20 Nov 2002
Barry Chess Club members have, with very good reason, taken more than a little interest in events at the 35th Chess Olympiad which took place from October 25th. to November 11th. in Bled, Slovenia.
Leighton Williams who plays for the Barry Bosons in division 1 of the East Glamorgan league and Nidum Liberals in West Wales produced a magnificent performance on the top board of the Welsh Olympiad team scoring 9½ out of a possible 13 points against some of the strongest opposition in the world.
Leighton only missed attaining a coveted Grandmaster title by the narrowest of margins but his sparkling form nevertheless justly earned him the title of International Master and elevated him into very elite company. There are approximately 600 Chess Masters in the whole world with Wales previously having produced only one Grandmaster and three International Masters.
The 25 year old champion, who hails from Mountain Ash and is currently studying chemistry at Cardiff University, gave notice of things to come when winning a gold medal for individual performance at the 1994 Olympiad in Moscow and has provided inspiration and guidance to many young players in the Principality over the intervening years. There can be fewer, if any, more popular Welsh players to achieve international acclaim and there may yet be greater things to come from this talented star whose innovative and fearless play ensures that few cobwebs will be allowed to settle on top level chess.
The members of Barry Chess Club are delighted to wholeheartedly echo the plaudits which have already been heaped on their top player by the media - "Well done mate! Well done!"
Here is Leighton’s round 14 demolition of a Russian Grandmaster. With the International Master title already safely in his pocket the Welshman lets rip with a French Wing Gambit - an aggressive attack against a solid black defence - and soon has his opponent all at sea in, what appears to have been to him, a fairly unfamiliar opening.
White : Williams (2288) : Black : Grechihin (2543)
(01) e4, e6 (02) Nf3, d5 (03) e5, c5 (04) b4, cb4 (05) a3, Nh6 (06) ab4, Bb4 (07) c3,
Be7 (08) d4, Nf5
(09) Bd3, O-O (10) O-O, Nc6 (11) g4, Nh4 (12) Nh4, Bh4 (13) f4, Be7 (14) g5, g6 (15) Rf3,
Kg7 (16) h4, Rh8
(17) h5, h6 (18) hg6 hg5 (19) fg5, fg6 (20) Rf6, Bf6 (21) gf6, Kf8 (22) Bg6, b5 (23) Ba3,
b4 (24) cb4, Ne5
(25) b5, Kg8 (26) de5, Qb6 (27) Kg2, Qe3 (28) Qg4, Qh6 (29) Bh5, Kh7 (30) Bc1, Rg8 (31)
Qg8, Resigns.
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Leighton Williams was awarded an International Master title when scoring
9½ points
from 13 games on board 1 for Wales at the recent Chess Olympiad in Bled, Slovenia.
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At a local level, clubs are now approximately one third of the way through the East Glamorgan Chess Association’s 2002/2003 league season.
A familiar scenario has developed at the head of division 1 as, almost to the exclusion of other teams, 2000/2001 champions Barry Bosons and 2001/2002 champions Cardiff Castles again lock horns in a manner akin to that of a pair of rutting stags with neither prepared to yield an inch to their adversary. The Boson’s anticipate points from both of their outstanding games and this, together with the match which they have in hand of their rivals, currently gives them the edge but with both teams in their current excellent form one slip by either could prove terminal.
Also in the first division, Barry’s second team, the Camelots, seem relatively comfortable at the moment but the club’s third team, the Stauntons, are finding the going tough and may have finally reached the limit of their capabilities having risen from division 4 over the last 3 years.
In division 4 the Barry Gambits look well on course to regain their division 3 status and, providing that they suffer no major mishaps, have every chance of lifting the divisional title. The possibility of promotion from this division has not yet entirely slipped away from the Barry Saracens but some hard work will be needed in their next few matches if they are to move into the top 6 promotion play-off pool.
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Barry Chess Club meets every Wednesday evening at 7:45 p.m. on the first floor of the Witchill Hotel, Barry Road while a variety of chess information including the latest club, league and cup match details can be obtained by visiting the club`s web site at www.barrychessclub.org.uk.