The British Chess Championships came to Liverpool from 31 July to 10 August, for the first time since 2008 – an opportunity too good to be missed for Wallasey, being one of the biggest clubs in the region. Over the course of 11 days of competition, 19 of us competed, making 25 entries across 12 events, variously held in the splendour of St George’s Hall and the smart modern surroundings of the Holiday Inn across the road.
On the first evening, before the official opening ceremony had even happened, Thomas Moran kicked off our participation, scoring a very creditable 5/9 in the under-12 blitz tournament. Over the following two days, he also played in the under-12 rapid, improving on his blitz score with 5½/9.
This led us into the classical sections, starting with the weekend tournaments, consisting of five rounds each. In the under-2000 section, Joe Ledgerton toiled, managing only two draws in a return of 1/5, while Dave Barnes was due to follow suit until his win in the final round, leaving him with 2/5. In the under-1500s, Jon Booth withdrew after his first round game after a long week at work, choosing to prioritise his wedding anniversary over chess (how very dare he!), but Martin Cockerill flew the Wallasey flag in style, returning an impressive score of 3½/5.
The weekend also saw the beginning of two other sections, with Sanjoy Banerjee competing in the Major Open and Thomas Moran in the under-12 classical. The Major Open was the second-strongest section in the entire Championship and ran for nine rounds, spanning both weekends. Poor Sanjoy struggled all week, not helped by illness, limping to the end with a score of 3/9, including one default. Meantime, Thomas demonstrated that his skills on the board increase with the time controls, racking up an impressive 4½/7, including a win over a regional rival. One of his two losses was to the tournament favourite and eventual winner, who far outgraded the rest of the field.
As the new week began, so too did a host of other sections, variously played in the morning and afternoon sessions at the two locations. In the under-1900s, Dave Barnes made hay, scoring an excellent 4/6, while Joe Ledgerton struggled again against his form, with 3/6 including a default, concluding a very tough week for him.
In the over-50s, Mike Coffey had an impressive tournament, scoring 4/7 with only one defeat. Our very own TV sensation, Richie Kelly, had a more difficult time, returning 2½/7.
The over-65 section contained more Wallasey players than any other, with five of us doing battle. Our highest rated member, Steve Pickles, scored 3½/7, as did Steve Clare, who had a very impressive tournament. Joe Butterworth scored 2½/7 while Mike O’Mahony and Dave Barnes had to settle for 2/7 each. Dave must surely be awarded the metaphorical Stamina Prize, for 18 games of classical chess over ten consecutive days.
Meantime, Dilhan Manawadu threw his hat into the ring in a very strong field in the Open Blitz on the Tuesday evening, emerging with an even score of 4½/9.
The under-1750 section proved incredibly hard work for our three entrants, who were amongst the lower graded players. Trevor Shaw battled to 2½/6, while Graham Carr reached the same score with the aid of a half-point bye. These two played each other in the last round and drew. Alan Kelly could only manage two draws in a winless tournament, but picks up the metaphorical Tournament Enjoyment prize, loving every minute of the experience regardless of his results!
Finally, the under-1450s saw four of us compete in a section which contained a scary number of strong juniors, many under the age of 10! Graham Heath and Martin Cockerill took different routes to arrive at a final score of 3/6, including a draw with each other in the final round. Graham picks up the metaphorical Eternal Clubman prize, turning off his clock after one game and starting to put it back in its box, before remembering that, for a change, it wasn’t his responsibility to tidy up! Paul Greenway returned the same score with the help of a default, and collects the Best Dressed prize for turning up in a shirt and tie every day. Saul Marks, one of the highest rated players in the section on paper, scored an impressive 4/6, despite missing the final day of competition. His 80% return from games played was the best of all Wallasey’s entrants in all sections, albeit in the lowest section of them all.
Overall, the tournament experience was thoroughly enjoyed by all in our club who took part, from wide-eyed first-timers to seasoned congress players. The magnificent setting of St George’s Hall, in which some had the privilege to play, surely cannot be beaten as a venue for a major chess tournament, especially with DGT boards allowing teammates to follow their games online in real-time.
The “Brits” proved to be a welcome island in the summer ocean usually without chess and, with less than two weeks to go until our new season starts at the club, we can’t wait to get back to the board!