Hastings Challengers

December 2005/January 2006

Introduction

There was no Premier tournament this year, but still 100 players which makes this once again a major international event. I booked the flat we stayed in two years ago, but with the more sober company of Andrew Greet, Jovanca Houska and Jack Rudd, others having signed up and dropped out along the way.

The tournament is organised by the BCF and sponsored by Hastings Borough Council, the BCF and a bequest from the estate of Frank Parr.

This blog would like to salute the work of Steve Boniface, one of the principal arbiters of the event in previous years, who died suddenly in October. We would also keep in our thoughts John Robinson, another Hastings arbiter, who has been ill in hospital for some time.

Full details of the tournament along with prize lists and games can be found at the official website.

Tuesday 27 December 2005

My ex-lodger was back for Christmas and he had his old schoolfriend round and my new lodger was entertaining someone and the toilet was overflowing every time someone used it so I was hopping out of bed every five minutes and by 3 in the morning I had a huge headache then woke at 7 but the DIY shop wasn't open till 9 because it was a Bank Holiday which meant I couldn't fix the toilet without missing my train so I left some notes for the sleepers and with great relief abandoned my house for two careless weeks in sunny Hastings. Nothing could go wrong now.

I only had to wait a minute for the bus - indeed I had a choice of three, even on a Bank Holiday. So in plenty of time for the train, especially as it was not there at 10.30. They brought forward the 11 o'clock train instead, so it was about five minutes late leaving the station, although this did mean we were behind a slow train to Bath and arrived in London 25 minutes late. But not to worry as the tickets always allow plenty of time to cross to Waterloo and thanks to London's excellent transport system I reached my connection with 10 minutes to spare, except that it was cancelled as were all trains to Hastings that day and several irate would-be passengers were swearing into their mobiles trying to find some alternative means of struggling through the snowdrifts that had engulfed the South-East.

Phoned the landlord to tell him I wouldn't be able to pick up the keys at 3 o'clock and he kindly said he would pick us up from Tonbridge if necessary. Popped over to Victoria to see if there were any better services from there but it seemed all we could do was a train to Sevenoaks then hope to get to Tonbridge and if the weather was too bad hole up for the night in a B&B. So back to Paddington to meet up with Andrew and Jack who were on a later train, delayed by 50 minutes. They finally turned up at 4pm and after a fruitless check at the information office ("sorry they don't give us any reports from the other parts of the network") we made our way to Charing Cross* which allowed me to complete a set of four stations.

The long delay turned out to be useful as there were no notices at Charing Cross and when I finally found a member of staff he simply said no problem, the next train to Hastings is at 5.10. Which it was, though we didn't quite believe it till it actually started off. Adam Ashton and Steven Gordon joined us on the train, and though it was about 20 minutes late at the destination that was forgivable and the snow seemed a lot less than we had made out from the reports in London. Anyway we were there and welcome to Hastings.

*Trains to Hastings go from Charing Cross, Waterloo or London Bridge but the latter was inaccessible as there were no Jubilee Line services. There is also a slow service from Victoria.

Wednesday 28 December

Ventured into Hastings to go shopping in the sales but soon remembered why people from Bristol do not go to do their shopping in Hastings. Came back empty handed and regretting not buying a new pair of shoes as it is extremely slippery on the hills which comprise most of this town. Checked at the tournament hall to discover that I am playing an unrated Danish player called Naalsund. No information about him on my database but not to worry as Jack texted me to say I am actually playing Ali Kikoyo whom I played in the 4NCL last year and managed to squeak a draw.

Rushed up to the tournament hall as I had overdone my pre-match nap but fortunately they were still doing the opening pleasantries. After 20 minutes Kikoyo had not turned up and the arbiters rearranged the pairings so I was playing an unrated Norwegian player called Nakken. No problem really because the opening was the same as I had prepared against Kikoyo, except for one minor point. Which turned out to be a major point and it turned into a bad position then I blundered and lost quickly. So far no good.

Jack and Jovanca both won but Andrew overstretched in an advantageous position and lost.

