Shropshire Chess Congress 3-4 January 2015

[Steve Rooney]

We are now open for entries for the Shropshire Chess Congress which takes place on Sat 3 and Sun 4 January 2015 at The Wrekin Housing Trust, Colliers Way, Old Park, Telford TF3 4AW.

Our feedback survey after last year's congress showed 83 per cent of respondents rating the event as 'Very Good' and 96 per cent 'Very Good' or 'Good'. The catering was once again highly valued with 97 per cent rating it as 'Very Good' or 'Good'. One of the few criticisms we did receive last year was the space between the tables in the main room and we are planning a new layout to address this concern.

However, we are not sitting on our laurels; we aim to continue to improve the congress to make it one of the best on the UK circuit. We look forward to extending a warm Shropshire welcome to players from near and far. We are continuing to invest in the congress with an increase in the live transmission to up to 10 boards and have maintained a very healthy prize fund.

And you won’t go hungry as we will once again have some great food from Jacob and his team to keep you nourished over the weekend.

Enter online now -

http://shropshirechess.org/Tournaments/ ... gress.html

[Michael Farthing]

Good luck with it Steve, but for me a weekend congress needs to have very big attractions to compensate for sessions of less than 4 hours. Opinions differ, I know, but we 4 hourers need to make our voices heard!

[Steve Rooney]

The weekend chess congress over two days is hardly new, it has been around for a very long time. Obviously some people may prefer longer sessions but our feedback over the years has been to retain the two-day format in order to reduce the costs and time involved for entrants.

I think many people value the whole congress experience - good venue, good food, good organisation, easy booking procedure - and that is what we focus on in Shropshire with a commitment to continuous improvement.

Looking forward to welcoming many forumites in January.

[Steve Rooney]

Entries currently stand at 62 for the Shropshire Congress. It’s roughly on a par with the same stage last year and we have room for plenty more.

We are continuing to re-invest the profits from the congress and have acquired more DGT sets this year and aim to have 10 live boards including the top of the Open (which currently includes John Cox and Joe McPhillips), and probably the top boards in the other sections.

The usual high standard of food at very good prices is available from the venue’s resident chef.

We are also delighted to welcome Alex Holowczak as our controller this year.

All details on the website including online entry, and you have until Sunday 21st to enter at standard rates; from Monday the late entry fee applies.

Hope to see many of you in Shropshire in January!

[David Blower]

There are 4 Brewood players in this tournament and as soon as I can confirm transport arrangements there will be 5!

With the fact that Brewood are also competing in the Shropshire Rapidplay this year Brewood's participation in Shropshire Chess has increased a lot this past year with one of our juniors also taking part in the match against Michael Adams.

Also I might as well promote the clubs website for Brewood I'll try and get a feature on our club website about the congress as so many players from Brewood will be taking part in it.

[Steve Rooney]

There are 4 Brewood players in this tournament and as soon as I can confirm transport arrangements there will be 5!

Excellent, the more the merrier.

[David Blower]

I have entered it!

Never won a chess congress before so maybe this is the time for me to break my duck!

[NickFaulks]

Good luck with it Steve, but for me a weekend congress needs to have very big attractions to compensate for sessions of less than 4 hours. Opinions differ, I know, but we 4 hourers need to make our voices heard!

They have at least chosen a very sensible use of 3 1/2 hours, and not tried to ram in an increment as Hampstead does. I would play if Shropshire were nearer to London.

[Steve Rooney]

I have entered it!

Never won a chess congress before so maybe this is the time for me to break my duck!

Best of luck David, thanks for entering.

Good luck with it Steve, but for me a weekend congress needs to have very big attractions to compensate for sessions of less than 4 hours. Opinions differ, I know, but we 4 hourers need to make our voices heard!

They have at least chosen a very sensible use of 3 1/2 hours, and not tried to ram in an increment as Hampstead does. I would play if Shropshire were nearer to London.

Much as I like Hampstead, it doesn't quite have the wild charm of Shropshire! We did have an entrant from Oban who was going to qualify for our furthers travel badge, but he may have to withdraw because there are apparently no buses or trains out of the town in the two days before the congress!

[Steve Rooney]

Entries currently stand at 140. Stiff competition at the top of the open with IM John Cox and Joe McPhillips plus last year's winner Mike Surtees and three other 200+. And tough battles also likely in the Major and Minor.

We are planning to have 10 live boards - the top eight boards in the Open, plus the top boards in the Major and Minor. I will confirm the url for this on Friday.

We still have room for a few more ... The online entry system is live until Friday midnight. We will accept cash on the day, but need to have prior notification of entries.

[David Sedgwick]

They have at least chosen a very sensible use of 3 1/2 hours, and not tried to ram in an increment as Hampstead does. I would play if Shropshire were nearer to London.

