Christof Sielecki, aka ChessExplained, won the battle of the YouTube stars last night as more than 70 players packed into Battersea for the first Chessable blitz.
The German IM, who finished with 7.5/8, set up victory with a sixth round win over IM John Bartholomew before beating Jonathan Pein in the final round.
Jonathan, son of London Chess Classic head honcho Malcolm, finished tied for third on 6/8 with Battersea’s Ali Hill, ChessPatzerUK vlogger Jacques Tivillier – who had a storming night – and Ramprasad Cherupalli.
Had a good time at the #chessable event last night. Gather there is some kind of lame copycat event at King's cross right now. #sad !
— Stephen James (@Sunsidhe) November 30, 2017
Several other Battersea members took part in the event along with users of Chessable, the chess training website, and players preparing for the Classic, which kicks off tomorrow.
Also competing were the blogger Kimiya Sajjadi, aka Kimiyachess, who ended with 5/8 and Chessable CEO David Kramaley, whose company put on the event.
The night started with a double simul involving Christof and John, who both have popular opening repertoires on Chessable, before players sat down for the blitz.
There was – admittedly – a little confusion when the first round had to be restarted to accommodate several late-comers.
But in the end there was a cracking finale. Here are the final results:
