Cowley Christmas Blitz, Monday 23 June 2025
Cowley Chess Club invites you to its 2025 Summer Blitz Tournament, which will be held on Monday 23 June at Cowley Chess Club (at Rose Hill Methodist Church in the Main Hall downstairs), with Round 1 beginning at 7.15 pm. All chessplayers are welcome.
There will be ten games in the Blitz (a Swiss tournament of five rounds playing games with both colours, with a digital clock and a time allowance per player per game of 3 minutes plus a 2 seconds increment per move added from move 1).
The tournament winner may choose either a prize from the prizes table or a cash prize of 10% of the entry fees. There will be lots of other prizes of books, etc., on the prizes table, including rating prizes, prizes for juniors in various age groups, for the best slow starter, etc.
We rely on donations of prizes, mainly chess books but also other (non-alcoholic) prizes, and these will be gratefully received.
The Prizegiving for the Blitz will be at approximately 9.45pm. (It will be possible for young juniors for whom a 9.45pm finish is too late to play in either two rounds [8.05pm finish approx.] or four rounds [8.55pm finish approx.] if this is arranged in advance.)
Entry fee: £5 for adults, £3 for juniors (i.e., players under 18), to be paid in cash when you arrive on the night. We will also be glad to receive donations for the Lester Millin Memorial Fund, which supports Cowley junior players.
To help us make a prompt start, please register your entry in advance if possible, either by sending an email to gerard@fianchetto.co.uk giving the information requested below or by filling in one of these forms, hard copies of which will be available at the Cowley club, and handing it (or otherwise getting the requested information) to Gerard O’Reilly.
Players who have not notified their entries in advance are asked to arrive at the venue to register no later than 7pm, so that we can have all the information ready for the first round pairings to be made in time for a prompt start to the tournament.
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Name:
Club:
Current Rating (Standard-play rather than Rapidplay if you have one):
Age in years if under 18 on 23 June:
Finally, if the entrant is a junior who can play in only the first two (or the first four) rounds, please specify which:
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NB. Advance registration by email will be accepted until 4pm on Monday 23 June.
Gerard O’Reilly (26 May 2025)
This year's Summer Blitz attracted 35 entrants and was played over five double-rounds.
Kenneth Hobson was again the very clear winner with 9.5/10.
Other Prizewinners:
2nd: Jan Murawski (Oxford City) 8
3rd: Will Burt (Cowley) 7.5
4th: Gerard O'Reilly 7
Best Cowley player: Dave Robson 6.5
Best visitor: James Messenger (Cumnor) 7
Best junior (U18): Aden Kennedy (Bicester) 6
Best female: Violetta Chemeris (Cowley) 1.5
Best U2000: Andrew Humphrey (Watlington) 6.5
Best Cowley U1800: Bob Waugh 6
Best visitor U1800: John Courouble 6.5
Best U14 junior: Noah Bevis (Cowley) 5.5
Best U1600: Jonathan Mather (Cumnor) 5.5
Best U1400: Jamie Lim-Goulder (Didcot) 4.5
Best U12 junior: Otis Rison (Cowley) 3
Best slow starter - 0/2: Otto Bryant (Cumnor) 5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Artem Miller (Didcot) 4.5
We express our thanks to all those who made the event possible, in particular: to Rose Hill Methodist Church for allowing us to use the Hall; to the Kidlington Chess Tournament for the loan of equipment; to Dave Robson for transporting the equipment; to Dave, Will Burt, Jon D'Souza-Eva, and Joe Durk for help with setting up; to Will Burt for taking entries on the door; to Richard Hobson who posted the results round by round on the wall chart; and especially to our Controller, Jon D'Souza-Eva.
Gerard O’Reilly (4 July 2024)
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Cowley Summer Blitz 2019
This year's Summer Blitz, held on Monday 24 June, attracted 52 players from all over Oxfordshire.
Oxford University's Filip Mihov score a decisive victory with 9.5/10, two points clear of the rest of the field.
The complete list of prizewinners is as follows:
1st: Filip Mihov (Oxford University) 9.5
2nd=: Eldar Alizada(Cumnor) 7.5
Mike Handley (Cowley)
4th: Graham McInnes (Didcot)) 7.5
Best visitor: Tom Shepherd (Bicester) 7.5
Best Cowley player: James Cole 7
Best U165: Nigel Moyse (Cumnor) 7
Best junior (U18): Daniel Varney (Cumnor) 6.5
Best lady: Maria Mate (Cowley) 6
Best Cowley U155 Rich Weston 6
Best visitor U155: Mark sayers (Cumnor) 6
Best U145: Ian Bush (Cumnor) 6
Best ungraded: Hashim Jusoh (Oxford University) 6
Best U14: Edison Xu (MCS/Blackbirds) 6
Best U130: Dester Murahwa (Cowley) 5
Best U12: Ivan Chetverikov (Cowley) 4
Best U10: Kei Macabenta (Cowley) 4
Best slow starter - 0/2: Stephen Ennis 5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: John Place (MCS/B)/Geoff Rasell (Cowley) 5
I am pleased to take the opportunity to thank all whose help contributed to the success of the event:
Rose Hill Methodist Church for allowing us to play in the downstairs Hall;
the Kidlington Chess Tournament for the use of its equipment;
and those who kindly donated prizes for the event or made donations to the Lester Millin Memorial Fund,
or helped clear up at the end of the evening.
And of course everyone who came along to play.
I am also particularly grateful to several of my fellow Cowley members for their help, especially:
Bob Samuels and Dave Robson, for the transporting of equipment;
Selikem Amoako for help setting up the pieces before play;
Will Burt for various forms of help, especially for taking entries on the door, assisted in the latter
task by Bruno Currie;
Ian Bush for help with some announcements, and the new President of the OCA, John Place,
for presenting the prizes;
and ESPECIALLY our team of controllers, Tim Dickinson and Priscilla Morris, who controlled the event
so smoothly and efficiently.
Gerard O'Reilly
(28 June 2019)
Cowley Christmas Blitz 2018
With kinder weather, the number of players at this year's Christmas Blitz, held on Monday 3 December, was gratifyingly almost double the number at last year's event, with 66 entrants.
The tournament was won by Oxford City's Phil Hayward on 9 points out of 10, a clear point ahead of Andrejs Olehnovics (Didcot), Tom Shepherd (Bicester) and Maria Mate (Cowley), who took the next three places, separated on the tie-break by their sum of progressive scores.
Cowley Chess Club was also pleased to host the draw for this season's Frank Wood Shield Handicap Competition, which took place at the end of Round 3, introduced by our Chair, Bob Samuels, and supervised by Roger Thetford and Ian Bush (respectively OCA Secretary and Chair). Full details of the draw can be found on the OCA website.
Here is the full list of prizewinners at the Blitz:
1st: Phil Hayward (Oxford City) 9
2nd: Andrejs Olehnovics (Didcot) 8
3rd: Tom Shepherd (Bicester) 8
4th: Maria Mate (Cowley)) 8
Best Cowley player: James Cole 7.5
Best visitor: Benjamin Foo (Oxford University) 7.5
Best U12: Edison Xu (MCS/Blackbirds) 7.5
Best junior (U18): Oscar Idle (Cowley) 7
Best lady: Marianne Hauer (-) 6
Best U165: Andrew Webb (Didcot) 7.5
Best Cowley U155: Rich Weston 7
Best visitor U155: Dilhan Manawadu (Oxford University) 6.5
Best U14: Hari Selveraj (MCS/Blackbirds) 6
Best U145: Kelly Riley (Cowley) 6
Best U130: John Courouble (Cowley) 6
Best ungraded: Dester Murahwa (Cowley) 6
Best U10: Kenneth Hobson (Oxfordshire Juniors) 5
Best slow starter - 0/2: Gary Reynolds (Didcot) 5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Tony Heslop (-) / Peter Cole 3
I am pleased to have the opportunity to thank all those whose help made the event possible and successful:
Rose Hill Methodist Church for allowing us the use of the downstairs Hall for the event;
the Kidlington Chess Tournament for the loan of equipment;
and those who kindly donated prizes for the event or made donations to the Lester Millin Memorial Fund,
or helped clear up at the end of the evening.
I am also very grateful to several of my fellow Cowley members for their help, especially:
Bob Waugh and Dave Robson, for the transporting of equipment;
Sara and Ellie Sengenberger for setting up the hall and equipment;
Will Burt for various forms of help, especially for taking entries on the door;
Bill Stanley for manning the wallcharts to keep the round-by-round scores up to date;
Bob Samuels for helping out as part-time Master of Ceremonies;
and, in particular, Priscilla Morris, who controlled the event with characteristic calmness and efficiency.
Gerard O'Reilly (4 December 2018)
Cowley Christmas Blitz 2017
Attendance at this year's Christmas Blitz, held on Monday 11 December, was seriously affected by the snow the preceding weekend and the very cold weather and icy conditions on the day. In the end, 34 players competed, well down on the previous year. Even the controlling team of Tim Dickinson and Priscilla Morris was depleted, with Tim unable to travel up to Oxford because of the bad weather. For different reasons I was also unable to be there, but with Priscilla in charge and several other club members stepping in to help, all else went well on the night.
Csaba Koszta (now of Swindon) improved on his share of first place in the Summer Blitz by winning outright with 8.5 points out of 10. He finished a half-point ahead of Cowley's James Cole, while there was a triple tie in third position, with Oxford City's Phil Hayward, Cowley's Eldar Alizada and rapidly improving junior, Tom Shepherd, now of Bicester Chess Club, all on 7.5 points.
The full list of prizewinners is as follows:
1st=: Csaba Koszta (Swindon) 8.5
2nd: James Cole (Cowley) 8
3rd=: Phil Hayward (Oxford City) 7.5
Eldar Alizada (Cowley)
Best Cowley player: John Courouble 7
Best visitor: Mark Sayers (Cumnor) 7
Best junior (U18): Tom Shepherd (Bicester) 7.5
Best lady: Maria Mate (Cowley)) 5
Best U165: Graham Cole (Cowley) 6
Best Cowley U155: Bob Waugh 6.5
Best visitor U155: Hugo Rayner (Witney) 6
Best U14: Freddie Beneat (Abingdon School) 6
Best U145: Stephen Ennis (Cowley) 6
Best U130: Mark McLeod (Didcot) 5.5
Best ungraded: Zulfi Heydon (Cherwell School) 4
Best U12: Hakeem Asif (Cowley) 2
Best U10: James Deeke (Oxfordshire Juniors) 3.5
Best slow starter - 0/2: Peter Cole (-) 3
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Boris Fedorov (Cowley) 3
It is a pleasure, as always, to thank:
Rose Hill Methodist Church for allowing us the use of the downstairs Hall for the event;
the Kidlington Chess Tournament for the loan of equipment;
and those who kindly donated prizes for the event or made donations to the Lester Millin Memorial Fund.
I am also very grateful to:
Sara Sengenberger and Dave Robson, for the transporting of equipment;
Sara and Ellie Sengenberger and Bob Samuels for setting up the hall and equipment;
Will Burt for help with setting up and for taking entries on the door;
Bill Stanley for acting as compere and for manning the wallcharts to keep the round-by-round scores up to date;
Bob Samuels for presenting the prizes;
the many people who helped clear up afterwards;
and, in particular, Priscilla Morris, who controlled the event efficiently and calmly as ever.
Gerard O'Reilly (30 December 2017)
Cowley Summer Blitz 2017
The Cowley Summer Blitz, held on Monday 26 June, was much the biggest and strongest for a very long time, with 75 players taking part.
In a hard-fought last round, David Zakarian, who had been presented earlier in the evening with the trophy for the revived Oxfordshire Individual Championship, managed to beat frequent Blitz winner Marcus Harvey twice, mating him in the second game with just one second left, and finishing level on 9.5 points with Csaba Koszta. Marcus, who had scored 100% up to that point, finished on 8 points in equal third position with the very talented youngster from Azerbaijan, Muhammad Ismayilov, and Will Burt, both members of Cowley Chess Club.
Cumnor's Daniel Varney could not repeat his Christmas blitz victory in such a very tough field, but still took the prize for the best U18 junior.
The OCA Prizegiving for the season recently ended was held outside in the cool evening after Round 3, and it was good to see so many of the team captains and individual award-winners present to be presented with their trophies.
The full prize list for the Blitz is as follows:
1st=: David Zakarian (4NCL Oxfordshire) 9.5/10
Csaba Koszta (-)
3rd=: Marcus Harvey (Witney) 8
Muhammad Ismayilov (Cowley)
Best Cowley player: Will Burt 8
Best visitor: Phil Hayward (Oxford City) 7.5
Best junior (U18): Daniel Varney (Cumnor) 6.5
Best lady: Olivia Smith (Cowley)) 6.5
Best U165: Paul Rowan (Banbury) 7
Best Cowley U155: Geoff Rasell 6.5
Best visitor U155: Andy Robins (Didcot) 7
Best U14: Jenith Wiratunga (Cowley) 6
Best U145: Tom Shepherd (Magdalen College School) 6
Best U130: Mark McLeod (Didcot) ` 5
Best ungraded: Eldar Elizada (Cowley) 6.5
Best U12: Dimitrios Zakarian (Oxfordshire Juniors) 5
Best U10: Lineth Wiratunga (Cowley) 3
Best slow starter - 0/2: Bob Waugh (Cowley) 7
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Advaith Panicker (Cowley) 4
I am grateful to everyone who helped make the event such a success, especially:
Rose Hill Methodist Church for allowing us the use of the downstairs Hall for the event;
the Kidlington Chess Tournament for the loan of equipment;
those who kindly donated prizes for the event or made donations to the Lester Millin Memorial Fund;
John Taylor and Dave Robson, for help with the transporting of equipment;
Will Burt, for help with setting up the hall and taking entries on the door;
the many people who helped clear up afterwards;
Rob Harvey, who manned the wall charts and kept the round-by-round scores up to date very efficiently;
and, especially, our controllers Tim Dickinson and Priscilla Morris, who were not fazed by the large number of players, and ran the event quickly and calmly as ever.
Gerard O'Reilly (27 June 2017)
Cowley Christmas Blitz 2016
The Cowley Christmas Blitz, held on Monday 5 December, attracted an excellent total of 62 participants, the highest number for many years.
The tournament resulted in a tie on 9 points from 10 games between Daniel Varney (Cumnor) and Cowley's Will Burt, with Daniel taking first prize on the tie-breaking system. Third and fourth place respectively (again separated only on tie-break) were Cowley's Rich Weston and Mike Handley. Congratulations to them and the other prizewinners!
The full list of prizewinners is as follows:
1st: Daniel Varney (Cumnor) 9/10
2nd: Will Burt (Cowley) 9
3rd: Rich Weston (Cowley) 8
4th: Michael Handley (Cowley) 8
Best Cowley player: Maria Mate 7.5
Best visitor: Dan Rowan (Banbury) 7.5
Best junior (U18): Hari Selvaraj (MCS/Blackbirds) 5
Best lady: Jasmine Burgess (Cowley)) 4.5
Best U165: Ian Bush (MCS/Blackbirds) 7.5
Best Cowley U155: Bob Waugh 7
Best visitor U155: Kelly Riley (Cowley Workers) 6.5
Best U14: Bill Read (Witney) 5
Best U145: Tamal Matilal (Cowley Workers) 5.5
Best U130: Billy McCauley (-) 5
Best ungraded: Jim Vincent (-) 5
Best U12: Jenith Wiratunga (Cowley) 4
Best U10: David Kardashyan (William Fletcher Primary Sch.)2
Best slow starter - 0/2: Domas Druzas (Didcot) 5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Hakeem Asif (Cowley) 4
The draw for the Frank Wood Shield was also held before the final round of the Blitz.
