55th Torbay Chess Congress Report
10th - 12th November 2023 at the TLH Toorak Hotel, Torquay
Entrants
Open 45; Major 27; Intermediate 44; Foundation 33.
This makes a total of 149: 7 down on last year, but the second largest total in more than a decade. There were 12 withdrawals prior to the start of the Congress.
Prize Winners
Open
Scroll the table to the right to see full details.
| Prize | Winner(s) | Club(s) | Score | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Stephen Homer | Exeter | 4½ | £240 |
| Joint 2nd | Olaf Steffens | SV Werder Bremen | 4 | Each winning £113 |
| Graham Bolt | Exeter | |||
| Rating Prize 2090 - 2150 | Gerald Moore | Broadland | 3½ | Each winning £15 |
| Rami Talab | Truro | |||
| Rating Prize 2050 - 2089 | Max Walker | Exeter | 3½ | Each winning £15 |
| Arturo Wong | Chard & Ilminster | |||
| Rating Prize 2000 - 2049 | Jasper Tambini | Surbiton | 3 | £30 |
| Rating Prize 1980 - 1999 | Alan Brusey | Newton Abbot | 3½ | Each winning £15 |
| Keith Gregory | Fareham | |||
| Rating Prize 1940 - 1979 | Martin Goldschmidt | Totnes | 3 | £30 |
| Rating Prize 1870 - 1939 | Colin Davis | Bristol & Clifton | 3 | Each winning £15 |
| Grigoris Sklavounos | Hammersmith | |||
| Rating Prize 1730 - 1869 | Keatan Patel | Coventry Chess Academy | 2½ | Each winning £15 |
| Pengxiao Zhu | Exeter Juniors | |||
| Slow Starter Prize (0/2) | Jake Martin | Plymouth | 2 | Each winning £15 |
| Joe Coburn | Fareham |
Major
Scroll the table to the right to see full details.
| Prize | Winner(s) | Club(s) | Score | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Richard Johnson | Bristol Grendel | 4½ | £240 |
| Joint 2nd | Trefor Thynne | Newton Abbot | 3½ | Each winning £45 |
| Michael Stinton-Brownbridge | Plymouth | |||
| Andrew Waters | Rainham (Kent) | |||
| John Nyman | ||||
| Paul Humphreys | Wells | |||
| Rating Prize 1850-1870 | Ian George | Camborne & Redruth | 3 | Each winning £15 |
| John Morrison | Wellington (Somerset) | |||
| Rating Prize 1800-1849 | Brendan O'Gorman | DHSS | 2½ | £30 |
| Rating Prize 1770-1799 | Peter Halmkin | Teignmouth | 2½ | Each winning £15 |
| Chris Strong | Wells | |||
| Rating Prize 1580-1769 | Alan Prince | 2½ | £30 | |
| Slow Starter Prize (0/2) | David Jenkins | Camborne & Redruth | 2 | £30 |
Intermediate
Scroll the table to the right to see full details.
| Prize | Winner(s) | Club(s) | Score | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joint 1st | David M Rogers | Charlton | 4 | Each winning £117 |
| Jack Wills | Newton Abbot | |||
| Charles Doidge | Teignmouth | |||
| Christopher Southall | Exeter | |||
| Rating Prize 1680-1699 | Alastair Marston | Bristol Cabot | 3½ | £30 |
| Rating Prize 1660-1679 | David R Rogers | Exmouth | 3½ | £30 |
| Rating Prize 1620-1659 | Piran Wills | Torquay Grammar School | 3 | Each winning £10 |
| Robert Willoughby | West Nottingham | |||
| Ian Matthew | Portsmouth | |||
| Rating Prize 1560-1619 | Grant Daly | Downend & Fishponds | 2½ | Each winning £15 |
| Gary Loyden | Swindon | |||
| Rating Prize 1520-1559 | Trevor Hurt | South Hams | 3½ | £30 |
| Rating Prize 1500-1519 | Paul Osborne | Bath | 2½ | £30 |
| Rating Prize 1400-1499 | Harry Bellano | Letchworth & Hitchin | 2½ | £30 |
| Slow Starter Prize (0/2) | Joy Fursman | Teignmouth | 2 | Each winning £10 |
| Richard Brenton | Newton Abbot | |||
| Paul Foster | Medway |
Foundation
Scroll the table to the right to see full details.
