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Last revised:
24 October, 2004.
Isle of Man Chess Association
Douglas Chess Club
Southern Chess Club
Newspaper Reports / Competition Results Season 2004 / 2005
| BCF - Inaugural World Senior Team Championship play 5 to 12 October 2004. | |
|
|
Michael Moyle, a former Manx chess champion, was
present at the opening ceremony. He made the first move for Neville Gill
in front of the cameras. It was good to see Bob Kermeen also there as a
spectator.
Picture copyright British Chess Magazine, courtesy of John Saunders. Chessman Team:- Neville Gill, Alan Robertson (Douglas CC); Edward Milner, Dennis Hooper (Southern CC); Jim Nicolson (Manchester). |
| Reports by Neville Gill and Stewart Reuben | |
| Neville Gill - Chess teams from all over the world are participating in the inaugural event at the Ocean Castle Hotel, Port Erin. Generous sponsorship, in particular from Monarch Assurance, has made it all possible. Stewart Reuben, a world authority on chess tournaments, is the Director and he has done a superb job. Men over the age of 60 and women over 50 are eligible to play. Richard Mylrea is far too young to play himself but he took on the donkey work of getting together a squad of 5 players. They are Neville Gill, Jim Nicolson who is a guest player from Manchester, Alan Robertson, Edward Milner and Dennis Hooper. There are 4 boards in a match. Gill and Nicolson have indicated that they will play every day which gives the others the opportunity to have a welcome break from the tough struggle. | |
|
Neville Gill - Round 1 IOM ½ - Italy 3½ Italy are the fifth seeds and the local players were under no illusions. It was a bit like the Isle of Man playing Italy at football! The Italian captain was wearing an official Chess federation jacket in azure, the national colours. Italy won 3 games fairly easily as was to be expected. However their number one player did not get enough compensation for the pawn he gave up at an early stage of the game, and just managed to cling on for a draw against Neville Gill. In the final position, a King and pawn endgame, Neville was just one move short of victory. His opponent is an FM, a FIDE Master |
|
| Stewart Reuben - As Michael Moyle, High Bailiff of the Isle of Man and a keen chessplayer said, "There are always some problems at the start." For a Senior event these centre around whether players are going to be well enough to turn up. We lost more than a whole team's worth of British players to various ailments. There were five Indians travelling specially for the event. Both Indian women players arrived in London only to find that none of their male compatriots made it. That is why I and the German wife of one of the players in the German team come to be playing for the 'Black and White Magazine' Team. That will be an odd trivial pursuit question in future years. Why no teams from the US or Russia turned up is a mystery. They were offered excellent conditions to play. At least they didn't enter and then fail to pitch up, a not-uncommon practice. | |
| Anyway, enough whingeing and there are 12 teams competing from most parts of the world. There are 7 GMs, including the legendary Viktor Korchnoi, although he will only take part in the first four rounds as he must prepare for the Olympiad which starts immediately after this event finishes. Peter Wilson (Britain 3) went round like a Cheshire Cat rather than a Manx one, with a grin wider than his face, when he learnt he had been paired with him. He lasted 30 moves. The range of expertise in this event is enormous. Yet even so, there were some first round upsets. However, no notable scalps were claimed, only draws. Local player Neville Gill (Chessmann) came closest. He was a pawn up in an endgame against Anthon Rosino (Italy). Australia drew the top two boards against European Champions Germany. George Ellison (Essex) held European Senior Champion Mark Tseitlin (Israel). Hugh Flockhart and John Rety (Britain 3) drew with much higher rated Swiss players. Anthon Heyns (South Africa) drew with John Littlewood. Bob Wade and I drew, but then we nearly always do. It was a bloodthirsty affair. Eyebrows were raised by the fact that we have England (1) and (2) and Great Britain (3). As it happens, all of the players in the first two teams are English and Hugh Flockhart in the third is Scottish. Thus the curious numbering. The Essex team imported one player, George Ellison, but preferred to stay separate. These oddities make our nation what it is. | |
|
Neville Gill - Round 2 Essex 3 – IOM 1 One of the Essex players is Roy Heppinstall, Chief Executive of the British Chess Federation. Jim Nicolson played an excellent game and drew with George Ellison, a leading British senior player and British Senior Champion in 2002. On the top board Jim Howson massed all his pieces for an attack on the King but soon offered a draw when he realised he was getting nowhere at all against Neville Gill. |
|
| Stewart Reuben - In Round Two there were already some clashes. Israel beat Italy 3½-½. Hecht pointed out that it could have been 4-0 had Stepak played the winning move in the king and pawn endgame. England (1) beat England (2) thus going into the joint lead. Germany v Switzerland was one of the most important matches. The 2½-1½ result did them no favours. It really doesn't matter about the current score in such a small event, what matters is whether you have played a leading team. Eventually every team plays all but three of the other teams. The other three matches demonstrated which teams will be holding up the bottom of the draw. | |
| Neville Gill - Round 3 Black & White Magazine ½ - IOM 3½ Our opponents were a Corporate team of English and Indian players. One of them edits a magazine, hence the name of the team. Right from the start things went extremely well for the Isle of Man. Edward Milner quickly won a piece and the game. Jim Nicolson had a huge positional advantage which he duly converted to a win. Shortly afterwards Alan Robertson also notched up a win. At this stage Stewart Reuben and Neville Gill had only reached move 20 but with the match decided they agreed a draw in a position that was far from being drawn. This gave the Manx team 5 points from 3 matches. Those who thought we would be wiped out on every board were mistaken! | |
| Stewart Reuben - Now the weather has turned bright and there is not a gale force wind blowing, I went for a walk after drawing my own game and forgot about the daily write-ups. Israel beat England heavily. Only John Wheeler, the hero of Dresden 2004, survived. It may seem Israel is a long way ahead, but they have yet to play Switzerland. Germany beat Italy by a similar score. In Switzerland v Australia the endgame on board four was a particularly engrossing one. England (2) had an excellent result against South Africa and have been catapulted into a high score. Essex did the business in a similar manner against Great Britain (3) and thus also improved their position. | |
| Neville Gill - Round 4 IOM 1 - South Africa 3 It seems that we should not have been playing South Africa in this round but the pairings had to be changed to stop some players having 3 consecutive games with the same colour. Our opponents were something of an unknown quantity being so far away from the chess mainstream. They won 3 games but only after a hard fight. On the top board Neville Gill sacrificed a Bishop, the acceptance of which would have lead to mate or loss of Queen. The South African baled out into an ending where he was 2 pawns down but with Bishops of opposite colour. He defended stubbornly but had to resign on move 68. This gave us 6 points, an average of 1½ a match. | |
| Stewart Reuben - England (1) were crunched by Switzerland. John Littlewood seemed only concerned that he get some activity, not about making a sound sacrifice. John Wheeler felt his opponent had lost so much time in the opening he ought to be punished. Instead it was his impatience to win which was punished. England (2) shot well ahead of England (1) by beating Essex 3-1. It might have been higher but Bob Wade rejected a winning rook sacrifice in his game. I had lost interest in the board 4 game between Italy and Australia. Clearly Gino Proaizer was lost against Lachlan Benson in a standard king and pawn endgame. On my return, Black had only succeeded in drawing. Viktor Korchnoi is now leaving in order to rest before the Olympiad. This will weaken the Swiss team. Many of the teams prefer to get a shot against the living legend, even though this means they will make a lower score. This was certainly John Littlewood's attitude. | |
| Scores after 4 rounds:- 12½ Israel; 11 Switzerland, Germany; 10½ England2; 8 Essex, England1; 7½ South Africa, Australia; 6½ Italy; 6 Chessmann (IOM); 4½ Britain3; 3 B&W Magazine. | |
|
|
There are 7 GMs, including the
legendary Viktor Korchnoi, although he will only take part in the first
four rounds as he must prepare for the Olympiad which starts immediately
after this event finishes. Peter Wilson (Britain 3) went round like a
Cheshire Cat rather than a Manx one, with a grin wider than his face, when
he learnt he had been paired with him. He lasted 30 moves.
