Special Events2010 Cambridgeshire Rapidplay, 14/03/10Local players took the top prizes in all three sections of the Cambridgeshire Rapidplay, held at the New England Club in Peterborough on Sunday 14 March. Norman Hutchinson, of Linton Chess Club, won the Open tournament with 4½ / 5 and also won the Jack Taylor trophy as the highest-placed Cambridgeshire player. Alan Merry of Newmarket finished second equal with Philip Tozer, formerly from Peterborough but now living in London. The Major tournament, for players graded under 160, was a triumph for Glyn Ward of the Peterborough Club, who also scored 4½ / 5. In the Challengers tournament for players graded below 125 Mike Ingram of the New England Chess Club in Peterborough was the winner, once again with a score of 4½ / 5. Cambridgeshire players were also well represented among the supporting prizes, as can be seen from the full list of winners below. The 2010 tournament had 53 competitors, down from last year's 65, and as a result made a modest loss. Holding the event on Mothering Sunday probably didn’t help, but the chess calendar is heavily congested at this time of year and that was probably the major factor in the reduction in entries. Nevertheless the three tournaments were keenly fought and attracted competitors from as far away as Sussex and Derbyshire. Local clubs were well represented, with 8 from the New England club and 5 each from the Peterborough and Cambridge clubs. Finally, I would like to thank Patrick Ribbands, who as joint controller did the majority of the pairings, Francis Bowers who acted as ECF arbiter and ran the bookstall, and Harry Currie, Chris Russell and Norman Wedley for their all-round help and support. The full list of winners is as follows:
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