Thursday 29 December

Feeling a desperate need for some shoes to help me cope with the snow I went back into Hastings and bought two pairs, one for £9.99 from Shoe Shop and the other from JJB, where there was a big scene when a customer trying to return a pair of shoes was refused because she had torn up the box they came in. The cheap pair were bearable but the JJB ones will be going back tomorrow. With a complete box and I'll try to iron out the creases in the carrier bag.

Today I had to play against the Monroe system. For those not in the know this is where every player is given an ipod like device which they have to use to key in their moves. Having overslept again and then discovered that 1.Nf3 can be met with f5, this was always likely to be a date with disaster.

After taking the best part of an hour for the first half dozen moves I went for a coffee but it was more like grey water so I threw it away and bought a cup from the machine. From that point things started to look up. I chucked away the ipod which by now was showing my f1 bishop somehow on f8, and concentrated on the score sheet. Meanwhile my opponent was heading for an unfortunate miscalculation and after a certain amount of turbulence the point slid my way.

Jack lost to some random gm while Jovanca drew with Bobras and Andrew had an easy win against Sugden. 12 year old Parimarjan Negi made a name for himself by beating Hebden.

Friday 30 December

Pouring with rain today so no trip into town and I was paired against David Ledger. Did not really do any preparation apart from my first move and checking over yesterday's game as I had another White. Surprise, it was the same opening (1. Nf3 f5). This time we went into a theoretical line but once I realised I had done something wrong I was being forced into a sequence which gave him rook and two pieces for his queen. I was not helped by the fact that my neighbour, a Mr Karapchansky, appeared to have an open head wound, which he was staunching with a piece of bandage resting on the back of his neck. From time to time he took it off and left it on the table next to me. Fortunately they hadn't given me an ipod today or goodness knows what moves I might have recorded. After missing an opportunity to loosen Ledger's position all the Black pieces rained down on me and that was that.

Jack had a great game though apparently not completely sound. Click here and decide your own opinion on it. Andrew also won and Jovanca lost to Neverov. Tomorrow Jack and Andrew are playing each other and Andrew left his computer on with a game of Jack's loaded up. Needless to say Jack took some interest in this but fortunately it didn't seem to have given any secrets away.

Arne came down for the weekend to stay with Jovanca but did not play as there was no weekend tournament available. Also their friend James was in Hastings for the weekend and he popped over for the evening so at least for a short time there was a player rated below me in the flat.

Saturday 31 December

Managed to get back into town today and took my shoes back. The assistant did not even ask for the receipt. For an extra £2.50 I bought a pair of sale shoes which turned out to be surprisingly comfortable once the leather had stretched a bit. So put them straight into use for my game against Adrian Pickersgill.

Last game of 2005 and will I beat a 156? Black in a c3 Sicilian I thought he had played the opening poorly but it was in fact theory and I duly found myself struggling. Then I was struggling even more and suddenly he was winning. Mercifully he decided he could do no better than a repetition of moves and agreed a draw but I did manage to demonstrate a win for him afterwards. So no plaudits for my play especially as Fritz later showed me how to beat off his attack and gain an advantage, but half a point is worth having.

Jack beat Andrew in a very open game which no doubt suited Jack's tactical eye. Jovanca won so both she and Jack moved up towards the top of the tournament.

Mr Karapchansky seemed in better health today, and when I saw him reach down (despite his considerable weight) to pick up a piece of someone else's litter he went up in my esteem. There was some comment later, however, when he persistently refused to accept a draw against Donny Muter in a position with opposite coloured bishops and absolutely no chance of progress.

In the evening we celebrated the year's end by playing a variants tournament, including some that I had never previously heard of. (In avalanche chess you have to move one of the opponent's pawns after every one of your moves, if possible, and if that puts you in check too bad you lose.) Somehow I managed to score 5/8 which won me £5, the most chess earnings I have had for many a year. During the actual moment of the New Year I was playing Scrabble with Jack so we didn't get a chance to toast the big event till about 10 past.

