Southampton Chess League AGM, Wednesday 25 June 2025, 7.30pm, Chandlers Ford Central Club (2 Winchester Road, Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, SO53 2FZ) Agenda
Welcome Thanks to Chandlers Ford club for hosting us.
Apologies for absence
Minutes of previous AGM (19 June 2024) and matters arising
Treasurer report and league subs (Michael Pope) – to follow
Webmaster report (Graham Stuart) – appended
Proposals a) (From Winchester club) – that the number of boards played in Division 4 matches should be increased from four to five. b) (From Andover club) – request for tighter deadlines for the cup competitions to avoid finals being played too late in the season. [Note: the fixtures secretary (Malcolm) has noted the issue this season in his report.] c) (From SCL committee) – to adopt the following rules about electronic devices (taken from the London League): ELECTRONIC DEVICES All mobile phones and non-medical electronic devices must be switched off for the entire duration of the game, except in the case of a player with a special need, as authorised by team captains before the match. [Note: this includes the case of a team captain keeping their phone on to communicate with a player who has not yet arrived at the venue.] If a player’s device makes a sound during the game, the player shall receive a warning the first time it happens and will default the game the second time it happens. If a player leaves the playing area during a game and is found to be in possession of an electronic device that is not exclusively medical in nature, the player shall forfeit the game. d) (From Malcolm Clarke) Rule 5e(iii) states “Once a player has played four games in a division they cannot play for a team two or more divisions lower than that division, unless the club has no teams in the intervening division(s).” I propose it should be amended to: “Once a player has played a total of four games in a division (or higher division) they cannot play for a team two or more divisions lower than that division, unless the club has no teams in the intervening division(s).”
Election of officers (Note: The current officers are willing to continue)
Planning for next season Draft league structure assuming normal promotions and relegations shown in Table 1 below.
Presentation of trophies See Table 2 below for 2024-5 Winners. Important: All trophy holders should bring them to the AGM for presentation to this season’s winners.
Any other business
Table 1: Draft League structure for next Season
Division 1
Division 2
Division 3
Division 4
Division 5
Fareham A
Ringwood
Salisbury A
Hamble B
Salisbury C
University A
Fareham B
Salisbury B
University C
Fareham C
Chandler’s Ford A
Chandler’s Ford B
Basingstoke C
Andover B
Chandler’s Ford D
Basingstoke A
Andover A
University B
Winchester B
Southampton C
Southampton A
Winchester A
Southampton B
Basingstoke D
Chandler’s Ford E
Hamble A
Basingstoke B
Chandler’s Ford C
Basingstoke E
——-
Draft League structure for 2025-6, given normal promotions and relegations
Table 2: The 2024-5 season winners
League Division or competition
2024-5 Winner
Division 1
Fareham A
Division 2
Hamble A
Division 3
Basingstoke B
Division 4
Tied: Chandler’s Ford C and University C
Division 5
Basingstoke E
Robertson Cup
Southampton A
Robertson Plate
Clarke Cup
Basingstoke D
Individual
Niclas Hordnes
Division and Cup etc Winners 2024-5 Season
Photos from last year’s 2024 AGM
Click on any photo in the gallery below to see larger image and captions.
Maha Chandar, tournament organiser, invites young players to play in the Juniors tournament at Winchester College next Sunday, 22nd June. The tournament is ECF graded. It is the largest junior chess event in Hampshire, and normally has over 200 entries.
Please note: the last day for entries is 20th June.
The Hampshire Megafinal is a qualifying event in the Delancey UK Chess Challenge. Megafinals are held in various parts of the country. Players that make it through the Megafinal with 3.5 points or more from six rounds can play in the Gigafinals. The top players from that will play in the Terrafinal in October.
Tournament details
Date
Sunday 22nd June 2025. 09:30 for a 10:00 start, expected to finish about 17:00.
Venue
Winchester College (New Hall), College Street, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 9NF
The 1st Eastleigh FIDE Congress will be held at Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th June. The tournament is a 5-round swiss format, and the time control for the games is 90 minutes plus a 30 second increment per move.