Our thanks go to everyone who helped make the event a success, especially:
Rose Hill Methodist Church for allowing us the use of the downstairs Hall for the event;
the Kidlington Chess Tournament for the loan of equipment;
those who kindly donated prizes for the event or made donations to the Lester Millin Memorial Fund;
John Taylor and Dave Robson, for help with the transporting of equipment;
Will Burt, for help with setting up the hall and taking entries on the door;
the many people who helped clear up afterwards;
and, especially, our controllers Tim Dickinson and Priscilla Morris, for their usual calm and efficient running of the event.
Gerard O'Reilly (10 December 2016)
Cowley Summer Blitz 2016
Although over fifty people registered for this year's Cowley Summer Blitz, held on Monday 27 June, we ended up with a slightly lower figure of 47 participants. (Perhaps some couldn't resist the lure of watching live on TV the England v Iceland soccer match at the Euros!)
The tournament resulted in a resounding win for Cowley's Michael Handley on 9.5 points from 10 games, a point ahead of Jon D'Souza-Eva and a further half-point clear of James Cole, both of MCS/Blackbirds. Zoe Varney and Oxford City's Roger Smith shared fourth place with 7 points each. The full list of prizewinners is as follows:
1st: Michael Handley (Cowley) 9.5/10
2nd: Jon D'Souza-Eva (MCS/B) 8.5
3rd: James Cole (MCS/B)) 8
4th equal: Zoe Varney (-)
Roger Smith (Oxford City) 7
Best Cowley player: Geoff Rasell 7
Best visitor: Simon King (Oxford City) 6.5
Best junior (U18): Elizaveta Sheremetyeva (Witney) 6
Best lady: Maria Mate (Cowley)) 6.5
Best U165: Raj Panicker (Cowley) 6.5
Best Cowley U155: Catalin Viscu 6
Best visitor U155: Andrew Webb (Didcot) 6
Best U14: Hari Selveraj (Sts Mary & John Primary School) 6
Best U145: Sean Lim (Oxford University) 6
Best U130: Bill Read (Witney) 5.5
Best ungraded: Cyril Foster (Cowley) 6
Best U12: Thomas Deakin (Witney) 4
Best U10: Nikolai Cassar Delia (Bicester Juniors) 4
Best slow starter - 0/2: Andrew Varney (-) 5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Ian Gilders (Witney) 4.5
The presentation the the OCA's trophies from last season was also held before the final round of the Blitz.
Our thanks to everyone who helped make the event a success, especially:
Rose Hill Methodist Church for allowing us the use of the downstairs Hall for the event;
the Kidlington Chess Tournament for the loan of the equipment we used;
those who kindly donated prizes or made donations to the Lester Millin Memorial Fund;
John Taylor, for help with the transporting of equipment;
Will Burt, for help with setting up the hall and taking entries on the door;
the many people who helped clear up afterwards;
and, especially, our controllers Tim Dickinson and Priscilla Morris, for their calm and efficient running of the event.
Gerard O'Reilly (6 July 2016)
Cowley Christmas Blitz 2015
The 2015 Cowley Christmas Blitz was held on Monday 14 December and attracted 54 entrants, the best total for our Christmas Blitz in the years for which I have records. The clear winner, with 9/10, was Witney's Marcus Harvey, the sixth time he has won the Cowley Blitz. The only point he dropped was in the final round against Graham McInnes of Didcot Chess Club. Sharing second place, a point behind, were Jake Holton (Witney), the current British Under-14 champion, and Didcot's Matthew Staniforth. They were followed by five players on 7.5/10. The complete prize list is as follows:
1st: Marcus Harvey (Witney) 9/10
2nd: Jake Holton (Witney) 8
3rd: Matthew Staniforth (Didcot) 8
4th: Csaba Koszta (-) 7.5
Best Cowley player: Will Burt 7.5
Best visitor: Graham McInnes (Didcot) 7.5
Best junior (U18): James Cole (MCS/B) 7.5
Best lady: Francesca Matta (Bicester) 6.5
Best U165: Geoff Rasell (Cowley) 7
Best Cowley U155: Oscar Idle 6
Best visitor U155: John Place (MCS/Blackbirds) 6
Best U14: Elizaveta Sheremetyeva (Witney) 5.5
Best U145: Marianne Hauer 5.5
Best U130: Kelly Riley (Cowley Workers) 5.5
Best ungraded: Sandy Ruxton (-) 7.5
Best U12: Bill Read (Witney) 5
Best U10: Freddie Beneat (Witney) 3.5
Best slow starter - 0/2: Ian Bush (MCS/Blackbirds) 5.5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: John Taylor (Cowley) 4
We are grateful to everyone who helped make the event a success, especially:
Rose Hill Methodist Church for allowing us the use of the downstairs Hall for the event;
the Kidlington Chess Tournament for the loan of the equipment we used;
those who kindly donated prizes or made donations to the Lester Millin Memorial Fund;
John Taylor, Will Burt, and Dave Robson for particular assistance with the transporting of equipment and setting up;
Rob Harvey for manning the wallcharts and keeping the results up to date round by round;
the many people who helped clear up afterwards;
and, above all, our controllers Tim Dickinson and Priscilla Morris, for their calm and efficient running of the event.
Gerard O'Reilly (19 December 2015)
Cowley Summer Blitz 2015
The 2015 Cowley Summer Blitz was held on Monday 22 June and attracted an excellent turnout, with 57 entrants. The battle for first place ended in a tie between Marcus Harvey and Csaba Koszta (both of Witney Chess Club), who both scored 9 points out of 10 and could not be separated by the tie-break system. They each dropped just one point (when they played each other in the fourth round). Cowley's Anna Wang scored 8 points to take third place on tie-break.
