The second blitz tournament of the summer saw FM Vladimir Li triumph with 5.5/6, heading a powerful field which had thankfully not been put off by an evening of torrential rain

The second Kingston club blitz of the summer, held on Monday 15 July at the Willoughby Arms, promised to be yet another friendly blockbuster. Drawing in the usual suspects and some new faces, the tournament also marked my debut as a nervy (and unqualified) tournament arbiter.

Our very persuasive club captain Stephen Moss, who was attending the Thames Valley AGM that night, somehow convinced me that my familiarity with ChessManager software and tournament playing rules (the latter thanks to my son Jaden’s participation in rated tournaments) were sufficient qualifications for me to add another string to my bow, and In hindsight (and for once) I agree with him.

Unlike the first blitz, held a fortnight ago in perfect summer-like weather conditions requiring players to remain hydrated (non-alcoholic beverages preferred), the rain gods had other plans for the second tourney. As Jaden and I walked briskly to the Willoughby, there was a deluge. Would it put off the players who had registered? Happily the answer was no, and a few last-minute additions to the participants’ list took the final tally to 20.

Round 1 was largely uneventful, with the results generally reflecting the ratings of the players. On board 1, Jaden played Black against Peter Lalić, one of his many Kingston role models. Departing from his favoured Caro-Kann, Jaden decided to play the Sicilian Defence. Though not a surprise to me, given that he spent half of the day before studying the opening, Jaden later admitted that adapting to a new opening in a shorter format wasn’t his best decision of the evening. Despite making good use of the increment (the time control was three minutes and seven seconds), Jaden was eventually forced to resign. But he is undeterred and says he will be studying the Sicilian more deeply during the school holidays. 

Round 2 brought heavyweight match-ups on boards 1 and 2. John Bussmann, a very capable and highly tactical blitz player, was paired against FM Vladimir Li, and Peter Andrews was doing battle with Peter Lalić (we are a club of many Peters!). The latter game by no means petered out. They reached an interesting endgame position and spectators clustered around the board. The game was easily the longest of the evening, and much to my relief the two players eventually agreed a draw.

In round 3 David Rowson had White against club chair Alan Scrimgour, who was just back from representing Scotland in the World Seniors Championship in Poland. Alan scored a crucial win and went joint top of the table with Vladimir, both with 3/3. Sensing a touch of fatigue in the room after three hard-fought rounds, I announced a short break, much to the relief of the players.

Round 4 saw the joint table-toppers paired against each other, with Vladimir having White against Alan. Vladimir, who played superbly all evening, ran out the winner. Just behind Vladimir came Peter Lalić, always a force in these club blitzes, and the highly rated Jasper Tambini, alongside Alan and John Bussmann. Meanwhile, the bottom half of the table was also witnessing some close and competitive games, a notable one being between Edward Mospan and Dominic Fogg, which ended with the players agreeing to share the honours.

Just before pairing round 5, I approached two new club juniors, the Chmiest twins (Piotr and Robert) who were yet to get off the mark in the evening. I asked one what were the chances of him defeating his brother should they be paired in either of the remaining two rounds. Much to my delight, he insisted he would win – there were to be no fraternal favours! It so happened that the twins were paired by ChessManager in round 5, much to the nervousness of their father, who had been spectating throughout the evening. Perhaps to his relief, the family encounter ended in a draw. The two youngsters only started playing chess recently and have bright futures. Well done to them for having the chutzpah to play in this very tough company.

At the top of the leaderboard, Vladimir (on 4/4) was taking on Peter Lalić (3.5/4). A mid-game shake of the head by Peter foretold the outcome: he had blundered, and Vladimir was able to march on and claim the title even before the last round was played. Peter’s loss in the penultimate round also resulted in various permutations opening up in the fight for second place, with Peter himself, the dangerous Dominic Fogg, Alan Scrimgour and John Bussmann all in the running.

The final round started close to 10pm, with the rain still pouring down outside. The battle for second place was intense, and there was also much to play for among the next group, headed by Zubair Froogh, David Shalom, Peter Andrews and Jasper Tambini.

First place was in the bag for Vladimir, though David Rowson, playing Black, managed to deny him a final win. A draw gave Vladimir a final score of 5.5/6. Honours on board 2 were also shared between Alan Scrimgour and John Bussmann, enabling both to finish joint second on 4.5 points. Peter Lalić, as he so often does under immense pressure, pulled out a close win with Black against Dominic Fogg, thus managing to grab a share of second place. Jasper Tambini and Zubair Froogh, both relative newcomers, were close behind.

A tremendous evening which, despite the monsoonal weather, everyone seemed to enjoy. The third club Blitz of the summer is scheduled for Monday 26 August. I’m hoping I can sit that one out in the bar.

Malcolm Mistry

Final top six

1st: Vladimir Li 5.5/6
Joint 2nd: Alan Scrimgour, John Bussmann, Peter Lalić 4.5/6
Joint 5th: Jasper Tambini, Zubair Froogh 4/6