After a blistering start in round 1 it was all to play for in round 2. The swiss system pairing kicked in so the round 1 winners began to feel the heat, and the losers were looking for opportunities to get off the mark.
Who would Gladstone favour?
The Games
First out of the blocks was the classic Hare vs Tortoise in Mister Ioannou (taking 13 minutes in total) v Mister Widdicombe (taking 57 minutes). Except, in this story, the hare and the tortoise decided to stop just before the finish line, shake on a draw and go to the bar.
The next game sees the ever-more-fancied Mister Jackson make short work of Mister Barnett, who abandoned his knight early on and couldn’t quite make it back.
It was Mister Dias’s turn to have a crack at the tournament favourite. Facing an uphill struggle, he fought well, but ultimately fell. The Doctor, as ever, is the man to catch…
So if Doctor Kirby was tucking away the points, what of the main challenger, Mister Giffin QC MA (Oxon)? He had a tough task against the strong Young Master Jacobs, but saw things home safely enough after Young Master Jacobs got his knight trapped.
The next game saw Our Good Friend Mister Taylor and Mister Rosenbaum both trying to get off the mark after tough Round 1 games. Our Good Friend Mister Taylor won through in a very well played game. After the match his vanquished opponent graciously commented: “I got totally outclassed tonight. He converted an early advantage with the accuracy reminiscent of a young Capablanca!”. High praise indeed. (And not the first time Jose Raul has played at 1 Whitehall Place).
No game score was made for the final match of the round, in which Senor Odriozola got the better of Mister Sharland.
Doctor Saldanha had a bye after Mister Ali pulled out of the tournament.
The Leaderboard
It’s tight, with everyone seeming to take points off each other. Standings after Round 2 are as follows:
1=. Mister Jackson 2/2
1=. Mister Giffin QC MA (Oxo) 2/2
1=. Doctor Kirby 2/2
4. Doctor Saldanha 1.5/2
5=. Mister Widdicombe 1/2
5=. Mister Ioannou 1/2
5=. Mister Dias 1/2
5=. Senor Odriozola 1/2
5=. Mister Barnett 1/2
5=. Our Good Friend Mister Taylor 1/2
5=. Young Master Jacobs 1/2
11=. Mister Sharland 0/2
11=. Mister Rosenbaum 0/2