️🏆

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐖𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐲 𝐔𝐊 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 ♟️🍀

At 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛, we are not here just for the big winners. We are here for all of our players.

The truth is that everyone can perform well. In junior chess, different players take turns winning tournaments. The winners can change all the time. What matters most is not who wins on a particular day, but how the experience helps you improve, develop confidence, and become a little better than you were before each game.

Many children think:

• “If I win, I’m good.”
• “If I lose, I’m bad.”

This way of thinking creates anxiety and can make children afraid to take risks.

Instead, we encourage our juniors to focus on questions such as:

• Did I use my thinking routine?
• Did I check for threats before moving?
• Did I stay focused throughout the game?

Training a junior’s mindset is often more important than training openings or tactics. Many children don’t struggle because they lack chess knowledge. They struggle because they haven’t yet learned how to handle pressure, mistakes, winning, and losing.

This is why tournaments like the Delancey Megafinals are so valuable.

As children move through school, tests become more demanding. Time limits become tighter. Expectations increase. GCSEs, A-levels, university exams and job interviews all bring pressure and uncertainty.

If we don’t train our brains to work confidently under pressure, those situations can feel overwhelming.

Chess tournaments provide a fantastic opportunity to practise these skills. Players sit in a competitive environment, manage their time, cope with nerves, solve problems independently, and make decisions while the clock is ticking. They learn that feeling nervous is normal and that they can still perform despite stress or anxiety.

The more experience children gain in these situations, the more resilient and confident they become—not just in chess, but in school and in life.

Young players often believe that strong players rarely lose.

The reality is that every great player has lost hundreds or even thousands of games. World champions such as Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand have all experienced painful defeats throughout their careers.

Winning teaches confidence. Losing teaches improvement.

Losses should be seen as information, not judgement.

When a child says:

“I’m terrible.”

We encourage them to reframe it as:

“I played a poor game today.”

One is an identity statement. The other is simply an observation about a performance.

Before every tournament, we remind our juniors:

“Your job is not to win. Your job is to play your best chess. The result will take care of itself.”

Those who learn this mindset tend to enjoy chess longer, cope better with setbacks, and often improve faster than those who focus only on trophies and ratings.

For juniors, tournament success is not:

• Winning every game.
• Never crying.
• Never feeling nervous.

Success is:

• Trying their best.
• Thinking independently.
• Behaving respectfully.
• Learning from mistakes.
• Enjoying the challenge.

If you’re 18 or below, you are eligible for playing in the Delancey UK Chess Challenge Megafinals. Take the opportunity. Challenge yourself. Learn from the experience. Meet new opponents. Test your skills.

Whether you win, lose or draw, every game is helping you build concentration, resilience, confidence and character.

And those are victories that last far longer than any trophy.

Good luck to all our juniors taking part! We can’t wait to hear about your games afterwards, celebrate your successes, analyse your battles, and learn from the challenges together. 👌

𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 – 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐆𝐌 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲

“Choked a bit today, so now on 3.5/5.”

“Unfortunately, today my memory let me down and I lost a key pawn. But I think I will avoid that variation in future as I always seem to get into trouble!

Perhaps I have been walking too much as well, I feel tired and frustrated.

In frustration, I lashed out at a couple of spectators who had strayed too close to my board while I was a pawn down against the tournament’s top seed, Degraeve of France.
I played him many years ago and probably should have lost then. Today, I finally did.

I can’t help but wonder: am I good enough? I always seem to choke in the key games.”

Not every day in a tournament goes according to plan.
After several days of competition, chess becomes about far more than the moves on the board. It becomes a test of endurance, self-belief, emotional control and recovery. There are moments when everything clicks, and moments when doubt arrives uninvited.

Every player prepares for the games. Far fewer prepare for the emotional swings that accompany them.

What matters is not whether difficult thoughts appear, but whether we allow them to define us.

During his walks by the river, Daniel found an unexpected lesson.

“At least the walking is going well. There are diverse creatures along the riverbanks, from rabbits and butterflies to countless ants and flying insects. The ants win by sheer numbers. You may tread on one or two, not on purpose, but there are so many of them that it hardly matters.

For them, it is a team game. They have a collective purpose, a hive mind. It is the opposite of chess, where you are entirely on your own.

In chess, you are your own manager, physio, psychologist, trainer, boss, student and teacher. When things go well, it is tremendous. But when they don’t, it gnaws at you.

