Haringey Masters, London 11-21 July 1989, Durnsford Sports Centre (Scheveningen System, 9 rounds)

Team A		Fed	Elo	RP	JH	MM	MD	DR	AD	DP	AM	MS	Total	Team B		Fed	Elo	Total
1	Michael Adams	ENG	2505m	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	½	1	7	1	Richard Polaczek	BEL	2400f	6½
2	Malcolm Pein	ENG	2385m	1	½	½	1	½	1	0	1	1	6½	2	Julian M Hodgson	ENG	2535g	6½
3	William N Watson	ENG	2495m	½	½	½	0	½	1	1	1	1	6	3	Milan Matulovic	YUG	2425g	6
4	Andrew D Martin	ENG	2425m	½	0	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	5	4	Marc Dutreeuw	BEL	2400f	5
5	Stuart C Conquest	ENG	2515m	0	1	0	0	½	1	1	½	1	5	5	Dusan Rajkovic	YUG	2465g	4½
6	Tibor Karolyi	HUN	2430m	0	0	½	1	½	½	1	1	0	4½	6	Angus J Dunnington	ENG	2380	3
7	Harel Elyoseph	ISR	2320f	0	0	½	½	½	1	1	½	½	4½	7	Daniel Pergericht	BEL	2325f	3
8	Willy Iclicki	BEL	2255	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	1	2	8	Ali Mortazavi	ENG	2325	3
9	Gerard Kool	NED	2260	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	Mordechai Shrentzel	ISR	2325	3

Scores between the two teams were tied at 40½-40½.
Michael Adams achieved his final GM, making him the youngest English GM and the third youngest in the world.
Richard Polaczek (BEL) achieved an IM norm.

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"Michael Adams yesterday qualified as Britain's youngest chess grandmaster at the age of 17. Adams, from Truro, Cornwall, needed to draw his final game in the Iclicki Chess Tournament at Muswell Hill, north London with the Yugoslav grandmaster Milan Matulovic to become the third youngest grandmaster in history after Bobby Fischer and Gary Kasparov, the world champion.

"The desired result was achieved after 30 minutes and 12 moves, when Matulovic, playing black and employing the Sicilian defence, offered a draw. Adams accepted, smiled shyly and declared: 'When the fuss dies down I'm sure I'll be very pleased'...

"Chess experts were predicting last night that Adams could be among the top 10 in the world within four years. He was taught the basics of the game at the age of seven by his father. Mr William Adams, headmaster of a primary school in Falmouth, but not himself a player at that time, noticed that his young son, who had a fascination for all things military, wanted a chess set because it had knights in it. He began to learn the game seriously at a chess club in Falmouth and by the age of 11 he had become Cornish county champion. His career took off when he became [1982] British Under-11 champion with a remarkable 100 per cent score. He has never looked back and has taken the Cornish county championship every year he has chosen to enter. Since passing 10 GCSE examinations at Truro school, last year he has become virtually a full-time player, though he is undecided whether to go fully professional or return to study for A levels at his school, where he is regarded as academically competent but not brilliant..." (The Times, 22 April 1989)

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CHESS Monthly, October 1989, Vol.54/7, p26

Icklicki Masters

IM Byron Jacobs reports on the event in which Michael Adams completed his GM title

This event was a follow-up to last year's experimental, but successful, tournament. As previously, the tournament was run on the Scheveningen system - two teams (here of nine players), with each member of one playing each of the other. The general idea is to fill one team with international masters and the other with three grandmasters and untitled players, thus generating norm possibilities for everybody. These days, when there are so many players capable of achieving norms (both IM and GM) such a format is extremely popular. Now that such events are officially recognised by FIDE as closed tournaments (prior to the last Congress this was something of a grey area), I don't understand why more events are not organised on this basis. My liking for this format may be somewhat subjective, as I obtained the IM title here last year.

The organisation of the event was complicated by two factors. Firstly, lack of accurate knowledge of the impending FIDE ratings (the new list was due out only a few days prior to the start of the tournament). Secondly, and rather more seriously, the withdrawal (at a massive 36 hours notice) of two of the three Yugoslav grandmasters who had agreed to play one month previously. Very generously, one replacement GM (lower rated than either of the others) was offered to help out. Fortunately, Julian Hodgson, one of England's latest crop of grandmasters, was willing to disrupt his preparations for the British Championship in order to play.

The main question of the tournament was whether Michael Adams would join this crop by scoring 7/9. Playing in his usual effortless style, he smoothly advanced to 3½/4. A slight hiccup then saw him concede two draws in his next two games, leaving him requiring 2½/3. This, however, was duly achieved with two wins and a quick draw in the last round. Thus Michael qualified as the world's youngest grandmaster - a somewhat ephemeral title which will doubtless be usurped by a young Hungarian girl before long. The grandmaster title is more durable, and is well deserved.

As well as the GM norm collected by Adams, the tournament yielded an IM norm for Richard Polaczek of Belgium. This, combined with last year's tally of four IM norms, means that the tournament has generated six norms (one GM and five IM) in two years, thus confirming the efficacy of the Scheveningen format.

The event was run in a low-key, friendly nature which seemed to be generally appreciated. Prizegivings can often be rather tedious affairs. However, we decided to dispense with the formalities and conducted ours on the pavement outside the nearest pub, with the £2,250 prize money being distributed out of a plastic bag!

We hope to run this event again next year, and on behalf of the ABC.

I would like to thank Willy Iclicki for sponsoring the tournament and John Hennigan for his energetic assistance with the organisation.

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BCM, September 1989, p392

The Icklicki Masters, 11-21 July

The Icklicki Masters, Durnsford Sports Centre, Muswell Hill in London was a Scheveningen tournament for two teams of nine. This was the same format as the event in 1988, which is the principal contest arranged by the Association of British Chess Masters (ABC) to provide title chances for its members. The event was organised by Byron Jacobs, the principal sponsor took part in it and a subsidiary prize was a diamond donated by David Slade!

There were six cash prizes ranging from £750 down to £100. Michael Adams of Truro, who is very much 'on song' at the moment, toqk the first prize, and even more important, gained the GM norm of 7 points (IM = 5½) with a short draw as White against Matulovic in the last round. As this came quite early on the Friday afternoon, the national press was able to go to town next morning and the four serious London papers all had good reports of Michael's feat. The best coverage came from The Times with three columns on the front page, carried over to the back page of the news section and no fewer than three photographs.

Willi Icklicki is involved in the diamond trade in Belgium, hence the number of participants from our close neighbour. In the Scheveningen system each team member plays every member of the opposing team. [The game Karolyi 0-1 Hodgson] won the diamond prize.

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File Updated

Date	Notes
3 August 2025	File first uploaded. Games from Mega 2022, now with round numbers and dates added. (n.b. not absolutely sure of all the dates but they are all within one day of being right.)