ABERYSTWYTH 2014 BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS

[PeterFarr]

It's far from universal around the country. Every different LEA can vary the end of term times, and as you go on to state, independent schools have different term times anyway. Of course, individual schools within those LEAs may have training days that week too.

I think actually you'll find a great many LEAs - I suspect it actually is a very significant majority, even if it isn't universal - have term dates that end between Weds 23rd and Friday 25th. Relying on training days is a bit optimistic I suspect.

Indeed it is optimistic.

I looked at places around the country:
Birmingham: Mon 21 July: http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/termdates
Manchester: Tue 22 July: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/10000 ... term_dates
Cardiff: Mon 21 July: http://www.cardiff.gov.uk/content.asp?n ... 062%2C3064
Leeds: Tue 22 July: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/Leeds%20sc ... 20word.pdf
Sheffield: Mon 21 July: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/education/ ... -2014.html

I haven't done a scientific survey of school term end dates, but looking at some of the bigger cities in England, and Cardiff, most appear to be Monday or Tuesday. It's reasonable to assume that the school will close to children for most of these on the preceding Friday.

I accept that, although Kent, East and West Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey are all on the Wednesday. Dorset is Tues, Devon and Cornwall are on Thursday / Friday. London is quite varied.

Probably I was wrong to say "very significant majority" - I should have stuck to "an awful lot".

A full study would be very difficult as there is so much variation and choice - I don't blame you for not having done so. We all know that starting a week later as usual would have solved this particular problem, but....

[Roger de Coverly]

We all know that starting a week later as usual would have solved this particular problem, but....

There was a discussion on potential 2014 formats and schedules over a year ago.
http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=4591

Midway through August 2013 the ECF Board announced a decision on the dates. That decision left it open for the British Championship itself to have a special timetable which could have enabled players to play both in the Championship and the Olympiad. It's fair to say that the forum discussion concentrated on the clash with Tromso, rather than the potential problems with late finishing school terms. The Championship Congress does move around a week or two. In some past years, if you could remember what round it was, you knew the date, with events having started on 1st August.

[David Shepherd]

Indeed, we accept that the Under 15s may also be a problem. I think that a more accurate way of saying what I was trying to say is that the majority of people participating in the Under 16s will have been off for a month. Equally, if we're going to have any junior events that might overlap in the first week, far better that it's the 16/13/11 than 14/12/10.

But its not just the U15's but also the Sept, Oct, Nov and December born U16's who are in year 10. I don't think there is an easy answer though. But I think the main issue is the U16's which is why I would probably have put it the other way round.

U10 can play U11's if there is a problem, U12 can play in the U13's, U14's in the U16's. The other way round U11's can play in the U12's and the U12's in the U13's but the U16's have no choice to play in any other junior championship. One answer may be to have 10/12/14/16 second week 11/13/15 first week but I guess player numbers may be an issue (but was that considered?)

However I think in reality it may not be too much of an issue and as the dates have been announced its not really practical to alter them as players may have started to make arrangements.

[Roger de Coverly]

One answer may be to have 10/12/14/16 second week 11/13/15 first week but I guess player numbers may be an issue (but was that considered?)

I don't think there is a separate under 15 event, the title just being awarded as part of the under 16. One issue could be that players in the Under 16 also take part in the British itself and the Major Open. On the double round day, they are required to take a half point bye in the U16 if also in the British and a half point bye in the Major Open if taking part in that.

[David Shepherd]

Yes there is currently only an U16, the U15 would be an additional event.

[Greg Breed]

Alex .. Yes, you certainly do a lot on behalf of chess, but nobody forced you to volunteer to do so many jobs, so please don't use the excuse that you were overworked and didn't have time for other things. As I said in another thread, I do several jobs as a volunteer at my local club but I knew what was expected when I took the jobs on, so I wouldn't then just expect people to accept a lack of service from me and give the excuse that "Because I do lots for chess you lot will just have to put up with lesser standards that what you thought."

Although it is praiseworthy to volunteer to do so many jobs, if the expected standards cannot be maintained then perhaps its time to relinquish some of those positions.

The work is fine, but it's a question of prioritising my time to do the jobs when they need to be done. I think I manage that. I'm fairly confident that the issue of 19 July - 3 August v 20 August - 2 August, when the Championships are almost 10 months away, when we haven't even produced an entry form, and when the details of proposed readjustments were only announced the previous afternoon, is not so big an issue to warrant a public hanging on a chess forum.

It is a big issue when, as I said in my opening remarks about this subject, some people need to know the exact dates they need to be in Aberystwyth next year so they can plan holidays at work and accommodation at the venue.

Alan, we can all understand your frustration, but you need to ease up a bit. The difference is only one day and the event has not even been finalised yet with an entry form!

[Alan Burke]

Greg, as I said earlier in this thread, some people need to try and sort out holidays at work and accommodation as soon as possible, thus the need to know the exact dates when the event is taking place.

