This year the venue had to be moved from the Royal Beacon Hotel, where the event had been held for the previous15 years, on account of a wedding having been booked for our usualk playing hall. So the nearby Manor Hotel, kindly moved in and made an offer we couldn’t refuse, and for the past year this has been the focus of attention – new circumstances, new staff, what can possibly go wrong etc.
However, this did not prevent a number of players booking their accommodation at the Beacon. One of them, who shall be nameless, expressed the hope that the wedding festivities would not prove too noisy for other guests, only to be told the wedding had long since been cancelled!
The Manor’s function room, although somewhat smaller than the Beacon’s, managed to accommodate all the games asked of it, the entry being a little down on recent years and probably just as well in the circumstances.
After a few words of welcome, White clocks were started at exactly 10.00. Rd. 1 results were as follows;-
| WECU Championship | 2014 | Open Rd. 1 | |||||
| Brd | White | Result | Black | ||||
| 1 | Bolt, Graham | 177 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Mcmichael, Richard J | 213 | (0) |
| 2 | Boyne, Andrew K | 196 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Shaw, Meyrick | 176 | (0) |
| 3 | Thompson, Robert | 176 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Clark, Ian C | 193 | (0) |
| 4 | Simons, Martin J | 191 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Bartlett, Simon | 175 | (0) |
| 5 | Slade, Theo | 173 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Stephens, John K | 186 | (0) |
| 6 | Paulden, Tim | 184 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Stephenson, David W | 159 | (0) |
| 7 | Toms, David A | 142 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Fraser, John | 180 | (0) |
| 8 | Regis, David | 180 | (0) | 1 – 0 | |||
| 9 | Littlejohns, David P | 182 | (0) | ½ – 0 | |||
| WECU Congress | 2014 | Major (U-175) Rd.1 | |||||
| Brd | White | Grd | Black | Grd | |||
| 101 | Ingham, H William | 169 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Harris, Martyn J | 152 | (0) |
| 102 | Morton, Peter S | 149 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Bass, John W | 168 | (0) |
| 103 | Brusey, Alan | 167 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Moore, Gillian A | 147 | (0) |
| 104 | Morgan, Jamie | 147 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Page, Martin C | 167 | (0) |
| 105 | Thynne, Trefor F | 166 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Rogers, David R | 146 | (0) |
| 106 | Dimond, Peter D | 145 | (0) | 0 – 1 | O’Gorman, Brendan | 164 | (0) |
| 107 | Gamble, Raymond J | 163 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Taylor, Geoffrey P | 145 | (0) |
| 108 | Tew, Paul | 145 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Dean, Steve K | 161 | (0) |
| 109 | Nyman, John C | 161 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Roberts, Malcolm A | 144 | (0) |
| 110 | Lawrence, David | 137 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Burton, Ronnie | 159 | (0) |
| 111 | Sellwood, Colin | 157 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Chapman, Timoth | 135 | (0) |
| 112 | Robertson, Jim | 134 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Wensley, Oliver E | 157 | (0) |
| 113 | Price, Andrew | 155 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Hamilton, Selwyn | 133 | (0) |
| 114 | Worrall, Martin C | 133 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Annetts, Ivor S | 152 | (0) |
| 115 | Gosling, Brian G | 152 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Mills, Nigel | 122 | (0) |
| 116 | Woodward, Tim F | 153 | (0) | ½ – 0 |
| WECU Congress | 2014 | Minor (U-140) Rd. 1 | |||||
| Brd | White | Grd | Black | Grd | |||
| 201 | Spooner, Keith C | 119 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Sandercock, E Barry | 137 | (0) |
| 202 | Wilby, Robert G | 137 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Whittington, Reece | 119 | (0) |
| 203 | Gardiner, Colin J | 116 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Barber-Lafon, Jacquie | 135 | (0) |
| 204 | Dicker, Nigel | 135 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Waters, Roger G | 116 | (0) |
| 205 | Dean, John E | 115 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Foster, Paul | 134 | (0) |
| 206 | Blencowe, Ian P | 129 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Burt, David F | 114 | (0) |
| 207 | Bailey, Gregory L | 112 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Allen, Timothy S | 127 | (0) |
| 208 | Jackson, Paul A | 127 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Fraser, Alan R | 112 | (0) |
| 209 | Welch, Hazel | 109 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Errington, Paul T | 126 | (0) |
| 210 | Alexander, Ken | 126 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Maber, Martyn J | 93* | (0) |
| 211 | Kelly, Edmund | 104 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Hunt, Ray K | 125 | (0) |
| 212 | Tidy, Norman F | 124 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Dengler, Terry | 95 | (0) |
| 213 | Cox, Reg E | 87 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Parfett, Gerald F | 121 | (0) |
| 214 | Gilbert, David J | 138 | (0) | ½ – 0 |
Round 1 was completed by 2 p.m. and 90 minutes was allowed between rounds, the afternoon rounds all starting at 3.30. However, it became apparent that modern arbiters are now so efficient at making the draws using specialised software, that this task could easily be done in an hour, making it possible to re-start at 3 p.m. Although it’s too late to change for this year, the committee will certainly be considering this change for next year.
