Suffolk Chess

Over the past week or so, Alan Merry (Elo 2347) has been playing in the 14-player Brambles Masters, in Hampstead.   With half the field rated over 2400, Alan was hoping to gain some points that would bring him closer to the 2400 rating he needs for his IM title.

Starting with an excellent draw against the eventual joint winner, top seed GM Fier from Brazil, Alan stood proudly on three points after the first five rounds with a likely improvement of 30 rating points.   But things then went badly wrong, and he lost in rounds 6, 7 and 8.   He recovered with a good win in the final round today against IM Peter Sowray (2385).   So instead of gaining the 53 points he needed, Alan will probably just manage to ease his rating over 2350.

The final cross-table can be viewed here.

As can be seen left, Alan featured on the cover of the British Chess Magazine for November 2014.