The Apex Chess Club, in Bury St Edmunds, continues to thrive. Today saw 14 people playing, including several children who are on their school holidays.
Whilst most evening clubs struggle to find enough players for (non-league) social chess, the Apex Club neatly fills that gap. The Club is free, and car parking nearby is also free on Tuesday afternoons.
Anita Somton played in the Under 141 (Intermediate) section, where she scored 3/5 (but was unbeaten).
In the Under 121 (Minor) section, brothers Alan and Adam John both scored 50%, whilst Ralph Martin and Tom Roy each scored 1½ points.
This was good experience of Congress chess, especially for the younger players (Adam is 9 and Tom is 10). Nearly 200 people played in five graded sections.
The only Suffolk-based team in Division 2 is Anglian Avengers 1. The methodology for determining promotion and relegation is complicated. After Round 7, the 16-team Division splits into two sections: the Promotion Pool and the Relegation Pool. The eight teams in each section carry forward results against the other teams, and then play rounds 8 to 11 inclusive against teams from within their own pool.
Anglian Avengers knew they would be in the relegation pool, so their match on Saturday, against Guildford 3, was effectively a 'dead rubber', as Guildford were already destined for the promotion pool. This was just as well, as AA1 crashed to a 6 - 2 defeat.
Today, Anglian Avengers faced Wessex, whom they outgraded by more than 100 points per board. The result was a complete reversal of Saturday, winning by the same scoreline. Anglian Avengers now head their pool and are in little danger of being relegated.
Andrew Lewis (Manningtree) and Graham Moore (Ipswich) both scored 1½ points, whilst David Spence (Ipswich), Ed Player (Bury St Edmunds) and Silas Peck (Ipswich) all won one and lost one.
In Division 1, the only Suffolk players in action this weekend were Alan Merry and Dagne Ciuksyte. Both were unbeaten. Alan drew with Australian GM David Smerdon on Saturday, and drew again today with English FM Isaac Sanders. Dagne won yesterday against a lower-rated player, and had an excellent 82-move draw today, with the Black pieces, against former Suffolk Grandmaster Nick Pert. The whole game can be viewed under 'Live Games' on the 4NCL website, but below is the position after Nick's 70th move (Rc7 - e7). It appears that Nick missed the line which followed: 70... d4+! 71. Kxd4 Nc6+ 72. Ke3 Nxe7 73. fxe7 Rg1 74. Ba4 Re1+ 75. Kd2 Rxe7. Now Dagne is winning. The game seems to have taken a strange turn on the final move (82. Bb3), which if it was played, actually loses for Nick. But the game was drawn at this point, despite the move 82... Rh3+, which would have won outright for Dagne. Perhaps we'll hear more about this game from Dagne herself?
Cambridge Examiners are the new League Champions. Bury St Edmunds Scorpions (consisting of Ipswich players Graham Moore, Steve Gregory, Ian Walis, Tim Lunn and Silas Peck) have come third, just a point behind second-placed Linton A.
At the other end of the table, it's going to be a close-run thing with three teams battling to avoid relegation. Bury St Edmunds Scarabs and Ely Beet Bishops have one match each remaining, whilst Bury St Edmunds Cobras have two matches to play. The final match on 23 April is between Cobras and Ely, when the fate of one of those teams could well be decided.
Cambridge Oddfellows need two points from their final match to be certain of promotion. Mathematically it's still possible for them to be overtaken by Linton Blacks. Bury St Edmunds Vipers and Newmarket Stallions have to play each other twice in the next few weeks (their first match in December was postponed). Two drawn matches will see Vipers survive, as they are currently just half a point ahead.
Promoted are Bury St Edmunds F, whilst Linton Whites are in last place. Stowmarket are secure in second place, their 'ideal' result, as they do not feel they have a strong enough squad to play in Division 2. This is the only division to have completed all its matches already.
As this was the last meeting, the annual awards presentation took place, with 40 members present as well as many parents.
Most of the prizewinners are pictured above. (Left to right): Anita Somton (Player of the Year); Adam John (Most Improved Member); Alan John (Club Champion); Jonatan Kornak (Most Promising Newcomer); Harry Young (Most Enthusiastic Member); Bethany Young (Girls' Champion).
Club Organiser Bob Jones reported on another successful year (the Bury Knights 23rd year), where average weekly attendances exceeded 40. The Club found half of the 20-board Suffolk Under 11 team and several youngsters are now playing regularly in the adult leagues.
