IM Peter Large wins the All Saints Blitz VII on 30 November at his first attempt but it wasn’t easy
Photo: Peter Large receiving first prize from previous winner David Rowson
Peter Large, a new and valued member of Kingston Chess Club, is gradually becoming familiar with the club programme. Apart from intense league matches, we run friendly events such as the All Saints Blitz at the central Kingston church each month which is free and open to all.
The event attracted 16 entrants. We played in the Heritage Gallery for the first time since the funeral for Chris Clegg in January 2015. At the time we felt it was an ideal place to play chess and we were proved right again. The room is bright and warm and secluded from the main part of the church.
Peter qualified as an international master as far back as 1987, but has waited until retirement to relaunch his chess career. He faced tough opposition in rounds 2, 3 and 4 in the form of past Blitz winners Tony Hughes, Alan Hayward and Robin Haldane. Peter appeared to be on the backfoot for most of these games, but defended stoutly and managed the clock well, dropping only a half-point to Robin in the penultimate round. Going into the fifth and final round, Peter and Robin were neck and neck at 3½/4 each. Peter was paired against another newcomer IM, John Hawksworth, on 3/4. In the other top game, Robin faced Tony Hughes, who was on 3/4, but lost.
In the last game to finish, even though John Hawksworth defended ingeniously, Peter expertly converted a rook ending in which he had a couple of pawns advantage. For this display of excellence, Peter was awarded the prize of a box of Lindor chocolates. Wimbledon players Tony Hughes and Stephen Carpenter were just half a point behind.
The Heritage gallery has a smaller space in which casual chess was played. Derek Bruce used to belong to Kingston in the 1960s and has reconnected with the club. He and Kingston club captain Stephen Moss played an instructive game in which (as you may be able to see in the position shown below) Derek has the chance to play a queen sac to win a piece and the game. This may be why Stephen, who has obviously just spotted the killer sequence, is shielding his eyes.
The final results for those scoring above 50% were:
- 4½/5 Peter Large (Kingston)
- 4/5 Tony Hughes, Stephen Carpenter (both Wimbledon)
- 3½/5 Robin Haldane (Streatham)
- 3/5 Alan Hayward (Pimlico), John Hawksworth (Kingston), David Rowson (Kingston)
Past winners
- Tony Hughes (Wimbledon) January 2024
- Tony Hughes (Wimbledon) February 2024
- David Rowson (Kingston) March 2024
- Tony Hughes (Wimbledon) April 2024
- Robin Haldane (Streatham) May 2024
- Alan Hayward (Pimlico) September 2024
- Peter Large (Kingston) October 2024
