home

whatsnew

events

results

reports

Business News

Report on Junior Squad to Finland May 2003

Report by Peter Purland

Saturday 24th May
For the second year running, two trips departed our shores during the Whit half term. The U12 group were 
heading for pastures new, Helsinki, the first western European visit for a few years. Sixteen players and 
three leaders met at a somewhat busy Heathrow Airport. Ian Cowen, Peter Purland and David Welch led the 
players who were Joseph Bloomfield, Michael Compston, Murray David, David Donaghy, Charlie Goddard, 
Michael Keetley, Jia Shen Lee, Dani Malik, John Meredith, Alex O'Toole, Sebastian Pozzo, Jason Rentmore, 
Tom Robinson, Noah Schlesinger, Andrew Tucker and Yari Voropayev. It took a long time to get through 
security but there was no panic and the plane departed on time. The weather was foul when we arrived and 
we were met by members of the local chess club, our guide and a coach. We then set off for a tour of 
Helsinki, in heavy rain. This did at least wash away sickness! We only alighted once to see a statue to 
Sibelius, but it was a comprehensive and well guided tour. We then decided to go to the Linnanmadi 
Amusement Park, where some of the players rode many of the rides and we also ate (and kept it down!!). 
Then it was back to the hotel for the night.
Sunday 25th May
Up for an 0830 breakfast, a large and varied buffet to suit all tastes. We then walked down to the chess 
school which is by the docks. There was an open international tournament on with 16 English and 18 Finns. 
It was split into 4 sections of 8 (or 10) with the top 4 from each country playing in group A etc. The 
tournament started promptly at 1030 and proceeded smoothly through the day, apart from Charlie's 
migraine, and a lot of good chess was played. Groups A & B were very even although we "ruled the roost" 
in C & D. Both the top sections went to the last game with a flag fall giving victory each time. Tom won 
section A with Teemu Pudas runner up. In fact only 2 points separated 7 of the 8 players. Section B was 
won by Julius Nieminen with Joe Bloomfield 1 point behind. In section C Yuri and Andrew shared top spot 
with Yari coming first on the toss of a coin. I believe (unofficially) that the money was shared. The 
final section was won by Jia Shen Lee with John Meredith runner up. After the prizegiving we walked back 
to our hotel  and ate in the burger bar opposite before retiring for the night.
Monday 26th May
This was to be a quiet morning with an 0900 breakfast and a short coaching session on endings before we 
were picked up in cars and taken to Esmoo. Here we played in and against a local school (or two). We 
started off with lunch then our opponents finished school and we settled down to a double round long play 
match (30 minutes). The first round was won 13.5-2.5 (although we felt the J in one of our players names 
should not stand for Jonathan). Round two then took place with boards 9-12 and 13-16 swapped and this was 
won 12.5-3.5. (2.5 all on the top 5 boards). We then returned by car to the hotel. 45 minutes later we 
were heading for the chess school for an evening of fun chess. This started with a blitz tournament. 
There were 11 Finns and 16 of us split into 3 groups. Group one was won by Teemu Pudas, group two by 
Alexey Sofiev and group three by Jia Shen Lee. The next session was a Bughouse (exchange) tournament 
with 12 teams. Whilst this was on Toivo and I went to a Chinese takeaway. Unfortunately it was closed so 
we had to buy pizzas, crisps and yoghurt. The chairman was then shown the kitchen and left to his own 
devices! I know I say I will always look after my players but cooking for them? Anyway they enjoyed the 
tournament and demolished the food. For the record "Vinners" Teemu and Alexey  were first with "Bugs 
Bunny" Joe and Murray second. We then returned to the hotel.
Tuesday 27th May
We were up for an 0830 breakfast and then got a tram into the centre. We looked at Senate Square 
including a visit to the Lutheran Cathedral and the street museum. We then got the bus out to Maunula 
for a match against the Helsinki Mathematical School. After a school lunch we went up to the library for 
the match. We were black in round one and won 12.5-3.5 although on the top five boards we were 1.5-3.5 
down. The half time team talk was to 5 players! White did not prove an advantage as we won 12-4 and went 
down 3-2 at the top. We then went back to our hotel, had a quick change and went down to the park for a 
game of football. 90 minutes activity was followed by a trip to the swimming baths and then, for almost 
all the party, a leisurely meal in the restaurant. A good end to a pleasant day.
Wednesday 28th May
The final day was bright and sunny and we were up, breakfasted and packed by 0930. We left our luggage in 
the hotel and got the tram to the city centre. We visited the Russian Orthodox cathedral then let the 
kids look round the market and buy souvenirs, presents and lunch. Some even availed themselves of the 
specialist fish dishes. Then it was tram back to the hotel and coach to the airport. Despite attempts by 
the Finns to arrange transfers, we managed to get all our players on to the plane and the tour ended 
smoothly at Heathrow. I would like to thank the Finnish Chess association and Helsinki Chess School for 
the work they put in to making the trip successful and to Ludmilla and Julie from Eastern European Travel 
for arranging the trip.

David Howell appears on Britain's Brilliant Prodigies

Report from Martin Howell (David 's father)

David has recently returned from Budapest, where at the age of 12 years and five months he
became the youngest Westerner ever to win an international master tournament, beating Grand Master 
Luke McShane's record by six months and gaining the first of three IM norms required to become an 
International Master.

Details of David's result can be found on the BCM online website.

On Friday 25 April, David was presented with the Best Young Chess Player award by Sir Patrick
Moore at the recording of this year's Britain's Brilliant Prodigies programme at LWT studios. Other
awards were presented by Robin Gibb, Bob Geldof and Evelyn Glennie. The programme, hosted by
Gabby Logan and the Duchess of York under the auspices of Children in Crisis, will be broadcast
on ITV1 on Monday 5 May from 6-7.30pm.

If you have a video recorder, you may want to learn to programme it now!

David Howell being presented with his award

Report on Junior Squad to Poland - February 2003

Report by Peter Purland

I left home at 0420 along with Dave Welch who was to be the chess coach on the trip. We met 
David Hart at Manchester and flew to Heathrow where we met David Barraclough, Peter Constantinou, John 
Emanuel, Matthew Harborne, Adam Prescott, Tim Seymour and Jamie Yardley. Everyone was on time and had 
their passports, the only casualty having been David Hart's nail scissors which had been kidnapped at 
Ringway. Progress to the departure lounge was smooth but then disaster struck, our plane was delayed by 
90 minutes. This necessitated a phone call to Poland and, fortunately, Matthew's German was up to 
explaining the situation. In the end we got into Warsaw at 1540 and were at the station within an hour. 
However, the queues were such that we had the choice of tickets or train so we went for the train! We 
suspect that the ticket collectors were on commission as I ended up getting two tickets for 5, one from 
each. The extra charge was about 18 pounds. Andrjez was waiting at the station for us, along with Agnes 
who we had had as a translator last year. We were taken to the OHP Centre at Trzebinia which was to be 
our base for 3 nights. We had a good meal, registered for the tournament, had a chat and went to bed.

