The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 24-25

The 5th (Last) George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series took place at Newport Knights Chess Club, on Wednesday 26th March 25, 7:30pm.

Format: 5 round Swiss, 15 minutes each player

We had 24 players down to this fantastic Chess Club to play chess!

CLUBS (Players)
St Andrews 6
Castlehill 5
Newport Knights (Hosts) 4
Perth 4
Kirkcaldy 3
Dundee 2

Congratulations to Shubham Lakudar (Perth) on winning the Newport Knights leg with a perfect 5 out of 5, and becoming the TAFCA George Pyrich Allegro Newport Knights Champion 24-25!

Gleb Sinegubko (St Andrews) & Stuart Neave (Castlehill) finished in equal runners-up spot with an amazing 4 out of 5! We had a 2-way tie for 3rd place; James Anderson (Dundee) and Leo Olson (St Andrews) 3½ points each!

Congratulations to Shubham Lakudar (Perth) on becoming the George Pyrich Allegro Overall Champion 2024-25 on 17½ points! I have to say a very deserved winner!
Runner-up was Christian Hartogh (St Andrews).

A big thank you to our hosts, Newport Knights Chess Club, who pulled out all the stops in more ways than one, to make it a night to remember! The hospitality, venue, Bar and the food was outstanding. Always a great place to visit and play some chess!

Newport Knights also raised £90 on the night!

Thank you to everybody who supported the raffle!

Thank you to Dundee & Castlehill Chess Clubs for lending us their chess equipment.

Of course, for me, I thank you the players for supporting the event. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.

The OTB George Pyrich Allegro Championship has been an amazing success and that is down to you the players and the effort of all the chess Clubs (venues). You made it the success it has becoming! Thank you all!

Once again, well done Shubham on an outstanding performance over 5 events!

They say it`s all over? Well, it is now!

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The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 24-25

The 4th George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series took place at Castlehill Chess Club, on Thursday 27th February 25, 7:30pm.

Format: 5 round Swiss, 15 minutes each player

It was another number crunching turnout at the Castlehill leg of the George Pyrich Allegro Championship Series, with a record breaking 48 players on the night! The biggest turnout at Castlehill, but just short of the Dundee record!

Castlehill had the capacity to hold up to 60+ players, so still room for more! There was plenty of space between seats and the tables were set out Dundee Congress style!

CLUBS (Players)
Castlehill (hosts) 25 (Amazing)
St Andrews 9
Perth 6
Dundee 5
Kirkcaldy 3

Congratulations to Jacques Ophoff CM (Dundee) on winning the Castlehill leg with a perfect 5 out of 5, and becoming the TAFCA George Pyrich Allegro Castlehill Champion 24-25!

Andre Babin (Castlehill) finished in runners-up spot with an amazing 4½ out of 5! We had a 5-way tie for 3rd place; Jan Klingelhoefer, Vishva Kodikara (Castlehill), Shubham Lakudkar (Perth), Luke Donofrio (St Andrews) & Ed Spencer (Dundee) 4 points each!

After 4 events, the standings are:

STANDINGS (Overall)
1st Christian Hartogh (St Andrews) 12 pts
2nd Shubham Lakudar (Perth) 11½ pts
3rd George Vayanos (St Andrews) 11 pts
4th Ana Belen Otero Seijas (Castlehill) 8 pts

A big thank you to our hosts, Castlehill Chess Club, and all their helpers, who pulled out all the stops in more ways than one, to make it a night to remember, and they succeeded with a very professional look and work ethic! The big screen with all the pairings each round displayed was a very nice touch! Not only that, but for the first time this season, the event started and finished on time!

Castlehill also raised a whopping £286.50, from raffles sold before and on the night, which is just unbelievable! Oh boy, I can`t see that being beaten anytime soon!

Thank you to everybody who supported the raffle (donations & buying) and bought the football card!

The money raised mostly went to paying for Castlehill`s outstanding buffet on the night, done by a professional cater, which did not come cheap! It looked and tasted fantastic, so well done Castlehill! But to top it off, Castlehill still had enough left to make a profit and help club funds! Special mention to Alice Noble, who sold raffle tickets before the event took place, which made a big difference!

Thank you to Dundee Chess Club for lending us their chess equipment, just in case!

But I must say, a big, big, big, big thank you, to you the players and clubs for your outstanding support of the Castlehill leg of the George Pyrich Allegro. Honestly, the turnout was mind-blowing! Special mention also goes to those teams out with the City of Dundee, St Andrews, Perth & Kirkcaldy for supporting this event!

The “LAST” stage is at Newport of Knights Chess Club on Wednesday 26th March 25, 7:30pm.

Let’s finish in style!

