Justin Blackman clinched the National Blitz Chess Championship last weekend to deny Orlando Husbands a clean sweep of national titles for the second successive year.
FIDE Master Blackman and International Master Husbands finished the fast-paced event with eight out of a maximum nine points when the championship was contested last Saturday at the Chess Centre on Exmouth Gap, Brandons.
The 28-year-old Blackman, however, emerged as champion by virtue of winning the head-to-head clash against the 22-year-old Husbands in the fourth round.
It was Husbands’ only defeat on the local scene in 2019 and stopped him in his quest to repeat his unprecedented 2018 achievement of winning the National Open, Rapid and Blitz titles in the same year. (HG)
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