WITH a much sought after top prize up for grabs of a flat cap and braces, and runners up having to settle for freshly harvested fruit and boiled potatoes, the 5th Appletreewick/Skyreholme International Chess Tournament was destined to be a hotly contested, if not slightly eccentric championship.

Over Saturday and Sunday, August, 18 and 19, 10 magnificent chess players, gathered from over Britain and abroad, to battle it out for the highly esteemed Flat Cap and Braces of Honour award, at the Old Schoolhouse, between Appletreewick and Skyreholme.

Saturday's play consisted of nine rounds of half hour games, where each player faced all the others.

There were some fierce battles, but all the games were played in the right spirit.

Once again, Vince Banks, the local dry stone waller, felt that it would be inhospitable to win all his games and so held himself in check, and just allowed himself one victory.

Four players emerged to fight it out in Sunday's semi-finals and final. Colm Barry, who was last year's winner, played Rupert (a newcomer this year) in one semi-final, while Chris Wright (another newcomer) played Michael Wiltshire in the other.

Colm and Chris won their respective games and played in the final. After a titanic battle, Colm won the match. He was overcome with emotion as he was handed his prize from Jon Jordan.

Chris was to receive some homegrown plums for coming second but unfortunately one of the competitors ate them. He will, however, receive some plums in due course.

Michael and Rupert drew their match for third and fourth places, and received a boiled potato each (seasoned and buttered, naturally).

The weekend was not only about chess. The competitors enjoyed recounting stories as they ate, and had a range of discussions.

One person, a retired teacher, told of how he had once innocently asked a highly disruptive pupil whether his mother still loved him? A discussion then centred round whether this was an example of sarcasm or irony.

As tradition now dictates following the contest, proceedings were brought to an end with a round of Yorkshire-produced Leventhorpe sparkling wine.