Teams from Enfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertford and St Albans headed to Watford to battle for the Hertfordshire Chess Association’s oldest trophy, the Old Puller Cup.
The trophy was first presented in 1880 by Arthur Giles Puller. He passed away in 1885, but some of his chess games survived, including two against Joseph Henry Blackburne – nicknamed ‘The Black Death’ – who dominated English chess in the second half of the 19th century.
Fast forward to Saturday, October 19, 2024, and Puller’s competition found a new home at ASDA in North Watford. The event was divided into an open-to-all section, which attracted some of the country’s top players, and a separate ‘stars barred’ competition.
After a day of fierce chess, Watford secured the top spot in the open-to-all section with 13.5 points, followed by St Albans in second place with 10 points, and Hertford in third place with 6.5 points.
While the rival teams were all adults, Watford owed much to the three juniors in its four-man squad, particularly 15-year-old Avy Dasgupta from Haberdashers’ Boys’ School who won all five of his games.
Team captain Amit Salvi finished second overall, 11-year-old Advait Keerthi Kumar secured third, and 10-year-old Gautam Sriram contributed two useful draws against stronger opponents.
Both Avy and Advait have already represented England in junior international competitions.
In the ‘stars barred’ event, Hemel Hempstead took the top spot with 15.5 points, St Albans came second with 10.5 points, Watford third with 10 points, Enfield fourth with eight points, and Watford Juniors fifth with six points.
To find out more, visit www.watfordchessclub.org
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