I am sure quite a few of the St Johnnners will be sending in their own reports, but this is my own personal account.
Firstly, a big thank you to David Elsey for his car lifts (a couple of pints await you in the Coachmakers). Well for those of you not in the know, I stopped tournament chess six years ago after getting sick at the end of three tournaments on the bounce (culminating in vomiting on the car of Andy Pandyian, who almost had to carry me home). Vowing never to enter another tournament I stayed away for six years until my wife told me the reason for getting ill was not drinking or eating at all. So I thought I'd test the waters with this competition, and armed with loads of apples, isotonic water and mars bars, bounties and snickers bars, I once more stepped into the maelstrom with about sixty other guys plus a woman and a Belgium guy and a Brazil nut. I was in the Challengers section (under 140) but graded near the top (137). Nine St Johns' players were flying the flag plus Charlie Neil who dropped in to say hello. The Minors had the largest contingent of our players and the Challengers had Brian, myself and Harry with David Payne the only St Johnner in the top section. My first game was against ultra-solid Stephen Crane, and there was I sitting on the top table for only the second or third time. I wondered how he would do in a rapidplay and was soon to find out as he fell behind the clock and then lost the exchange followed by a pawn capture and finally getting his queen and knight forked (ouch) and throwing in the towel. Second game was against our own Harry Hoskins who threw a shitload of pawns at me (5 or 6) and made me use up loads of time thinking on how to counteract his mad storming. I finally decided to attack him on the opposite wing and was pretty successful, but the game swung back and forward at crucial times. He had a beautiful rook on B1 pinning both my bishop and rook, meaning neither could move and yet I felt I was strategic wise to the good....perhaps a pawn up as well, but I can't remember, but with loads less time. Harry came back late in the game a bit and finally during the end game got down on his knees and with tears in his eyes, grovelled for the draw. I stroked my chin, mused a bit,told him to get up and be a man, and accepted, as he still had a dangerous queen and knight combo ... He said he offered the draw as I had perpetual check. So, still on the top board I played the Brazilian guy Jean-Paul who often appears at our club. I had beaten him with the Gerry in our only other game so I hit him with the Gerry Attack again (big mistake) as he expertly refuted it with very quiet play at first and then smashed me up with a knight sac that I couldn't handle. I collapsed in a heap and was immediately demoted to the second table. I then played Hamish Lyall and despite being two pawns down had the opposite coloured bishop in the end game and felt quite confident of holding out for the draw, but walked straight into a mate in one. Rapidly tiring and mentally shot to pieces I was demoted a further time,this time I was on table four and could only smile ruefully as I saw Harry sitting in my old seat, along with Ryan (our old player) who was smashing everyone up. I then played a guy I had never played before or seen and got a two pawn advantage after seven moves. He fought on though to the end, but I could finally notch up the second win. The sixth game I was dead on my feet and my hands felt cold and clammy.I had a strong position and couldn't lose,but offered the draw before I conked out. He (Birmingham guy on holiday) gratefully accepted and I found that I had won two lost two and drawn two and finished as a mid-table mediocrity (read Stoke City). However,I went there thinking that three or four points would be good enough for me and it was. Came home in the Elsey mobile and felt sick again despite the apples...took some headache pills and went to bed at eight. Yuki bought me up some minestrone soup and I then slept like never before....fifteen straight hours. Fine now and willing to do it again though only rapidplay for the foreseeable future...it was fun though! Congratulations to the prize winners (and there were a lot of them from St John's....in particular David May, who gets better by the month, who won the Minors,and Ken for coming second and my old pal Harry "The Beast" Hoskins for coming joint second in our group and winning a wad of cash which he has sportingly agreed to donate to the "Society for Saving Wayward Women ". Richard Downing
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