The Knockout 2024 Round 2 (the last 8 – the Quarter-Finals) player pairings have been drawn by tournament organiser Steve Dunleavy. The Preliminary Round whittled the field of players down to 16. Round 1 determined who goes through to the Quarter Finals: the last 8.
The Knockout Trophy
The results will be shown on the Knockout 2024 Page in due course, but will appear sooner on the appropriate LMS tournament page sooner, as the results will be used for player ECF rating via LMS.
Ladder Latest: change at the top as challenger Dick Meredith takes top rung from John Pellegrini. John had enjoyed top perch for many weeks. The Ladder Tournament is a very popular club contest, with 32 players. Tournament Organiser Rob Sims gives an overview of the week’s action.
The Chandler’s Ford Chess Club Ladder Trophy
After a couple of quiet weeks, Tuesday of this week saw a total of 4 ladder games. In three of them the challengers lost: Sam lost to Philip, Steve D lost to Theo and Alikhan lost to Christian. A definite pattern in the results of these matches!
In the fourth game, there was a top of the ladder challenge when Dick Meredith challenged and beat John Pellegrini. This was a long and well fought battle that attracted cluster of spectators late in the evening. Dick becomes top player on the ladder and John moves down to second place.
Initial positions on the ladder are determined in order of grade.
All games to be played on the clock, which will be set at 80 minutes each with 10 second increments per move.
You may challenge anyone who is one, two, three, or four places above you on the Ladder.
A challenge cannot be made more than 7 days ahead of a game. Once a challenge is accepted neither the challenger nor the player being challenged may make or accept another challenge.
The decision as to who plays white is made at the start of the game by one of the players choosing a black or white pawn from a closed hand.
You can email challenges to your eligible opponents in advance, but it won’t count as a loss if your opponent is unable to play for any reason.
If the lower ranked player wins, the lower ranked player takes the higher ranked player’s position on the Ladder, and the higher ranked player moves down one place.
If the higher ranked player wins, there is no change in the players’ rankings. If the game ends in a draw, the lower ranked player takes the position just below the higher ranked player.
After a Ladder game is played, at least one of the players must play a Ladder game against someone else before they can play each other again.
Please report all results of games to me and I will submit them to ECF for grading purposes.
The top three players on Tuesday 3rd September 2024 will play off to decide the eventual winner. Players in second and third place play each other and the winner plays the player in first place.
The Summer Tournament 2024 starts as its organiser Malcolm Clarke announces the player pairings for the first Round.
The Summer Tournament runs during the summer, and is a 5-round Swiss format between May and September. Usually in the Summer Tournaments, the winner’s name is engraved on the Kooner Cup and the winner receives a replica of the Cup. The organiser is Malcolm Clarke.
The Summer Tournament is usually 5 Rounds 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 Summer Tournament Page, 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 2023 Page:
Former chess club member John Zastapilo has died. He was 72. John moved to Belgium, but participated in our online tournaments during the Pandemic, and he joined us for our Autumn Curry social event in 2021. His close friend David Culliford has written the Chess Obituary:
John Zastapilo (picture from John’s sister Linda via David Culliford)
Chess Obituary for John Zastapilo
I am sorry to report that my very good friend John Zastapilo has died, aged 72. I first met John during the 1990/91 chess season when he turned up at Southampton Chess Club one evening, seeking a return to playing club chess after a few years’ break from the game. Previously John had played for the Southampton Hospitals team in the Southampton and District League in the mid-1980s. John played for Southampton in the early 1990s and then switched clubs to Cricketers in the mid-1990s, along with our mutual friend Kev Byard. I followed them to Cricketers a year or two later.
John had a fine knowledge of the game, and in particular the principles behind the openings. He displayed a varied opening repertoire, especially with the black pieces, and was sufficiently proficient in many such that he could adapt with ease to his opponents’ efforts to divert him from his preferred opening configurations.
He played in club matches in the Southampton League and also especially enjoyed competing in weekend chess congresses throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, with Exeter, Frome and Weymouth being perhaps the most memorable. A substantial contingent of chess friends from various clubs in the Southampton area would travel to these events and we would typically enjoy the social side of these weekend events as much as the chess, if not more so.
From the mid-1990s onwards, John tended to favour tournaments comprising games with a shorter time-control, and these ‘rapidplay’ events would often have six or seven games compressed into a single day. John became less-enamoured with the longer ‘standardplay’ time-control format, which he always referred to as ‘slow-play’!
In 2006, John left England to work in Nijmegen in the Netherlands, moving to Belgium a few years later to work as a technical author for a company which specialised in the research, design and manufacture of cochlear implants. John very much enjoyed living on the continent, and seemed very settled in his well-appointed flat in the centre of Mechelen, a fine Flemish town.
In early 2022, just a few weeks after his 70th birthday, John was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After a long period of intermittent treatment in Belgium, John finally returned home to be with family, just a few weeks before he eventually died on Sunday 11th February 2024. His funeral was held at Thanet Crematorium in Margate on Wednesday 13th March.
