43rd Guernsey International Chess Festival 15-21/10/17

[Kevin Thurlow]

This starts on Sunday at 2 pm. 119 entries at present, up from 98 last year. One theory is that people thought, "If that idiot Thurlow can get 3rd place, anyone can do it", or maybe they wanted to seize the opportunity to play John Hickman and get the brilliancy prize!

Many of the usual suspects are playing. Top seeds are Jean-Pierre Le Roux (who played last year), 7-time winner Tiger Hillarp-Persson, and newcomer Altan-Ulzii Enkhtuul. The next 50 players are rated between 2200 and 1900. 30 years ago the tournament was shaken by the arrival of the great storm the night before Round 1, before the storm headed north to England. Wind speeds were higher than on the mainland, but the island was soon up and running.

http://chess-results.com/tnr261756.aspx ... t=0&wi=821

http://www.guernseychessclub.org.gg/

and follow link to live games. Last round starts at 0930 next Saturday.

[David Sedgwick]

I travelled to Guernsey yesterday, expecting to be the first player to get there.

Within minutes of my arrival, I had met five Dutch players and one other English player. All of them were familiar and welcome faces.

I don't think that Kevin's recollection is quite right. The great storm was on the night of Thursday 15th - Friday 16th October 1987, Round 1 was on Sunday 18th October (so two days later), and the stock market crash was on Monday 19th October.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"The great storm was on the night of Thursday 15th - Friday 16th October 1987, Round 1 was on Sunday 18th October (so two days later), and the stock market crash was on Monday 19th October."

Good point - I did sometimes travel earlier than the Saturday to feel relaxed before the event. I had forgotten that.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Open - 4 players on 3/3, Jean-Pierre Le Roux (France), Tiger Hillarp-Persson (Sweden), Jan Prins (Netherlands), Wolfgang Mack (Germany). In the Holiday event, Ray Kearsley (England) leads on 3/3.

The storm missed us this year.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Jean-Pierre and Tiger on 4/4 meet in today's round...

[Angus French]

30 years ago the tournament was shaken by the arrival of the great storm the night before Round 1, before the storm headed north to England. Wind speeds were higher than on the mainland, but the island was soon up and running.

I played that year and remember travelling on a small propeller-propelled plane from Southampton which swayed violently when coming in to land.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"I played that year and remember travelling on a small propeller-propelled plane from Southampton which swayed violently when coming in to land."

That happens occasionally...

JP and Tiger managed 8 moves before agreeing the draw. However, they were later in the analysis room offering free advice to people. Coincidentally, my game started going wrong on move 8!

[Julie Denning]

I played that year and remember travelling on a small propeller-propelled plane from Southampton which swayed violently when coming in to land.

Angus, you're no doubt thinking of a Britten Norman Islander or Trislander operated by Aurigny. In terms of numbers produced, the most successful British civil aeroplane family and the only one currently in production. They served the islands well for nearly half a century, the last one operated by Aurigny having only been retired in the last year or so. Enjoy a little trip down memory lane:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bljpwgs ... e=youtu.be

[Roger de Coverly]

you're no doubt thinking of a Britten Norman Islander or Trislander operated by Aurigny.

There was also the Short Skyvan, which as its name suggests was styled as a van with wings. They certainly operated to the Isle of Man, whether Guernsey as well, I'm not sure.

[Julie Denning]

you're no doubt thinking of a Britten Norman Islander or Trislander operated by Aurigny.

There was also the Short Skyvan, which as its name suggests was styled as a van with wings. They certainly operated to the Isle of Man, whether Guernsey as well, I'm not sure.

Roger,

Not the Skyvan specifically, but there were passenger derivatives the SD330 and SD360. The latter did operate on CI routes for a while. Universally known around the industry as "sheds". Never gained the affection of the B-N types around the islands.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Julie is right - I do not have the details with me, but I definitely flew on either an SD330 or SD360 (related to the Skyvan) on some of my trips here. Aurigny used trislanders on some of the routes, mainly to Alderney and Southampton, I don't think to Gatwick. My memory may be faulty, but I seem to remember flying on a Viscount, Herald, BAe 146, ATR42/72, EMB 195, SAAB 340(?) etc.

The airlines kept changing as well, there was Air UK, Guernsey Airlines, Flybe, Channel Island Airways(?), BA in its various guises as well, I think. I have probably forgotten some of them.

Aurigny's first trislander was bright yellow and had a smiling face painted on it, and was called "Joey", registration G-JOEY. This was a good marketing ploy as they sold pictures and models of Joey the little yellow plane. Guernseymen are "affectionately" known as "donkeys" and I discovered yesterday when looking at the history of the donkey as a beast of burden in Guernsey, that the famous one at the start of their use was called "Joey", so I assume that is not a coincidence in the naming of the aircraft.

[Graham Borrowdale]

There is obviously an inner plane-spotter in all chess players! One of my boyhood hobbies, I have to admit, but more tri-stars at Heathrow than skyvans at Guernsey.

[Angus French]

I played that year and remember travelling on a small propeller-propelled plane from Southampton which swayed violently when coming in to land.

Angus, you're no doubt thinking of a Britten Norman Islander or Trislander operated by Aurigny. In terms of numbers produced, the most successful British civil aeroplane family and the only one currently in production. They served the islands well for nearly half a century, the last one operated by Aurigny having only been retired in the last year or so. Enjoy a little trip down memory lane:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bljpwgs ... e=youtu.be

Thanks Julie. I think that might well have [been] the plane. Certainly it looks the right size.

[Julie Denning]

Julie is right - I do not have the details with me, but I definitely flew on either an SD330 or SD360 (related to the Skyvan) on some of my trips here. Aurigny used trislanders on some of the routes, mainly to Alderney and Southampton, I don't think to Gatwick. My memory may be faulty, but I seem to remember flying on a Viscount, Herald, BAe 146, ATR42/72, EMB 195, SAAB 340(?) etc.

The airlines kept changing as well, there was Air UK, Guernsey Airlines, Flybe, Channel Island Airways(?), BA in its various guises as well, I think. I have probably forgotten some of them.

Aurigny's first trislander was bright yellow and had a smiling face painted on it, and was called "Joey", registration G-JOEY. This was a good marketing ploy as they sold pictures and models of Joey the little yellow plane. Guernseymen are "affectionately" known as "donkeys" and I discovered yesterday when looking at the history of the donkey as a beast of burden in Guernsey, that the famous one at the start of their use was called "Joey", so I assume that is not a coincidence in the naming of the aircraft.

Completely off-thread, but.... how far back does your memory go? Mine doesn't quite go back as far as Rapides (honest!), but I remember the days of DC3s, Vikings, Doves, Herons, Bristol 170s (2 of which ended their days in Guernsey, one, sadly, with fatalities), F27s, Avro / HS748s, along with all the types you mention. I guess my fondest memories are of the Viscount (the first aeroplane I ever flew in) and the BAe 146 (on which I was the lead certification Flight Test Engineer).

Aurigny was set up at very short notice when Jersey Airlines pulled out of serving Alderney. Jersey Airlines merged with British United, being known initially, if my memory serves me right, as British United (CI) Airways, then as British Island Airways, before merging with Norwich based Air Anglia to form Air UK. At some point Jersey European emerged, then cunningly renaming themselves British European Airways to utilise the "BEA" label given up when the corporations merged into BA, before finally becoming Flybe. Other relics of the past serving the islands included Channel Airways, Dan Air, Silver City, Morton Air Services, Derby Airways ... I must be forgetting a few more.

[John Upham]

Forgive me for being dim but do we know the reason for the 1-0 in the game

Sedgwick - Dilleigh ?

Black looks to have a minimal edge where the result is given as 1-0.

Is this a mobile telephone default or fire alarm incident of some nature ?