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The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 24-25

The 3rd George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series took place at Dundee Chess Club, on Monday 27th January 25, 7:30pm.

Format: 5 round Swiss, 15 minutes each player

It was another number crunching turnout for the Dundee leg of the George Pyrich Allegro Championship Series, with a record breaking 51 players on the night! Yes, I said 51 players!

Players old and new were just coming out of the woodwork! The good news is, there was still room for more!

CLUBS (Players)
Dundee (hosts) 22
St Andrews 14
Castlehill 7
Perth 6
Kirkcaldy 1
Stonehaven 1

Congratulations to George Marwan Vayanos (St Andrews) on winning the Dundee leg with a perfect 5 out of 5, and becoming the TAFCA George Pyrich Allegro Dundee Champion 24-25!

 George Vayanos (St Andrews)

Club mate, Christian Hartogh (St Andrews) finished in runners-up spot with an amazing 4½ out of 5! We had a 6-way tie for 3rd place; Jan Klingelhoefer, Vladyslav Drabych, Andy Rowe (Castlehill), Shubham Lakudkar (Perth), Oscar Grout (St Andrews) & Keith Emery (Stonehaven) 4 points each!

After 3 events, we have a tie at the top of the table.

STANDINGS (Overall)
1st: George Vayanos & Christian Hartogh (both St Andrews) 11 pts
3rd Shubham Lakudar (Perth) 9½ pts
4th Ana Belen Otero Seijas (Castlehill) 7 pts
4th: George Vayanos (St Andrews) 4 pts

A big thank you to our hosts, Dundee Chess Club, and all their helpers, who pulled out all the stops in more ways than one, to make it a night to remember, and they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams! It was also good to see the Duchess, Jean Chalmers at the club after all she has been through. Hopefully, Jean will be back on a more regular basis, keeping everybody in line!

Dundee also raised a whopping £180 in their raffle on the night, which is just incredible!

Thank you to everybody who supported the raffle (donations & buying)!

Thank you as always to James Anderson for the computer work in stressful circumstances, with all the new players!

But I must say, a big, big, big, big thank you, to you the players and clubs for your outstanding support of the Dundee leg of the George Pyrich Allegro. Honestly, the turnout was mind-blowing! Special mention also goes to St Andrews who brought 14 players to Dundee and what a night they had!

The next stage is at Castlehill Chess Club on Thursday 27th February 25, 7:30pm.
I hope to see you all again, plus more on the night, hopefully!

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The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 24-25

The 2nd George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series took place at Perth Chess Club, on Monday 16th December 24, 7:30pm.

Format: 5 round Swiss, 15 minutes each player

It was an incredible turnout for the Perth leg of the George Pyrich Allegro, with 39 players! Yes, I said 39 players! We were at the maximum we could handle on the night, easily breaking their previous record by a country mile!

CLUBS (Players)
Perth (Hosts) 13
St Andrews 9
Castlehill 5
Dundee 4
Newport 3
Stonehaven 3
Kirkcaldy 2

Congratulations to Shubham Lakudar (Perth) on winning the Perth leg with a perfect 5 out of 5, and becoming the TAFCA George Pyrich Allegro Perth Champion 24-25!

Ana Belen Otero Seijas (Castlehill) finished in runners-up spot with an amazing 4½ out of 5! We had a 4-way tie for 3rd place; Mike Roth, Ian Washington (Perth), Vladyslav Drabych (Castlehill) & Carrick Simpson (St Andrews).

With this win, Shubham takes over the lead in the overall standings after 2 events with 3 to go!

STANDINGS (Overall)
1st: Shubham Lakudar (Perth) 7½ pts
2nd= Ana Belen Otero Seijas (Castlehill) & Christian Hartogh (St Andrews) 6 pts
4th: George Vayanos (St Andrews) 4 pts

A big thank you to our hosts, Perth Chess Club, who pulled out all the stops to make it a night to remember and they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams!
Perth also raised £125 in their raffle on the night, which they will donate to their venue who have been superb with them! That is a nice gesture!

Thank you as always to James Anderson for the computer work.

But I must say, a big, big, big, big thank you, to you the players and clubs (all clubs were here) for your outstanding support of the Perth leg of the George Pyrich Allegro. Honestly, the turnout was mind blowing when you take in the number of miles away most of you are, especially Stonehaven! Special mention also goes to St Andrews who brought 9 players to Perth and what a night they had!

The next stage is at Dundee Chess Club on Monday 27th January 25, 7:30pm.
I hope to see you all again, plus more on the night, hopefully!

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The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 24-25

The 1st George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series fittingly took place at Kirkcaldy Chess Club, on Thursday 8th November 24, 7:30pm.

