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29th March 2008 The West of England Championship and congress was successfully concluded on Monday afternoon at the Royal Beacon Hotel, Exmouth. The prizewinners were as follows:- Open Section: 1st Russell James (180 - Birmingham) 5½/7. 2nd= Ian Thompson (210 - Guildford), John Hodgson (194 - Ilford) & Daniel Hall (183 - Swindon) 5 pts. Grading prize (U-165): 1st= Joshua Hall (160 - Swindon) & John Bass (157 - Richmond). James took the cheque for overall 1st place (£340) but was ineligible for the WECU Championship Cup. This went to Ian Thompson (Dorset-born and Hants resident), who was also offered the Qualifying Place for the British Championship in August. If he declines the offer, it will be passed to Daniel Hall. Major Section (U-160): 1st Sarah Hegarty (158 - Millfield) 6½ pts. 2nd= John Stephens & Dave Rogers (both Exmouth). Grading prize (U-137) 1st= Tim Woodward (133 - Trowbridge), Alan Papier (125 - Bristol) & Robert Thompson (121 - Newton Abbot). The performance of Sarah Hegarty, up to very recently a pupil at Millfield School and shortly destined for Bristol University, was exceptional, gaining as she did, the highest score by any competitor in any section, thus securing for her a second trophy in the form of the WECU Ladies Championship. Minor Section (U-125): 1st= Chris Brooker (France), John Bashall (Telepost) & Daniel Frean (Plymouth). Grading prize (U-100) John Maloney (Exeter). It has been confirmed that the event will be held again at the Royal Beacon over the Easter weekend 2009 (10th - 13th April). Results in the early rounds often did not go as predicted, and there were several quick finishes. Here is one example from Round 2.
See link above for game Last week's easy ending was solved by 1.Kf2 leaving Black 2 moves, each of which is met by the Queen administering mate on the g-file. Here is a 2-mover by Francis Percival Wenman (1891 - 1972), who was born in England, died in Wales and was Scottish Champion in 1920.
22nd March 2008 The last round of the WECU Inter-County competition was played on the 8th March when Devon played Gloucestershire and Cornwall met Somerset. The bookies' odds on Devon losing and Cornwall winning were never made known, but they must have been pretty long. Cornwall, in fact, led 6½ - 1½ over the top eight boards, and in the bottom half of the team, usually their weakest area, managed to scrape together the two points required for a narrow win 8½-7½. Cornish winners were Ian George, Lloyd Retallick, Mark Hassall, Phil Hutchings, Simon Bartlett and Gary Trudeau. Draws were obtained by Jeremy Menadue, Anton Barkhuysen, Chris Reeves, Mike Hill and Phil Spargo. Devon, on the other hand, have hardly known defeat for some seasons, but a combination of key absentees and major blunders led to them losing all top 4 games and several losses and draws in the bottom half of the team, usually their strong point, ensured they could not catch up, and they ran out losers by 8½-7½. Devon winners were Alan Brusey, Mark Ozanne, Simon Waters, Jonathan Underwood and Brian Gosling, while Brian Hewson, Ewan Walton, Mark Abbott, Bill Ingham and Sean Pope drew their games.
See link above for game The West of England Congress continues throughout this weekend at the Royal Beacon Hotel, Exmouth. The next local event is the Teignmouth RapidPlay on Saturday 12th April. Details may be obtained from Ray Chubb on 01626-888255. Last week's difficult problem was solved by 1.Qe8! If 1…NxQ 2.Rf4 mate. If 1…KxR 2.Nd2 mate. Now it's time for something a little less taxing.
15th March 2008 The chess historian, Ken Whyld, once wrote that "the Sicilian Defence is an opening with lines of play both more numerous and harder to evaluate than those of any other opening". It's truer today than ever, with White players always on the lookout for new ways of meeting this most active of defences to 1.e4, and Black players constantly seeking to hone the sharpness of the opening. Here is another example from the final round of the recent Exeter Congress.
See link above for game Two local events follow close on the heels of the Exeter congress; the West of England Championship will be held at Exmouth's Royal Beacon over Easter weekend, Good Friday 21st - 24th March. Enquiries about late entries should be directed to Alan or Linda Crickmore on 01752-768206. Then there is the 27th Teignmouth RapidPlay congress on Saturday 12th April and Ray Chubb on 01626-888255 will be pleased to advise about entries. Last week's problem was solved by 1.e6! threatening Nb5 mate, as the rook on h5 now protects c5. Black has four escape attempts but White has answers for them all. This week's 2-mover is also from the recent Championship, and will, by definition, test the ablest of solvers in the permitted time. You may take as long as you like to discover the most unlikely looking key move and work out the variations.
