Or WSTCC 2022 as we will now call it!
Well, I have just hot footed it (literally - its way over 30 degrees here) from the blissfully air conditioned playing hall in Acqui Terme (Italy) to my definitely not air conditioned hotel room in order to break the news that ..... I lost. But as I was playing the great John Nunn (with the Black pieces too) this will surprise no-one. It was actually level, but difficult, out of the opening (good prep by me!) and then I gradually got outplayed, as he angled for an advantageous ending while I tried to avoid being mated on h7. I avoided the mate, but he got his ending advantage and that was all she wrote. Though in fact v England 2 went down only by 2.5-1.5 to England 1, as Geoff James drew against Paul Littlewood after sacking a piece, and Kevin Bowmer won a remarkable game with Black against Tony Stebbings. Tony had 3 pieces for a queen, plus a powerful passed c pawn, but Kevin played a terrific game to win after a massive kingside pawn storm. Ian Snape won the match for England 1 on bottom board, when Stewart Reuben lost on time in a lost looking position.
In the 50+ section, England 1 beat Oslo Schakselskap 4-0. There were quick wins for Messrs Hebden and Arkell with White, while Nigel Short won a long minor piece ending on Board 1 (Mickey Adams was rested today) and John Emms won after pointing all his pieces at the Norwegian players king.
The organisers are rather slow posting the results, so that's about all I have to offer by way of hard results. In due course, you can find out the details yourselves here (50+) and here (65+).
There are supposedly some live games each day (top two matches in each section) but I can't find them on Chess24. So instead you'll have to make do with a couple of snaps. Always assuming the very dodgy hotel wi-fi can cope with the heavy task of uploading them!
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| The Centro Congressi, Acqui Terme |
Hopefully I'll post every day - but its so hot and enervating, and the technology is so iffy, I can't guarantee anything!
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| The playing hall - no GMs visible in this picture! |
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