Hampton Court International

Better known for its Real Tennis...

Pic from here with thanks

...and other courtly pursuits, such as deer stalking in the royal park...

Pic by Richard

...Hampton Court has now witnessed its first international chess joust: on Saturday 2 August - and here's a quick update for you.


It is an all-play-all double rounder (1st round on Saturday just gone, 2nd pencilled-in for 16th August) at 5 minute blitz, with this cosmopolitan entry: Olimpiu Urcan (award-winning chess historian on 13 hour stopovers at Heathrow between Singapore and the States), together with the following divers associates of the Streatham and Brixton Chess Blog: Martin Smith (S&B Blogger), Angus French (S&B Blog stringer and snapper), and Richard James - renowned chess author and teacher, and sometime S&B guest blogger.

Great craic, as Richard took us round Bushy Park adjacent to the Palace and tried to explain the interesting bits...

Richard, Olimpiu and MS
Pic by Angus  

...but sometimes we didn't get his point.

The chess etc. got under way at the Kings Arms in the shadow of Hampton Court.

Hampton Court Palace - and shadow.
Pic by James Park-Watt, via Wikimedia Commons

Mid-tournament results, as we change ends waiting for Olimpiu's return stopover (he's gone to the States for more chess-historical research), are Urcan and Smith 2.5; French 1.0; James 0.0. Everything to play for in Round 2.

Real Chess anybody?
Richard, Olimpiu, Angus.
Pic by MS

We will let you into the final result if and when the tourney concludes.