So who's going to the British Chess Championships?

[Kevin Thurlow]

Looks as if some good players are going to the Scottish championships

http://www.scottishchesschampionship.co ... pants.html

Kevin

[Stewart Reuben]

Dear Carl,
That is what I have had posted on the new look ECF site.
This will make it 4 times I have taken over because the manager or director of the British Championships had to withdraw from the job. It is the 19th time I have organised the event. Probably the difficulty is the equivalent of 6-8 weeks work that has caused there so often to be problems.
The other problem has been written about elsewhere on this forum. The difficulty of attracting new, younger people to administrative posts in chess. This may become easier with more people being disemployed because of the recession.
Stewart Reuben

[Jonathan Bryant]

The other problem has been written about elsewhere on this forum. The difficulty of attracting new, younger people to administrative posts in chess. This may become easier with more people being disemployed because of the recession.
Stewart Reuben

I contacted the ECF about the Manager of Prisons Chess position ... didn't hear anything back at all I'm afraid to say. That doesn't help with the difficulty of attracting people to administrative posts.



(Although I should confess I don't qualify as 'young' anymore).

[Stewart Reuben]

To Jonathan Bryant
The director in charge of this is Cyril Johnson. [email protected]. 0116 260 9012.
Messages do go missing. Also people sometimes forget.
Stewart Reuben

[Phil Makepeace]

I've played in the last 10 championships and I'm sad I can't make it this year; Torquay's a great venue. Despite having a free place in the Championship, I simply cannot afford to lose 2 weeks of paid summer work before I start Uni in September. So I've requested to defer my place to 2010 when it should be a financially viable venture.

However, Neville Belinfante informed me at the May 4NCL that there's a question mark over whether my place in 2010 would still be free. This came as a shock, given that I don't see what the ECF stand to lose if I take up my place a year later. It even means that they get an extra year to prepare themselves for my weakening the field again.

I'm just puzzled. Any thoughts? I'd particularly appreciate remarks and clarification from Stewart in his fresh capacity.

[Carl Hibbard]

To Jonathan Bryant
The director in charge of this is Cyril Johnson. [email protected]. 0116 260 9012.
Messages do go missing. Also people sometimes forget.
Stewart Reuben

The email system at the ECF office has changed over the last few weeks and there have been various issues that may explain it

[Stewart Reuben]

To Phil Makepeace

Neville was not committing himself to a policy which he did not control. However it is my intention that free places from 2009 will be rolled over, but onlt to 2010.
It can hardly be described as a fresh capacity for me, regarding running the British Championships which I am doing for the 19th time!
Why not have made direct contact, rather than rely on the forum which I may never have happened to notice?
Stewart Reuben

[Jonathan Bryant]

Also people sometimes forget.
Stewart Reuben

Indeed.

The email system at the ECF office has changed over the last few weeks and there have been various issues that may explain it

I sent my email two months ago.

[Alex Holowczak]

The biggest problem with the British Championship is the duration. Not only is it something approaching £50 to enter some of the events, but you have to then add in transport and accommodation. I would love to have a go at the Major Open and the graded sections, but I probably wouldn't score very many points in the MO, so I wouldn't prize money. I live near Birmingham, and the only way I could get to Torquay would be to go on a train. That wouldn't be cheap. Then there's the cost of two weeks accommodation, in Torquay, in the middle of summer! The most expensive time of the year. As a student, it's far too expensive.

The British Championship has been held in the Midlands once in the last 40 years! Perhaps the organisers could look into hosting a British Championship somewhere in the middle of Britain at some point, rather in corners of it? There's bound to be somewhere in Birmingham...

[IM Jack Rudd]

The issue is with finding a suitable venue: one available at no cost to the federation, available during the relevant two weeks of July/August, and with enough space to host the event.

If you can find any such venues in the Midlands, the ECF would be very happy to hear from you.

[Alex Holowczak]

The issue is with finding a suitable venue: one available at no cost to the federation, available during the relevant two weeks of July/August, and with enough space to host the event.

If you can find any such venues in the Midlands, the ECF would be very happy to hear from you.

Hmm. Well, I go to Aston University, which is literally a 10 minute walk from Snow Hill Station, a 15 minute walk from Moor Street and New Street Stations... I tried to set up a club there (no one was interested ), but the relevant people said that acquiring a room would be free for the society, and nominal if we rented for a day for a tournament. But obviously that isn't two weeks, or anything as major as the British Championship. It's held at the University of Canterbury in 2010 (in the corner again!), so I suppose a University venue wouldn't be unprecedented.

[IM Jack Rudd]

The issue is with finding a suitable venue: one available at no cost to the federation, available during the relevant two weeks of July/August, and with enough space to host the event.

If you can find any such venues in the Midlands, the ECF would be very happy to hear from you.

Hmm. Well, I go to Aston University, which is literally a 10 minute walk from Snow Hill Station, a 15 minute walk from Moor Street and New Street Stations... I tried to set up a club there (no one was interested ), but the relevant people said that acquiring a room would be free for the society, and nominal if we rented for a day for a tournament. But obviously that isn't two weeks, or anything as major as the British Championship. It's held at the University of Canterbury in 2010 (in the corner again!), so I suppose a University venue wouldn't be unprecedented.

It wouldn't; since I started playing the event in 1995, it's been held at universities in 1996 and 2006, and at other educational establishments in 2000, 2003 and 2007. Why not ask your university about the prospect of its hosting the 2011 event?

[Alex Holowczak]

The issue is with finding a suitable venue: one available at no cost to the federation, available during the relevant two weeks of July/August, and with enough space to host the event.

If you can find any such venues in the Midlands, the ECF would be very happy to hear from you.

Hmm. Well, I go to Aston University, which is literally a 10 minute walk from Snow Hill Station, a 15 minute walk from Moor Street and New Street Stations... I tried to set up a club there (no one was interested ), but the relevant people said that acquiring a room would be free for the society, and nominal if we rented for a day for a tournament. But obviously that isn't two weeks, or anything as major as the British Championship. It's held at the University of Canterbury in 2010 (in the corner again!), so I suppose a University venue wouldn't be unprecedented.

It wouldn't; since I started playing the event in 1995, it's been held at universities in 1996 and 2006, and at other educational establishments in 2000, 2003 and 2007. Why not ask your university about the prospect of its hosting the 2011 event?

It may be a little iffy to wander up as a student asking them, with no "official" backing, whether it would be free for two weeks in the middle of the summer of 2011 for one of the biggest events on the UK chess calendar! A bit above my station. Perhaps it would be more wise to email the ECF with contact details for the person who organises bookings at the University, and see what he can do?

[IM Jack Rudd]

It may be a little iffy to wander up as a student asking them, with no "official" backing, whether it would be free for two weeks in the middle of the summer of 2011 for one of the biggest events on the UK chess calendar! A bit above my station. Perhaps it would be more wise to email the ECF with contact details for the person who organises bookings at the University, and see what he can do?

Go for it.

[Alex Holowczak]

They have been emailed. It'll be interesting to see if anything comes of it. I pointed out the advantages of holding it in Birmingham. Hopefully it'll be looked favourably upon.