Isn't it a pity that the FIDE Qualification Commission won't allow games played at Shropshire's "very sensible" time limit to be FIDE rated?

Do you think the Secretary of the Commission would be amenable to putting the matter on the agenda for the Commission's next meeting?

[Steve Rooney]

They have at least chosen a very sensible use of 3 1/2 hours, and not tried to ram in an increment as Hampstead does. I would play if Shropshire were nearer to London.

Isn't it a pity that the FIDE Qualification Commission won't allow games played at Shropshire's "very sensible" time limit to be FIDE rated?

Do you think the Secretary of the Commission would be amenable to putting the matter on the agenda for the Commission's next meeting?

As part of our feedback questionnaire last year we asked the question: 'Should we have one or more sections which are FIDE-rated (as well as ECF-rated)?' The answers were indecisive: 23% yes; 27% no; and 50% maybe. We didn't spell out the consequences of FIDE rating in the questionnaire but many respondents commented about how current rules would make a 3-game Saturday impossible and a extra night's accommodation or travel would make our event less attractive to them. We may ask a question about incremental time limits in this year's feedback as we are close to having 100 per cent digital clocks.

I would agree that it would be good to have the ability to FIDE-rate what is a fairly common weekend congress format.

[Alex Holowczak]

They have at least chosen a very sensible use of 3 1/2 hours, and not tried to ram in an increment as Hampstead does. I would play if Shropshire were nearer to London.

Isn't it a pity that the FIDE Qualification Commission won't allow games played at Shropshire's "very sensible" time limit to be FIDE rated?

Do you think the Secretary of the Commission would be amenable to putting the matter on the agenda for the Commission's next meeting?

As part of our feedback questionnaire last year we asked the question: 'Should we have one or more sections which are FIDE-rated (as well as ECF-rated)?' The answers were indecisive: 23% yes; 27% no; and 50% maybe. We didn't spell out the consequences of FIDE rating in the questionnaire but many respondents commented about how current rules would make a 3-game Saturday impossible and a extra night's accommodation or travel would make our event less attractive to them. We may ask a question about incremental time limits in this year's feedback as we are close to having 100 per cent digital clocks.

I would agree that it would be good to have the ability to FIDE-rate what is a fairly common weekend congress format.

It isn't the format of the weekend, per se. There's nothing wrong with a 0-3-2 format, but you'd have to use a 4-hour equivalent session, and your respondents would presumably have been put off with three 4-hour rounds on one day. The relevant FIDE regulations permit 3 rounds per day (because it isn't a norm event), but only allow 12 scheduled hours of play per day. Games overrunning this due to the increment are not an issue.

The Warwickshire Championship entry form, when I get it out this week, will have increments at a time control of 30/70 + G/20 + 10'/move throughout. 30/75 is a popular first time period locally, so we retain that with the increment.

With regard to your player survey, speaking as a player, I'd be one of the first entries on your list if the event had an incremental time control. I hardly ever get to play them, because all of the Midlands-based events I could play in that have increments are the ones I organise/arbit at...

[David Sedgwick]

The Warwickshire Championship entry form, when I get it out this week, will have increments at a time control of 30/70 + G/20 + 10'/move throughout.

That, of course, is another time limit not eligible for FIDE rating.

[NickFaulks]

The Warwickshire Championship entry form, when I get it out this week, will have increments at a time control of 30/70 + G/20 + 10'/move throughout.

That, of course, is another time limit not eligible for FIDE rating.

There are two different issues here. The first is that tournaments including players rated 2200 and over must allow each player at least two hours thinking time for a game. The idea is that FIDE ratings are based on serious chess, and this is one part of the definition. I don't thnk there is a lot of support within FIDE for reducing the time limit, although it might be argued that 2200 is too low. In any case you don't see many rating restricted tournaments with a higher limit than that.

I have wondered whether the rule could be relaxed to a game-by-game basis, so that for tournaments with three hour games, only those in which both players are <2200 would be rated. I can see good and bad points, and as a <2200 player myself I don't think I like it, but it would get more games rated and needs to be discussed. Any views here?

The other problem is the 40 move rule. Personally, I find it illogical, since if 40/105 + 15 is properly weighted then surely 40/90 + 30 is not. Most federations seem to take the view that it doesn't matter much, whereas in the UK it is a real sticking point. This issue is discussed regularly, and while there is little enthusiasm for the rule nowadays, nor is there sufficient impetus to change it. A formal and reasoned request from the ECF, as we move towards the 1.7.2017 revisions, might help. Ideally, this would not be headed "Why is Kirsan killing chess?", since that approach has been shown not to work.

Finally, I seem to remember playing in tournaments in the 1970s with three four hour games on Saturday. It was a tough schedule, but a lot of young players survived it and emerged very strong. Is that really out of the question today? My recommendation would be 40/90 + 25 with a 5" increment.