Rival’s victory brings Chandler to play-off

Press, 18 December 1986, Page 28

Rival’s victory brings Chandler to play-off

By

HUGH BARLOW

NZPA staff correspondent

London The New Zealand grandmaster, Murray Chandler, was poised to clinch the British chess championship yesterday until blunders by the Englishman, Jonathan Mestel, forced the contest into an unscheduled seventh day. Mestel, England’s only amateur grandmaster, had battled his way to a strong position against another Englishman, Jon Speelman, but blew his chances with rash moves when both men had only a few pieces left on the board. Speelman eventually trapped Mestel, who conceded the match. Had Mestel won, Chandler would have taken the title. Instead, Speelman’s victory put him equal with the former Wainuiomata player, aged 26, on three points from four games and the two will play off for the trophy today. It will be a play-off within a play-off. Chandler, Mestel and Speelman tied for first place in the British championships at Southampton in August and had to wait until last week before beginning a deciding competition. Chandler and Speelman, who drew both

times they met, will play two one-hour games today. It has yet to be decided what will happen if honours remain shared. It could .come down to a toss of the coin or both could be declared joint titleholders.

The New Zealander, who said he did not enjoy watching other people play chess, was in the ornate meeting room in the Great Eastern Hotel to see yesterday’s game. It was hard to remain detached, he said. “As a policy I don’t worry about whether a game goes a particular way, I just worry about mine. But today I got tantalised. “Mestel was in trouble but came back to what I thought had to be a winning position and then he lost it. You can’t help feeling a bit disappointed.” The short games today would not be “serious” chess, Chandler said. The idea of rapid-fire deciders was similar to penalty shoot-outs to decide a tied soccer match.

They were not really satisfactory but there was no alternative if a winner was to be found, he said. The outcome will have no effect on prize-money.

The first and second prizes, totalling £3200' ($9000), were split equally between Chandler and Speelman yesterday. Chandler’s strong show-; ing in the play-off came less than a fortnight after he finished third over alj behind two Soviets, the world Kasparov, and Yusupov, in the Olympiad in Dubai. l With other good in the last few months; the New Zealander ex; pects to jump from his present world ranking of twenty-ninth to twelfth of even tenth. i It indicated he was still improving, he said. ’ "Most players reach a plateau but my ranking keeps going up so I must be getting better.” ; His success ruled out a return to New Zealand, which he left in 1975, although he maintains close contact and makes frequent visits. “London is a centre for world chess. There is a fantastic atmosphere here now because England is ranked second in the world to the Soviet Union. “It would be impossible to be based in New Zealand and continue to compete at a top level,” he ( said.