1979 (1st) Brighton International, 13-19 December (venues Brighton Polytechnic & Brighton CC)
| 1979 Brighton International |
Fed |
Elo |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
Total |
| 1 |
Jonathan S Speelman |
ENG |
2470m |
|
½ |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
8½ |
| 2 |
David S C Goodman |
ENG |
2340 |
½ |
|
½ |
1 |
½ |
½ |
1 |
1 |
1 |
½ |
6½ |
| 3 |
Andrew J Whiteley |
ENG |
2370 |
0 |
½ |
|
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
½ |
½ |
1 |
5½ |
| 4 |
Murray G Chandler |
NZL |
2380m |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
| 5 |
Leslie S F Blackstock |
SCO |
2340 |
0 |
½ |
1 |
0 |
|
½ |
0 |
1 |
½ |
1 |
4½ |
| 6 |
David H Cummings |
ENG |
2265 |
0 |
½ |
0 |
0 |
½ |
|
1 |
½ |
½ |
½ |
3½ |
| 7 |
Ian D Wells |
ENG |
2200 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
0 |
½ |
1 |
3½ |
| 8 |
Brian J Denman |
SCO |
2205 |
0 |
0 |
½ |
0 |
0 |
½ |
1 |
|
½ |
1 |
3½ |
| 9 |
John P Fedorowicz |
USA |
2405m |
0 |
0 |
½ |
0 |
½ |
½ |
½ |
½ |
|
½ |
3 |
| 10 |
Michael Macdonald-Ross |
SCO |
2265 |
0 |
½ |
0 |
0 |
0 |
½ |
0 |
0 |
½ |
|
1½ |
Average Elo: 2324 Category 3, IM norm = 6½ (achieved by Goodman - his 2nd), FM norm = 5½ (achieved by Whiteley)
Sponsor: Michael Dawes
Organiser: Raymond Keene
1979 Lloyds Bank Match: Lod Prins vs Peter Wells, Brighton, 13-16 December
| 1979 Lloyds Bank Match |
Fed |
Elo |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| Lodewijk Prins |
NED |
(2200)m |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
| Peter K Wells |
ENG |
(2200) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
BCM, March 1980, ppn 95-96
The Michael Dawes Brighton International Chess Tournament
by Jon Speelman
Raymond Keene has for some time been nurturing the idea of holding an International Tournament in Brighton. This came to fruition in the First Brighton International which took place from 13th to 19th December.
It was a 10-player (all-play-all) category-3 (Average rating 2324) event which included three International Masters, John Fedorowicz (USA), Murray Chandler (NZ) and myself. The IM norm was 6‘/2/9 and the FM norm 5/i. The main venue was the Brighton Polytechnic but adjournments and three of the nine rounds were played at the Brighton Chess Club. In order to hold a tournament it is necessary to have money and I would like here to record the thanks of the players and organisers to the sponsors who made the tournament possible. The main sponsor was local Brighton C.C. member, and Antique Dealer, Michael Dawes, who lent his name to the event. There were also substantial contributions from the Friends of Chess, the Slater Foundation and Lloyds Bank, the last-named sponsoring also a match between IM Ludovic [sic] Prins (NL) and Peter Wells, the British U-16 champion. This match took place during the first four rounds of the main event.
From the beginning there were several areas of interest. Overshadowing the struggle for tournament placings, some of the players had important personal targets. Both Whiteley and Goodman had some chance of getting an IM norm. Eventually Whiteley faded to an FM but Goodman persevered and succeeded in beating an extremely out-of-form and dispirited Fedorowicz in the last round to obtain his second norm — an excellent result: his game against Chandler in particular was nice.
Murray Chandler himself needed 7/9 to make almost certain of winning the Cutty Sark Grand Prix. For some time this looked likely but following losses to myself (Rd.3) and Goodman (Rd.5) he needed to win his last four games. In Round 8, needing two more wins, he played Whiteley: but he lost a good game — one of the few successful defensive achievements of the tournament — and subsequently lost to Ian Wells in the last round.
Finally, I myself had, until Round 7, got the vague possibility of making a perfect score! On two of the seven days we played two rounds. Following a win in Round 1 I found myself playing both of the other IMs in Rounds 2 and 3. To my surprise I beat them both and my tournament then had a rather dream-like quality about it. I was never in real trouble until the last round when I blundered against David Cummings; but he returned the compliment and I even won that game.
The mix of players in the tournament was extremely fortunate in producing fighting chess. Of the 45 games only 15 were drawn - almost none of them peremptorily. Murray Chandler in particular had only decisive results! Here now are a few games from the event. [Cummings-Macdonald-Ross, Speelman-Whiteley, Goodman-Chandler]
Murray Chandler report in The Listener (NZ)
Murray Chandler reminiscences: Facebook
File Updated
| Date |
Notes |
| 13 April 2026 |
First upload to BritBase. 45 games from the tournament plus 4 from the Prins vs P Wells match |