The full list of prizewinners and their scores is as follows:
1st=: Marcus Harvey (Witney) 9/10
Csaba Koszta (Witney)
3rd: Anna Wang (Cowley) 8
4th: Daniel Varney (Cumnor) 8
Best Cowley player: Simon Taylor 6.5
Best visitor: Phil Hayward (Oxford City) 7
Best junior (U18): James Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 7
Best lady: Francesca Matta (Bicester) 6.5
Best U165: Daniel Rowan (Banbury) 7
Best Cowley U155: Oscar Idle 6
Best visitor U155: Mark Sayers (Cumnor) 6.5
Best U14: Jake Holton (Witney) 6
Best U145: Richard Weston (Witney) 6
Best U130: John Courouble (Cowley Workers) 6
Best ungraded: Pavel Cichy (-) 7
Best U12: Joshua Soanes (Witney) 4
Best U10: Freddie Beneat(Witney Juniors) 4
Best slow starter - 0/2: Neil Staples (Banbury)) 6.5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Ian Gilders (Witney) 5
We are grateful to everyone who helped make the event a success, especially:
Rose Hill Methodist Church for allowing us the use of the downstairs Hall for the event;
the Kidlington Chess Tournament for the loan of the equipment we used;
those who kindly donated prizes;
those who made donations to the Lester Millin Memorial Fund;
John Taylor, Will Burt, and Priscilla Morris for particular assistance with the transporting of equipment and setting up;
Rob Harvey for manning the wallcharts and keeping the results up to date round by round;
the many people who helped clear up afterwards;
and especially our controllers Tim Dickinson and Priscilla Morris, for their usual calm and efficient running of the event.
Gerard O'Reilly (24 June 2015)
The 2014 Cowley Christmas Blitz was held on Monday 1 December and attracted a total of 48 players. A closely contested event was eventually by Mark Hannon of Witney Chess Club with 8.5 out of 10, half a point ahead of Phil Hayward (Oxford City), Graham McInnes (Didcot), and Cowley's own Will Burt.
The full list of prizewinners and their scores is as follows:
1st: Mark Hannon (Witney) 8.5/10
2nd: Phil Hayward (Oxford City) 8
3rd=: Graham McInnes (Didcot), Will Burt (Cowley) 8
Best Cowley player: Nick Burrows 7.5
Best visitor: Graham Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 7.5
Best junior (U18): Daniel Varney (Cumnor) 6.5
Best lady: Maria Mate (Cowley) 6.5
Best U165: Elizaveta Sheremetyeva (Witney) 6.5
Best Cowley U155: Geoff Rasell 6
Best visitor U155: Neil Staples (Banbury) 6
Best U14: Oscar Idle (Cowley) 5
Best U145: Mark Sayers (Cumnor) 6
Best U130: Andrew Webb (Didcot) 5
Best ungraded: Stephi Bourliakas 4
Best U12: Joshua Soanes (Witney) 4
Best U10: Freddie Beneat(Cumnor) 5.5
Best slow starter - 0/2: Gary Reynolds (Didcot) 5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Alan Flockton (Cumnor) 3
Special 'Best 147': Andrew Varney & Liam Glenn (Cumnor) 6
The coincidence of having several entrants graded 147 with the UK Snooker Championships currently taking place prompted Controller Tim Dickinson to award a special 'Best 147' prize!
We are grateful to everyone who helped make the event a success, especially:
Rose Hill Methodist Church for allowing us the use of the downstairs Hall for the event;
the Kidlington Chess Congress for the loan of the equipment we used;
those who kindly donated prizes;
John Taylor, Dave Robson, and Will Burt for particular assistance with the transporting of equipment and setting up;
Freddie Beneat & Daniel Varney for their help in entering results on the wallcharts;
the many people who helped clear up afterwards;
and especially our controllers Tim Dickinson and Priscilla Morris, for their calm and efficient running of the event.
Gerard O'Reilly (2 December 2014)
The 2013 Cowley Summer Blitz was held on Monday 23 June and attracted 49 players, a very pleasing turnout bearing in mind opposition both from Wimbledon and the World Cup. It looked a wide open event in the absence of Marcus Harvey, but Jonathan Manley of Oxford City ran out as clear winner, winning every game and finishing a clear two points ahead of Didcot's Graham McInnes and Cowley's Will Burt.
The Prizegiving for the OCA season just finished was held between Rounds 2 and 3, with Chair Simon King making the presentations. The Lester Millin trophy (for the best performance by a junior in any division of the league) again went to Alex Keane of MCS/Blackbirds.
