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Last updated: Sunday 3rd September 2006 at 23:13

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Sunday 3rd September 2006
There were two quick draws between some of the players with little to play for in the final round, but the norm seekers games were obviously not given up so easily, and Peter Wells also made strenuous, albeit ultimately unsuccessful, efforts to beat Colin McNab.

James Cobb eventually beat Iain Gourlay to exceed the IM norm by half a point, but already has three norms, the most recent achieved at the British Championships just a few weeks ago. Lars Stark made his second IM norm by beating Maxim Devereaux.

In the final standings, Danny Gormally came clear first with 6 out of 9, followed by Gawain Jones and James Cobb on 5½. These three were respectively the top GM, top IM and top FM.
Saturday 2nd September 2006
A tough day for the leaders. Gawain Jones edged into the lead as he held a lost endgame against McNab, while Danny Gormally lost against James Cobb. Danny struck back in the clash of the leaders in the afternoon, beating Gawain to retake the sole lead by half a point.

The norm seekers had a hard time also - Stark lost to Wells in the morning, but beat Gourlay in the afternoon to mean that he can still get a norm by beating Devereaux in the final round with White. Although Gourlay won in the morning against Palliser, this loss to Stark means Gourlay also needs a win, but he has to play Cobb with Black
Friday 1st September 2006
Gawain Jones and Danny Gormally continue to set the pace, both winning again to move to 4½ out of 6, and in Gawain's case, keeping his GM norm chances alive, although he needs 2½ out of 3, and has two GMs (Gormally and McNab) still to play.

Of the pack, only James Cobb managed to win to keep in touch with the leaders, as he turned round a rather dubious position against Colin McNab to move onto a plus score for the first time.
Thursday 31st August 2006
Several results were affected by blunders today - possibly a sign that the punishing schedule is beginning to take it's toll on the players. This has at least led to more wins, with 5 of the 10 games played today being decisive. Only one of these (Cobb - Devereaux) seems fully convincing, as White played a strong positional game, Black found the wrong retreat in a difficult position, got his pieces in a muddle, and was never given another chance.

Black has still not managed to win a single game in the event. Peter Wells appeared that he might be on course to change this in the afternoon against Peter Sowray, but a blunder left him needing to scramble for a draw. Gormally and Jones still lead, now with 3½ / 5, and have opened up a one point gap over the chasing pack.
Wednesday 30th August 2006
Round 3 produced only one more decisive result to add to yesterday's total, as Gawain Jones downed Peter Sowray in a slightly suspect line of the Scotch (6.Nb5 against 4. ...Bc5 and 5. ...Qf6) that has generated some interest recently. Gawain now shares the lead with Danny Gormally on 2 / 3.
Tuesday 29th August 2006
Two hard-fought rounds to start the tournament in the end produced only two decisive games, both involving Peter Wells, although in round 1 both the White players in Devereaux - Gourlay and Palliser - Sowray held what should have been a decisive advantage at some point. Danny Gormally has already assumed sole lead on 1½ / 2, with eight of the ten players on 1, and seven of these having two draws so far.
Monday 28th August 2006
The drawing of lots has taken place. Amid some tongue-in-cheek allegations of a fix, Maxim Devereaux managed to draw pin 1 and two consecutive Whites to start the event. Gawain Jones drew the bogey number 6, with the double Black to start. The first round throws up the top seeds clash - Gormally v Wells. The list of pairings for all rounds has been added to the tournament schedule page.
Monday 21st August 2006
All of the players for the tournament are now confirmed. In a slight change of plan, GM Danny Gormally has taken the place of GM Nick Pert as the top seed for the event. English IM Richard Palliser and German FM Lars Stark complete the line-up.
Thursday 3rd August 2006
The tournament website is now up and running. All the main pages are present, although images of the players have not yet been uploaded.
Eight of the ten players to take part in the tournament are now confirmed. The last two places remaining, one for an English IM and one for a non-English IM (possibly WGM/FM) (both rated 2340-2500) will hopefully be filled in the next few days. Suitable players are invited to contact the organiser if they would like to be considered for these places.