Round 2 saw McMichael, a last minute entry, moving into the sole lead , with 4 players a half point behind. Perhaps the most remarkable of these is the veteran David Toms, who has been in declining health for a number of years, yet opted for the Open as he thought “It might be my last congress and I might as well give it a go”. He’s certainly doing that.
| WECU Open | 2014 | Round 2 Results | |||||
| Bd. | White | Grd | Black | Grd | |||
| 1 | McMichael, Richard J | 213 | (1) | 1 – 0 | Paulden, Tim | 184 | (1) |
| 2 | Regis, David | 180 | (1) | ½ – ½ | Boyne, Andrew K | 196 | (1) |
| 3 | Clark, Ian C | 193 | (½) | ½ – ½ | Slade, Theo | 173 | (½) |
| 4 | Littlejohns, David P | 182 | (½) | ½ – ½ | Simons, Martin J | 191 | (½) |
| 5 | Stephens, John K | 186 | (½) | 0 – 1 | Thompson, Robert | 176 | (½) |
| 6 | Bartlett, Simon | 175 | (½) | 0 – 1 | Toms, David A | 142 | (½) |
| 7 | Fraser, John | 180 | (½) | 0 – 1 | Bolt, Graham | 177 | (0) |
| 8 | Shaw, Meyrick | 176 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Stephenson, David W | 159 | (0) |
| WECU Major | 2014 | Round 2 Results | |||||
| Bd. | White | Grd | Black | Grd | |||
| 101 | O’Gorman, Brendan | 164 | (1) | ½ – ½ | Ingham, H William | 169 | (1) |
| 102 | Bass, John W | 168 | (1) | ½ – ½ | Gamble, Raymond | 163 | (1) |
| 103 | Page, Martin C | 167 | (1) | 1 – 0 | Gosling, Brian G | 152 | (1) |
| 104 | Dean, Steve K | 161 | (1) | ½ – ½ | Brusey, Alan W | 167 | (1) |
| 105 | Annetts, Ivor S | 152 | (1) | 0 – 1 | Thynne, Trefor F | 166 | (1) |
| 106 | Hamilton, Selwyn | 133 | (½) | ½ – ½ | Nyman, John C | 161 | (½) |
| 107 | Burton, Ronnie | 159 | (½) | 1 – 0 | Robertson, Jim | 134 | (½) |
| 108 | Roberts, Malcolm A | 144 | (½) | 1 – 0 | Sellwood, Colin | 157 | (½) |
| 109 | Wensley, Oliver E | 157 | (½) | 1 – 0 | Lawrence, David J | 137 | (½) |
| 110 | Chapman, Timothy | 135 | (½) | ½ – ½ | Price, Andrew | 155 | (½) |
| 111 | Woodward, Tim F | 153 | (½) | ½ – ½ | Morgan, Jamie | 147 | (0) |
| 112 | Harris, Martyn J | 152 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Tew, Paul | 145 | (0) |
| 113 | Taylor, Geoffrey P | 145 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Morton, Peter S | 149 | (0) |
| 114 | Moore, Gillian A | 147 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Dimond, Peter D | 145 | (0) |
| 115 | Rogers, David R | 146 | (0) | ½ – ½ | Worrall, Martin C | 133 | (0) |
| WECU Minor | 2014 | Round 2 Results | |||||
| Bd. | White | Grd | Black | Grd | |||
| 201 | Barber-Lafon, Jacquie | 135 | (1) | 1 – 0 | Hunt, Ray K | 125 | (1) |
| 202 | Foster, Paul | 134 | (1) | ½ – ½ | Parfett, Gerald F | 121 | (1) |
| 203 | Whittington, Reece | 119 | (1) | ½ – ½ | Blencowe, Ian P | 129 | (1) |
| 204 | Dengler, Terry | 95 | (1) | 0 – 1 | Jackson, Paul A | 127 | (1) |
| 205 | Errington, Paul T | 126 | (1) | ½ – ½ | Bailey, Gregory L | 112 | (1) |
| 206 | Gilbert, David J | 138 | (½) | ½ – ½ | Spooner, Keith C | 119 | (½) |
| 207 | Sandercock, E Barry | 137 | (½) | ½ – ½ | Alexander, Ken | 126 | (½) |
| 208 | Maber, Martyn J | 93* | (½) | 0 – 1 | Dicker, Nigel | 135 | (½) |
| 209 | Waters, Roger G | 116 | (½) | 0 – 1 | Dean, John E | 115 | (0) |
| 210 | Burt, David F | 114 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Wilby, Robert G | 137 | (0) |
| 211 | Allen, Timothy | 127 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Welch, Hazel | 109 | (0) |
| 212 | Fraser, Alan R | 112 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Tidy, Norman F | 124 | (0) |
| 213 | Mills, Nigel | 122 | (0) | 1 – 0 | Kelly, Edmund | 104 | (0) |
| 214 | Cox, Reg E | 87 | (0) | 0 – 1 | Gardiner, Colin J | 116 | (0) |
Rd. 1 The top players' side - Simons vs Bartlett nearest.
Martin Simons waits patiently on Bd. 4
Nearest: Jim Robertson of E. Kilbride, the furthest travellor to the event.
Former Junior International, David Toms, plays current Junior international John Fraser. Game drawn.
Rd 2 - Bd 4: Littlejohns vs Simons
Minor Section Rd. 2: Top 3 boards.