Archive: KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2009-10; Hinckley, Leicestershire. The KJCA Kings team continued its 4NCL campaign with a top-of-the-table fixture against Warwickshire Select 2, who were joint leaders with us going into the weekend. We were outgraded by the opposition by an average of 115 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 15 points). However, we felt confident going into the game that we could shade what was likely to be a close match. This is very much how it turned out. The team gave a very solid performance and ran out with a narrow 3.5 – 2.5 win. This put us overnight into the unprecedented position of leading the division outright. The following day, we were drawn against 3Cs, who were only a point behind us. We felt that this was one of the 2 very strong teams in the division and that we would all have to be on top form to achieve a result in the match. They outgraded us by an average of 235 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 30 points). The match appeared to be going very well approaching the first (2 hour) time control with good chances of our winning on 3 boards and of drawing on the other 3. This happy situation dissipated in a ‘mad half hour’. This was through a mixture of some good play and plenty of solid play by our opponents but disappointingly predominantly by errors on our part. If, at the end of the season, we can look back and say that we got all the errors out of the way in one match, then we will be able to smile about it. However, during this half hour, we contrived to lose 4 matches and draw one. An hour or so later, the remaining match was also lost and we ended on the wrong end of a 0.5 – 5.5 drubbing. Such results are always especially disappointing when one has set up the base for a positive result. Nevertheless, we finish the weekend in equal third position with 3 other teams, just one point behind the joint leaders. If we had been offered this position at roughly the halfway mark before the start of the season, we would undoubtedly have taken it and the team remains well-placed to make a run for promotion. Pride of place over the weekend goes to Robert Maguire, who achieved a win and a draw in his matches. The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss; 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC). Lyall and Matt swapped boards on the Sunday. KJCA Knights: 4NCL Division 3 2009-10; Hinckley. The KJCA Knights fought valiantly at 4NCL in rounds three and four against two strong and experienced teams, Oxford 3 and Sussex Smart Controls. On Saturday we played Oxford 2 and we were outgraded by an average of 269 FIDE points so this was always going to be a tough round. Whilst the Knights lost 6-0, three hours into the round they were all still playing and credit to the youngsters, they were not going to fall easily. Despite Raphael and Connor playing for almost five hours, in the end, they all had to admit defeat but were able to come away knowing that they had put up a good fight. Sunday brought a fresh day and with a good breakfast inside, the KJCA Knights were ready to do battle again. Yet again they had an experienced team against them and Sussex Smart Controls outgraded them by an average of 239 FIDE points. We were beaten again but this time by 5-1, with Barnaby picking up a point on Board 6 but once again, the team was confident that they had played well and challenged their opponents. As a weekend, we all had a great time and the children are gaining a lot of experience from their games. This weekend was never going to be easy and the team moves forward with one match point and the knowledge that they are well on their way to developing into a strong and successful team. The full team in Round 3, in board order, managed by Sally Coultas-Paul was: 1) Nicholas Clanchy (Dulwich Prep and Lewisham CC); 2) Conor Murphy (Eltham College and Charlton CC); 3) Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich); 4) Gautham Reddiar (St Olafs School); 5) Alexei Davie (Eltham College and Lewisham CC); 6) Barnaby Paul) Lancing College and Beckenham and Bromley CC). KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2009-10; Hinckley. The KJCA Kings team continued its 4NCL campaign with fixtures against Nottinghamshire 1 and Sambuca Black Sheep. Both our opponents had started the season with wins in both the 2 opening rounds and, like us, were in an eight-way tie at the top of the division on maximum points. In the match against Nottinghamshire 1, we were outgraded by an average of 128 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 16 points). As anticipated, the match was very closely contested. Although we never looked like losing, we were not quite able to force the win and had to be satisfied with the 3 – 3 draw. This was a fair reflection of a good contest and it would have been a little harsh on our opponents if they had lost. The following day against Sambuca Black Sheep, we were again outgraded by an average of 139 points per board (ECF equivalent: 17 points). This again was the expected tight contest and turned into one of the longest matches in which we have ever been involved. The Board 3 and Board 4 matches finished well after all the other Division 3 matches had been completed. Prior to this, we needed 1 point from these two games for victory with Lyall better on Board 4. Eventually, Matt did well to force the vital draw on Board 3 and the players on Board 4 shook hands on a draw to give us a narrow win by 3.5 – 2.5. Pride of place over the weekend must go to Victor Jones and Lyall Bayliss, both of whom scored a win and a draw. This left us with 7 points from the first 4 rounds and now in only a two-way tie at the top of the division. This is our best ever start to a 4NCL season. The whole weekend was tense and exciting with some very good chess played. There appear to be many closely-matched teams in the division this season and the fight for honours is likely to go down to the wire. It should be an exciting season. Consistency will be vital. There is a long way to go! The full team in Round 3, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss; 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 6) Laurence Jones (Lewisham CC). In Round 4, the team was the same but Lyall was on Board 4 and Matt on Board 3. NYCA Under 12 Championship, Telford, Saturday 7th November, 2009
The NYCA U-12s national tournament was held, as it was for the U-14s, in the Abraham Darby Academy in Telford. There we were again at 5:30am leaving the Eltham College car park on a pre booked coach packed with, despite the early start, buzzing group of players and an already worn out, sleepy but as always supportive handful of parents. The tournament kicked off at 10:30am. At the end of the 1st round we had a score of 8/12. Only 3 losses!!! The optimism went up high. The second round though brought us back to reality. The 6 losses in round 2 sent us back to mid table position. Rounds 3 and 4 were much better giving us back the hope and finally the points we thoroughly deserved to claim the third spot. Well done and congratulations to our twelve players. In board order : 1- Raphael Kalid, 2- Patrick Smith, 3-Hector Huser, 4- Robert Wang, 5-Mano Sathyamurthy, 6-Elisabeth Elgar, 7-Rohan Bansal, 8-Alexander Selway, 9-Sophie Wahts, 10- Thomas Morton, 11-Zara Hussain, 12- Ianto Jones. NYCA Under 16 Championship, Telford, Saturday 7th November, 2009 KJCA Knights: 4NCL Division 3 2009-10; Daventry.