8th March 2008 The East Devon Congress was successfully held at the weekend, with 132 competitors taking part. This is lower than is usual, partly because it clashed with a 4NCL League weekend and the early Easter has brought the WECU Championship at Exmouth to within three weeks, and some players will enter one or other, but not both. Next year neither factor will apply. The prizewinners were as follows: Premier Section (Under 205): 1st Dominic Mackle (Newton Abbot) 4½/5. 2nd Ian Ward (Salisbury) 4. 3rd= Steve Dilleigh (Bristol); Gerry Jepps (Frome) & John Wheeler (Gosport) all 3½. (29 players entered). Major (U-150) 1st M. Page (Insurance) 4½. 2nd Robert Thompson (Newton Abbot) 4. 3rd= Steve Dean (Sidmouth), J. Morgan (Penwith) & Dinah Norman (Wessex) all 3½.. Grading prize (U-128) Ishy Ramdewar (Exeter). (28 players entered). Intermediate (U-125): 1st Harry Mann (St. Marychurch) 5. 2nd John Bashall (Telepost) 4½ 3rd Malcolm Steevens (Bridport) 4. Grading prize (U-111) Trevor Dickerson 3½. (38 players entered). Minor (U-100): 1st Peter Saunders (Bristol) 5. 2nd Paul Broderick (Shifnal) 4½. 3rd= Ray Chubb (Teignmouth) & Vic Litvin 4. Grading prize: David Bate-Smith. (37 players entered). Team prize: Newton Abbot. All 4 sections had a clear 1st and 2nd which is unusual. The final round of the Premier brought together two former Plymouth schoolboys, who have for many years lived in other parts of the country. Chris Archer-Lock is the current British U-175 champion, while Steve Dilleigh is a regular on the westcountry congress circuit. The win gave Dilleigh a share of 3rd prize. Last week's problem was solved by 1.Nc3! This week's 2-mover was the first to face the expert solvers at the recent British Championship. They were allowed just 6 minutes to find the key move, and the fact that only half of the 34 competitors solved even this warm-up problem warned of the difficulty to come with the mates in 3 and 4 moves, assorted helpmates and self-mates. Can you solve this one? Take as long as you need.
1st March 2008 The East Devon Congress at Exeter's Corn Exchange, formerly St. George's Hall, started last night and continues throughout today and tomorrow. Interested spectators will be welcome. Devon's 3rd Division, the Schofield Cup, has been won by Teignmouth on tie break from the defending champions Exmouth. The 2nd division, the Mamhead Cup, was retained by Exmouth after two closely contested matches against Teignmouth. Here is the Board 1 game from their deciding encounter last Saturday, which ended in a 2 - 2 draw. Brusey is a very experienced player of the French Defence, and here accepts a centre pawn which results in slowing his piece development. Such gifts often come with a price attached, and the recipient must decide beforehand whether the cost is likely to be too high.
See link above for game The 1st division, the Bremridge Cup, is still undecided and will hinge on the last round results between Exmouth & Exeter and Newton Abbot & Teignmouth. Any one of the four clubs could win the cup. The British Solving Championship was won by Jonathan Mestel, with 51½ / 65 points, closely followed by Dr. John Nunn, just half a point behind. Both are double Grandmasters, having won the title for both playing and problem-solving, and were clear favourites. The overall difficulty of the competition may be judged by the fact that scores fell away rather rapidly after that, with Paignton's Jon Lawrence coming 15th with 14 points. This week's 2-mover is taken from the postal round of this year's Championship.
23rd February 2008 Up till recently, Cornwall's chess website has been a valuable source of information about activities in the Duchy, but this ground to a halt as the webmaster, Ian George, had increasing commitments in other areas. Now, League Secretary Gary Trudeau of Polperro has taken it on and is currently working on revamping and updating it. Here are two games from Devon's recent match against Somerset, both involving the English Opening.
