Every six months we Brummies and, sometimes not-so-local, friends gather together to play 7 rounds of Rapid Chess in a Swiss Style tournament. It used to be 6 rounds but had been extended this year to 7, perhaps in the hope that it will make the winners more distinguishable. If that was the intention then it didn't really work, but that isn't to suggest that it won't do next time, either.
This year there were 118 entries with Nick and Daniel Arkell customarily arriving late and, as a result, entering five minutes into the first round. It was a great day for some and not so for others which is always the way with rapid chess. We know full well what we're getting into. Winning positions lost through time trouble, losing to players we just shouldn't and also realising, in some cases (Jeremy Fallowfield), that we don't get time to eat our lunch before the next game starts.
It promised to be an epic tournament and I'm sure everyone wanted to see the two GMs, Mark Hebden and Halesowen's very own, Keith Arkell, meet over the board. But it wasn't to be. Other greats in attendance were, Henrik Stepanyan, Jeremy Fallowfield, Tomasz Sygnowski, Stewart Fishburne, Nick Arkell and Nathanael Paul, to name but a few.
In the end, the Open was won very easily by GM Mark Hebden with a clean sheet - meaning 7 out of 7 wins. His final game was pitted against Halesowen's, Stewart Fishburne who battled bravely but eventually succumbed to the GM's masterful play. Although Stewart still had an excellent tournament, playing above his grade with a performance rating of 208, also making him Halesowen's top performing player of the day.
It doesn't really matter what position we finish in (especially when we know we're not in with a chance of the prizes anyway), all that matters is that performance grade - that's where one will learn the true horror of their 'bad day'. GM Keith Arkell knows this all too well, I haven't worked out his PR, as I'd rather save his blushes. But let's just say he's had better tournaments and this one will be consigned to history. Although, perhaps his brother, Nick Arkell, will help keep the memory alive as, finishing ahead with a fine performance, he now has bragging rights till the next tournament.
I was in the Major Section and, being the only one from our club representing, I felt as though I needed to perform. Unfortunately, I didn't. I lost the first game through a blunder after obtaining a winning position. The second game I lost to another blunder in a drawn position and the third I lost due to being outplayed. I then won the 4th, despite blundering again but, luckily, my opponent didn't see it. I got a bye in the 5th so won a free point and then promptly came back to lose in the 6th. I then finally won without any blunders or mistakes in the 7th and final round. Ouch. A final performance rating of 137 is not how I wanted the day to end. My current grade is 143.
Finlay, my 11-year-old son, played in the intermediate and also had a fairly bad day, dropping 2 games and therefore his chances of winning the section this time around. He also had three wins and two draws with a total performance rating of 128, which he isn't happy about at all considering his grade is 134. He's determined to win the section when he returns in October.
Silas, my 8-year-old son, played in the minor Section and made a very decent account of himself this time around. His normal grade is 70 and he had a performance rating of around 90 (hard to be specific given he played a couple of ungraded juniors. He's certainly one to watch over the next two years. He could well win the minor Section in October.
The Minors was a tough battle with several people in contention. It looked at first as though my good friend, Pete Banks was going to win after beating my other good friend and title contender, Windsor Peck, but it wasn't to be. Pete flagged in the final two games, perhaps tiredness finally getting the better of him and he had to settle for 4th place having won the first 5 games and losing the final two. Despite losing to Pete, Windsor went on to win his final three games and finished in second place. Daniel Arkell, son of Nick and nephew to GM Keith, managed to win the grading prize after a fine performance in the Minor. He seemed far more confident than I've ever seen him and I'm sure his chess will take off this year. Thankfully he plays for my local club so I won't have to suffer one of the beatings.
It was also refreshing to see a lot of the u9 and u11 Warwickshire Juniors in attendance, many of the children are friends with Silas, and their parents now friends of mine. Most of which will be in attendance at the Warwickshire Junior Open Tournament next week where instead of being teammates they will be pitted against each other to find the winner in each age section. This will also help better determine board orders for when they're playing alongside each other in the team again. There may also be some new faces to help strengthen the squad. All will be revealed in due course. Silas is hoping to win the u9s and has an excellent chance, likewise, Finlay has an excellent chance of winning the u12s.
I can't leave this little story without writing something about Alex Holowczak who devotes a lot of his time to organising and arbitrating these events. Cheers, mate. I dread to think what would happen to English chess if you weren't around.
