Cleveland Congress
Open Champion:Robert Shaw
Major Champion:Roger Jennings
Joint Minor
Champions:		Colin Gilroy
Conrad Jowett
Dave Peardon
Raymond Sawyer
Peter Smith
Nick Webb
 

Cleveland Congress

held at the Hillcarter Hotel, Hartlepool
on 23rd - 25th January 2004


Open Major Minor

Around 80 chess-players entered the 2004 Cleveland Congress, which this year was held in the Hillcarter Hotel. Originally there were to be four sections but Graham Marshall, who organised the event, had to cancel the Novice section at the last moment due to insufficient numbers. However he added a £50 grading prize to the Minor section by way of compensation to the 5 players who had wanted to enter the Novice and only one of these five was eligible to win this prize.

Apart from this change, the final prize fund was as advertised on the entry form:

Open - 1st £200 2nd £150 3rd £75. Grading prize - £25 for best player under 175
Major - 1st £140 2nd £90 3rd £45. Grading prize - £25 for best player under 130
Minor - 1st £120 2nd £80 3rd £45. Grading prizes - £25 for best player under 90 and under 70.

The Hillcarter Hotel
This was the first chess event hosted by the Hillcarter Hotel (pictured right) since March 2000 and it is ideally situated in the centre of Hartlepool near the train station, with good parking facilities nearby. The suite available was just big enough to accommodate all the players, a team of three organisers and a bookstall run by ChessDirect, but if the entry had been many more it would have been a tight squeeze.

The time limits were the same for all three sections - 40 moves in 1hr. 50 mins, followed by a 25 minute quickplay finish - and, as is usual in these weekend congresses, there were 5 rounds of play.

The tournament ended just before 7pm on the Sunday evening with Mr Marshall and Ms Barnes, who acted as Congress Arbiter, presenting the cheques to the winners.

The Open

Robert Shaw (High Peak) repeated his performance of last year by winning the Open and £200 in prize-money. He scored 4½ points over the weekend and only just managed to keep his unbeaten record in the last round against a determined challenge from local boy Bret Addison. Roger Coathup (Tynemouth) was second with 3½/5, winning £150 and six finished in joint third place with 3/5 - Bret Addison (Hartlepool), Chris Doran (Chester), Thomas Eggleston (Durham City), Jonathan Hawkins (Consett), Jimmy Simpson (Hetton Lyons & Peterlee) and Clive Waters (Tynemouth) all picked up £12.50. Douglas McKerracher (Harrogate) won the under 175 grading prize with a score of 2½/5.

Robert Shaw
Robert, who at 199 was the highest rated player in the tournament, faced all the likely contenders in the first four rounds; beating Roger Coathup in the second round, Jimmy Simpson in the third and top junior Thomas Eggleston in the fourth to set up a last round clash against Bret Addison. Bret needed to win the game to share second spot and after going a pawn up it looked like he could win the endgame.

Eventually a King + Bishop + 3 pawns v King + Knight + 2 pawns ending was reached with Bret still a pawn up. However, despite sacrificing his Bishop to capture a key Black pawn, Bret was unable to queen either of his two extra pawns and the game fizzled out into a draw.


Well done to Robert, who used to play top board for Hartlepool back in the 1980s, and congratulations to all the other prize winners in this section. Two of Robert's games can be played through in the Best games section - thanks to Lara Barnes and Clive Waters of the Northumberland Chess Association for kindly sending these and several others to the Bulletin.

Check out the full results below:

 Open section - 16 entries

Grade

Rd 1

Rd 2

Rd 3

Rd 4

Rd 5

Pts

1.

 Robert Shaw High Peak 199 10 4 3 16 2 4½

1

1

 1

1

½
4. Roger Coathup Tynemouth 180 14 1 13 12 5 3½

1

 0 1 1 ½
2. Bret Addison Hartlepool 196 6 8 7 5 1 3
½ 1 ½ ½ ½
9. Chris Doran Chester 160 Bye 15 5 6 12 3
½ ½ 0 1 1
16. Thomas Eggleston Durham City 180 Bye 11 6 1 7

3
½

1

1

 0

½
7. Jonathan Hawkins Consett 162 Bye 10 2 3 16 3
½ 1

½

 ½ ½
3. Jimmy Simpson Hetton Lyons
Peterlee		 193 Bye 5 1 7 13 3
1 1 0 ½ ½
5. Clive Waters Tynemouth 179 13 3 9 2 4

3
1 0 1

½

 ½
15. David Eggleston Durham City 186 Bye 9 12 8 11 2½
½ ½ 0 1 ½
13. Douglas McKerracher Harrogate 154 5 14 4 10 3 2½
0

