Paignton Congress 2011 Day 2
Raced from Exmouth to Paignton, fearing the worst as the schools go back and parents clog the roads taking their children to schools a long way from home, but actually getting through all the potential black spots for jams without even stopping and arriving with half an hour to spare for the 5 Round A.M. event . At the start of play, I welcomed everyone, especially those who were not present at the opening yesterday, before introducing the Arbiter, Vic Cross, who had recently returned from taking an England Junior team on a European tour, finishing with a win over Belgium.
The morning progressed very sweetly, apart for one person, who shall be nameless, mistook the starting time for 10 a.m. and defaulted by five minutes. My own game finished after 90 minutes, leaving 3 hours before the start of the afternoon. Another example of how hours spent playing chess can pass like the blinking of an eye, while a shorter time waiting around can seem like days; it’s all relative.
Below: Towards 2 o’clock, players start to find their places at the board.