After a brief abeyance the Rhyl Chess Congress is back, and 5 Crewe CC members readily signed up for a weekend of chess beside the seaside.
I took a bye on Friday and kept an eye on results from afar. Now I know Harry Gardiner has been in pretty hot form, but I was a bit surprised to see his result in the first round. Was it right that he had beaten Keith Arkell; as in his Grandmasterliness and former English Champion Keith Arkell? Anyway, when I got to Rhyl this result was confirmed. Harry showed me the game at dinnertime; he had played nicely, avoiding a few pitfalls, and had reached a decent endgame when Keith blundered a piece. Respect due to Harry for playing so well, and to Keith, who apparently was very gracious in defeat. I checked with Harry, who confirmed that he now has a 100% record against grandmasters.
It so happened that in the second round I had to play….his Grandmasterliness and former English Champion Keith Arkell. Dave Price told me not to worry, as he had been plying Keith with beer all night, and the guy would not be at his best. I still went down in flames, pretty fast.
This gave me the chance to watch and another Harry in action; former British Chess Champion Harry Grieve. Harry (Grieve) was in great form too, and I was a bit impressed when he sacrificed two exchanges to rip open Jeff Smith’s king; a game that deserved 1.5 points for the win. Grieve went on to win the Open.
Harry (Gardiner) had some good games, and finished on a totally decent 3 points out of 5, this in spite of sharing a caravan with Pricey all weekend.
In the Major, Andy Raeburn was going well after 3 rounds, sharing the lead on 2.5 out of 3. Crewe hopes were raised, but sadly Andy went down in a tough tussle with the eventual tournament winner. Dave Price struggled a bit in the heat, but at least got one win under his belt.
Mal Green in the minor also got a nice win to take home.
Entry was a bit down on previous years, but I recommend you go to the next Rhyl Chess congress. The town hall is a very nice venue, the congress was run very smoothly, there are loads of places to eat and drink nearby, and if you lose your morning round quickly you can go for a paddle in the sea.
Dave and Harry playing a bit of footy in the sunshine.