The Kurume & Omura Chess Championship

It has begun, the inaugural Kurume and Omura Chess Championship.

The place: cyber space.
The contestants: Luke Kenyon (GBR) and Sean Speed (AUS).
The rules: the best of 15 games, 10 minutes per game, played in blocks of 3.

Wednesday 13th July saw the first three games, all of which went to Kenyon. The first two were scrappy affairs, riddled with unforced errors and wild attacks, with Speed losing on time in the first and being forced into a last gasp resignation in the second. The third game was marred by an early error, leading to a concerted king side attack from which Speed never really recovered.

Tonight should see games four through six, in which Speed needs to make a mark on the tournament. Kenyon meanwhile remained non-commital on the match, saying only "It's not over yet. Sean is a very dangerous opponent and a three game lead is nothing."