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British Chess Federation

Smith & Williamson British Chess Championships

From the Director of Congress Chess

For many years, I have been an Arbiter at the British Chess Championships and more recently I have acted also as Deputy Director. I have never been quite certain how the Congress Office operated, but I think I know the situation on the ‘shop floor’ fairly well.

I had no reservations about asking Alex MacFarlane to be Chief Arbiter of the British Chess Championships. He maintained excellent conditions for the players and ensured the smooth day-to-day running of the tournaments. I took over Neil’s position in the Office upstairs, so Alex and I did the jobs previously done by Neil, Alex and myself. This did set me to wondering what exactly I had been doing at Scarborough: the position of Deputy Director did not seem to be missed. Neil Graham, however, was missed. The Office did not seem quite the same without his merry quips, and I knew for the first time that the ‘buck’ really did stop here, and I had to make any critical decisions myself.

As a team, we are a fairly quirky lot, and I did my best to play to our strengths. Everyone worked very well together and there was little sign of tiredness towards the end of the second week. We had all worked hard, but not been pushed past the limit.

You may have noticed that I haven’t yet mentioned the important people. The Congress would have been singularly boring without the players. The main events were well contested and all the extra activities were as well supported as they had been in a Congress twice the size. You will see lots of lists of winners, but all participants contribute a lot to the overall success of the event.

I really do thank Gareth Pearce of Smith & Williamson for his continued support and sponsorship. He opened the Congress together with David Cretney, the Manx Minister of Tourism and our President, Gerry Walsh.

It is tempting to list everyone, but so often this leads to missing out someone obvious. Everyone worked hard, and I do appreciate it, but I must make special mention of the friendly approach and quiet efficiency of the Villa Marina staff.

The daily bulletin was a great success, the Cricketers did themselves proud, the Congress website received favourable comment and the great majority of the players enjoyed both the Chess and the delights of the Isle of Man. We were still meeting players a couple of days after the Championships ended, when about half the Arbiting team spent a little longer on the Island before finally making our way home.

David Welch