An entry of just 12 players competed in a 3-round Swiss-McMahon tournament for the title of 4th Royston Open Shogi Champion at the Coombes Community Centre on September 1st 1990. As in previous years, the event attracted a strong field, averaging stronger than 2-kyu, from the South-East counties, ranging from Doug McGown, 7-kyu, from Shepperton, to David Murphy, 3-dan British Champion, from Orpington.
At the same time as the Shogi competition was being played, a parallel 5-round Tori-Shogi competition was run, attracting just 6 players, of whom 2 opted to play simultaneously in both tournaments! The last Tori-Shogi tournament to be staged in Britain was held in February 1985 in Oxford when Matthew MacFadyen beat 5 other players to claim the unofficial title of "British Tori Champion"! That tournament was also the 1st Tori-Shogi tournament to be staged in this country. The Royston event attracted entries from as far away as Ashford, Bristol and Oxford, as well as a "home" representative from Royston.
In the Shogi tournament 6 players won 2 out of 3 games and the title had to be decided on a tie-break. The reigning Royston Open Shogi Champion, Les Blackstock, retained his title by winning the last game to finish in the final round! In the Tori tournament the title was awarded to David Murphy, who was placed 2nd in the Shogi Tournament! David won all 5 Tori-Shogi games, but again the last game to finish in the final round, against Richard West of Royston, was the deciding match! David now claims to be the unofficial "British Tori Champion"! Both champions have been invited back to Royston in 1991 to defend their titles.
My thanks go to the Royston Chess Club for the loan of their chess clocks, and to everyone who brought Shogi and Tori sets and chess clocks to Royston. I would also like to thank Nick Wedd for suggesting that I run a Tori tournament. Maybe it will be the official "British Tori Championship" next year!
Phil Holland, Vice-President of the British Shogi Federation.
The prizes awarded were as follows:
| 1990 Royston Shogi Tournament |
| 1st - Les Blackstock - 2 wins |
| 2nd - David Murphy - 2 wins |
| 1990 Royston Tori-Shogi Tournament |
| 1st - David Murphy - 5 wins |
| Round 1: | |||
| Les Blackstock | vs | David Murphy | 1-0 |
| Vince West | vs | Tony Hosking | 1-0 |
| Mike Coyne | vs | Anthony Denver-Fedder | 0-1 |
| Graham Denver-Fedder | vs | Kevin Wicker | 0-1 |
| Steve Campbell | vs | Mike Brewer | 0-1 |
| Doug McGown | vs | Tony Atkins (Lance) | 1-0 |
| Round 2: | |||
| Tony Hosking | vs | Les Blackstock | 1-0 |
| Vince West | vs | David Murphy | 0-1 |
| Kevin Wicker | vs | Anthony Denver-Fedder | 1-0 |
| Mike Coyne | vs | Graham Denver-Fedder | 0-1 |
| Doug McGown | vs | Steve Campbell (Bishop) | 0-1 |
| Tony Atkins | vs | Mike Brewer (Rook) | 0-1 |
| Round 3: | |||
| Tony Hosking | vs | David Murphy | 0-1 |
| Kevin Wicker | vs | Les Blackstock | 0-1 |
| Graham Denver-Fedder | vs | Vince West | 0-1 |
| Anthony Denver-Fedder | vs | Mike Brewer | 1-0 |
| Tony Atkins | vs | Steve Campbell (Bishop) | 1-0 |
| Doug McGown | vs | Mike Coyne (Rook+Lance) | 0-1 |
| Pos. | Player's name (Club) | Grade | Pl. | W. |
| 1. | Les Blackstock (London) | 2-dan | 3 | 2 |
| 2. | David Murphy (Orpington) | 3-dan | 3 | 2 |
| 3. | Anthony Denver-Fedder (Ashford) | 1-kyu | 3 | 2 |
| 4=. | Vince West (Reading) | 1-kyu | 3 | 2 |
| 4=. | Kevin Wicker (London) | 1-kyu | 3 | 2 |
| 4=. | Mike Brewer (London) | 2-kyu | 3 | 2 |
| 7. | Tony Hosking (London) | 2-dan | 3 | 1 |
| 8=. | Mike Coyne (Gillingham) | 1-kyu | 3 | 1 |
| 8=. | Graham Denver-Fedder (Ashford) | 1-kyu | 3 | 1 |
| 8=. | Steve Campbell (Hythe) | 3-kyu | 3 | 1 |
| 8=. | Tony Atkins (Reading) | 5-kyu | 3 | 1 |
| 8=. | Doug McGown (Shepperton) | 7-kyu | 3 | 1 |
| Round 1: | |||
| Nick Meade | vs | Francis Roads | 0-1 |
| Richard West | vs | Nick Wedd | 1-0 |
| David Murphy | vs | Anthony Denver-Fedder | 1-0 |
| Round 2: | |||
| Francis Roads | vs | Richard West | 0-1 |
| Anthony Denver-Fedder | vs | Nick Meade | 0-1 |
| Nick Wedd | vs | David Murphy | 0-1 |
| Round 3: | |||
| Nick Wedd | vs | Francis Roads | 0-1 |
| Richard West | vs | Anthony Denver-Fedder | 0-1 |
| David Murphy | vs | Nick Meade | 1-0 |
| Round 4: | |||
| David Murphy | vs | Francis Roads | 1-0 |
| Richard West | vs | Nick Meade | 1-0 |
| Nick Wedd | vs | Anthony Denver-Fedder | 0-1 |
| Round 5: | |||
| David Murphy | vs | Richard West | 1-0 |
| Francis Roads | vs | Anthony Denver-Fedder | 1-0 |
| Nick Wedd | vs | Nick Meade | 0-1 |
| Pos. | Player's name (Club) | Pl. | W. |
| 1. | David Murphy (London) | 5 | 5 |
| 2=. | Francis Roads (London) | 5 | 3 |
| 2=. | Richard West (Royston) | 5 | 3 |
| 4=. | Anthony Denver-Fedder (Ashford) | 5 | 2 |
| 4=. | Nick Meade (Bristol) | 5 | 2 |
| 6. | Nick Wedd (Oxford) | 5 | 0 |
Email: Phil Holland <phil.holland@bcs.org.uk>
