The lead-up to Liverpool stuttered somewhat as the Manager of Congress Chess, David Welch, was forced to stand down in May due to continuing ill health, and it was good fortune that the highly experienced Stewart Reuben was able to step in at relatively short notice to keep the show on the road.
The venue itself, the renovated St. George’s Hall, was unequivocally the most splendid ever for this event, and lent the proceedings a certain grandeur, making a suitable arena for the 12 GMs, 13 IMs and others in which to contest the title. In spite of this overall strength, there were no previous holders involved, so there was bound to be a new name on the trophy, and all the top players must have fancied their chances of it being theirs.
The Opening ceremony was graced by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Steve Rotheram and local MP Angela Eagle, a former British Girls Champion. ECF President Gerry Walsh presented the 2nd John Robinson bursary to Gawain Jones, before everyone got down to the main business.
Andrew Martin’s Game of the Day has been a regular feature of recent years, but the addition of an immediate £100 cash award in addition to the traditional pat on the back, focussed the minds greatly. Certainly, the response of each GM as their name was called out often seemed more appropriate to a large lottery win. The extra funding was generously provided by Liverpool John Moores University, arranged by Professor David Robertson.
All sections proceeded smoothly throughout the two weeks. On the afternoon of the first Tuesday, every board on every table throughout the entire hall was occupied by a game in progress, which made a spectacular sight.
Toward the end of the fortnight, it looked as if there would be a multiple tie for the Championship, known as ‘the controllers’ nightmare’, but with Arkell beating the top seed Jones in the final round, thus catching up Conquest, the play-off was at least limited to just two players. In the end, Conquest proved too aggressive for Arkell to hold off and he proved a worthy and popular winner, after many previous attempts. Keith’s consolation was to share with Stuart the English Championship in the shape of a new trophy, the Tony Miles Cup. This took place after the official prizegiving which was graced again by the Lord Mayor and another local MP, this time Maria Eagle, Angela’s sister, both government ministers.
The backroom team functioned well throughout, although there were some changes to individual duties. Neville Belinfante was awarded the Richard Boxall Plate for his role as Entry Secretary. Steve Connor worked tirelessly as the new webmaster, leaving Dave Clayton free to concentrate on the smooth functioning of an ever-increasing number of electronic boards. Nick Nixon’s second year as on-the-spot junior coach was also much appreciated. Publicity included a live radio interview on the steps outside the hall at 8 a.m. on Day 1 and a lengthy visit by a BBC cameraman who put together a 10 minute video that went onto the BBC website.
It was suggested I should do a blog for the website, which left me free to pick up on any unusual or off-beat stories that came to light around the hall. Like the juniors who had come all the way from Gibraltar to play; the world’s youngest arbiter in action, 11 year old Maya Haria who controlled the U-9 championship; the breaking news of Meri-Grigoyan-Lyell’s appointment as Manager of Ladies Chess (acting until ratified by the Board); Jack Rudd as the only title-winner this year; the first champion from Ireland for many years; the new kid on the block, Venezuelan-born Felix Ynojosa – and so on.
Next year the event moves south to the popular resort of Torquay, where the Riviera Centre has already twice proved equal to the demands of this large event. Up to 1,000 entries can be expected, so don’t leave your entry to the last minute.
R. H. Jones, Publicity Officer
British Championships Winners 2008
British Champion: Stuart Conquest (4NCL Guildford)
British Lady Champion: Jovanka Houska (4NCL Hillsmark Kingfisher)
English Champion: Keith Arkell (Long Eaton); Stuart Conquest (4NCL Guildford)
English Lady Champion: Jovanka Houska (4NCL Hillsmark Kingfisher)
British Senior Champion: John Littlewood (Liverpool), George Dickson (Metropolitan)
Under 21: Stephen Gordon (3C’s)
Under 18: James Hanley (Lancaster RGS), Yang-Fan Zhou (Richmond Juniors)
Under 18 Girl: Sheila Dines (Surrey)