	The next day dawned bright and early (both were true) and after breakfast we went to the school where 
the tournament was to be held. Mr Szczesniak, who we had met last year, was the director and we also met 
the directors from Chrzanow and Jaworzno.  After many speeches, the tournament started; there were 5 
sections, U18,U16,U14,U12 and U10. Adam was in the U14 and the others in the U16. Early results showed 
that the tournament would be tough and we only had three wins in the first round. Meanwhile, the leaders 
were toasting the success of the tournament in the school library and sorting out the programme for the 
rest of the stay. On the chess front rounds two and three were both very good with 5 and 7 points (the 
loss in round three being internal). This left Peter on 2.5 and both Davids, John, Jamie and Adam on 2. 
However, round 4 we only gained 3 points and in round 5 we had three internal games. This left Peter our 
leading player on 3.5 with John, Matthew and David H on 3. Another good meal, a chat and a quiet night 
finished off the day. Sunday morning was bright and we were up early having declined the offer of a later 
breakfast so we were there in plenty of time. By 0815, with many of the players wet from snowballing, we 
received the message "Der Wagen ist kranke." Shortly after, the director arrived in a Fiat Uno and took 
our top three players in. Fortunately, he was able to summon help and we were all in the hall by 0904. 
For the first time there were no internal games and we scored 5 points. Meanwhile I was having another 
"sort out the future" meeting whilst the players were finding the going hard. Nevertheless we went into 
the final round with a fair chance of a prize. The players gave of their best and scored 6.5 leaving Peter
in a prize position and Matthew, Tim and John just missing out. The players voted the tournament a great 
success and we hope to return next year. After the prize giving, we went to Krakow by coach and looked 
round the town and did some souvenir shopping. We also saw Krak the dragon who gave his name to the city! 
We returned to the hotel for a traditional meal of Borsch and Cephalini (which was enjoyed by the players 
and management) had a long chat and then retired

	A slightly later breakfast and packing meant we were ready for 9am. 80 minutes and two phone calls later, 
two coaches arrived! In the intervening time many snowballs were thrown and a snowman was made. We then 
set off for Szkola Postawona No 8 Chrzanow. The delay meant some replanning and on our arrival we launched 
straight into the chess match. I saw none of the match as I was surrounded by the English class, who had 
had a prep to prepare 8 questions to ask me. They were a little shy at first but soon perked up and proved 
a great set of kids. We passed a very enjoyable hour. Meanwhile the match was proving much harder than 
last year, especially for the top 5 boards. A good combination saw Tim win on board 3 and, with wins on 
6,7 and 8. saw the match looking like a draw until David B salvaged a draw to give us a 4.5-3.5 win. Next 
stop was the dining room for soup and cutlets before going to our hotel (the same as last year) for a 
short break. We then set off for Chrzanow's Culture Hall where we were to play a team drawn from the 
town's politicians. First of all Peter, Matthew, David H and I were interviewed on TV - we hope it went 
well! Our resident translators, Agnieszka Gryza and Justyma Poika also appeared, after much persuading! 
They were a great help at all times as were the other pupils who worked with us. Then it was down to the 
match. A match against politicians is a first for us - would it be good for local chess if we win?  Peter 
won in 20 minutes and he was followed by Tim and David B. A nice ending by Matthew saw us up to 4 points 
after which Adam and Jamie saw us to a 6-2 win. Then it was time for the revenge of the Poles. We went to 
a sports hall to play them at 5-a-side soccer. We were playing the school's sports class not their chess 
class and, although we tried hard and David B and Jamie performed heroics in goal, we were soundly beaten 
2-13. Matthew and Jamie scored our goals. Then it was back to the hotel for a meal and free time before 
6 of the players and the 2 leaders went swimming. Then it was the usual leaders meeting before going to 
bed.

The following morning we breakfasted late (0815) and by 0900 the coach was packed and ready to take us to 
Piekary Slaskie. Agnieszk and Justyma had arranged to accompany us and everything went smoothly. We booked 
into the town hotel and made our way to a sports complex for the match. After the usual greetings, the 
match commenced. Every game lasted at least 45 minutes and the final score of 6.5-1.5 flattered us. I 
think that by now our players had adjusted to Polish timings. We then found we were playing a second 
round against a slightly different team - although we were presented with a trophy before the start of 
this round. This proved a much closer affair but we eventually won through 4.5-3.5. We then went off for 
lunch, soup, meat roll and dumplings. (It is hard for vegetarians in Poland!) After lunch we went to the 
Liberation Mound, a 30m high artificial mound built to commemorate the independence of Silesia after 700 
years of German rule. The icy path defeated some of our group but the view from the top was superb. Having 
descended safely we returned to the sports centre for another two matches. The players were tiring and, 
after a draw in round three, the inevitable happened in round four. Nevertheless, the overall score was 
17.5-14.5 in our favour. A very pleasant meal was followed by a chat and an early night (except for myself 
who was sociable with the home group). The final day saw us depart from our hotel at 0715 and Katowice at 
0855 where we said goodbye to Andrzej. All connections went smoothly and we arrived at Heathrow on time 
where we dispersed. 

I would like to thank our Polish hosts for the way they looked after us and we look forward to hosting 
them in 2004. I would also like to thank Dave for his help in coaching and the players for their hard work 
and unfailingly good behaviour.

Report on EPSCA Rapidplay 2003

Report by Peter Purland

This annual event was held at Broadgreen School, Liverpool, on Saturday 25th January. It attracted 300 players from all over the country who competed in 7 sections for players aged from 11 downwards. There are championship and non championship sections (B) at each age group except Under 8. Players traveled from as far afield as Wiltshire, Kent and Norfolk although the majority came from the North West. The championship section was won by Philip Butler from Reading with 5.5\6. Amisha Parmar (Nottingham), Anuk Sirisena (Surrey) and Oliver Whitehead (Norfolk) shared runners up spot. Under 10 champion was Craig Whitfield from Hassell Chess Club, Staffordshire whilst Ben Blundell (Sussex) and Nipuna Senaratne (Yorkshire) shared the U9 championship.

Prize-List
Open 1st Patrick Butler ( Berkshire) 5.5
2nd= Anuk Sirisena ( Wey Valley) 5
Amisha Parmar ( Nottingham) 5
Oliver Whitehead ( Norfolk) 5
NW Champ Todd Brooks ( Oldham) 4.5
U11 B 1st= Michael Gittens ( Oldham) 6
Philip Parkinson ( Wirral) 6
U10 A 1st Craig Whitfield ( Hassell CC, Staffordshire) 5.5
2nd Daniel McCarty ( Manchester) 5
U10 B 1st= Chris Barratt ( Manchester) 5
Tom Cowling ( Manchester) 5
Robert Hughes ( CNW) 5
Phillip Sail ( Liverpool) 5
Ben White ( CNW) 5
U9 A 1st= Ben Blundell ( Sussex) 5
Nipuna Senaratne ( Yorkshire) 5
U9B 1st Nathan Davies ( Manchester) 6
2nd Gavin Griffiths ( Liverpool) 5.5
U8 1st Henry Graham ( Shropshire) 6
2nd= Jamie Lamb ( Clevelys) 5.5
Phoebe Price ( Oldham) 5.5
Jack Shields ( Manchester) 5.5

Junior Squad Trip to Bunratty
Friday 21st February - Sunday 23rd February 2003

Final Report by Team Manager, Lester Millin

Results of the Junior Squad at Bunratty.

Lorin D'Costa  2285  =1st  4.5 / 6

R1 Thomas    Hauptmann     2050      1
R2 Brian     Kelly   I. M  2468      0
R3 Carey     Wilman        2056      1
R4 Paul      Walsh         1908      1
R5 Mark      Orr     I. M. 2354      1
R6 Alexander Baburin G. M. 2558      0.5


Thomas Nixon 2191 =10th 3.5 / 6

R1 Paul       Plant         2024     0
R2 Monique van de Griendt   2065     1
R3 John       Garnett       2054     1
R4 Philip     Short    F.M. 2301     0.5
R5 John       Nunn    G. M. 2611     0
R6 Karl       McPhillips    2046     1


Paul Plant      2024 =15th   3 / 6

R1 Thomas    Nixon          2192     1
R2 Bernd     Sorg           2300     0
R3 Peter     Jowett         2204     0.5
R4 Stephen   Scannell       2155     0
R5 Kees  de  Kruif          2148     1
R6 Bram  van Dijk           2242     0.5


Matthew Dignam 2115 =15th 3 / 6

R1 Alexander Baburin G. M.  2558     0
R2 Karl      McPhillips     2046     0.5
R3 Chris     Ross           2060     0.5
R4 John      Garnett        2054     0
R5 Monique van de Griendt   2065     1
R6 Thomas    Hauptmann      2050     1


Stephen Clark 2108 =27th 2.5 / 6

R1 Brian     Kelly   I. M   2468    0
R2 Thomas    Hauptmann      2050    0.5
R3 Suzanne   Connolly       2006    0.5
R4 Carey     Wilman         2056    0.5
R5 John      Garnett        2054    0
R6 Eamon     Keogh          2127    1

There were 38 entries in the open which had a lower grading limit of 2000.
In the U175-u125 section, there were about 70 enties.