See link above for game The following game was Devon's top win, from Board 4. White plays his favourite opening with a forceful logic that he converts into a neat, risk-free win In the second game, from Board 13, White again uses the English, but comes unstuck early on. Devon's last match will be a tough one against Gloucestershire on 8th March. The solution to last week's problem by Chris Reeves was 1.dxe4! which threatens four mates via Nd3 or Q to e3, -f3 or -g3; too much for Black to fend off. This year's British Solving Championship was held at Oakham School last weekend, where Jon Lawrence of Paignton represented the westcountry's interests. Details will be available next week, but in the meantime, readers may recall that this was the original starter problem which was solved by 1.Qg2! Black's five attempts to avoid the inevitable are all answered by mate, thus: (a) 1…Nd4 2.Qxe4 mate. (b) 1…Ng5 2.Rd1mate. (c) 1…Ne5 2.Qxe4 mate. (d) 1…Bxf5 2.Re5 mate. (e) 1…Rxd6 2.Qa6.
16th February 2008 Both Cornwall and Devon were involved in matches last weekend with mixed success. Devon met Somerset at West Buckland, near Wellington, where Devon's phalanx of players between 169 and 150 proved far too strong for their neighbours, winning 13½ - 2½ without the loss of a single game. The rapidly-improving Torquay schoolboy, Robert Thompson, played his first game for the 1st team, and won in style. The details were as follows (Devon names first): 1.John Wheeler, ½-½ D. Buckley. 2. Steve Homer ½-½ P. Chaplin. 3. Ken Derrick ½-½ G. Jepps. 4. Dr. Dave Regis 1 - 0 A. Footner. 5. Brian Hewson ½-½ A. Bamford. 6. Alan Brusey 1 - 0 N. Senior. 7. Mark Ozanne 1 - 0 J. Fewkes. 8. Trefor Thynne 1 - 0 C. Winch. 9. Ewan Walton 1 - 0 D. Wood. 10. Simon Waters ½-½ C. McKinley. 11. John Stephens 1 - 0 R. Turner. 12. Mark Abbott 1 - 0 C. Barratt. 13. Bill Ingham 1 - 0 M. Baker. 14. Dr. Jon Underwood 1 - 0 S. Hill. 15. Brian Gosling 1 - 0 G. Richards. 16. Robert Thompson 1 - 0 M. Worrall. Meanwhile, Cornwall faced Hampshire at Exminster, where the teams were evenly matched. However, Cornwall's loss of five games compared to Hampshire's single loss, gave Hants the match by 10 - 6. Details as follows, with Cornish players first. 1.Jeremy Menadue ½-½ D. Tunks. 2. Ian George ½-½ R. Marsh. 3. Lloyd Retallick 0 - 1 C. Bellers. 4. Mark Hassall 0 - 1 M. Krawczuk. 5. Roger Grime ½-½ J. Wilkinson. 6. S. Addicott 0 - 1 M. Buckley. 7. Philip Hutchings 1 - 0 P. Barber. 8. Simon Bartlett ½-½ S. Dean. 9. Gary Trudeau ½-½ B. Kocan. 10. James Hooker ½-½ G. Moore. 11.Colin Gardiner 0 - 1 S. LeFevre. 12. Anton Barkhuysen 0 - 1 J. Symons. 13. Chris Reeves ½-½ E. Davies. 14. Ian Scott ½-½ R. Smith. 15. Grant Healey ½-½ J. Young. 16. Philip Spargo ½-½ R. Kelly. The following game took place last week in the Barnstaple Club Championship. The players' disparate strengths can often lead to a fun game.
See link above for game In last week's position, Adams broke open White's defences with 1…Bxh3! As the bishop cannot be taken without immediate dire consequences, White played 2.Re2 Rg8 3. Rae1 Bxg2! 0-1. This week's 2-mover is by Cornishman, Dr. Christopher Reeves, who drew his game on Saturday. Can the mass of Black's advancing pawns stave off a mate in two?
9th February 2008 Devon take on Somerset this afternoon at West Buckland Village Hall, near Taunton. Only the first teams will be involved as Somerset withdrew from the Wayling Cup competition earlier in the season. The East Devon Congress starts in Exeter on the last day of the month, and the Entry Secretary, Alan Maynard, tells me he has about 80 entries to hand, but needs another 80 to reach the financial break-even point. Direct enquiries about late entries to him on 01363-773313. This year's early Easter has brought the West of England Congress at Exmouth close on the heels of the Exeter event - they are less than three weeks apart - which may be a factor in the overall response. Details for the latter obtainable from Alan Crickmore on 01752-768206. Entry forms for both events are downloadable from the Chess Devon website. Mickey Adams did reasonably well in the immensely strong Gandmaster A group at the recent Corus Congress. He played thirteen of the world's top players, losing only one game. The problem was he only won one, with eleven being drawn. Even the joint winner, Norwegian schoolboy Magnus Carlsen, lost twice. But I guess most of us would settle for that! In that company it was an awesome achievement.
