Bury Rapidplay Sunday 14 December 2008

Results of competitions with tables, or as much detail as is possible.
Mick Norris
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Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Bury Rapidplay Sunday 14 December 2008

Post by Mick Norris » Mon Dec 15, 2008 4:00 pm

The fourteenth annual Rapidplay took place as usual at Bury Town Hall.

Firstly, a big thank you to our returning sponsors, Metcalfe & Co Accountants of Bury, and insurance group Winterthur Life.

We have used the Elizabethan Suite for ten years or so now, banking on players being attracted by the combination of good playing conditions. There are excellent spectator conditions; lots of parking available nearby and good public transport with the Metrolink/Bus interchange only a couple of minutes walk away. We hope that chess players want to play chess in nice surroundings, and will attend in sufficient volume.

This year we were disappointed with the turnout, affected by the weather possibly, by illness certainly, by the volume of chess available in the North West this year probably. We lost our main sponsor to the economic squeeze, and combined with lower entries, we made our first serious loss.

So, unless Bury Council drop their £600 asking price for the venue, we will have to reluctantly look elsewhere.

In total, we had 85 playing for a total prize fund £750. It reminded me what chess provides that may be unique – competition between men and women, juniors and seniors, able-bodied and the disabled, all playing together in one event.

Competition was intense, and an amazing 22 players shared the prize money. I hope the winners, and those who went home empty handed, all enjoyed their day in Bury.

I would like to give the usual in depth report, but as I had to make up the numbers in the Open (taking my record to nine straight defeats when doing so, before I finally found a generous opponent), I have little to add to the results listed below.

In the Open, the absence of stars meant that the games were all very hard fought, with no-one emerging unbeaten. Marcial, having effectively beaten me twice in the first round, went on to play the top four graded players, and emerge a worthy winner to add to the list of GMs and IMs who have taken the title.

As always the hardest work is done by those not playing. Thanks to Chess Direct as always for the bookstall, to our controllers Julian Clissold, Rod Middleton, Bernard Sharples, Geoff Kerr, and particularly to Anthony Lee.


Open (12 players)
1st Marcial Flores Eccles 157 4.5 £100
2nd= Richard Beach Stockport 185 4 £30
Ali Jaunooby 3Cs 189 £30
Alan Walton 3Cs 182 £30
Martin Sheard Barnsley 155 £30
U170 GP Dennis Owen Urmston 155 3.5 £30

U155 (38 players)
1st= Mitchell Burke 3Cs 145J 4.5 £47:50
Robert Dean Pudsey 131 £47:50
Bob Newton Heywood 153 £47:50
Simon Woodcock Atherton 152 £47:50
U135 GP Mick Connor Great Lever 121 4 £7:50
Neil Coward Blackpool 134 £7:50
Thomas Fielding Preston 122 £7:50
David Patrick Courier 132 £7:50
U120 GP Steve Lloyd Chester 113 3.5 £15
Karl Lockett Altrincham 115 £15

U105 (35 players)
1st Brendan Newell Brooklands u/g 6/6 £100
2nd Brian Forrest Bury 86 5 £60
3rd= Brendan Brown Clitheroe 102 4.5 £30
Ian Mitchell Rochdale 79 £30
U65 GP David Fisher Bury area 64 3 £15
Michael Quigley Worsley 63 £15

The Lodwig Gruchlik Memorial Trophy, awarded to the highest scoring Bury Chess Club Member, was won by Brian Forrest
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