Castle Chess have their Fareham Congress tournament (over the board games) on 1-3 October 2021. It will be at the Lysses House Hotel, 51 High Street, Fareham, PO16 7BQ.
Castle Chess have run a number of Congresses (tournaments) over recent years at this pleasant venue. Until the Pandemic, they hosted two Congresses per year at the Lysses, one earlier in the year, one in the Autumn.
The Lysses House Hotel, Fareham, venue for Castle Chess and HCA Congresses
Tournament format
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, with prize-giving by 17:30. Byes may be requested (except Round 6).
There are three sections:
Open: Under 2001 (=175 former ECF grade system),
Major: Under 1901 (=160),
Minor: under 1601 (=120).
The Congress costs £35 to enter, with a £7 discount for Juniors. There are also various accommodation packages – available through Castle Chess – if you would like to stay at the Lysses.
Rate of Play
The rate of play for the games is 36 moves in 90 minutes plus 15 minutes QPF (Quick Play Finish).
Covid: controls and contingencies
The hotel has a wide range of safety measures in place, especially cleaning. These will include the necessity of having to purchase drinks at the bar rather than the self-service Castle Chess normally provides
Castle Chess plan to run the event as a normal over the board weekend chess tournament. If that succeeds, the normal capacity of the venue is 70.
If covid restrictions tighten and limit the numbers (to a capacity of 24), the number of Sections may have to reduce to two, and the entry fee would have to be increased by £10 to cover fixed costs.
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
An over-the-board County Chess match – and Chandler’s Ford Chess Club Players formed half the team! David Culliford reports.
County chess match Essex v Hampshire 14 August 2021. Photo by Peter Nickals
Return to Over The Board County matches
After a near eighteen-month hiatus as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, over-the-board (OTB) county chess finally made its return in England. Just three county chess associations opted to participate in a pre-season county competition which was in effect ‘testing the waters’ prior to a return to the full annual county championship cycle later in the autumn.
One of these three English counties was Hampshire, electing to enter the ‘Minor’ competition which had the constraint of an average rating per team of 1600, using the Elo system only recently adopted by the English Chess Federation (ECF).
Chandler’s Ford provide half of County team
On Saturday 14th August, Hampshire travelled to Wanstead in Essex to play the first of just three matches in this competition. Chandler’s Ford Chess Club provided no less than four of the eight boards in the team line-up. David Culliford, Sam Murphy, Manoj Chandar and Maha Chandar volunteered to make the long journey to face Essex.
Shortly after driving away from our club’s home venue, the CF Central Club and Institute, we received news that our top board (Daniel Shek) had tested positive for coronavirus that same morning. When we arrived at Wanstead, the Essex captain generously agreed to the default being taken on the top board on which Daniel would have played, rather than insisting on us defaulting the bottom board.
Excellent venue
We found Wanstead House to be an excellent venue, and fully compliant with all the precautions stipulated in the ECF’s carefully thought-out policy on OTB chess post-pandemic. The weather was especially kind to us, being neither too hot nor too cold and with a gentle breeze keeping the playing room well aired throughout the four-hour playing session. The rate of play was G105/15, which means 1 hour 45 minutes fixed time plus a 15-second increment with every move made.
The playing room benefitted from a live display screen hooked up to the League Management System (LMS) website which the ECF use for registering results. This meant that the home captain, Peter Nickals, could enter live results in real time, with the full match result being posted at a quarter past five when the final game finished.
The match: Essex vs Hampshire
The result was a 7.5 – 0.5loss for Hampshire, with Alan Willis registering our only result with a draw on board 4. While this near-whitewash in an average rating constrained match may seem to be a less than spectacular effort by the away team, there were a couple of significant mitigating factors. Firstly, the default meant we were one down before starting, and secondly, Essex benefitted from having an excellent crop of juniors who made up the bulk of the team. Many of these juniors had rapidly enhanced their chess abilities with online play during the pandemic, but the OTB-based grades have yet to catch up. All the Hampshire players played out hard fought games but Essex were simply better.
