Purbeck Chess Club held its annual internal end of season all-play-all time handicap blitz tournament last Monday, 20th May which, as always, was great fun.

Each game lasted up to 15 minutes (no increment) with the time allocated to the players being determined by the players’ the rating difference in each game. A rating difference greater than 600 meant the higher rated player only had 1½ minute to the lower rated player’s 13½ minutes!

Steve Peirson reports … ‘In the end we had 9 entrants and there was a very close battle for first place. We joked beforehand that perhaps we should just let Florence and Michal play a 5-game match while the rest of us relaxed and watched with a cup of tea and a biscuit – well, perhaps that wasn’t such a bad idea!

Derek Mount added … ‘There was a good balance between our juniors and us ‘oldies’!

Florence Spirling (pictured top and centre below) came 1st with 7½ points out of 8 (only drawing with Steve!) with Michal Orszulak a very close 2nd on 7 points with Florence winning their individual encounter. Matthew Parker was 3rd with 5 points out of 7.  It was Florence’s third consecutive win at this tournament!

The 9 players from left to right … Derek Mount, Steve Peirson, Tony Edmonds, Florence Spirling, Jeremy Beling, Matthew Parker, Michal Orszulak, Nick Stout & Tricia Moore