Final results

Please note: All results and prizes noted below are provisional until confirmed in the official published prize list, which will be released soon.

OPEN

First place in this year’s East Devon Congress Open was shared by IM JACK RUDD, DOMINIC MACKLE, and PAUL O’NEILL, who all finished on 4/5. Many congratulations to our three winners. Finishing narrowly behind on 3.5/5 were Paul Hampton, Tim Paulden, Graham Bolt, Hugo Fowler, and Rami Talab. The rating prizes were won by HUGO FOWLER (2020-1920 bracket) and COLIN DAVIS (under 1920 bracket).

MAJOR

First place in the Major was shared by LUKE HONEY and REECE WHITTINGTON, who both scored 4.5/5, while third place was shared by FREDERICK COLEMAN and BRENDAN O’GORMAN, both on 4/5. Finishing narrowly behind on 3.5/5 were Andrew Waters and Bill Ingham. The rating prizes were won jointly by HARVEY COOPER, MICHELLE CHAN, and NIALL HOMER (1800-1700 bracket), and by DAVE TURNER and OLIVER HARRISON (under 1700 bracket).

MINOR

First place in the Minor was won outright by JOHN STANIER who scored 4.5/5, while second place was shared by SOLOMON HAYES, ROBIN MORRIS-WESTON, MIKE HOLLYMAN, and FLORENCE SPIRLING, who all scored 4/5. Finishing narrowly behind on 3.5/5 were Joe Dornan, Michael Dow, Elmira Walker, James Galloway, Grant Daly, John Constable, and Alexis Malibiran. The rating prizes were won jointly by GEOFFREY BANKS and SUHAYL ABDALLA (1550-1400 bracket) and by ALEXIS MALIBIRAN (under 1400 bracket).

TEAM COMPETITION

This year we had nine entries for our team competition (best total score by a team of four). The winners were the EXETER HONEY BADGERS with 14 points (Paul O’Neill 4; Steve Homer 2.5; Chris Lowe 3; Luke Honey 4.5), narrowly ahead of the EXETER HONEY MONSTERS with 13.5 points (Tim Paulden 3.5; Graham Bolt 3.5; Giles Body 2; Reece Whittington 4.5), and DOWNEND & FISHPONDS with 12.5 points (Elmira Walker 3.5; Grant Daly 3.5; Alexis Malibiran 3.5; Shaun Walsh 2).

Please see below for photos showing the final wallcharts for each section, and for the team competition.

Round 4 results

After Paul ONeill’s victory over Rami Talab in Round 4 (following a blunder by the latter), the outcome of the Open is still wide open. Paul ONeill and Dominic Mackle lead with 3.5/4, with five players in the chasing pack on 3/4: IM Jack Rudd, Derek Pugh, Paul Hampton, Chris Lowe, and Rami Talab.

In the Major, the leaders with 3.5/4 are Andrew Waters, Luke Honey, and Reece Whittington, with five players in the chasing pack on 3/4: Frederick Coleman, John Nyman, Harvey Cooper, Michelle Chan, and Brendan OGorman.

In the Minor, Robin Morris-Weston is the sole leader on 4/4, with John Stanier and Florence Stirling narrowly behind with 3.5/4. A further ten players have a score of 3/4.

Round 3 results

Syrian junior Rami Talab is the sole leader of the Open with 3/3 after beating Jack Rudd in a spectacular and chaotic match – no doubt one of the games of the tournament (scoresheet shown in image below). Four players are in the chasing pack on 2.5/3: Dominic Mackle, Paul ONeill, Hugo Fowler, and Martin Goldschmidt. In the Major, Andrew Waters and Luke Honey are leading with 3/3, while in the Minor, four players share the lead with 3/3: Robin Morris-Weston, John Stanier, Florence Spirling, and Alexis Malibiran.

Please see below for photos showing the status of each section after Round 3, and the team competition after Round 2. (Gaps in the Open scores should be filled as follows: Dominic Mackle 2.5/3, Derek Pugh 2/3, Paul Hampton 2/3, George Neale 1/3)

Round 2 results

Updated 15 April 2023

Three players lead the Open with 2/2: IM Jack Rudd (Barnstaple), Paul Hampton (Seaton), and junior Rami Talab (Syria). In the Major, Andrew Waters (Rainham), Luke Honey (Exeter), and John Nyman (unaffiliated) share the lead with 2/2, while in the Minor there are eight players with a perfect score: Elmira Walker (Downend & Fishponds), James Galloway (Camborne), John Constable (Bude), Robin Morris-Weston (unaffiliated), John Stanier (unaffiliated), Florence Spirling (Purbeck), Christine Constable (Bude), and Alexis Malibiran (Downend & Fishponds). Good luck to all in Round 3!

Please see below for photos showing the status of each section after Round 2, and the team competition after Round 1.

Round 1 results

Updated 14 April 2023

The 2023 East Devon Chess Congress kicked off this Friday evening at the Exeter Corn Exchange – the first time the event has been able to take place since 2020. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces among the entrants, along with a number of newcomers – some of whom are playing in their very first Congress!

There were several early banana-skins on the top six boards of the Open, with only IM Jack Rudd (board 1) and Paul ONeill (board 3) managing to beat their lower-rated opponents, and boards 4 to 6 all going in favour of the lower rated player – including an excellent win by Syrian junior Rami Talab (board 5).

Please see below for photos showing the status of each section after Round 1. These will be updated after each round (when possible) during the course of the tournament