We are back! It seems hardly five minutes ago that we were about to launch the 97th Congress, yet twelve months have flown by and the Horntye Park Sports Complex once again kindly hosts us. Entries are slightly up on last year (at least, it appears that way) and the playing hall was nicely full as we settled down for the opening.
John Ashworth, CEO of our sponsor Caplin Systems Ltd., reminded us of some of the greats who have played in Hastings throughout the years. The list of past winners, included in the Congress programme, is truly impressive. It is quite something to contemplate the rich history of this Congress, its roots stretching back to the famous 1895 event, although the series of annual tournaments here properly begins in 1920.
Dominic Lawson, President of the English Chess Federation, made the ceremonial first move on board one. Chief Arbiter Alex McFarlane then gave his customary command: ”Will you please start White’s clock!”, and the games began. A few places remained empty, notably those of four Masters players travelling from Martinique. Yesterday their flight from Paris was cancelled (as were many others) due to fog at UK airports. Today they had further adventures but, just in time, arrived and were able to play their games.
This year the schedule is shortened, with a faster time control in the Masters and two double-round days. Pairings are made using an accelerated system, in theory giving norm-seekers a better chance of achieving norms. The stronger players did not have things all their own way, although most scored the full point. The biggest upset was by 13 year-old Emils Steiners from Latvia, who inflicted a surprising defeat on GM Shreyas Royal, himself only 15. Another of our strong young players, IM Svyatoslav Bazakutsa, 16, came unstuck against senior expert Cliff Chandler.
There were many other interesting games. IM Andrew Muir, from Scotland, stood better, then level against Iceland’s top ranked player GM Vignir Stefansson, but a blunder cost him the game. A convincing victory was recorded by China’s Haowen Xue (16 years old and rated over 2500) who dazzled James Golding with sharp sacrificial play straight out of the opening.
Sunday sees two rounds, at 10am and then again at 3pm. These times are the same for the three Con Power tournaments, played parallel to the Masters.