See link above for game The key game at the Cornish Championships last month was that between David Saqui (Penwith) and Jeremy Menadue (Truro), who was the top graded player and a previous champion. White, however, probes for weaknesses and finishes the game with a neat attack. In last week's position, White won by gaining the black-square diagonal with 1.Rxb2, after which White can mate on either d4 or e5, depending on Black's next move. This week's is the end of one of Michael Adams' games from Gibraltar last year. How can he demolish White's defences in one blow?
2nd February 2008 Devon's top inter-club competition, the Bremridge Cup, was blown wide open on Saturday when Exmouth beat Teignmouth 4½-1½, while Newton Abbot, who had already beaten Exmouth, surprisingly lost to Exeter by the same score. Here is the top game from the Teignmouth match, in which Black opts for a French Defence against a regular player of it, and a lively game ensues. Notes based on those kindly supplied by the winner.
See link above for game Paignton-born Gary Lane, now living in Australia, became that country's champion in 2004, but in this year's event which finished recently, he finished 17th= with a modest 50% score. The Australian film actor, Heath Ledger, who died recently in tragic circumstances in New York, was a man of many talents, including having been the Western Australian Under-11 Chess Champion. In recent years, he enjoyed playing friendly games against all-comers in Central Park. In last week's position, White could win a pawn with 1.Bxh7+ Kxh7 2.Qe3+ winning the black square bishop on e6, and leaving White a pawn up. This week's position arose at the end of a game in the British Championship when it was held in Torquay in 1998. Norman Stephenson (White) has a winning move at his disposal. Can you spot it?
26th January 2008 Devon won their match against Hampshire at Wincanton last Saturday by the comfortable margin of 10 - 6. Devon's winners were Dominic Mackle, John Wheeler, Ken Derrick, Dr. Dave Regis, Alan Brusey, John Stephens, Mark Abbott, and Dr. Jonathan Underwood. Draws were achieved by Brian Hewson, Simon Waters, Bill Ingham and Charlie Howard. The 2nd team match was a much closer affair, and in spite of outgrading their opponents on all 12 boards, Devon had to be content with a 6 - 6 draw - the first 2nd team match Devon have not won for several years. Devon points scorers were Sean Pope, Wilf Taylor, Robert Thompson and George Darling, with draws from John Gorodi, Phil Kennedy, Peter Halmkin and Bob Jones. Here is the game from Board 1.
See link above for game On Sunday, Plymouth Chess Club hosted Devon's annual Inter-Area Jamboree. This finished in a win for the South (8½/12 points) over the West (5½) and the East (4). The south's winners were Bill Ingham, Charlie Howard, John Robson, Roger Hocking, Norman Tidy, Bill Frost, Ray Chubb and John Doidge. John Parker secured the solitary half point. The late, great Robert James "Bobby" Fischer died last weekend at the age of 64. He did more than anyone to raise the profile of the game in the West during the 1960s up to his memorable match against Spassky in 1972. Born in Chicago in 1943, he was a child prodigy who won the US championship at the age of 14. In 1964 he won it again with a perfect score of 11 wins against the greatest players in the country. His match against Spassky was seen by the media as a microcosm of the Cold War, not least by Fischer himself. Unfortunately, his paranoia, originally focussed on the Russians, got the better of him and he came to see enemies everywhere, and spent most of the rest of his life in secret exile. He truly was a flawed genius. Last week's position was ended by a Queen sacrifice 1.QxR+. If the King takes 2.Rh3 mates, or if it retreats there is Qf7 mate. Here is a game from the 2006 Torbay Congress between Tyson Mordue and Steve Dilleigh. There's no immediate win but White can win a pawn. How?
