Chris Rice wrote:Remarkably Keith Arkell has now won it 22 times in 24 attempts:
1986...5.5....1st
1987...5......2nd=
1988...7.......1st
1989...6.......1st
1990...6.......1st
1991...6.......1st=
1992...5.5....1st=
1993...5.5....2nd=
1994...6.......1st=
1995...6.......1st=
1998...6.5....1st
2002...5.5....1st=
2003...6.......1st
2004...6.......1st
2007...6.......1st
2008...6.5....1st=
2009...6.......1st
2010...6.5....1st
2011...6.......1st
2012...6.......1st
2013...6.......1st
2014...5.5....1st
2015...7.......1st
2016...6.5....1st
[/quote]
I managed to notch up another first place in 2017, albeit shared with IM Richard Bates. We drew with each other, and, as was also the case with GM Gawain Jones and myself back in 2008, we each managed to win the other 6 games.
I also made progress in another long standing sequence of mine: a bit like with that old cliché about the irregularity of London buses, after a wait of more than 2 years ( the last time - number 22, to be precise, being v Dominic Mackle at Plymouth rapidplay in 2014) I notched up wins number 23 and 24 within 26 days of each other, in the so-called 'Arkell Ending' of R+B v R.
Firstly, on the 13th of August I beat John Sneberg to help me win the Midland Open Championship, and then, a few days ago, on the 8th of September, I used the ending to beat Paul Roberts in round 6 at Paignton.
In both cases I was Black and had the Queen's Bishop, and in both cases there were pawns to round up before I could reach the ending. An e pawn on the 7th rank in the former, and pawns on f3 and e6 in the latter.