English Chess Forum

To [Nick's] question, I have no idea why Yang-Fan is on a fixed board, but sometimes this is due to reasons that should really be private, and it is a fault of the system that this information becomes publicly available (sometimes the player will be happy for the reasons to be known, sometimes not)...

Why does Yang-Fan Zhou have a fixed board?

I have renewed and no doubt millions of others will because I have. Gold membership as well which was odd considering I didn't play one Fide rated event last year and it is tricky for me to find the time for congress events which I do enjoy (especially when I win money). I must have some perverted s...

Of course, data for the January 2021 list could be still more scanty even if there has been the start of a return to OTB chess by then. I assume that both monthly gradings and conversion to Elo numbers have been shelved until there is at least a vague return to normality? Let me add... peoples abil...

These probably will be the most inaccurate grades ever due to the lack of games for the last 3 months.

The funny thing is, because of cheating online this is intrinsically killing online chess and correspondence. Computers have become so strong people are put off from playing them. So people return to playing in clubs and congresses as it is perceived as an environment with the least amount of cheati...

My 2ps worth on this is i think monthly is good because over 6 months at any age form can vary radically. The problem will be how do league managements cope? Some leagues are thorough, updated quickly, others a bit more lackadaisical mainly due to the organisers wider commitments and compunction. Th...

St Albans doesn't clash with other events locally, unlike the easter weekend with too many events near each other relatively, diluting the numbers.

On a personal note i played because i was free, i missed last year because i was not. Family pressures define my availability generally.

Well done to our bona fide member getting through to the blitz finals

When i tell people nothing to do with chess or the politics of it from all walks they dont the decision.

Alex, not as he has been associated with the club before. Neil Carr stopped playing for years then came back to play for Writtle. I was pleased to see him return as opposed to worry if he was ok to play for a club. If i turn up to play a really strong player unexpectedly i dont moan about it and acc...

Which is why you probably should have contacted the Controller in advance to make sure that the player was eligible. Not really if you think the player is ok and there is no reference to clearance in the rules. In the future before each game i might as well give the controller my team sheet. It is ...

The rule must be badly drafted if two clubs have legitimately intrepeted them in different ways. Several years ago a junior living in Dartford contacted me to travel all the way to Brentwood for a club night (not a great journey round the m25). I wasnt around that night but knew we had a rapid ko fi...

As a subnote Ivor at Writtle who complained about Brentwood sent this email to the North Essex Chess League which i think explains in the post script his definition of bona fide members. Subject: Re: NECL Knockout weeks Ian, It is so disappointing that you were unable to provide these dates at the N...

What Trevor is referring to is this match https://www.essexchess.org.uk/index.php/activities/mm-eko18/mm-eko18tab/mm-komd18/1887-art-eko18l where David Haydon played but was deemed ineligible because Writtle claimed he was not a bona fide member even though he was a paid up member and rejoined the c...