Kenilworth Dominate LDCL Blitz Championships ...... Again!

It was another highly satisfactory night at Solihull yesterday for Kenilworth at the annual Leamington League Blitz Championships - which  for reasons unfathomable to me, many people insist on calling the Lightning Championships (or even worse the Lightening Championships, which is something entirely different!)

After last year's clean sweep of the podium, courtesy of Javi, myself and Bruce, history repeated itself, as KCC again took the top 3 spots. However, there was a significant change in the personnel involved! Clearly showing my age, I dropped out of the pace-setters early in the event, and it was left to Bruce to make the running. Which he did to marvellous effect, winning all his first 7 games, including a win over red-hot favourite Javi. At that stage it looked like he could coast to victory, as he had a full 2 point lead on the rest of the field. But in a spectacular melt down he managed to lose his last two games, which enabled Javi to catch him and - in the absence of a tie-break - share the title. There was more glory, though, as Bernard turned back the clock to put in a performance redolent of his golden years, when he won this event (1988) and finished runner-up on several occasions. Clearly those thousands and thousands of Thursday evening blitz games have served some purpose after all.  There was no money for third place, but Bernard did scoop some cash by winning the Category 2 prize (under approx 1820) which was well deserved. Before the event I told him his role was to beat anyone from another club and lose to other Kenilworth players, and he followed my instructions to within an inch of perfection. He notched up 6/6 against non-Kenilworth players but netted 0.5/3 against KCC opposition thanks to a draw with Ben.

Ben and myself finished in a tie for 10th with 5/9 - a big disaster for me as second seed, but exactly what my play deserved. Ben spent much more time than me at, or near, the top boards and also had to help out with organisation between rounds, so his finishing result was certainly more meritorious than mine.

Javi looks happy to have just about held on to his title; Bruce looks mortified at letting a 2 point lead slip to only share first; while Ben shakes hands with the Invisible Man

Never mind the glory, give the man his cash! Bernard back in the big time.

So everyone from KCC was either dishing out the prizes, or collecting them. Except me. Which explains this week's choice of music. Never has a title been more expressive!