Every six months we Brummies and, sometimes not-so-local, friends gather together to play 7 rounds of Rapid Chess in a Swiss Style tournament. It used to be 6 rounds but had been extended this year to 7, perhaps in the hope that it will make the winners more distinguishable. If that was the intention then it didn't really work, but that isn't to suggest that it won't do next time, either.
This year there were 118 entries with Nick and Daniel Arkell customarily arriving late and, as a result, entering five minutes into the first round. It was a great day for some and not so for others which is always the way with rapid chess. We know full well what we're getting into. Winning positions lost through time trouble, losing to players we just shouldn't and also realising, in some cases (Jeremy Fallowfield), that we don't get time to eat our lunch before the next game starts.
It promised to be an epic tournament and I'm sure everyone wanted to see the two GMs, Mark Hebden and Halesowen's very own, Keith Arkell, meet over the board. But it wasn't to be. Other greats in attendance were, Henrik Stepanyan, Jeremy Fallowfield, Tomasz Sygnowski, Stewart Fishburne, Nick Arkell and Nathanael Paul, to name but a few.
In the end, the Open was won very easily by GM Mark Hebden with a clean sheet - meaning 7 out of 7 wins. His final game was pitted against Halesowen's, Stewart Fishburne who battled bravely but eventually succumbed to the GM's masterful play. Although Stewart still had an excellent tournament, playing above his grade with a performance rating of 208, also making him Halesowen's top performing player of the day.
It doesn't really matter what position we finish in (especially when we know we're not in with a chance of the prizes anyway), all that matters is that performance grade - that's where one will learn the true horror of their 'bad day'. GM Keith Arkell knows this all too well, I haven't worked out his PR, as I'd rather save his blushes. But let's just say he's had better tournaments and this one will be consigned to history. Although, perhaps his brother, Nick Arkell, will help keep the memory alive as, finishing ahead with a fine performance, he now has bragging rights till the next tournament.
I was in the Major Section and, being the only one from our club representing, I felt as though I needed to perform. Unfortunately, I didn't. I lost the first game through a blunder after obtaining a winning position. The second game I lost to another blunder in a drawn position and the third I lost due to being outplayed. I then won the 4th, despite blundering again but, luckily, my opponent didn't see it. I got a bye in the 5th so won a free point and then promptly came back to lose in the 6th. I then finally won without any blunders or mistakes in the 7th and final round. Ouch. A final performance rating of 137 is not how I wanted the day to end. My current grade is 143.
Finlay, my 11-year-old son, played in the intermediate and also had a fairly bad day, dropping 2 games and therefore his chances of winning the section this time around. He also had three wins and two draws with a total performance rating of 128, which he isn't happy about at all considering his grade is 134. He's determined to win the section when he returns in October.
Silas, my 8-year-old son, played in the minor Section and made a very decent account of himself this time around. His normal grade is 70 and he had a performance rating of around 90 (hard to be specific given he played a couple of ungraded juniors. He's certainly one to watch over the next two years. He could well win the minor Section in October.
The Minors was a tough battle with several people in contention. It looked at first as though my good friend, Pete Banks was going to win after beating my other good friend and title contender, Windsor Peck, but it wasn't to be. Pete flagged in the final two games, perhaps tiredness finally getting the better of him and he had to settle for 4th place having won the first 5 games and losing the final two. Despite losing to Pete, Windsor went on to win his final three games and finished in second place. Daniel Arkell, son of Nick and nephew to GM Keith, managed to win the grading prize after a fine performance in the Minor. He seemed far more confident than I've ever seen him and I'm sure his chess will take off this year. Thankfully he plays for my local club so I won't have to suffer one of the beatings.
It was also refreshing to see a lot of the u9 and u11 Warwickshire Juniors in attendance, many of the children are friends with Silas, and their parents now friends of mine. Most of which will be in attendance at the Warwickshire Junior Open Tournament next week where instead of being teammates they will be pitted against each other to find the winner in each age section. This will also help better determine board orders for when they're playing alongside each other in the team again. There may also be some new faces to help strengthen the squad. All will be revealed in due course. Silas is hoping to win the u9s and has an excellent chance, likewise, Finlay has an excellent chance of winning the u12s.
I can't leave this little story without writing something about Alex Holowczak who devotes a lot of his time to organising and arbitrating these events. Cheers, mate. I dread to think what would happen to English chess if you weren't around.