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Bolton Easter Congress - Date - 10th-12th April 2009 - reported by Rod Middleton 106 competitors attended the 2009 Bolton Easter congress, held at the Excel Centre. In the Open section, Mike Surtees beat tournament favourite IGM Stuart Haslinger in round 2, with black. Mike had the advantage in the endgame and converted this into the win. He was the outright leader by one point entering the final round. However a final round loss to Martin Mitchell resulted in a tie for 1st place, with Martin and Stuart. Five competitors shared 1st place in the Major and two players were joint winners in the Knights. There was also a tie for first place in the Busy Persons 10 minute blitz competition. All results are shown below. Bolton Easter Open - 1st equal - Mike Surtees (Bolton), Stuart Haslinger (Formby), Martin Mitchell (Blackpool) 4pts u180 Grading Prize: Mark Ellis (St Helens) - 3.5pts 20 Competitors - £410 prize fund Bolton Major (under 160) - 1st equal - Matthew Barrett (Manchester Area), Richard Bryant (Telepost), Martin Burns (Stockport), Carl Heald (Morecambe), Chris Vassilio (Chorlton) - 4pts u140 Grading Prize: Neil Coward (Blackpool) & Carl Pickering (Kenilworth) - 3.5pts 34 Competitors - £330 prize fund Bolton Knights (under 120) - 1st equal - David Wells (York RMI), Daniel Broughton (West Bridgeford) - 4.5pts 3rd equal - Dave Connolly (Bolton), Joseph McPhillips (Bolton), Sam Towse (3Cs) - 4pts u100 Grading Prize: Paul Horman (Morecambe) & Lawrence Harold (Eccles) - 4pts u80 Grading Prize: Alan Stokes (East Cheshire) & Matthew Fanning (Atherton) - 3.5pts 52 competitors - £380 prize fund Busy Persons Blitz 1st equal - Peter Anderson (Leeds Area) & Mark Birkin (Alwoodley) - 7/8pts 3rd equal - Mike Surtees (Bolton) - 6pts 166-190 Grading Prize 3rd equal - Dean Hartley (Amber Valley) - 6pts 126-145 Grading Prize Other prize winners Mark Whitehead (Rochdale) - 5.5pts 146-165 Grading Prize Thomas Fielding (Preston) - 5.5pts 106-125 Grading Prize Ian Lamb (Bolton) & Glyn Randle (Telford) - 4.5pts equal 86-105 Grading Prize Alan Stokes (East Cheshire) & Brian Slater (Bolton Area) - 4pts equal 61-85 Grading Prize Joe Greenwood (KUCC) - 3pts under 60 Grading Prize 47 competitors - £240 prize fund Chess and the City - Manchester Rapidplay - 1st March 2009The 2nd New East Manchester Rapidplay Chess Tournament was held at the City of Manchester Stadium on Sunday 1 March 2009. This year we added an Open section. The entry fees were tiered to encourage early entry, but large numbers turned up to pay £20 on the day, and the U120 section had to be closed due to volume of players. My thanks go to Julian Clissold for his sterling efforts in controlling this section. The event was organised by Sport4life on behalf of the Eagle Chess Club in association with the Manchester Chess Federation (MCF). As last year, we had many visitors from Kosovo. With 2 film crews and a number of photographers in attendance, look out for the post event publicity. Some photos will appear at http://www.manchesterchessfederation.co.uk/. We would like to thank the sponsors, New East Manchester Ltd and Equity Solutions, Chess Direct who supplied the bookstall, plus all the staff of Manchester City FC and the stadium who helped to make us welcome. We were pleased with the numbers, with 109 playing, given the competing Doncaster Chess Congress, and football at Bolton and the Carling Cup Final, all of which cost us entrants. The Greater Manchester County Open team had played the day before at Newcastle-under-Lyme, but some of the players turned out, including top board Richard Beach (Stockport), the English Senior Champion. The MCF were pleased to see all three sections won by local players. The Junior (U16) Trophies were won by: Athar Mehmood (Newport) - Isobel Cotogni (Worsley) - Marvin Hayes (Chester) - Lucy Towse (3Cs) In the U120 section (69 players), the Trophies and prize fund were won by:
Fred Butterworth (Oldham), Daniel Lin (West Notts) and Nathanael Paul (Coddon) also scored 5/6 to win £15 each The U100 grading prize was won with 4.5/6 by David Holt (Denton) winning £40 In the U160 section (24 players), the Trophies and prize fund were won by:
The U140 grading prize was won with 4/6 by Mark Taylor (Rochdale) winning £40 In the Open section (14 players), the Trophies and prize fund were won by:
