This week’s online tournament on lichess.org: the Tuesday Arena Tournament and the Thursday 5-round Swiss – in which a player won against his own Dad! Plus details of next week’s tournaments.
Tuesday Arena, 8th September 2020
Twelve of us participated in the tournamentthis time. It was a one-hour Arena event in which players had ten minutes each per game.
Congratulations to Sam Murphy who won the event. Well done too Don Creasey 2nd and Joseph Henbury, playing his first such tournament, 3rd.
Each of the three podium winners had 8 points, interestingly, so the system had to place them according to its tie-break criteria of performance rating.
How is the winner decided?
The player(s) with the most points at the conclusion of the tournament’s set time limit will be announced winner(s).
When two or more players have the same number of points, the tournament performance is the tie break.
5-Round Swiss, Thursday 10th September: Ewok defeated by son
Eight of us played in the 5-round Swisson Thursday 10th September on lichess.org. Each Round comprised games in which players had an initial 7 minutes then 3 second increment per move.
Congratulations toGraham Stuart (‘WillHeSac’) who won this week’s Swiss. Well done too Joseph Henbury who came 2nd, and David Culliford (‘djc202’) 3rd.
A stellar performance by Joseph, who, In the tournament’s 2nd round, played and beat his own Dad! Joseph Henbury beat his father Mike (‘Ewokmike‘) in their 37-move game.
Forthcoming online Tournaments
There are two online tournaments coming up, both on lichess.org. Firstly the regular Tuesday evening Arena(ten minutes per player per game in a one-hour tournament) on 15th September2020.
Yes, that’s right: an actual chess congress! Castle Chess have thought carefully about how to resume over the board chess in a safe way.
The Lysses House Hotel, Fareham, venue for Castle Chess and HCA Congresses
Fareham Congress, 25-27th September
The Castle Chess Fareham Congress – their 17th- will run over the weekend 25-27th September 2020. The venue is the Lysses House Hotel, Fareham. The 6-round swiss is comprised of 3 Sections according to playing strength. Grades Under 115 ECF play in the Minor. Those Under 155 play in the Major, and grades above that in the Open Section. See their website online Entry Form for full details. An excerpt from it below gives the Playing Schedule and rate of Play:
What measures are Castle Chess taking to provide a safe tournament?
Some of you may have received the Castle Chess Newsletter, and the excerpt from it below shows how Castle Chess meet the challenge of providing a safe chess tournament environment.
Lysses House Hotel has put into place many safety measures regarding the use of toilets, extra deep cleaning of bedrooms, preparation and serving of food in the restaurant. Tea and Coffees will need to be ordered and paid for from the bar rather than in the congress office, as normal.
In the event that the curve of the virus increases dramatically then the tournament will not happen and all monies will be refunded.
Unless things are completely back to normal, which we think is unlikely, there will have to be some new playing conditions.
Each player will be required to bring their own chess set and each player will make moves on their own board, just as you would if you are playing against a blind player.
Note:
Castle Chess can sell you a new tournament set and board for £15 if ordered in advance.
You will not sit facing your opponent but diagonally away from them with the statutory social spacing distance.
Two clocks will be placed back to back between the two boards so that each player can see a clock face and each player will press the buttons simultaneously on both clocks to complete their move.
The result slip will be completed by the person with the white pieces and will be the only player to touch the slip when they place it in the results box.
The arbiter will be on call as normal. At the end of the round the arbiter will clean the clocks ready for the next round.
Players will be required to wear a mask or visor whilst in the hotel.
Your temperature will be taken as you arrive upstairs for the tournament. Anyone who is not feeling well should stay away from the tournament.
We think that these will be the only alterations to the playing conditions.
Entry to the hotel and then the playing rooms will be controlled by the arbiters. Players are asked to follow their guidance and be a little patient as social distancing is maintained.
There will be lower numbers allowed to play in each of the playing rooms, which means that our total number of players who can enter for the weekend will be limited.