Picture copyright British Chess Magazine, courtesy of John Saunders. |
| Neville Gill - Round 5 Great Britain (3) 2 - IOM 2 Another good day for the local team who were confounding everybody. The opposition consisted of 1 Guernsey player, 1 Scottish and 2 English. Edward Milner won a pawn and had much the better of it when he agreed a draw. Jim Nicolson was two pawns up but had to concede a draw because his King was poorly placed. Team captain Peter Wilson is a qualified arbiter and for many years organiser of the Guernsey Chess Festival. Against Neville Gill he played a Black opening with the White pieces but it did not go well and he lost. Instead of a 2-2 draw we might have won the match 3-1! However, life is going to get much more difficult in the last three rounds because we will be playing some of the top teams. | |
| Stewart Reuben - There were few surprises today. Israel just beat Switzerland by the score of 2½-1½, which is not so hot considering Korchnoi has now gone off to Majorca. Germany beat England (2) by 3½-½ but this leaves the Israelis holding a slender lead with three rounds to play. Professor Julian Farrand is the team hero. He had a grandmaster draw with Hecht, and has won the remainder of his games. England (1) beat the Essex team 3-1. now they have risen to the dizzy heights of the same score as the second team. The only win by South Africa featured a nice rook sacrifice on board two. Britain (3) had a close fought draw with the Isle of Man team Chessmann. I continued my drawing ways for B&W Magazine and thus Italy won only 3½-½. The leading teams are going to have to delve deeper and deeper into the pack, having played their rivals. Thus the destination of the gold medals may be settled by a weaker team's result against a strong one. This is one disadvantage of a Swiss. Arguably, in retrospect, it may prove to be that the tournament would have been better with only seven rounds instead of eight. | |
| Neville Gill - Round 6 Australia 3½ - IOM ½ The Aussies came into this match full of confidence on the back of a 3-1 win against South Africa. We were up against it right from the start. Jim Nicolson saved us from the whitewash. He is a very solid player who has been known to draw every game in a tournament! Neville Gill chose a system that has given him problems in the past, and although the game lasted a long time, he was always losing. | |
| Stewart Reuben - Forget about the chess, think about the social aspect of a World Team Chess Championship for players over 60. English player Keith Richardson met up with a university friend whom he hasn't seen for 40 years. Andrew Fereday emigrated to South Africa 15 years ago. His sister has come over specially from England to see him after all those years. The other brother should be arriving tomorrow. Roy Heppinstall has used the Manx telephone directory to make contact with members of his mother's family to whom he had not spoken for 35 years. "Hello, Uncle Roy," was the immediate response. Now to the more mundane matter of the chess. Israel beat England (2) by 3½-½ while England (1) lost 0-4 against Germany. This was the first whitewash of the tournament and now Israel and Germany are neck and neck with 18½. Italy pulled off the surprise of the whole event, beating Switzerland 2½-1½. Australia beat the Chessmann team 3½-½ but Neville Gill still has an excellent score for the locals. Britain (3) did the business on South Africa winning 3-1. The Black and White Magazine of India is a scratch team with only two Indians, one German and myself. At least I find myself surrounded by three women. I managed to win today and thus have 3/6 while the rest of my team has amassed 1½. The event will be decided by how well the leaders Germany and Israel perform against the lower ranking teams. This was inevitably going to be the case with only 12 teams for eight rounds. The Isle of Man team is placed 11th with two rounds to go. The truth is that Neville Gill is much the strongest player for that team. He is a past British Senior Champion. | |
| Neville Gill - Round 7 IOM ½ - England (2) 3½ In this round Israel, Germany, England (1) and Switzerland all crushed their opponents 4-0 but once again the Manx players added something to their total score. We have achieved that in all seven matches so we must be doing something right! On boards 2 to 4 the English players were far superior on paper and they duly won. Back in 1970 Bob Wade came to the Island to give a simultaneous display shortly before he won the British Championship for the second time. At the age of 83 he is still competing and on top board at that, where every game is a special challenge; one meets the best player in the opposing team. Today, frequent exchanges lead to a dead drawn position against Neville Gill. Neville was one of four locals who drew with Bob on that night in Douglas 34 years ago. With one round to go Israel and Germany were tied for the lead. | |