Sarah Hegarty 1712          4 / 6

R1 R.        Lunn           1602    1
R2 Arlo      White          1858    0.5
R3 P.        McCarthy       1813    1
R4 D.        Path           1841    0
R5 Joseph    McDonnell      1797    1
R6 L.        O'Brien        1847    0.5

There were approximately 320 entries in the Congress, over 110 in the
Under 75 section.  Excellently organised, the Congress is very impressive.  The
Squad did well, and enjoyed their visit.  There were no problems and we
have been offered the same terms by Bunratty for next year.  The Kilkenny
Congress has also offered the Squad identical terms for next November if
anyone wishes to organise a group of 6 at an awkward time of the School year.

Lester Millin.

World Youth Championships, Heraklio, Crete
Thursday 14th November - Monday 25th November 2002

Reports by team manager and BCF Junior Director Peter Turner

There may not be any more updates for a week, as I am going on holiday, but you can keep up to date on the BCF site. NB

Wednesday 20th November

Pts after rd 6 Round: 7 played Thursday Col Res    
U18 4 Craig Hanley 2345 fm   W Dmitry Schnieder 2401im USA
  3 Simon Buckley 2280   B Nurdin Samakov 2108 KGZ
  3 Teresa Khoo 2138   W Lusine Apresyan ARM
U16 Gawain Jones 2251   W Zhen Yang Wee 2078 SIN
  4 Ameet Ghasi 2292   W Victor Ianocichin 2221 MDA
  4 Jessie Gilbert 2113 wfm   W Tania Sachdev 2189 wim IND
U14 4 Thirumurugan 2249   W Koon Jong Jason Goh SIN
  3 Li Wu 2167   W Octavian Cartas 2061 ROM
  2 Poppy Aarons   B Ezgi Yilmaz TUR
  2 Katie Martin   B Genara Diaz Lopez CHI
U12 5 David Howell 2224 fm   B Dmitri Andreikine 2332 fm RUS
  James Hanley   B Henning Pretorius RSA
  2 Molly Moruzzi   B Jeslin Tay SIN
  3 Selina Khoo   W Aices Salvador PHI
U10 3 George O’Toole   B Jamie Flynn IRL
  3 Amisha Parmar   B Anton Hristodoulaki GRE

Tuesday 19th November

Simon Buckley in the Gym
Morning Coach Andrew Martin advises that stamina is important for events such as the World Junior, and he does not mean just for the players. Some members of the group now have exercise routines. The photo attached is Simon in the fitness suite.
2.45 Morning preparation done, a leisurely midday meal enjoyed, some players meet with coaches for a little bit more work and everyone tries to relax and get into a good positive mental & physical attitude ready for the 4.30 start. There are some interesting pairings, Simon takes on Xiangzhi who had been the World's youngest GM, Teresa has a tough draw against the 6th seeded WIM from Georgia. Murugan will need to use all his resources against the much travelled Mamedov, young George O'Toole has his first match against a player tipped for a medal. Yesterday was exhilarating. I wonder what today will bring - you can find out here as events unravel.
5.45 Gawain wins in 17 moves with Black, he said "13 moves of theory thern 4 more to a win!" 5.47 Molly disappointed with her loss. Sarah Hegarty visits to report a win.
6.35 James wins and decided to go bowling with mum to celebrate.
8.30 Sorry for delay, you will probably have some of these. I was called to meeting at short notice and have only just returned.
Results now in: Craig - win, Simon - 0, Teresa - 0, Ameet - 1, Jessie (only just finished as I came to report) - 1, Murugan - 1/2, Li - 0, Poppy - 1/2, David - 1, Selina - 0, George - 0, Amisha - 1
Just Katie left.
Young George came to tell me about his game. I could see that there had been a lot of interest in it. The game was The French Advance, on move 5 George played the prepared line with a3. George says, " after about 25 moves we were still in our preparation. George gained a pawn and then battle ensued with sacs on both sides. Szabo came under intense time pressure, being down to less than 5seconds at one stage. Late in the game George missed a Knight move with drawing potential. A fantastic experience for one of our promising youngsters.
9.20 Katie has finished, loss - so today it was 8 out of 16 points.
Pts after rd 5 Round: 6 Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 3 Craig Hanley 2345 fm B 1 - 0 Jan Smoleen 2157 SVK
  3 Simon Buckley 2280 W 0 - 1 B. Xiangzhi gm 2601 1st seed CHN
  3 Teresa Khoo 2138 B 0 - 1 Sopiko Khlikhashvili wm 2324 GEO
U16 Gawain Jones 2251 B 1 - 0 Evaggelos Poliviou2114 GRE
  3 Ameet Ghasi 2292 B 1 - 0 Xavier Beudaert 2282 FRA
  3 Jessie Gilbert 2113 wfm B 1 - 0 Elena Otyutskaya KGZ
U14 Thirumurugan 2249 B ½-½ Rauf Mamedov 2366 5th seed AZE
  3 Li Wu 2167 B 0 - 1 Koon Jong Jason Goh SIN
  Poppy Aarons W ½-½ Stela Untila MDA
  2 Katie Martin W 0 - 1 Irina Derbentseva RUS
U12 4 David Howell 2224 fm W 1 - 0 Chen Peng Wei CHN
  James Hanley W 1 - 0 Vizktor Moravek SVK
  2 Molly Moruzzi W 0 - 1 Aices Salvador PHI
  3 Selina Khoo W 0 - 1 Michelle Lee 1838 AUS
U10 3 George O’Toole W 0 - 1 Leon Szabo 2025 4th seed HUN
  2 Amisha Parmar W 1 - 0 Marije Degrand BEL

Monday 18th November

6.10 Our U10s came out almost together. You may remember that earlier when George had won he tried to fool us by looking miserable, on this occasion he failed to maintain the downcast demeanor and it was clear from a distance that the pair had good news - England 2 The World 0
6.30 On it goes, Teresa comes to say, "win!"
6.45 As Victor Meldrew would say, " I don't I believe it", Li continues the winning sequence - England 4 The World 0
7.00 We were all worried about the Craig v Simon game and its' effect on our winning sequence BUT the result was a draw, so I can claim England 5 The World 0
7.10 It just cannot continue, Murugan appears looking unhappy to finally report a WIN!! 6 - 0 Must get back to our group area, you need to be fit to be Team Manager - I love (on bad days as well)
7.20 I hope I can survive this excitement. We have a base established in our hotel which is next to the playing hall, players know to come and report as they finish. Parents, coaches are their to support in the after match analysis. There is a marvelous spirit, win or lose. So far today is special because of the extraordinary run of good results. Molly has just come in to report another win 7 - 0
7.25 It's been an unusual evening, which had to end some time, Poppy & Katie have come in together and reported losses. They have had a drink and joined the analysis of games 7 - 2 There are six games to go, we could finish 7 - 8 or 13 - 2. You can see who is still playing, what is your prediction?
Pts after rd 4 Round: 5 Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 Craig Hanley 2345 fm W ½-½ Simon Buckley 2280 ENG
  Simon Buckley 2280 B ½-½ Craig Hanley 2345 fm ENG
  2 Teresa Khoo 2138 B 1 - 0 Marisa Farias ARG
U16 2 Gawain Jones 2251 W ½-½ Dmitriy Stativkin 2157 KAZ
  Ameet Ghasi 2292 B ½-½ Denis Gjuran 2240 SLO
  2 Jessie Gilbert 2113 wfm W 1 - 0 Agnija Rogule 2059 LAT
U14 Thirumurugan 2249 W 1 - 0 Garri Pacheco PER
  2 Li Wu 2167 W 1 - 0 Luis Ibarra Chami MEX
  Poppy Aarons B 0 - 1 Sarah Hegarty IRL
  2 Katie Martin B 0 - 1 Silvana Agnello ARG
U12 4 David Howell 2224 fm B 0 - 1 Ian Nepomniachtchi 2344 fm RUS
  James Hanley B 0 - 1 Paul Pachta AUT
  1 Molly Moruzzi B 1 - 0 Sioned Rees WLS
  3 Selina Khoo W 0 - 1 Kajri Pradip Chksi IND
U10 2 George O’Toole B 1 - 0 Harris Kaufman CAN
  1 Amisha Parmar W 1 - 0 C. Camacho Cheradee PHI
             

Sunday 17th Novembe

r11:25pm Now we have the pairings. Our U18 boys 'lock horns' and Sarah Hegarty must hope that there are no more England players for her to play. David is paired against an old adversary, they know each other very well. The preparation will be interesting.
Pts after rd 3 Round: 4 Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 2 Craig Hanley 2345 fm B ½-½ Bart Michiels 2254 BEL
  Simon Buckley 2280 W 1 – 0 Robert Schlichthaar 2216 GER
  Teresa Khoo 2138 W ½-½ Rabbith Shitsuka BRA
U16 Gawain Jones 2251 B ½-½ Jean Netzer 2167 FRA
  Ameet Ghasi 2292 W 0 – 1 Levan Pantsulaia 2450 3rd seed GEO
  1 Jessie Gilbert 2113 wfm B 1 – 0 Marisol Caceres CHI
U14 Thirumurugan 2249 B 0 – 1 Alejandro Ramirez 2421 2nd seed CRC
  Li Wu 2167 B ½-½ Cyril Monsieux 2022 FRA
  Poppy Aarons W ½-½ Tamara Kezele YUG
  Katie Martin W ½-½ Zorigt Bayaraa MGL
U12 3 David Howell 2224 fm W 1 – 0 Davit Benidze GEO
  James Hanley W 0 – 1 Tong Qiu CHN
  1 Molly Moruzzi W 0 – 1 Irina Vatiric MDA
  Selina Khoo B ½-½ Yixin Ding CHN
U10 2 George O’Toole B 0 – 1 Juan Sebastian Camacko COL
  1 Amisha Parmar B 0 - 1 Zoi Iordanidou GRE
8:20pm David maintained his 100% score, Selina has 3 out of 4 keeping her safely in the chasing group at this early stage. Hopefully pairings will be out before midnight so that we can get to bed at a reasonable time.

J5:40 pm Just on my way to the tournament hall, met Li on his way out. A 19 move draw, quote "he just swopped off all the pieces".
Pts after rd 2 Round: 3 Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 1 Craig Hanley 2345 fm W 1 – 0 Zhuoya Zhang 2148 CHN
  ½ Simon Buckley 2280 B 1 – 0 Nikolay Yordanov BUL
  ½ Teresa Khoo 2138 B 1 – 0 Riani Pistorious RSA
U16 Gawain Jones 2251 W 0 – 1 Bojan Radic BIH
  Ameet Ghasi 2292 B 1 – 0 Davit Zarkua 2178 GEO
  1 Jessie Gilbert 2113 wfm W 0 – 1 Karelle Bolon FRA
U14 2 Thirumurugan 2249 W ½-½ Tornike Sanikidze 2115 GEO
  1 Li Wu 2167 W ½-½ Garri Dacheco PER
  1 Poppy Aarons B ½-½ Miranda Mikadze GEO
  ½ Katie Martin B 1 - 0 Sarah Hegarty IRE
U12 2 David Howell 2224 fm B 1 – 0 Ivan Saric 2010 CRO
  1 James Hanley B ½-½ Mansur Mingatchev 2207 RUS
  ½ Molly Moruzzi B ½-½ Menexenia Tsarouha GRE
  Selina Khoo W 1 – 0 Jeslin Tay SIN
U10 1 George O’Toole B 1 – 0 Gokhan Gaygusuzoglu TUR
  1 Amisha Parmar B 0 - 1 B. Caicedo Valencia COL
10.45am Our two U10s arrive together, good news and bad news. Amisha lost but Turkish delight for George. Early morning preparation paid off for George, he joined in a discussion between Glenn and David Howell about a particular line, which could occur in David's game. George found himself in the identical position and secured a quick win.

Saturday 16th November

Katie Martin, Jessie Gilbert and Poppy Aarons wearing 'goody-bag' hats

Katie Martin, Jessie Gilbert (behind) and Poppy Aarons sporting the hats which were part of a 'goody-bag' that all competitors received.

Pts after rd 1 Round: 2 Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 0 Craig Hanley B 1 - 0 Mihail Papadakis  
  ½ Simon Buckley B 0 - 1 Bart Michiels 2254 BEL
  ½ Teresa Khoo W 0 - 1 Talyana Uskova  
U16 1 Gawain Jones B ½-½ Vytautas Vaznonis 2153 LTU
  1 Ameet Ghasi W ½-½ The Anh Duong  
  1 Jessie Gilbert B 0 - 1 Tamara Tchistiakova wfm 2223 RUS
U14 1 Thirumurugan W 1 - 0 Pham Chuong  
  1 Li Wu B 0 - 1 Deep Sengupta 2285 IND
  1 Poppy Aarons W 0 - 1 Dulamsu Yabjindulam 2154 MGL
  ½ Katie Martin W 0 - 1 Laura Ross USA
U12 1 David Howell W 1 - 0 Emre Can 2185 TUR
  0 James Hanley W 1 - 0 Jaka Skrlep  
  0 Molly Moruzzi W ½-½ Sanchez Velasques  
  ½ Selina Khoo B 1 - 0 Juliana Sayum Terao  
U10 0 George O’Toole W 1 - 0 Mikael Drakoulis GRE
  1 Amisha Parmar W 0 - 1 Catherine Danaher IRL
11:10pm David won in about 70 moves. One game has only recently finished with approx 180 moves. Unfortunately this means that pairings will not be displayed until 12.00. I will send out as soon as possible. Double round tomorrow. The coaches and players have decided to have a get together from 7 o'clock!!
8:30pm 6.40 Katie lost 6.55 Craig won 6.57 Amisha lost 7.05 Jessie lost 7.10 Ameet a draw 7.45 Teresa lost 7.50 James won 7.55 two at once, Gawain a draw and Selena a good win and the most momentous news. I now have a list of all the players competing. 8.10 Simon lost 8.12 Murugan won, closely followed by Molly with a draw - this draw means that all the England players are off the mark. 8.15 Lee a loss and 8.20 Poppy lost, just David playing
5.15 p.m. George O'Toole, fooled us all came in looking miserable, slumped in his chair but couldn't keep up the pretence - a quick win. George played Mihail Drakoulis GRE Yesterday was a traumatic day for the players, I think we did well to keep our team positive and motivated. I have just been approached to consider a protest meeting of delegates - I'll keep you informed.
4 pm No reference to Pham Chuong on FIDE database but Mark's brilliant resources has spirited up 32 games of Choung. They are preparing up to the start time.
1.20 p.m. Well, yes you've guessed it - the U14s have just been re-paired. Informed Murugan on his way to lunch. We are now trying to find some information on his new opponent 'Pham Chuong'.
12:50 Oh no!! Mrs Howell reports a potential problem in the u14s. Player Jason Goh is on the pairings twice, as Jason Goh and with his Chinese name Goh ??????? I wonder if the organisers will do a full repair when they are informed of the problem?
12.30 George O'Toole has just come to tell me that his pairing has been changed in the U10s. Mrs Howell has gone to do a full check of the England pairings. More ads the situation develops
12:40pm Chaos still is in the air. Fingers crossed the attached round 2 pairings are not changed.
12.20 p.m.I’ve spent 3 hours this morning trying to get and confirm pairings. At the moment there is not a list we can check for federations and rating of players. Those details included above are from our own databases.

