wblitz03

Blitz Championship 2002-03

7^th January 2003

Controller: Ian Hunnable

No.	Name	Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total	Prize
4	Whitton T D	151	13wW	7bD	9wW	3bL	12wW	1wW	19bW	5½	I
2	Winkworth J	170	11wD	17bW	3wL	16bW	6wD	9bW	1bW	5	=II-III
6	Barclay P R	147	15wW	9bW	1wD	19bL	2bD	10wW	3wW	5	=II-III
1	Marden L E	173	10bW	19wW	6bD	7wW	3wW	4bL	2wL	4½	=IV
3	Gilmour S G	162	12bW	14wW	2bW	4wW	1bL	19wD	6bL	4½
7	Smith David	138	16bW	4wD	8bW	1bL	9wL	13bW	10wW	4½
19	Murrell M R A	120	bye-W	1bL	18wW	6wW	10bW	3bD	4wL	4½
9	Burtt L J	130	18bW	6wL	4bL	17wW	7bW	2wL	8bW	4
13	Winkworth T	105	4bL	10wL	5wW	14bW	8bW	7wL	11bW	4
16	De Jong W	81	7wL	5bW	17wD	2wL	11bL	12wW	14bW	3½	GP
8	Brown G M	136	17wD	11bD	7wL	15bW	13wL	14bW	9wL	3
10	Keehner J R	130	1wL	13bW	11wW	12bW	19wL	6bL	7bL	3
11	Heyman R	113	2bD	8wD	10bL	5wL	16wW	15bW	13wL	3
12	Burns S	108	3wL	15bW	14wW	10wL	4bL	16bL	5wW	3
15	O'Regan A F	82	6bL	12wL	bye-W	8wL	5bW	11wL	17bW	3
14	Charles A	92	5wW	3bL	12bL	13wL	17bW	8wL	16wL	2
17	Niewerf A	73	8bD	2wL	16bD	9bL	14wL	5bW	15wL	2
5	Artman T	150	14bL	16wL	13bL	11bW	15wL	17wL	12bL	1
18	Dixon T L	64	9wL	bye-W	19bL	W/D	****	****	****	1/3
Key for columns for each round: Opp No., colour, result. GP = Grading Prize

The entry, at 18, was a little down on recent times, but more than enough to justify the second outing for John Campbell’s Swiss pairing computer program. This device cuts down significantly on administration time required to make the draw for each round. The format was 7 rounds Swiss pairing, with 10 minutes on each clock per game.

This season’s Blitz Championship proved to be one of the most open contests we have had for some time, with no fewer than four players in a tie for the leading score at the start of the last round!

Steve Gilmour set the early pace, winning four games off the reel, and seemed to be striding away with it, having accounted for two of his strongest rivals in Julian Winkworth and Terry Whitton. The leading scores at this point were Gilmour, 4; Marden, 3½; Murrell & Keehner, 3; Barclay, Whitton & Winkworth J, 2½. Then Gilmour hit choppy waters, losing to top seed Larry Marden who thereby took over the lead on 4½ points ahead of Gilmour and a resurgent Mark Murrell on 4 points, with Whitton 3½.

The pot took another stir in the 6th round with Larry Marden being the second leader in successive rounds to fall to a challenger, going down to Terry Whitton. Meanwhile, Gilmour drew with Murrell to bring the number of players on the lead score to four. So, at the start of the last round it was: Gilmour, Marden, Murrell & Whitton, 4½; Winkworth J & Barclay, 4.

The leading pairings in the final round were Murrell (4½) v Whitton (4½), Marden (4½) v Winkworth J (4) and Barclay (4) v Gilmour (4½). Marden’s bid failed with his second consecutive defeat, Gilmour lost on time to Barclay, but the board 1 pairing saw Whitton defeat Murrell to take the Blitz Championship for 2002-03 with 5½ points. The prize list was completed by Barclay and Winkworth J, equal 2nd-3rd, and a quadruple tie for fourth prize between Marden, Gilmour, David Smith and Murrell, all with 4. Wim de Jong won the grading prize (U100) with 3½.

IDH

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