Ian Hames was not the only Broadstairs player to emerge with credit from the Thanet Congress last weekend. Reg Pidduck’s 3/5 was not quite enough to win one of the main prizes in the Minor section but it was enough to win the Oyster Shield. This prize is awarded to the Thanet senior player with the highest score in the Intermediate or Minor sections. It was first awarded in 2011 having been donated to the Congress by Whitstable Chess Club. The club folded the previous year and wanted to leave something tangible as a legacy and with Whitstable famous for its oysters, the choice of name was not a difficult one. Reg not only won the Oyster Shield this year but he was also the first winner in 2011 and in two of the other four years in between. Well done!

White: Reg Pidduck (107)            Black: Geoff Foxon (100)

Thanet Chess Congress 2016

   1.e4 e5  2. Nf3 d6  3.Bb5 Bd7  4. Bxd7  Nxd7  5.c3 Ngf6 6. d3 d5   7.exd5 Nxd5  8.O-O Bd6 9. Re1  O-O 10. Qc2 Re8 11. Bg5 Be7  12.Bxe7 Rxe7   13.Nbd2  c6 14. Ne4  Qc7  15. Re2  Nf4  16. Rd2  Rae8 17.Rae1 h6   18.Ng3  Nf6 19.Ne4  N6d5 20. a3  Qd7 21. Kh1  Nxg2 22. Rg1 Ndf4   23. Nh4  f5 24. Nxg2 fxe4 25. Nxf4  exf4 26. dxe4  Qh3 27. Rd3  f3   28. Rg3  Rxe4 29.Re3  Rxe3 30. fxe3  Rxe3 31. Qf2  Re2 32. Qg1 Rg2   33. Rxh3  Rxg1 34. Kxg1   

I have not been able to track down any games from the Thanet Open.  I would especially like to feature one of Alan Merry’s victories but if anyone reading this can supply a game or two, or suggest how I can access the games, I should be grateful.

The 47th Thanet Chess Congress took place last weekend August 19th-21st at Canterbury Christ Church University in Broadstairs. Congratulations to Alan Merry of Bury St Edmund’s Chess Club who took first place in the Open with 4½/5, and to our own Ian Hames who finished joint first in the Major with Kevin Smyth of Folkestone on 4/5. The Intermediate section resulted in a three-way tie between David Gilbert (DHSS), Derek Hadley (Greater London) and Gavin Josephs (Dartford and Swanley) with 3½/5, and the Minor was won by Alan Fraser (Beckenham and Bromley) with 4½/5. All the results can accessed by clicking here and I hope to feature some of the winning games in the near future. In the meantime, here is a neat finish from the Intermediate by Michael Page, once of this parish and now of Reading Chess Club.

  1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.e3 exd4 4.exd4 dxc4 5.Bxc4 Nf6 6.h3 Bb4 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Bg5 Qd6 9.Bxf6 Qxf6 10.Nge2 Nc6 11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 Na5 13.Bd3 Be6 14.Qa4 b6 15.Ng3 Rad8 16.Rfe1 Qf4 17.Qc2 h6 18.Re4 Qd6 19. Rae1 c5 20.Rh4 cxd4 21.Rxd4 Qc7 22.Rh4 Bxa2 23.Nf5 Qc5 24.Re3 g6 25.Ne7 Kg7 26.Bxg6 Bb3 27.Nf5 Kxg6 28.Rxh6 Kg5 29.h4 Kf4 30.Qe4     

The latest stage in the Chess Grand Tour, the Sinquefield Cup, has been taking place in St Louis this past week featuring as usual ten of the strongest players in the world although minus Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin, busy preparing for their World Championship final in November. The format is a round-robin and players compete for $300,000 in prize money, with $75,000 for first place, and points toward the overall Grand Chess Tour. The problem with round robins involving such large sums of money – as we have found in the past – is that players tend to err on the side of caution and wins come at a premium: only nine out of 35 games played so far with three rounds ending entirely in draws. With only two rounds to go, Wesley So leads with 4½/7, perhaps largely because he is the only player to have won more than one game so far.   The upside of this is that with only one point separating the top eight players, the final two rounds may provide some exciting chess. It has been suggested that three points for a win in closed competitions might encourage more attacking chess. No Wei Yi for us to follow in this tournament so here is Ding Liren’s only win so far.

White:    Ding Liren (2755)     Black:      Peter Svidler (2751)

Sinquefield Cup 2016

       1.  d4  Nf6  2.  c4  g6  3.  g3  c5  4.  d5  Bg7  5.  Bg2  O-O  6.  Nc3  d6 7.  Nh3  a6  8.  a4  e6  9.  Nf4  ed5  10.  Nfd5  Nd5  11.  Nd5  Nc6  12.  O-O  Re8  13.  Ra2  Rb8  14.  b3  b5  15.  ab5  ab5  16.  cb5  Nd4  17.  b6 Be6  18.  e3  Nb5  19.  Bd2  Bd5  20.  Bd5  Qb6  21.  Qf3  Re7 22.  Ba5  Qa7  23.  Bd8  Rd8  24.  Ra7  Ra7  25.  Bc4  Nc3  26.  Qc6 d5  27.  Bd3  Ra3  28.  Qb6  Rc8  29.  Kg2  Bf8  30.  Rc1  Na2 31.  Ra1  Bg7  32.  Rb1  Nb4  33.  Bb5  Bf8  34.  e4  Raa8  35.  Bf1 Rab8  36.  Qa7  Ra8  37.  Qb7  Rab8  38.  Qa7  Ra8  39.  Qd7  c4 40.  bc4  de4  41.  Qb7  Nc6  42.  Re1  Rab8  43.  Qd7  Ne5  44.  Qd5 Rc5  45.  Qe4  Rbc8  46.  Rc1  R8c7  47.  Be2  Rc8  48.  f4  Nd7 49.  Ra1  Nf6  50.  Qf3  Re8  51.  Ra8  Re6  52.  Qd3  Kg7  53.  Bf3 Rd6  54.  Qc3  h5  55.  h3  Kg8  56.  Qb4  Nd7  57.  Bd5  Rb6  58.  Qd2 Rc7  59.  f5       

This photograph was taken on David Horton’s last appearance at Broadstairs Chess Club yesterday. Keen visitors to this site may remember we held a special event last September to celebrate David’s fifty years as a Broadstairs player (see link below).   Since that occasion, David has decided to move to Cheltenham to be nearer his family. All we can say is that Broadstairs’ loss is Cheltenham’s gain. The photograph shows David holding what must be the smallest trophy ever awarded and this is the George Stiggers Trophy given to the player whose grade has increased the most since last year i.e. the most improved player and this year it was won by David who is clearly improving even after fifty years.  As one fellow member observed, “There is hope for us all yet!”

https://www.broadstairschessclub.co.uk/david-horton-night/

In the picture from left to right are: Paul Carfrae, Reg Pidduck, Bob Cronin, Michael Doyle, David Clifford, David Horton, Nick McBride, John Couzens, Jordan Leach, Ronan Doherty and Bob Page. Also present that evening although arriving too late to be in the photo were Michael Jenkinson, David Faldon, Andy Flood and Ian Hames, not forgetting Brian Gutierrez who took the photograph – an impressive turnout for August, a month when many clubs have already been closed for three months.

David had already ensured that he completed all his obligations to the club competitions and, as leader in the clubhouse, he may yet finish his final season in style by winning the Goodall Cup fifty years after he won it for the first time.   He stayed long enough to cast an eye over some of the games taking place – on the right are John and Paul playing their final Goodall Cup match – before bidding farewell with handshakes all round.