29th Dorset Rapidplay Chess Championship 2025

Full Report, Results & Photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 29th Dorset Rapidplay Championship was held on Sunday 27th April in the spacious Furzebrook Village Hall, Wareham, a lovely setting which is in the heart of Dorset. It was moved from its normal slot in the local chess calendar from mid-March to the end of April to accommodate the Bournemouth Grand Chess Congress which was held at the end of March.

At 34 entrants, the number of players was slightly down from previous years but it was nevertheless an enjoyable tournament with lots of interesting chess, good prizes and the normal array of free extras.

The traditional winning ingredients

There were the normal free refreshments and free lunch on offer together with a vast array of cash prizes, all designed to offer a friendly welcoming atmosphere and excellent value for money for all players.

Playing venue

The Furzebrook Village Hall proved to be an ideal location with a large free car park, and, with 2 spacious rooms inside, there was plenty of room to walk around and to relax between rounds. Due to the fantastic weather and countryside setting, there was also plenty of opportunity to roam around outside. Thankfully, none of the players were distracted by this glorious backdrop and all returned to play chess in time for the next round!

An early start!

In preparation for the long day ahead, Steve Peirson, Nick Stout and myself arrived early at 8am to set up the tables, chairs & chess sets in the main hall, plus laying out everything needed in the kitchen, including ensuring that all the slow cookers were turned on!

Free refreshments all day including bacon rolls on arrival!

We had a delicious breakfast offering of free bacon rolls plus teas, coffees & biscuits for everyone on arrival. The early refreshments were much in demand and appreciated by the competitors.

We also had a chocolate cake in the afternoon in case people were still hungry after their free lunch!

The fantastic support from the kitchen helpers, Nikki Forster & Lindsey Peirson, meant everyone was well fed and watered during the day and especially between rounds. Even dirty plates, cups and cutlery were miraculously cleaned and available for use at all times.

Bookstall – New for this year!

To help with the finances we introduced a bookstall and this proved very popular and great value at £1 or £2 per item. Indeed, one player must have camped out overnight so that he could get first pickings. He swept up purchasing around 15 DVDs and chess books – a great (financial) start to the day.

Free lunch

Some players openly admit this is the main reason why they regularly attend the Rapidplay. 6 hot pots, a vegetarian dish plus a choice of 5 desserts were on offer and pretty much all of it went!

Cash prizes

Despite the reduced numbers, the prize fund was maintained at around £500, consisting of £200 for the top 3 prizes, 5 rating prizes of £40 each plus a Veteran’s prize of £25, a junior prize of £25, an exciting Team prize of £40, and not least, the popular booby prize!

Manual pairings

As is traditional, we used manual pairings and a wallchart as we find this adds to the friendly ambience and extra interest in the event as players crowded around the pairing boards at the start of each round. A whistle was used to round up all players, including some hiding in the car park, to ensure each round started promptly!

Wallchart

Prizewinners

1st – Keith Gregory – 5½ points (£100)

2nd – Hugo Melling & Allan Pleasants – 4½ points (£50 each). Allan & Hugo are also the Dorset Rapidplay champions.

Under 2000, Under 1850 & Under 1800 – from left Joshua Hampson, Richard Ursell, Steve Pollyn & Mark Edwards – 4 points (£30 each).

Under 1700 – Milan Bennett – 4 points (£40)

Under 1600 – Paul Errington – 3 points (£40)

Veteran (trophy) – Steve Pollyn – 4 points

Veteran (cash winner) – Graham Willetts – 3½ points (£25)

Junior – Anuhas Gamage – 4 points (£25)

Team Prize – Southbourne Seagulls (Steve Pollyn & Rashad Rahimli, Mark Edwards & Anuhas Gamage) – 15 points (£40) – ½ point ahead of Weymouth & Co which finished on 14½ points

Booby Prize – Darrell Sturmey (winning the beginners chess book, not the hat!)

The Team of Organisers

I would like to thank:

• Steve Peirson, Joint Organiser / Controller, who worked meticulously hard throughout the whole day including the setting up of the tables, dealing with any disputes, updating the wallcharts and organising the pairings.

• Lindsey Peirson, who provided the scrumptious 5 puddings.

• Nikki Forster, who provided the popular tasty South African babotie.

Both Lindsey & Nikki also worked tremendously hard in the kitchen all day ensuring all competitors were well fed and watered.

• NIck Stout, who came along first thing in the morning to help set up the tables & chess sets and then also stayed at the end to put everything away!

Finally, I would like to thank Peter Anderson & Harshal Kulkarni who quietly yet efficiently behind the scenes ensured the finances were kept in check and that the webpages were being updated on the Dorset Chess Website.

We plan to hold the Rapidplay Championship again next year and we hope to see you then!

Martin Simons – May 2025