In order of priority players who reply earliest and who also are booked into the host hotel will be allocated a place in the tournament.
Because the number of players will be lower, we have to share the costs between fewer players and therefore Castle Chess will be adding a £10 CoronaVirus19 surcharge on top of the prices on the entry form.
Are other Congresses happening?
Castle Chess are not unique in getting back to over-the-board chess tournaments, as the chess world cautiously emerges from its COVID hibernation. Northumberland Congress, also this month, for example.
Hampshire Congress, however, normally on the 1st weekend of November, won’t be happening this year. Hampshire’s Secretary, John Wheeler, said in a recent email circular:
The Hampshire committee was in the middle of planning the 2020 congress when lockdown struck. We have been waiting for any sign that it would still be possible to go ahead, but we have now reluctantly concluded that it will not be possible to run the congress in 2020.
But we want you to understand that the congress is not happening in 2020. We do expect and hope that we will be able to run the congress next year – in 2021, same place, same time. And we hope to see you there.
Eleven of us participated in the tournament this time. It was a one-hour Arena event in which players had ten minutes each per game.
Congratulations to Graham Stuart (‘WillHeSac’) who won the event. Well done too David Culliford (‘djc202’) 2nd, andSam Murphy 3rd.
Southampton Chess League Tournament, Thursday 3rd September
Graham Stuart had hoped that the Southampton and Portsmouth Leagues would compete in a Team Battle tournament on lichess.org. On the evening this wasn’t possible due to lack of players in one of the sides, but Graham had anticipated this and had set up a Contingency Tournament as a back-up.
The players all gathered in the Southampton Chess League team and played a tournament within that: 16 of us participated. It is hoped that there will be a monthly Team Battle. The tournament as played on Thursday was good fun, and used a familiar Rapid play time control of 7 minutes initial time per player, then 3 seconds increment per move (i.e. about ten minutes per player per game), and the event ran for one hour 20 minutes.
Congratulations to Keith Gregory who won the Contingency Arena. And looking at the results list below, ‘TheVirtualAir’ managed to squeeze in ten games in the tournament!
Forthcoming online Tournaments
There are two online tournaments coming up, both on lichess.org. Firstly the regular Tuesday evening Arena (ten minutes per player per game in a one-hour tournament) on 8th September 2020.
Then a 5-Round Swiss on Thursday 10th September (7minutes then 3 seconds a move increment roughly equating to ten minutes per player).
Click on the buttons below to go to the tournaments:
The Knockout Tournament organiser Steve Dunleavy announces the draw for the Semi-Finals.
Steve Dunleavy in New York, October 2019 (photo by Suzan Dunleavy)
2020 Knock-out Semi-Finals Draw
Dear all the draw for the above made by myself and Suzan is as follows:
Game 1: Rob Bird vs Peter Przybycin
Game 2: the winner of the replay between Rose Saunders and Steve Dunleavy (played Thursday 27th August) vs Patrick Pavey
In addition to the above please make note of the following guidance notes
All games to be played by the 25th September (4 weeks time), in the event of a draw (or if arranging the game proves to be very difficult) a time extension can be requested if needed
All games can be played on lichess, chess.com,email, text, telephone, over the board or whatever format/medium that can be agreed by both players
The player named first will play with white in the event of a draw colours will be reversed
All games played on lichess and/or chess.com to have a 90 minute time control for both players games played on any other format can dispense with the time control unless both players can agree on a solution
Please email me with the result of your game as soon as it has been played
Enjoy your games and thanks for entering/supporting this competition in such difficult times
Results are not acceptable to be sent for grading purposes
Nine of us participated in the tournament this time. It was a one-hour Arena event in which players had ten minutes each per game.
Congratulations to Rob Sims who won the event. Well done too Sam Murphy 2nd, and David Culliford (‘djc202’) 3rd.
5-Round Swiss, Thursday 27th August
Eight of us played in the 5-round Swiss on Thursday 27th August on lichess.org. Each Round comprised games in which players had an initial 7 minutes then 3 second increment per move.
