British Chess Championships 2010

[Christopher Kreuzer]

CK that is nice idea. But I doubt one game would do the event justice and we have two more years before the 100th. Are you volunteering to undertake this task or how about JOHN SAUNDERS who is great? There could be a poll. Battles of Hastings was a similar accont.
Stewart Reuben

I think Jonathan Rogers just volunteered!

Seriously, whoever did it it would be a great idea, but there are people far more able to do this than me! Having said that(!) I would suggest best x from each congress (are there games extant from each congress?) and a top 50 or top 100 or something. And a poll would be great. And a collection of miniatures as well!! Might as well do a whole history of the Congress and the BCF and ECF at the same time... (did I mention I get sidetracked easily?)

[Stewart Reuben]

OK. So now we need a publisher for a book.
100 Great Games from 100 British Chess Championships. I am sure the BCM will have games from all 100. BUT there will not be as many as 100 Britishes. Change it to 100 Great Games Celebrating the 100th British Chess Championships.
The Best Games played in the British Chess Championships.
A History of the British Chess Championships. Find a better title.
Should it include the 100th event That would mean it comes out after the 100th which is a commercial disadvantage. but it would only be a few days, except that books are not usually published in August.
Should there be an accompanying DVD?
Such books do not make much money.

It is over to Adam Raoof as Home Chess Director.
Stewart Reuben

[Christopher Kreuzer]

100 Great Games from 100 British Chess Championships. I am sure the BCM will have games from all 100. BUT there will not be as many as 100 Britishes.

Do you mean that some of the Congresses were not British Championships? I seem to recall spotting that when reading through a list of British Championships somewhere. Some years the championship was not held, as all the players were off at important international tournaments being held elsewhere in Britain, or something.

Such books do not make much money.

Sadly not, no. But maybe the ECF are budgeting for that year. Is there a "hopeful" icon here somewhere? Maybe a poll to see how many people here would buy it. I would, actually, if it was a reasonable price.

[Stewart Reuben]

Christopher Kreuzer >Do you mean that some of the Congresses were not British Championships? <

The chronology of the British Championships is fraught with problems. There were events held in the 19th Century, not of course run by the BCF, but by the BCA which are not counted.
It used to be called the British Chess Federation Congress. Several times the actual British Championship was not held because the leading players were not available. !943 and 1944 there were British Girls' Under-18 Championships held. John Saunders has disputed their status.
Shortly after I took on the administration of the event (in 1981) I got the name changed to British Chess Championship as I felt that is much more publicity-worthy. We had always permitted the participation of people outside the UK. But it was not until 1988 that we permitted the Southern Irish to take part. Sometimes it is now called the Chess Championships of the British Isles.

Paul Buswell was the General Secretary of the BCF. He told me that the numbering of the number of events were his choice and could very much be liable to being questioned. Thus I have deliberately never tried to count the number. the 100th turns up in 2013 on his reckoning.

Stewart Reuben

[Stewart Reuben]

Concerning the commercial value of a book on the British Chess Championships. If it doesn't cost too much and if there is somebody willing to write it, then the fact that it will not be a best-seller is unimportant. If there is a sponsor for 2013, it is quite likely they would be attracted by a permanent memento which they could give to their clients. Data on websites is very useful, but I suspect will prove to be ephemeral by comparison with printed matter.
Stewart Reuben

[Roger de Coverly]

Paul Buswell was the General Secretary of the BCF. He told me that the numbering of the number of events were his choice and could very much be liable to being questioned. Thus I have deliberately never tried to count the number. the 100th turns up in 2013 on his reckoning.

The current accepted count pre-dates Paul Buswell. The 1969 Rhyl Congress describes itself as

The British Chess Federation 56th Annual Congress

Although as mentioned, there were years prior to 1939 when the British Championship proper was replaced by an international.