Having known John for well over 30 years, I found him to be a man with considerable wisdom and an engaging conversationalist. He had long-standing interests in foreign languages, European history, cycle racing and, of course, chess; with a well-refined knowledge of each. Adjectives I would use to describe John are: intelligent, patient, erudite, gracious. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
Tournament organiser Steve Dunleavy announces the start of the Knockout 2024 competition.
29 players have entered. Through a series of Knock-out rounds, one will emerge the winner.
Knockout Trophy
The tournament comprises a Preliminary Round, with 3 byes, which reduce the original 29 entrants (a new record) 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.
Whilst all the results will show on this Page, see LMS (League Management System) for more up to date results as it will be updated more frequently.
c. 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.
d. In the event of a draw colours are to be reversed and the game still to be played by the 21st April.
e. 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.
f. There were 29 entries, 3 byes, and 13 preliminary games will take us to 16 and then 8,4,2 thereafter.
g. Enjoy the competition!
The game results will be updated to the League Management System – usually before this site is updated, so for the most up to date results see LMS:
Castle Chess will be holding their 24th Fareham Congress tournament this month, Friday 15th to Sunday 17th March. Although their website is down, you can enter the event by contacting the organiser, Tony Corfe, by phone or email. Full details on their flyer leaflet via the button link below (links to Microsoft Word or pdf versions).
The Castle ChessFareham Congress will be on 19-21 January 2024, at the Lysses House Hotel in Fareham. The Congress – tournament, over the board games – is played in six Rounds, at a rate of play of 75 minutes plus 30 seconds per move. There are 3 Sections.
The Lysses House Hotel, venue for Fareham Chess Congress
The venue
The Lysses House Hotel in Fareham is a pleasant and friendly venue that has been used by Castle Chess as well as the Hampshire Chess Association on previous occasions. The venue will host the three Castle Chess tournaments in 2024. The address is: Lysses House Hotel, 51 High Street, Fareham, Hampshire, PO16 7BQ.
Parking:
The Hotel has free parking for 35 cars, but there is a convenient car park very close to the venue: the Lysses Car Park, Lysses Path, Fareham PO16 7BE, free after 6pm and Sundays, whilst Saturday all day is only £3.50.
The Lysses House Hotel, Fareham, venue for Castle Chess 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. Half point 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 a £7 discount for Juniors (under 18). Non-ECF members will need to pay £9 extra.
Please note that an £8 Late fee is payable after 5th January.
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.
Results of all games will be be sent to the ECF for Grading.
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.
Playing schedule
Round 1: Friday evening 19:00-22:30
Round 2: Saturday morning 09:30-13:00
Players Review forum Saturday 13:45-14:00
Round 3: Saturday afternoon 14:00-17:30
Round 4: Saturday evening 19:00-22:30
Round 5: Sunday morning 09:30-13:00
Round 6: Sunday afternoon, 13:45-17:15
There will not be a Prize-giving ceremony as prizes will be sent via bank transfer.
Castle Chess 2024 tournaments
They will host three Congresses this year at the Lysses House Hotel, in January, March and October.
A reminder to renew our membership subscriptions for 2024 for our venue, the Chandler’s Ford Central Club. Central Club Membership Renewals subscriptions run January to December each year. Renewals at the rates shown below are available from 5th January 2024 to 31st January online, and 8th January to 31st January at the Club. Any Membership renewals after then will be subject to a Late Renewals Fee of £5.
Our venue is the Chandler’s Ford Central Club, membership subscriptions January to December
To renew your Membership, see the Central Club’s website Subscriptions Page 2024 which gives details on how to pay online – their preferred method, although other ways are available.
Chandler’s Ford Central Club Membership renewal due January 2024
Chandler’s Ford Central Club Membership Renewals 2022
See the Subscriptions Page 2024 of the Central Club website, and the table below. Membership fees are an important part of the Central Club’s income.
The cost of renewal will be:
MEMBER
Without Pass Card *
With Pass Card *
MALE/FEMALE
£20.00
£23.50
OAP
£ 8.50
£12.00
LIFE
Not available
£ 3.50
Chandler’s Ford Central Club Membership renewal 2024
* Note: Pass card enables entry to all other Club and Institute Union (CIU)
Fees can now be paid electronically to the venue’s Bank Account – see Website Subscriptions Page 2024 for account details.
When sending the money please ensure you put your Member Number which can be seen on your Membership Card and Surname into the Payment Reference, to enable the details to be matched on the system.
If you want a CIU Pass card, please remember to add £3.50.
If you haven’t joined the Chandler’s Ford Central Club yet, and would like to, please see their website’s ‘Join Us’ Page. There you will find a link to the Application Form. This is completed by you, plus Proposer and Seconder. Two passport photos, the form, and the fee should then be passed to the Club Secretary during normal Club hours (see the Central Club’s Home page for details).
Membership Fee table from the Chandler’s Ford Central Club website
Annual subscriptions for the venue is one of three financial costs if you want to fully engage with playing chess and the chess club, the other two outlays being annual subs to the Chess Club itself, and the other, annual membership of the English Chess Federation – so that you can participate in ECF-graded League matches and chess tournaments. See our What does it cost Page.