Robert Shaw (High Peak) also scored 4/6 to win £37:50 The U170 grading prize was shared on 2.5/6 by Mitchell Burke (3Cs) and John Reed (East Cheshire) each winning £20 We hope to stage the event again next year, subject to stadium availability, although we will restructure the sections and maybe the entry fee to try and avoid this year’s chaotic start. Report by: Mick Norris - MCF Congress Director The 14th Annual Bury Rapidplay - Sunday 14 December 2008 – Report from Mick NorrisThe 14th Annual Rapidplay took place as usual at Bury Town Hall.Firstly, a big thank you to our returning sponsors, Metcalfe & Co Accountants of Bury, and insurance group Winterthur Life. We have used the Elizabethan Suite for ten years or so now, banking on players being attracted by the combination of good playing conditions. There are excellent spectator conditions; lots of parking available nearby and good public transport with the Metrolink/Bus interchange only a couple of minutes walk away. We hope that chess players want to play chess in nice surroundings, and will attend in sufficient volume. This year we were disappointed with the turnout, affected by the weather possibly, by illness certainly, by the volume of chess available in the North West this year probably. We lost our main sponsor to the economic squeeze, and combined with lower entries, we made our first serious loss. So, unless Bury Council drop their £600 asking price for the venue, we will have to reluctantly look elsewhere. In total, we had 85 playing for a total prize fund £750. It reminded me what chess provides that may be unique – competition between men and women, juniors and seniors, able-bodied and the disabled, all playing together in one event. Competition was intense, and an amazing 22 players shared the prize money. I hope the winners, and those who went home empty handed, all enjoyed their day in Bury. I would like to give the usual in depth report, but as I had to make up the numbers in the Open (taking my record to nine straight defeats when doing so, before I finally found a generous opponent), I have little to add to the results listed below. In the Open, the absence of stars meant that the games were all very hard fought, with no-one emerging unbeaten. Marcial, having effectively beaten me twice in the first round, went on to play the top four graded players, and emerge a worthy winner to add to the list of GMs and IMs who have taken the title. As always the hardest work is done by those not playing. Thanks to Chess Direct as always for the bookstall, to our controllers Julian Clissold, Rod Middleton, Bernard Sharples, Geoff Kerr, and particularly to Anthony Lee. Open (12 players) - 1st place Score 4.5/6 Prize £100.00 - Marcial Flores (Eccles) 157 - 2nd Equal Score 4/6 Prize £30.00 each - Richard Beach (Stockport) 185 - Ali Juanooby (3Cs) 189 - Alan J. Walton (3Cs) 182 - Martin Sheard (Barnsley) 155 - U170 Grading Prize Score 3.5/6 Prize £30.00 - Dennis Owen (Urmston) 155 U155 (38 players) - 1st Equal 4.5/6 Prize £47.50 each - Mitchell Burke (3Cs) 145J - Robert Dean (Pudsey) 131 - Bob Newton (Heywood) 153 - Simon Woodcock (Atherton) 152 - U135 Grading Prize 4/6 £7.50 each - Mick Connor (Great Lever) 121 - Neil Coward (Blackpool) 134 - Thomas Fielding (Preston) 122 - David Patrick (Courier) 122 - U120 Grading Prize 3.5/6 £15.00 each - Steve Lloyd (Chester) 113 - Karl Lockett (Altrincham) 115 U105 (35 players) - 1st Prize 6/6 Prize £100.00 - Brendan Newell (Brooklands) u/g - 2nd 5/6 Prize £60.00 - Brian Forrest (Bury) 86 - 3rd Equal Score 4.5/6 Prize £30.00 each - Brendan Brown (Clitheroe) 102 - Ian Mitchell (Rochdale) 79 - U65 Grading Prize 3/6 £15.00 each - David Fisher (Bury area) 64 - Michael Quigley (Worsley) 63 The Lodwig Gruchlik Memorial Trophy, awarded to the highest scoring Bury Chess Club Member, was won by Brian Forrest Chess and the City of Manchester Rapidplay - 2 March 2008The first New East Manchester Rapidplay Chess Tournament was held at the City of Manchester Stadium. A total of 56 players competed at what is believed to be the first chess event held at a premiership football stadium. The excellent surroundings of the Boardroom Suite were certainly an improvement on the usual venues for chess tournaments. The event was organised by Sport4life on behalf of the Clayton Eagles Chess Club