Senior Tournaments in 2021

Information and discussion on all matters relating to Seniors Chess.
Tim Harding
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by Tim Harding » Fri Jul 09, 2021 5:55 pm

I don't think FIDE could reasonably offer World Championship events in a year when intercontinental travel is highly problematic and players from some countries who might normally support the individual event at least just can't (e.g., Australia).
Making sure the European events happen is a win for the ECU, I think.

You could consider entering the Bad Neuenahr event in October as an alternative to ACO. It's a nice place and easy to get to.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

Tim Harding
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by Tim Harding » Thu Jul 22, 2021 7:01 pm

With reference to the final sentence in my previous posting, the Bad Neuenahr senior congress has now been cancelled.
This was due not to Covid but to the recent catastrophic flooding in that region, with over 100 fatalities and much physical damage.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

NickFaulks
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by NickFaulks » Thu Jul 22, 2021 7:20 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Fri Jul 09, 2021 5:55 pm
I don't think FIDE could reasonably offer World Championship events in a year when intercontinental travel is highly problematic and players from some countries who might normally support the individual event at least just can't (e.g., Australia).
If you're waiting for Australia to rejoin the planet, I'd give it until 2025. They seem perfectly happy to have returned to the days before Captain Cook, as a suspected large landmass off the edge of the map.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

Paul Habershon
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by Paul Habershon » Thu Jul 29, 2021 3:37 pm

The British Seniors Championship (OTB) was announced in the ECF Newsletter as 4-10 October 2021 at Milton Keynes. It is not yet on the ECF website calendar. Perhaps a specific venue has yet to be decided. Have I missed anything?

Roger de Coverly
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by Roger de Coverly » Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:34 pm

Paul Habershon wrote:
Thu Jul 29, 2021 3:37 pm
Perhaps a specific venue has yet to be decided. Have I missed anything?
Checking the Guaranteed Events website can be illuminating.
https://www.guaranteedevents.com/british-champs
Kents Hill Park Hotel Milton Keynes

That's also being used for some of the 4NCL weekends.

Tim Harding
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by Tim Harding » Fri Jul 30, 2021 3:56 pm

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:34 pm
Paul Habershon wrote:
Thu Jul 29, 2021 3:37 pm
Perhaps a specific venue has yet to be decided. Have I missed anything?
Checking the Guaranteed Events website can be illuminating.
https://www.guaranteedevents.com/british-champs
Kents Hill Park Hotel Milton Keynes

That's also being used for some of the 4NCL weekends.
I think I would be a bit suspicious of that Guaranteed Events page.
Firstly when you click the Book icon it doesn't take you anywhere at present, it's not a link.
Secondly, it says the Junior Finals are 2-3 Oct but these are not mentioned on the ECF calendar either, only the Junior Rapid and Blitz with dates 13-14 November.

Better wait for the ECF website to confirm? Until then I am not putting this in my Senior calendar,
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

David Sedgwick
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by David Sedgwick » Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:04 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Fri Jul 30, 2021 3:56 pm
Firstly when you click the Book icon it doesn't take you anywhere at present, it's not a link.
Secondly, it says the Junior Finals are 2-3 Oct but these are not mentioned on the ECF calendar either, only the Junior Rapid and Blitz with dates 13-14 November.

Better wait for the ECF website to confirm? Until then I am not putting this in my Senior calendar,
The dates, albeit not the venues, are given at www.englishchess.org.uk/british-championships-2021/.

Tim Harding
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by Tim Harding » Fri Jul 30, 2021 6:06 pm

The dates have been on my website for some weeks now.

http://www.chessmail.com/seniors/Seniors-calendar.html

The entry currently reads:

** 4-10 October: British Senior Championships (OTB) 50+ and 65+ may be played, possibly in Milton Keynes (Covid-19 regulations permitting). No details yet, but keep checking the English Chess Federation website for announcements. (As of today there was nothing definite.)
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

Simon Rogers
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by Simon Rogers » Mon Aug 02, 2021 11:40 pm

Don't worry. I've found some more Senior Events taking place which I found on my travels, mostly non-European.

