13 year old Guy Moss has made a sensational start to the e2e4 High Wycombe Congress, being held October 12-14 at the Uplands House Hotel. The venue, which has already hosted a previous e2e4 tournament and the British Universities Championship in 2012, is providing a major boost to the Buckinghamshire chess scene.

In Round 1 on Friday evening, Moss (pictured - with thanks to John Upham) beat FIDE Master Mark Lyell with the black pieces. His reward is a clash with 2nd seeded journeyman Grandmaster Keith Arkell this morning. There are 5 rounds in total, finishing on Sunday evening, with the Open section, also featuring 12 year old William Claridge-Hansen of Aylesbury, being complemented by two further subsidiary sections. Bourne End's Roger de Coverly will contest top board in the Challengers this morning, while evergreen octogenarian Barry Sandercock is at the top of the pile in the Major.

 

Elsewhere, the Bucks League has just kicked off for the 2012/13 season. Guy Moss was missing from a Wycombe & Hazlemere side who started their campaign with a disappointing 4-2 defeat at Slough. Steve Dishman won on top board for the visitors but, despite outrating Slough on each of boards 3-6, that was their only success. 

Champions Bourne End expectedly defeated their own second team, though Darrell Watson and Kevin Hawkins will have been delighted with their draws against the higher rated Roger de Coverly and debutant Peter Ackley respectively. And Gerrards Cross beat Aylesbury 4½-1½ at the Memorial Centre to complete the first round of fixtures. In the seven team Division 1, Berkhamsted will play their first fixture at home to Wycombe & Hazlemere on October 24.