in association with the Manchester Chess Federation. We would like to thank the sponsors, New East Manchester Ltd and Equity Solutions, plus all the staff of Manchester City FC and the stadium who helped to make us welcome. The Junior (U16) Trophies were won by: 1st - Robert Bowler (Copperworks), 2nd - Ravi Patel (Checkmate) 3rd - James Bowler (Copperworks) U120 Section (34 players) - The Trophies and prize fund were won by: 1st - Farshad Ai (Sheffield) with a perfect score of 6/6, winning £100 2nd - Alan Sime (Macclesfield) winning £37:50 3rd - Bashkim Caka (Clayton Eagles) also winning £37:50 - The U100 grading prize was shared by Ravi Patel (Checkmate) and Jade Stirrup (3Cs), each winning £20 U160 section (22 players) - The Trophies and prize fund were won by: 1st - M Zahir Aryan (Phoenix Yorks) with a score of 5/6, winning £100 2nd - Nick Barnaby (Widnes/Bolton), also winning £100 3rd - Phil Olbison (Chorlton), winning £40 - The U140 grading prize was shared by Taher Aryan (Phoenix Yorks) and Mark Birkin (Alwoodley), each winning £20 We hope to stage the event again next year, subject to stadium availability, and maybe we can see more competitors if we avoid a clash with Mothering Sunday. Reported by Mick Norris (Bury Chess Club) Unlucky For Some - The 13th Bury Rapidplay - Sunday 9 December 2007 at Bury Town Hall The 13th Annual Rapidplay Congress organised by Bury Chess Club took place yesterday. Despite the cramped conditions in round one, and absence this year of sandwiches (though thankfully not tea, coffee and a licensed bar), it is fair to say that most players appreciate playing in such nice surroundings. Non playing parents, partners and friends also enjoy the luxury of the bar area overlooking the playing hall. Entry was 92, good but not great due to clashes with premiership football at the Reebok and the Hatton fight in the early hours of Sunday morning. We did have one Grandmaster and a couple of foreign visitors, plus a good contingent from both Yorkshire and Merseyside. MICHAEL WOOD HOMES were again main sponsors of the Bury Rapidplay Chess Congress. Returning sponsors were METCALFE & CO Accountants of Bury and insurance company WINTERTHUR LIFE. This was a full day congress over six rounds, split into three sections – Open, Major and Minor - with total prize money of £750. Players each had 30 minutes to complete each game. This was an ECF Grand Prix event. The Bury & Rochdale League Team Competition - This event is open to clubs playing in the Bury & Rochdale League. Clubs had to submit a team list of 5 players, with the best 4 scores to count. Heywood had enough players but failed to enter a team and both 3Cs and Bury left out their top scoring player. Winners of an engraved clock were Bury with 14 points, followed closely by 3Cs A with 13.5 and 3Cs B with 9. I think this is the first time a Bury team has won a clock, so an excellent performance by all the players, especially given the closeness of the winning margin of only half a point.The M W Homes Open This featured 14 players. Joint winners were Ali Jaunooby (3Cs Oldham) and Southport’s Grandmaster Nigel Davies each earning £80 with a score of 5/6. Nigel finished strongly after a shock defeat by Roger Williamson (Aigburth) in the fourth round. Ali lost to Nigel in round 3, but beat Roger in round 5. Having won his first 4 games, Roger finished third with 4.5/6. Grading prizes were won by Jonathan Arnott (Sheffield University) and David Jameson (Colwyn Bay), both on 3.5/6. An eventful last round saw David hold Roger and Jonathan narrowly fail to hold Nigel. The Major This featured 35 players, more than normal. Joint winners with a score of 5/6 were Philip Armstrong (Oldham), Richard Gavin (Oldham), Mark Birkin (Alwoodley Leeds) and Robert Clegg (Huddersfield). Robert won his first five games, including wins against Phil and Richard, but fell to Mark in the last round. Mark dropped draws to Robert Dean (Pudsey) and Bury’s Roger Howley. Grading prizes were won by Chris Booth (Huddersfield) and Mitchell Burke (3Cs Oldham). The Minor Had 43 players. It was won by Will Heyes (Skelmersdale) with the day’s best score of 5.5/6. Top seeds James Wei (Bramhall) and Keith Johnson (Urmston) tied for second with 5 points, with Jade Stirrup (3Cs Oldham). Will drew his final round game with Jade. The U80 Grading prize was shared by Salfordians Philip Cohen and Anthony Carroll, Harry Brookes (Great Lever) and James Waddington (Bolton). Bury’s Lee Baron won the U65 grading prize. The Bury Players Bury’s Lee Baron, Brian Forrest and Jeremy Peach shared the Lodwig Gruchlik Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually for the best score from a Bury Chess Club member, with a score of 4/6 in the Minor. Also in the Minor, Paul Mole scored 3. In the Major, Roger Howley scored 3, and Keith Evans scored 1. Bolton’s Julian Clissold smoothly controlled the Congress, as always and there were no significant disputes. Many Bury club members helped to organise and run the event. Andrew Butterworth of Chess Direct provided the Bookstall. Next year’s event is on Sunday 14th December 2008. 1st Renaissance Academy Rapid Play Tournament Held at the Latvian Welfare Fund, Bradford
Bury Chess Congress 2006 Press Release - provided by Mick Norris Record numbers at Bury Rapidplay - The Twelfth Annual Bury Rapidplay Congress organised by Bury Chess Club took place on Sunday 10 December 2006 at the sumptuous surroundings of the Elizabethan Suite, Bury Town Hall. A record entry was received and 119 played on the day, including 2 Polish players, a Dutch family (father and two sons), and twins from Leyland, one Grandmaster and a couple of International Masters. MICHAEL WOOD HOMES were again main sponsors of the Bury Rapidplay Chess Congress. Returning sponsors were METCALFE & CO Accountants of Bury and insurance company WINTERTHUR LIFE. This was a full day congress over six rounds, split into three sections – Open, Major and Minor. A hundred players contested total prize money of £750. Players each had 30 minutes to complete each game. This was an ECF Grand Prix event. The Bury & Rochdale League Team Competition - This was a new event, open to clubs playing in the Bury & Rochdale League. Clubs had to submit a team list of 5 players, with the best 4 scores to count. Winners of an engraved clock were 3Cs Oldham, second were Bury A and third were Bury B. Rochdale were 4th.The M W Homes Open - This featured 27 players. There was a Merseyside double at the top, with joint winners Formby’s International Master Stewart Haslinger and Southport’s Grandmaster Nigel Davies (both play for 3Cs Oldham in the 4NCL) each earning £80 with a score of 5/6. Nigel finished strongly after a shock defeat by David Shaw (Urmston) in the second round. This surprise early setback, together with the vagaries of the Swiss pairing system, meant that the two winners failed to meet. Stewart drew with Jeff Horner (Bolton) and Alan Walton (3Cs Oldham). Jeff joined Adam Ashton (3Cs Oldham) in third with 4.5 points. Grading prizes were won by Roger Williamson (Aigburth) and Marcial Flores (Eccles). The Major - This featured 27 players. Joint winners with a score of 5/6 were Philip Armstrong (Oldham) and Paul Evans (AXA Lytham). Ghassan El Gehani (Peoples) came third with 4.5 points. Grading prizes were won by Robert Clegg (Huddersfield) and Geoff Laurence (Macclesfield). The Minor - Had an amazing 63 players. It was won jointly by Nick Rigby (a junior from Wakefield), and Bury’s Sheraz Khalil with the days best score of 5.5/6. John Sutcliffe (Chester) and Philip Titterington (Clitheroe) tied for third with 5 points. Grading prizes were won by Brian Slater (Radcliffe) and Kiruthika Rajeswaran (another junior from Wakefield). The Bury Players - Sheraz Khalil won the Lodwig Gruchlik Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually for the best score from a Bury Chess Club member, with a score of 5.5/6 as joint winner of the Minor. Also in the Minor, Brian Forrest had a poor start but finished strongly with 4 points. Lee Baron scored a creditable 3 and Roger Nuttall an excellent 3.5. In the Major, Roger Howley, Jim Litherland and Keith Evans scored 3, Martin Bryant scored 2.5, Paul Mole and Robin Yeung scored 1. Bolton’s Rod Middleton and Julian Clissold smoothly controlled the Congress, as always and there were no significant disputes. Many Bury club members helped to organise and run the event. Andrew Butterworth of Chess Direct provided the Bookstall. Next year’s event is on Sunday 9th December 2007. 14 December 2006 Chester Charity Chess Congress - Saturday/Sunday, 29-30 July 2006
Reported by Mitchell Burke
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