Congratulations must go to the KJCA Knights on their debut weekend as a 4NCL team. Most of the children were new to 4NCL and weren’t really sure what to expect from it but they rose to the challenge and had a fantastic weekend. The KJCA Knights team kicked off with their first round against AMCA Rhinos, a very experienced 4NCL team and despite being outgraded by an average of over 240 FIDE points per board they put up a really good fight. Conor secured a well deserved win and several of his team mates came very close. Despite losing the round 5 – 1, they put in their best efforts and learned from the experience. Day two came with some good preparation, and with some good advice from the KJCA Kings, the KJCA Knights proved they were ready for action. Sitting opposite Bristol 2, another very experienced team who this time only outgraded them by an average of over 200 FIDE points per board, they demonstrated their ability brilliantly. Several hours into the round, the KJCA Knights were still fighting it out and came away with two wins, two draws and two losses, securing a 3 – 3 draw for the team. Conor secured another win, two wins for the weekend being a fantastic result, as did Barnaby, whose opponent outgraded him by 288 FIDE points. Baven and Alexei secured excellent draws and Nicholas and Raphael both played extremely well, only missing out in the very end game. Taking into consideration that not only is the KJCA Knights a new, inexperienced and very young 4NCL team, who were heavily outgraded in both rounds, this was an amazing start to their 4NCL career and each and everyone of them should be proud of their achievement. I have no doubt that they will go from strength to strength and become a strong and formidable team. The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Sally Coultas-Paul was: 1) Baven Balendran (Eton College and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 2) Nicholas Clanchy (Dulwich Prep and Lewisham CC); 3) Conor Murphy (Eltham College and Charlton CC); 4) Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich); 5) Alexei Davis (Eltham College and Lewisham CC) and 6) Barnaby Paul (Lancing College and Beckenham & Bromley CC). A photo of the team taken before the second round is attached. KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2009-10; Daventry.
The KJCA Kings team opened its 4NCL campaign against Oxford 3. We outgraded our opponents narrowly by an average of 41 FIDE rating points per board. The match was a bit more of a struggle than we had predicted beforehand, especially as our opponents defaulted the bottom board match. However, we pulled home by 4 – 2, which was converted into 4 – 1.5, as our opponents were docked 0.5 points under the new rules for defaulting games. The following day, the team had a tougher fixture against FCA Solutions 2, who outgraded us narrowly by an average of 40 FIDE rating points per board. However, we had beaten them towards the end of last season, so the team went in confident. It was a close contest throughout and the match looked as if it was heading for a draw. However, no one had reckoned on an amazing performance from Jasdeep Gahir. Playing the penultimate game and in a worse position, he played superbly in the time scramble leading up to the first time control to turn the game round completely and force his opponent to resign early into the second time period. This enabled the team to emerge with another 4 – 2 victory. This is the first time that the team has ever managed 2 wins on the first 4NCL weekend. It was just what the players had targeted, as in previous seasons excellent results late in the season had not been quite sufficient to overturn poor starts. In truth, we probably had a bit of luck but this in itself must be a good omen for the season. Pride of place over the weekend goes to William Jones, Victor Jones, Matt Lunn and Robert Maguire, all of whom achieved a win and a draw. The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss; 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 6) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC). A photo of the team before the Round 2 match is attached. NYCA Under 14 Championship, Telford, Saturday 26th September, 2009
EPSCA Under 11 National Final 2008-9; The team of 20 players plus 4 reserves, Chris Ward and a host of parents, made the trip to High Wycombe in a fleet of cars with the mission of defending our national Under 11 title. The team would have to play 3 rounds with 50 minutes each on the clocks. A total of 16 teams had qualified for the Final. The first round produced a solid 14/20 but left us in second place equal with Barnet but 3.5 points behind Nottinghamshire. Round 2 was our best producing another 17 points to close the gap on Nottinghamshire to 1.5 points, alone in second place. The final round produced another 16 points to take the overall result down to the last match in which a Nottinghamshire player, needing a draw, was a couple of pieces down but managed to turn the game round to leave them winners by 0.5 points over us in second place – quite a finish! The team had done very well, having scored 4 points more than in winning last year and were 10 points ahead of the third-placed team, but were still just short. This was, however, good enough to win the Audio Chess Grand Prix and its 1st prize of £150 for the overall results from this season’s EPSCA Primary inter-County Championships, having won the Under 9s and the Under 11 Girls’ Championships, 2 points ahead of Nottinghamshire. The reserves also did well to score 9.5/12 to finish in third place in the Reserves competition. 8 players won all their games: Patrick Smith (Amherst School, Riverhead and Westerham CC), Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich and Dulwich CC), Oliver Petrick (Amherst School and Sevenoaks CC), Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC), Elizabeth Elgar (Amherst School and Westerham CC), James Meredith (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), John-James Daley (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Daniel Reidy (Barming Primary). 