A Remembrance Day Walk

Since it was a nice sunny day this morning, I took a walk around 10:30 and ended up at the war memorial in Alexandra Park where the remembrance ceremony was in progress. It was all very much under control of the church with the usual formulaic wording. At the end there was a rendition of the national anthem, but I was surprised that none of the congregation seemed to join in the singing. Maybe Hastings is a republican place! Shortly after there was a parade led by a group in highland dress playing pipes and drums, which went from the park towards Queens Road, but nothing tuneful such as It's a Long Way to Tipperary, which I always find the main attraction of such events.

The event at the Royal Albert Hall, televised on Sunday evening, also seemed to be more under the dead hand of the church than usual, with the parade of the bible to the drum-head taking centre stage. There is a campaign for more secular representation at these ceremonies, but I can't see the church loosening it's grip, just as it is gaining more control over education, despite society itself becoming more secular.

Bournemouth Chess

1-4 November, I travelled to Bournemouth for the Dorset Chess Congress. Scored 3/5 in the Minor section. My best play was as Black in the mornings, after a good night's sleep. My best game was against an ungraded player on the Sunday morning. She sacrificed a Bishop early on for an attack on my King position, but with dogged defence I managed to beat it off and in the last few moves her position collapsed remarkably quickly with my Queen mopping up all the loose pieces.

I bought a book from the bookstall: "Black is OK for ever" by Andras Adorjan, apparently it is the third in a series he wrote. It seems quite humorous. Unlike most chess books it shows all the diagrams from Black's point of view.