National Schools Chess Championships 2014/15

[Neill Cooper]

The website and entry form for the National Schools Chess Championships 2014/15 will be launched on 1st September 2014.
There will again be four separate tournaments and schools can enter as many of the tournaments as they are eligible for:

U19 Open: all schools can enter this championship. Teams of 6 players, born after 31st August 1995.
U11 Open: players in this event must all be born after 31st August 2003 (normally year 6 and below). Teams of 6 players.
U19 Girls: for teams of female players born after 31st August 1995. Teams of 3 players.
U11 Girls: for teams of female players born after 31st August 2003 (normally year 6 and below). Teams of 3 players.

We are grateful to Winchester College and St Catherine’s School in Bramley for their continued sponsorship of the National Schools Chess Championships.

In addition Secondary Schools (and any other school with pupils in years 7 and above) can enter Team Chess Challenge which is for teams of 4 players and regional finals take place over one weekday afternoon.

[Neill Cooper]

You can now visit http://www.englishchess.org.uk/NSCC2015/ for more information and to enter the National Schools Chess Championships 2014/15

[Matthew Turner]

I was looking at the rules today to see if the early stages of the event were graded, I couldn't find any information so I assume they aren't? I noticed an interesting aspect of the tie-break rules - If there is no age handicap and all six games are drawn (so board elimination etc. doesn't achieve a winner) then the team with Black on board one wins. Obviously that is very unlikely to happen, but that seems a bit unfair, at that stage perhaps tossing a coin is better?

[Richard Haddrell]

I was looking at the rules today to see if the early stages of the event were graded, I couldn't find any information so I assume they aren't?..

Information is on the Schools website as far as the "boys" U19 is concerned. It is graded from the Zone finals onwards, and for earlier matches at both sides’ request. Few have requested. I don’t know about the other sections, but the U11 Finals were graded last season.

..I noticed an interesting aspect of the tie-break rules - If there is no age handicap and all six games are drawn (so board elimination etc. doesn't achieve a winner) then the team with Black on board one wins. Obviously that is very unlikely to happen, but that seems a bit unfair, at that stage perhaps tossing a coin is better?

This is the U19 again. It isn’t new. It was borrowed, a good ten years ago, from a long-standing Kent rule which has actually been invoked two or three times in 6-board matches (most recently a first-division county final). The borrowing was my doing, but it wasn’t me that put it in the ECF County Championship rules two or three seasons back. (Have a look. It’s still there. What Kent thinks today...)

The reasoning behind it is that board count and bottom board elimination both favour the side with white on odd, assuming you share the received view that chess favours White. It can do no harm to redress the balance, however slightly, by favouring black-on-odd once in a blue moon. Better still, it means everyone knows where they stand if they make an all-draw match. That has to be preferable to an arbitrary coin toss for the match. It actually diminishes the unfairness of the toss you've already had. Captains will still go for white-on-odd when they win the toss, but they know what the risk is!

[Kevin Thurlow]

"The reasoning behind it is that board count and bottom board elimination both favour the side with white on odd, assuming you share the received view that chess favours White. It can do no harm to redress the balance, however slightly, by favouring black-on-odd once in a blue moon. Better still, it means everyone knows where they stand if they make an all-draw match. That has to be preferable to an arbitrary coin toss for the match. It actually diminishes the unfairness of the toss you've already had."

The rule was also introduced in the Civil Service Cup competitions after a near miss, just in case. Then in the first round the following year a match ended 4-4 with 8 draws! The rule was later changed to toss of a coin. All tie-break methods have faults.

[John Clarke]

Just a thought: why not have a second match on the spot, but at a 5-minute time limit? Wouldn't take long, although you might still have trouble if the venue has to close dead on time. One two other disadvantages as well, but worth considering at least - it would be chess ability deciding matters rather then chance.

[Neill Cooper]

Final results:
Champions: Haberdashers Askes
Final Haberdashers Askes 3 - 3 Reading School
Haberdashers won on Board Count.
Reading were winning the match 3 - 2 but lost the final game to finish
This is the first time Habs have won the National School Chess Championships, having been second 3 times, the latest in 2010.

3rd Place Hampton 3 - 3 Nottingham High
Nottingham High won on bottom board elimination
Hampton were winning the match 3 - 2 but lost the final game to finish

Plate winners: Eltham College
Final Eltham 4 - 2 King's Chester
This was the first time either of these teams played at the finals.
It was also the last match in which age handicap was used (the other matches today being equal age).
Eltham had to score 4 points to win the match, and were leading 3½ - 1½ when the last game was drawn.

Many thanks to Winchester College for their sponsorship of this event, continuing for 2015-16.

[Neill Cooper]

Congratulations to The Hall School who won this year's U11 tournament.

Rank Team Matches Win Draw Loss Points MP
1 The Hall School A 5 4 1 0 22 9
2 Magdalen College School 5 4 0 1 21 8
3 Heathside School 5 2 2 1 17½ 6
4 The Hall School B 5 3 0 2 16½ 6
5 King's College School 5 2 2 1 16 6
6= Aughton St Michael School 5 2 0 3 15½ 4
6= The Grange School 5 2 0 3 15½ 4
8 St Paul's School 5 2 1 2 14 5
9 RGS Newcastle 5 2 0 3 13½ 4
10 The Dell School 5 1 2 2 13 4
11 Lisle Marsden School 5 2 0 3 12½ 4
12 St Edwards Academy 5 0 0 5 3 0

many thanks to Heathside Prep School for their sponsorship of this event.

[John Swain]

The ECF website now carries a report of the Finals:
http://englishchess.org.uk/NSCC2015/wp- ... t-2015.pdf