Eastbourne Players Win Hastings U1850 Tournament

Two Eastbourne players shared first-place honours at a recent tournament held by Hastings and St.Leonard’s Chess Club, for players rated ECF1850 and below.

Held on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th of September at the historic clubhouse in Hastings, players battled over five classical time-control games. The tournament was small, with just thirteen players, but this only added to the atmosphere, as all games could take place in the same room. Participants had travelled locally and from further afield; mostly experienced players, but there were also some strong juniors in the mix. 

Eastbourne’s own Anthony Giles led after day one, with a perfect score of 3 out of 3, but he was closely followed by several players on 2.5. Day two saw Anthony lose to strong Hastings junior Leon Sazkissyan on board 1. This set up an exciting finish as there were several players within reach of the top spot. After the final round, it emerged that three would share joint honours and a split of the prize fund with 4 points each. The winners included Leon with 3 wins and 2 draws; and two Eastbourne players, both Anthony and Tadeusz Tompsett, another strong junior, who both ended with 4 wins and 1 loss. 

Daniel Walvin, another Eastbourne member, also took part, finishing the weekend on 2 out of 5 after some exciting games. One other prize was awarded for the highest placing Junior, which was awarded to Will Cobb from Hastings. 

The tournament was a great opportunity for our members to play against good opposition in a competitive setting. Many thanks to Marc Bryant and the Hastings & St. Leonard’s Chess Club for organising and hosting, and to arbiter, Rasa Norinkeviciute.