The full list of prizewinners in the Blitz is as follows:
1st: Jonathan Manley (Oxford City) 10/10
2nd: Graham McInnes (Didcot) 8
3rd: Will Burt (Cowley) 8
4th: Matthew Daggitt (MCS/Blackbirds) 7
Best Cowley player: Rod Nixon 7
Best visitor: Neil Staples (Banbury) 7
Best junior (U18): James Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 7
Best lady: Jasmine Burgess (Cowley) 5
Best U165: Graham Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 7
Best Cowley U155: David Robson 6
Best visitor U155: Mark Sayers (Cumnor) 7
Best U14: Daniel Varney (Cumnor) 6
Best U145: Liam Glenn (Cumnor) 6
Best U130: Ian gilders (Witney) 6
Best ungraded: Simon Terrington (Cumnor) 6
Best U12: Oscar Idle (Cowley) 6
Best U10: Leonora Ives (Cumnor) 4
Best slow starter - 0/2: Jake Holton (Witney) 6
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Lev Pavlov (Cowley) 3.5
The 2013 Cowley Christmas Blitz was held on Monday 2 December with 36 participants. Marcus Harvey of Witney Chess Club dominated, winning with a perfect 10/10 score. The full list of prizewinners is as follows:
1st: Marcus Harvey (Witney) 10/10
2nd: Phil Hayward (Oxford City) 8
3rd: Will Burt (Cowley) 7.5
4th: Neil Staples (Banbury) 7
Best Cowley player: Catalin Viscu (Cowley) 6
Best visitor: Csaba Koszta (Cowley) 7
Best junior (U18): James Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 7
Best lady: Zoe Varney (Cumnor) 6.5
Best U165: Graham Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 6
Best Cowley U155: Geoff Rasell (Cowley) 6
Best visitor U155: Daniel Varney (Cumnor) 6
Best U14: Jake Holton (Witney) 4.5
Best U145: Maria Mate (Cowley) 5
Best U130: Oliver Graham (Cowley) 4
Best ungraded: John Courouble (Cowley Workers) 6.5
Best U12: Oscar Idle (Cowley) 5
Best slow starter - 0/2: Asif Hameed (Cowley) 5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: John Taylor (Cowley) 4.5
Best U10: Gefei Wang (Cowley) 1/8
The 2013 Cowley Summer Blitz was held on Monday 24 June and attracted an excellent total of 60 players. Marcus Harvey was unable to extend his sequence of three successive Cowley Blitz wins, and this time the Oxford University player Jan Schmidt (a newcomer to the Cowley Blitz) took first place, after beating Rick Weston of Witney who was leading after four rounds with 8/8.
The Prizegiving for the OCA was held between Rounds 1 & 2, with Chair Simon King making the presentations. This year the Lester Millin trophy (for the best performance by a junior in any division of the league) was presented for the first time, and went to Alex Keane of MCS/Blackbirds.
The full list of prizewinners in the Blitz is as follows:
1st: Jan Schmidt (Oxford University) 9.5/10
2nd: Rick Weston (Witney) 8
3rd: Ray Starkie (Cowley) 8
4th: Csaba Koszta (unattached) 8
Best Cowley player: Anna Wang 8
Best visitor: Matthew Daggitt (Cambridge University) 7.5
Best junior (U18): Marcus Harvey (Witney) 7.5
Best lady: Maria Wang (Cowley) 5.5
Best U165: Kevin Henbest (Oxford University) 6
Best Cowley U155: Geoff Rasell 6
Best visitor U155: Sean Lim (Oxford University) 6
Best U14: Alex Keane (MCS/Blackbirds) 5.5
Best U145: Liam Glenn (Cumnor) 6
Best U130: Tamal Matilal (Cowley Workers) 5.5
Best ungraded: Asif Hameed (Cowley) 5.5
Best U12: Oscar Idle (Cowley) 5
Best U10: Jake Holton (Witney) 5
Best slow starter - 0/2: Ian Gilders (Witney) 5.5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Jonathan Cassell (MCS) 3
The 2012 Cowley Christmas Blitz, held on Monday 10 December, attracted 48 participants, one more than last year, and was again won by Marcus Harvey (now of Witney Chess Club), though only on tie-break from Cowley's Will Burt, who also scored 8.5/10. Half a point back, on 8 points, were Jon Manley (Oxford City) and Csaba Koszta. The two most remarkable episodes I witnessed were a blistering attack by John Taylor in which he brilliantly and entirely soundly sacrificed a rook and then a bishop to bring about a forced mate (a finish to be proud of at any time limit), and the second of the last round games between Will Burt and Jon Manley, in which the latter's endgame technique surprisingly proved insufficient to mate efficiently enough with king and rook against king to beat flagfall, so that the game ended in a draw. (See the YouTube video taken by Sean Terry to which there is a link on the News page of this site.)
The complete list of prizewinners was as follows:
1st: Marcus Harvey (Witney) 8.5/10
2nd: Will Burt (Cowley) 8.5
3rd: Jon Manley (Oxford City) 8
4th: Csaba Koszta 8
Best Cowley player: Maria Mate (Cowley) 7.5
Best visitor: Matthew Daggitt (Cambridge University) 7.5
Best junior (U18): Anna Wang (Cowley) 6.5
Best lady: Ruby Marsden (Cowley/Cambridge University) 5
Best U165: Graham Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 6.5
Best Cowley 155: David Robson 5.5
Best visitor U155: Paul Rowan (Banbury) 6
Best U14: David Sterrie (Cumnor) 4.5
Best U145: Rick Weston (Witney) 6
Best U130: James Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 6
Best ungraded: Catalin Viscu (Cowley) 6
Best U12: Marianne Hauer (Witney) 3
U10 prizes: Finlay & Conal Cook (Cowley)
Best slow starter - 0/2: Gary Reynolds (Didcot) 6
Best very slow starter - 0/4: John Luke (Oxford City) 4
Gerard O'Reilly (13 December 2012)
The 2012 Cowley Summer Blitz was held on Monday 25 June, with an excellent turnout of 56 players taking part. We were also very pleased to be hosting the County Association's prizegiving during a short break after the second round, when Chairman Alan Kennedy (whom we congratulate on winning the 'Best Visiting Player U155' prize in the Blitz) presented the trophies for the teams winning the four divisions of the League and the Frank Wood Shield last season, as well as for the individuals with the best performances in each division.