Special mention was given to parents Sam Starling, who has coached the Novices for the past two years, and Laura Cortabarria, who is standing down as Club Secretary. Both will be tough to replace, but other parents need to come forward if the Club is to maintain its leading position in the county.
In the Suffolk League:
Division 1 - relegated are Bury St Edmunds A
Division 2 - relegated are Bury St Edmunds D
Devision 3 - promoted are Manningtree B
In the Bury Area League:
Division 1 - Champions are Cambridge Examiners
Division 2 is undecided
Division 3 - promoted are Bury St Edmunds F
The most exciting finish is in Suffolk League Division 1, where three teams, including current Champions Manningtree A, are within just two points of each other, all with one match to play. Next Wednesday, 1 April, Manningtree A (26½ points) host current leaders Ipswich C (28½), whilst the following day, Ipswich A (27½) travel to Bury St Edmunds C, knowing what result is needed to win (or to be runners-up).
Last night Adastral Park played their last league home match of the season (against Bury St Edmunds D), but will it be their last match ever? As time has gone by more and more of the team have left BT. This month sees the last BT employee (Ed Kirkham) retire, which means that the team may no longer be able to play at their superb premises at Adastral Park. Currently they are exploring other options, so next season their matches may not be in such spacious accommodation.
John has provided detailed analysis on a recent game he played for England on Board One in the European Team Championship 2014, against a Correspondence Grandmaster from Latvia:
John continues: "Winning this game nudged my rating to 2451, just above the 2450 minimum that is needed to enter a GM norm tournament. So, that will be next major challenge, and then in 2016 or 2017 I'll use the qualification for a World Championship Candidates tournament that I gained by winning a Semi Final of the World Championship back in 2014."
This was the team before the event started:
Half the team (ten players) came from the Bury Knights Junior Chess Club, whilst Woodbridge School supplied a further five. We 'borrowed' four players from Norfolk (allowed under the rules as a neighbouring county), whilst the last player was Vicky Allen's protégé from the Meadows Montessori School in Ipswich.
Top Suffolk scorers were Anita Somton (2 points; unbeaten) on top board; Adam John (2 points, Board 4); Jaden Jermy (2 points; Board 11); and Tom Roy (1½ points; Board 8). All four are from the Bury Knights.
The team finished in seventh place, ahead of Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and Newham. Only the top six qualify for the National Finals, so similar to last year, Suffolk just miss out.
But first, let's give some overdue credit to the 4NCL arbiters. Have a look at the photo below:
This photo was taken half an hour before Round 8 was due to start. The sole figure is arbiter Priscilla Morris, checking all the clocks. Just think, the huge hall has to be set up - there are 120 chess sets in here, as well as three smaller side rooms that were also used for matches. The team of arbiters, led by Dave Thomas, had to arrive early on Saturday to prepare for Round 7, which started at 14.00. And then, when the last game finished this evening, probably after 17.00, everything needs to be packed away. As a (former) Congress organiser myself, I know what an enormous task this is. And that's not all. Within a day or so of the matches being completed, you can play through the games online. Over the weekend, nearly 350 games were played!
Anyway, back to the results, which were mixed. 15 Suffolk players took part in the following teams:
Anglian Avengers 2 Drew 3-3 on Saturday, but lost 5-1 today.
Anglian Avengers 3 Won 5-1 on Saturday, but lost 4-2 today.
Iceni 1 Won 3½-2½ on Saturday and drew 3-3 on Sunday.
Iceni 2 Drew 3-3 on Saturday but lost (heavily!) 5½-½ today.
The only Suffolk player to win both games was David Brown (AA3). Two results of note on Saturday were Dominic Carter, who beat an 1820, and Alex Sheerin, who beat a 1727.
Other scores were:
Steve Gregory - 0, 0
Ian Wallis - 0, ½
Mike Cook - ½, 0
Martin Fogg - 1, 0
Richard Lamont - 1, ½
Keith Woodcock - ½, 0
Alex Sheerin - 1, 0
John Feavyour - 0, ½
Nick Savage - ½, 1
Jon Collins - 1, 0
Steve Ruthen - 0 (only played one game)
Bob Jones - ½, ½
Dominic Carter - 1, 0
Peter Collicott - 0, 0