1

 0 1 ½
11. Ed Hurwitz Rose Forgrove 145 Bye 16 8 14 15 2
½ 0 0 1 ½
8. Antonio Moneva-Jordan Tynemouth 161 Bye 2 11 15 10 2
½ 0 1 0 ½
6. Michael Round Rose Forgrove 165 2 12 16 9 14 2
½ ½ 0 0 1
12. Peter Widrascu Halifax 150

Bye

 6 15 4 9 2

½

 ½ 1

0

 0
10. Simon McGuinness South Shields 159 1 7 14 13 8 1
0

0

 ½ 0 ½
14. John Garnett Elmwood 158 4 13 10 11 6 ½
0 0 ½ 0

0

The Major (U151)

It's a Rose Forgrove one-and-two in the Major with Roger Jennings winning the section with the perfect score of 5/5, a point clear of club colleague Clive Davies and Richard Desmedt (Wombwell). Roger was the only person in the tournament to score 100% and he wins £140 in prize-money. The two players in second share £135 between them and the grading prize for the best player under 130 was won by Steve Ormerod of Darlington with a score of 3½ points.

The Major results are below:

 Major section - 24 entries

Grade

Rd 1

Rd 2

Rd 3

Rd 4

Rd 5

Pts
22. Roger Jennings Rose Forgrove 148 34 26 24 25 44 5
1 1

1

1

1
23. Clive Davies Rose Forgrove 146 Bye 42 44 21 24

4
½ 1 ½ 1

1
43. Richard Desmedt Wombwell 123 41 24 39 29 25

4
1 0

1

 1

1
31. Steve Ormerod Darlington 123 Bye 44 37 26 21 3½
½ 0 1 1

1
25. David Baillie Redcar 141 35 39 27 22 43 3
1 1 1 0 0
24. Darren Laws Tynemouth 142 36 43 22 40 23

3
1 1 0 1 0
44. Dave Richardson M'Bro. 129 Bye 31 23 28 22

3
½ 1

½

1

0
27. Alan Trotter Elmwood 135

Bye

 33 25 36 40

3
½ 1 0 ½ 1
34. Harry Cable Athenaeum 119 22 41 28 30 35

2½
0 1 ½

0

1
30. Robert Clegg Huddersfield 130 Bye 37 21 34 29

2½

½

 1 0 1 ½
29. Robert Dean Pudsey 132 39 38 41 43 30

2½
0 1

1

 0 ½
21. Peter Kirby Bingley 148 32 28 30 23 31

2½
1

½

 1 0 0
36. Stan Lovell Redcar 116 24 35 42 27 28 2½

0

 1 ½ ½ ½
42. Bernard Price Athenaeum
Hartlepool		 119 Bye 23 36 38 39 2½

½

 0 ½ 1 ½
28. Collin Smith Peterlee 132 40 21 34 44 36 2½
1

½

 ½

0

 ½
39. Stephen Carter Peterlee 112 29 25 43 35 42

2
1 0

0

 ½ ½
40. Stewart McKay East Kilbride 111 28 Bye 26 24 27

2
0 1

1

 0

0
26. David Patrick Courier 136 38 22 40 31 Bye 2
1

0

0

 0 1
33. Charles Taylor Athenaeum 119 Bye 27 35 37 41 2
½ 0

0

½

 1
38. Gagik Abaryan Gateshead Libs. 112 26 29 Bye 42 37 1½
0 0 1 0 ½
37. Richard Moore Redcar 116 Bye 30 31 33 38 1½
½ 0 0 ½ ½
35. Jim Rogers Athenaeum 118 25 36 33 39 34 1½
0 0 1 ½ 0
41. John Reddington Peterlee 105 43 34 29 Bye 33 1
0 0 0 1 0
32. Jason Gentle Redcar 121 21 - - - - 0/1
0 - - - -

The Minor (U111)

Durham players did best in the Minor section with Colin Gilroy of Gateshead Libraries, Dave Peardon of Hetton Lyons and Peter Smith of Bishop Auckland sharing first place with three others - Conrad Jowett (Stockport), Raymond Sayer (Ashfield) and Nick Webb (Elmwood). All six scored 4/5 and each picked up £41 in prize-money.

Cleveland Congress 2004
Peter Smith will be kicking himself for agreeing a draw too early in his final game against Colin though. He had already beat the Gateshead player in their last 3 meetings and had the edge in a King + Rooks + Bishop + pawns v King + Rooks + Knight + pawns endgame - See Best games section.

However Colin had a weak central pawn which was vulnerable to attack from Peter's Bishop and if this could have been captured it would have cleared the way for Peter's passed pawn. In the end the game was agreed a draw and results on other boards led to a considerably reduced payout for first spot and nothing at all for the minor places.