Sunday 1 January 2006

How stressful is it to play chess? Today my opponent was Ian Snape, grade 201. I prepared some moves against him only to realise I had blundered and he could ruin my queenside. So I lost the opening skirmishes. I shored it up by putting a Rook out of play on a3, and proceeded with the kingside attack. He met this head on and we proceeded to exchange punches. He offered a pawn, so I gave up a bishop, which he took only to sacrifice his own bishop in return a move later. Then he forced my king into a trap and sacrificed his queen. Spurning a draw he captured the queen back and we had to swap off into a Rook and Pawn ending. With rather less than accurate play I eventually managed a draw. I thanked him for all three games and went off to play the quiz machine.

Meanwhile Jack had managed a very creditable draw against Bobras, the number 4 seed, from a position where he was always slightly worse. He claimed it was his first time on a demo board which was surprising. Andrew beat Alan Barton who arrived at the tournament hall lugging a massive carrier bag. Jovanca also won so everyone was happy.

Spent some idle time wondering whether the word 'frique' could be used for a collection of controllers. Not to downplay the excellent work done by arbiters Barnes, Welch, Reuben, McFarland and Graham at this and countless other tournaments.

Monday 2 January

Today my opponent played a cheeky queenside expansion before developing his kingside pieces and I let him have everything he wanted. Including one of my pawns. Somehow I clung on for a bit and even made a semblance of an attack but there was nothing there for very long so it was back to the bottom part of the tournament. At the end of the game my opponent told me I had to sign his ipod and mercifully I managed to do this without causing mayhem.

Helgi Ziska was the star of the show. The youngster from the Faroe Islands took out Wolfram Schoen for his second IM scalp of the tournament. The rampaging prodigy Negi lost to number 3 seed Neverov while Hebden paused for breath with a draw to put him half a point behind the leaders.

Andrew moved towards the top of the tournament by beating Arngrimsson, overtaking Jack who lost to Erik Zude. Jovanca was playing IM Jean-Pierre Le Roux, and managed to hold a difficult looking ending with two minor pieces for Rook and two pawns.

Tuesday 3 January

Now everything is back to normal after the holidays Andrew managed to find a library with Internet access so I can check my email which probably runs to hundreds by now. Meanwhile spent ages agonising over what to play against Thomas Pym, and finally found a decent line of the Shevenigen. And Jack, not contented with his potential IM norm and arbiting responsibilities prepared for his BCF Arbiters Exam.

I happened to sit next to Alan Barton today and couldn't resist the opportunity to peer inside his carrier bag, which happened to be only half full at the time. The top item happened to be another carrier bag. Presumably an emergency supply.

Back to the game, Tom played the same line as my first round opponent. I played it properly this time and soon reached a respectable position. Then I found it hard to play for an advantage so took a big risk of getting my queen trapped. I did lose it, but for significant compensation of rook, bishop and a pawn on the seventh. The pawn soon went away but I picked up two in return and in any case a back row mate threat did for his queen giving me my second win of the tournament.

Wednesday 4 January

Did a bit more clothes shopping this morning, which was about the most successful thing I managed today. Also popped into the library as Andrew had told me they have computers there so you can get on to the internet. The lady said to come back in four minutes so I started to read a book about the construction of canals then went back to the counter five minutes later to see a young man being directed to the free computer and the assistant I had spoken to was nowhere in sight. So I now have a slot booked for 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.

Jack hardly needs to pay with a clock, it is permanently at 1:20*. Even when he is playing grandmasters. Speaking of which, he beat Colin McNab today, his first ever victory over a GM, and a draw tomorrow will earn him an IM norm. My opponent was as unlike Jack as it is possible to be. After turning up a few minutes late he took an hour for his first six moves. They turned out to be some moves, though. I made one bad call after another and only removed some of the knots from my position at the cost of a pawn. Then he forced me to give up my queen for rook and bishop and although I managed to regain a pawn his queen was too active for my pieces.

Talk of the day was the bottom board game between James Snowden and Scott Kenyon. James took a draw by perpetual check but Fritz gave the position as +19 to him. Click here and see if you can spot the winning idea.

*The clocks are initially set to 1 hour 20 and you get an extra minute each time you make a move. Jack's average of one move per minute may not seem fast compared to sports like squash or tennis but in chess it's a pretty scary pace. Even so he's slowed down a lot since he started playing at the international level.