| Stewart Reuben - Tomorrow is the last round and now the teams are looking for medals and thus turning on the heat. Germany and Israel each had 18½ points after six rounds. Their technical tie-breaks of having drawn against each other and matches won are identical. So it comes down to their Buchholz, that is the score their opponents have achieved. But after round six they had played identical opponents. Anyway, all very technical. What mattered is that no less than four of the six matches were 4-0 whitewashes. Murey of Israel had a nasty scare against Australia on board one. Had the Australian played 25 Bd4 instead of 25 Ne7+ he would have had the advantage in a most complex position. The Chief Executive of the British Chess Federation nearly fought his German opponent to a standstill. Sweat was dripping from the German's brow. Had the game been drawn, Israel would have been red hot favourites to win the gold medals. Switzerland more or less assured themselves of the bronze medals by beating South Africa 4-0. I succumbed on board one against England (1) so that the Black and White Magazine of India lost 4-0. We note England (1) and England (2) both have 15 points. Naturally there will be considerable interest in which team finishes ahead. Play in the last round starts at the normal time of 2pm. Peter Wilson of Britain 3 played Korchnoi in round one and is finishing off his tournament against German GM Uhlmann. Not a bad line up for a player whose English grade is 125. | |
| Neville Gill - Round 8 IOM 0 - England (1) 4 For us it was a sad end to the tournament. The rot set in early when Neville Gill lost a piece in 20 moves. This did not help the morale of the others who fought hard but in vain. But we did not go away empty handed: at the prizegiving we won £62.50 for our performance compared to other teams in the bottom third of the seedings. This prize money will be shared between the five members of the isle of Man team. In addition Jim Nicolson won a book token in recognition of his sterling efforts as our guest player. | |
| Stewart Reuben - Germany and Israel led going into the last round and still led coming out. They both won their matches 4-0. They each scored 26½ points. They drew with each other and won all their other matches. They also had met virtually the same opponents. Seeing this in advance, an agreement was reached that, if by the end of Round 7, it was all equal, then Buchholz tie-break would not be used. In this tie-break system you add together the scores that your opponents achieved. It is totally ridiculous. In 1980 we had the spectacle of Greece playing Scotland to determine which of Hungary and the USSR should get the gold medals. Here it was agreed that both teams would split the prize money and both would get gold medals. A very much more sensible solution. I was even able to get the extra medals at one day's notice. Thus Germany and Israel took the gold and Switzerland the bronze. Italy were fourth on tie break from England (1). The top two matches were hard fought but Switzerland agreed a package draw with England (2) so as to ensure the bronze medals. England (1) managed to powerhouse their way to a 4-0 victory against Chessmann, but it was too late even to reach their seeding position. Neville Gill on board 1 for the local team was particularly upset that he had managed to lose a piece in 20 moves. "How could I do that," he cried. In my personal experience, only too easily. There comes the time and there comes the man. In this case, the man was me. I drew with the strong but unrated Australian on board one. He offered me a draw, but another game was finishing. I played on a few more moves and got to play the last move of the competition. Every player got at least a participation medal. Many did better than that. The event at The Ocean Castle Hotel in Port Erin, Isle of Man, was generously supported by Monarch Assurance, The Isle of Man Special Events Department, The Friends of Chess and the British Chess Federation. It was played under the auspices of the World Chess Federation, FIDE. | |
| Final Scores:- 1, Israel / Germany 26½ points (Gold medals plus £2,050); 3, Switzerland 20 (Bronze medals plus £500); 4, Italy / England (1) 19 (fourth prize £300); 6, Australia 17½; 7, England (2) 17; 8, Essex 12½; 9, Britain (3|) 10½; 10, South Africa 9½; 11, Chessmann (IOM) 9; 12, Black & White magazine 5. | |
Newspaper Reports / Competition Results Season 2003 / 2004
| Isle of Man Chess - Annual prize giving - 19th May 2004 |
| Dennis Hooper presided at the presentations, assisted by Francis Thoday with Jean Maggs, Dennis Hemsley, Ian Thoday and Alan Robertson making special presentations. |
| Prizes were awarded as follows:- |
| Southern Chess Club |
| Edward Milner Chairman’s Trophy |
| Robert van Ollfen Blitz Championship – Thoday Bowl |
| Mike Ware Handicap Competition Cup |
| Francis Thoday Lightning Championship Cup |
| Robert van Ollfen Rapidplay Championship Plate |
| Edward Milner Knockout Championship – Courier Cup |
| Robert van Ollfen Southern Club Championship – J.B.Ware Shield |
| Douglas Chess Club |
| Alan Robertson, Jonathan Waugh & Henrik Fabri – Joint winners of the club Championship. |
| Cristobal Limeres Blitz Championship – Stephen Maggs Cup |
| Jonathan Waugh Alan Robertson Driving School Special Prize |
| Isle of Man Chess Association |
| Douglas Club – winners of the Stephen Maggs Memorial Cup – Inter club competition. |
| Richard Mylrea Blitz Championship – Silver Salver |
| Robert van Ollfen Lightning Championship Cup |