Depending on the Section entered. See table below:
The Entry fee as per table above is for players who are at minimum ECF Gold membership, otherwise add £15 (or £6 for a junior) for a player of below Gold level.
Late entry fees: Entries after 25th June: add £4 if ; or add £6 after 27th 21:00.
Sections
There are 3 sections:
Open
Under 1850
Under 1500.
Player ratings are the higher of standard game FIDE or ECF to determine which Section to enter.
Prizes
Open
U1800
U1500
1st
£220
£200
£160
2nd
£110
£100
£80
3rd
£60
£50
£40
Congress Schedule
Round 1: 10:00 Saturday 28th June
Round 2: 13:30 Saturday 28th June
Round 3: 17:00 Saturday 28th June
Round 4: 10:00 Sunday 29th June
Round 5: 13:30 Sunday 29th June
A half-point Bye may be taken in advance for any Round except the last one.
The event should finish by 17:30 on the Sunday.
Refreshments
Basic tea and coffee will be available to buy at the venue. Cashless payment is preferred, but if cash is used please pay exact amount. Local amenities can be found a short distance from the college, in Eastleigh town centre.
The Preliminary Round of the Knockout 2025 tournament saw the field of players reduced to 16. The remaining players have now been paired for Round 1. The Knockout 2025 is organised by Steve Dunleavy.
In addition to the above please take note of the following;
The player drawn first plays with white in the event of a draw colours are reversed
All games to be played by 10th June(club nights 20/5, 27/5,3/6/10/6) please let me know if you need an extension after the deadline date
All results to be emailed to me straight after the game has been played can you also email me the date the game has been arranged to be played(to enable me to monitor the progress of this round)
In the event of a draw can you please try to rearrange the game before the deadline date 10th June
Both clocks to be set at 80+ 10
Good luck and enjoy thanks for entering this competition
Tournament organiser Steve Dunleavy announces the start of the new Knockout 2025 Tournament . He has run the Knockout since the first one in 2017. This year 30 players have entered. Through a series of knock-out rounds, one will emerge the winner.
Knockout Trophy showing previous winners
Knockout 2025 main features
The Knockout 2025 competition comprises a Preliminary Round, with 4 byes, which will reduce the original 30 entrants to 16 players, then successive Rounds halve that to 8, 4, and 2 players, until the winner is revealed.
The first-named player of each pairing plays with white.
The rate of play is 80 minutes each plus 10 seconds increment per move.
All preliminary games to be played by the 21st April (3 weeks time) and the results to be reported to me Steve Dunleavy by email asap thereafter.
In the event of a draw colours are to be reversed and the game still to be played by the 21st April.
The draw was made today by myself Steve Dunleavy and Suzan to get the ball rolling as soon as possible after the closure date for entries of the 31st March.
There were 30 entries, 4 byes, and 13 preliminary games will take us to 16 and then 8,4,2 thereafter.
Enjoy the competition!
Cheers! Knockout organiser Steve Dunleavy raises a glass
The John Kooner Cup 2025 – the club’s Summer Tournament starts as its organiser Malcolm Clarke announces the player pairings for the first Round. 27 players have entered.
The Kooner Cup runs during the summer, and is a 5-round Swiss format between May and September. In the previous Summer Tournaments, the winner’s name was engraved on the Kooner Cup and the winner received a replica of the Cup, presented by John Kooner annually at a club dinner. The organiser is Malcolm Clarke.
The tournament is played in 5 Round over the summer months – about a month per Round. The winner receives the Kooner Cup for a year and usually gets to keep a replica. The games are standard play in terms of time control, 90 minutes each player.
Summer Tournament prize: the Kooner Cup
Whilst all the results will show on the John Kooner Cup Page, please also see LMS (League Management System) for more up to date results as it will be updated more frequently.
Rate of play: games can be played at either 80 mins + 10 secs or 90 mins for the whole game. If players cannot agree on time control 90 mins is to be used.
When the Round Pairings are announced, the first-named plays as white.
Notify Malcolm Clarke of the results.
Click on the button below to see the Summer Tournament 2024 Page:
Fareham Chess Club will be holding their Open Rapidplay on Saturday 19th April, at their playing venue, the Duke of Connaught’s Own Club, 74 Western Rd, Fareham PO16 0NS. Fareham Chess Club will be donating a proportion of the entry fees received to the registered charity ‘Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance’ https://www.hiowaa.org/.
