Tim Hayden attended the Milton Keynes Congress Tourment. and came out on top. Not to mention, it was his first professional tournament setting. He scored a very impressive 4/5 to finish joint top in the Under 1600 Elo section. Here are further remarks from him: " Over the weekend of the 7th–8th June, I experienced my first ever chess tournament when I entered the MK Congress. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect over the two days and felt a little apprehensive travelling up with Humayun and Tommy, but they quickly put me at ease.
The event was well organised, and upon arrival, I easily found out who my opponent was. I was even more pleased to see I had the white pieces in my first game. There won’t be many surprises with my choice of opening – The London System – but it served me well, and I managed to secure a win.
There was a nice small park opposite the venue, and with enough time between rounds, it was great to get some fresh air and reset after a near two-hour game. As the rounds progressed, I found myself feeling more comfortable and confident in my play. Aside from a few errors and missed chances, I was pleased overall with how the games went. I managed three wins with White and two draws with Black. I was particularly please with my bishop and rook sacrifice in game five.
Amazingly, this left me joint top on the leaderboard – something I never thought possible in my first tournament. Even more unexpectedly, the prize money covered my entry fee, making it a free weekend of playing and talking chess. What more could you ask for?
To top it off, I left with three new chess books recommended by Tommy and a few of the other players. All in all, it was a really friendly and welcoming tournament, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking to play multiple games in a short span of time.
Now I’m just on the lookout for the next event I can enter! "