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The 89th Bristol Congress 31 March – 2 April 2023
- Peter Marks
The Bristol Congress returned this year for the first time since
2020. This was the 89th edition and was the biggest yet
with over 150 players evenly distributed across the three sections:
the Open, Boniface (U1900), and Foundation (U1600)
The venue for the Congress was the Great Hall at Bristol Grammar
School, which must be one of the most special venues for chess in
the country, additionally we had extra rooms for relaxing, analysis,
and chess talk. The grammar school is a super location being in
central Bristol making it accessible by public transport and having
on-site parking for drivers. The event was excellently organised by
Igor Doklestic supported by his authoritative arbiter team of John
Shaw, Vince Southcott, and Derek Walker.
As with previous editions the Congress was well supported from the
Bristol league, across the UK, and from abroad. It was terrific to
see so many promising young players and to catch-up with returning
weekend congress regulars, many of whom are old friends. The final
round was played in brilliant spring sunshine which added to the
special feeling.
All three sections saw clear winners. In the Open, which featured
two GMs, one IM and two FMs, IM Chris Beaumont demonstrated his
enduring class to win on 4.5 points holding off FM Roland
Bezuidenhout and Ben Ogunshola who drew their last round match up to
finish on 4 points each. Ken Hobson also finished on 4 points after
a first-round bye. Chris’s victory comes 34 years after his first
victory in 1989!
In the Boniface, there were 9 players who were unbeaten over the
Congress. The winner, again on 4.5 points, half a point clear of the
field, was Mark Jones. He had been one of three players going into
the final round on 3.5 points and secured the title with a good win
over the promising junior Mohit Kamal Karangad.
The Foundation was very competitive, and as ever saw many wild
games. Bristol’s Tom Weale won outright by beating Dalrymple Graeme
in the last round to finish on 4.5 points. As with the other two
sections the winner finished half a point ahead of the field.
The prize fund totalled £2,340 with
the winners of the three sections receiving £970, £770, £600
respectively.
There were of course several high quality and exciting games. We’ve
picked out the following games, two from the Open and one from the
Minor:
Firstly, Chris Beaumont’s second round victory over Steve Meek
Chris Beaumont v Steve Meek Rd 2 Open Section
Secondly, a draw between GM Keith Arkell and Bristol University’s
Tom Shepherd
Keith Arkell v Tom Shepherd Rd 4 Open Section
And finally, Tom Weale’s fourth round win over David Buckell
David David Buckell v Tom Weale Rd 4 U1600
Next year is the 100th anniversary of the first Bristol
Congress and Igor and his team are planning to make it an
extra-special event.
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