Ukrainian boy stars at Durham Congress
THE unlikely star of the County Durham Chess Congress, held last weekend in Darlington, turned out to be an eight-year-old boy from Ukraine – just four days after his arrival in the UK.
Maksym Kryshtafor, who until recently lived in Odesa, western Ukraine, was the winner of the Minor tournament, scoring a perfect 5/5 and winning the first prize of £400, despite starting as 55th seed out of 58 players.
On his way to victory, Maksym – current Ukrainian Under-eight Champion – defeated experienced North East players Michael Allen
(South Shields), Ian Rook (Forest Hall), Luke Owen (Darlington) and Chris Clynes and Bob Berry (both Bishop Auckland).
The schoolboy’s result was even more remarkable given he and his mother had fled to Romania shortly after the war broke out. Just days before the Durham Congress, they were brought to the UK by North Yorkshire chess enthusiast Paul Townsend. They are now living with Townsend and his family, and Maksym has been enrolled in a local school.
The organiser of the Durham Congress, Mick Riding of Gosforth, hailed Maksym’s “brilliant” achievement. “We’re over the moon that he’s won,” said Riding, who has also volunteered to host a Ukrainian family.
Maksym’s success crowned a great weekend
for North East chess, as the congress – held at Darlington’s Dolphin Centre – attracted a total of 160 players (double the usual entry in previous years). This was due in large part to Riding’s excellent work in securing sponsorship from Darlington City Council, the late Professor Julian Farrand, Venator, MHA Tait Walker and Cell Pack Solutions.
The Congress’s Open section was won by a regular visitor to the region, International Master Brandon Clarke (Cambridge) on 4.5/5. Four North East players were among the group who finished second equal on 4: Tim Wall (Forest Hall), Grandmaster Daniel Gormally (Alnwick), David Walker (Leam Lane) and Zoe Varney (Durham University). On tie-break, Wall wins the Northern Counties Championship,
and a qualifying place to the 2022 British Championship.
While the Major tournament was won by Luke Remus (London), the top North East player was South Shields’ Anthony Sweeting, who finished equal second on 4/5.
There are two major chess events upcoming on Tyneside aimed at juniors. Entries are welcome for under-20s for the National Youth Championships. The regional final is on Saturday, May 28 at St Mary’s Catholic School, Benton Park Road, Newcastle. Enter at ejcoa. co.uk/online-payments/nyc-regional-final. The next month, there is the traditional UK Chess Challenge Megafinal, on Saturday, June 18 at the RGS in Jesmond. Enter at www. delanceyukschoolschesschallenge.com