Friday 15th November 11:05pm

(Some of these results reported later)
Murugan in post match analysis with GMs Glenn Flear and Mark Hebden

Murugan in post match analysis with GMs Glenn Flear and Mark Hebden

Peter Turner before start of play

Peter Turner talking with Mrs Howell before start of play. Also shown David Howell and Amisha Parmar

  Pts Round: 1 Col Res Opponent Fed
U18   Craig Hanley   0 - 1 Anthony Bellaiche 2369 FRA
    Simon Buckley   ½-½ Mihail Papadakis GRE
    Teresa Khoo   ½-½ Nada Skrkar BIH
U16   Gawain Jones   1 - 0 Juha Hynninen FIN
    Ameet Ghasi   1 - 0 Default  
    Jessie Gilbert   1 - 0 Kristelle Kull EST
U14   Thirumurugan   1 – 0 Stefan Leon Els RSA
    Li Wu   1 - 0 Thibaut Maenhout BEL
    Poppy Aarons   1 - 0 Dionysia Polyzou GRE
    Katie Martin   ½-½ Marta Nestorow 2050 SWE
U12   David Howell   1 - 0 Default  
    James Hanley   0 - 1 Emilis Pileckis 2189 LTU
    Molly Moruzzi   0 - 1 Alena Tairova wfm 2189 RUS
    Selina Khoo   ½-½ Katharina Weiss GER
U10   George O’Toole   0 - 1 Levan Bregadze GEO
    Amisha Parmar   1 - 0 Anjali Datta USA

Friday 15th - 3.50 p.m. At last we are nearly there, play is due to start at 4.30 but that is looking increasingly unlikely. Groups are still arriving and we already know that Turkey and Kenya will be late.
We'll do our best to be up to date with news of the England team and other bits of information of general interest and to give a flavour of the Championships.

So far - Gawain arrived on time from Italy and coach Glenn Flear completed the group just before midnight. All the players has a session with their coaches this morning, we've enjoyed a good midday meal.

** Time now 10.30 !! This is the first time since 3.50 that I have come away from the playing area - absolute chaos has reigned. Some age groups have only just started!! I feel very sorry for the organisers, clearly something of a complex and unexpected nature has occurred. Rumours abound, but I will resist speculating for the moment.

Junior Squad Trip to Guernsey
Saturday 20th October - Saturday 26th October 2002

Final Report by Team Manager, Lester Millin

The Results of the Juniors playing in this Congress were far above expectations.  The Open 
Section was not as strong in depth as in recent years, but with a G. M. and 2 I. Ms taking part, it 
was a tough tournament to win.  The 70+ entrants included 6 from the Junior Squad, and 2 who came 
separately.  In the Holiday Section, under 145 grading, there were over 60 entries including 2 from 
the Junior Squad plus 2 other juniors.  About 40 Dutch players entered the tournament, plus others 
from Germany, France, Gibraltar, Georgia, Guernsey, Scotland, Wales, Poland, Ireland and the majority 
from England.
The controller, Stephen Boniface, tried to keep players from the same country apart.  Hence, none of 
the Junior Squad played one another.  The magnificent junior results were (names in italics); 
Coaches underlined:

Open Section.

  1.  T. Gelahvili G. M. 2516  Georgia                  £1200          6 / 7      
   
=2.  R. Bellin      I. M.  2360  England,
 A. Webster  I. M.         2415  England,
 T. Woodward               2183  England                £367 each.     5½ / 7
     
=5.  T. Corkett           2313  England,                +2 others	     5 / 7   £50 each

       R. Mycroft          2053  England         Junior Prize £100     4½/ 7
       D. Bareham          1920  England   =2nd  Junior Prize £12-50   4 / 7  Best game prize, Completed Elo Rating   
       G. Morris           1806  England   =2nd  Junior Prize £12-50   4 / 7  5 round part rating	
       P. Plant            2024  England   =2nd  Junior Prize £12-50	  4 / 7
       A. Wilson           2029  England   =2nd  Junior Prize £12-50 	 4 / 7
       L. Hunt             1744  England                               3½/ 7  4 round part rating	 
       A. O'Toole          1672  England                               3 / 7  7 round part rating	    

Holiday Section.          Under 1760 Elo  (145 B. C. F.)

=3.  C. Morris             1528  England         Ladies' Prize £50-00	 5 / 7
=3   G. O'Toole            1504  England         Junior Prize  £50-00  5 / 7    age 9	    
     S. Alley              1600  England                               4½ / 7   Best near miss best game prize	 
     M. Walker             1344  Germany =<1400 Grading prize  £12-50	 3½ / 7

 
Parents
      J. Seidel                  1416  Germany	                               4 / 7
      P. Morris                  1208  England	                               2½ / 7

The tournament ran smoothly, and the juniors were a credit to the Squad.  Having 5 parents around 
( Mrs O'Toole, Mrs Wilson, and Mrs Woodward did not play) made my job easy.  The 2 coaches did far 
more than they were expected to do, and the only difficulty came on the Sunday at the end when the 
ferries were cancelled because of the high winds.  As this only affected Jorg, Maria and me, and we 
spent a sunny Monday visiting the Castle Cornet to see the midday gun fired, before visiting the 
German Underground Hospital, I quite enjoyed the extra Monday on the Island.

Lester Millin.

European Youth Championships, Peniscola, Spain
Sunday 28th September - Thursday 9th October 2002

Reports by team manager and BCF Junior Director Peter Turner

We have just come away from the closing ceremony and will try get some rest before being up and ready to leave for the airport at 4.30 in the morning. We ended with three top ten finishes, Callum, David and Lawrence will receive diplomas. The Russians took the vast majority of the medals. In order to give some idea of the success of our team, I have done a count of the top ten finishes. One hundred youngsters will qualify for a top ten diploma. The UK, Western European & Scandinavian countries combined received a total of 10 diploma winners. Of these England received three, France three, Germany, Norway, Denmark & Netherlands one each. Thus overall a most satisfactory championship for us.

Tuesday 8th October 8pm

Team photograph taken after the last round, outside in the sun
Top Row: Bert Dines, GM Glenn Flear, IM Adam Hunt, GM Neil McDonald, Mrs Dines (hidden), GM Keith Arkell
Middle Row: Amy Officer, Jessie Gilbert, Lorin D'Costa, Rafe Martyn, Lawrence Trent, Aly Wilson, Sophie Tidman
2nd Row Simon Fowler, Peter Poobalasingam, Sheila Dines, Louis Graham, Callum Kilpatrick, Chantal Sirisena, Naomi Miller, David Howell, Thomas Pym
Bottom Row: Dana Hawrami, Emma D'Costa (Team Mascot)
Final Points Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 Lorin D’Costa 2254 W ½ Stanislav Zawadski 2416 POL
  Sophie Tidman 2139 W 1 Victorija Sukhaja 2051 UKR
U16 Lawrence Trent 2246 9th B ½ Victor Alcazar Jimenez 2326 ESP
  Rafe Martyn 2201 W 0 Anton Kuzin 2240 RUS
  5 Jessie Gilbert 2113 B 0 Elena Tomilova 2253 RUS
  4 Alexandra Wilson 2073 W ½ Liis Oja EST
U14 4 Simon Fowler B 0 Jurijs Mihailovs 2141 LAT
  4 Peter Poobalasingam 2030 W 1 Atle Boyum Fossum NOR
  4 Naomi Miller W 0 Inna Ivakhinova RUS
U12 6 David Howell 2211 9th W 1 Sergi Matsenko 2114 RUS
  Thomas Pym B 1 Jose Monton Queralt ESP
  Dana Hawrami W 1 Anastasios Pavlidis GRE
  3 Amy Officer W 0 Nadezda Somova LAT
  5 Chantal Sirisena 8th W 0 Maya Gvilova 2012 RUS
U10 Callum Kilpatrick 5th B 0 Sanan Sugirov RUS
  Louis Graham W ½ Quentin Van Thillo BEL
  Sheila Dines B 0 Jeanine De Cloet NED

