Chess players plan their moves at St James
ST JAMES has been filled with dozens of chess boards, as about 70 chess players take part in the 47th BWCI Guernsey International Chess Festival.
The annual event started on Saturday with a blitz tournament, and then the main tournament got under way yesterday.
Festival organiser Jon Hill said he was very grateful to St James and new sponsor BWCI for their support in the festival, which will see local and international players taking part.
‘For local players, it gives them the chance to compete against international competition,’ he said.
The festival started in 1975 and many players return year after year to take part.
John Wager, 69, from Berkshire, said he had taken part in the festival 24 times.
‘I keep coming back,’ he said.
‘I do like visiting Guernsey and so does my wife and I enjoy chess.
‘There is good competition.’
Dan Rosen, 59, from London, has been taking part in the tournament since 2000.
‘It’s a nice place to come to,’ he said.
‘It’s a holiday first and a tournament second.’
On the first tournament day, the hall was dominated by men.
Elmira Walker, 41, from Bristol, was one of the few women taking part.
This was her first time competing in Guernsey.
Her husband is a chess arbiter and that drew her into the sport.
She now travels to take part in competitions.
‘I love new places,’ she said, adding that she was enjoying Guernsey, after visiting Candie Gardens and the Renoir exhibition.
She added that she saw chess as a life experience, rather than just a game.
‘Every time you lose, you learn something,’ she said.
‘Also, when you win, you’re happy.
‘When you lose, you make someone else happy.’
The first day blitz tournament saw three players unusually tie, with a score of eight out of a possible nine.
Keith Arkell, 62, won the tiebreaker.
He said it had been a good warm-up for the main tournament.
The festival runs until Saturday, with a prize-giving dinner held on Saturday evening.
