British Correspondence Chess Championship, 1989-90
Mil | Bow | Cha | Sli | Mar | Bri | Giu | Sin | Ell | Geo | Wat | TOTAL | |
Peter Millican | - | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
Ken Bowyer | ½ | - | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
Cliff Chandler | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 5½ |
Tony Slinger | ½ | ½ | 1 | - | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Brian Martin | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | - | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 5 |
Leo Bridges | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | - | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 5 |
Philip Giulian | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | - | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 4½ |
Mike Singleton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | - | 1 | ½ | ½ | 4½ |
Robert Elliston | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | - | ½ | 1 | 4 |
Ian George | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | 1 | 3½ |
Ron Watson | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | - | 2½ |
Bowyer – Millican, ½-½; Millican – Bridges, 1-0;
Millican – Chandler, 1-0; Millican – Elliston, 1-0;
George – Millican, 0-1; Giulian – Millican, ½-½;
Millican – Martin, ½-½; Millican – Singleton, 1-0;
Slinger – Millican, ½-½; Watson – Millican, 0-1
After winning my section of the British Correspondence Chess Association's 1986-7 "Premier" league, I was nominated for the British Championship "Candidates" league of 1988-89, which I won thanks to a fiercely tactical game against David Anderton (Captain of the England over-the-board Chess Olympiad team, whose inside knowledge nearly slaughtered me). This qualified me for the British Championship itself, victory in which brought the "British Master" title and a nomination into the Semifinal of the following World Championship. I therefore stopped competing in British competitions, and moved to the international arena ...
Semifinal 1 of World Correspondence Chess Championship 19, 1991-96
Country | Mi | Ve | Do | Be | Cr | St | Gl | Kr | Pe | Ka | Ja | Åh | Sh | TOTAL | |
Peter Millican | ENG | - | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
Hans Veen | BEL | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 8½ |
Risto Donev | MCD | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 8 |
Norbert Bensiek | GER | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
Ramón Crespo | ARG | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | - | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 6½ |
Manfred Stock | GER | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6½ |
Helmut F. Glaser | SIP | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 6 |
Dušan Kriško | SLK | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | - | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 5½ |
Giora Peli | ISL | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 5½ |
Fritz Kayser | GER | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | - | ½ | ½ | 0 | 4½ |
Pertti Jaatinen | FIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | - | ½ | 1 | 4 |
Harry Åhman | SVE | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | 3½ |
Jurii A. Schorochov | MOL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | - | 1 |
Millican – Åhman, 1-0; Bensiek – Millican, ½-½;
Millican – Crespo, ½-½; Millican – Donev, ½-½;
Millican – Glaser, 1-0; Jaatinen – Millican, 0-1;
Kayser – Millican, 0-1; Millican – Kriško, 1-0;
Peli – Millican, 0-1; Millican – Schorochov, 1-0;
Stock – Millican, 0-1; Veen – Millican, ½-½
This World Championship Semifinal was my best-ever tournament result, coming 1½ points ahead of a strong field. It brought me the title of "International Master" and a "supergrandmaster" rating of 2610 (though it didn't count towards the Grandmaster title, because no existing grandmasters or 2600+ players were involved). It also qualified me to enter for the following World Championship "Candidates" section, but I never followed that up because thanks to my high rating, an even more enticing invitation intervened ...
Norwegian Postal Chess Federation 50th Jubilee, "NPSF-50", 1994-98
Rating | An | Ti | vO | El | Mi | FN | Ba | Pi | Ve | Hä | Be | Mc | DM | Ka | Te | TOTAL | |
Ulf Andersson (FIDE) | 2620 | - | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 11½ |
Gert Jan Timmerman | 2710 | 0 | - | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10½ |
Joop van Oosterom | 2630 | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
Hans-Marcus Elvert | 2625 | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9½ |
Peter Millican | 2610 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 8 |
Nils Jørgen Fries Nielsen | 2645 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 7½ |
Erik Bang | 2680 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
Zygmunt Pioch | 2590 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
Itzhak Veinger | 2585 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
Wolfgang Häßler | 2650 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
Ivar Bern | 2580 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 5½ |
Colin McNab | 2520 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | - | 1 | 1 | ½ | 4½ |
Joseph DeMauro | 2570 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | - | ½ | ½ | 3½ |
Pekka Kauppala | 2615 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | - | 1 | 3 |
Henk Temmink | 2484 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | - | 1½ |
Andersson – Millican, ½-½; Millican – Bang, ½-½;
Bern – Millican, ½-½; Millican – DeMauro, ½-½;
Millican – Elvert, ½-½; Millican – Fries Nielsen, ½-½;
Häßler – Millican, 0-1; Kauppala – Millican, ½-½;
McNab – Millican, 0-1; Millican – Pioch, ½-½;
Temmink – Millican, 0-1; Millican – Timmerman, ½-½;
Millican – van Oosterom, 0-1; Veinger – Millican, ½-½
NPSF-50, organised to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Norwegian Postal Chess Federation, was the first "Category 15" tournament ever, and as such gave the prospect of qualifying for the title of "International Grandmaster" with a score of only 50%, or 7/14. In the event I was delighted to come fifth, after four of the strongest players in the world, and ahead of at least one future World Champion (Ivar Bern) and the famous Erik Bang – who prior to this tournament hadn't lost a game for 20 years. The tournament also brought my only ever internationally rated loss, to Joop van Oosterom, who outplayed me after I had failed to claim a draw by repetition early on (in the hope of winning with the White pieces). This was more than made up for by a draw with Black in a difficult ending against Ulf Andersson, one of the great endgame players of all time and famous for relentlessly grinding opponents down (in his games with White, he scored a frightening 6½/7, so this was his only draw). However the tournament brought home to me just how difficult it is to win at this level. Against both Timmerman and Fries Nielsen I had very promising attacking positions, but was unable to get through against ingenious defence. With the "International Grandmaster" title achieved, and no prospect of finding the sort of time that would be necessary to have a realistic attempt at going further in the World Championship, I retired from correspondence chess for the foreseeable future.