If you are “into” blitz, and especially if you are “into” opening-themed events where the opening moves are pre-stipulated, then South Shields was the place to be. To date there have been:

No.	Date	Event	No.	Date	Event
1	08/07/2018	S Shields FIDE Blitz	19	05/09/2019	S Shields BC Warm Up Blitz
2	09/08/2018	S Shields Themed Blitz - Ruy Lopez	20	12/09/2019	S Shields Themed Blitz 2019 – Alekhine’s
3	16/08/2018	S Shields Themed Blitz 2018 - Trompowsky	21	19/09/2019	S Shields Themed Blitz 2019 - Ponziani's
4	23/08/2018	S Shields Themed Blitz 2018 - Benko Gambit	22	26/09/2019	S Shields Themed Blitz 2019 - Petrov
5	06/09/2018	S Shields Themed lBlitz 2018 - Bishops Gambit	23	03/10/2019	S Shields Themed Blitz 2019 - Nimzo-Indian
6	20/09/2018	S Shields Themed Blitz 2018 - London System	24	01/07/2021	S Shields Themed Blitz 2021 - Marshall Gambit
7	27/09/2018	S Shields Themed Blitz 2018 - Caro Kann	25	08/07/2021	S Shields Themed Blitz - Noteboom
8	04/10/2018	S Shields Themed Blitz 2018 - Modern	26	22/07/2021	S Shields Themed Blitz - 1. b3
9	20/12/2018	S Shields Themed Blitz 2018 - Black Knights' Tango	27	29/07/2021	S Shields Themed Blitz - Leonhardt Gambit
10	30/05/2019	S Shields Themed Blitz 2019 - Wayward Queen	28	12/08/2021	S Shields Themed Blitz - Grand Prix Attack
11	13/06/2019	S Shields Themed Blitz 2019 - Scandinavian	29	19/08/2021	S Shields Themed Blitz - QGD Exchange Variation
12	13/06/2019	S Shields Themed Blitz 2019 - Kings Indian Attack	30	02/09/2021	S Shields Themed Blitz - Accelerated Dragon
13	20/06/2019	S Shields Themed Blitz 2019 - Danish Gambit	31	16/09/2021	S Shields Themed Blitz - Chigorin
14	04/07/2019	S Shields Warm Up Blitz	32	23/09/2021	S Shields Themed Blitz - From's Gambit
15	06/07/2019	S Shields FIDE Rated Blitz 2019	33	07/10/2021	S Shields Themed Blitz - Lucchini Gambit
16	18/07/2019	S Shields Themed Blitz - Berlin Defence	34	23/06/2022	S Shields Themed Blitz - Austrian Attack
17	01/08/2019	S Shields Themed Blitz 2019 - Grob	35	03/07/2022	S Shields FIDE Rated Blitz 2022
18	22/08/2019	S Shields Themed Blitz - Colle	36	02/07/2023	S Shields FIDE Rated Blitz 2023

The 30 opening-themed events have been only small affairs, typically of only about a dozen players, but from July 2022 onwards a more “normal” annual FIDE-rated blitz event has been held, attracting 45 and 47 players in 2022 and 2024 respectively. This year the third such event was held on 7th July 2024 at The Word, Market Place, South Shields, attracting slightly fewer entrants this year (due to the European football?).

Round-by round results were as follows:

