The Brilliancy / Best Game Prize

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Kevin Thurlow
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Re: The Brilliancy / Best Game Prize

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Thu Feb 25, 2021 10:17 pm

Rudi von Saldern - Kevin Thurlow, Guernsey 2004, https://www.365chess.com/game.php?gid=3032471

I was awarded the trophy for brilliancy prize for this draw. Rudi looked slightly puzzled but congratulated me. So the following year I presented him with a small Guernsey can http://www.guernseycans.co.uk/ engraved "Half the Brilliancy Prize"...

E Michael White
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Re: The Brilliancy / Best Game Prize

Post by E Michael White » Thu Feb 25, 2021 11:26 pm

Hi Kevin, are you sure that was a brilliancy prize? Looks to me more like a best game prize!

We might have seen the last of brilliancy prizes as the criteria for selection is pretty much the same as those for suspicion of cheating! ie the move(s) should take everyone including the judges by surprise, so they have to get a chess engine started to see if its reasonably sound. If they establish that, they are probably left thinking the player had engine assistance.

I won a Guernsey Best Game Prize around 1998. I wasn't going to enter it but John Hickman and David Farndon persuaded me to. To my surprise it won. I suppose what it had was an enterprising but probably unsound opening innovation. I somehow got the advantage and played a reasonable mixture of careful moves and wild play to score the whole point. As you say they were nice trophies.
Last edited by E Michael White on Fri Feb 26, 2021 8:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

Geoff Chandler
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Re: The Brilliancy / Best Game Prize

Post by Geoff Chandler » Fri Feb 26, 2021 12:29 am

Proof I never throw anything out. The Blunder Tin. Last used in 2007.

Image

I tossed the Carlsen book next ot it to prove it's an up to date picture.

In the tin was this game.

Image

It won the best game at the 2007 Blackpool congress. He entered just the score sheet for the Edinburgh congress!
(A brilliant scam, I got him to buy me a pint for the sheer nerve of it.)

From a report on the congress.

Blunder or Swindle Prize £10
Richard Carter (Wandering Dragons) for his two queen blunder against Jonathan Wright (Stonehaven) in the Challengers Event.
Donated and judged by Geoff Chandler of Chandler Cornered

Best Game Prize £30
Hugh Brechin (Edinburgh) win against IM Jacob Aagaard (Bearsden) on Board 1 in Round 1.
The prize was judged by Geoff Chandler of Chandler Cornered

The full report here: https://www.chessedinburgh.co.uk/archiv ... s-0607.php

Jonathan Rowson was also impressed with the Brechin - Aagaard game, (the game I picked as best game- by mistake)
He used it in one of his Herald column. (also explains why he does not take part in 'week-enders')

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-hera ... 6790596579

The Carter - Wright Blunder. White played 34.Qd7 and lost both Queens.



The Brechin - Aagaard game



The Aagaard game I missed.

M.Carballo - J.Aagaard


Kevin Thurlow
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Re: The Brilliancy / Best Game Prize

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Fri Feb 26, 2021 4:10 am

"are you sure that was a brilliancy prize?"

Good point - I think the title keeps changing. They always award it, even when there isn't a brilliant game!

Mike Gunn
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Re: The Brilliancy / Best Game Prize

Post by Mike Gunn » Fri Feb 26, 2021 10:29 am

in the UK both the British and Hastings still have a best game prize.

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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: The Brilliancy / Best Game Prize

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Fri Feb 26, 2021 5:06 pm

I have a copy of Modern Chess Brilliancies, I think it is the Larry Evans one. There was also a title of the same name (maybe a new edition) by Eduard Gufeld and Ken Neat. And 200 Modern Brilliancies by Kevin Wicker (no idea how good that one is). And there is also Modern Chess Brilliancies by George H. D. Gossip (it could be worth reading the Wikipedia article as that is a 'featured' one). It looks like an updated edition(?) of that was produced by Pillsbury called Modern Chess Brilliancies (Hustled).

I am sure there are other examples, but are any of these 'instant classics'? I think the Larry Evans one is thought of that way?

EDIT: corrected author name.
Last edited by Christopher Kreuzer on Fri Feb 26, 2021 8:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: The Brilliancy / Best Game Prize

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Fri Feb 26, 2021 6:15 pm

"200 Modern Brilliancies by Kevin Wilker"

"Wicker" I think! I have a copy somewhere.

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