6 other players were also unbeaten on the day: Alexei Davis (Eltham College and Lewisham CC), Conor Murphy (Eltham College and Charlton CC), Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary, Brockley and Lewisham CC), Hector Huser (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), Mano Sathyamurthy (Swalecliffe Primary, Whitstable and Herne Bay CC) and Vishal Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC). The full team, managed by Targino Kalid-Filho and Veronica Davis and coached by Chris Ward GM, in board order, was as follows: Alexei Davis, Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep), Rohan Shiatis (Estcots Primary and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Conor Murphy, Patrick Smith, Simon Leung, Yasmin Giles, Hector Huser, Oliver Petrick, Owen Messere (Eltham College and Lewisham CC), Robert Wang (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Rohan Bansal, Mano Sathyamurthy, Elizabeth Elgar, Sophie Wahts (Barming Primary), Vishal Shiatis, Mary Scott (St. James’ Primary, Tunbridge Wells), Rohan Rao (Eltham College), Alex Selway (Eltham College), James Meredith, John-James Daley, Thomas Morton (Eltham College and Lewisham CC), Daniel Heraghty (Rosemead Prep and Lewisham CC) and Daniel Reidy. The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Nottinghamshire 47.5; 2) Kent 47; 3) Barnet 37; 4) Sussex 36.5; 5) Hertfordshire 32.5; 6) Oxfordshire 31.5; 7) Yorkshire 30.5; 8) Manchester 30; 9) Berkshire 30; 10) Wey Valley 29.5; 11) Devon 27.5; 12) Oldham 26.5; 13) Richmond 24; 14) Essex 17.5; 15) Lancashire 16.5; 16) Buckinghamshire 16. The full official result of the Reserves competition was as follows: 1) Barnet 10.5; 2) Sussex 10; 3) Kent 9.5; 4=) Berkshire and Nottinghamshire 7.5; 6) Hertfordshire 6.5; 7) Oxfordshire 4.5; 8=) Essex and Wey Valley 4; 10=) Oldham and Yorkshire 3; 12) Richmond 1; 13=) Devon, Lancashire and Manchester 0. The full official result of the Audio Chess Grand Prix was as follows: 1) Kent 54 (£150); 2) Nottinghamshire 52 (£100); 3) Barnet 39 (£75); 4) Sussex 37 (£50); 5) Wey Valley 36; 6) Hertfordshire 28; 7) Berkshire 26; 8) Yorkshire 24; 9) Manchester 23; 10) Oxfordshire 22; 11) Staffordshire 17; 12=) Essex, Liverpool and Richmond 15; 15) Oldham 14; 16) Cheshire and North Wales 12; 17=) Buckinghamshire and Hampshire 11; 19=) Lancashire, Lincolnshire and Somerset 10; 22=) Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire 9; 24) Devon 8; 25) Wiltshire 5; 26) Norfolk 3; 27) Tameside 2. KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2008-9: Mortimer, Berkshire. The KJCA Kings team entered the final weekend of this season’s 4NCL campaign with a chance of gaining one of the 4 promotion slots to Division 2 from a starting position of only 1 point behind the team in fourth place. The players knew that they would have to play at their best against teams above them with the same incentive starting with a very difficult match against AMCA Dragons, the unbeaten team at the top of the league. We were outgraded by an average of 217 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 43 points) by AMCA Dragons. However, the team entered the weekend and the match with a very positive attitude and the realisation in this match that we needed to break the sequence which had seen our opponents remain unbeaten all season on any of their top 3 boards. This was achieved with Victor Jones winning and the other 2 top boards resulting in draws. Unfortunately, our opponents proved too strong in the latter stages of the matches on the bottom 3 boards resulting in a 2 – 4 defeat. Midway through it had looked as if we would win narrowly and the opposing captain graciously conceded that it was only the second time this season that he had thought that they were going to lose. This put us in a more difficult situation on the Sunday, knowing that we needed to win both our remaining matches and would still need to rely on other results. We were drawn against Guildford A&DC 4. We were again outgraded but more narrowly by 88 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 19 points). This was again a tough match in which we managed to see through our advantage to win by 3.5 – 2.5 with wins for all our players with White. This meant that we went into the last day of the season in sixth place two points behind the team in fourth place but still in with a chance but reliant on one other team above us slipping up even if we won. We were drawn against Littlethorpe 1, who were in third place also 2 points ahead of us. They had imported the notorious GM Danny Gormally, who used to do coaching for the KJCA, on board 1 to try to assure themselves of promotion. This made a hard task already more difficult with Lyall Bayliss consigned to the pleasure of playing him with Black! We were yet massively outgraded – by an average of 285 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 57 points). Our opponents needed to win to ensure their own promotion. Another long and very closely-contested match ensued but eventually we went down by 2.5 – 3.5. This meant that we finished 7th in the 32-strong league, our best finish to date. As we were only the 6th lowest graded team in the league, this and reaching the last day of the season with a chance of promotion, reflects superbly on the players. Pride of place over the final weekend goes to William Jones and Victor Jones, who both remained unbeaten but congratulations must go to all for giving their all against the odds. If the team had shown the form displayed in the last 3 weekends in the first 2 weekends, promotion would have been earned this season. They now know that they can compete against any opposition in this division next season. The full team over the weekend, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss, was varied as follows: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC) on Saturday and Sunday, Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School) on Monday; 2) Lyall Bayliss on Saturday, Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC) on Sunday, William Jones on Monday; 3) Victor Jones on Saturday and Monday, Lyall Bayliss on Sunday; 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC); 6) Robert Maguire (Wallington Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC).
EPSCA Under 9 National Final 2008-9; The Kent Under 9 team were on the road to Northampton from around 8 o’clock. The 12 players plus 4 reserves were accompanied by Des Tan FM, who commenced the day’s coaching at 10.30. Each player had to play 3 rounds in the jamboree draw with 40 minutes on each player’s clock in each game. The team made a good start scoring 9/12 in the 1st round to lead by 1 point from Berkshire. The reserves also started well with 2.5/4 points to stand in fourth place, just 0.5 points behind the three joint leaders. In the 2nd round, the team had Black on 11 boards but still managed a solid 8.5 points to drop back to second place, just 0.5 points behind Wey Valley. The reserves scored a further 2 points to move up to second place as well, still 0.5 points behind Nottinghamshire. Every player now had a lot to play for and went in for the third round very focussed and determined. We finished with an excellent 10 points for an aggregate of 27.5 points, including a win on board 3 in the head-to-head match with Wey Valley. This was sufficient to take victory