Heywood Chess Congress

The 23rd Heywood Chess Congress

June 17-18 2017

Heywood Chess Congress another great success for the town

The 23rd Heywood chess congress held at the Heywood Civic Hall continued to pull in top grade players to Heywood from all over the country, with participants from Lithuania, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Exeter, London, Newcastle, Cambridge University, Stratford, Carlisle, Birmingham, Nottingham and York, as well as many local and regional players.

The VAN LEEUWEN OPEN was dominated by Bolton’s young Joe McPhillips who won unbeaten, Nugith Jayawarna (14) finished 4^th, an excellent result.

First place in the HEYWOOD TOWNSHIP MAJOR was won outright by HEYWOOD’s Martyn Hamer. Congress Organiser Bill O’Rourke of Heywood won a grading prize in the LINK4LIFE Intermediate. Further success for Heywood was Con Carey sharing first prize in the WELEMINSKY Minor, Heywood’s Ian Mitchell also won a grading prize in this section.

In the KUMON MATHS Novice, Heywood’s Peter Hurn finished just outside the prizes. Young Tarini Jayawarna scored very well with half points.

Organiser Bill O’Rourke said “A great weekend for Heywood, welcoming visitors from all over the country who spend money in the local economy all weekend. This can only happen with the continued assistance of all the sponsors – many many thanks to Van Leeuwen Wheeler Steel tubes of Bury, Heywood Township and Kumon Maths & English from Heywood. Chess really is putting Heywood on the map”.

The next chess congress in Heywood will be in June 2018.The Heywood Chess Club continues to meet at the Hopwood Sport’s Club on Wednesdays at 7.30.

Results

VAN LEEUWEN HARRY PRAEGER OPEN:

1^st = Joe McPhillips (Bolton) 4.5/5  £300

2^nd  Paul Macklin (Chorlton) 4/5   £160

3^rd  Richard Bryant (Chester) 3.5/5 £80

Grading prize U185: Tim Hilton (Rochdale) 3/5 £20

HEYWOOD TOWNSHIP MAJOR:

1^st Martyn Hamer (Heywood) 4.5/5 £250

2= John Reed (East Cheshire), Oleg Cukovs (Poulton), Justas Tilvikas (Lithuania) and Nathanael Paul (Newport) 3.5/5 £50 each

Grading Prize174-165 mark Whitehead (Rochdale) and Noel Mclaughlin (Bolton) 3/5 £10 each; Below 165 Mark Taylor (Rochdale) 2.5/5 £20

LINK$LIFE INTERMEDIATE:  

1^st Thomas Nyahwo (Wigan) 4/5 £250

2^nd = David Patrick (Todmorden), Richard Desmedt (Barnsley) and Kevin Winter (Halifax) 3.5/5 £67 each

Grading Prize:  150-146 Reg Clucas (Altrincham) and Mick Connor (Gt Lever) 3/5 £10 each; Below 146 David Hall (Perth) and Bill O’Rourke 3/5 £10 each

ANTONIN WELEMINSKY MINOR

1^st =  Roger Sutcliffe (Huddersfield), Steve Rush (Rhyl) and Con Carey (Heywood) 4/5 £150 each

Grading prizes: 129-121 Thomas Webb (Atticus), David Peardon (Hetton Lyons), Michael Farthing (Morecambe) and Tim Wiseman (Atticus) 3.5/5 £5 each; U120-116  Ian Mitchell (Heywood) 3.5/5 £20 each; U114 Dave Hurley (Atticus), Dave Scorer (Clitheroe) and Frank Bishop (Bispham) 2.5/5 £6.66 each

KUMON MATHS & ENGLISH NOVICE:

1^st  = Gabor Somogyi (Blue Club Oldham), Andrew Beswick (Chorlton) and Simon Layhe  (Crewe) 4.5/5 £70 each

Puzzle competition winner: Howard Wood £10