No	Name	Rtg		1			2			3			4			5			6			7			8			9		SPS

1	Charles H Storey	2169	1	W	29	1	B	15	1	W	4	1	B	2	½	W	3	1	B	6	1	W	5	1	B	10	1	W	8
	FM			1			2			3			4			4½			5½			6½			7½			8½		42½
2	Thomas A Eggleston	2169	1	B	14	1	W	20	1	B	17	0	W	1	1	B	7	1	B	3	1	W	4	1	W	16	1	W	6
				1			2			3			3			4			5			6			7			8		39
3	David J Walker	2173	1	B	18	1	W	25	1	B	16	1	W	6	½	B	1	0	W	2	1	B	11	1	W	4	1	W	12
	FM			1			2			3			4			4½			4½			5½			6½			7½		38½
4	Simon P McGuinness	1933	1	B	24	1	W	13	0	B	1	1	B	9	1	W	21	1	W	16	0	B	2	0	B	3	1	W	10
				1			2			2			3			4			5			5			5			6		33
5	Paul R Bielby	1892	0	B	7	1	W	19	1	B	12	1	W	20	0	B	6	1	W	24	0	B	1	1	W	13	1	B	14
				0			1			2			3			3			4			4			5			6		28
6	Collin Smith	1960	1	W	8	1	B	22	1	W	10	0	B	3	1	W	5	0	W	1	½	B	16	1	W	17	0	B	2
				1			2			3			3			4			4			4½			5½			5½		32½
7	Reese Wright	1518	1	W	5	0	B	10	1	W	15	1	B	22	0	W	2	½	B	20	1	W	9	0	B	8	1	B	17
				1			1			2			3			3			3½			4½			4½			5½		28
8	Michael Smalley	1578	0	B	6	1	W	36	1	B	11	0	W	16	1	B	25	½	W	17	1	B	22	1	W	7	0	B	1
				0			1			2			2			3			3½			4½			5½			5½		27
9	Morgan French	1809	½	B	19	1	W	32	1	B	25	0	W	4	0	B	17	1	W	30	0	B	7	1	W	29	1	B	16
				½			1½			2½			2½			2½			3½			3½			4½			5½		26½
10	Antons Bukels	1846	1	B	26	1	W	7	0	B	6	1	W	23	0	B	16	1	W	12	1	B	18	0	W	1	0	B	4
				1			2			2			3			3			4			5			5			5		30
11	Ryan JGD Duff	1811	0	W	27	1	B	14	0	W	8	1	B	26	1	W	15	1	B	21	0	W	3	0	B	12	1	W	20
				0			1			1			2			3			4			4			4			5		24
12	Tashil Sethika Lankapura	1591	0	W	2	1	B	35	0	W	5	1	B	32	1	W	14	0	B	10	1	W	23	1	W	11	0	B	3
				0			1			1			2			3			3			4			5			5		24
13	Dave Patterson	1755	1	W	28	0	B	4	0	W	23	0	B	14	1	W	35	1	B	15	1	W	21	0	B	5	1	W	22
				1			1			1			1			2			3			4			4			5		22
14	Logan Richardson	1469	0	B	17	0	W	11	1	B	36	1	W	13	0	B	12	1	W	31	1	B	24	1	W	19	0	W	5
				0			0			1			2			2			3			4			5			5		22
15	Simas Tamosiunas	1842	1	B	34	0	W	1	0	B	7	1	W	18	0	B	11	0	W	13	1	B	32	1	W	27	1	B	26
				1			1			1			2			2			2			3			4			5		21
16	Raymond Wynarczyk	1903	1	W	25	1	B	21	0	W	3	1	B	8	1	W	10	0	B	4	½	W	6	0	B	2	0	W	9
				1			2			2			3			4			4			4½			4½			4½		29½
17	Lewis Self	1867	1	W	15	1	B	23	0	W	2	0	B	21	1	W	9	½	B	8	1	W	20	0	B	6	0	W	7
				1			2			2			2			3			3½			4½			4½			4½		27
18	Irina Briggs	1705	0	W	3	½	B	30	1	W	26	0	B	15	1	W	29	1	B	19	0	W	10	½	B	20	½	W	24