in this event for the first time since 1998, 3 points ahead of Nottinghamshire. The reserves clocked up another 2 points to retain second place in the reserves competition with an aggregate of 6.5 points, just 0.5 points behind Hertfordshire. The team spirit and application throughout the day by all the players was excellent and their last round when a big performance was needed was exceptional. The best performances of the day came from Rohan Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Alex Selway (Eltham College Junior School), Zara Hussain (The Granville School, Sevenoaks and Westerham CC), Daniel Carstairs (Southborough Primary, Bromley and Petts Wood & Orpington CC), Harry Chathli (Dulwich College) and Angharad Jones (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), all of whom won all their games. The full team (photo attached), coached by Des Tan FM and managed by Krishna Shiatis and Peter Bayliss, in board order, was as follows: Rohan Shiatis, James Meredith (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Alex Selway, John-James Daley (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Rohan Datta (Fosse Bank, Hildenborough), Zara Hussain, Adam Fidler (Amherst School, Riverhead), Daniel Carstairs, Sachin Balaji (Eltham College Junior School), Harry Chathli, Hasan Rahij (Harenc School, Footscray), Alfie Shankland (Rose Hill, Tunbridge Wells), Francesco Bernardini (Bishop Challoner School, Shortlands), James Elgar (Amherst School and Westerham CC), Zakary Warsop (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Angharad Jones. The full official result was as follows: 1) Kent 27.5; 2) Nottinghamshire 24.5; 3) Wey Valley 23.5 (on tie-break); 4) Barnet 23.5; 5) Hertfordshire 21; 6) Berkshire 20.5; 7) Sussex 18; 8) Staffordshire 17.5; 9) Yorkshire 15.5; 10) Cheshire and North Wales 14; 11) Essex 13.5; 12) Lincolnshire 13; 13) Hampshire 11.5; 14) Richmond 8.5. The full official result of the Reserves competition was as follows: 1) Hertfordshire 7; 2) Kent 6.5; 3=) Barnet 6; 3=) Wey Valley 6; 5) Nottinghamshire 5; 6) Berkshire 3.5; 7) Sussex 3; 8=) Lincolnshire 2; 8=) Staffordshire 2. SCCU Under 18 Regional Final 2008-9; This Championship was played over 2 rounds with 65 minutes on the clocks. It was good to see that the entry had doubled to 4 teams (of 8 players) from last season. In the first round, we scored 3/8 to stand in 3rd place 3.5 points behind Surrey. In the second round, the team improved to 4.5 points to finish in 3rd place still 3.5 points behind the winners, Surrey. John Holden (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington) won both his matches while Dunstan Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC) and Barnaby Paul (Windlesham House, Washington and Beckenham & Bromley CC) were unbeaten in their two matches. The full team, managed by Peter Bayliss, in board order was: Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Dunstan Rodrigues, Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC), Barnaby Paul, Tim Weaver (Maidstone Grammar and Maidstone CC), Duncan Bell (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), John Holden and Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC). The final official Championship scores were: 1) Surrey 11; 2) Sussex 10; 3) Kent 7.5; 4) Buckinghamshire 3.5. SCCU Under 18/Under 90/Over 11 Regional Final 2008-9; There were 6 teams of 6 players competing over 2 rounds with 65 minutes on the clocks. In the first round, we scored 1.5 points to stand in equal fifth place, 4.5 points behind the leaders, Surrey. The team improved to 2.5 points in the second round to finish in joint fourth place on 4 points, a long way behind Surrey A, who scored a maximum 12 points. Alastair Thomas (Borden Grammar, Sittingbourne) and Benedict Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC) were both unbeaten on the day. The full team, managed by Sue Maguire, in board order, was: Sunil Parthiban (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Alastair Thomas, Benedict Rodrigues, Aravind Parthiban (Trinity School, Croydon), Billy Sargent (Hayes School and Westerham CC) and James Maguire (Shirley High School). The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Surrey A 12; 2) Coulsdon A 7.5; 3) Surrey B 6; 4=) Kent 4; 4=) Sussex 4; 6) Coulsdon B 2.5. EPSCA Under 11 Girls’ National Final 2008-9; Bolton; Saturday 28 March 2009.
The Kent Under 11 Girls’ team of 12 plus 4 reserves travelled to Bolton on Saturday March 28th 2009, most of whom braved the early start from London at 7.30am, with a group of parents in tow. This was perhaps the strongest team for many years, with most girls having played in a number of home and other tournaments over the past 2 years. There were 12 teams competing this year and each player had 50 minutes on their clock in a jamboree draw. The group was accompanied by WFM Ros Kieran, who provided valuable coaching during the day. KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2008-9; Hinckley. The KJCA Kings team continued its 4NCL campaign with a fixture against The Full Ponty. Although we were outgraded by an average of just over 85 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 17 points), we expected the match to be close. The games were hard-fought but we always retained a slight edge and finally got home by a margin of 4 – 2. The following day, our reward was a match against FCA Solutions 2. We were again outgraded by an average of just under 80 points per board (ECF equivalent: 16 points) but felt beforehand that it was likely to be a close-run affair. All the matches were closely contested but we just managed to squeeze home for a 3.5 – 2.5 win. This represented a fantastic weekend with the team extending its winning streak to 4 matches to give us a good chance of promotion going into the final 3-day weekend, just 1 point off the fourth promotion place. However, we are drawn against the top of the table AMCA Dragons side on the first day, so the team will need to play at its best over the last weekend to secure promotion. On the other hand, this gives us the chance to have a direct effect on the promotion picture. Pride of place over this weekend goes to William Jones and Victor Jones, who won both their games. The full team, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School and Westerham CC); 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC); 6) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC). EPSCA Under 11 Zonal 2008-9; Kent’s team of 20 plus 4 reserves plus many supporting parents made the short journey to Chingford for this season’s Under 11 Zonal. A total of 8 teams were competing for 5 places available in the National Final. Everybody had to play 3 games in the jamboree draw with 