Tim Harding
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by Tim Harding » Fri Aug 06, 2021 8:15 pm

Simon Rogers wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 11:40 pm
Don't worry. I've found some more Senior Events taking place which I found on my travels, mostly non-European.
I don't think I will put non-European events in my calendar unless they are major (e.g. a US championship).
I think readers of my site are mostly interested in European senior events.
If you have some of them please supply info. I am busy playing the Irish Championship and don't have time to go searching.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

Simon Rogers
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by Simon Rogers » Fri Aug 06, 2021 8:20 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Fri Aug 06, 2021 8:15 pm
Simon Rogers wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 11:40 pm
Don't worry. I've found some more Senior Events taking place which I found on my travels, mostly non-European.
I don't think I will put non-European events in my calendar unless they are major (e.g. a US championship).
I think readers of my site are mostly interested in European senior events.
If you have some of them please supply info. I am busy playing the Irish Championship and don't have time to go searching.
Best of luck at the Irish Championship Tim. I will be cheering you on.
I'm sure people from all over the world read your site as it is the best.

Tim Harding
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by Tim Harding » Fri Aug 06, 2021 8:35 pm

It is very hard playing long sessions against opponents young enough to be a grandchild .
Both of my losses were with Black against 16-year-olds. Two rounds to go.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

Tim Harding
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by Tim Harding » Mon Aug 30, 2021 12:25 pm

My seniors pages have all been updated at http://www.chessmail.com/seniors/Seniors.html

The British OTB seniors championships are going ahead in October:
The Seniors (separate 50+ and 65+ as usual) at Milton Keynes.
https://www.britishchesschampionships.co.uk/

There is a contradiction that needs to be fixed on one page where it says:
This Championship event will be open to all players aged over 50 or over 65, subject to the eligibility rules.
We will contact all qualifiers as soon as possible to confirm details. In addition there will be a number of direct entries for titled players.
The second sentence should be deleted as elsewhere it says anyone who meets the age qualification can enter. That is for 65+ anyone born in 1956 or earlier (you don't need to have actually reached your 65th birthday if it's later this year) and for 50+ the relevant year is 1971.

On other matters, registration closes soon (5 September I think) for the European Individual Senior Championships (in Sardinia); dates clash with the British. At present they wrongly have Keith Arkell down for the 65+; he is only 60. Terry Chapman has entered the 65+ and is qualified for that.

Also the European Senior Team Championships start today in Prague; no British, Irish or Russian teams.
The 50+ is a flop (10 teams, 8 of them Czech) but the 65+ has 21 entries and some GMs are participating. Top seeds are the Lasker Schachschiftung (led by GM Knaak), then Israel and France.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

David Sedgwick
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by David Sedgwick » Mon Aug 30, 2021 4:55 pm

Here is the relevant information in full:
Qualifying
CHAMPIONSHIP
Eligible GMs, WGMs, IMs and WIMs are invited to play in this event as exempted players, together with players who qualified for the BOCC2 online standardplay championship finals held in July and August.

WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Eligible WGMs, and WIMs are invited to play in this event as exempted players, together with players who qualified for the BOCC2 online standardplay women’s championship finals held in July and August.

JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS Under 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8
Players who qualified for the BOCC2 online standardplay or rapidplay finals held in July and August are invited to take part in the Junior finals.

SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS Over 50 and Over 65
This Championship event will be open to all players aged 50 or over during the current year (i.e. born 1971 or earlier) or aged 65 or over during the current year (i.e. born 1956 or earlier) subject to the eligibility rules.

We will contact all qualifiers as soon as possible to confirm details. In addition there will be a number of direct entries for titled players.
It is only in the Championship, the Women and the Juniors that there are qualifiers.
Last edited by David Sedgwick on Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tim Harding
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Re: Senior Tournaments in 2021

Post by Tim Harding » Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:15 pm

I don't think that my posting, which was intended to be helpful (especially as nobody on this Forum had previously pointed out that the OTB championships are going ahead) deserved the rude put-down which Mr Sedgwick just delivered, and I invite others to back me up on this.

On the page I am referring to
https://www.britishchesschampionships.c ... ualifying/

the sentence about qualifiers and direct entries appears directly below the red subheading about seniors.

OK I agree is a new paragraph but I think that to many readers it would appear to be applying to the seniors for which of course there are no qualifiers or direct entrants.

People who are not seniors may well stop reading once they get to the Seniors subheading.

The sentence/paragraph in question should be in some clearer way separated from the item about seniors to avoid confusion, or appear above the seniors sub-heading.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

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