Paignton Congress Hits The Road Again (06.09.2017.)

The venerable Paignton Congress got off to another start, but this time amid foul weather; a howling gale sweeping in from over Tor Bay bringing drenching rain – not your typical start to Paignton, it has to be said. It’s usually a fine week weatherwise, with the hotel gounds full of players soaking up the last rays of summer sun, earnestly analysing or just chatting with friends. There won’t be much of that this week, but fortunately the hotel has room and facilities enough to cope with that.

The entry lists have a familiar look about them; players know what they like and come back year after year, but with a liberal enough sprinkling of newcomers to maintain interest. Keith Arkell’s here, of course, defending his impressive 25 year record; familiar ground for him as he only lives down the road, and quite a change from his having just become the World’s Bughouse Chess Champion in Dubai, with his Bughouse partner and fellow Devonian, Jack Rudd. That must be some kind of record. If you don’t know what Bughouse Chess is, don’t ask – I’ll come back to it later.

Keith has Richard Bates as his nearest rival, who may be taking heart from the struggles Arkell has had in his early games. In round 1 his game lasted 102 moves and nearly filled 2 complete scoresheets, while his next game took a mere 70 moves to wear down Graham Bolt. On the other hand, these marathons seem to be meat & drink to him; he’s content to sit at the board, motionless and fully focussed for hour after hour, and that’s an important quality in a top player – they all have it. No fidgets, fussing, watching other games – just the occasional break to get a breath of fresh air to clear his head, then back to the board.