50 minutes on each clock. Des Tan FM attended to coach the players during the day. We made an excellent start scoring 15.5/20 in the 1st round, putting us in 1st place where we remained all day, 1.5 points ahead of Essex. We scored a further 16.5 points in the 2nd round to lead Barnet by 3.5 points. The final round produced a further 15 points to give us overall victory by 4 points over Barnet. This sent us forward into the final with confidence high but needing to guard against over-confidence. The reserves also won the Reserves competition with 10.5/12. Best performances came from Rohan Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Raunak Rao (Eltham College and Lewisham CC), Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary, Brockley and Lewisham CC), Hector Huser (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), Oliver Petrick (Amherst School, Riverhead and Sevenoaks CC), Owen Messere (Eltham College Junior School and Lewisham CC), Robert Wang (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Mary Scott (St. John’s Primary, Tunbridge Wells), Alexander Selway (Eltham College Junior School) and Joe Saddler (Platt Primary and Snodland CC), all of whom won all their 3 games. Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep), Conor Murphy (Eltham College Junior School and Charlton CC), Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep), Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC) and Rohan Rao (Eltham College Junior School) were all unbeaten on the day. The full team, managed by Targino Kalid and coached by Des Tan FM, in board order, was: Alexei Davis (Eltham College Junior School and Lewisham CC), Raphael Kalid, Rohan Shiatis, Conor Murphy, Patrick Smith (Amherst School and Westerham CC), Simon Leung, Yasmin Giles, Hector Huser, Oliver Petrick, Owen Messere, Robert Wang, Rohan Bansal, Mano Sathyamurthy (Swalecliffe Primary, Whitstable and Herne Bay CC), Sophie Wahts (Barming Primary), Vishal Shiatis (Estcots Primary and Beckenham & Bromley CC), James Wagstaff-Hall (Harenc School, Footscray), Elizabeth Elgar (Amherst School and Westerham CC), Rohan Rao, Thomas Morton (Eltham College Junior School and Lewisham CC), Daniel Reidy (Barming Primary), Mary Scott, Alexander Selway, John-James Daley (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Joe Saddler. The full official Zonal result was as follows: SCCU Under 14/Under 90 Zonal v Sussex 2008-9; We played the last qualifier in our U14/U90 group home to Sussex, having already qualified for the Final. This proved to be a tight affair, as had been our away fixture against the same opposition. After the first round, in which Sussex had White, we were in a narrow lead by 6.5 – 5.5. The second round, in which we had White, was even closer resulting in a 6 – 6 draw to give us an aggregate victory of 12.5 – 11.5. This gave us a 100% record in the qualifying group. The best performances came from Abigail Sathyamurthy (Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar, Canterbury and Herne Bay CC), Patrick Smith (Amherst School, Riverhead and Westerham CC), Sam Andrew (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington) and Aravind Parthiban (Trinity School, Croydon), all of whom were unbeaten on the day. The full squad, managed by David Stern and Melville Rodrigues, in board order, was as follows: Justin Brown (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Alexei Davis (Eltham College and Lewisham CC), Abigail Sathyamurthy, Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Patrick Smith, Sam Andrew, Aravind Parthiban, Hugh Saunders (Oxted School and Westerham CC), James Selway (Eltham College), Mano Sathyamurthy (Swalecliffe Primary, Whitstable and Herne Bay CC), Arthur Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Harry O’Connor (Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar) and Billy Sargent (Hayes School and Westerham CC). EPSCA Under 9 Zonal 2008-9; The Kent team of 12 plus 3 reserves made the trip to Northampton for the EPSCA Under 9 Zonal. A total of 7 teams were competing for 5 places in the National Final at the same venue 6 weeks hence. There was a jamboree draw over 3 rounds with 40 minutes on the clocks. Chris Ward GM accompanied the team as Coach. The day started badly with a second late withdrawal reducing the team to 14 players. This has not occurred for about 5 years. However, young Kiran Shiatis, an ever-cheerful Under 5, stepped forward to fill one of these gaps and permission for this substitution was granted by the Arbiter, Neville Belinfante. Ten members of the team were playing competitive inter-County chess for the first time but they got off to a great start with 10.5/12 in the first round to lead by 1.5 points from Barnet. A second round score of 8 saw us retain the lead but with a reduced margin of 1 point over Barnet. We faded further in the last round to score 7 points, which saw us finish on 25.5/36 in 2nd place, 1.5 points behind Barnet, who finished strongly. The old feature of scores falling away as the day progresses has been eliminated over the last couple of years, so some stamina training is clearly in order before the Final! We were obviously one player short in the reserves tournament but a good performance of 5/9 put us in 3rd place behind Barnet with 9/12. Michael Petrick (Amherst School, Riverhead) was the winner of the reserves competition as the only player to score 3/3. This was a good performance overall and the players can go into the Final confident about their chances. The best performances of the day came from Rohan Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Zara Hussain (The Granville School, Sevenoaks and Westerham CC), Sachin Balaji (Eltham College), Alfie Shankland (Rose Hill Prep, Tunbridge Wells) and Michael Petrick, all of whom won all their 3 games. The full team, managed by Julian Petrick, Krishna Shiatis and Peter Bayliss and coached by Chris Ward GM, in board order, was as follows: Rohan Shiatis, James Meredith (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), John-James Daley (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Alexander Selway (Eltham College), Rohan Datta (Fosse Bank School, Hildenborough), Zara Hussain, Daniel Carstairs (Southborough Primary, Bromley and Petts Wood & Orpington CC), Adam Fidler (Amherst School), Hasan Rahij (Harenc School, Footscray), Francesco Bernardini (Bishop Challoner School, Shortlands), Sachin Balaji, Alfie Shankland, Michael Petrick, Angharad Jones (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich) and Kiran Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead). Team photo is attached. The full official Zonal result was as follows: ECF Under 18 National Final 2008-9; Heanor; Saturday 28 February 2009.
