Chess in Portsmouth

Over the weekend 22 - 24 February I took part in the Minor section of the Portsmouth Chess Congress which was held at the Royal Beach Hotel, Southsea.

http://www.castlechess.co.uk/Events/?ID=30

Not the best time of year to go for a beach holiday. There was a cold East wind all the time and little shelter along the coast there. In contrast the heating in the hotel was oppressive, but fortunately not in the room where the chess was played.

I scored 2.5 out of 6. One win, three draws and two losses. My loss in the first round was to the player, Patrick Reid, who went on to win with a score of 5/6. I seem to play better in these sort of tournaments than in matches for the Hastings club, where I have lost my last two games.

I've set up a slow-play Ladder tournament for internal play in the club, but it remains to see if any members take it up.