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Last update: Friday October 7, 2005 12:26
The event started with a lightening tournement on Saturday 17 September and concluded with a similar event. While these events were played matches also took place on a large board set up on the groundfloor of the centre. Games were also played on this board during the week. Social chess was also available for members of the public.
It may sound a crazy idea, chess in a busy shopping mall, but this was the third year we in Shropshire Chess have staged the event, and it has proved very popular.
During the week long event 12 people have come forward and shown an interest in joining a club in the county. The whole object is to promote chess, and to this end I feel chess has been the real winner.
While competitive chess is played, all games are ungraded, and non playing members are available to advise interested bystanders. Flexibility is the name of the game, by that I mean on the last day a buzzer tournement had been planned, but due to the opening of a shop adjacent to the chess, and checkout bingo announcements over a loudspeaker, clocks were reverted to.
Trophies were provided by the centre management, and the opening days event
was won by Nigel Ferrington 6/6 runners up Nick Rutter 5/6 and Francis Best
4/6 on the last day Nick Rutter went one better winning with 5/5 with Micheal
Sokolov 4/5 runner up. There was also a junior event won by Christopher Lovejoy
with 6/6 followed by his sister Katherine with 5/6.
Next years event is scheduled for 23-30 September.
Photos of the event can be viewed at www.shropshirechess.org
Happy to discuss the idea we have developed.
John Casewell
01743 871172