OK, only a day either side, but if I book those two days as holidays at work along with two extra nights accommodation, will you pay for them if I then find I don't need them ?

I have now already booked holidays at work for next year and we have already been in touch with various places in Aberystwyth regarding accommodation - some of whom have already taken bookings for the dates required next year.

On 12th September, a statement was issued by the ECF saying that the schedule would be finalised by the end of the month. I just wanted to ensure that promise was kept so that private arrangements could be made.

[John Philpott]

The following announcement has appeared on the ECF website:

Howell to play in Aberystwyth

David Howell will be in Aberystwyth to defend the British Championship title he won in Torquay earlier this year. The schedule of the Championship section will change from Monday to Friday as in previous years to Saturday to Wednesday; with the final round starting in the morning. This arrangement was only possible after the original schedule announcement was made, but it will also allow the opportunity for further Olympiad players to participate in the Championships.

A knock-on effect of this change will be that the rest day for the Championship and Major Open will move from Sunday to Saturday, and as in 2013, there will be no playoff for the Championship in case of a tie in order to allow any Olympiad players who may subsequently commit to travel to Tromso in time for the start of the Olympiad. The rest of the schedule that was previously announced will remain unchanged.

We are also delighted to announce that David will spend a day coaching children in Cardiff in the build-up to the Championships.

Everybody involved acknowledges that it is undesirable to change the schedule after it has already been announced. I would like to apologise to those inconvenienced by this change of plans, but I am confident that the guarantee of Howell’s participation in 2014 will be seen as a positive development by those who regularly attend the Championships.

- Alex Holowczak

[Matthew Peat]

I may have missed this somewhere but the above announcement indicates that the Championship section starts on a Saturday but the dates quoted are 20 July 2014 (which is a Sunday) to 2 August 2014. mean that the dates are now amended to 19 July 2014 to 1 August 2014?

[Roger de Coverly]

I may have missed this somewhere but the above announcement indicates that the Championship section starts on a Saturday but the dates quoted are 20 July 2014 (which is a Sunday) to 2 August 2014. mean that the dates are now amended to 19 July 2014 to 1 August 2014?

The Championship and Major Open will be starting on Saturday 19th July, which for many players probably means travelling on Friday 18th. I would imagine the last playing round for other events will be Friday 1st August with a prize-giving on the Saturday morning as usual. But with a reversal of the previous decision on the timetables for the British and Major Open, perhaps there will be other changes to enable more of the Junior players to take part without breaking into school terms.

(edit Sat 19th)

[Matthew Peat]

I may have missed this somewhere but the above announcement indicates that the Championship section starts on a Saturday but the dates quoted are 20 July 2014 (which is a Sunday) to 2 August 2014. mean that the dates are now amended to 19 July 2014 to 1 August 2014?

The Championship and Major Open will be starting on Saturday 20th July, which for many players probably means travelling on Friday 19th. I would imagine the last playing round for other events will be Friday 1st August with a prize-giving on the Saturday morning as usual. But with a reversal of the previous decision on the timetables for the British and Major Open, perhaps there will be other changes to enable more of the Junior players to take part without breaking into school terms.

As I said my calendar definitely states that 20th is a Sunday not Saturday hence my query

[Richard Bates]

Will this cause any issues with booking accommodation? Friday night to Thursday morning is not your usual holiday booking timeslot.

[Chris Rice]

I notice on the 2014 ECF calendar a number of tournaments have just been listed under the heading "Get Your First Chess Grade" and they all seem to have a British Championship qualifying place available. The qualifying place was not confirmed in the entry form so I'm guessing it's just a mistake on the web site but if it was true it could be hilarious.

[John Philpott]

Chris Rice wrote

I'm guessing it's just a mistake on the web site

It was indeed a mistake, and one which the webmaster corrected as soon as he arrived at the Office today. Thank you for drawing attention to this.

[Roger de Coverly]

The Championship and Major Open will be starting on Saturday 19th July

There's now an entry form at the ECF site.
http://englishchess.org.uk/BCC2014/wp-c ... -Chess.pdf

The Major Open has reverted to its normal schedule of Monday to Friday the following week. The only special feature is that the rest day is the Saturday rather than the Sunday. This coincides with the rest day of the British and the second rapid-play. So it looks as if players in the British are going to be there on their own for the first Saturday, being joined on the Sunday by players in the first rapid-play.
Anyone seeking to qualify for the British but being prepared to fall back to the Major Open is left in a state of uncertainty for booking travel and accommodation.

The suggestion that the U10,12,14 should be in the second week seems to have been heeded, but the U16 remains in the first week.

There's a link to Accommodation at http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/visitors/
Unusually it doesn't offer a secure online booking facility. The Congress deal doesn't appear to feature a B&B option, although this appears available as a general public offer.