| Prize | Winner(s) | Club(s) | Score | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James McIlroy (Unrated) | Exeter En Peasants | 4½ | Each winning £50* | |
| Leon Nelson (Unrated) | Wells | |||
| 1st | Nicholas White | High Wycombe | 4 | £240 |
| Joint 2nd | Michael Sillence-Davis | Bristol & Clifton | 3½ | Each winning £56 |
| David Edwards | Barnstaple | |||
| Dave Tomlin | Forest Of Dean | |||
| David Blackwell | Battersea | |||
| Rosie Fullam (Unrated) | Brixham | 3½ | £50* | |
| Rating Prize 1400-1450 | Daniel Smith | Colyton Grammar School | 3 | £30 |
| Rating Prize 1300 - 1399 | George Wright | Oxford City | 2½ | Each winning £10 |
| Lloyd Russell | Bude | |||
| Klaus Tekniepe | Plymouth | |||
| Rating Prize 1190-1299 | Anthony Labouchardiere | Weymouth | 3 | £30 |
| Rating Prize 1050-1189 | Joe Forty | Weymouth | 2½ | £30 |
| Slow Starter Prize (0/2) | Susan Clarke | 2 | Each winning £15 | |
| Hazel Welch | Seaton |
*Adjusted. Under rule 9, an unrated player may not win more than £50 in prize money and may not win any rating prize. Any prize monies paid to unrated players will be paid from a fund separate from and in addition to the advertised prizes.
The Trophies
Torbay Individual Championships (incorporated in the Congress)
| Open: Basil Wallis Cup | Alan Brusey | Newton Abbot |
| Major: Challenge Cup | Trefor Thynne | Newton Abbot |
| Intermediate: Intermediate Cup | Jack Wills | Newton Abbot |
| Foundation: Candidates Cup | Joe Forty | Torquay Grammar School |
Best Score by a Devon Player in the Graded Tournaments
| Ralph Newman Cup | Charles Doidge | Teignmouth |
Best Score by a Devon Junior
| John Whitfield Cup | David Edwards | Barnstaple |
Team Event
Teams of four players entered the Team Competition. This year there were ten entries. The Wells team took over the lead on Round 2 and never looked back after that.
The Wells team win £40 for their club.
This year a prize was also awarded to the top team from a Devon club and was won by Newton Abbot 1.
The Newton Abbot 1 team also win £40 for their club.
The 55th Congress
Many people were involved in the planning, setting up and running of the Congress. We are grateful to:
- Kitson Boyce for their continued sponsorship of the Congress.
- Tony Tatam for arbiting, managing the pairings and rating submissions.
- Phil McConnell for running the website and entrants, producing the wall charts and much else.
- John Constable and Graham Mill-Wilson for arbiting tournaments.
- Leo Stream for setting up boards and clocks prior to the start.
- Gail McConnell and Maria Brooks for staffing the "welcome desk" on the Friday evening and Saturday morning.
- The Newton Abbot, Plymouth and South Hams clubs for the loan of their clocks and sets.
- The Devon County Chess Association for the loan of their digital clocks.
- Mr Roger Heale, Duncan Birrell and the staff of the Toorak Hotel for their wonderful support.
- All the players for their generous contributions to the Congress.
I'd also like to thank Ken Alexander for all he has done in organising the Congress over many years, and especially for his support and advice which was a real help to me in my first year as Congress Organiser.
Well done everybody - we are already looking forward keenly to next year's Congress.