Congratulations toGraham Stuart (‘WillHeSac’) who won this week’s Swiss with 5 straight wins in a row. Well done too David Culliford (‘djc202’) who came 2nd, and Don Creasey (‘carouselman’) 3rd.
Forthcoming online Tournaments
There are two online tournaments coming up. Firstly the regular Tuesday evening Arena (ten minutes per player per game in a one-hour tournament) on 1st September 2020.
Then on Thursday 3rd September, theSouthampton v Portsmouthmatch that Graham Stuart has set up on lichess.org, and is a ‘Team Battle’ event between the Southampton Chess League (SCL) and Portsmouth & District Chess League (PDCL). The tournament’s time control, at 7 minutes initially then 3 seconds a move increment roughly equating to ten minutes per player per game, is the same as we’ve recently used in our 5-round swiss tournaments. Please note though the slightly earlier time for this event, 7:30pm, and that it lasts for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Click on the buttons below to go to the tournaments:
Membership of the English Chess Federation runs from 1st September to 31st August each year. Basic Bronze level ECF membership gives players ECF Grading for their game results in club tournaments, local Leagues, and County games; Silver level of membership additionally, grading at chess tournaments (Congresses). Gold membership also includes FIDE rated standard play tournaments.
One of the membership benefits this year is a one-off discount at Chess & Bridge (chess.co.uk) of an amount equivalent to your subscription cost https://www.chess.co.uk/ecf-members/ – until 13th September 2020.
Please see recent Membership message from the ECF:
ECF Membership – Your Federation Needs You!
Your current ECF membership expires on 31 August 2020. The membership rates are unchanged from last year. In this time of crisis for our game please support the ECF so we can continue our work and ensure that chess life continues to thrive when circumstances permit.
The ECF has been actively working to develop online chess tournaments for members (details here: https://englishchessonline.org.uk/), and to assist clubs with getting started again when they feel the time is right. We’re also working hard to put in place the software that will give members monthly grades when over the board chess begins again.
The ECF needs a minimum level of funding to remain viable so that we can provide support to chess activities when life begins to return to normal. To that end, and to encourage our members to renew early, Chess & Bridge (chess.co.uk) are very kindly offering extremely generous one-off discounts until Sunday 13 September which allow you to recover the entire cost of whichever membership category you choose when you shop with them. And it’s even better news if you’re a junior – if you renew early as a paying junior member you still get the full discounts on offer *. Full details here: https://www.chess.co.uk/ecf-members/
* Offer not open to free junior Silver membership
If you need assistance, the ECF Office remains open during normal working hours. Please send us an email in the first instance, and a member of the ECF Office staff will get back to you as soon as possible.
We know these are difficult times for our members and whatever category of membership you choose, we would like to thank you in advance for your support.
Stay safe, and very best wishes.
The English Chess Federation Admin Team Email: membership@englishchess.org.uk Tel: 01424 775222 The Watch Oak, Chain Lane, Battle TN34 0YD
Graham Stuart has set up an online Team Battle on lichess.org for Thursday 3rd September. He recently created the SCL and PDCL teams on lichess in preparation. Join Southampton Chess League or Portsmouth & District Chess League – or both online clubs (when you join the Team Battle tournament choose which team you are playing for in that event).
The event lasts for an hour and a half, and starts at 7:30 pm on Thursday 3rd September 2020. There won’t be a clash with the Chandler’s Ford Thursday tournament, as we will skip setting one up that week to avoid such a clash. Time control: the players each have 7 minutes initially plus 3 seconds increment per move in each game.
A message below from Graham Stuart about this event :
Hi all – I have created the 1st SCL – PDCL Chess tournament for 3rd September. Initially this has been created as a blitz/rapid event with a time control of 7mins + 3secs for each game and a total playing session of 90 minutes (i.e. ending at 9pm). Further matches may have a different time control, but this is one which has proved popular in other tournaments. We could do with some more members, so please put the word out to other players in your league.