The night belonged to Marcus Harvey of Bicester Chess Club. Not only was he presented with the prize for the best individual performance in the top division of the League, but in the Blitz itself he repeated his success in last year's Christmas event, winning this time by a clear point with 9/10, ahead of five players tied on 8 points.
The complete list of prizewinners was as follows:
1st: Marcus Harvey (Bicester) 9
2nd: Endre Ambrus (Cowley) 8
3rd: Mark Hannon (Witney) 8
4th: Dave Hackett (Witney) 8
Best Cowley player: Heather Lang (Cowley) 8
Best visitor: Csaba Koszta 7.5
Best junior (U18): James Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 6.5
Best lady: Maria Wang (Cowley) 6
Best U165: Dave Robson (Cowley) 8
Best Cowley 155: Ruby Marsden (Cowley) 6
Best visitor U155: Alan Kennedy (Witney) 6
Best U14: Marianne Hauer (Witney) 4.5
Best U145: Gareth Stevens (Cumnor) 6
Best U130: Daniel Rowan (Banbury) & Liam Glenn (Cumnor) 6
Best ungraded: Catalin Viscu (Cowley) 5.5
Best U12: Dragon Sun (Cowley) 4.5
Best U10: Seb Watkins (Dragon School) 3
Best slow starter - 0/2: Tony Heslop 5.5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Robert Kilbride-Newman (Witney) 4.5
The 2011 Cowley Christmas Blitz was held on Monday 19 December, with 47 players taking part.
Marcus Harvey (Bicester) repeated his success in the 2009 Christmas event, with 9.5 points out of 10, again winning
by a margin of 1.5 points. Cowley's Heather Lang took second place, with Csaba Koszta and Maria Wang half a point
further back on 7.5.
It proved to be a notably good night for families. Among the prizewinners were Cowley's Maria and Anna Wang
(no surprise there), as well as Graham and James Cole (MCS/Blackbirds), and the Cumnor Chess Club trio of Varneys
(Andrew, Daniel, and Zoe), with 12-year-old Zoe scoring an outstanding 7 points out of 10 to take the Best Junior prize.
The full list of prizewinners is as follows:
1st: Marcus Harvey (Bicester) 9.5
2nd: Heather Lang (Cowley) 8
3rd: Csaba Koszta 7.5 4th: Maria Wang (Cowley) 7.5
Best Cowley player: Rod Nixon 7
Best visitor: Jon Manley (Oxford City) 7
Best junior (U18): Zoe Varney (Cumnor) 7
Best lady: Anna Wang (Cowley) 6
Best U165: Dave Robson (Cowley) 6
Best Cowley 155: Maria Mate (6)
Best visitor U155: Mark Flory (Witney) 6
Best U14: James Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 5.5
Best U145: Graham Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 6
Best U130: Matt Coburn (Witney) 5
Best ungraded: Andrew Varney (Cumnor) 5
Best U12: Daniel Varney (Cumnor) 4 Best slow starter - 0/2: Steven Bennett (Cumnor) 4.5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Isabel Hauer (Witney) 4.5
Best veteran: Bill Stanley (Cowley) 5
The 2011 Cowley Summer Blitz was held on Monday 13 June. A total of 44 players took part. An even more closely fought
contest than in last December's Christmas Blitz resulted in a five-way tie for first place on 8 points out of 10, including three
of the four players who tied for first place then. On the tie-break first prize went to David Zakarian of Cowley again.
The full list of prizewinners is as follows:
1st: David Zakarian (Cowley) 8/10
2nd/3rd: Mark Hannon (Witney), Will Burt (Cowley) 8/10
4th: Csaba Koszta (Cumnor) 8/10
Best visitor: Robbie Coleman (Oxford University) 8/10
Best Cowley player: James Foster (Cowley) 7
Best junior (U18): Marcus Harvey (Bicester) 7.5
Best lady: Anna Wang (Cowley) 6 Best U165: Phil Neatherway (--) 7
Best Cowley 155: Ruby Marsden (Cowley) 6
Best visitor U155: Graham Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 6 Best U14: James Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 6 Best U145: Liam Glenn (Cumnor) 6
Best U130: Tony Heslop (--) 5
Best ungraded: Zoltan Kozma (Cumnor) 5
Best U12: Joana Baptista (Cowley) 3.5
Best slow starter - 0/2: Kelly Riley(Oxford City) 5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: David Sterrie (Cumnor) 4
Best U10: Mercedes Hobkirk-Capps (Witney) 2
The 2010 Cowley Christmas Blitz was held on Monday 13 December, with an excellent turnout of 52 players. A very closely fought contest resulted in a four-way tie on 8 points out of 10, including the winners of the two previous Blitzes. The tie-break was based on grading performance. The full list of prizewinners is as follows:
1st: David Zakarian (Cowley) 8
2nd: Csaba Koszta (Cumnor) 8
3rd: Marcus Harvey (Bicester) 8
4th: Will Burt (Cowley) 8
Best Cowley player: Ray Starkie 7
Best visitor: Graham McInnes (Didcot) 7.5
Best junior (U18): Anna Wang (Cowley) 6
Best lady: Maria Mate (Cowley) 6.5
Best U165: Neil Staples (Banbury) 7
Best Cowley 155: Bill Stanley 5
Best visitor U155: Liam Glenn (Cumnor) 5
Best U14: Ben Doling (Cowley) 3.5
Best U145: Richard Weston (Witney) 5
Best U130: Steven Bennett (Cumnor) 5
Best ungraded: Graham Cole (MCS/Blackbirds) 6
Best U12: James Graham (Cowley) 2.5
Best slow starter - 0/2: Kevin Henbest (Oxford University) 5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: John Kelly 4
The 2010 Cowley Summer Blitz was held on Monday 21 June. 32 players competed.
