The 4th Bristol Blitz was welcomed by many University players who yearned to play some competitive OTB blitz. After weeks of sharpening our skills during Saturdays social sessions we felt we were ready to compete with the best players from Bristol and the surrounding area.
The field comprised of 79 chess enthusiasts who were ready to play 11 rounds of 5+3. The tournament attracted a wide audience with players as young as 13 taking on some of the top players in England. Such players included 3 International Masters and even Grandmaster Keith Arkell. University players Jonas, Dan, Ian and James arrived with swagger, even choosing to don their official university chess fleeces.
Playing in a beautiful hall in Bristol Grammar School was definitely a change of scene from the Gromit Room, and yet we still found a way to incorporate some filthy flagging which had become ingrained in our play during pandemic online chess.
Results were positive for University players who managed multiple wins against titled players and all performed admirably. However, it is probably best that we didn’t record our games as some of the blunders made should never see the light of day.
The success of Carmel (who graduated last year) should also be mentioned as she managed to pick up a prize with a score of 6.5.
Final results can be found here.