(and there is a similar link for the Portsmouth team), which will then allow you to join the tournament on the day.
These are planned to run monthly and will set up a forum post for any suggestions on format / frequency etc. I know the current date may clash with some internal chess tournaments, but finding a suitable time slot which did not clash was difficult.
Graham Stuart
Graham Stuart, wearing his chess themed apron, reveals his recipe for a fun chess event
Join the SCL or PDCL teams on lichess.org
Join the Southampton Chess League Team on lichess.org by clicking the button below and click Join when you get to the team on lichess.org:
Results of this week’s two online club tournaments on lichess.org: the Tuesday Arena on 18th August, and the 5-round Swiss on Thursday 20th.
Tuesday Arena, 18th August 2020
Twelve of us participated in the tournament – another great turnout by club members. It was a one-hour Arena event in which players had ten minutes each per game.
Congratulations to Phil Overton who won the event. Well done too Rob Sims 2nd, and David Culliford (‘djc202’) 3rd.
5-Round Swiss, Thursday 20th August
11 of us played in the 5-round Swiss on Thursday 20th on lichess.org, an excellent level of participation. Each Round comprised games in which players had an initial 7 minutes then 3 second increment per move.
Congratulations to Keith Gregory who won this week’s Swiss with 5 straight wins in a row. Well done too Graham Stuart (‘WillHeSac’) who came 2nd, and David Culliford (‘djc202’) 3rd.
Forthcoming online Tournaments
There are two online tournament coming up. Firstly the regular Tuesday evening Arena (ten minutes per player per game in a one-hour tournament) on 25th August. Then a 5-Round Swiss on Thursday 27th August (7minutes then 3 seconds a move increment roughly equating to ten minutes per player).
Click on the buttons below to go to the tournaments:
The Round 4 Draw of the Summer Tournament has been announced by event organiser Malcolm Clarke.
The Kooner Cup, prize of the Summer Tournament
The Round 4 Draw
White
v
Black
Phil Overton
Peter Przybycin
John Kooner
James Daas
Sam Murphy
Maha Chandar
Keven Lamb
Don Creasey
Steve Saunders
Rob Sims
Steve Dunleavy
Rose Saunders
Bye – Rob Strachan
Summer Tournament Round 4 Pairings
The Chandler’s Ford Chess Club Summer Tournament is one of the club’s three internal tournaments, and is usually of five rounds – and usually over the board. But this year of course, games have to be played in a safe environment – such as playing them online using such platforms as lichess.org or chess.com.
See our Summer Tournament Page for the individual results so far, and further information.
There were two Chandler’s Ford Chess Club online Tournaments on lichess.org this week. There was the regular Tuesday Arena on 11th August, and on Thursday 13th, a 5-round swiss Tournament.
And Phil Overton won both!
Tuesday Arena online tournament 11th August
Ten players participated in this week’s Tuesday evening Arena online tournament on lichess.org . Congratulations to Phil Overton (‘CFCC-Phil’), this week’s winner! Well done too David Culliford (‘djc202’) who was second, and Graham Stuart (‘WillHeSac’) third. Phil scored 8 points, David 6, Graham 5 – and interestingly everyone else got 4 points (see results table below).
5-round ‘Swiss’ Tournament on Thursday 13th August
Thursday’s club online tournament was a 5-round Swiss, in which each player had an initial 7 minutes per game with a 3 second increment each move – so about ten minutes each per player per Round. See our article about time control for discussion about Rapid-play and increments etc.
The tournament had 8 players. Congratulations to Phil for his impressive 5 consecutive points. Well done too Keith Gregory second, and Mike Henbury third.
Forthcoming tournaments
There are two online tournament coming up this week. Firstly the regular Tuesday evening Arena (ten minutes per player per game in a one-hour tournament) on 18th August. Then a 5-Round Swiss on Thursday 20th August (7minutes then 3 seconds a move increment roughly equating to ten minutes per player).
