English Chess Forum

I would assume that any decision to put an engine mark on a super-GM account would go right to the top of lichess and would not be done without a lot of thought and human input. I can imagine algorithmic bans of 1900-rated players being done very quickly, but its hard to imagine a site banning someo...

I'm not offering an opinion either way regarding the games and the player (I haven't looked at them). But on casual games - my understanding is that a player can get a lichess ban for engine use in casual games. My understanding (which is based on reading a lichess discussion thread) is that lichess...

Yes it's a shame - registrations were looking good with 16 signed up 3 weeks in advance, with a decent top end (6 graded over 120 in old money). I had even thought I had a chance of reaching my capacity of 30. But the best laid plans of mice and men go oft a-Hancock. However, there will be another w...

As per the government announcements Oxfordshire is moving into tier 4 from Boxing Day. In tier 4 'supervised activities provided for children' can only take place where necessary for parents to work. This is not the case for a junior chess tournament and as such the tournament is cancelled/postponed...

Nick: In tier 2 or 3 'supervised activities provided for children' are permitted activities which are exemptions to various Covid rules about meetings. A junior chess tournament falls under this category. In tier 4 'supervised activities provided for children' are ONLY permitted if they are basicall...

There are plenty of excellent opportunities for children to play online - what I am trying to offer is the opportunity to play over the board at the moment.

No one is required to enter and I recognise there are those who do not wish to play OTB at the moment.

Further to above: I have now read the tier 4 guidelines and these have changed the nature of the 'supervised activities for children' exemption. In tier 4 this only exists when necessary for parents to work, and it also states that youth clubs and groups will not be able to open. https://www.gov.uk/...

Isn't that limited to players in the tournament though? Unlike lichess, I didn't found a way to spectate a game (maybe due to child protection?) I don't know; for obvious reasons I'm not trying to experiment on this. I did check with spectating on the top-rated game on the site (some random GM) and...

Hi Wadih, Still working it out - I've seen the headlines (along with everyone else) but haven't looked carefully enough yet at the detailed rules. The key exemption the tournament relies on is for 'supervised activities provided for children', i.e. being in an analogous category for youth groups and...

On this ever-continuing topic, one thing I noted with surprise today is that on chess.com it appears perfectly possible to watch games with a live report courtesy of chess.com of the stockfish evaluation and preferred moves (through my son having finished a game and spectating on other games in prog...

I'm not sure 'relieved' is quite the right emotion to describe my feelings on successfully defeating an 8 year old. However when playing one's part in the development of talented juniors it is certainly preferable to be on the right side of the result rather than acting as a marker of their growing ...

It’s possible to point out incidents of sexism in English chess quite easily. It was noticeable in the summer with the coverage of the Online British Blitz Championship. Of the substantial commentary on the event available, only really Natasha Regan gave the woman’s side of the event a proper look,...

I'm planning to run another junior OTB tournament in Oxford on Sunday 10th January 2021 - subject of course to any changes in government policies. Overall capacity is 30, plan is split into smaller all-play-alls / Swisses to ensure no section larger than 15. Entry form and more details at https://sh...

On one point, I am guessing that the gaming of all events will be to allow arbiter supervision by Zoom (just a guess - but the main Championships is gated far more than normally, when any UK GM would be guaranteed entry).

I did this last year, as I started playing again (online) and thought claiming the CM title would be useful to allow me into the titled arenas (plus the other small perks lichess and chess.com give you). I had to join the ECF to make the application; having ascertained that higher membership was not...