Czaba Koszta won with a perfect 10/10 score by a margin of no less than three points. Bicester's Marcus
Harvey, the winner of the previous event just before Christmas, was among the distant runners-up on 7/10.
The full list of prizewinners is as follows:
1st: Csaba Koszta (---) 10
2nd: Ray Starkie (Cowley) 7
3rd=: Marcus Harvey (Bicester); Gerard O'Reilly (Cowley) 7
Best U165: Maria Mate (Cowley) 6.5
Best Cowley player: Jason McKenna 6.5
Best visitor: Neil Staples (Banbury) 6.5
Best junior: Douglas Stanley (USA/Cowley) 7
Best U145: Dave Keeling (Cowley) 6
Best U130: Liam Glenn (Cumnor) 5
Best Cowley U155: Anna Wang 4.5
Best U14: Tom Daggitt (MCS/Blackbirds) 3
Best lady: Heather Lang (Cowley) 6.5
Best visitor U155: Kelly Riley (Oxford City) 5.5
Best slow starter - 0/2: Jenny Cooke (Cowley) 4.5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Sara Sengenberger (Cowley) 4
Best U12 junior: Solomon Ottino (Cowley) 3
Best ungraded: Simon Ottino (Cowley) 3.5
Best U10: Catryn Collins (Cowley) 2
The 2009 Cowley Christmas Blitz was held on Thursday 17 December. 32 players competed, the figure
being somewhat affected by the weather. Our thanks go to all who came to play, to those who
kindly donated the prizes, those who helped with the organization (with entries, with the loan,
transport, and setting up of equipment, etc.), and especially to Tim Dickinson, who controlled the
event in style as usual.
Young Marcus Harvey of Bicester Chess Club emerged as the clear winner with 9.5 points out of 10,
one-and-a-half points ahead of the rest of the field. The prizewinners were as follows:
1st: Marcus Harvey (Bicester) 9.5
2nd: Karlmarx Rajangam (Oxford City) 8
3rd: Will Burt 7.5
4th: Geoff Rasell 7.5
Best U165: Dave Robson 6
Best Cowley player: Heather Lang 7
Best visitor: Matthew Daggitt (MCS Blackbirds) 6
Best junior: Ruby Marsden 5.5
Best U145: Patrick Moss (Witney) 6
Best U130: John Taylor 6
Best Cowley U155: Steve Burns 5.5
Best U14 junior: Anna Wang 4.5
Best lady: Maria Mate 5
Best visitor U155: Tim King (Oxford City)
Best slow starter - 0/2: Rod Nixon 6
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Lucy Smith (Oxford City) 5
Best U12 junior: Florence Marsden 2
Best ungraded: Sandy Ruxton 6
The Summer 2009 edition of the Cowley Blitz was held on Monday 29 June.
44 players competed. Jochen Wittmann (formerly of Oxford City, now of King's Head in London) was the
runaway winner this time by a clear two points. The prizewinners were as follows:
1st: Jochen Wittmann 9.5/10
2nd: Czaba Koszta 7.5
3rd: Marcus Harvey 7.5
4th: Will Burt 7.5
Best U150: Roy Mathias 7.5
Best Cowley player: Phil Neatherway 7
Best visitor: Mike Truran 7 (Mike asked that his prize be converted into an extra
junior prize, which was awarded to Susana Bennett Anton)
Best junior: James Foster 7
Best U130: John Taylor 6.5
Best U110: Kevin Henbest 5.5
Best Cowley U140: Geoff Rasell 6
Best U14: Chantelle Foster 5.5
Best lady: Maria Mate 4
Best visitor U140: Graham Alcock 5.5
Best slow starter - 0/2: Richard Weston/Dave Keeling 5
Best very slow starter - 0/4: Larissa Cooke 4
Best U12: Irene Mathias 4
Best ungraded: Gyn-Won Kim 3.5
Best U10: Isobel Ferry 2.5
The prizewinners in the December 2008 edition of the Cowley Blitz were:
Csaba Koszta 9.5 (1st)
Marcus Harvey 8 (2nd)
Ray Starkie 7.5 (3rd)
Nigel Moyse 7.5 (4th)
James Foster 7.5 (Best U150)
Heather Lang 7 (Best Cowley player)
Jeffrey Levicki 7 (Best visitor)
Matthew Daggitt 6.5 (Best junior)
Maria Wang 6 (Best U130)
Ruby Marsden 6 (Best U110)
Maria Mate 6 (Best Cowley U140)
Chantelle Foster 5.5 (Best U14)
Claire Morris 5 (Best lady)
Tamal Matilal 5 (Best visitor U140)
John Perrin 5 (Best slow starter - 0/2)
Larissa Cooke 4.5 (Best very slow starter - 0/4)
Anna Wang 4 (Best U12)
John Mercer 3 (Best ungraded)
Florence Marsden 2 (Best U10)