Monday 7th October 7pm

Pts including this round Round: 8 results Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 4 Lorin D’Costa 2254 B 0 Jose Ibarra Jerez 2368 ESP
  Sophie Tidman 2139 B 0 Anna Christina Kopinits 2116 AUT
U16 5 Lawrence Trent 2246 B 0 Volodymyr Jakymov 2321 UKR
  Rafe Martyn 2201 B 1 Aitor Alonso Alvarez 2131 ESP
  5 Jessie Gilbert 2113 W 1 Verinika Rohackova 2058 SVK
  Alexandra Wilson 2073 B ½ Elisabeth Klinkan AUT
U14 4 Simon Fowler W 1 Peter Poobalasingam 2030 ENG
  3 Peter Poobalasingam 2030 B 0 Simon Fowler ENG
  4 Naomi Miller B 1 Christina Garcia Bielsa ESP
U12 5 David Howell 2211 B ½ Nidjat Agayav 2129 AZE
  Thomas Pym W 0 Frederik Beck 2104 GER
  Dana Hawrami B 1 Boris Mitrovic SLO
  3 Amy Officer B 0 Ivana Ivekovic CRO
  5 Chantal Sirisena B 0 Alena Tairova 2189 RUS
U10 Callum Kilpatrick B 0 Eltaj Safarli 2210 AZE
  3 Louis Graham B 1 Ifan Johnson WLS
  Sheila Dines W 1 Seray Tulay TUR
Chantal Sirisena at the start of Round 8 - arms folded
Chantal Sirisena at the start of Round 8

Chantal Sirisena at a chess board - arms folded
Callum Kilpatrick (on Left) before the start of Round 8

... 9pm

Team points OK after 'Super Sunday', disappointment for the leading players but good news for Simon. He has played 8 rated players so far and seems certain to play another tomorrow, thus he will then have a full international rating in one go. Simon has impressed everyone with his determination. Even after today's loss there may still be the possibility that Callum will be playing for a top 3 finish tomorrow - news on this as soon as the draw is known.

Points   Round: 9 pairings Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 4 Lorin D’Costa 2254 W   Stanislav Zawadski 2416 POL
  Sophie Tidman 2139 W   Victorija Sukhaja 2051 UKR
U16 5 Lawrence Trent 2246 9th B   Victor Alcazar Jimenez 2326 ESP
  Rafe Martyn 2201 W   Anton Kuzin 2240 RUS
  5 Jessie Gilbert 2113 B   Elena Tomilova 2253 RUS
  Alexandra Wilson 2073 W   Liis Oja EST
U14 4 Simon Fowler B   Jurijs Mihailovs 2141 LAT
  3 Peter Poobalasingam 2030 W   Atle Boyum Fossum NOR
  4 Naomi Miller W   Inna Ivakhinova RUS
U12 5 David Howell 2211 9th W   Sergi Matsenko 2114 RUS
  Thomas Pym B   Jose Monton Queralt ESP
  Dana Hawrami W   Anastasios Pavlidis GRE
  3 Amy Officer W   Nadezda Somova LAT
  5 Chantal Sirisena 8th W   Maya Gvilova 2012 RUS
U10 Callum Kilpatrick 5th B   Sanan Sugirov RUS
  3 Louis Graham W   Quentin Van Thillo BEL
  Sheila Dines B   Jeanine De Cloet NED

Tuesday .. 1am

In the last round we seem to be taking on the Russian team in key games where we are hoping for high finishes. Players in the top ten will be presented with diplomas. Currently we have 4 in the top ten. Depending on other results Callum could finish 3rd=, Chantal could be 5th=. Simon goes into the last round knowing that he will achieve a full FIDE rating in one go. Advice is that a loss will be a rating of 2160, a draw will be 2203 and a win an impressive 2216 (BCF 202). In addition some excellent individual performances the team performance, after round 8, is exactly 50%. Considering the strength of the opposition this has been a most creditable performance.

Monday 7th October am

There is a sensible mood of satisfaction after 'Super Sunday' but a realistic appreciation of the extraordinary challenge of the 8th round. Unknown to the rest of the group, I have a very difficult decision to make. Are the clothes I wore yesterday our lucky omens, and should I wear them today? As yesterday was a Sunday I dressed smartly in shirt & tie for breakfast and only removed my tie later in the day whilst supervising in the tournament hall. Today is very hot and really formal dress looks a bit eccentric - just one of the problems of being team manager, decisions! decisions! decisions!
The team spirit and application is first class. Many of the youngsters, in addition to doing justice to their chess, have some time each day to keep up with their school studies. Two of the girls do flute practice and some of homework tasks to complete.
Lawrence Trent preparing with Neil McDonald; Glenn Flear in background
Lawrence Trent analysing with Neil McDonald
Peter Poobalasingam sitting down with papers in front of him, looking as if the camera is distracting him
Peter Poobalasingam doing homework

Sunday 6th October 10 pm

Pts including this round Round: 7 results Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 4 Lorin D’Costa 2254 W 1 Martin Poulsen 2160 FAI
  Sophie Tidman 2139 W ½ Viktoria Bashkite 2138 EST
U16 5 Lawrence Trent 2246 W 1 Vjatsheslav Soskov EST
  Rafe Martyn 2201 W 1 Steven Tweedie 2104 SCO
  4 Jessie Gilbert 2113 B 1 Gillian Visschedijk NED
  3 Alexandra Wilson 2073 W 1 Ilaria Clapda ITL
U14 3 Simon Fowler W ½ Denis Lineykin 2139 UKR
  3 Peter Poobalasingam 2030 W 1 Gruffydd Johnston WLS
  3 Naomi Miller W 1 Tina Bokovec SLO
U12 David Howell 2211 W 1 Mikhail Zaslavsky ISR
  Thomas Pym B ½ Alexandros Iskos GRE
  Dana Hawrami W ½ Lajos Kiss HUN
  3 Amy Officer B 1 Marianne Chierki ITA
  5 Chantal Sirisena W 1 Claudia Robles Garcia ESP
U10 Callum Kilpatrick W 1 Inaria Zamarbide ESP
  2 Louis Graham W ½ Artjom Morozov EST
  Sheila Dines B ½ Alba Ventos Alfonso ESP

8.10 p.m. Wow!! I believe that this is the first time that one of our junior international teams has played a round without suffering a single defeat. A most exhilarating afternoon for everyone concerned. Callum is now in second place just ½ behind the leader, Safarli a 2210 rated player from Azerbijan. More information later, I must get some food.

<ROUND 8 PAIRINGS WERE REPORTED HERE - REPLACED BY ROUND 8 RESULTS ABOVE>

Callum is in 2nd place and has Black against the top seed, Safarli from Azerbijan. Chantal is in 3rd place and has Black against the second seeded player, Tairova from Russian. You can understand the enormity of the task facing these two youngsters when I tell you that their opponents have the equivalent rating of BCF 200!! Lawrence is having a storming tournament and is in 5th place.

Sunday 6th October am

Pts including this round Round: 6 Results Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 3 Lorin D’Costa 2254 W 1 Fabrice Pinol Fulgoni 2189 SUI
  3 Sophie Tidman 2139 B 0 Natthalie Bonnafous 2040 FRA
U16 4 Lawrence Trent 2246 B 0 Zbigniew Pakleza 2362 POL
  Rafe Martyn 2201 W ½ Kevin Noiroux 2055 FRA
  3 Jessie Gilbert 2113 W ½ Tatsiana Hryb BLR
  2 Alexandra Wilson 2073 B 0 Moira Rodriguez Costa ESP
U14 Simon Fowler B 0 Evgeniy Kirillov 2181 RUS
  2 Peter Poobalasingam 2030 B 0 Krisztian Szabo 2224 HUN
  2 Naomi Miller B 1 Sabrina Roelli SUI
U12 David Howell 2211 B 0 Kirill Stupak BLR
  2 Thomas Pym W 0 Eduard Gorovykh RUS
  2 Dana Hawrami B 1 Jac Thomas WLS
  2 Amy Officer W ½ Monica Dilova BUL
  4 Chantal Sirisena B ½ Olga Guiria RUS
U10 Callum Kilpatrick B 1 Vaclav Svoboda CZE
  Louis Graham B 0 Daniel Cavaleiro POL
  2 Sheila Dines B 0 Karolina Nemcova CZE
Chantal Sirisena at a chess board - arms folded
Chantal Sirisena


