Ten teams of 4 players of all ages gathered at the Newton Abbot Chess Club on Sunday afternoon for DCCA’s annual team Blitz. This was 2 more teams than last year, but still far short of the days of yore when over 20 teams would assemble at either Oldway Mansion, Paignton or the Pretoria Hotel, Okehampton. To encourage more participation the number of trophies has now risen to five; the original Thomas Cup for the team scoring the most game points over 6 rounds. There’s another prize for the individual highest scorer; where scores are equal the points scored on the higher board are the tie-break. In addition, there are cups for the team whose total grade is U-600 and one for U-450, and not forgetting the Cup for the best score by a teamof juniors. So there was plenty to play for.
Exmouth Eagles had an even stronger team than last year in a bid to retain the main trophy, but so had Tiverton, while Exeter had two teams that fitted neatly into the grade limits for the minor cups. With 8 teams last year, by having an extra round (7) it was possible to have an all-play-all format, but this was clearly not possible with 10 teams and a creaky Swiss sytem had to be used.
The event’s convenor, Trefor Thynne, acted as Arbiter, and did well to keep track of the pairings, the incoming results and the charts. Refreshments were available throughout the afternoon organised by Jacqui Barber-Lafon and her team.
At the end of an afternoon of breathless excitement and tension, the final scores went more or less to form. The top 3 graded teams did indeed finish in that order, with Exeter B equalling their senior partners, both teams winning a Graded Cup. Torquay Tigers just pipped Sidmouth Juniors by a half point for the Junior Cup.
Here are the full details, with some pictures to follow:
| Grd | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| 1 | Exmouth Eagles | 736 | 4 | 7½ | 10½ | 12½ | 16½ | 20½ | 1st | Thomas Cup |
| 2 | Tiverton Titans | 688 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9½ | 13½ | 17 | 2nd | |
| 3 | Exeter A | 598 | 4 | 4½ | 7 | 8½ | 11½ | 14½ | 3rd= | U-600 Cup |
| 4 | Exeter B | 442 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 7½ | 10½ | 14½ | 3rd= | U-450 Cup |
| 5 | Newton Abbot A | 552 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 5th | |
| 6 | Exmouth Egrets | 442 | 2 | 4 | 5½ | 8 | 11 | 11 | 6th | |
| 7 | Torquay B. G.S. | 426 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 9½ | 7th | Junior Cup |
| 8 | Newton Abbot B | 348 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8th = | |
| 9 | Sidmouth Juniors | 383 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8th = | |
| 10 | Exeter School | 426 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10th |
| Team | Bd | Name | Rd ► | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Tot. | |
| vs► | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | |||||
| 1 | Exmouth Eagles | 1 | J. K. Stephens | 196 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | J. Underwood | 186 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 5½ | ||
| 3 | S. Martin | 184 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 4 | O. E. Wensley | 170 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 736 | 4 | 3½ | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 20½ | ||||
| vs► | 8 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 7 | |||||
| 2 | Tiverton Titans | 1 | M. Richardt | 187 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | K. J. Hurst | 183 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3 | S. Bartlett | 167 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 4 | ||
| 4 | I. S. Annetts | 151 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 688 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2½ | 4 | 3½ | 17 | ||||
| vs► | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 8 | |||||
| 3 | Exeter A | 1 | T. J. Paulden | 185 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | D. Regis | 180 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3½ | ||
| 3 | K. Hunter | 130 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4 | B. Aldwin | 103 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 598 | 4 | ½ | 2½ | 1½ | 3 | 3 | 14½ | ||||
| vs► | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 10 | |||||
| 4 | Exeter B | 1 | J. Chan | 140 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3½ |
| 2 | R. Whittington | 131 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 3½ | ||
| 3 | G. J. Jenkins | 101 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 4 | T. Ferdinand | 70 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4½ | ||
| 442 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1½ | 3 | 4 | 14½ | ||||
| vs► | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | |||||
| 5 | Newton Abbot A | 1 | A. W. Brusey | 184 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | A. Kinder | 151 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1½ | ||
| 3 | M. Cockerton | 116 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 3½ | ||
| 4 | J. Blackmore | 101 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5½ | ||
| 552 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1½ | 3 | 14½ | ||||
| vs► | 5 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 1 | |||||
| 6 | Exmouth Egrets | 1 | C. J. Scott | 149 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | J. Bacon | 145 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3 | R. H. Jones | 118 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 4 | B. Bacon | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 442 | 1 | 3 | 1½ | 2½ | 3 | 0 | 11 | ||||
| vs► | 4 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| 7 | Torquay B.G.S. | 1 | V. Ramesh | 143 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | B. Sturt | 123 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 3 | J. Kubiac | 85 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 2½ | ||
| 4 | B. S-Wyatt | 75 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 426 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ½ | 9½ | ||||
| vs► | 2 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 3 | |||||
| 8 | Newton Abbot B | 1 | N. Narayanan | 109 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 2½ |
| 2 | M. Hussey | 99 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1½ | ||
| 3 | B. Locket | 65 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 4 | L. Glasson | 75 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 348 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||||
| vs► | 3 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 5 | |||||
| 9 | Sidmouth Juniors | 1 | G. Susevee | 131 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ |
| 2 | N. Bacon | 126 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 4½ | ||
| 3 | Guy Susevee | 96 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 4 | O. Bacon | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 383 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||||
| vs► | 1 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 4 | |||||
| 10 | Exeter School | 1 | L. Hafstad | 130 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | H. Coleman | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | R. Coleman | 89 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4 | N. Armstrong | 74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 393 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||
Trefor Thynne explains the rules before the start of play.
Rd. 1 - eventual top vs bottom team.
General view from the Controller's desk.
The top 2 teams met in Rd. 3. Eagles won 3-1, but John Stephens lost his first game at this event for some years.
Newton Abbot B vs Exeter School in Rd. 3.
Exeter A facing Tiverton in Rd. 4
The 2 Exmouth teams had to be paired in the final round.
Exeter B: (l-r) Whittington, Ferdinand; Jenkins & Chan
Exeter A: (l-r) Paulden, Aldwin, Regis & Hunter.
Oliver Wensley receives the Thomas Cup from Organiser Trefor Thynne.
The Eagles, yet to come down to earth: Underwood, Wensley, Stephens & Martin.