English Chess Forum

The entry guidelines for the forthcoming 2014/2015 season can be found here: http://www.4ncl.co.uk/rapidplay_2014.htm

Team entry fees at £30 per team/£50 for two teams/£60 for three teams have been reduced by 50% vs last year's weekend.

Congratulations to Guildford and to David Smerdon - 4NCL Rapidplay team and individual winners respectively.

Most enjoyable tournament in England this millennium.
Many thanks to everyone involved.

Absolutely. It was great to see three GMs on Saturday, plus a few more players graded over 240 at rapidplay - and there would have been even more top players were it not for the clash with Isle of Man.

There was a four way tie at the top on Saturday! Sons of Anarchy 1 would be justified in thinking they would probably have won it had it been an eight round event. That eighth round would have seen Guildford play Barbican 1, whilst they would have played Barbican 2. That said, when we played a nine round event in one day back in 2010, people were playing like zombies towards the end of the day.

David Smerdon was excellent both for Guildford and again in the individual event. David is also very nice and was one of the first to congratuate us (Barbican) when we pipped Guildford to win the team event last year; so I am very happy to return the compliment this year.

I would belatedly like to add my thanks to Mike, Dave and all the others involved in planning and running the event. It is a rare opportunity for me to play at weekends, so although 14 games in two days was tiring, it was still a pleasure as in previous years. Long may it continue.

My photo-report on the 4NCL Team and Individual Rapidplay Championships, held in Daventry over the weekend of 4-5 October 2014.

http://www.4ncl.co.uk/rep.rapidplays_2014.htm