Format: 5 round Swiss, 15 minutes each player

George Pyrich was a member of Glenrothes & Kirkcaldy Chess Club and was the president of TACA and the organiser of the Glenrothes Chess Congress! This competition is in memory of this chess stalwart and legend!

It was a good turnout for the first event and the fact it was held at Kirkcaldy CC, which is the furthest away venue in the league, I think 25 players was amazing!

CLUBS (Players)
Kirkcaldy (Hosts)  7
Castlehill 6
St Andrews 5
Dundee 4
Perth 3
Newport 0
Stonehaven 0

Congratulations to Christian Hartogh (St Andrews Uni) on winning the Kirkcaldy leg with a perfect 5 out of 5, and becoming the TAFCA George Pyrich Allegro Kirkcaldy Champion 24-25!
George Vanyanos (St Andrews) finished in runners-up spot making it a 1,2 for St Andrews Uni on the night ! Martin Gourlay (Perth) the defending Kirkcaldy champion made a valent defence, finishing in 3rd= place along with James Anderson (Dundee).

Christian also leads the overall standings after 1 event with 4 to go!

STANDINGS (On the night)
1st : Christian Hartogh (St Andrews) 5 pts
2nd: George Vayanos (St Andrews) 4 pts
3rd = Martin Gourlay (Perth) & James Anderson (Dundee) 3½pts

A big thank you to our hosts, Kirkcaldy Chess Club, Peter Selbie, Alistair Wood and the Path Tavern on the night, who pulled out all the stops to make it a night to remember, especially as it was a pub!
Kirkcaldy also raised £90 in their raffle on the night, superb!

Also thank you as always to James Anderson for the computer work.

The next stage is at Perth Chess Club on Monday 16th December 24, 7:30pm.
I hope to see you all again, plus more on the night, hopefully!

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The new season kicks off at Kirkcaldy Chess Club on Thursday 7th November 24, 7:30pm!
DATES

• 1st George Pyrich Allegro: Kirkcaldy Chess Club: Thurs 7th Nov 24, 7:30pm. 

• 2nd George Pyrich Allegro: Perth Chess Club: Mon 16th Dec 24, 7:30pm.

• 3rd George Pyrich Allegro: Dundee Chess Club: Mon 27th Jan 25, 7:30pm.

• 4th George Pyrich Allegro: Castlehill Chess Club: Thurs 27th Feb 25, 7:30pm.

• 5th George Pyrich Allegro: Newport Knights Chess Club: Wed 26th Mar 25, 7:30pm.

The 5th George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship took place at Newport Knights Chess Club Dundee on Wed 27th March 24, 7:30pm.

Newport Knights Chess Club is getting a refurbishment, so the George Pyrich Allegro was actually held in the Brig “O” Tay in Newport. It was a perfect venue for playing chess with plenty room!

We had 25 players taking part:
CLUBS
Castlehill 10
Dundee 5
Newport Knights (Hosts) 4
Kirkcaldy 2
Perth 2
St Andrews 2

Congratulations to Ed Spencer (Dundee) on becoming the TAFCA George Pyrich OTB Newport Knights Champion 2023-24!
Well, played Ed, finishing on 5 points.

It was another great turnout and a great night’s chess, with some early shock `s on the night!

Ed Spencer`s win and Vladyslav Drabych finishing equal 2nd place, meant Ed leap-frogged, Vladyslav in the overall table,, to became the TAFCA OTB George Pyrich Overall Allegro Champion 2023-24.

Congratulations and well-deserved Ed! Not only that, Ed Spencer makes it 3 in a row and 4 titles in total!

Scottish Champion 2023, what do you expect!

A big thank you to our hosts, Newport Knights Chess Club, for running the George Pyrich Allegro and the venue for their hospitality! Newport Knights also raised £76 in their raffle on the night!

Thank you to James Anderson for all the computer work!

Of course, the competition would not be the success it has become without you, the players who support us, and for that I am eternally grateful!

Well, that end`s the George Pyrich Allegro for this season.

Thank you “EVERYBODY” who supported us on this journey. Once again, Ed Spencer, you are a Dundee Legend!

See you in 2024-25!

The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 23-24

The 4th George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship took place at Castlehill Chess Club Dundee on Thurs 29th February 24, 7:30pm.

Despite a last-minute issue with the main hall and having to fit everyone into the café area (a bit tight!), everything went like clockwork, thanks to the Castlehill Committee!

We had 38 players taking part:

CLUBS
Castlehill (Hosts) 20
Dundee 10
St Andrews 5
Perth 3
Kirkcaldy 0
Newport Knights 0

Congratulations to Matthew Deighan (St Andrews) on becoming the TAFCA George Pyrich OTB Castlehill Champion 2023-24! Well played Matthew, finishing on 4½ points.

