Hastings Bonus

ONE of the (minor) benefits of playing at Hastings is getting a free copy of Chess magazine, courtesy of bookstall providers Chess & Bridge.

Free Chess

As someone who gave up buying chess magazines several years ago, I enjoy this perk even though the edition I was given dates from October 2017.
I have not gone through it properly yet - I have a huge backlog of chess magazines at home - but I think a piece of advice for club players from "new English women's champion" Louise Head is rather good: "As there is no time for preparation in league matches, it does help to have a comfortable opening knowledge."
This ties in somewhat with a piece of advice I give, if anyone asks, about tournaments: do not play an opening you have to look up before the game.
In other words, if you do not know an opening well enough to play it without refreshing your memory, play something else.