| Jonathan Waugh & Miriam Bounya – Joint winners of the Vincent Watterson Rapidplay Shield |
| Henrik Fabri & Neville Gill - Joint winners of the Dennis Hemsley Rapidplay |
| John Griffin & Jonathan Waugh - Joint winners of the John Pearson Rapidplay |
| Chris Beards Handicap Competition Cup |
| And finally the two major competitions:- |
| Glen Cross Monarch Assurance Plc - Claret Jug |
| Henrik Fabri Manx Championship - Patrick Taylor Cup |
| After the prize giving, an excellent buffet was laid on by the Falcon’s Nest Hotel, Port Erin, and the chess players and guests enjoyed a pleasant social evening. |
| ZUGSWANG |
|
Isle of Man Chess Association Lightning competition 22nd April 2004 |
| The Isle of Man Chess Association ended their season with a Lightning Competition, where players are only permitted 10 seconds per move which can result in some desperate and interesting positions. Nine players took part and it ended in a tight finish with Dutchman Robert van Ollfen emerging victorious with an impressive 7½ pts, closely followed by joint second winners Jonathan Waugh and Henrik Fabri on 7 and Chris Beards on 6½pts. |
| Although the chess season has finished, the IoMCA is always keen for new players to join and there are always present members willing to have a game at any time, and anyone interested should contact Richard Mylrea on 853422. |
| En Passant |
|
Isle of Man Chess Association Blitz competition Thursday 15th April 2004 |
|
The Spanish Armada crushes Manx Opposition. |
| The Isle of Man Chess Association held their annual blitz competition with ten players competing. The winner was Spaniard Cristobal Limeres, a welcome newcomer, with an astounding nine points, beating all his opponents. All chess players beware. This chap is good! |
| Joint second were Jonathan Waugh and another new member, Zahed Miah with 7 out of 9, whilst Chris Beards came fourth with 6 |
| The final competition to be held by the IoMCA this season is on Thursday (22) where a lightning tournament (10 seconds per move) will take place at the Belsfield Hotel, Douglas at 7.30pm. |
| Anyone interested in participating in what has become a thriving Manx Chess arena should contact Richard Mylrea on 853422. |
| En Passant |
|
1 April 2004 - Isle of Man Newspaper Report |
|
HENRIK MAKES WINNING DEBUT |
| The Manx Chess Championships has just finished with the largest number of competitors in decades. 14 players endured 7 rounds over 2 months and at the final round it was possible that a repeat of last year could occur with either one player winning outright or a three way tie would be the outcome. |
| As events turned out, one winner emerged as the overall champion - Henrik Fabri, from Sweden who works for the Isle of Man Government as a dentist, won at his first entry to the competition. Henrik has only been on the island for a year but has made a great impact on the chess arena, proving this with an impressive total of 6½ pts out of a possible 7. |
| Runner up was Chris Beards with 6 pts. Chris entertained the tournament with some flashy play and it is good to see a player of such quality return to Isle of Man chess. |
| Stalwart of Manx chess, Jonathan Waugh came in third with 5½ pts. As one of last years champions, he will perhaps be slightly disappointed to hand over the trophy due to some strong impressive performances. |
| FINAL SCORES; Henrik Fabri 6½; Chris beards 6; Jonathan Waugh 5½; Mike Ware, Alan Robertson, Rich Furner 4; Richard Mylrea 3½; Robert van Ollfen, John Griffin, Edward Milner 3; Glenn Cross, Derek Ware 2½; Paul Rodgers 1½; Rod Wiseman 1 |
| The Isle of Man Chess Association only has two more competitions before the end of the season. On April 15 is a blitz championship (5 minutes per game) followed by April 22 with a lightning tournament (10 seconds per move - not for the faint hearted!) |
| Douglas Chess Club will soon be completing their own championship. With two rounds to go, once again, Henrik Fabri is in the lead along with Jonathan Waugh. At the Southern Chess Club, two competitions are nearing completion, the Club Championships and the Handicap. |
| Chess on the Isle of Man is thriving. Later this year the 13th Monarch Assurance Chess Festival, followed by the Inaugural World senior Team Championships are being held in Port Erin. In 2005, for the first time, the Isle of Man will be hosting the British Chess Championships at the Villa Marina. This event normally lasts 2 weeks and up to a thousand chess players, aged from under 8 years to over 80 years, will be taking part in the various competitions. |
| En Passant |
|
25 March 2004 - Isle of Man Newspaper Report |
|
TENSE FINISH TO THE MANX CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS |
| With the final round of the Manx Chess Championships being held tonight (Thursday 25th), a battle of stamina is expected after six rounds of competitive play. |
| Chris Beards is currently leading with Jonathan Waugh, Mike Ware and Henrik Fabri close on his tail, being made particularly interesting as Mike and Henrik have a game in hand, the game in hand being that they are to play each other |
| A full report of the final scores in what has been an enthralling tournament will appear in next week’s paper |
