Saturday 21 March 2015

2015 Dubbo Open - Day 1

The first day of the 2015 Dubbo Open saw the day end with a number of players still in contention for the title.  The top end of the 25 player field were seeded reasonably close together so it was no surprise that each round saw a number of close games.
Upsets started as early as round 1 when top seed Don Keast was held to a draw by former winner Bill Egan. Jonathon Harding also had a good start, beating Pertti Sirkka in a rook versus pawns ending.
Given the makeup of the field, it was no surprise that the third round of the day saw a number of hard fought draws. In fact 5 of the top seven games ended in draws, all hard fought. As a result David Lovejoy was the only player to finish with 3/3, although there are four players half a point behind.
This evening also saw the popular Time Handicap Blitz. Alana Chibnall won for a second year running, with 4.5/5, just ahead of Harry Press on 4 and Shaun Press on 3.5
Results from the event can be found at tournaments.streetchess.net and are updated after every round. Tomorrow sees David Lovejoy play Alana Chibnall on the top board, and the winner of this game will be well placed to win the tournament.

No comments: