2012 Country Chess Championship

Victorian Country Chess Championship 2012
Some of the best chess players in country Victoria battled it out in one of the hardest fought Victorian Country Chess Championships in Swan Hill on the weekend of October 6th & 7th.

Tournament champion for 2012, Mark Bruere v Shane Booth – a draw was enough to claim the title.


From left, Ben Kersten, Kevin Perrin, Leigh Healey, Rod Jacobs, Nigel Barrow, Mark Bruere, Patrick Cook, Terry Mills, James Watson, Shane Booth, Dr Stewart Booth, Max Mollard, Bas Van Riel & David Lumsdon.
A couple of late scratchings saw the field reduced to 14 - It was quite a strong field nonetheless; with former champion Bas Van Riel qualifying for the Reserves section.

No  Name             Feder Loc  Club 
1.  Booth, Stewart   VIC   2074 Swan Hill
2.  Bruere, Mark F   VIC   1998 Yea     
3.  Booth, Shane     VIC   1926 Bendigo 
4.  Healey, Leigh    VIC   1802 Bendigo 
5.  Barrow, Nigel    VIC   1757 Bendigo 
6.  Lumsdon, David   VIC   1719 Bendigo 
7.  Mollard, Max J   VIC   1671 Bendigo 
8.  Van Riel, Bas    VIC   1669 Ballarat
9.  Cook, Patrick    VIC   1635 Ballarat
10. Jacobs, Rodney M VIC   1629 Ballarat
11. Perrin, Kevin J  VIC   1541 Ballarat
12. Kersten, Ben     VIC   1482 Geelong 
13. Watson, James    VIC   1413 Ballarat
14. Mills, Terence   VIC   610  Bendigo 

The first round turned out well for the Ballarat players with Rod Jacobs & Kevin Perrin drawing with their higher rated opponents and junior, James Watson recording a win over Bendigo’s David Lumsdon.

James Watson’s water bottle trumps David Lumsdon’s thermos, while in the background, Max Mollard can’t believe his eyes at how well his opponent, Terry Mills, is playing.

Round  1
No Name           Total  Result   Name            Total
 1 Stewart Booth  [0]      1:0    Bas Van Riel    [0] 
 2 Patrick Cook   [0]      0:1    Mark F Bruere   [0] 
 3 Shane Booth    [0]     .5:.5   Rodney M Jacobs [0] 
 4 Kevin J Perrin [0]     .5:.5   Leigh Healey    [0] 
 5 Nigel Barrow   [0]      1:0    Ben Kersten     [0] 
 6 James Watson   [0]      1:0    David Lumsdon   [0] 
 7 Max J Mollard  [0]      1:0    Terence Mills   [0]

Round 2 saw another victory for second seed Mark Bruere, while in the battle of last year’s co-champions, Nigel Barrow managed to scramble a draw from the exchange down against top seed, Stewart Booth. David Lumsdon & Shane Booth played a marathon two Rooks versus Queen endgame, with a minor slip allowing Booth’s Queen to infiltrate.

“Draw?” Terry Mills, Patrick Cook & Ben Kersten prepare to start round 2.

The last game to finish, Shane Booth (left)  v David Lumsdon.

Round 2
No Name            Total  Result   Name           Total
 1 Nigel Barrow    [1]     .5:.5   Stewart Booth  [1] 
 2 Mark F Bruere   [1]      1:0    Max J Mollard  [1] 
 3 Leigh Healey    [.5]     1:0    James Watson   [1] 
 4 Rodney M Jacobs [.5]     0:1    Kevin J Perrin [.5]
 5 David Lumsdon   [0]      0:1    Shane Booth    [.5]
 6 Bas Van Riel    [0]      1:0    Ben Kersten    [0] 
 7 Terence Mills   [0]      0:1    Patrick Cook   [0]

The third round saw Terry Mills notch up his first victory over David Lumsdon, while the two top seeds drew on board 1. Leigh Healey moved into contention with a win over Bendigo Club Champion, Shane Booth.

Battle of the top seeds – Stewart Booth v Mark Bruer:e ½-½
Round 3
No Name           Total  Result   Name            Total
 1 Stewart Booth  [1.5]   .5:.5   Mark F Bruere   [2] 
 2 Shane Booth    [1.5]    0:1    Leigh Healey    [1.5]
 3 Kevin J Perrin [1.5]    0:1    Nigel Barrow    [1.5]
 4 Max J Mollard  [1]     .5:.5   Patrick Cook    [1] 
 5 James Watson   [1]      1:0    Bas Van Riel    [1] 
 6 Ben Kersten    [0]      1:0    Rodney M Jacobs [.5]
 7 Terence Mills  [0]      1:0    David Lumsdon   [0]

Most players chose to have dinner at the venue on the Saturday evening, - a tradition started last year which has become a fun social gathering for both players and their partners.  Pizza and cheesecake were on the menu, and enjoyed by all.
The battle was re-joined Sunday Morning, with Mark Bruere claiming the outright lead with a win over Nigel Barrow, while Stewart Booth remained in contention with a victory over Leigh Healey.

An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but not if you slip on a banana peel!  Leigh Healey (left) v Dr Stewart Booth.
Round 4
No Name            Total  Result   Name           Total
 1 Mark F Bruere   [2.5]    1:0    Nigel Barrow   [2.5]
 2 Leigh Healey    [2.5]    0:1    Stewart Booth  [2] 
 3 Shane Booth     [1.5]    1:0    James Watson   [2] 
 4 Patrick Cook    [1.5]   .5:.5   Kevin J Perrin [1.5]
 5 Bas Van Riel    [1]      1:0    Max J Mollard  [1.5]
 6 Ben Kersten     [1]      1:0    Terence Mills  [1] 
 7 Rodney M Jacobs [.5]     1:0    David Lumsdon  [0] 

The penultimate round saw the much anticipated battle of the two S Booths – on this occasion, Shane Booth emerged the victor. Meanwhile, Leigh Healey held Mark Bruere to a draw on board 1.

S Booth versus S Booth
Round 5
No Name           Total  Result   Name            Total
 1 Leigh Healey   [2.5]   .5:.5   Mark F Bruere   [3.5]
 2 Stewart Booth  [3]      0:1    Shane Booth     [2.5]
 3 Nigel Barrow   [2.5]   .5:.5   Patrick Cook    [2] 
 4 Kevin J Perrin [2]      0:1    Bas Van Riel    [2] 
 5 James Watson   [2]     .5:.5   Ben Kersten     [2] 
 6 Terence Mills  [1]      0:1    Rodney M Jacobs [1.5]
 7 David Lumsdon  [0]     .5:.5   Max J Mollard   [1.5]

The final round saw a draw on the top board between Shane Booth and Mark Bruere was enough for Bruere to emerge as outright winner.
Bas Van Riel capped off a remarkable comeback, winning his final four games after losing his first two. His final victory was a fascinating struggle with three minor pieces against Leigh Healey’s queen, where Bas was able to coordinate his pieces effectively and the victory enabled him to claim the Reserves title.




Mark Bruere v Shane Booth – a draw was enough for Bruere to claim the title.

No Name            Total  Result   Name           Total
 1 Mark F Bruere   [4]     .5:.5   Shane Booth    [3.5]
 2 Bas Van Riel    [3]      1:0    Leigh Healey   [3] 
 3 Max J Mollard   [2]      0:1    Stewart Booth  [3] 
 4 Nigel Barrow    [3]      1:0    Terence Mills  [1] 
 5 Rodney M Jacobs [2.5]    1:0    James Watson   [2.5]
 6 Ben Kersten     [2.5]    1:0    Kevin J Perrin [2] 
 7 Patrick Cook    [2.5]   .5:.5   David Lumsdon  [.5]

So congratulations to Mark Bruere, the 2012 Victorian Country Chess Champion!

Place Name             Feder Loc  Club      Score
  1   Bruere, Mark F   VIC   1998 Yea       4.5  (Champion)
  2   Booth, Stewart   VIC   2074 Swan Hill 4    (=2nd –4th)
  3   Booth, Shane     VIC   1926 Bendigo   4    (=2nd –4th)
  4   Barrow, Nigel    VIC   1757 Bendigo   4    (=2nd –4th)
  5   Van Riel, Bas    VIC   1669 Ballarat  4    (1st Reserve)
  6   Kersten, Ben     VIC   1482 Geelong   3.5  (=2nd Reserve)
  7   Jacobs, Rodney M VIC   1629 Ballarat  3.5  (=2nd Reserve)
  8   Healey, Leigh    VIC   1802 Bendigo   3   
  9   Cook, Patrick    VIC   1635 Ballarat  3   
 10   Watson, James    VIC   1413 Ballarat  2.5 
 11   Perrin, Kevin J  VIC   1541 Ballarat  2   
 12   Mollard, Max J   VIC   1671 Bendigo   2   
 13   Mills, Terence   VIC   610  Bendigo   1   
 14   Lumsdon, David   VIC   1719 Bendigo   1  

Some other awards were also given out with Shane Booth picking up a lucky door prize bottle of wine and James Watson receiving the award for most food consumed.
Thanks to all the players for helping to create a wonderful tournament – hard fought, but with a relaxed social atmosphere. Thanks also to Stewart and Gaye Booth, for providing the venue (and accommodation), and special thanks to Gaye for providing the wonderful catering.
- Nigel Barrow.