It was an amazing turnout and a great night’s chess, with some really big shock results on the night!

Ed Spencer (Scottish Champion), normally a brick wall, was bulldozed, with first, Euan Murray (Castlehill) getting a draw against Ed in round 2, then Kevin Lee (St Andrews), in round 3, getting a fantastic win against Ed!

There were other upsets and some nail-biting time scramble finishes, like the round one clash between Joshua Smikle (Perth) & Alisdair McLeod (Castlehill), which ended in a stalemate with 2 seconds to go! Alisdair, you lucky boy

After 4 events, Vladyslav Drabych (Castlehill) leads the way, but only just on 11½ points, with Ed Spencer (Dundee) & David Hall (Perth) on his coattails on 10½ points! Matthew Deighan with this victory, has moved into 4th place on 9 points.

A big thank you to our hosts, Castlehill Chess Club, and all their helpers on the night, including Daniel Coleman, Colin Young & Keith Rose and others, who`s hospitality, buffet & refreshments was outstanding! Castlehill also raised a whopping £150 in their raffle on the night! Thank you to all those who donated raffle prizes and of course those that bought the raffle tickets!

Thank you to James Anderson for all the computer work!

Of course, the competition would not be the success it has become without you, the players who support us, and for that I am eternally grateful!

May I remind you, the George Pyrich allegro is a J.R.Chalmers Grand Prix event, so you should checkout the latest standings “HERE”

The last stage (5/5) is at Newport Knights Chess Club on Wednesday 27th March 24, 7:30pm.

I hope to see you all again on the night!

The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 23-24

The 3rd George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series took place at Dundee Chess Club on Monday 29th January 24, 7:30pm.

Format: 5 round Swiss, 15 minutes each player

Dundee Chess Club, once again pulled out all the stops for the 3rd OTB George Pyrich Allegro Championship Series at their club! They broke the record they held last year for the biggest attendance which this year was an amazing 46 players playing!

CLUBS
Dundee (Hosts) 27
Castlehill 9 + Ray Noble!
Perth 5
St Andrews Uni 4
Kirkcaldy 1
Newport Knights 0

Congratulations to Jacques Ophoff CM and David Findlay, both Dundee CC players on becoming the TAFCA George Pyrich Allegro Dundee champions 2023-24! Both finished on 5 out of 5. Fantastic performance and not enough rounds to separate them this time!

STANDINGS (On the night)
1st =: J. Ophoff CM & D. Findlay (Dundee) 5pts
3rd =: E. Spencer (Dundee), D. Hall (Perth) & E. Murray (Castlehill) 4pts

OVERALL STANDINGS (after 3 events)
1. Vladyslav Drabych (Castlehill) 10½
2. Ed Spencer (Dundee) 9½
3. Martin Gourlay (Perth) 8

A big thank you to our hosts, Dundee Chess Club, and all their helpers on the night, including Ray Flood, Alastair Dawson, Christine Sim & Amy Souter and others, who`s hospitality, buffet & refreshments was outstanding! Dundee also raised a whopping £162 in their raffle on the night, another record! May I also add, some of the prizes were top notch!

Also thank you as always to James Anderson for the computer work.

Dundee Chess Club on the night were missing their legendary matriarch, Jean Chalmers (A.K.A the Duchess), due to being in hospital recovering from a serious illness. Thankfully Jean is a tough old bird (I will get hell for that comment!) and seems to be winning the fight and on the road to recovery! Everybody wishes her well and gave Jean a touching round of applause from us all!

Of course, the competition would not be the success it has become without you, the players who support us, and for that I am eternally grateful!

For all the results and standings, checkout the TAFCA website!

The next stage (4/5) is at Castlehill Chess Club on Thursday 29th February 24, 7:30pm.

I hope to see you all again on the night!

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The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 23-24

The 2nd George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series took place at Perth Chess Club on Monday 18th December 23, 7:30pm.

Format: 5 round Swiss, 15 minutes each player

Well blow me down as the entries at Perth Ches Club was a fantastic 31 players in total (2 guests). That is 5 more than last year!

CLUBS
Perth (Hosts) 15
Castlehill 6
Dundee 4
St Andrews 3
Kirkcaldy 1
Newport 0

Congratulations to Ed Spencer (Dundee) on winning the Perth leg and becoming the TAFCA George Pyrich Allegro Perth Champion 23-24! This is the 2nd time Ed has won the Perth leg (20-21)!

This win puts Ed Spencer 3rd in the overall table after 2 events on 6 pts. Martin Gourlay (Perth) who was leading after the Kirkcaldy leg, moves down to 2nd place on 7 points after a disappointing Perth Allegro by his standards!

The new leader is Vladyslav Drabych (Castlehill) on 9½ points after finishing in an excellent 2nd place for the second time!