Match highlights
Notable highlights (apart from Alan’s draw, of course) included Philip Ware’s patient middlegame play; Manoj Chandar’s kingside attack; Maha Chandar’s handling of a difficult queens-on endgame, and captain Amanda Jones’ heroic efforts in a game which she dominated right up until just before the end. A personal lowlight was my own handling of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, losing a piece but nearly recovering the deficit with some energetic tactical play. No cigar for me though!
Amanda was our match day captain and I was her deputy, as our regular captain, Ashraf Syed, was unavailable to travel. The only reason that I as deputy am writing the report is that Amanda was practically glued to her board while engaged in some intense play for pretty much the duration of her near four-hour game and therefore unable to peruse the other boards as much as perhaps she would have liked.
Well done to all who travelled to Essex, and hopefully the Hampshire Minor 1600 team can register a significant improvement in our next match against one of the Kent teams on Saturday 4th September.
The 2021 Summer Tournament is one of two tournaments currently running in the Chandler’s Ford Chess Club (the Summer Tournament and the Knock-out Tournament). Round 3 of the Summer Tournament has now been completed, and event organiser Malcolm Clarke has announced the Summer Tournament 2021 Round 4 draw. See below for the Round 3 results in full, Round 4 Pairings list, and a quick recap of the rules.
Summer Tournament Round 3 Results
White
v
Black
Keith Gregory
0.5-0.5
David Culliford
Rob Sims
0-1
Peter Przybycin
Geoffrey Parish
0-1
Graham Stuart
Patrick Pavey
0.5-0.5
Mike Henbury
Sam Murphy
0.5-0.5
Dean Shaw
Steve Dunleavy
0-1
Keven Lamb
John Kooner
0.5-0.5
Rob Strachan
Nobby George
0-1
Dick Meredith
Maha Chandar
1-0
Steve Saunders
Rose Saunders
0.5–
Bye
Summer Tournament 2021 Round 3
Malcolm Clarke observed that there were no less than three draws in Round 3, compared with none in the preceding Rounds.
Full details of each Round’s results can be seen on the table on the Summer Tournament Page which will be updated as the tournament progresses.
The Summer Tournament is organised and run by Malcolm Clarke. The Summer Tournament is usually 5, but sometimes 6 Rounds over the summer months. Each Round is usually completed within a few weeks. The winner receives the Kooner Cup for a year and usually gets to keep a replica.
The Games are 90 minutes all moves per player.
When the Round Pairings are announced, the first-named plays as white.
Hampshire Juniors have played in another large scale online chess tournament: the 20th Inter-County Division 1 Team Battle. 154 players in 10 teams participated in the online event on Monday 2nd August.
The event was online on lichess.org, and the format a Team Battle. Basically, the individuals’ scores count towards their respective teams in an online tournament. The time control is in the blitz category: quick games of 5+3 (5minutes per player per game, plus a 3-second increment for each move made). With a tournament length of an hour and a half, it would have been quite an intense event requiring a lot of concentration and quick decisions in every game.
The Hampshire Junior Chess Association team have had a series of events on lichess.org. These were various Team Battles, including the regular Saturday Afternoon Event Team Battles, plus 3-County Team Battles (for example, Hampshire v Dorset v Berkshire).
Tournament organiser Steve Dunleavy announces the draw for Round 3 of the Club’s 2021 Knock-out Tournament, and gives the results of Round 2.
Knock Out Trophy
The Chandler’s Ford Chess Club Knock-out Tournament is one of two club tournaments currently running, the other one being the Summer Tournament. Round 2 of the Knock-Out Tournament has been completed, and 4 players remain. The draw for Round 3 (the semi-finals) has been made. The games have a time control of 90 minutes per player, and can be played online at lichess.org or over-the-board. The Knock-Out Tournament is organised by Steve Dunleavy.
Round 2 Results
White
Black
Result
Dick Meredith
Sam Murphy
1-0
Peter Przybycin
Graham Stuart
1-0
Rob Strachan
Maha Chandar
0-1
Dean Shaw
Mike Henbury
0-1
2021 Knock-out Round 2
Knock-out Round 3 (the Semi-Finals) Pairings
The draw for Round 3 (semi-finals) has been made. All games should be completed by 15th August.