The challenge for me now is not to let that gnawing become a disease that eats away at what has promised to be a decent tournament. My next few games are crucial.”

There is a powerful lesson in those words.

The strongest competitors are not those who avoid setbacks. They are the ones who refuse to let a setback become their identity. They acknowledge disappointment, learn from it, and keep moving forward.

Psychological strength is not pretending losses don’t hurt. It is recognising the pain, accepting it, and still finding the courage to sit down for the next game with belief intact.

The tournament is not over. The story is still being written. And sometimes the most important victory is not the one on the board, but the one over the doubts that threaten to hold us back.

Good luck Daniel! And thank you for sharing your journey with us!

We didn’t want this week to pass without sharing the wonderful story of one of our young players, Jia-Arn.

Many of you have watched his progress over the years, and we continue to be impressed not only by his achievements but also by his dedication, determination and love for the game. From representing England at the World Cadets Championships in Kazakhstan to his recent outstanding performance at the Oxford FIDE Under-2300 Congress, Jia-Arn’s journey is an inspiring one.

As a club, we are incredibly proud of what he has accomplished so far. More importantly, we are delighted to see him enjoying the journey, embracing every challenge, learning from every experience and celebrating every success along the way.

We want Jia-Arn to know that the whole club is behind him. We look forward to following his progress in the years ahead and watching where his talent, hard work and enthusiasm take him next.

A special congratulations must also go to his mum. Behind every young player’s success is a great deal of support, encouragement and sacrifice, and her dedication has played an important role in helping Jia-Arn pursue his ambitions both on and off the chessboard.

Well done, Jia-Arn. Keep enjoying the journey, keep believing in yourself, and keep making things happen. We are all cheering you on!

♟️👏

You can read Jia-Arn’s full story on the link in Bio 👌

♟️🏆 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 – 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰! 🏆♟️

Young chess enthusiasts, get ready for an exciting day of competition and fun!

📅 Saturday, 6th June 2026
📍 Bridge and Chess Club, Basingstoke
🕚 Starts at 11:00am
🕑 Finishes around 2:00pm

Every entrant will receive a trophy, and the overall champion will be awarded the prestigious Silver Bishop Trophy! 🥈♝

Good luck to all participants! 🍀We look forward to seeing some brilliant chess on the boards tomorrow!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫
GM Danny Gormally at the European Senior Chess Championship

Danny travelled to Italy through spectacular mountain scenery before arriving in the historic spa town of 𝐀𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞. Between navigating travel mishaps, exploring centuries-old landmarks and adapting to the Italian summer heat, he has also been doing what he does best: finding winning moves over the board.
Yesterday's victory came in just 16 moves, but as Danny explains, it wasn't quite as straightforward as the final result might suggest...

“Greetings from Acqui Terme, Italy, where the weather is glorious, the scenery is beautiful, and the chess is … chess.

The trip over wasn’t entirely smooth. My trusty rucksack finally gave up after one journey too many, and somewhere along the way my mouse disappeared. A new bag has already been purchased.

Life at the European Senior Chess Championship is pleasant enough, although socially it’s a little quiet. You all eat in groups, so most of the excitement comes from what happens over the board.

Today’s game was over remarkably quickly. I won in just 16 moves, although I must admit I made a mistake at one point. Fortunately, my opponent followed it up with a much bigger one a couple of moves later. In the position below, he played …Be6?, which allowed the tactical shot d5!, and the game was effectively won.

The biggest challenge here is the heat. It leaves you feeling tired and slightly d***y, which is never ideal when you’re trying to calculate variations.

After the game I went for a fair play check. They took me to a shady back room. It was quite intimidating, like that scene in the film “Casino”, where they take the card sharks away for a ‘chat’. Thankfully, nobody broke my hands. I did, however, receive a warning for carrying my own pen. Apparently only the organisers’ pens are permitted. Lesson learned I guess.

Then I walked down to the river, as it was still before 4 pm. And I was too early even for the wine tasting, which was due to start at 5.30 pm. Along the way I passed an old Roman aqueduct and the remains of ancient stonework, some old relic of roman civilization that was left behind. Ruined old stones.”


Facts: Acqui Terme’s Roman aqueduct is a remarkable piece of engineering that has stood for almost two millennia. Built to supply water to the ancient spa town of Aquae Statiellae, its towering stone pillars remain a reminder that some structure, and some traditions of competition and endurance, can stand the test of time.