Sarunas Sulskis,,winner of the 96th Hastings International Chess Congress, holds the Golombek Trophy as he is applauded by John Ashworth, CEO of main sponsor Caplin Systems.

Sulskis wins Hastings chess tournament on its post Covid return

Lithuanian grandmaster Sarunas Sulskis triumphed at Hasting International Chess Congress’s first over-the-board meet for three years. For the organiser, putting the event on was dogged with difficulties. Nick Terdre reports.

For Sarunas Sulskis, chess grandmaster (GM) from Lithuania, victory in the Masters tournament represented a triumph over nearly 100 other competitors, including another 10 GMs, but for the Hastings International Chess Congress, hosting the event in the Horntye sports pavilion – for the first time since 2020, although an online tournament was held in 2021 – was a battle against disrupted public transport and an acute shortage of accommodation.

The battle over the boards went down to the wire with 16 players capable of taking at least a share of first prize when the 10^th and final round began on Friday afternoon. Sulskis’ win with white over GM Alexander Cherniaev secured what proved to be a winning 8 points. He was also a co-winner in 2018.

GMs Oleg Korneev and Bence Korpa could have drawn level, but managed only draws against GM Romain Edouard and international master (IM) Brandon Clarke respectively, to finish on 7½ points, while GM Mark Hebden beat Fide (World Chess Federation) master Harry Grieve, the current British champion, to pull alongside them in second place.

Sulskis, who won £2,500, admitted being “extremely lucky” in some of his games, and said the secret of his win was his fascination with the Battle of Hastings and the inspiration he drew from it.

The three second-placed players also shared £2,500. Hebden also took the prize for best game for his victory over Grieve, while the award for the best performance by a female player went to England’s Kamila Hryshchenko with 5 points. A norm towards achieving IM status was gained by Chan Kim Yew.

Visas refused

The chance to play in Hastings once more proved an attractive draw, but not everyone made it. Several Russian players registered but then found themselves refused visas by the government. The frequent failure of the fast-track approval office for visas to respond to calls led to several players losing money spent on air tickets and hotel reservations.

A number of participants also left early due to the transport difficulties caused by the rail strikes from Tuesday 3^rd to Saturday 7^th. The final round was contested by 78 players. Lists were posted on the wall of the playing hall to help bring together those seeking lifts, mainly to London, with those able to offer them.

Accommodation in town is also in short supply following the Home Office’s decision to house asylum seekers in local hotels.

Nevertheless the organiser was able to hold a full complement of competitions, including the five-round Christmas and New Year tournaments, each with morning and afternoon sections, and the Weekend Open on 7 and 8 January.

This was the 96^th edition of the Hastings International Chess Congress, which was the world’s first international chess tournament when it was first held in 1895. The principal sponsor was Caplin Systems, a provider of online trading technology, which has supported the event since 2019/20.

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