Callum Kilpatrick at a chess board
Callum Kilpatrick

Callum is back to full fitness and was rewarded with an impressive win to move into 3rd place. I'm amazed at his maturity and 'presence' at the board. Chantal is in 5th place, she became involved in a complex Rook and pawn endgame and after her draw offer was rejected had to endure a further hour of very accurate play to hold the position. She is another youngster who impresses, after the game she reported, "I was shaking so much, I've broken the end of my pen" - this was said with a smile on her face, she is enjoying the experience. Lawrence reported a slight tummy upset in the morning but made no excuse after his battling loss to his highly rated Polish opponent. Jessie's game illustrated the changed nature of some of the endgame play, which the new time control can bring about. An hour before the eventual end, Jessie had only 30 seconds left to her opponent's 20 minutes. Each time I went to observe, I saw her clock counting down to just a few seconds and then go back to 30+ seconds after her move. On one occasion, with Jessie in play and less than 10 seconds remaining, the public address system suddenly burst into life at full volume. Fortunately she realized it was more important to make a move that work on translating the Spanish announcement!! Round 7 pairings for the Girls U12 were delayed because of an appeal hearing. I waited until 1 o'clock in the morning then decided going to bed was a good idea.

<ROUND 7 PAIRINGS WERE REPORTED HERE - REPLACED BY ROUND 7 RESULTS ABOVE>

Rest Day - Friday 4th October

Picture showing Hotel Pool We appreciated not having to get up for an 8.30 breakfast. Favorite plan for the day was to have a late breakfast, then go into Peniscola to shop and visit the old town. After returning for the midday meal, an afternoon around the pool seemed to be the order of the day.

The magnificent Plaza Hotel, opened earlier in the year, is the playing venue and fortunately for the England team also our accommodation.
Picture showing Naomi Miller buying a present Naomi always chooses her presents very carefully. I hope her dad appreciates this one - I wont spoil the surprise by telling what it is!!
Picture showing Amy Officer and Chantal Sirisena in a shop Choosing those presents can be very difficult, Amy and Chantal helped each other decide what was suitable
Picture showing four of the children in the street "Which shop should we go to now?"

Picture shows Peter Poobalasingam, Chantal Sirisena, Naomi Miller and Amy Officer

Thursday 3rd October 10:30 pm

Pts including this round Round: 5 results Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 2 Lorin D’Costa 2254 B 0 Shi Porar 2369 ISR
  3 Sophie Tidman 2139 W 0 Katarina Kisonova 2166 SVK
U16 4 Lawrence Trent 2246 W 1 Andrei Murariu 2401 ROM
  2 Rafe Martyn 2201 B ½ Christian Jeitz 2070 LUX
  Jessie Gilbert 2113 B ½ Suzana Svent SLO
  2 Alexandra Wilson 2073 W ½ Gillian Visschedijk NED
U14 Simon Fowler W 0 Wojciech Moranda 2211 POL
  2 Peter Poobalasingam 2030 W 0 Marcos Sig Varas 2231 ESP
  1 Naomi Miller W 1 Laia Ortega Garcia ESP
U12 David Howell 2211 W ½ Pavel Potapol 2093 RUS
  2 Thomas Pym B 1 Dana Hawrami ENG
  1 Dana Hawrami W 0 Thomas Pym ENG
  Amy Officer W 1 Hanneke Kooloos NED
  Chantal Sirisena W 1 Sara Afonso POR
U10 Callum Kilpatrick W 1 Alberto Chueca Forcen ESP
  Louis Graham B 0 David Serban LUX
  2 Sheila Dines W 0 Volha Salauyova BLR

Congratulations to Lawrence, a fine win over the highly rated Romanian. Lawrence can enjoy his rest day on 4/5 in 3rd place. Debutant youngsters Callum and Chantal continue to impress and with wins today are on 3½ out of 5 and lie in 5th place. Team rejoicing on Naomi's win so that everyone now has points on the board. Tomorrow is a rest day.

Round 6 is Saturday 5th October.

<ROUND 6 PAIRINGS WERE REPORTED HERE - REPLACED BY ROUND 6 RESULTS ABOVE>

Wednesday 2nd October 9:50 pm

Pts including this round Round: 4 results Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 2 Lorin D’Costa 2254 W 1 Joseph Redpath 2174 SCO
  3 Sophie Tidman 2139 B 1 Corinne Roelli 2039 SUI
U16 3 Lawrence Trent 2246 B 1 Ioan Rees 2079 WLS
  Rafe Martyn 2201 W 0 Maximilian Meinhardt 2194 GER
  2 Jessie Gilbert 2113 W ½ Monika Seps 2054 SUI
  Alexandra Wilson 2073 B ½ Ruta Jakaityte LTU
U14 Simon Fowler B 0 Rauf Mamedov 2367 AZE
  2 Peter Poobalasingam 2030 B 1 David Neves POR
  0 Naomi Miller B 0 Maria Sanchez Sanchez ESP
U12 3 David Howell 2211 B 1 Pavel Dimitrov BUL
  1 Thomas Pym B 0 Christoph Alsheimer GER
  1 Dana Hawrami B 1 Brian Tomat ITA
  ½ Amy Officer B 0 Manuela Mader GER
  Chantal Sirisena B ½ Aitana Alameda Gadea ESP
U10 Callum Kilpatrick B 0 Zbigniew Strzemiecki POL
  Louis Graham W 1 Goran Antunovic CRO
  2 Sheila Dines B 0 Lara Stock CRO

Sophie, Lawrence and David on 3/4 are in the chasing pack behind the leaders. After tomorrow's game we have a rest day. Callum is still far from being 100% fit, and lost for the first time. Hopefully he can get a result in round 5 and use the rest day to recover his strength and vigour. Sheila played another excellent game and had a good advantage in the opening but her very experienced opponent, a world championship player for Croatia, had the resources to eventually turn around a lost game.

<ROUND 5 PAIRINGS WERE REPORTED HERE - REPLACED BY ROUND 5 RESULTS ABOVE>

Tuesday 1st October 11:50 pm

   
  Pts Round: 3 Results Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 1 Lorin D’Costa 2254 B 0 Nidjat Mamedov 2463 AZE
  1 Sophie Tidman 2139 W 1 Andrea Pahor 2036 CRO
U16 2 Lawrence Trent 2246 W 0 Jure Borisek 2341 SLO
  Rafe Martyn 2201 W 0 Alexey Kim 2407 RUS
  Jessie Gilbert 2113 B 0 Marina Guseva 2195 RUS
  ½ Alexandra Wilson 2073 W ½ Louise Macnab SCO
U14 2 Simon Fowler W ½ Pawel Czarnota 2288 POL
  1 Peter Poobalasingam 2030 W 0 Andriy Grekh 2243 UKR
  0 Naomi Miller W 0 Fiammetta Panella ITA
U12 David Howell 2211 W ½ Emre Can TUR
  0 Thomas Pym W 1 Jac Thomas WLS
  0 Dana Hawrami W 0 Peter Skovgaard DEN
  ½ Amy Officer W 0 Zoi Blatsi GRE
  1 Chantal Sirisena W 1 Nikolett Balsai HUN
U10 2 Callum Kilpatrick W ½ Kostia Antipotchkin ISR
  ½ Louis Graham W 0 Thomas Schrodter GER
  1 Sheila Dines W 1 Andrea Starcevic CRO
Naomi Miller with GM Keith Arkell
Naomi Miller with GM Keith Arkell; Chantal Sirisena looks on.
FM Jessie Gilbert with GM Glenn Flear
FM Jessie Gilbert with GM Glenn Flear

A disappointing day for the team overall, especially with so many White pieces, but the new kids on the block continue to please. Sheila Dines defeated her Croatian opponent and in round 4 will need to repeat the exercise. Sheila praised Adam for the preparation, the game followed his prediction. Chantal played soundly to gradually overwhelm her opponent. Simon continues to amaze me with his determination and application, whenever I watch his games I come away absolutely shattered, he is so focused and intent. I think that he must drain energy from those around him with some sort of osmosis process. He has used the new time control quite brilliantly, today he played the last 10 moves or so just in time to have the extra 30 seconds added each time. I was a nervous wreck observing all this when suddenly, after gesticulating at his opponent, he stopped the clock and called for the arbiter. They went away with score sheets and sat reconstructing the game. It transpired that he had claimed a draw by repetition, his opponent did not agree and the reconstruction was needed to verify his claim.
Callum can claim hero of the day award. Up to an hour before the start of the round it seemed unlikely that he would be in a fit condition to play having been quite ill during the night and still unable to stand without feeling dizzy. Having had advice from various people and arranging for a local doctor to be on call at short notice a plan of action was agreed. After recommended medication to control his sickness he arrived at the board armed with a concealed sick bag. I kept a discrete distance with a reserve bag should it be needed. Callum did exceptionally well to force a draw out of the much-fancied youngster from Israel. On 2½ out of 3 we are all thrilled with his success so far.

