News

June - 2008

Practice your skills at blitz chess against a leading grandmaster for very affordable rates, on icc or ecf chess cube, email me for details!

Felix Jose Ynojosa Wins Chess Kings 5, the overall Chess Kings Grand Prix and £50!

Matthew Wilson 2nd (£25), Louise Head 3rd (£15), Ross McGee 4th (£10).

Thanks to all who entered, I expect the next event will take place in 3-4 months, organised by Ken Coates. It will be advertised here.

Full results to follow

Nick's guide to the favourites for this year's British Championship in Liverpool

Implied odds only! Based on entries as at 18 June.

5/2 Gawain Jones. Probably the closest player to a computer when it comes to pure calculation. Recently making up for some erratic form, and is a decent contender.

5/2 Nick Pert. A strong frontrunner the last 2 years. Didn't get luck of the draw when finished with highest opposition of the tournament, and a double black both times. Incredibly effective at converting an advantage, if openings go well. I have a strong chance if I get white in the key games.

7/2 Mark Hebden. Always dangerous, deep positional understanding, and strong attacking flair, but tends to struggle to win this tournament!

5/1 Glenn Flear. Seems to have found some good form recently, and expanded his opening repetoire. Very strong in the endgames, if he can stay fresh, and steer games in this direction, it will favour him.

11/2 Stuart Conquest. He plays with a lot of flair and creativity, once rated over 2600, you never quite know what you will get with Stuart. One point I've noticed though, is that he has been playing far more solidly in the last 2 or 3 years than we are used to, and this may hold him back from winning the tournament, unless he can revert to his old "go for broke" style.

6/1 Stewart Haslinger. A recent surge in form gained him the GM title. Reliable player, capable of beating anyone, and tends to perform well. I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see him with 7.5 points.

7/1 Keith Arkell. Big endgame specialist. Left the game for a while, but coming back, and capable of grinding out the victories. Too many draws may prevent him from coming first.

8/1 Simon Williams. The most creative and attacking player of the field. Definitely one for the spectators, he is bound to produce some brilliant games. Flip side is his consitency as his flair can often backfire.

12/1 Bogdan Lalic. Very strong, but likely to take too many draws. Expect to see him on +4 at the end of the tournament!

12/1 Richard Pert. A new father, maybe new inspiration. Good recent form and hunger for a GM norm could play in his favour.

15/1 Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant. Good track record at the British, and as the leading Scot to have entered, well we certainly can't rule her out!

20/1 Nigel Davies. Very solid and experienced, again likely to have too many draws to win, but a very difficult opponent to beat.

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The Fifth "Chess Kings" Tournament:

Sunday 22nd June 2008 - Hosted at Hawthorns School, Northway, Woosehill, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG41 3PQ.

Click here for entry form & information.

Over £100 cash prizes given out on the day!!

March - 2008

The Fourth “Chess Kings” Tournament:

Thanks to everyone who came along, and all the positive comments. Congratulations to all the section winners, attached are the updated grand prix results. The next event is likely to take place on Sunday 22nd July, in the Hawthorns School, Wokingham, further details to follow.

Click here to view the results.

The March 4NCL Report:

Click here to read the report.

January - 2008

Happy New Year Everyone!

Hastings International Chess Congress 2007 / 2008:

Click here to read the report.

The January 4NCL Report & Photos:

Click here to read the report & here for photos.

December - 2007

The Fourth "Chess Kings" Tournament:

Saturday 8th March 2008 - Hosted at St Marks Primary C of E School, Basingstoke

Click here for entry form & information.

What should you eat to optimise your playing strength?

Click here to read a study about what you should eat to play to your optimal strength.

November - 2007

My next tournament:

Will be the Hasting International Chess Congress which takes place from 28 Dec 2007 - 6 January 2008. See www.hastingschess.org.uk for details.

The Third “Chess Kings” Tournament:

Click here to view the photos and the results.

Photos From The European Team Championships, Crete November 2007:

Click here and here to view the photos.

Photos From The Second 4NCL Weekend:

Click here to view the photos.

October - 2007

Welcome to nickpert.com, a brand new website offering many attractive services from one of Britain’s leading active Grandmasters! The website is designed to cater for everybody and includes many items of interest from top news stories to tactics, appropriate for any level. If you are curious, take a look around to find out more! Anyone looking to purchase books, sets or equipment, can save 10% through nickpert.com in the London Chess Centre. See the shop for details.

My Next Tournament:

Will be the European Team Championships in Crete from 27 October – 7 November where I will be playing board 2 for England!! See http://www.greekchess.com/euro2007 for details.

Cool Online Flash Chess Game:

Click here to play the game.

The World Championships:

Click here to read the report.

ECF Coaching Day Report:

Click here to read the report.

First 4NCL Weekend Report:

Click here to read the report.

The European Team Championships 2005 in Gothenburg:

Click here to read the report.

The Third “Chess Kings” Tournament:

Hosted at the Highlands School, Reading International Grandmaster Nick Pert invites girls and boys of all ages and abilities to come and compete. This special event will be held on Saturday 24th November 2007 at the Highlands School, Wardle Avenue, Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire RG31 6JR.

Click here for details of the event. Click here to see the prizes to be won.

See www.highlandsschool.co.uk for details of the venue.