Frome Chess Congress returns!
Reader Warning – there is no chess in this chess report … by Chris Lamming
There is something very satisfying about the aesthetic of a pristine, new, unstarted chess congress all set up and ready for the first round. The rows of the tournament hall are resplendent in the simplicity of the repeated pattern of boards, pieces and clocks. Score sheets and results cards and table numbers – it’s kind of like a vision of a laid table, where the diners feast instead on the problems of the mind.
It is at that point, at the moment when the doors open and the players start gathering, expectantly searching for the ever-elusive pairings sheets, that a feeling comes over the organisers that is so special – no more sorting to be done, it is time for the chess.
After the two-year hiatus, caused (as if anyone needed reminding) by the unseen yet terrible coronavirus, Frome Chess Congress made its eventual return in May this year after months of work and planning by the team.
The tournament is now at number 31 – this really being the first time it has run without its founder and legendary organiser, Gerry Jepps. Gerry had run the congress for more than 30 years and together with Gerry Udell they have created perhaps one of the most popular events in the southwest – a legacy that the new team have worked hard to continue – team Gerrys has given us very big boots to fill.
The congress is now a collaboration between the two most active local clubs – Frome and Trowbridge, which has enabled a lot of cross-over as we share ideas for the future of both the congress and league chess in the area more generally. The event has encouraged new players and club members to get involved and get training – in arbiting, in pairing software, in marketing, or in other important practices such as safeguarding. In some ways, this report pays homage to the hundreds of people across the country who devote so much time to planning and delivering the tournaments we all love.
If you haven’t played at Frome, one of the bigger draws is the catering. There are, it seems, a lot of people who play there simply to get the novelty of a good cooked meal! After we lost the Frome Majorette Troupe (who used to volunteer and raise money for their marching team), the congress organising team was distraught about the imperilled catering offer. Apart from anyone else, it is absolutely crucial that the section controllers are well fed, lest they get even more grumpy about the noise. Shhhhhhhhhh!!
A chance encounter at a local brewery (aren’t all good plans hatched over beer?) saw a connection made with Guy Inman of Fresh Kitchen, a local chap normally selling excellent fare from a van. So the food returned and the players did not go hungry, and the curry was, as it always is, a popular, if maybe, unwise choice of sustenance for a group of nervous chess enthusiasts just before their round 3 battles…
The lead-up to the congress was filled with discussions and debate – often lengthy back and forth emails over much whatifery. The monthly rating system, for example, has brought about new decisions to make for all organisers – once upon a time, you had one or maybe two grades a year. Now it seems you have hundreds to choose from! Recent international affairs, catering problems, Covid risks and all kinds of other points are pored over, discussed and policy formed. Beer is almost always involved – lubricating as it does the chess organiser mind.
We needn’t have worried too much, or perhaps we worried just the right amount, for the entry numbers simply blew away any doubt any of us had about the return of over the board chess. I played in Fareham and Doncaster in the weeks before Frome and was delighted to see such high numbers there too. Waiting lists, it seems, are now a normal thing for a chess tournament. At Frome we were soon 15 deep in the queue, with players waiting eagerly for the last-minute withdrawals.
So, an almost record-breaking 199 players took part, and the tournament ran without hitch and with a satisfied and well-fed bunch of the nicest chess players. Over time it is great to get to know the familiar faces that return each year and support us – it is one of the pleasures of organising and arbiting to be able to watch their excellent games.
But it is also just great to see once again so many gathering together, new and old, shaking hands and sitting down for a proper, over the board battle. Long may it continue – see you in 2023.
My deepest thanks to all of the team of the Frome Chess Congress: Kevin Paine, Mark Leonard, David Marshall, Bernadette Ross, Chris Purry, Gerry Udell, Gerry Jepps, Kevin Thurlow.
Editor’s note – just in case you wanted to find out about the chess you can access the results and prize winners via ---http://somersetchess.org/frome_congress/FromeHome.html