What follows is a provisional pairing for the Atticus Open. If you are not mentioned and you intend to play, please contact me a.s.a.p and, similarly, if you are mentioned and you do not intend to play, please contact me a. s. a. p.

Rob Greaves  has a bye. PLEASE NOTE: these pairings are subject to change. Also, Martin Blascyk will not be playing on the Monday so his opponent - currently Andy Brecevich - may rearrange with him for later in the week (if convenient).

Please could all players turn up by 7.15pm next monday (21st May) or earlier. There may be some last minute rearrangements but I will endeavour to make sure that everyone who turns up gets a game - subject to the restriction of space and 16 boards.

I look forward to a fun tournament. Good luck all.

Wow!! Atticus win the First Division, the Second Division, the 600 league, the John Ripley Cup, Player of the Year in Divisions One and Two, and beat Man City on penalties.Great Season, you guys!

Aigburth 2  ½-5½  Atticus, John Ripley Final, Aigburth CC, May 9 2012

Adding to our victories in Divisions One and Two, Atticus last night retained the John Ripley Cup. It was a match of reverses - at least as far as openings went. Andrej faced a reversed Leningrad Dutch, Dave Lawson played a reversed Sicilian Kan, while my game morphed into a reversed King's Indian Attack. There were some more conventional openings too: First to finish was Luke - his brisk demolition of the Taimanov is annotated below -while Dave James was surprised, but not floored, by Nick unleashing the Classical Dutch. Not quite so conventional was Charlie's attempt to play a proper Noteboom which his opponent chose to cross with an odd mixture of e4 and g3. Charlie achieved a stable pawn advantage but faced difficulties in the conversion phase, when a theme of opposite-coloured bishops emerged. It was, then, a somewhat one-sided match, although Aigburth 2 fought hard against the odds, as they had done all season in Division One. 

I was very pleased with my game and the team performance tonight. It is also nice that I have been encouraged to put my game on the web page. It will be the last of my games on the web for a while but look forward to weekly reports and games from our upcoming Summer tournament.