STANDINGS (On the night)
1st : Ed Spencer (Dundee) 5pts
2nd: Vladyslav Drabych (Castlehill) 4pts
3rd =: James Anderson (Dundee); Aaron Gourlay & David Hall (Perth); Ana Belen Otero Seijas (Castlehill) & Oran Kenicer (St Andrews) 3½pts.

OVERALL STANDINGS (after 2 events)
1. Vladyslav Drabych (Castlehill) 9½
2. Martin Gourlay (Perth) 7
3. Ed Spencer (Dundee) 6

A big thank you to our hosts, Perth Chess Club, and all their helpers on the night, including David Hall, John Shovlin & James Graham and others, who pulled out all the stops to make it a night to remember once again!
Perth also raised £88 in their raffle on the night, superb!

Also thank you as always to James Anderson for the computer work.

The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series has been a revelation over the past few years. It is not only a very competitive event, but also a social event, with all the clubs putting their stamp on it and making a fantastic effort, including putting on food & refreshments.

Thank you and a big round of applause to you all!

The next stage is at Dundee Chess Club on Monday 29th January 24, 7:30pm.
I hope to see you all again, plus more on the night, hopefully!

The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 23-24

The 1st George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series fittingly took place at Kirkcaldy Chess Club,  on Thursday 9th November 23, 7:30pm.

Format: 5 round Swiss, 15 minutes each player

George Pyrich was a member of Glenrothes & Kirkcaldy Chess Club and was the president of TACA and the organiser of the Glenrothes Chess Congress! This competition is in memory of this chess stalwart and legend!

It was a good turnout for the first event and the fact it was held at Kirkcaldy CC, which is the furthest away venue in the league, I think 23 players was amazing! Also, Kirkcaldy have a new venue, the Path Tavern, which turned out to be a good venue for chess and absolute perfect hosts, but 26 players might have been its maximum, so 23 players, just right on the night!

CLUBS (Players)
Kirkcaldy (Hosts)  9
Perth 5
Castlehill 4
St Andrews 3
Dundee 2
Newport 0

Congratulations to Martin Gourlay (Perth) on winning the Kirkcaldy leg and becoming the TAFCA George Pyrich Allegro Kirkcaldy Champion 23-24!

Martin also leads the overall standings after 1 event with 4 to go!

STANDINGS (On the night)
1st : Martin Gourley (Perth) 4½pts
2nd: Vladyslav Drabych (Castlehill) & Alastair Dawson (Dundee) 4pts
4th: James Anderson (Dundee) & Shiva Subramanian (Kirkcaldy) 3½pts

A big thank you to our hosts, Kirkcaldy Chess Club, Peter Selbie and the Perth Tavern on the night, who pulled out all the stops to make it a night to remember, especially as it was a pub!
Kirkcaldy also raised £77 in their raffle on the night, superb!

Also thank you as always to James Anderson for the computer work.

The next stage is at Perth Chess Club on Monday 18th December 23, 7:30pm.
I hope to see you all again, plus more on the night, hopefully!

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The new season kicks off at Kirkcaldy Chess Club (they have a new venue and new club night!) on Thursday 9th November 23, 7:30pm!
DATES

• 1st George Pyrich Allegro: Kirkcaldy Chess Club: Thurs 9th Nov 23, 7:30pm. 

• 2nd George Pyrich Allegro: Perth Chess Club: Mon 18th Dec 23, 7:30pm.

• 3rd George Pyrich Allegro: Dundee Chess Club: Mon 29th Jan 23, 7:30pm.

• 4th George Pyrich Allegro: Castlehill Chess Club: Thurs 29th Feb 23, 7:30pm.

• 5th George Pyrich Allegro: Newport Knights Chess Club: Wed 27th Mar 23, 7:30pm.

The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 22-23

The 4th George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series took place at Kirkcaldy Chess Club on Wednesday 29th March 23, 7:30pm.

Format: 5 round Swiss, 15 minutes each player

We had a good turnout with 24 players making their way to Kirkcaldy! It could have been better, but due to the distance, a few players from Kirkcaldy on holiday and one club missing, 24 it was!

It was fitting that we finished the series at Kirkcaldy Chess Club, the home club for the late George Pyrich, the person this tournament is named after in his memory and the Chess legacy he left behind. The venue was fanatic along with the normal great hospitality from Kirkcaldy Chess Club and its players, especially Peter Selbie!

The food & refreshments that was put on was another nice touch, something that is becoming the norm for these events! There was also a raffle which raised £85 which goes to the venues (Strathearn Hotel) chosen charity. Well done and thank you to all those who bought the raffles.

As usual we did not make a 7:30pm start, but were only 15 minutes late this time!

