David Maycock scored a perfect 6/6 to win the Kingston Bank Holiday Blitz, but young Zain Patel ran him close on an evening when the juniors shone

You have to be in it to win it. Quite a few of the Kingston big guns chose to sit out the Kingston Bank Holiday Blitz, held at the Willoughby Arms on Monday 26 May, but candidate master David Maycock put his reputation (and rating points – the event was ECF rated) on the line, and he triumphed in style, winning all six of his games.

The time control was the novel three minutes plus a seven-second increment – something we have come to think of as the “Kingston control” (we first used it in the monthly All Saints blitzes). Some young players mock it as blitz chess for oldies, preferring the high-pressure 3+2, but we reckon it makes for a better game, giving players more thinking time and having fewer games decided on time alone.

The key encounter of the tournament came in round 4 when David faced Zain Patel, the eventual runner-up with 5/6. Zain, with Black, was better in the middle game and had excellent drawing chances in an endgame with bishops of opposite colours, but David, with an extra pawn, was remorseless and Zain let it slip.

Both won their remaining games to secure first and second spots. Youngster William Lin was third with 4.5, gaining a whopping 61 blitz rating points in the process. Kingston president John Foley, Zubair Froogh, Peter Roche and Richmond’s Maks Gajowniczek tied for fourth with 4 points, and David Rowson, Surbiton’s Graham Alcock and 11-year-old Ethan Kim came next with 3.5/6 – a brilliant result for the talented Kim. The full final table can be found on Chess Results.

Twenty-eight players took part – the capacity for the playing room at the Willoughby – including nine from other local clubs. As we develop a roster of tournaments, we hope to make this inclusivity a feature. It increases the level of interest, ups the pitch of competition and changes the dynamic, allowing players who usually only meet fleetingly to get to know each other better. Summer plans include two more blitzes, a FischerRandom tournament and a Saturday rapidplay. Thanks to Julian Way and Edward Mospan for organising a very successful evening and pointing the way forward for future events.

Stephen Moss, Kingston club captain