CASTLEHILL OTB QUICK-PLAY – ROUND 1
CASTLEHILL OTB QUICK-PLAY – ROUND 1
Thurs 2nd May 24
We had an amazing 16 players down for the first Quick-Play of the summer season! In someone else’s words, “I was not expecting that“! Of course having been a Boy Scout in my day, I did have enough boards set out, just in case. Everybody else thought I was mad to set all of them up!
The format was an 8 round Swiss, with 3 minutes + 2 seconds time-control! Think too long and you are dead in the water!
Congratulations to Vladyslav Drabych on a perfect 8 out of 8 to win the first one and take an early lead going into the second quick-Play!
Jan Barron-Majerik was breathing down Vladyslav`s neck for most of the tournament, but could not catch him and finished in runner`s-up spot.
The usual suspects finished in the other top places (Ana, Steve & Conor), but the most encouraging thing for me, is out of the 16 players, 9 of them were “JUNIORS“! They gave everybody a tough time and caused a few upsets, including a junior, who`s delight and smile lit up the room, especially when his opponent made an illegal move! Haoqi Liu, Castlehill`s “NEW” smiling assassin!
Special mention to junior, Joshua Smikle J13, who is looking like a very good prospect and I hope he will become a regular player at our club, and just like a few before him, like Declan Shafi (The original smiling assassin), I can watch his chess grow and bloom, and end up the best player in our club, before the world!
For all the results and standings so far, click the link below.