Joona Kiiski is new Winter League Champion

The 2013 Winter League Champion is Joona Kiiski.  Joona tied for first with Pete Morriss, on 5½ points out of 7.  In the play-off match between the two, the first round of games, at a rate of 25 minutes each plus a 5 second increment, saw Pete win the first game (with white) and then Joona level the score by also winning with white.  In the second round – now at a time rate of 15 minutes plus 5 seconds – Joona won both games, and so won the title.  He is a very deserving champion, having gone through the tournament undefeated and played all the strongest players.

Third place was also decided on tie-break, though this time by the mechanical means of using the Median Buchholz measure.  Dara Murphy and Felix Calleja both scored 5/7, but Dara had met the higher-scoring opponents and so wins third prize.

The first grading prize (for those rated under 1600) was won by Ger Abberton, on 4 points.  The second grading prize (under 1200) also produced a tie which was resolved by a tie-break: here Marek Fijalkowski and Michael O’Connell had already scored 3 points, but were joined on that total by David Piercy, who won a tight ending in the last game to finish.  David and Marek were still tied on Median Buchholz, but David edged out Marek on the second tie-break method (Buchholz) and so won the grading prize.

Full standings are available on the right.

We will be putting up some pictures of the prize-winners, and hopefully some games, in the near future.