Stewarton Allegro

June 11, 2000

Including the Scottish Allegro Championship 2000

And the Ayrshire Junior Championships

Organised by Stewarton Chess Club in Association with Stewarton Bonnet Guild,

the Scottish Chess Association and the Ayrshire Chess Association

Held on Sunday 12th June 2000 in the Stewarton Annick Youth Centre, Stewarton. We were pleased this year to again host both the Scottish Allegro Championships as well as the Ayrshire Junior Championships as part of our tournament for the second year running. This year we had a record breaking attendance with 120 players entering the tournament. Fifty of the entries came from Ayrshire clubs with other players from as far afield as Dundee, Glenrothes and Bolton in England.

The Scottish Allegro Championship was again won by top seed and third highest rated player in Scotland Grandmaster Colin McNab of Dundee Victoria Chess Club. We were fortunate to also have three International Masters also playing in the event – Douglas Bryson and Stephen Mannion both of Glasgow clubs and John Shaw of Kilmarnock Chess Club. John has been a fairly regular player at the Stewarton event and has won the event twice in previous years. We were also pleased to have Elaine Rutherford of Edinburgh playing in the top event. Elaine is the current holder of the World Amateur Chess Championship title.

Stewarton Chess Club would like to thank Malcolm Johnston and the other officials from the Bonnet Guild committee for their assistance in setting up and running the tournament this year and our sincere thanks to local company McCluskey Browne who donated all the trophies, shields and medals awarded during the prizegiving. We are also grateful to the staff of the Youth Centre especially Johnny Wilson who pulled out all the stops to help us set up and run the event.

The organisers of the event would like to thank the controllers who have supported the tournament for many years with their help and skills in running the events. Thanks to John McNicoll of Kilmarnock Chess Club and Alan Steel of our own Stewarton Chess Club. Many thanks to Ken Stewart of the Scottish Chess Association for running and controlling the Championship event.

The ladies and gentlemen of the canteen / tuck shop excelled again this year with their home baking and tasty selection of hot and cold food (Bunty Montgomery, Maryann Cowie, Nan Kafka, David Montgomery, John Cowie), and served a splendid array of home baking donated by parents of the junior members of Stewarton Chess Club. Thanks are also due to Sam and Laura Collins of Chess and Bridge Supplies (Scotland) for running a bookstall at the venue.

Several of the players in the event ventured across the street from the Youth Centre to the premises of the Stewarton Rifle Club where the Bonnet Guild had organised a shooting competition in a variety of sections. At least four of the players at the chess event were also talented enough to win prizes at the shooting competition. However only one won anything in the chess tournament. Enough said.

Results

Scottish Allegro Championship

First Colin McNab, Dundee Victoria

Second equal Ken Beaton, Glasgow Montrose

Second equal Stephen Mannion, Cathcart

Second equal John Shaw, Kilmarnock

Grading prizes Elaine Rutherford, Edinburgh, Jim Kleboe, Kilmarnock & Graeme Kafka, Largs

Best Ayrshire player David Galbraith, Kilmarnock

 

Major section

First on tiebreak Stephen Smith, Stirling

Second on tiebreak Jim Docherty, Kilmarnock

Third equal Campbell Dougan, Cathcart

Third equal Jim Hamilton, Cathcart

Third equal Andrew MacQueen, Bishopton

Third equal George Murphy, Edinburgh

Grading prize Donald Wilson, Grangemouth

Best Ayrshire players Robert Carterand Gary McPheator, both Prestwick

Minor section

First Kevin Campbell, Holy Cross, Hamilton

Second equal Ian McKenzie, East Kilbride

Second equal Neil Thomson, Giffnock

Second equal Alasdair Carey, Greenwood Academy Irvine

Grading prizes David Deary, Greenwood Academy, Irvine and Stuart Blyth, Glenrothes

Best Ayrshire player Iain MacCallum, Kilmarnock

Best Stewarton player Ross Thomson

Under 14 section

First Karen Shovlin, St Johns Perth

Second Gordon Phillips, Bishopbriggs Glasgow

Third Mark Hudson, Greenwood Academy, Irvine

Best Ayrshire prize Ryan English, Greenwood Academy Irvine

Mark Hudson also wins the Ayrshire Chess Association Under 14 Championship.

Under 12 section

First on tiebreak Calum MacQueen, Bishopton

Second on tiebreak Tom Elsden, St Johns Perth

Third equal Ian MacGregor, Glasgow

Third equal Lynsey Shovlin, St Johns Perth

Third equal Jamie Malkin, Kilmarnock

Grading prizes Eoghan Morgan, St Brides, Hamilton and Stuart Diamond, Bishopton

Jonathon Rooney, Neilston and Calum Docherty, Glasgow

Best female player Carine Docherty, Airdrie YMCA

Best Ayrshire players Christopher Hastings & John McLaughlan, Corsehill Primary, Kilwinning

Rory Aitken, West Kilbride

Best Stewarton players David Smith and Cameron Williams

Jamie Malkin also wins the Ayrshire Primary Championship.

Family prizes were won by Andrew & Calum MacQueen of Bishopton, Sam & Gordon Phillips of Bishopbriggs, Lynsey, Karen & John Shovlin of Perth and Christopher, Jonathon & Michael Rooney of Neilston.

Prepared by John Montgomery, Secretary, Stewarton Chess Club

4 Barbeth Place, Girdle Toll, Irvine KA11 1QL, Telephone 01294-221486