English Chess Forum

From the Shropshire website

http://www.shropshirechess.org/Miscella ... onicle.htm

Divs 1/2 moving to the Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport

Div 3S ( and division 4 it says) moving to the Park Inn at Telford.

Subject to confirmation.

Those who played there ten years ago would have known the hotel as the "Moat House Telford".

any good?

Joey Stewart wrote:any good?

Telford or the hotel?

The Hotel is comparable from memory to Hinckley or Daventry. Telford is one of those places, perhaps like Milton Keynes, where if you don't have a car or don't want to use it, a taxi is essential. That said, the Moat House as was, is located almost adjacent to the Telford shopping precinct. Recent research (for the January Shropshire Congress) suggests this precinct boosts a Wetherspoons. There's also a pub offering a cheap carvery which might be within walking distance at a pinch. Otherwise you are looking at taxis to Ironbridge or outlying villages for the evening meals. Commuting from a hotel in Shrewsbury or other nearby hotels is also possible. Again you need transport.

Telford?

I'd rather be in Philadelphia

David Robertson wrote:Telford?

I'd rather be in Philadelphia

What is the detail of the proposal for 4NCL North for 2015-16? Is it to run as a totally separate competition? If so, will the promotion places be 1* North 3*South regardless of relative team strength?

Div 3 S and N of roughly equal size. Two promotion places from each.

We had a very nice meal at the Hinckley Island hotel this weekend, but I like Holiday Inns a lot and Birmingham is more convenient than Hinckley as I suspect it would be for most people. So, I'm perfectly happy to be moving.

Matthew Turner wrote:We had a very nice meal at the Hinckley Island hotel this weekend, but I like Holiday Inns a lot and Birmingham is more convenient than Hinckley as I suspect it would be for most people.

The price of parking might be a shock, particularly for non-residents.

Availability of spaces might be an issue too, but I expect someone has thought of that.

I hope later today to sign off on free parking as part of the final contract negotiations.

The idea of creating a new Div 4 and reducing Div 3 `south` to a more managable size does sound sensible and logical....

However, I do think the grand finals weekend (currently played at Hinckley/Daventry), where all teams (certainly those from Divs 1 - 3) all meeting up for a grand finale over the 3 day May Bank Holiday, is an undoubted highlight of the season, which many players look forward to... I`d be sorry to see that go, and very sorry to see the meetings of Div 3 North & South disappear. Its a great occasion and chance to show the 4NCL as a more `National` event, with the coming together of our North/South Divs 3 teams...
And, with a new Div 4 & reduced Div 3 South, it must be more manageable...
I`m presuming that the new Div 4 would take 16 - 20 teams out of the current Div 3 South pool..


Given the relative weightings, with Div 3 `South` being still very large by comparison to Div 3 North, it would make more sense to guarentee Div 3 North just one place in Div 2, with a second up for grabs, depending on the outcome of the Finals `big bang weekend`, in my view.
Also, promoting two teams from Div 3 North risks a reduction in the size of that division, which is still needing one or two extra teams, or more, to make it more weighty, and support the hotel bookings, etc....
Ideally, it would be good if the Northern section could grow/expand to 16 - 20 teams over the coming seasons. In that context, a return of another Liverpool team would be very welcome....and entries from other northern areas would add to the party...
I think the Div 3 `North` particularly, needs to consider these matters, and what is really in the best interests of all concerned....
On another tac...it might not be a bad idea if the northern venues could consider offering a broader menu selection (and discount deals), for the chess teams for the Saturday nights.. This might encourage more teams to `eat in the hotel` and save players/teams shunting out for late Saturday food....
Yes, these occasions can and do prove a jolly gathering, burning the late hours and great social feast... and some folk have great stamina, and can burn the oils at all hours ... others have a more regular habit.

The trouble is that we are too big for everyone to fit into Hinckley Island. In any event, both Hinckley Island and Daventry unilaterally released our provisional May bank holiday weekends for 2016 (no doubt because of a better offer) and then tried to claim that I had told them to do it - so we couldn't use the Puma venues anyway even if we wanted to. One reason (among a number) why we have decided to shake the dust from our shoes and move on.

Mike

Mike Truran wrote:I hope later today to sign off on free parking as part of the final contract negotiations.

If the Holiday Inn's parking charges are similar to the nearby Birmingham Hilton Metropole's that would seem to be essential.

Could be interesting if the number of teams in division 3N isn't convenient. I imagine arranging fixtures for an 11 round competition with 13 teams might not be straightforward.

And the chances of Midlands teams moving from South to North have dropped with the venue change to Telford?