There is a capacity limit of 50 players, and there will be no entries on the day, so enter now!
Entry: £18 (for Gold ECF or higher, otherwise add a £15 surcharge).
Chandler’s Ford Chess Club player Iwan Cave is organising the 2nd Hampshire Rapidplay tournament next Saturday, 5th April 2025. It is a 6 round ECF Rated Rapid tournament with a time control of 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move held at Barton Peveril 6th Form College, Eastleigh, SO50 5ZA on 5th April 2025. Maximum Entries: 90 (there are still places available).
The 2nd Hampshire Rapidplay – Tournament details
Sections:
Open
Major (U1650)
Rapid ratings will be used to determine which sections players can enter. If a player doesn’t have a rapid rating or has a provisional rating then their classical rating will be used to determine eligibility.
Please note there is a £15 pay-to-play fee (£6 for juniors) for players with ECF membership below Gold. With the ECF restructuring their membership system, all Silver Members have been upgraded to Gold membership. You can check your ECF membership here.
For any players without ECF membership, please follow this link to sign up to the ECF. Players under 25 who haven’t previously been members of the ECF can get their first year of membership free of charge.
Prizes:
1ˢᵗ – £100 2ⁿᵈ – £70 3ʳᵈ – £50
Minimum prize fund for each section. No player may win more than one prize. If a player is eligible for two or more prizes, the highest will be awarded. In the event of a tie, players will share prizes.
*The minimum prize fund is based on receiving 40 entries . The prize fund shall be increased in line with the number of entries and may include extra category prizes including: rating; junior; and women.
The venue is easily accessible by car and public transport. It is located just off Junction 13 of the M3 and Junction 5 of the M27 and has ample on site parking as well as parking on Chestnut Avenue just outside the college. Southampton Airport Parkway and Eastleigh Train Station are both a 20 minute walk away and public buses from Romsey and Southampton run past the college regularly.
Local amenities can be found a short walk from the college campus in Eastleigh Town Centre. The College Café will be open between 09:00 – 15:00.
This is a busy time for Chandler’s Ford Chess Club. The Southampton Chess League nears the end of the2024-5 season, but with some club tournaments about to start, plus some local Congresses, there’s a lot happening. Graham Stuart guides us through the chess scene with his club roundup March 2025.
SCL League
No matches last week, but the result of the University C match is of relevance to our C team and Division 4. University c beat Basingstoke D 2½ – 1½ and this leaves the table as below. The C team need to beat Salisbury C 3½ – ½ to win the league, a 3 – 1 win will see a tie (and play-off for promotion and a tied championship). A tough ask, but it could have been worse if the University had won by a larger margin.
Three away matches next week with:
D team are away to Southampton C on Tuesday
E team visit Basingstoke E on Wednesday
The previously mentioned C team match against Salisbury C on Thursday. Good luck to the team!
I have attached a LMS Report on the matches from last week in the SCL League. But all results can be seen from the SCL Fixtures.
Dave Holmes and David Culliford are playing in this weekend congress. This congress is a favourite of theirs. Results can be found at the link below, with 2 of the 5 rounds played.
The 2nd program went down more favourably than the first, with the 8-queen puzzle being popular. I think this week has 6 more players, and from what I can see one player is rated over 1800 and I think could be the strongest player in the event.
The player who left if the 1st round is Nick Templar and he is rating is 1650 (1670 live), which was a bit higher rated than I thought. But the games in the show are 10-to-15-minute games (with increment) and maybe this gave a false impression of their quality.
The popular KO tournament is being held from April.
Quick summary if that you need to enter by the 31st March and Steve Dunleavy will complete a round by round draw and you will normally have between 3 and 4 weeks to play your game.
John Kooner Club Championship (old Summer tournament)
Please let Malcolm Clarke know if you wish to enter this competition. The draw is to be completed in a couple of days’ time, so please enter soon.
It can be difficult to turn up and get a game due to the tournaments, so please do email players to see if available for a ladder / rated game before club night. Not sure of the best way to manage this, but if anyone wishes to set something up please do so.