The Kent Under 18 team set off (with 4 other teams) by coach from Eltham College to Derbyshire at 7.45 to defend its title for the third year in a row. This is the premier team event in junior chess in the UK. 6 teams of 12 players had entered for the Final. Each player had to play 2 matches with 75 minutes each on the clocks. We made a strong start and at the end of the first round had achieved 7 wins and 3 draws to share the lead on 8.5 points with a strong Nottinghamshire team with Surrey only 0.5 points behind in third place. This was an excellent performance by the team. In the second round, Nottinghamshire fell back a little but the position between ourselves and Surrey remained very close until we had only 3 games remaining, two of which were between the 2 counties. However, William Jones completed an excellent win on top board over his Surrey opponent to win the first of these. When Yari Voropayev turned a slight advantage into a win on board 3, Dunstan Rodrigues’ Surrey opponent on board 6 had to overcome pressure on the clock and on the board to tie the Championship. This was never really in prospect and a draw was agreed, leaving us 1 point clear. The team had responded splendidly to the pressure scoring another 8.5 points in the second round. This is Kent’s 8th win in the event, moving us ahead of Surrey overall and only trailing Middlesex with 16 wins and Warwickshire with 11. It was our third successive win, matching Lancashire’s record set from 1972-4, and our fourth win in 5 years, a new record. Our win capped a splendid day which saw our Under 18 Girls, Under 13s and Under 13 Girls win their national titles at the same venue. William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC), Yari Voropayev (Dulwich College and Crystal Palace & Croydon CC) and Constantine Philippou (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington) won both their games while Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC), Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School and Westerham CC), Dunstan Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC) and Duncan Bell (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC) were unbeaten on the day. The full team, managed by Peter Bayliss, in board order, with photograph above, was as follows: William Jones, Victor Jones, Yari Voropayev, Lyall Bayliss, Anthony Gregory (Judd School, Tonbridge and Maidstone CC), Dunstan Rodrigues, Michael Turner (Oakwood Park Grammar, Maidstone and Maidstone CC), Duncan Bell, John Holden (St. Olave’s Grammar), Constantine Philippou, Tim Weaver (Maidstone Grammar and Maidstone CC) and Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC). The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Kent 17; 2) Surrey 16; 3) Nottinghamshire 15; 4=) Norfolk and Sussex 10.5; 6) Northamptonshire 3. ECF Under 18 Minor National Final 2008-9; Heanor; The 2 Kent Under 18 Minor teams set off (with 4 other teams) by coach from Eltham College to Derbyshire at 7.45. Each player had to play 2 matches with 75 minutes each on the clocks. One of our teams was the Kent Under 18 Girls team that had won the ECF Under 18 Girls title by default. This was the first time we had held this title since 1995. Nevertheless, it was a pity that no one else had entered. The Kent team made a good start scoring 5/6 in the first round but this was only good enough for second place behind a strong Staffordshire side who scored a 6/6 maximum. We fell away a little in the second round scoring a further 3.5 points, which saw us finish in third place. The Kent Girls team found the going very tough but, after a disastrous first round, fought back well to score 3/6 to finish equal seventh. Benedict Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC) and Samuel Wahts (Maidstone Grammar) won both their games. The full Kent team, managed by Peter Bayliss, in board order, was as follows: Alexei Davis (Eltham College Junior School and Lewisham CC), Justin Brown (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Benedict Rodrigues, Udit Gadkary (St. Olave’s Grammar), Mano Sathyamurthy (Swalecliffe Primary, Whitstable and Herne Bay CC) and Samuel Wahts. The full Kent Girls team, managed by Tony Rao, in board order, was as follows: Georgiana Philippou (Langley Park Girls School, Beckenham), Abigail Sathyamurthy (Simon Langton Girls Grammar, Canterbury and Herne Bay CC), Sheila Subbiah (City of London Girls School), Zara Hussain (The Granville School, Sevenoaks and Westerham CC), Raveena Rao (Bromley High) and Helen Jones (Bromley High). The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Staffordshire 11; 2) Surrey 10; 3) Kent 8.5; 4) Lincolnshire 8; 5) Leicestershire 6.5; 6) Nottinghamshire 4.5; 7=) Kent Girls and Norfolk 3; 9) Derbyshire 1.5. ECF Under 13 National Final 2008-9; Heanor; Saturday 28 February 2009. The Kent Under 13 team set off (with 4 other teams) by coach from Eltham College to Derbyshire at 7.45. 10 teams of 6 players had entered for the Final. Each player had to play 4 matches with 30 minutes each on the clocks. We made a strong start and at the end of the first round had achieved 5 wins and a draw to lead on 5.5 points with a strong Sussex team only 0.5 points behind. This was an excellent performance by the team. A further 5 points followed in the second round to maintain our lead. From here though, the team took total control achieving a magnificent maximum of 6 points in both round three and in the last round. This left us having only conceded 1.5 points all day and with a clear 3.5 points margin over Sussex. Our win capped a splendid day which saw our Under 18s, Under 18 Girls and Under 13 Girls win their national titles at the same venue. Peter Andreev (Henry Cavendish Primary, Dulwich), Baven Balendran (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Rohan Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC) and Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich) won all their games. The full team, managed by Sally Paul, in board order, was as follows: Peter Andreev, Nicholas Clanchy (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich and Lewisham CC), Barnaby Paul (Windlesham House, Washington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Baven Balendran, Rohan Shiatis and Raphael Kalid. The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Kent 22.5; 2) Sussex 19; 3) Berkshire 16.5; 4) Hertfordshire 13.5; 5) Nottinghamshire 13; 6) Cheshire North Wales A 12; 7) Cheshire North Wales B 8.5; 8=) Leicestershire, Norfolk and Northamptonshire 5. ECF Under 13 Girls National Final 2008-9; Heanor; The Kent Under 13 Girls team set off (with 4 other teams) by coach from Eltham College to Derbyshire at 7.45. Disappointingly, only one other team – Sussex had entered for the Final, so it would be a head-to-head between the two teams. Each player had to play 4 matches with 30 minutes each on the clocks. The first round resulted in a 3 – 3 draw. From this point though, the team gradually took control. We won the second round 4 – 2 and repeated the same score line in round three. This left us needing only 1.5 points in the last round for victory. However, our slight edge continued in the last round with a 3.5 – 2.5 score to leave us victors by 5 points. Our win capped a splendid day which saw our Under 18s, Under 18 Girls and Under 13s win their national titles at the same venue. The best performances came from Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary, Brockley and Lewisham CC) and Ella Seagrove (Amherst School, Riverhead), both of whom scored 3/4. The full team, managed by Tony Rao, in board order, was as follows: Yasmin Giles, Elizabeth Elgar (Amherst School and Westerham CC), Vishal Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Sophie Wahts (Barming Primary), Ella Seagrove and Lucy Ayliffe (St. John’s Primary, Tunbridge Wells). The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Kent 14.5; 2) Sussex 9.5. KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2008-9; Staverton, Northamptonshire. The KJCA Kings team continued its 4NCL campaign with a fixture against SCS. After the previous disastrous weekend, we found ourselves in the rare position of outgrading the opposition by an average