Ealing Lightning Championship -The Result
: Created:18 Jul 2008 , byVeljko Stanisic was the overall victor of yesterday's 13th Ealing Lightning Championship outstripping the field by one and a half points. Alastair Johnstone, Anuurai Sainbayar and Gerry Blick also won trophies for their winning performances in their grading bands.
Twenty-one players entered last night's thirteenth lightning championship and once again it was thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable evening with some excellent chess played although of course with the abbreviated time limit (ten minutes for each player), inevitably there were plenty of blunders. As before it was an all-play-all format with competitors finding as many opponents as possible in the two and a half hour playing session.
Veljko Stanisic, three times a previous winner was triumphant once again with an unbeaten and outstanding score of nine points. John Quinn and Sainbayar Tserendorj shared second and third spots with seven and a half points.
In the 100 to 135 grading band we warmly congratulate Alastair Johnstone on his second victory in three years with four and a half points. George Zusin finished half a point behind Alastair.
Perhaps the most extraordinary achievements of the night were recorded in the fiercely contested under one hundred bracket. Twice champion Richard Mwangi was the man to beat but Anuurai Sainbayar won their individual game to reach what looked to be a outright winning score of six points. However, "It's not all over until the fat lady sings" and Gerry Blick drew level with Anuurai in one of the last games to finish to give them joint first place in this category.
The four first place competitors were given diamond encrusted, solid gold trophies to keep.
A more detailed report will follow and if my shaky photography and minuscule understanding of digital cameras allow, it will be illustrated with pictures.
Regards and thanks to all who supported Ealing Chess Club last night on an evening that demonstrated the club's dedication to grassroots chess.