JIM Friar cruised to victory in Kidderminster Chess Club's annual handicap tournament, capturing the trophy with a round to spare.

The top two seeds struggled. John Wrench was never in a challenging position and Maurice Bissell had his worst ever competition, finishing last.

The tournament was run on a system devised by Ken Durnell, based on players' gradings. Paul Thomas acted as controller.

Full scores: Friar 7, Dave Close and Wrench 5, John Varilone and Thomas 4, Mark Riley 3.5, Terry Pountney 3, Bissell 1.5.