of 65 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 13 points). SCS defaulted the bottom board and we eventually ran out with a 4 – 2 win. The following day, we were drawn against Guildford ADC5, a team with a similar average grade to us. Again the opposition defaulted the bottom board and that was just the start of one of those rare days on which absolutely everything goes in your favour. For the first time, the team scored a 6 – 0 victory. The two victories over the weekend put us back in with a chance of making a late run for promotion, just 3 points outside the fourth promotion place with 5 matches to play. Pride of place over the weekend goes to William Jones, who won both his matches. The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School and Westerham CC); 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC); 6) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC). Jasdeep and Robert swapped boards on the Sunday. SCCU Under 14/Under 90 Zonal v Essex 2008-9; We resumed the defence of our U14/U90 title with a trip away to Essex in our third fixture in the qualifying group knowing that a win would mean that we had won the group and qualified for the Final. This was almost certain after the first round, in which we had White, and had moved into a commanding 10 – 2 lead. The second round, in which Essex had White, was slightly closer resulting in a 9 – 3 win for us to give us aggregate victory by 19 – 5. The best performances came from Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Benedict Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Crystal Palace & Croydon CC), Sam Andrew (St. Olave’s Grammar), Orlando Devoy (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Christopher Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), James Selway (Eltham College) and Nikhil Math (St. Olave’s Grammar), all of whom won both their matches. The full squad, managed by David Stern and Melville Rodrigues, in board order, was as follows: Justin Brown (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Raphael Kalid, Raunak Rao, Benedict Rodrigues, Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College Junior School), Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Sam Andrew, Orlando Devoy, Hugh Saunders (Oxted School and Westerham CC), Christopher Stern, James Selway, Arthur Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Nikhil Math and Timur Basaran (St. Olave’s Grammar). KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2008-9; Hinckley. The KJCA Kings team continued its 4NCL campaign with a fixture against Metropolitan, who finished third in the division last season and would have been promoted were it not for the re-organisation of the league. We were outgraded by an average of 162 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 32 points). The match turned into a tight struggle but we never really looked like achieving better than a draw. The team eventually lost by the narrowest margin, 2.5 – 3.5. The following day, the team’s reward was possibly an even more difficult fixture against the Braille Chess Association, who had finished fifth in the division last season. We were heavily outgraded by an average of 229 points per board (ECF equivalent: 46 points). At the outset, it was felt that this would be tough even if everyone could play well. However, it turned into a closely-contested match in which we looked as if we might achieve a result for a while. However, their strength on their top 3 boards eventually told and the team went down by 2 – 4. Pride of place over the weekend must go to Matt Lunn and Laurence Jones, who were both unbeaten. This was, however, perhaps our most disappointing weekend since the first weekend of last season. The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School and Westerham CC); 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 6) Laurence Jones (Lewisham CC). SCCU Under 14/Under 90 Zonal v Essex 2008-9 We faced Essex at Dulwich College in our second qualifying match in the group. The match turned out to be an emphatic victory. In the first round, Essex had White but we only conceded a lone draw to establish an overwhelming 11.5 – 0.5 lead. We added a 9.5 – 2.5 score with White in the second round for a 21 – 3 overall win to maintain our 100% record in the group. The best performances came from Justin Brown (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), Alexei Davis (Eltham College), Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC), Patrick Smith (Amherst School, Riverhead and Westerham CC), Sam Andrew (St. Olave’s Grammar), Orlando Devoy (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Christopher Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), all of whom won both their matches and from Arthur Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Nikhil Math (St. Olave’s Grammar), who were both unbeaten on the day. The full squad, managed by David Stern and Melville Rodrigues, in board order, was as follows: Justin Brown, Raphael Kalid, Alexei Davis, Raunak Rao, Rohan Bansal, Patrick Smith, Sam Andrew, Aravind Parthiban (Trinity, Croydon), Orlando Devoy, Christopher Stern, Arthur Stern, Nikhil Math, Billy Sargent (Hayes School and Westerham CC) and Rachel Smith (Amherst School and Westerham CC) SCCU Under 14/Under 90 Zonal v Sussex 2008-9; We took the first step towards the defence of our U14/U90 title with a tough trip away to Sussex in our first of 4 fixtures in the qualifying group. This proved to be a tight affair. After the first round, in which Sussex had White, we were in a narrow lead by 7 – 5. The second round, in which we had White, was even closer resulting in a 6 – 6 draw to give us an aggregate victory of 13 – 11. The best performances came from Benedict Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Crystal Palace & Croydon CC), Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Orlando Devoy (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Harry O’Connor (Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar), all of whom won both their matches and from Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC), Nikhil Math (St. Olave’s Grammar), and Billy Sargent (Hayes School and Westerham CC), all of whom were unbeaten on the day. The full squad, managed by David Stern and Melville Rodrigues, in board order, was as follows: Justin Brown (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), Raunak Rao, Benedict Rodrigues, Rohan Bansal, Simon Leung, Orlando Devoy, Christopher Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Nikhil Math, Arthur Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Samuel Wahts (Maidstone Grammar), Billy Sargent and Harry O’Connor ECGCF Under 11 Girls National Final 2008-9; A team of 6 girls and 2 reserves travelled to Oxford for this season’s Whitehead Cup. Tony Rao, Under 11 Girls Team Manager, accompanied the team on the day. The girls had to play 3 rounds in a jamboree draw with 35 minutes on each player’s clock in each game. Although only 3 other teams had entered, these were known to be the 3 strongest teams at national level. All the girls were seasoned Rapidplay players and this became evident as they racked up 4.5/6 in the first round. This consistency was maintained over round 2 (4.5) and round 3 (5), taking the team a clear 5 points ahead of their nearest competitor by the end of the tournament, finishing on an astounding 14/18. This was a most dramatic improvement on last year’s score of 7, with a mostly unchanged team. It was Kent’s first victory in the Whitehead Cup since 2003. The best performances of the day came from Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary, Brockley and Lewisham CC), Sophie Wahts (Barming Primary) and Zara Hussain (The Granville School, Sevenoaks and Westerham CC), all of whom won all their 3 matches. Raveena Rao (Bromley High) and Helen Jones (Bromley High) finished a commendable first and second in the Reserves Tournament, which was also won by Kent with 5/6. The full squad, managed by Tony Rao and coached by WFM Ros Kieran, in board order, was as follows: Yasmin Giles, Elizabeth Elgar (Amherst School, Riverhead and Westerham CC), Sophie Wahts, Ella Seagrove (Amherst School), Lucy