Congress – latest

After six rounds, GM Allan Stig Rasmussen (DEN) is in the lead with 5.5 points, followed by GM SP Sethuraman (IND), GM Aleksandr Fier (BRA), GM Deep Sengupta (IND) and GM Murali Karthikeyan (IND) all on 4.5. Sixteen players now have 4/5 points.

The  5 Round Weekend Tournament ended on Sunday evening and the results were as follows —

Weekend Major
1 Tobias Stock (Broadstairs) 4.5; 2= James McDonnell (Streatham), Henry Cove (Weald of Kent) 4
Grading Prize= Amardip Ahluwalia (), Anantha Anilkumar (KICA Kings), Carl Gartside (Clay Cross) 3.5

Weekend Minor
1= Geoffrey Bishop (Chislehurst), Marc Bryant (Hastings & St Leonards), Lee Bullock (Hackney) 4

GP= David J.Fowler ( ), Jeremy Hudson (Hastings & St Leonards), Mason Woodhams (Hastings & St Leonards) 2.5

Weekend Under 120
1 Alan Fraser (Beckenham & Bromley) 4; 2= David Howes (CCF & South Norwood), Timothy Allen (Battersea & City), Neil Lang (Chislehurst), Paul Buswell (Hastings & St Leonards), Susan Chadwick (Brighton & Hove), William Stock (Hastings & St Leonards), Britta Brodstein () 3.5
GP U80 atrice Tournier (Hastings & St Leonards); GP 99-80= David Everitt (Haywards Heath), Keerthana Easwar (Milton Keynes)

The  4 round New Year Morning and Afternoon tournaments are now in progress. The 7th round of the Masters opens with GM Rasmussen in the lead on 5.5/7 and it will be interesting to see if the groups in second and third place are split up after today’s games. Chris Ward will be doing his usual commentary at 14.45 and this evening there will be a FIDE-rated Blitz at the White Rock Hotel, starting at 20.30hrs.

The Sussex Junior Chess Tournament took place over two days, and had a very good entry, as ever, at St. Mary Star of the Sea School. GM David Howell came to present the prizes and was joined in the line-up of presenters by Mr. Niloy Chakraborty, who is Coach of the Indian Deaf & Dumb Chess Team and a junior school coach. He has played many times in Hastings Congress and this time won his section of the Christmas tournament …