CHESS BY VICTOR STRUGO

There are lots of tournaments to announce. Unfortunately I received news of the Steinitz Chess Festival taking place in Durbanville this weekend too late. I urge organisers to provide more advance notice.

This coming Monday evening, 23rd May, the Cape Town Club’s 2022 Blitz Championship will be held at the Ellerton Primary School in

Sea Point. Time limit is 3 minutes + 2 second increments. The 7-round Swiss starts at 7:30pm sharp. Register on site from 6:45pm or in advance by e-mailing dogman@cybersmart. co.za or call 082 85-7650. Total prize fund is R5,000. Founded in 1885, the club has held the traditional blitz event annually since 1950.

Traveling players might want to diarise the Eddie Price Memorial, taking place at Grayston Prep School on Sunday 4th September. Organised by former SA Champion Clyde Wolpe, this is an 8-round “handicap” blitz event with 20 minutes per game allocated according to a table of rating differences. Each 100-point difference favours the weaker player by a full minute, improving the chance of bagging a heffalump’s scalp! The total prize-fund is R25,000. Entries are limited to 80 players, so apply early to suzegoforchess@*

gmail.com or call Clyde at 061 034-2885.

Eddie Price who died in February was a top SA player, administrator and driver of the unity process who fully warrants a memorial event. I wonder how long it will take for Cape organisers to accord the same respect to Nick Barnett and Piet Kroon who both died last year?

The Big One is of course the 2022 South

African Open, to be held at Fairbairn College, Goodwood from 9 - 17 July. The traditional 11-round classic time-limit open has separate Championship (open) and B section (ratings up to 1600) with parallel junior (6 rounds) and blitz events. The total prize fund is a whopping R130,000. Get the full brochure at chesshub.org. za and register at https://bit.ly/saopen22.

A discounted hotel rate is available for outof-towners, and the organisers are also asking anyone with hosting facilities for fellow chessplayers to contact them at the above link.

Finally the big news that top-seeded IM Daniel Cawdery and FM Banele Mhango tied first in the 9-player round-robin 2022 SA Closed

Championship at Newlands Cricket Ground. Their 6/8 score edged ahead of IGM Kenny Solomon (5.5), FM Daniel Barrish (5) and IM Watu Kobese (4 points).

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I welcome comments, games and news at victor. strugo@gmail.com. Find local news at chesshub. org.za and FACEBOOK.COM/SACHESSPLAYERS.