Dartmouth Summer Chess July 2024
The 2024 Dartmouth Summer Chess events for 2024 were originally scheduled for June, but bad weather meant they were deferred to Thursday 18 July (evening) and Saturday 20 July (day time).
Playing conditions for the Thursday event were lovely, with plenty of sunshine and a gentle breeze. Bad light stopped play after six rounds, and the outright winner was Trefor Thynne who was undefeated on 5/6. Alan Brusey was second on 4½, while Steve Levy and Andrew Kinder were joint third on 4. The full cross table for the Thursday event can be viewed here.
Relaxing between rounds
Charles Doidge 0 - 1 Mike Cuggy
Richard Thomas 0-1 Andrew Kinder
Chris Collins 0 - 1 Trefor Thynne
As usual, Tony Tatam was a wizard with the pairing software
Congratulations to Trefor Thynne, seen here with the trophy
Unfortunately the Saturday brought heavy rain. Rather than postponing the event twice, the decision was made to move indoors. The top four boads were set up in one room, while the remaing boards shared the Conservatory with the refreshments table. As has become traditional, a fish 'n' chips lunch for everyone was ordered from the Wheelhouse, Dartmouth.
Boards 1 - 4
Boards 5+
In the foreground: Les Barron 1 - 0 Mike Bender
Round 7 Boards 1 - 4
One loo for boards 1 - 4, another loo for the riff-raff
Ian Henry 1 - 0 Trevor Hurt
Steve Cawser
Charles Doidge
Mike Bender
Les Barron
After 9 rounds, the clear winner was Steve Levy who scored a very impressive 8½. Trefore Thynne came second with 7, while Chris Collins was third with 6½. The final cross table can be viewed in full here.
Luckily the rain stopped in time for the presentation of trophies to take place outdoors.
On 19 May 2023 local artist Miranda Housden launched an exhibition of her art in Plymouth featuring 32 paintings of chess pieces representing people who have had a significant impact on her life. A blitz chess competition of players from Devon and Cornwall took place on the opening night, and the winner was presented with a fantastic glass trophy made by internationally renowned glassmaker Gill Mannings Cox, commissioned by Miranda in memory of her grandfather Richard Kenber who taught her how to play chess. A video of the event can be viewed here. Miranda kindly agreed that each year this trophy should be presented to the winner of the "Saturday Dartmouth Chess" event. Miranda, accompanied by Gill, very kindly agreed to attend and present the trophy to this year's winner - Steve Levy.
Left-to-right: Gill Mannings Cox, Mike Cuggy, Barry Lippard, Chris Collins, Trevor Hurt, Gerard 't Hart, Charles Doidge.
Left-to-right: Les Barron, Alan Brusey, Trefor Thynne, Ian Henry, Miranda Housden, Mike Bender.
Miranda Housden describes the origins of the trophy...
... which she presented to Steve Levy. Left: Gill Mannings Cox.
Trefor Thynne kindly commissioned a wooden trophy (to keep permanently) for highest-finishing player with a rating of Under 1600. Congratulations to the winner of this trophy - Mike Cuggy.
Trefor Thynne introduces the trophy...
... which he presented to Mike Cuggy.
Thank you to everyone for making these occasions so enjoyable - despite the weather on the Saturday. A very special thank you to Tony Tatam in particular, whose fantastic organisation and efficiency kept the pairings and results under perfect control.