The end of the season is nigh which means it must be time for the annual Blitz competition at the club. Although there are still six more weeks left in the season, it always seems a good idea to hold the Blitz relatively early in the summer before people start thinking about holidays. The added complication this year was that there was the possibility that England might be playing their World Cup second round match on the same day. Fortunately, defeat to Belgium in the final group game meant that they were to play Colombia the next day. It was therefore pleasing that we were able to persuade fourteen members to turn up on Monday. And the theme for the evening? Well, it had to be England v Colombia. In past years when we have used the Blitz to decide something, we have usually got it wrong. In 2013 the royal baby was due on the evening of the Blitz and although the Pink Princesses beat the Royal Blues, it was a prince (George) who was born, scuppering our prediction. A victory for Colombia this year might therefore be a good omen.
England Colombia
| 1 | David Faldon (174) | Trefor Owens (175) | |
| 2 | Paul Carfrae (140) | Bob Page (138) | |
| 3 | Gary Hilleard (e117) | Richard Clement (e123) | |
| 4 | Andy Flood (110) | Reg Pidduck (102) | |
| 5 | Bob Cronin (102) | Joshua Vaughan (97) | |
| 6 | Fredy Reber (53) | Michael Doyle (86) | |
| 7 | David Clifford (41) | Rupert Smallbone (e20) |
There were eight rounds altogether and everyone played one game against all other members of the opposing team. Players had six minutes each on their clock for each game and the advantage of having seven players in each team was that everyone had a bye at some stage in the evening. The event provided a debut for Trefor Owens, our most recent member, and he proved a real asset for the Colombian team, winning six of his seven matches. The match was the closest we have had for many years with six of the rounds ending in 3-3 draws. The only exception before the final round was a 4-2 win for Colombia in round 4 and so going into the last set of matches Colombia held a narrow 22-20 lead. If England hoped to turn it around, they were mistaken, losing the final round 2½-4½ to give Colombia a 26½-22½ victory. As we know, this meant that England would win the football which, of course, they did.
Credit for Colombia’s victory must go to the top three boards, Trefor Owens (6), Bob Page (6) and Richard Clement (5½). Star of the evening, however, was David Faldon, playing for England, who scored a 100% 7/7 in a losing team. Thanks to everyone who played and it is impressive that at a time when many clubs have been closed for months, Broadstairs can still persuade fourteen members to turn up and play chess on a hot summer’s evening.