These News Items relate to December 2000

76th Hastings Chess Congress, 28 December 2000 - 7 January 2001

In the FIDE-rated Challengers section, Jessie Gilbert had a very pleasing 3½/9 including a last round win over a 2091-rated player.
In the Weekend events that began the day after the end of the Premier and Challengers sections, Selina Khoo had anb excellent result, winning the U100 Section outright with 4½/5. In the U160, Alexandra 'Aly' Wilson scored 3/5 and Teresa Khoo had 2½/5. All these girls are Surrey players.
Full results of the Hastings Congress can be seen at the BCM website (Link may now be dead) HERE.

London Junior Chess Championships, South Bank University, 28-30 December 2000

Sarah Hegarty [Surrey] had an excellent result coming second equal in the strong U12 Major section with 7/9, also winning the Leading Girl prize. This result confirm Sarah as one of the very top players, boy or girl, in her age-group in the UK.
Poppy Aarons [Middlesex] took the Best London U12 Girl prize, and Best Southern Counties U11 Girl prize with 5/9 in the same section. Other girls on 5/9 included Hannah Dale, Selina Khoo and Fiona Smailes - these three all Surrey.
In the U12 Minor section, Amelia Duncanson of Norfolk did very well to take the Leading Girl prize with 5½/9.
Full results of all sections are available at the London Junior Congress website, through our Links page, and a summary of all girls' scores is provided Here.

Terence Chapman Prixette

The following placings from the official Press Release by Leonard Barden:
1. Sarah Hegarty 63.2
2. WGM Jovanka Houska 62.5
3. Teresa Khoo 60.4

U18 Prixette: Anna Partington
U14 Prixette: WFM Jessie Gilbert
U12 Prixette: Selina Khoo

Prixette Final Standings Here, and we also have final standings for the Other Grand Prix sections.

Essex events

Three rapidplay tournaments have taken place in Essex since September which we have not covered properly previously. Results of the girls who competed are available by clicking Colchester 00 or Basildon 00 or Dunmow 00,

Coulsdon Rapidplay, 16 December 2000

In contrast with Bury one week before, there were eleven female players taking part, including eight juniors. The scores of all these women and girls can be seen Here,

Bury (Lancs) Rapidplay, 10 December 2000

They're a macho lot up in Lancashire, and in the three sections of this event, very capably organised by Bury Chess Club, only one female in all took part, being Surrey star Teresa Khoo in the Major. I noticed a respected member of Bolton Chess Club looking on thoughtfully as Teresa took clear first place with a 5½/6 score!

London Junior U14 and U10s, South Bank University, 10-11 December 2000

Teresa's father was present at the Bury event, and was in receipt of mobile phone calls of sister Selina's progress in the London Junior U10 finals, in which she was equal first with 6/7 but had the best Sum of Progressive Scores, losing only in the last round to Eugene Geidelberg. So an excellent weekend all round for the talented Khoo sisters. Selina won the London U10 Girls championship, and the Boys' championship went to co-winner Robin Amiga, as Eugene lives too far from London to be in contention for this. But, like the other two, he received a plaque.
Cross tables for the U10s and U14s can be found at the LJCC webpage, via our Links page, and a summary of girls' results is provided Here.

Richmond Rapidplay, 3 December 2000

Apart from Jovanka Houska and couple of overseas girls guesting, there were no girls in the Open section. Teresa Khoo [Surrey] did well in the Major U160, scoring 4/6 placed joint third: likewise, Karla Houska [Berkshire] was also joint third in the Minor with 4½/6.
To see all girls' results, Click Here.

Surrey v Sussex, U14/U90, Guildford 2 December 2000

Sussex had the narrowest of all possible wins by 12½ to 11½ in this two round match. The following girls took part: For Surrey, on Board 3, Fiona Smailes 1/2 and on Board 8, Reyana Fayyaz, 2/2; for Sussex, on Board 7 then 8, Georgina Draper ½/2 and on Board 12, Sarah Linnett 0/1. The only all-girls game was Georgina Draper 0, Reyana Fayyaz 1 in Round 2.

26th Bell Lane tournament, Hendon 2 December 2000

This tournament must be popular, for it has been run continuously for 26 years! But for the very first time in its history, one of the sections, the U10, was won by a girl - Rachel Jacobs, of Middlesex, a rapidly improving junior of whom we are going to be hearing lots in the world of girls' chess.
The U12 was notable for the presence of three distant visitors, Katie A Martin from Oldham and the Thomas twins from Wiltshire. All performed very creditably.
For a summary of the girls' scores, Click Here, and for full cross tables, visit the Barnet Knights website.

Whitstable Rapidplay and Oyster Women's Rapidplay, Whitstable 2 December 2000

These well-organised and successful events ran alongside each other, with very good playing facilities provided at the local Community College.
The Whitstable event, in four sections, was of course open to all players. The Open had 22 players with one girl, who happened to be the redoubtable Heather Richards [Kent] who scored 4/6 against some very strong opposition including a rare appearance of Mike Basman as a player rather than a chess organiser and teacher.
The Major [U160] with 15 players was a fertile hunting-ground for Teresa Khoo [Surrey] who finished joint second on 4½/6 thus helping her quest for the Terence Chapman Prixette. The only other girl was Anna Partington, 4/6.
Joint first (with one other player) in the Minor U120 was Alexandra 'Aly' Wilson [Surrey] with 5/6. There were no girls in the U80 Novice section.
The Oyster Rapidplay for women and girls produced some exciting finishes among the 15 girls and three adult women who took part. Clear first place with 5/6 went to Claire Morris [Oxfordshire], while joint second were Chantal Sirisena [Surrey] and Eleanor Hayden [Sussex] each with 4½.
A full crosstable for the Oyster is available Here.

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