| Away from the island, three players represented the Isle of Man at the Blackpool Chess Conference last week. John Griffin scored the highest Manx score in the Major, whilst Alan Robertson led Richard Mylrea in the Minor competition. No prizes were won but all three served the island with pride |
| The chess season tends to wind down as Summer approaches, but anyone interested in joining a club or playing friendly matches should contact: |
| Douglas Chess Club: Alan Robertson 623702 |
| Southern Chess Club: Dennis Hooper 843825 |
| En Passant |
|
Southern Chess Club Club Championship. |
|
| Semi-Final play-offs:- Winner Group A v Second Group B: Winner Group B v Second Group A | |
| To be played 1 March 2004 - The two winners to play in the Final on the 8th March. | |
| GROUP A | GROUP B |
| 3½ Edward Milner | 3½ Bob Talbot |
| 3 Robert van Olffen | 3 Mike Ware |
| 2 Dennis Hooper | 2 Brian Keig |
| 1½ Richard Sargent | 1½ John Hodgson |
| 0 Derek Ware | 0 Andrew Kent |
|
26 February 2004 - Isle of Man Newspaper Report |
|
Beards wins by a Close Shave |
| Thursday 19th Feb. Great excitement surrounded the whole of the Isle of Man Chess Association Handicap Tournament, especially the final round. |
| 9 players entered and all played all producing several surprising results due to the nature of the handicap system. At the end of round eight, Henrik Fabri, Jonathan Waugh and Chris Beards were tying the lead but Henrik and Jonathan drew their final match together whilst Chris annihilated Richard Mylrea to become the Tournament Champion with an impressive 8 points from 9 |
| Last week, Douglas Chess Club beat the Southern to retain the Stephen Maggs Trophy. Southern put up a spirited display but were eventually defeated by the stronger Douglas players. The Douglas Chess Club playing facilities provided by Rod Wiseman at the Belsfield hotel are excellent, so, despite the defeat, the Southern players had an excellent evening. |
| The fourth round of the Manx Chess Championships is tonight (Thursday 26th) with Mike Ware, the current leader, facing a tough encounter with Chris Beards. |
| Any persons interested in joining a revitalised and thriving Isle of Man Chess scene should contact |
| IoMCA: Richard Mylrea 853422 |
| Douglas CC: Alan Robertson 623702 |
| Southern CC: Dennis Hooper 843824 |
19 February 2004 - Isle of Man Newspaper Report
| Mike Ware has taken the sole lead in the 2004 Manx Chess Championship. He is the only player with maximum points, winning convincingly against Richard Mylrea. Mike has had a good run lately, being the Best Manx Player in the Monarch Assurance congress. |
| Only five games were played on the night. Glenn Cross always looked like winning his game with Paul Rodgers. Since his initial setback Glenn has been giving his opponents no chance at all! |
| Chris Beards beat John Griffin in a tough battle eventually decided in a King and pawns ending |
| The Swedish player Henrik Fabri gave the best performance of the tournament so far. He always seemed to have the edge against Jonathan Waugh. One felt that Waugh should have been able to draw but he did not! Waugh said later that he was most impressed with Fabri’s play. |
| Dutch player Robert van Olffen defeated Alan Robertson and undoubtedly both van Olffen and Fabri have brought something new and vital to Manx chess. |
| Scores are:- |
| 3 points; Mike Ware |
| 2½ points; Henrik Fabri, Chris Beards |
| 2 points; Jonathan Waugh, Richard Mylrea, Glenn Cross, Robert van Olffen |
| 1 point; Alan Robertson, John Griffin, Paul Rodgers |
| ½ point; Edward Milner, Derek Ware |
| 0 points; Rod Wiseman, Rich Furner |
| Round 4 will be played Thursday 26th Feb after a two week break to give the players a much needed rest from the intense struggle. In the next round Mike Ware will be playing either Fabri or Beards. |
| Tonight (Thursday 19th) the IOMCA hold a Handicap Competition commencing at 7.30pm. |
12 February 2004 - Isle of Man Newspaper Report
| There was a sensation in round 2 of the 2004 Manx Chess Championship |
| when top seed Robert van Olffen lost on time against Mike Ware. |
| A player has to make 40 moves in 1½ hours and van Olffen only made 25. He had an excellent |
| position when his time ran out and might well have gone on to win but rules are rules! |
| Defending champions Glenn Cross and Jonathan Waugh both scored competent victories with the Black pieces. Their games with van Olffen will be crucial and should decide something in this tournament. |
| Rich Furner missed a good chance against John Griffin and lost. Had he taken all his chances he could have won both his games so far and would be sharing the lead instead of propping up the tournament score table |
| Edward Milner, another newcomer, also gave a good account of himself. His Evans Gambit had Richard Mylrea in a lot of trouble but Richard survived and won with a material balance of Rook and 3 pawns against Bishop and Knight |
| Alan Robertson defeated Derek Ware in a long game. So far Alan has made more moves than anyone else and fully deserves his 50% score. |
| Henrik Fabri drew with Chris beards. Both players allowed doubled pawns. Fabri got two Rooks on the seventh rank but nothing came of it. |
| Leading Scores:- Waugh, M Ware, Mylrea 2 points; Fabri, Beards 1½ points. |