Thursday 5 January

Managed to get my webtime today and check my emails. Fortunately there were only 88 in the inbox and only 3 of them needed replies. Also found out the result of the Downend lightning which was won by Tyson Mordue. And once more we lost to our B team in the League on Tuesday.

Received another reality check when my lodger phoned to say that the computer was not working and also the DVD player had a fault. Starting to think I really ought to be back in Bristol.

Had a good result against Danish player Daniel Andersen. He overlooked a potential fork of the king and queen, which meant he had to retreat allowing me to overrun his position. He was not a happy man. But Andrew and Jovanca both managed to win. Jack failed in his bid to gain an IM norm this round, but still has the chance tomorrow if he can beat a grandmaster with Black. Further up the tournament the youngster Negi achieved his grandmaster norm with a draw against Kuzubov.

Lara Barnes managed to produced an amusing photo of Jack with his ipod*, with the ipod saying hang on, give me time to keep up. I'll have to see if I can get hold of it. Meanwhile Jack took his arbiter's exam and scored 92%. So he is now a BCF Arbiter.

And we went out for dinner for the first time this holiday, having found an Indian restaurant nearby that does a full meal including starter and side dish for just £8.50 on Thursday nights.

*disclaimer: these things are not actually ipods, just in case anyone from Ipod plc has a problem with this. They are actually "personal chess managers". Personally I'd prefer them to be assistants because managers are silly creatures who say things like 'do you want to make a move for me?'

Friday 6 January

Jack texted me this morning to tell me that the pairings for me and Jovanca have been changed. Shame as I had just found a promising opening to play against Danny McGowan. So quickly checked up on the Ugandan player Pafura and started to consider the white side of the Caro-Kann. Five minutes later another text arrived. Now I am playing the Icelander Arngrimsson. No games of his on my database so just have to go in blind. He is a strong player, rated 2230, and a draw would be a good result.

Passed up on my last chance to venture into Hastings, but nipped down to the seafront to take a quick snap of Warrior Square where we are staying.

Jack had a cracker of a game against Le Roux, who is a strong IM rather than a GM. In fairness it should be said Le Roux played out of his skin, at one point being two pieces down in an incredibly sharp position and with only one minute per move left on the clock compared to Jack's standard ration of over an hour. Le Roux eventually came out a couple of pawns up in an ending and mopped up with some accurate play. Click here to see what Jack missed. But despite missing out on the IM norm Jack has had an excellent tournament and has given a fair warning that no one is going to find him an easy opponent, even at the longest time limits.

My own game followed well-trodden paths, with an inferior opening as White and my opponent piled on the agony pretty early. I played a move casually to try and keep him out of my queenside then as I was walking round the room I suddenly realised I had won a piece. He tried playing on but it was all too easy and he soon had to resign. There must be some deep philosophical insight to be gained from this but to me it just seems outrageously lucky.

Andrew won his game to finish on 6½/10 which was just enough to gain him Grand Prix points (a pretty tidy number as this event has a multiple of 8). Jovanca drew, though she had seemed somewhat worse earlier and this put her on 6. Jack's final score was 5½ and I managed 5, but my route through the bottom players was substantially easier than the pairings the others had had to contend with.

Went upstairs to have a go on the quiz machine and Negi was among the crowd, trying to get one or two answers (not easy for a 12 year old with broken English). There was a cheer and we turned round to see his face looking out from the television screen - the local news had been round earlier and taken some footage in the tournament hall.

Valerij Neverov (below, top) won the tournament, with 8/10, half a point ahead of Sergey Erenburg (bottom), Merab Gagunashvili and Colin Vincent.

Saturday 7 January

Woke early to get cleared up, packed and onto the train. Everything went amazingly smoothly so Jack and I left on a high. Jack kindly pointed out that yesterday's opponent was 2289, not 2240 as I had thought. If I had known that I don't think I would have dared beat him. The others (including Arne and James) were playing in the weekend congress, which makes sense as Andrew and Jovanca are professionals and the other two have not played so far. For us, though, it's goodbye to all that hard work and look forward to the next League match in a couple of days and the 4NCL next weekend.