08-07-2012, 10:27 PM
Ben Volland from Muckhart PS scored 5/6 in the Under-8 section, finishing second equal after drawing with the tournament winner in the final round.
Ben's mother tells me that his first-round game was adjudicated as a draw (clocks were not in use!) when Ben was two pawns up and believed he was about to deliver mate. It is totally absurd not to use clocks at this level of competition, but that's maybe an issue to be pursued later.
I'm going to claim a little bit of (OK, undeserved) credit for Ben's performance: I've given him three practice games in the past few weeks, because the best way for him to improve is by playing against stronger players. Unfortunately, I may not be quite strong enough - the score is currently 2-1 in Ben's favour.
Ben's mother tells me that his first-round game was adjudicated as a draw (clocks were not in use!) when Ben was two pawns up and believed he was about to deliver mate. It is totally absurd not to use clocks at this level of competition, but that's maybe an issue to be pursued later.
I'm going to claim a little bit of (OK, undeserved) credit for Ben's performance: I've given him three practice games in the past few weeks, because the best way for him to improve is by playing against stronger players. Unfortunately, I may not be quite strong enough - the score is currently 2-1 in Ben's favour.