53rd Torbay Chess Congress Report
8th - 10th November 2019 at the Livermead House Hotel, Torquay
Entrants
Open 26; Major 35; Intermediate 32; Foundation 44.
This makes a total of 137: 10 up on last year, and the largest total since 2014.
Prize Winners
Open
Scroll the table to the right to see full details.
| Prize | Winner(s) | Club(s) | Score | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Gerald Moore (197) | Broadland | 4 | Winning £240 |
| Joint 2nd | Keith Arkell (242) | Cheddleton 4NCL | 3½ | All winning £37.50 |
| Will Claridge-Hansen (227) | Exeter University | |||
| Jonathan Underwood (188) | Seaton | |||
| Tim Paulden (184) | Exeter | |||
| John Edge (181) | Halesowen | |||
| Richard Webster (178) | Worksop | |||
| Grading Prize (186 - 181 inc) | Alan Brusey (181) | Newton Abbot | 3 | Winning £30 |
| Grading Prize (180 - 173 inc) | Paul Hutchinson (180) | Scarborough | 3 | Each winning £15 |
| OliverStubbs (177) | Downend & Fishponds | |||
| Grading Prize (Under 173) | Paul Aston (158) | 2 | Winning £30 | |
| Slow Starter Prize (0/2) | Duncan Williams (164) | Morriston, Swansea | 1½ | Each winning £15 |
| Martin Clancy (163) | Ringwood |
Major
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| Prize | Winner(s) | Club(s) | Score | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | David Archer (166) | South Hams | 4½ | Winning £240 |
| Joint 2nd | Max Walker (159) | Clevedon | 4 | All winning £75 |
| Giles Body (158) | Exeter | |||
| Meyrick Shaw (154) Tello | Exmouth | |||
| Grading Prize (159 – 157 inc) | Andrew Waters (159) | Rainham, Kent | 3½ | Winning £30 |
| Grading Prize (156 - 151 inc) | Aditya Yanamandra (156) | Exeter University | 3 | Each winning £15 |
| Brendan O'Gorman (154) | DHSS | |||
| Grading Prize (150 - 144 inc) | Frank Pittman (144) | Weymouth | 3½ | Winning £30 |
| Grading Prize (Under 144) | Jonathan Ayres (139) | Scarborough | 3 | Winning £30 |
| Slow Starter Prize (0/2) | Paul Jackson (160) | Coulsdon | 2 | Each winning £15 |
| George Lekoudis (144) |
Intermediate
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| Prize | Winner(s) | Club(s) | Score | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Danilo Gouveia Wasques (U)1 | Newton Abbot | 4½ | Winning £85 |
| 2nd | Phil Foley(139) | Upminster | 4 | Winning £240 |
| Joint 3rd | Amanda Jones (133) | Salisbury | 3½ | All winning £35 |
| Lynne Fursman (129) | ||||
| Jacquie Barber-Lafon (125) | Newton Abbot | |||
| Ian Abraham (U) | Barry, Wales | |||
| Grading Prize (132 - 130 inc) | Stephen Chadaway (132) | Olton | 2½ | All winning £10 |
| Rob Wilby (132) | Plymouth | |||
| Paul Foster (130) | Medway | |||
| Grading Prize (129 - 126 inc) | Paul O'Brien (128) | Worthing | 3 | All winning £10 |
| Peter Dimond (126) | Bath | |||
| Eddie Fierek (126) | Gloucester | |||
| Grading Prize (125 - 121 inc) | Peter Land (125) | 2 | Each winning £15 | |
| Charles Doidge (125) | Teignmouth | |||
| Grading Prize (Under 121) | Clifford Peach (104) | South Hams / Plymouth | 3 | Winning £30 |
| Slow Starter Prize (0/2) | Richard Brenton (129) | Newron Abbot | ½ | Winning £30 |
Foundation
Scroll the table to the right to see full details.
| Prize | Winner(s) | Club(s) | Score | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joint 1st | Michael Pope (112) | Salisbury | 4½ | Both winning £190 |
| Ian Farrow (104) | Dons | |||
| 3rd | Joy Fursman (106) | 4 | Winning £85 | |
| Grading Prize (111 – 104 inc) | David Lovegrove (110) | Telford | 3½ | All winning £7.50 |
| John Jeremiah (109) | Wellington | |||
| Maurice Richards (105) | Liskeard | |||
| Roy Greenhalgh (104) | South Hams | |||
| Grading Prize (103 - 97 inc) | Edward (Ted) Paul (102) | Dorchester | 3½ | Winning £30 |
| Grading Prize (96 – 87 inc) | Alan Fraser (94) | Beckenham & Bromley | 3 | Winning £30 |
| Grading Prize (86 - 69 inc) | James Glasson (84) | Teignmouth | 3 | Winning £30 |
| Grading Prize (Under 69) | Suhayl Abdalla (61) | Newton Abbot | 3 | Winning £30 |
| Slow Starter Prize (0/2) | David Healey (76) | Watford | 2 | Winning £30 |
Torbay Individual Championships (incorporated in the Congress)
| Open: Basil Wallis Cup | Alan Brusey | Newton Abbot |
| Major: Challenge Cup | David Archer | South Hams |
| Intermediate: Intermediate Cup | Danilo Gouveia Wasques | Newton Abbot |
| Foundation: Candidates Cup | Roy Greenhalgh | South Hams |
Best Score by a Devon Player in the Graded Sections
| Ralph Newman Cup | David Archer | South Hams |
| Danilo Gouveia Wasques | Newton Abbot |
Best Score by a Devon Junior
| John Whitfield Cup | Suhayl Abdalla | Newton Abbot |
| James Glasson | Teignmouth |
Team Event
Teams of four players entered the competition. This year there were ten entries. New team on block, Wells, set a cracking pace and managed to keep and edge on the South Ham team (South Hammers) and in the end won the competition by half a point.
The 53rd Congress
The Congress was opened by Christian Robertson, Partner of Kitsons, who are our very faithful long term sponsors. Christian recalled Mark Batten who worked as the Chief Cashier at Kitsons before his untimely demise - a keen chess player and participant at the Torbay Congress. We continue to be enormously grateful to Kitsons for their sponsorship.
The Torbay Chess Congress would not take place without the help and support of many people. We again had the expert support of Phil McConnell. He is an enormously resourceful chap who copes with whatever problems come his way without breaking into a sweat or looking the slightest bit stressed. We also had the expert arbiter team of Tony Tatam, John Arris and John Constable. They sorted out the pairings and controlled the Congress very efficiently indeed. We are indebted to all these people for their skill and expertise.
We are grateful to the Devon County Chess Association for the loan of their digital clocks. The Plymouth club also loaned us their clocks and as did individual members of the South Hams Club. Bob Jones provided the bookstall. We are very grateful to all of these.
Finally, Mr Tim Rew and his team at the Livermead House Hotel who went the extra mile to make the Congress a success.
Well done everyone!