CLUBS & PLAYERS
Kirkcaldy (Host Club): 6 players
Castlehill: 5 players
Dundee: 5 players
Perth: 4 players
St Andrews: 4 players

There was an early shock result in round one, when James Graham (Perth) beat Alastair Dawson (Dundee), but apart from that most results went by the grading book in the first 4 rounds!

In round 5 Ian Washington 1353 (Perth) beat Joshua Crofts 1660 (Dundee) to finish in equal 3rd place on 4 points. Just like the old days Ian, if you can remember that far back!

Joining Ian in equal 3rd place was Alisdair McLeod 1531(Castlehill) who beat David Hall 1653 (Perth), never an easy player to play!

Two players had reached round 5 on 4 points and faced off for the title of TAFCA Kirkcaldy Allegro Champion. They were Ed Spencer 2127 (Dundee) and young Rishi Vijayakumar J11 1826 (Castlehill), or put it another way, “The old guard versus the young pretender”! Ed Spencer was also the defending Kirkcaldy champion! On the night, they could not be separated and peace was declared with a draw!

Congratulations to both Rishi Vijayakumar J11 (Castlehill) and Ed Spencer (Dundee) who are crowned joint TAFCA Kirkcaldy Allegro Champions 2022-23 on 4½ points! This also means Ed won back to back Kirkcaldy titles!

Standings on the night
1= Ed Spencer (Dundee) & Rishi Vijayakumar J11 (Castlehill) 4½ pts
3= Ian Washington (Perth) & Alisdair McLeod (Castlehill) 4 pts

But there’s more…

It`s congratulations once again to Ed Spencer (Dundee) who after 4 events has also defended his overall title with back to back wins and is crowned the George Pyrich Overall Allegro Champion 2022-23! This was a remarkable achievement having only played in 3 of the 4 events, but finished champion or joint champion in all of the 3 events (Castlehill, Dundee & Kirkcaldy). That is some going Ed!

OVERALL STANDINGS (after all 4 events)
1st Ed Spencer (Dundee) 16½ pts (Champion)
2nd = Rishi Vijayakumar J11 & Alisdair McLeod (both Castlehill) 12 pts

Thank you to host club Kirkcaldy for a wonderful night and all the hard work they put into this event. Your hospitality and organisation was second to none! Thank you to James Anderson for all his hard work registering players and doing the draws.

But most importantly, thank you to the players who supported us tonight at Kirkcaldy and to all the players on the other 3 nights which helped make this Championship Allegro series a success. It makes all the effort worth while and I also hope you all enjoyed all four events (Perth, Castlehill, Dundee & Kirkcaldy) and the chess.

Thank you and once again congratulations to our overall champion Ed Spencer!

That’s it until season 2023-24

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The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 22-23

The 3rd George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series took place at Dundee Chess Club Dundee on Monday 27th February 23, 7:30pm.

Format: 5 round Swiss, 15 minutes each player

What an absolutely amazing turnout with 44 players taking part! We still could have had even more as two clubs of the six TAFCA clubs were not represented this time!

 Our hosts for the 3rd George Pyrich Allegro Championships were Dundee Chess Club and boy did they pull out all the stops! Fantastic venue, food, raffle prizes and hospitality! They also added a nice and helpful touch in having board numbers (large print) on the tables! Proud to have been a part of tonight’s event at Dundee Chess Club!

Well we were the victim of our own success as so many new players turned up it delayed the registration process and meant we started not at 7:30pm, but 8pm!

CLUBS & PLAYERS
Dundee (Host Club): 24 players
Castlehill: 10 players
Perth: 6 players
St Andrews: 4 players

 While it was kind of expected that the host club Dundee and Castlehill (Dundee) would have a good turnout of players, it was absolutely fantastic to see so many players from the TAFCA clubs out with the City of Dundee! Perth and St Andrews you have done us proud, thank you!

There were not really any major shocks the whole night and the usual suspects were present at the end! Junior sensation, Rishi Vijayakumar J11(1826), had another great tournament, but in the end lost two matches, all be it against two great players in Ed Spencer (2027) (Rd 4) and Jacques Ophoff CM (2253) (Rd 5)!

Between rounds 3 & 4, we held the raffle draw. We had so many prizes on offer, and may I say quality prizes donated by Dundee Chess Club players, that I thought it would never end! In total Dundee Chess Club raised an unbelievable £147! I would like to thank you on behalf of Dundee Chess Club for your generosity on the night!

Going into the last round, Ed Spencer & David Findlay were joint leaders on 4 points and faced each other in the final round on board 1! You could just imagine if this was on TV and the music playing in the back ground. Mmm maybe “The Good, the Bad, The Ugly” (no comment), or Carl Orff`s, Carmina Burana, O Fortuna (from the film, Omen!).