Please remember to advise the Tournament Controller of the result of your game. Contact details and LMS links below.
If you are away / cannot play in the ladder for a few weeks let Rob know so he can sit you out and allow others to challenge above the normal number of places.
If you cannot get a game from the internal tournaments, you can play a rated friendly, but the tournaments always take priority to ensure they run on schedule. To ensure these ad-hoc games do not start too late, please make sure they start before 8pm and only play one per evening. If you have played someone once, the 2nd game should be with reversed colours.
Time control can be either 80 + 10 or 90 minutes for these standard rated games but if players cannot agree, 80 + 10 is the default.
Large prizes available from Dorset Chess Association! This is certainly a tournament to consider playing in. This also now has a British Chess Championship place for the best score by a WECU member. There is now a late entry fee, and the Congress is close to full. Keith, Graham and Philip are playing.
2nd HCA Rapidplay – 5th April 2025 (run by Iwan Cave)
Hampshire play in the Chiltern League which this season has reintroduced the B team competition
All matches are on Saturdays, 2pm to 6pm.
B team dates (Under 1750)
29th March 2025 – Victory Hall, Church Road, Farley Hill, RG7 1TR
National U1650
Hampshire have entered the national stages which Ashraf will be running. Details to follow, but if your rating was under 1650 in September 2024 you are eligible (especially improving juniors!)
In addition, for the Hampshire Chess History website I am planning on adding a small history of each Hampshire club, I have started with our club and as this is an amalgamation of many clubs this does cover all of these. The idea is that others will update me with additional information from their club archives.
My understanding of the clubs which fed into the current CF Chess club is below. Eastleigh Railway was the main Eastleigh club (and would have probably changed venue / name a few times as well) which was formed in 1912.
In addition, this does mean CF Chess Club is now 10 years old and we should think about the best way to celebrate this! Please do let Rob / Malcolm and other CF Officers know of any idea?
Castle Chess will hold their 27th Fareham Congresstournament (over the board games) on 10th-12th March 2023. It will be at the Lysses House Hotel, 51 High Street, Fareham, PO16 7BQ.
Lovely garden at the Lysses House Hotel venue of the Castle Chess Fareham Congress March 2024
Castle Chess 27th Fareham Congress: main features
Dates: 14-16th March 2025
Venue: the Lysses House Hotel, 51 High Street, Fareham, Hampshire. PO16 7BQ. Contact Castle Chess if you’d like to stay there for the tournament.
The Lysses House Hotel, Fareham
Entry fee: £40 (£7 discount for juniors)
Sections: Open, Major (U1901 ECF), Minor (U1601)
Prizes: expected £200 per Section, but dependent on the number of entries.
Rate of Play: 75 minutes plus 30 seconds per move.
See link below for printable Entry form. You can contact the organiser Tony Corfe, by email or phone. 01707 661160 Mob: 07973 516718 tony@mrcorfe.co.uk
The format of the Congress is a six-Round Swiss: round one on the Friday evening, three rounds on the Saturday, and the last two games on the Sunday. Byes may be requested (except Round 6).
There are three sections:
Open: Under 2001
Major: Under 1901
Minor: under 1601
The Congress costs £40 to enter, with an £8 discount for Juniors. Non-ECF members will need to pay £15 extra. There are also various accommodation packages – available through Castle Chess – if you would like to stay at the Lysses.
Tea and coffee will be provided for a donation: £1.50 per cup, £9 maximum for the weekend.
Results of all games will be be sent to the ECF for Grading.
There will not be a Prize-giving ceremony as prizes will be sent via bank transfer.
Rate of Play
The rate of play for the games is 75 minutes plus 30 seconds per move (about 3 and a half hours). All moves must be recorded throughout the game.
Further information
EVENT ENQUIRIES: Tony Corfe, 51 Borough Way, Potters Bar, Herts. EN6 3HA Tel: 01707 661160 Mob: 07973 516718 email: tony@mrcorfe.co.uk or marc.shaw.chess@gmail.com or Marc Shaw 07947 813303
See the Castle Chess website’s home page by clicking on their logo below:
