Champion Jack toppled
Last updated 09:54, Friday, 18 July 2008
TYNEDALE Chess Club has a new club champion.
An exciting game between reigning champion Jack Bradshaw and challenger Peter Crichton saw the latter score a decisive victory.
This game was the culmination of a process which has been on-going since last September, when a new format for the championship was introduced.
First came an all-play-all phase which occupied the first half of the chess season and involved 14 members of the club.
The top eight players from this phase then went into a knockout competition to establish who would emerge as club champion.
Young Jack Bradshaw, who became champion last year at the tender age of 15, put up a stout defence of his title, eliminating club chairman Phil Taylor in the quarter-finals and first-team captain Mike Nicholson in the semi-finals.
In the final itself he started brightly and soon had control of much of the board.
However, his opponent Peter Crichton managed to exploit an open file and put such intense pressure on Jack’s defences that the young man eventually made an unsound move which led to the loss of a rook.
After that, his position soon collapsed and he resigned when both players were short of time.
For Peter it was a fine victory, well executed, and he emerged from the game a worthy club champion.
With three past champions – young Jack, Mike Nicholson and Derek Blair – all still active, next year’s championship promises to be another highly competitive affair.
