It is several years since Trefor Thynne revived Devon’s Team Blitz tournament after it lapsed as traditional season starter. It is for teams of 4 players, each having 12 minutes on the clock for all moves, and 6 rounds played on a Swiss system. Its regular venue has been the Newton Abbot Club
Each year there have been a few more teams involved, with a new trophy added in each of the last 3 years to reflect the renewed interest. However, this year the number of teams entered dropped to 8, and several of these were not as strong as in recent years. In view of this, it was decided to change it to an all-play-all tournament of 7 rounds, with the tea break abolished to keep the timings about the same.
Round 1 paired Exmouth Eagles against a Newton Abbot team led by former Devon and West of England Champion Dominic Mackle. Normally this would have been a top-of-the-table affair, but when it finished 4 – 0 to the Eagles it was clear something unexpected was afoot. There was an element of luck involved as, at the end of the top game, Stephens had 10 seconds left compared to Mackle’s 60, and yet somehow managed to win on time. From then on the Eagles never looked back. At the start of the 7th and final round, three of them still had maximum points. Then Underwood lost, leaving Stephens and Gosling as the only two on 100%, the tie break giving the new Individual trophy to Stephens by virtue of it being gained on Bd. 1.
The other excellent team performance was by Sidmouth Juniors, comprising two set of brothers, the Susevee and Bacon boys, who, with the 2nd lowest team grade total, accumulated 13 points and the U-450 Cup.
The evnt was organised by Trefor Thynne and controlled by Ray Chubb.
Here are summary charts showing where all the points went.
| No. | Team | Grd | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Award |
| 1 | Exmouth Eagles | 683 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 22½ | 25½ | Thomas Cup |
| 2 | Newton Abbot | 560 | 0 | 4 | 6½ | 9½ | 12½ | 15½ | 18½ | Hodge Cup (U-600) |
| 3 | Tiverton | 595 | 2 | 5 | 7½ | 8½ | 12 | 16 | 17 | |
| 4 | Teignmouth A | 515 | 2½ | 5½ | 7½ | 11½ | 12 | 12½ | 13½ | |
| 5 | Sidmouth Juniors | 373 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 10½ | 13 | U-450 Cup |
| 6 | Exmouth Egrets | 477 | 1½ | 2½ | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7½ | 10 | |
| 7 | TQ B.G.S. | 386 | 2 | 3 | 4½ | 6½ | 6½ | 7½ | 9 | |
| 8 | Teignmouth B | 324 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5½ |
| Team | Bd | Name | rd ► | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Tot | |
| 1 | Exmouth Eagles | vs ► | 2 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 3 | |||
| 1 | J. K. Stephens | 194 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 2 | J. Underwood | 179 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 3 | C. J. Scott | 157 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 5½ | ||
| 4 | B. G. Gosling | 153 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| totals | 683 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3½ | 3 | 25½ | |||
| vs ► | 1 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 4 | |||||
| 2 | Newton Abbot | 1 | D. Mackle | 203 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4½ |
| 2 | T. F. Thynne | 161 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 3 | M. Hussey | 113 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4 | J. Blackmore | 83 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| totals | 560 | 0 | 4 | 2½ | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 18½ | |||
| vs ► | 5 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 1 | |||||
| 3 | Tiverton | 1 | S. Bartlett | 169 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4½ |
| 2 | I. S. Annetts | 162 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3 | K. P. Atkins | 157 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 4½ | ||
| 4 | B. Aldwin | 107 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| totals | 595 | 2 | 3 | 2½ | 1 | 3½ | 4 | 1 | 17 | |||
| vs ► | 6 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| 4 | Teignmouth A | 1 | A. W. Brusey | 176 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3½ |
| 2 | C. Doidge | 122 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3 | G. Bramley | 117 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 4 | ||
| 4 | W. Tindall | 100 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| totals | 515 | 2½ | 3 | 2 | 4 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 13½ | |||
| vs ► | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 8 | |||||
| 5 | Sidmouth Juniors | 1 | G. Sussevee | 126 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 2½ |
| 2 | N. Bacon | 124 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 3½ | ||
| 3 | Guy Sussevee | 194 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 4 | O. Bacon | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| totals | 373 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2½ | 2½ | 13 | |||
| vs ► | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 7 | |||||
| 6 | Exmouth Egrets | 1 | O. E. Wensley | 149 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | R. H. Jones | 129 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1½ | ||
| 3 | S. Blake | 102 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 2½ | ||
| 4 | F. R. Hodge | 97 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| totals | 477 | 1½ | 1 | 1½ | 0 | 2 | 1½ | 2½ | 10 | |||
| vs ► | 8 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |||||
| 7 | TQ B.G.S. | 1 | V. Ramesh | 131 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3½ |
| 2 | J. Wray | 110 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3 | V. Wells | 82 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ||
| 4 | B Sanders-Wyatt | 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||
| totals | 386 | 2 | 1 | 1½ | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1½ | 9 | |||
| vs ► | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 5 | |||||
| 8 | Teignmouth B | 1 | M. Rickard | 95 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ |
| 2 | A. Webster | 92 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 3 | M. White | 80 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 4 | P. Darlow | 57 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| totals | 324 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1½ | 5½ |
Round 1 gets under way.
The Eagles (l) meet the "Newts".
The Egrets (l) were no match for the Eagles in Rd. 4
Teignmouth A (r) vs Teignmouth B
Start of the final round.
Angela Susevee presents the U-450 cup to her son Greg.
Fred Hodge presents his U-600 cup to Dominic Mackle.
John Stephens receives the Thomas Cup.
John Stephens receives the individual trophy.
The Eagles - Dominant on the day: (l-r) Stephens, Underwood, Scott & Gosling.