Peter Przybycin vs Dick Meredith
Mike Henbury vs Maha Chandar
Knock-out Tournament Rules / guidelines recap
1)the player named first plays with white
2) games can be played either on lichess or over the board (both players’ clocks being set at 90 minutes)
3) in the event of a draw you can either play a rapid play on the same night (duration to be agreed between both players) or arrange another 90 minute game (please let me know if you need an extension of time)
4) the rules of chess must be followed ie no move retakes if playing on lichess
5) all games to be played within 3 weeks of today i.e. 15th August. Please let me know if you need an extension of time (to fit in any replays or otherwise)
6) please let me know when you arrange to play so that I can monitor progress and give me the result asap after it has been determined
7) please let me know if you have any problems contacting your opponent and I will do my best to help out
The 2021 Summer Tournament is one of two tournaments currently running in the Chandler’s Ford Chess Club (the Summer Tournament and the Knock-out Tournament). Round 2 of the Summer Tournament has now been completed, and event organiser Malcolm Clarke has announced the Summer Tournament 2021 Round 3 draw. See below for the Round 2 results in full, Round 3 Pairings list, and a quick recap of the rules.
Round 2 Results
White
v
Black
Keven Lamb
0-1
Keith Gregory
Graham Stuart
0-1
Rob Sims
David Culliford
1-0
Steve Dunleavy
Dean Shaw
0-1
Peter Przybycin
Rob Strachan
0-1
Geoffrey Parish
Dick Meredith
0-1
Sam Murphy
Mike Henbury
1-0
Maha Chandar
Steve Saunders
0-1
John Kooner
Rose Saunders
0-1
Patrick Pavey
Nobby George
0.5–
bye
Summer Tournament 2021 Round 2
Full details of each Round’s results can be seen on the table on the Summer Tournament Page which will be updated as the tournament progresses.
The Summer Tournament is organised and run by Malcolm Clarke. The Summer Tournament is usually 5, but sometimes 6 Rounds over the summer months. Each Round is usually completed within a few weeks. The winner receives the Kooner Cup for a year and usually gets to keep a replica.
The Games are 90 minutes all moves per player.
When the Round Pairings are announced, the first-named plays as white.
Congratulations to the Hampshire Junior Chess team on winning a 10-team online Team Battle! Convincingly: they finished well ahead of their nearest rivals.
Hampshire Juniors Win Team Battle
Hampshire Junior Chess Association team won a big Juniors tournament on Monday 5th July 2021.
The event was online on lichess.org, and the format a Team Battle. Basically, the individuals’ scores count towards their respective teams in an online tournament. The time control is in the blitz category: quick games of 5+3 (5minutes per player per game, plus a 3-second increment for each move made). With a tournament length of an hour and a half, quite an intense event requiring a lot of concentration and quick decisions in every game.
Hampshire Juniors win Team Battle: the 19th Inter-County Division 2.The event, online on lichess.org, was a Team Battle Arena of Blitz games.Team Battle 5th July: Tournament statistics
Hampshire Juniors in online events
The Hampshire Junior Chess Association team have had a series of events on lichess.org. These were various Team Battles, including the regular Saturday Afternoon Event Team Battles, plus 3-County Team Battles (for example, Hampshire v Dorset v Berkshire).
Their next event is a Saturday Afternoon Event Team Battle, on Saturday 17th July 2021. Hampshire is currently one of 4 Counties signed up for the event, the others being Devon, Berkshire, and Dorset. The time control for the 2-hour event is 10+5 (ten minutes per player per game, plus 5 seconds per move).
Round 1 Results: Fur Flies as Ewok Slaughters Lamb
In their 39-move game in the second round, it was Mike Henbury (‘Ewokmike‘ on lichess.org) who was on form against Keven Lamb. Once Mike had gained a material advantage from good play – pinning and capturing a Bishop 24 moves in, he proceeded to widen the gap rapidly and went on to win the game.
See below for the first Round’s full results.
Knock-out Round 1
White
Black
Result
Rob Strachan
Geoffrey Parish
1 – 0
Mike Whitford
Dick Meredith
0 – 1
Peter Przybycin
Nobby George
1 – 0
Dean Shaw
Rob Sims
1 – 0
Steve Saunders
Sam Murphy
0 – 1
Keven Lamb
Mike Henbury
0 – 1
Graham Stuart
Andrew Vagg
1 – 0
Steve Dunleavy
Maha Chandar
0 – 1
2021 Knock-out Round 1
Knock-out Round 2 Pairings
The draw for the second Round has been made. All games should be completed by 11th July.