Three shared the under 90 grading prize with 3½ points - Dominic Leigh (Elmwood), Michael Snowdon (Wath upon Dearne) and Brian Whitaker (Billingham Synthonia) picked up £9 each. The under 70 grading prize was won by Frank Boagey of Hartlepool, only his second prize ever, and the £50 prize for the top Novice went to Edward Farrington of Darlington chess club.

Well done to all the winners in this section and you can check out how the Minor finished below:

 Minor section - 39 entries

Grade

Rd 1

Rd 2

Rd 3

Rd 4

Rd 5

Pts

59.

 Colin Gilroy Gateshead Libs. 95 72 69 62 55 57 4
1

1

1

 ½ ½
51. Conrad Jowett Stockport 107 Bye 93 67 65 79 4
½ ½

1

 1

1
60. Dave Peardon Hetton Lyons 92 73 96 56 57 50

4

1

1

 1 ½ ½
50. Raymond Sayer Ashfield 109 93 Bye 74 58 60 4

½

1

 1 1 ½
57. Peter Smith Bishop Auckland 99 70 64 71 60 59 4

1

1

 1 ½ ½
52. Nick Webb Elmwood 106 Bye 62 61 64 55 4
1 0

1

1

1
54. Bob Berry Bishop Auckland 102 69 73 72 93 63

3½
0 1

1

1

 ½
69. Dominic Leigh Elmwood 78 54 59 83 84 65

3½
1 0 ½

1

 1
62. Michael Snowdon Wath upon Dearne 85 91 52 59 79 66 3½
1 1 0 ½ 1
63. Brian Whitaker Billingham Synthonia 84 92 55 96 71 54 3½
1

0

1

 1 ½
73. Frank Boagey Hartlepool 63 60 54 91 78 93

3
0 0 1 1 1
64. Kenny Boxall Peterlee 83 76 57 66 52 72

3
1 0 1 0

1
58. Gary Clarke Consett 98 Bye 76 88 50 83

3
½ 1 1 0 ½
67. Matthew Hammond Hartlepool 80 53 77 51 74 61

3
0

1

 0

1

 1
83. Peter Hollis Athenaeum 75 55 94 69 56 58 3
0 1 ½ 1 ½
79. Graham Marshall Hartlepool 86 77 53 55 62 51 3
1 1 ½ ½ 0
55. Graham Matthews Hartlepool 100 83 63 79 59 52 3
1 1 ½ ½ 0
75. Walter Greenwood Billingham Synthonia 58 61 70 80 53 96

2½
0 ½ 1 0 1
70. Mike Hardy Guisborough 72 57 75 65 76 71 2½
0

½

 0 1 1
66. Stan Johnson South Shields 81 Bye 61 64 88 62 2½
½ 1

0

 1 0
53. Brian McKay Penrith 105 67 79 Bye 75 - 2½/4
1 0 ½ 1 -
84. William Metcalfe Darlington 42 Bye 74 76 69 56 2½
½ 0 1 0 1
95. Vince Skillcorn Stokesley 65 78 88 77 91 74 2½
0 0 ½ 1 1
71. John Burnett Bishop Auckland 70 94 78 57 63 70

2
1 1 0

0

0
88. Edward Farrington Darlington 51 Bye 95 58 66 80 2
½ 1

0

0

 ½
72. Peter Harker Hartlepool 68 59 91 54 92 64 2
0 1

0

 1 0
78. Fred Hughes Peterlee 93 95 71 93 73 92 2
1 0

0

 0 1
61. Gordon Middlemiss Guisborough 87 75 66 52 96 67 2
1 0 0 1 0
93. Lawrie Rushmer Athenaeum 82 50 51 78 54 73 2
½ ½ 1 0

0
80. Carl Stephens Darlington 69 Bye 56 75 77 88 2
½ 0 0 1 ½
65. Fred Stobbart Hetton Lyons 83 96 92 70 51 69 2
0 1 1 0

0
77. Bernard Callaghan Billingham Synthonia 40 79 67 95 80 76 1½

0

 0 ½ 0 1
56. Sri Sriharan York R.I. 100 Bye 80 60 83 84 1½

½

 1 0 0 0
74. Ben Wood South Shields 60 Bye 84 50 67 95 1½

½

 1 0 0 0
92. David Castle Guisborough 47 63 65 Bye 72 78 1

0

 0 1 0 0
91. Graham Inglis Lytham St. Annes - 62 72 73 95 Bye 1

0

 0 0 0 1
96. Sid Kirby York R.I. 57 65 60 63 61 75 1

1

 0 0 0 0
94. Thomas Watson Hartlepool Juniors - 71 83 Bye - - ½/3

0

 0 ½ - -
76. Bill McAlpine Hartlepool 48 64 58 84 70 77 0

0

 0 0 0 0