Ayliffe (St. John’s Primary, Tunbridge Wells) and Zara Hussain. The full official result was as follows: 1) Kent 14; 2) Surrey 9; 3=) Oxford and Sussex 6.5. NYCA Under 16 National Final 2008-9; A convoy of cars carried the team (and the Under 12s) to Birmingham. As last season, 8 teams had entered. The first round saw us make a strong start on 6.5/8 to lead the field. The second round was our best with 7 points to put us into a commanding lead. From this point, the team started to flag somewhat but would the lead be large enough to hold on? The third round was our worst with 4.5 points but we still lead Berkshire by 2 points and Sussex by 3 points with the others too far behind to catch us. Although we lost both the head-to-heads against our nearest rivals in the last round, we still scored 5.5 points to total 23.5. Berkshire also scored 5.5 to win, 2 points behind us in second place with Sussex 3 points behind us in third. The best performances came from Victor Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC) and Michael Turner (Oakwood Park Grammar, Maidstone and Maidstone CC), who were both unbeaten on the day. The full team, managed by Sue Maguire, in board order, was as follows: The full official Championship result was as follows: NYCA Under 12 National Final 2008-9; A convoy of cars transported the team to Birmingham (along with the Under 16s). The team did well to finish second out of the 8 entrants, albeit a long way behind Sussex. In the first round, we scored 6/12. The second round was our best scoring 7.5 points. In the third round, we again scored 6 points. This left us level in second place with Lancashire with Berkshire and Warwickshire both 1.5 points behind us going into the final round. We had slightly the better of the head-to-head battles against these 3 counties in the last round to score 7 points and finish in second place 0.5 points ahead of Lancashire with Berkshire another 0.5 points further back. The best performances of the day came from Conor Murphy (Eltham College and Charlton CC) and Ella Seagrove (Amherst School, Riverhead), who both won all their games. Special mention must also be made of 7-year old, Michael Petrick (Amherst School), who came in as an emergency replacement owing to another player falling ill. The full team, managed by Targino Kalid and Julian Petrick, both standing in as late replacements for Kandy Reddiar, in board order, was: Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC), Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary, Brockley and Lewisham CC), Conor Murphy, Hector Huser (Rosemead Prep), Oliver Petrick (Amherst School and Sevenoaks CC), Samuel Wahts (Maidstone Grammar), Sophie Wahts (Barming Primary), Elizabeth Elgar (Amherst School and Westerham CC), Ella Seagrove and Michael Petrick. The full official result was as follows: 1) Sussex 41; 2) Kent 26.5; 3) Lancashire 26; 4) Berkshire 25.5; 5) Warwickshire 24; 6) South Wales 22; 7) Cheshire & North Wales 17; 8) Devon 10 KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2008-9; Sunningdale.
The KJCA Kings team opened its 4NCL campaign with a difficult fixture against White Rose 2. We were outgraded by an average of 221 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 44 points). For a while in the middle game stage, it looked as if the team might pull off a narrow win against the odds. However, our opponents managed to turn most of the games round completely and in the end, the team lost by a heavy margin, 1 – 5. This wasn’t a fair reflection of the overall contest and was really just a bad day at the office. Still, this was the sort of defeat that we had avoided all last season and would need to avoid happening again if the season was to be successful. The following day, the team had an easier fixture against Halesowen whom we outgraded by 64 points per board (ECF equivalent: 13 points). At the outset, it was felt that this was an opportunity to get the previous day’s debacle out of our system, especially as we had beaten the same opposition narrowly last season. The match resulted in our best ever win in the league by 5.5 – 0.5, although this was perhaps a bit harsh on our opponents who had contested the top 3 boards particularly fiercely. However, it got us off the mark for the season. It was pleasing that everyone contributed to the score over the weekend. Pride of place must go to Robert Maguire and Jasdeep Gahir, who were both unbeaten. The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School and Crowborough CC); 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 6) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC) NYCA Under 18 National Final 2008-9; Birmingham; Saturday 4 October 2008. The team travelled in convoy, arriving at about 10.40. Many thanks to the drivers – Sue Maguire, Stuart Bell and Bala Balendran. The team of 8 would have to play 4 matches each with 45 minutes each per match. 10 teams had entered – a welcome improvement on last season. We made a slow start scoring 3 out of 8 in the 1st round to lie in sixth place. The 2nd round was our best, scoring 4.5 points to rise to fifth but well behind the leaders. Anything better than fourth on the day was already looking difficult and from this point on, results deteriorated. The 3rd round was our worst, scoring only 2 points, which dropped us to eighth. 3 points in the last round was not enough to alter this and we finished in eighth place a long way behind the winners, Warwickshire, who retained their title. The best performance of the day came from John Holden (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington) with 3 points out of 4. The full team, managed by Peter Bayliss, in board order, was: Anthony Gregory (The Judd School, Tonbridge and Maidstone CC), Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Michael Turner (Oakwood Park Grammar, Maidstone and Maidstone CC), Baven Balendran (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Siddhu Viswanath (St. Olave’s Grammar), John Holden, Duncan Bell (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC) and Nick Nicheperovich (Dulwich College). The full official result was as follows: 1) Warwickshire 24; 2) Berkshire 23; 3) Surrey 19; 4) Oldham 18; 5) Cheshire and North Wales 15; 6=) Lancashire and South Wales 14.5; 8) Kent 12.5; 9) Hampshire 12; 10) Sussex 7. Kent Under 18s v KCCA Adults; Barming; Sunday 22 June 2008. The Kent Under 18 team played their annual friendly fixture against the Kent Adults at Barming this year. The adults outgraded us by an average of 32 points this year, so even allowing for the improvement in junior grades each year, we had a tough match on our hands. Each player had one game with a time limit for each player of 90 minutes for 36 moves plus 30 minutes to finish. This season’s fixture was tinged with sadness following the recent death of Ivor Smith of Petts Wood & Orpington CC, who was the prime original instigator of this annual fixture from the Adults’ side in 2003. Ivor was also the captain of the Kent Under 125 team and will be much missed by all who knew him. In his honour, the teams will in future play this fixture for the Ivor Smith Memorial Trophy and play commenced after a minute’s silence in his memory. This year the Adults managed to draw level 2-2 lead in the series with a 6.5-5.5 win. All the games were closely contested and there were wins for Tim Weaver (Maidstone Grammar and Maidstone CC), Barnaby Paul (Windlesham House, Washington), Duncan Bell (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Eugene Daley (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Baven Balendran (Dulwich College Prep and Beckenham & Bromley CC). The full team, managed by Peter Bayliss, in board order was as follows: Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School and Westerham CC), Dunstan Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC), Matt Bunn (North-West Kent College, Dartford and Snodland CC), Tim Weaver, Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC), Barnaby Paul, Duncan Bell, Eugene Daley, Baven Balendran, Rohan Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Coulsdon CC), Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich) and Benedict Rodrigues (Dulwich |