Dick Meredith vs Sam Murphy
Peter Przybycin vs Graham Stuart
Rob Strachan vs Maha Chandar
Dean Shaw vs Mike Henbury
Knock-out Tournament Rules / guidelines recap
Tournament organiser Steve Dunleavy’s guidelines for the Knock-out:
a) The player named first plays with white
b) All games to be played on lichess.org with both players’ clocks set at 90 minutes
c) All games to be played within the next 3 weeks (on or before Sunday 11th July)
d) In the event of a draw players can either a) agree to play a rapid play game on the same night duration to be agreed between/by both players or b) play another 90-minute game before the 11th July deadline. In the event of a draw colours are reversed
e) The rules of chess must be adhered to i.e. no move retake requests and none to be granted
f) Can you please email me the result of your game immediately after it has been completed to allow me time to prepare and organise the Round 3 draw.
g) Enjoy your games and please let me know if you are struggling to complete your game before the 11th July deadline: in fact please let me know when you have arranged to play your games so that I can easily keep track of events.
h) In Round 1 Rob Strachan beat Geoffrey Parish, Dick Meredith beat Mick Whitford, Peter Przybycin beat Nobby George, Sam Murphy beat Steve Saunders, Dean Shaw beat Rob Sims, Mike Henbury beat Kev Lamb, Graham Stuart beat Andrew Vagg, and Maha Chandar beat Steve Dunleavy.
i) Enjoy your games and the competition. Please let me know if you are having difficulty contacting your opponent and I will try my best to find a contact number for them.
The Summer Tournament is one of two tournaments currently running in the Chandler’s Ford Chess Club (the Summer Tournament and the Knock-out Tournament). Round 1 of the Summer Tournament has now been completed, and event organiser Malcolm Clarke has announced the pairings for Round 2 of the Summer Tournament. Round 1 results in full, Round 2 Pairings list, and a quick recap of the rules.
Round 1 Results
White
v
Black
Keith Gregory
1-0
Nobby George
John Kooner
0-1
Graham Stuart
Peter Przybycin
1-0
Mike Henbury
Maha Chandar
0-1
David Culliford
Sam Murphy
0-1
Rob Strachan
Steve Dunleavy
1-0
Dick Meredith
Rob Sims
1-0
Steve Saunders
Rose Saunders
0-1
Kev Lamb
Patrick Pavey
0-1
Dean Shaw
Geoffrey Parish
0.5–
bye
Summer Tournament 2021 Round 1
Full details of each Round’s results can be seen on the table on the Summer Tournament Page which will be updated as the tournament progresses.
The Summer Tournament is organised and run by Malcolm Clarke. The Summer Tournament is usually 5, but sometimes 6 Rounds over the summer months. Each Round is usually completed within a few weeks. The winner receives the Kooner Cup for a year and usually gets to keep a replica.
The Games are 90 minutes all moves per player.
When the Round Pairings are announced, the first-named plays as white.
Maha Chandar, Chandlers Ford player, plays for the England Women online chess Team on lichess.org.Screen shot (Twitch) of online commentary of Euro Girls and Women’s U1300 Finals
Two WFM (Women FIDE Master) commentators from the Austrian Chess Federation provided live online analysis on Twitch of the Euro Girls and Women’s U1300 Finals: AustrianChessFederation – Twitch
The ECU Girl’s and Women’s Chess Weekend Finals Under 1300 were held online on lichess.org. The games were rapid-play, and had a time control of 7+3. That is, 7 minutes per player per game plus 3 seconds for each move.
The International Girls and Women Team Battle on 16th May featured 15 female-player teams in the European Chess Union member federations. It was a huge event with 323 players. This was an even faster pace: a blitztime control of 3+2: three minutes per player per game plus 2 seconds per move. The England Women team came 6th in the online tournament, and Maha contributed 10 points to the team’s score.
Another Chandler’s Ford Chess Club member, Rose Saunders, has played for England as well. See our previous Post about Rose Saunders and Maha Chandar: England Women’s Chess Team.