19th January 2008 The Cornish Championship was decided at the annual congress last weekend, held for the first time at Stithians Village Hall. By virtue of beating the top grade Jeremy Menadue in round 4, David Saqui was assured of the Championship and the Emigrant Cup before the final round, which might have a contributory factor to his subsequent loss to Gary Trudeau, which is given below. The full prize list was as follows: Emigrant Cup: 1st= David Saqui 169 (Penwith) won the cup on tie break. Lloyd Retallick 167 (Newquay) both 4/5 pts. 3rd Gary Trudeau 140 (Liskeard) 3 pts. 4th= Simon Bartlett 146 (Newquay) & Jeremy Menadue 178 (Truro) 2½/5. Grading prize (U-140); Barry Moss 129 (Newquay) 2½/5. Falmouth Cup (U-125): 1st= Stefan Leaver 117 (Truro) 4/5 Cup awarded on tie break. Michael Hill 109 (Liskeard) Doug Morton 99 (Newquay). 4th= Marcus Pilling 112 (Truro) & Christopher Reeves 111 (Truro) 3½/5. Grading prize: (U-100) Philip Spargo 96 (Camborne) 3/5. U-80 Martin Carter 57 (Godolphin) 3/5. Team prize (Centenary Cup): Newquay: Retallick; Bartlett; Nancarrow & Morton. This game illustrates the importance of piece mobility and flexibility.
See link above for game Last week's problem by George Ansell was solved by 1.Ne7! This week's position arose at the end of the game between Joshua Hall and Alan Brusey at last year's West of England Congress in Exmouth. How did the Swindon junior, playing White, finish the game immediately?
12th January 2008 The annual Hastings Congress has a venerable history, and although its format has changed somewhat in recent years, it continues to provide the prime post-Christmas entertainment. Several local players have been involved, including Jack Rudd of Bideford who entered the strong Masters Section, with 17 Grandmasters and 18 IMs. He followed up his fine performance at the British Championship in Great Yarmouth in the summer with another, of which this is a good example of his attacking style.
See link above for game Possible moral: Greeks should beware Devonians bearing gifts - especially at Christmastime. Cornwall's annual congress is being held at Stithians Village Hall this weekend and finishes tomorrow evening. Full results should be available next week. Other events now on the horizon are the East Devon Congress at Exeter starting on Friday 29th February to 2nd March. Details are available from Alan Maynard on 01363-773313. This is followed by the West of England Championship and Congress at the Royal Beacon Hotel, Exmouth, over the Easter Weekend i.e. Friday 21st - Monday 24th March. Details from Alan Crickmore on 01752-768206. Entry forms for both events may be downloaded from the chessdevon website and sent to the appropriate entry secretary. In last week's position, Fawcett played 1.e6! and nothing can prevent a serious loss of material after the threatened discovered check. This week's 2-mover is by Lt. Col. George Kirkpatrick Ansell of the 6th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. He had the dubious distinction of being one of the first British soldiers to be killed in the Great War.
5th January 2008 Torquay has been the birthplace of a number of media stars such as Peter Cooke and Sue Barker, but rather less well-known is Col. Percy Fawcett, who, in 1925, famously led an expedition into the Brazilian rainforest in search of a fabled city that he nicknamed "Z", never to be seen or heard of again. It is said he became a model for the fictional character Indiana Jones. Less well-known, though equally flamboyant, was his older brother E. D. Fawcett, known as Douglas. He was born in Torquay in April 1866 and attended Westminster School. He quickly took to chess at school and was a regular player all his long life. He claimed that while still at school, he drew a game with the World Champion, Steinitz, in a simultaneous match. He was a pioneer of chess in Devon in that he was a founder member of the Totnes Club and the Devon County Chess Association in 1901. Yet he was a pioneer in many other areas. He was an early mountaineer in the Alps and spent much time in Switzerland. When he was no longer able to climb the mountains, he learned to fly and explored them by air. He wrote science fiction that predated H. G. Wells, and wrote books on philosophy. He was a pioneer of colour photography and drove a 3 horse-power Excelsior car round the country as early as 1900. He was a life-long player and a regular competitor in congresses right up to the time of his death in 1960 at the age of 94. He played in the very first congress in Devon in 1902, was a regular at Hastings and took part in the first nine Paignton Congresses up to 1959. In his report of the 8th Paignton Congress, Bruce Hayden recalled Fawcett "delighting everyone with his reminiscences of Pillsbury and Steinitz". Here we have a game of his from the Southsea Congress of 1949, in which he is playing the stalwart of chess in Ireland for half a century. Fawcett was 83 and his opponent 75 years old. Ironically, both died within a few days of each other in 1960.
See link above for game
The following position
was reached after Black's 27th move in the game Fawcett - O'Hanlon.
It is now Fawcett's move. Can you spot what he played that won the game in 2 moves? Last week's Christmas offering from Dave Howard was answered by 1.Ke7!
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