WORLD’S FIRST FIDE-rated Blitz Event!

FIDE have decided to try a new venture which is creating a new Blitz Rating List. It will first appear 1 July. Hastings is often in the forefront of innovation in chess and the results only started being collected from 1 January 2012. Thus we seized the opportunity to have another world first. It was held at the White Rock Hotel on 2 January and attracted over 40 competitors and a certain mount of media attention. It was deliberately a low-maintenance event and was arranged as sections of 10 all-play-all with the top tournament being a 6 player double rounder. The last time there were round robins here other than for leading players was I believe 1964. Con Power has been running the congress for many years and had never come across all-play-alls before apart from the Premier.

In order to make up the numbers I played throughout in one section. Thus I organised the event, with the help of Con and Pam Thomas, acted as arbiter and played. As far as I can remember the last time I did this was in 1977. Of course there were no disputes. The top section was won by Mark Hebden with 7½/10. He didn’t even know there was a prize of £12. Keith Arkell came second with 7 and he got £8. A triumph for maturity! Simon Williams also took part and I only thought afterwards that a Blitz GM norm would have been possible. That is, provided title norms are introduced next year; that they can be applied retrospectively and that the norm system is identical to the current one for standardplay.

See the pix – https://hastingschess.com/?page_id=895

Players were already asking that it be repeated later this week [results to follow]