<ROUND 4 PAIRINGS WERE REPORTED HERE - REPLACED BY ROUND 4 RESULTS ABOVE>

Tuesday 1st October 2 pm

Some statistics and general information

There are 527 players from 41 different countries.
The England team has 17 competitors supported by 4 coaches and a band of dedicated parents and team managers. Other UK and 'near Europe' teams are; Ireland - 5 competitors, Scotland - 5, Wales - 6, Belgium - 5, France - 11, Holland - 13 & Germany - 25.
The time control is unfamiliar to many of the competitors and has caused some interesting situations. Players start with 90 minutes on their clocks (digital) and 30 seconds is added each move, thus if the first 10 moves were done rapidly the clocks will now show 95 minutes. With the traditional clocks arbiters would know immediately if there were a fault on time as ALL clocks will show the same total time remaining but with this system within a few moves few clocks show same time remaining. There are no time controls to meet, the game continues provided players have time left. In desperate time trouble players need to move at a rate of a move every 30 seconds and they will never lose on time. This FIDE 'imposed' time limit was intended to speed up tournaments as a 60-move game would only last 4 hours but, for example, as in the 2nd round here a Bishop & Knight ending lasted 128 moves with a game time of 5 hours.
A plus for arbiters is that they do not have to watch for players getting to a number of moves in a time limit and attempting to keep a record of moves when the players stop recording - with this new system players HAVE to keep a record at all times, even with seconds left. At this event players have two warnings if they stopped recording and any further refusal means loss of the game.

As time allows during the day players can relax by the pool, play table tennis, play mini golf or go for a walk etc

Monday 29th September 10 pm

  Pts Round: 2 - 30th Sept Col Res Opponent Fed
U18 0 Lorin D'Costa B 1 Valdis Tronenkovs 2177 LAT
  1 Sophie Tidman W 0 Oksana Vozovic 2291 UKR
U16 1 Lawrence Trent W 1 Kalle Niemi FIN
  1 Rafe Martyn B ½ Zbigniew Pakleza 2362 POL
  ½ Jessie Gilbert B 1 Martina Valickova CZE
  0 Alexandra Wilson W ½ Elvira Mass GER
U14 1 Simon Fowler W 1 Marcos Sig Varas 2231 ESP
  0 Peter Poobalasingam B 1 Erik Karlsson SWE
  0 Naomi Miller W 0 Olga Talmazan MDA
U12 ½ David Howell W 1 Matthieu Rigolot FRA
  0 Thomas Pym W 0 Tamas Fodor HUN
  0 Dana Hawrami W 0 Ruben Pereira POR
  0 Amy Officer W ½ Zrinka Deur CRO
  1 Chantal Sirisena W 0 Valentina Golubenko EST
U10 1 Callum Kilpatrick W 1 Quentin Van Thillo BEL
  0 Louis Graham W ½ Tymofiy Magditch UKR
  0 Sheila Dines W 1 Givana Prugger ITA
 
Louis Graham preparing with IM Adam Hunt
Louis Graham preparing with IM Adam Hunt

Sheila Dines
Sheila Dines

Callum and Simon, two of our international debutants, continued in fine style to be on 2/2 along with Lawrence Trent in the U16s. The 'hard luck' story goes to Thomas Pym who has had two terrific games with nothing to show for his endeavours. In the second round he had winning chances against the current World U12 Champion.

<ROUND 3 PAIRINGS WERE REPORTED HERE - REPLACED BY ROUND 3 RESULTS ABOVE>

Monday 29th September 11 am

  Pts Round: 1 results Col Res Opponent Fed
U18   Lorin D’Costa B 0 Constantin Lupulescu 2476 3rd seed ROM
    Sophie Tidman W 1 Ani Avanesyan ARM
U16   Lawrence Trent W 1 Ortiz Navarro 2065 ESP
    Rafe Martyn B 1 Oystein Fossum NOR
    Jessie Gilbert B ½ Louise Macnab SCO
    Alexandra Wilson W 0 Suzana Svent SLO
U14   Simon Fowler W 1 Adriy Grekh 2243 SLO
    Peter Poobalasingam B 0 Denes Boros 2398 Top seed HUN
    Naomi Miller W 0 Vikyorya Tarasova 2131 RUS
U12   David Howell W ½ Pavlo Kruglyakov UKR
    Thomas Pym W 0 Pavel Potapov 2093 RUS
    Dana Hawrami W 0 Ildar Khairullin 2329 2nd seed RUS
    Amy Officer W 0 Ikolett Balsai HUN
    Chantal Sirisena W 1 Carole Forestier FRA
U10   Callum Kilpatrick W 1 Leon Szabo 2004
2nd seed
HUN
    Louis Graham W 0 Zbigniew Strzemiecki POL
    Sheila Dines W 0 Milana Smolkina GER
 
Peter Poobalasingam preparing with GM Neil McDonald



Peter Poobalasingam preparing with GM Neil McDonald

Congratulations particularly to three of our youngsters representing England for their first time in a full international championship. Simon Fowler beat Adriy Grekh rated 2243, Chantal Sirisena dispatched her French opponent in fine style and Callum Kilpatrick, in one of the last matches to finish, played an accurate end game to secure a marvellous win against Leon Szabo the 2nd seeded player from Hungary.

<ROUND 2 PAIRINGS WERE REPORTED HERE - REPLACED BY ROUND 2 RESULTS ABOVE>

England selections for the European and World Youth Championships

European Youth Championships - 28th September - 9th October
Peniscola Spain

Under 10 Girls - Sheila Dines; Boys - Callum Kilpatrick, Louis Graham
Under 12 Girls - Amy Officer, Chantal Sirisena; Boys - David Howell, Thomas Pym, Dana Hawrami
Under 14 Girls - Naomi Miller; Boys - Peter Poobalasingam, Simon Fowler
Under 16 Girls - Jessie Gilbert, Aly Wilson; Boys - Lawrence Trent, Rafe Martin
Under 18 Girls - Sophie Tidman; Boys - Lorin D'Costa
Coaches - GM Glenn Flear, GM Keith Arkell, GM Neil McDonald, IM Adam Hunt

World Youth Championships - 14th - 25th November
Crete

Under 10 Girls - Amisha Parmar; Boys - George O'Toole
Under 12 Girls - Selina Khoo, Molly Moruzzi; Boys - David Howell, James Hanley
Under 14 Girls - Poppy Aarons, Katie Martyn; Boys - Murugan Thiruchelvam, Li Wu
Under 16 Girls - Jessie Gilbert; Boys - Gawain Jones
Under 18 Girls - Teresa Khoo; Boys - Craig Hanley, Simon Buckley
Coaches - GM Glenn Flear, GM Mark Hebden, GM Chris Ward, IM Andrew Martin

Home |What's New | Awards | Events | Results | Reports | Contacts | Links

This document maintained by juniornews@belinfante.demon.co.uk.
Material Copyright © 2002