English Chess Forum

I think players don't mind playing the British Championship itself, most probably if they have qualified for the first time

I agree though the cost vs quality of opposition, is considerably better in foreign tournaments and is a major consideration for the most active amatuer players (2000-2200 bracket) who find the major open a let down

Maybe the Major Open should have a similar structure (prizes and time-frame) as the recent Calvia amatuer

See the website http://www.calviafestival.com for this tournament

Alex H >That's the one problem with the British - the cost of living is too high here compared to continental Europe. It's not immediately obvious what the organisers can do about that.<

That does not have to be true of Sheffield. There are quite a large number of people who live within commuting distance of Ponds Forge, the playing venue. Just as Alan Walton mentioned. If somebody, preferably local, organised people to provide accommodation for chessplayers for the fortnight in exchange for a relatively small fee per night, everybody would benefit. This is what I arranged for Edinburgh in 1983 and could have been done for Liverpool in 2008, but it was too late as I only took over the organisation at the end of April. This possibility is one of the reasons I got the Board to agree to Sheffield for 2011.

StewartReuben

In the past I have enjoyed playing in the Ghent + Davos Opens, both of which take place in the Summer. Both of these are great fun and the scenery in Davos is just stunning !

In Germany (where else ) there's a company which specialises in chess tourism.

Here's the website

http://www.chessorg.de/

Play in one of their events and you might even get a domestic German rating

http://www.schachbund.de/dwz/turniere/s ... 03-020-S01

The German federation shows an impressive dedication to archiving chess activity.

Here's the cross table

http://www.schachbund.de/dwz/turniere/s ... 03-020-S01

(this is a tournament from 1993 remember)

If I recall correctly, computerised pairings were used (on an Atari ST).

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:I am thinking of putting at least part of that time towards an extended chess trip, and wanted to ask here for advice on which regular tournaments and festivals are particularly good in terms of both chess playing and viewing, and also in terms of general tourism and being well-run and organised.

Two suggestions from me for an extended trip:

1. The Catalan chess circuit in Spain (see http://www.fide.com/component/content/a ... -2010.html and http://www.escacs.cat/circuit2010/calendari.html for this year's events.

2. The Australasian tour - 2 or 3 of the following events - Sydney open (http://www.chessaustralia.com.au/index.cfm?site=open), Doerbel Cup (http://www.doeberlcup.com.au/), Thailand open (http://bangkokchess.com/?page_id=349), Kuala Lumpur open (http://www.klchess.com/2010_04_01_archi ... 2038689682).

Just wanted to say thanks for all the suggestions so far! I can only (sadly) pick one or two for any trip I do (unless I win the lottery or, which is even more unlikely, get good enough at chess to pay for such trips...), but I'm sure the suggestions so far have given many people lots of ideas or at least given some idea of the possibilities.

In Germany (where else ) there's a company which specialises in chess tourism.

Here's the website

http://www.chessorg.de/

Play in one of their events and you might even get a domestic German rating

http://www.schachbund.de/dwz/turniere/s ... 03-020-S01

The German federation shows an impressive dedication to archiving chess activity.

Here's the cross table

http://www.schachbund.de/dwz/turniere/s ... 03-020-S01

(this is a tournament from 1993 remember)

If I recall correctly, computerised pairings were used (on an Atari ST).

There is also this one coming up

http://www.ti-bad-wiessee.de/Schach_cms/

About an hour south of Munich on the train.

But they limit the number of entries to 450 so book early to avoid disappointment!

David Sedgwick wrote:I can thoroughly recommend the Guernsey International Chess Festival, currently in progress. (7 rounds in 7 days)

I'm making my fifth visit as Chief Arbiter and I previously went five times as a player.

For more information please see http://www.guernseychessclub.org.gg/fes ... tival.aspx.

Watch this space, and that one, for the 2011 dates.

The 37th Guernsey International Chess Festival will take place from Sunday 16th October to Saturday 22nd October 2011.

I've posted a summary of this year's results at http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2327.

I played in the Baltic Sea Cup in Denmark. Good value for money, big open Swiss with alot of titled players. Simuls and lectures. Plus A)Denmark is a beautiful and historic place to visit and B) If the people I met are anything to go by then they are very friendly, generous and well natured.

I don't think its running anymore but I've heard that the big Politiken Cup is even better.

Have a great trip wherever you go!

Would it be good for the game if the British Championships were held in the same venue each year? If Sheffield is so good, why move?
The Crucible is well known for its yearly snooker tournament.

Warren Kingston >Would it be good for the game if the British Championships were held in the same venue each year? If Sheffield is so good, why move?
The Crucible is well known for its yearly snooker tournament.<

It would be terrible for chess. Many people treat it as a holiday and like to go to different places. One of the objects of the British Championship is to popularise chess in the region in which it is played. It is the BRITISH Championship and should be played in different regions of Britain, not just England.
The Crucible event is for professional players. I remember Andrew Martin completing the questionnaire for the British many years ago and his saying that he wasn't really entitled to a vote. He should go wherever the amateurs preferred. Hastings is supported by the Council and that is a good enough reason for returning there every year.
When I first started organising the British Championship I had the idea that it should be possible to find four good venues to cycle around and add in an occasional venue outside these four. That would have had the advantage that there is significantly less work to do when returning to a venue. This proved to be an impossible scenario. Much the same arguments apply to the Chess Olympiads and the Olympic Games.
Stewart Reuben

I would have to agree with Stewart regarding the venue of the British

In its current format the championship itself is mainly catered for the amateur chess player with all the side sections, varying locations is a good thing

If though the Championship itself became a more professional competition (maybe a bit like Sheffield next year), then separating it away from the holiday sections and thus having a permanent location may be a benefit (though unsure if this would be the case)

I would liken it to The Open then, moving from course/venue to course/venue.

Please excuse my questions as I haven't played chess for a long time and I am not up to date with chess matters.