	ACM			0			½			1½			1½			2½			3½			3½			4			4½		21½
19	Ethan Tatters	1629	½	W	9	0	B	5	1	W	29	1	B	30	0	W	20	0	W	18	1	B	25	0	B	14	1	W	31
				½			½			1½			2½			2½			2½			3½			3½			4½		21½
20	John Mills	1841	1	W	35	0	B	2	1	W	33	0	B	5	1	B	19	½	W	7	0	B	17	½	W	18	0	B	11
				1			1			2			2			3			3½			3½			4			4		24
21	Graham W Matthews	1769	1	B	31	0	W	16	1	B	32	1	W	17	0	B	4	0	W	11	0	B	13	0	W	26	1	B	29
				1			1			2			3			3			3			3			3			4		23
22	John S Marsh	1831	1	B	36	0	W	6	1	B	31	0	W	7	0	B	24	1	W	26	0	W	8	1	B	23	0	B	13
				1			1			2			2			2			3			3			4			4		22
23	Henry Forster	0	1	B	12	0	W	17	1	B	13	0	B	10	0	W	30	1	W	25	0	B	12	0	W	22	1	B	33
				1			1			2			2			2			3			3			3			4		21
24	David Kelly	1551	0	W	4	0	B	26	1	W	35	1	B	33	1	W	22	0	B	5	0	W	14	½	B	31	½	B	18
				0			0			1			2			3			3			3			3½			4		19½
25	Jay Steel	1843	1	W	30	0	B	3	0	W	9	1	B	27	0	W	8	0	B	23	0	W	19	1	B	35	1	W	32
				1			1			1			2			2			2			2			3			4		18
26	Matthew Patterson	0	0	B	13	1	W	24	0	B	18	0	W	11	1	W	28	0	B	22	1	W	36	1	B	21	0	W	15
				0			1			1			1			2			2			3			4			4		18
27	Ashton Woodward	1539	0	B	16	0	W	31	1	B	28	0	W	25	0	W	32	1	B	35	1	W	33	0	B	15	1	B	34
				0			0			1			1			1			2			3			3			4		15
28	Toefl Lankapura	1364	0	W	10	0	B	33	0	W	27	1	W	34	0	B	26	1	B	36	0	W	31	1	B	30	1	W	35
				0			0			0			1			1			2			2			3			4		13
29	Alan Johnson	1687	0	B	1	½	W	34	0	B	19	1	W	31	0	B	18	1	W	32	1	B	30	0	B	9	0	W	21
				0			½			½			1½			1½			2½			3½			3½			3½		17
30	Guy Smith	1354	0	B	20	½	W	18	1	B	34	0	W	19	1	B	23	0	B	9	0	W	29	0	W	28	1	B	36
				0			½			1½			1½			2½			2½			2½			2½			3½		17
31	Marcus Kidd	0	0	W	23	1	B	27	0	W	22	0	B	29	1	W	33	0	B	14	1	B	28	½	W	24	0	B	19
				0			1			1			1			2			2			3			3½			3½		17
32	Gray Pattinson	0	1	W	33	0	B	9	0	W	21	0	W	12	1	B	27	0	B	29	0	W	15	1	W	34	0	B	25
				1			1			1			1			2			2			2			3			3		16
33	David Parlour	1719	0	B	32	1	W	28	0	B	20	0	W	24	0	B	31	1	W	34	0	B	27	1	B	36	0	W	23
				0			1			1			1			1			2			2			3			3		14
34	Anant Handa	1298	0	W	11	½	B	29	0	W	30	0	B	28	1	W	36	0	B	33	1	W	35	0	B	32	0	W	27
				0			½			½			½			1½			1½			2½			2½			2½		12
35	Alan Smith	1051	0	B	21	0	W	12	0	B	24	1	W	36	0	B	13	0	W	27	0	B	34	0	W	25	0	B	28
				0			0			0			1			1			1			1			1			1		6
36	Kevin Bryden	0	0	W	22	0	B	8	0	W	14	0	B	35	0	B	34	0	W	28	0	B	26	0	W	33	0	W	30
				0			0			0			0			0			0			0			0			0		0