27 January 2004 - Isle of Man Examiner Newspaper Report
| The 2004 Manx Chess Championships started at the Belsfield Hotel, Douglas, on Thursday. |
| Fourteen competitors from across the Island will battle over 7 rounds, with the final round taking place on Thursday, March 25. |
| The popularity of chess in the Island goes back many years. |
| Competition secretary Richard Mylrea said the Douglas Chess Club was started in 1946, The Isle of Man Chess Association started in 1950 with clubs in Douglas, Peel, Ramsey and Port Erin, and the Manx Chess Championships were first held in 1947 when the winner was J. G. Radcliffe. |
| Bob Kermeen took his first win in 1953 and went on to dominate the event in the 50s, 60s and 70s, winning 20 times. |
| Other prominent winners include High Bailiff Michael Moyle, who has won four times, Neville Gill, who is involved in the administration this year and is a 15-times winner, and Keith Allen, another four-times winner. |
| Last year was an historic event, as three people - John Costello, Jonathon Waugh and Glenn Cross tied for the title. |
| The championship is run in a Swiss system, which means the people who have won the most times in the rounds should face each other in the final! |
| 29 January 2004 - Isle of Man Newspaper Report |
| Round 1 - 22 January 2004 |
| Neville Gill reports: There were originally seventeen entries for this years championships causing a few organisational head-aches. These were added to by a couple of withdrawals and a non-arriver, but the final complement of players is an impressive fifteen. Being played as a Swiss Tournament, it is far too early at this stage to make any predictions as to the result, but plenty of exciting chess can be expected. |
| There was a major surprise in round 1 when Richard Mylrea defeated Glenn Cross, one of the defending champions. Glenn sacrificed a pawn for attack and got an excellent position. However, he missed the best line and lost an endgame where Richard made good use of his King. To retain the title, Glenn will probably have to win all his remaining games. |
| Chris Beards played his favourite Bird’s opening against Rod Wiseman. He won a pawn and exploited it smoothly. Chris might do very well in this tournament. Opponents beware! |
| Newcomer Rich Furner had the better position against Mike Ware until one of his Rooks was seen to be awkwardly placed. Mike won material and the game. |
| Top seed Robert van Olffen did all that was necessary against John Griffin. In a French Defence he was always on top. John was another player in this round who ended up with a Rook on a bad square. It is remarkable how difficult it is to extricate it from such a situation. |
| Alan Robertson did well against Henrik Fabri, a Swedish player and another of the favourites. Although losing a pawn early on he put up sterling resistance and was not clearly lost until late in the game. Apparently Fabri used almost all of his allotted time. |
| In round 2 things will start to hot up when the round 1 winners play each other. |
| Round 1 Results (gradings in brackets) | |
| (1) Robert van Olffen 1-0 John Griffin (7) | (8) Alan Robertson 0-1 Henrik Fabri (2) |
| (3) Jonathan Waugh 1-0 Ian Bell (9) [W/O] | (11) Richard Mylrea 1-0 Glenn Cross (4) |
| (5) Chris Beards 1-0 Rod Wiseman (12) | (13) Rich Furner 0-1 Mike Ware (6) |
| One point bye = Paul Rodgers | |
| Half point byes (due to pre-arranged agreement) = Edward Milner and Derek Ware. | |
| 22 January 2004 - Isle of Man Newspaper Report |
| BUMPER ENTRY FOR MANX CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS. Sixteen players have entered the 2004 Manx Chess Championships commencing on Thursday 22 January at the Belsfield Hotel, Douglas. This is by far the largest number of competitors for many a year and despite the absence of Neville Gill, tough competition can be expected from regular favourites John Costello, Glenn Cross and Jonathan Waugh (all present joint holders) and newcomers to the island, Henrik Fabri and Robert Van Ollfen. |
| DENNIS HEMSLEY RAPID PLAY. This annual tournament played over two nights has just finished with two players sharing the trophy. Neville Gill and Henrik Fabri emerged victorious with 4½ points each out of five games. Alan Robertson came third and it was nice to see Terry Thompson return to the island chess scene to take fourth place. Rod Wiseman and Richard Mylrea also took part but politely declined to comment on their scores! |
| SOUTHERN CHESS CLUB RAPID PLAY. Played over two evenings, Robert Van Ollfen once again played excellent chess to win with 5 victories from 5 games. Runner up on 4 points was Mike Ware, with Bob Talbot, Brian Keig, Dennis Hooper and Edward Milner on 3 points. The annual club championships will be played over the next few weeks, starting 19th January and ending 1st March. |
| DOUGLAS CHESS CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP. This competition has not been played since 2000. Two rounds from five have been completed with Jonathan Waugh taking a slight, early lead. |
| En Passant |
Southern Chess Club - Rapidplay 5/12 January 2004
Robert Van Ollfen won with 5 points, Mike Ware 4 points and third equal on 3 points were Dennis Hooper, Bob Talbot, Brian Keig & Edward Milner.
The Stephen Maggs Memorial Cup - First leg, 8th December 2003
| Board | Southern CC | Result | Douglas CC |
| 1 | W Francis Thoday | 1 - 0 | B Glenn Cross |
| 2 | B Mike Ware | 0 - 1 | W Jonathan Waugh |
| 3 | W Richard Sargent | 0 - 1 | B Henrik |
| 4 | B Bob Talbot | ½ - ½ | W Alan Robertson |
| 5 | W Edward Milner | 0 - 1 | B John Griffin |
| 6 | B Brian Keig | 0 - 1 | W Richard Mylrea |
|
RESULT |
1½ - 4½ |
| 12 December 2003 - Isle of Man Newspaper Report |
| The Monarch Assurance Claret Jug, played over seven toughly-fought rounds, ended with Glenn Cross emerging as the overall winner. Jonathan Waugh and John Griffin faced each other in the final round to determine second place, which went to Jonathan. Final scores for the seven competitors were: Glenn Cross 6½; Jonathan Waugh 6; John Griffin 5; Richard Mylrea 4; Mike Ware 3½; Alan Robertson 2; Rod Wiseman 1. |
| A couple of weeks ago, again Jonathan and John demonstrated a competitive spirit by drawing their match in the final round of the John Pearson Quick Play Cup and in doing so, shared the Cup as joint winners. Equal third place went to Rod Wiseman, Alan Robertson and Richard Mylrea. |
| The MANX CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS commence on 22 January 2004 at the Belsfield Hotel, Douglas. Any player wishing to enter is welcome but please note, all entries MUST be received by Richard Mylrea (853422) before 16 January |
| The final round of the Southern Chess Club Chairman’s Trophy was played on the 24th November, and Edward Milner was the winner on 4 points with Brian Keig runner up with 3 points. |
| On the 1st December, 10 players contested the Southern Chess Club Blitz championship. In Blitz, each player has only 5 minutes per game and plays all the other players during the evening. In a closely contested “clock-banging” competition, the eventual winner was a newcomer to the club, “Robert” with 7½ points and joint runners-up on 7 were Edward Milner and Mike Ware. |
| En Passant |
| 20 November 2003 - Isle of Man Newspaper Report |
| A BLACK DAY FOR CHESS! |
| The fifth round of the Monarch Assurance Claret Jug was not a good day if you were playing the white pieces. Glenn Cross on black conquered Rod Wiseman; Mike Ware threw away an opportune ending to Jonathon Waugh (black) and John Griffin (black) made the most of a tricky passed pawn to see off Alan Robertson. |
| Tournament scores with just two rounds to go are:- John Griffin 5 pts; Glenn Cross 4½; Jonathon Waugh 4; Mike Ware 2½; Alan Robertson, Richard Mylrea 2; Rod Wiseman 0. |
| On the Chess scene the following events occur. Please contact Richard Mylrea (853422) for further details and applications, particularly the Manx Chess Championships where entries close on 16 January. |
| Thursday 2 Dec: 1st Rd. Douglas Chess Club Championships. |
| Thursday 22 Jan: 1st Rd. Manx Chess Championships. |
| All players are welcome, be they regulars, newcomers, school children or any one curious about chess. Please let Richard know. Meetings are at the Belsfield Hotel, Douglas, Thursdays with a prompt 7.30pm start. |
| En Passant |
| 12 November 2003 - Isle of Man Newspaper Report |
| Four rounds of the Monarch Assurance Claret Jug have been completed with several exciting encounters. John Griffin currently leads, but faces tough opposition in the final three rounds as he finds himself up against three potential contenders for the cup. Current leading scores are John Griffin 4; Glenn Cross 3½; Jonathan Waugh 3; Mike Ware 2½. |
| Newcomer Edward Milner recently won the Southern Club Knockout championship at his first attempt, defeating Mike Ware in the final. |
| En Passant |
| 16 October 2003 - Isle of Man Newspaper Report |
| The first IOMCA competition of the season was the Vincent Watterson Rapidplay, each player having only 15 minutes per game. After 5 eventful rounds, the joint winners with 4 points each were Jonathon Waugh and Myriam Bounya who was on a short trip back to the island. Well played Myriam. |
| Isle of Man Chess Association / Douglas Chess club now meet at the Belsfield Hotel, Church Road Marina, Douglas, on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm. Contact either Richard Mylrea Tel 853422 or Alan Robertson Tel 623702 for further details. The season which runs from October 2003 to April 2004 includes the Monarch Assurance Claret Jug, the Manx Championships, several other IOMCA competitions plus Douglas Chess Club club nights |
| Southern Chess Club meet at the Falcon’s Nest Hotel, Port Erin on Monday evenings at 7.30pm, further information from Dennis Hooper Tel 843824. Both Douglas and Southern Clubs welcome new, past and present members for what promises to be a very interesting and exciting Chess Season. |
| En Passant |
Club results for the previous Seasons from 2000 / 2001 have been archived, click here.