On board two was Jacques & Rishi, which as said before, Jacques won to move to 4½ points.

The board one match had some twists and turns with Ed going a piece up, only for David to blunder it back! (Never do that when I play them!). In the end after a titanic struggle, neither of them could sink the others boat and a draw was the result.

This meant we had a 3-way tie for first place and the title of Dundee TAFCA Allegro Champion.

Congratulations to Ed Spencer (Dundee), Jacques Ophoff (Dundee) and David Findlay (Dundee) for sharing the title of TAFCA Dundee George Pyrich Allegro Champion(s)! It is fitting that three Dundee Chess Club players won the Dundee title. Well played! To be fair they were the top 3 players in the competition and lived up to their top 3 status! On a side note, it amazes me how a player can play a 15 minute time control, work everything out, win, finish in tied 1st place and still write down all the moves in every game! David Findlay you are just amazing!

The overall standings for the George Pyrich Allegro Championship Series after 3 events is as follows:

1st Ed Spencer (Dundee) 11 points
2nd Alisdair McLeod (Castlehill) 8 points
3rd James Anderson (Dundee) 7½ points
4th Rishi Vijayakumar (Dundee) 6½ points

Once again thank you to the host club Dundee Chess Club and their organisers for their hospitality, great venue and organisation of the highest quality. Thank you to James Anderson for all his hard work, especially during the registration period. Also thank you to Ray Flood and Jean Chalmers for all they did before, during and after the event! Thank you to those who stayed behind and helped clear up, putting the tables and chairs away.

Last, but most importantly, thank you to the players who supported us on the night. Without your support it would not be the success it was and I hope you all enjoyed the night despite the late finish!

The 4th event takes place at Kirkcaldy Chess Club on Wed 29th March 23. I hope to see as many of you there again (it will be an earlier start (7:30pm (ish)).

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The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 22-23
The 2nd George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series took place at Castlehill Chess Club Dundee on Thursday 19th January 23, 7:30pm.

What an amazing turnout with 39 players taking part! We could have had even more as two clubs of the six TAFCA clubs were not represented this time!

CLUB INFO
1.Castlehill CC:  21 players
2.Dundee CC: 7 players
3.Perth CC: 6 players
4.St.Andrews Uni CC 5 players

Castlehill Chess Club, Dundee had 12 trestle tables set out with 24 boards, pieces and clocks, enough for 48 players! If more had turned up they were still able to accommodate up to 70 players if needed due to the fact they have just updated their chess equipment, including new weighted chess pieces and digital DGT3000 clocks! Nothing but the best for Castlehill! It was impressive to say the least!

Congratulations to Ed Spencer (Dundee) who won all 5 of his matches, including the last one against Jacques Ophoff CM (Dundee) to clinch the title of TAFCA Castlehill Allegro Champion 2022-23! Well played Ed!

Well played also on the night were the two joint winners in the Perth stage in December 22, Alisdair McLeod (Castlehill) and James Anderson (Dundee), finishing in equal 2nd place!

STANDINGS (On the night)
1st Ed Spencer (Dundee) 5 points:
2nd= Jacques Ophoff & James Anderson (Dundee)
Rishi Vijayakumar J11 & Alisdair McLeod (Castlehill)  All on 4 points:
& Jan Thiel (St.Andrews)
7th= Martin Gourlay (Perth), Ray Flood (Dundee) & Ramit Kanodia J15 (Castlehill) 3½ pts each:

The format was a 5 round Swiss, 15 minutes each player, one point for a win, a ½ point for a draw.

There was a raffle with some fantastic prizes on offer from a bottle of OVD rum to the latest edition of the Modern Chess Openings encyclopaedia from Batsford! In total an amazing £90 was raised which helped in some way to pay for the night which included an extraordinary table full of food from sandwiches, sausage roll, to crisps and some very spicy stuff, plus beverages as well, a feast not only for your stomach, but your eyes as well!

Thank you to all the people who donated the prizes for the raffle, and helped Castlehill CC to cover any cost involved on the night!

OVERALL STANDINGS (after 2 events)
1st= James Anderson (Dundee) & Alisdair McLeod (Castlehill) 7½ points
3rd Ed Spencer (Dundee) 6 points
4th Rishi Vijayakumar J11 (Castlehill)

James Anderson and Alisdair McLeod are doing well after two events, but now have Ed Spencer and Rishi Vijayakumar breathing down their neck!

The 3rd event is on Monday 27th February 23, 7:30pm at Dundee Chess Club, where a very warm welcome awaits all who attend!

Thank you to the host club Castlehill, to James Anderson for all the computer work and to you the players that supported us in big numbers to make it a great night’s chess once again!

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The George Pyrich OTB Allegro Championship Series 22-23
Well what a first night this turned out to be at Perth Chess Club! Due to the 1st allegro at Newport Knights being cancelled due to the Tay Road Bridge being closed, Perth got the honour of opening the series up and boy did the not disappoint!

This was the first major event held at Perth’s new premises which were two flights of stairs up (There was a lift)! It was a nice comfortable room with plenty of space to hold a chess competition!

We had a fantastic 26 players entered to play at Perth Chess Club:

Perth CC                             13
Castlehill CC                         7
St.Andrews Uni CC             3 (Fantastic turnout thank you!)
Dundee CC                           2
Kirkcaldy CC                        1
Total                                   26

This was a 5 round Swiss, 15 minutes each player, with the player with the most points on the night becoming the Perth (TAFCA) OTB Allegro Champion 22-23!

Players who finish in the top 5 places get Grand Prix points:
(1st=5; 2nd=4; 3rd =3; 4th =2 & 5th = 1 point).  All players who played on the night get a bonus point!

The player with the most Grand Prix points after all events have been played is crowned the:
TAFCA George Pyrich OTB Allegro Champion 2022-23!

In this format you not only have to be a good player, but have a bit of luck as well! It’s not about the first mistake or error, but who makes the last one! Time as well can be your enemy especially in an even game where your opponent has a minute to your 20 seconds. Ask Ronnie Cutting (Perth) he knows all about that feeling!

Congratulations to Alisdair McLeod (Castlehill) and James Anderson (Dundee) who both finished on 4½ points and are both crowned the Perth (TAFCA) OTB George Pyrich Allegro Champions 22-23! Well played the both of you!

Mind you when you here the name James Anderson winning a trophy, Victor Meldrum comes to mind with “I don’t believe it! (Only kidding Jim…)

Standings on the night & Overall standings (after one event)

1=: Alisdair McLeod (Castlehill) & James Anderson (Dundee) 4½/5
3=: Alastair Dawson (Dundee) & Rishi Vijayakumar J11 (Castlehill) 4/5
5=: Aaron Gourlay, Michael Roth (Perth) & Vladislav Drabych (Castlehill) 3½/5

Everybody else got 1 bonus point!

The night started late due to the number of entries and all the typing Jim Anderson had to do! Because of that, it was a late finish which resulted in the St.Andrews players missing their bus. Thankfully we had several players who had space in their cars who took them home (thank you all for that!).

The event is in memory of the late George Pyrich a member of Glenrothes & Kirkcaldy Chess Clubs. George was also the organiser of the very popular Glenrothes Chess Congress and an honorary President of TAFCA since 2015. He is sadly missed by all that knew him.

There were some hilarious chess played and some great finishes as well, a mixed bag if you like! It all made for great chess and Perth Chess Club was most certainly rocking! A few players were “All Shock up” while others were in the “Heartbreak Hotel”! Others, once they had make their move then realised their mistake (Ray Noble!), wished they could “Return to Sender”! Ah I missed the puns!

Thank you to Perth Chess Club for being wonderful hosts on the night (Setting up  and taking down tables, boards/clocks, etc). This included the food and refreshments on the night and for the raffle prizes. Special thanks to David Hall and Martin Gourlay and all the Perth Chess players that not only played, but helped out on the night (James Graham, Raffles)!

Speaking of the raffle, on the night we raised £60 for the charity ESOL (English Teachers Online). This is the venue used by Perth Chess Club at present! A big thank you to all that bought raffle tickets!

Thank you to my wing man, James Anderson for doing all the computer work, he earned his money at the sign in (Oh wait he does not get paid for this)!

Of course thank you to you the players who supported us on the night from far and wide. Without you it would be a disaster, but with you it was an overwhelming success!

For all the results and standings, click the tab marked “George Pyrich“!

The next event takes place at Castlehill Chess Club Dundee on Thurs 19th Jan 23.

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Next event: Mon 19th Dec 22, 7:30pm start at Perth Chess Club (Perth have a new venue this season!)

Due to the Tay Road Bridge being closed on the night because of an overturned high sided vehicle, the George Pyrich Allegro at Newport Knights (Wed 2nd Nov 22) had to be called off. Apologies to everyone and Newport Knights, but this was out of our control! As soon as we have a new date we will let you know.

DATES FOR 2022-23 George Pyrich Allegro Championship Series!
Just turn-up at each club venue by 7:25pm to enter!

1. Newport Knights: Wed 2nd Nov 22:

2. Perth: Mon 19th Dec 22:

3. Castlehill: Thurs 19th Jan 23:

4. Dundee: Mon 27th Feb 23:

5. Kirkcaldy: Wed 29th Mar 23: