1st Southbourne Summer Fun Open Blitz Tournament
It was a successful evening for the tournament. 18 players took part and it was a good number. The warm summer evening meant that a lot of players often do other things. Despite the heat, those who did come along enjoyed themselves.
Click here to see the results. Michael Duggan (Poole) played exceptionally well, remained undefeated and was a deserved winner with 5 points out of 6 and won the £30 1st prize. However, much credit goes to James Forster (Southbourne) who was also undefeated throughout to come second on 4½ points. There was great attacking play from Richard Smith (Poole) who came 3rd outright on 4 points also winning £20 for the best Under 155 performance. Simon Bown (New Milton) had an exceptional tournament winning the Under 120 prize of £20 with 3½ points so it was great that the top prizes were shared around amongst the clubs.
Everyone won at least a book prize and 5 players also won in the free raffle which included a bottle of wine, 4 cans of lager, a chess DVD and 2 chess books.
It was the first time that time increments had been used for a blitz tournament in Dorset and this new format did prove successful. Better quality games were played leading to more natural draws (than trying to win on time) and less outright blunders. In a round 4 game between Mark Littleton and John Weatherlake, Mark was down to 1 second (just before he moved) but because of the 5 second increments he then managed to move quickly and by the time he won, he had over a minute left on his clock!
Also, in a game between Frank Hamilton-Taylor and Paul Sandy, in round 5, because of so many moves played, the game lasted just over 25 minutes. Think there were over 100 moves played by each player in total! However, this was not a problem as the tournament allowed for 30 minutes for each round. In fact, rounds were generally completed between 15 and 20 minutes which meant that there was no time pressure on the tournament. It did not start until 7.40pm but there was a 20 minute tea break and it was all completed by 10.10pm so the actual chess for the 6 rounds including pairings was around 2 hours 10 minutes.
Click here to see the results. Michael Duggan (Poole) played exceptionally well, remained undefeated and was a deserved winner with 5 points out of 6 and won the £30 1st prize. However, much credit goes to James Forster (Southbourne) who was also undefeated throughout to come second on 4½ points. There was great attacking play from Richard Smith (Poole) who came 3rd outright on 4 points also winning £20 for the best Under 155 performance. Simon Bown (New Milton) had an exceptional tournament winning the Under 120 prize of £20 with 3½ points so it was great that the top prizes were shared around amongst the clubs.
Everyone won at least a book prize and 5 players also won in the free raffle which included a bottle of wine, 4 cans of lager, a chess DVD and 2 chess books.
It was the first time that time increments had been used for a blitz tournament in Dorset and this new format did prove successful. Better quality games were played leading to more natural draws (than trying to win on time) and less outright blunders. In a round 4 game between Mark Littleton and John Weatherlake, Mark was down to 1 second (just before he moved) but because of the 5 second increments he then managed to move quickly and by the time he won, he had over a minute left on his clock!
Also, in a game between Frank Hamilton-Taylor and Paul Sandy, in round 5, because of so many moves played, the game lasted just over 25 minutes. Think there were over 100 moves played by each player in total! However, this was not a problem as the tournament allowed for 30 minutes for each round. In fact, rounds were generally completed between 15 and 20 minutes which meant that there was no time pressure on the tournament. It did not start until 7.40pm but there was a 20 minute tea break and it was all completed by 10.10pm so the actual chess for the 6 rounds including pairings was around 2 hours 10 minutes.
Michael Duggan scored an excellent 5/6 to win the Summer Blitz and earn £30 ahead of 18 competitors, who were undeterred it was Friday the 13th (July).
Some very good performances, including James Forster (pictured left) coming 2nd and Richard Smith, playing great attacking play, was 3rd. Richard won £20 for best Under 155 performance.
Simon Bown (New Milton) had an exceptional tournament winning the Under 120 prize of £20 with 3.5 points, so it was great the top prizes were shared amongst the clubs.
It was a very competitive, but sociable evening and credit to Southbourne who again generously hosted the event at Tuckton. Organiser Martin Simons, as he does so well, ensured that every competitor won a prize. It was the first time that time increments had been used for a blitz tournament in Dorset and this proved most successful as better quality games were played, leading to more draws and less outright blunders. On behalf of all competitors, many thanks to Simon for organising it all so efficiently. Also thanks to the tireless team behind the scenes at Southbourne, especially John Harris, who work so hard setting up and clearing away.
Everyone won at least a book prize and 5 players also won in the free raffle which included a bottle of wine, 4 cans of lager, a chess DVD and 2 chess books.
It was a super evening – all credit to the organisers and players. For score details click here.
Some very good performances, including James Forster (pictured left) coming 2nd and Richard Smith, playing great attacking play, was 3rd. Richard won £20 for best Under 155 performance.
Simon Bown (New Milton) had an exceptional tournament winning the Under 120 prize of £20 with 3.5 points, so it was great the top prizes were shared amongst the clubs.
It was a very competitive, but sociable evening and credit to Southbourne who again generously hosted the event at Tuckton. Organiser Martin Simons, as he does so well, ensured that every competitor won a prize. It was the first time that time increments had been used for a blitz tournament in Dorset and this proved most successful as better quality games were played, leading to more draws and less outright blunders. On behalf of all competitors, many thanks to Simon for organising it all so efficiently. Also thanks to the tireless team behind the scenes at Southbourne, especially John Harris, who work so hard setting up and clearing away.
Everyone won at least a book prize and 5 players also won in the free raffle which included a bottle of wine, 4 cans of lager, a chess DVD and 2 chess books.
It was a super evening – all credit to the organisers and players. For score details click here.
