The final results were:

	P	W	D	L	Pts
Senior Team	14	11	1	2	11 1/2
Junior Team	14	12	2	0	13

Two teams were entered in the Sunday Times Tournament but both were defeated in the first round.

In the School Championship, M. Flint won the Senior Trophy, A. Shaw was runner-up; J. Foley won the Junior Trophy and A. Walton-Smith was runner-up.

Personal honours were achieved by: R. Duncan, M. Flint and R. Lee who played for the Middlesex Junior Team. In the Harrow Junior Shield, M. Flint finished 4th and J. Durcan 8th. M. Flint also won the London U.16 Reserve Tournament and J. Durcan won the best end-game prize in the same competition. J. Foley finished third and R. Lee ninth in the Middlesex Junior Championship, U.15 Section.

The Thurnham Cup, presented by Mr. & Mrs. Thurnham, for the player with the best average was won by R. Duncan.

Senior Team:       Junior Team:

A. Shaw, J. Burke M. Taylor Reserve: J. Foley R. Durcan

Captain M. Flint J. Durcan L. Kelly A. Walton-Smith R. Lee J. Ormiston

A. Shaw

Chess Congress in Hayes

The Junior Chess Team was invited to take part in the Middlesex Junior Chess Championship last August. Some of the team were away on holidays but three members, R. Lee, R. Duncan and I, eagerly accepted the opportunity of taking part in a championship. This was my first experience in a tournament but both of the others had competed in the London Championships at the end of last year. The congress consisted of a Swiss tournament in which there were nine rounds, in each one you played a person who had the same number of points as yourself. The point count is simple; one point for a win and half a point for a draw.

Each of us played on a different Board. I learned the hard way that one should not underestimate one's opponent, the lesson cost me the second game on the first day's play. We put up a good showing that day: Lee scored two (the maximum), Duncan a half and I got one.

Duncan was our high scorer in the second day's play, he got two. Lee scored a point and a half while I, through some clever end-game tactics, got a further point. We had settled down quite well to the Championship and by the end of the third day, out of a possible six points, Lee had scored four and a half, Duncan had three and a half and I had four points.

Thursday, the fourth day of the Championship, was especially important. I remembered the lesson of the first day and, although he was only nine and half years old, was particularly wary of my opponent in the seventh round; he was a very good player but my wariness paid off and gained me another point. At the end of the eighth round both Lee and I had five and a half points, Duncan had four and a half.

There was only one round on the final day of the tournament. Here I had my greatest turn of luck in being drawn against the one player I wanted to meet; like me, his strength was in his end-game powers. In the game he almost forced a draw, but with a little bit of dash I gained the point. Duncan was unlucky to lose in the last round; Lee gained joint sixth and I came joint third.

There were fifty competitors in the tournament; we enjoyed taking part in it and meeting so many other players of our own age; participation in the Championships was not just enjoyable, it was a very rewarding experience.

John Foley Form 3C

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