Williamson Shield and Henderson Cup 2000 Report

In recent years, a second tournament for Intermediate and Junior players has usually been run alongside it. For the first time, however, the winner of this subsidiary tournament was to receive a trophy - the Henderson Cup. First competed for in 1988, the Cup was awarded to the winner of the Intermediate section of the no-longer played City of Belfast Championships (which had 6 player all-play-all sections). The UCU Committee decided the Henderson Cup should be revived, to be played for alongside the Williamson Shield.

In the Williamson Shield, Nicholas Pilkiewicz won his first four games, but after losing in the fifth round to Timothy Douglas, he was only half a point clear going into the final round. The top two pairings in round 6 were
Pilkiewicz (4) - Michael Holmes (3)
Douglas (3.5) - Adrian Skelton (3.5).
Pilkiewicz managed to get a well-supported pawn to f6 against the defending champion Holmes, and despite the latter's efforts to wriggle free, managed to secure the win and first place. Douglas and Skelton had a hard-fought game which lasted right to the end of the session, with Skelton losing on time.

In the Henderson Cup two players, John Strawbridge and Stuart McConaghy entered the final round half a point ahead of their nearest pursuers. They were paired against each other, with McConaghy eventually getting the better of a rook and 5 pawns each endgame. In the battle for the minor placings there were a couple of late reverses. Ron Henderson allowed a perpetual check, when two pieces up. Meanwhile Tony Parker had a winning endgame against Norman McFarland, when he overlooked a mate in one.

Williamson Shield: 6 round Swiss: 12 players:
1. N.Pilkiewicz 5.0
2. T. Douglas 4.5
3-4. D. Mallaghan, A. Skelton 3.5
5-7. G. Annesley, M. Holmes, M. Newman 3
8. J. Nicholson 2.5
9-12. J. Bradley, S. Moore, D. Moreland, D. Robb 2.0

Michael Holmes - David Robb: Williamson Shield, Round 5

Henderson Cup: 6 round Swiss: 25 players:
1. S. McConaghy 5.0
2-3. N. McFarland, J. McLean 4.5
4-7. R. Henderson, S. McCann, P. McLaughlin, J. Strawbridge 4.0
8-9. A. Beckett, T. Parker 3.5
10-16. T. Beckett, C. Black, A. Burns, J. Cahoon, K. Marron, D. O'Donnell, J. Woodfield 3.0
17-19. J. Clarke, J. Douglas, D. Lavery 2.5
20-21. L. Elliott, W. Storey 2.0
22-23. M. Corrie (withdrew after 3 rounds), L. Holmes 1.5
24. B. Lappin 1.0 (withdrew after 4 rounds)
25. E. Walls (withdrew after 3 rounds) 0.5