English Chess Forum

2nd Warwick University Rapidplay Tournament (ECF-graded & FIDE-rated), to be held on Saturday 16th February 2019 at the University of Warwick, Science Concourse - B2.02, Library Road, Coventry, West Midlands, CV4 7AL.

There will be an Open and Minor (U135 ECF) Section; both with seven rounds of 15 minutes + 10 second increment.

Entry Fees: £5 (100% of fees goes towards prize money)

All entries will be handled via the electronic ticketing system linked below:
https://www.warwicksu.com/events/4117/17243/

Full details and an updated player list can be found on our website.
http://warwickchess.com/index.php/tournament/

Open- Estimated Prize:
1st: £70 (28%)
2nd: £40 (16%)
3rd: £20 (8%)
Grading Prize: £20 (8%)

Minor- Estimated Prize:
1st: £50 (20%)
2nd: £30 (12%)
3rd: £10 (4%)
Grading Prize: £10 (4%)

Estimate Prizes based on an expected 50 entrants (In 2018, we had 53); prizes based on fixed percentages in brackets.

(100% of entry fees will go towards prize money, individual percentages may vary in the best interests of the tournament, i.e. more grading prizes being added)

Playing Schedule:
Round 1: 10:30-11:40
Round 2: 11:40-12:50
Round 3: 12:50-14:00
Round 4: 14:00-15:10
Round 5: 15:10-16:20
Round 6: 16:20-17:30
Round 7: 17:30-18:40
Closing Ceremony and Prize Distribution: 18:40-18:50

Refreshments:
A variety of campus shops, restaurants and cafes will be open. The closest being the library café next door:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/retail/openingtimes/

The venue is wheelchair accessible but please email us beforehand to check details.

ECF Calendar listing: https://www.englishchess.org.uk/event-c ... rmat~html/

Contact: Jack Huffer (Tournament Director), Louise Head WFM (President) [email protected]
Arbiters: Matthew Carr International Arbiter, Hok Chiu National Arbiter, Jorel Ali National Arbiter, Chun Chiu National Arbiter

Just a week to go! The 2nd Annual Warwick University Rapidplay will be on Saturday 16th February (this coming saturday).

Last year, we had players from clubs across the country, as well as from places as far as Bulgaria, Australia and beyond! We hope to build on last year's success. As before, 100% of entry fees will go to prize money, and the entry fee will only be £5!

The University of Warwick is located in the West Midlands, on the Warwickshire-Coventry border. Parking will be free on weekends.

Details, as above.

Update: There will be live boards over a number of boards for any online spectators!

Entry details: http://warwickchess.com/index.php/tournament/
2019 Player Lists: http://warwickchess.com/index.php/player-list/
2018 Results: http://warwickchess.com/index.php/rapid ... 8-results/

Hok Yin Stephen Chiu wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 10, 2019 11:31 pm

Last year, we had players from clubs across the country, as well as from places as far as Bulgaria, Australia and beyond!

Which places beyond Australia did you get players from?

"Which places beyond Australia did you get players from?"

I was wondering that, maybe New Zealand, and there are some smaller islands.

And it was probably meant humorously!

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 11, 2019 11:16 pm

"Which places beyond Australia did you get players from?"

I was wondering that, maybe New Zealand

Not according to Ikea

Just taken a look at the entry form and I noticed this

"All players will need ECF silver, gold, or platinum membership. Any entrants without silver
membership will be rejected."

That seems a strange approach for a FIDE rated event. It hardly seems to encourage foreign players to take part.

Alex Holowczak wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 11, 2019 6:39 pm

Hok Yin Stephen Chiu wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 10, 2019 11:31 pm

Last year, we had players from clubs across the country, as well as from places as far as Bulgaria, Australia and beyond!

Which places beyond Australia did you get players from?

"Beyond" in the broad sense of the word! :p indeed, you are correct that we did not geographically have anybody beyond australia.

Perhaps I could tempt a certain member from as far as Warley Quinborune to play..

Matthew Turner wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 12, 2019 11:03 am

Just taken a look at the entry form and I noticed this

"All players will need ECF silver, gold, or platinum membership. Any entrants without silver
membership will be rejected."

That seems a strange approach for a FIDE rated event. It hardly seems to encourage foreign players to take part.

I shall inquire with the organiser, Jack, I believe it something to do with the Student Union, such that if we got an invoice from the ECF for several £7.50 for people who aren't members of the Society, they might get a bit funny, reject the payment.

Matthew Turner wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 12, 2019 11:03 am

Just taken a look at the entry form and I noticed this

"All players will need ECF silver, gold, or platinum membership. Any entrants without silver
membership will be rejected."

That seems a strange approach for a FIDE rated event. It hardly seems to encourage foreign players to take part.

The Pay to Play fee of £7 would otherwise be payable for foreign players.

https://www.englishchess.org.uk/members ... ed-events/.

Matthew Turner wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 12, 2019 11:03 am

That seems a strange approach for a FIDE rated event. It hardly seems to encourage foreign players to take part.

It's ECF policy for FIDE rated rapid events, in fact all rapid events, to surcharge the organisers for entrants, including foreign ones, who are not ECF Silver members or higher. All that this event is doing is taking the logical next step of banning them completely. Even if it didn't FIDE rate, it would still have the same problem.

Roger de Coverly wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 12, 2019 12:02 pm

Matthew Turner wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 12, 2019 11:03 am

That seems a strange approach for a FIDE rated event. It hardly seems to encourage foreign players to take part.

It's ECF policy for FIDE rated rapid events, in fact all rapid events, to surcharge the organisers for entrants, including foreign ones, who are not ECF Silver members or higher. All that this event is doing is taking the logical next step of banning them completely. Even if it didn't FIDE rate, it would still have the same problem.

In danger of returning from the slight tangent, I think the challenge is more about the University society dealing their Students' Union; from what I understand, Warwick would have to apply for SU approval for the 'expenditure' of multiple £7.50s going out, which the SU would likely waste a good number of hours of time for our organiser (likely from our other experiences with the SU), so I think the decision was to simplify it, by having silver members and above only, and giving 100% of entry fees out, so to make it bureaucratically easier.

Having now organised 10 university championships, I can confirm that University student unions are the most bureaucratic and inefficient organisations I ever come into contact with. They're notoriously inflexible and unpragmatic.

This year we had the novelty of being asked to provide assistance to compile a risk assessment, which involved the captain filling in a form disclosing how he would handle situations such as a player missing a train, or a player dealing with the emotional distress of losing their game. I'm quite certain that the only purpose of this document was to tick a box for a bureaucrat somewhere.

You missed the best one. One of them apparently has a risk assessment for walking into town.

"I can confirm that University student unions are the most bureaucratic and inefficient organisations I ever come into contact with. They're notoriously inflexible and unpragmatic."

However, they are a shining beacon of brilliance compared with Warwick University's management...

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 12, 2019 9:14 pm

"I can confirm that University student unions are the most bureaucratic and inefficient organisations I ever come into contact with. They're notoriously inflexible and unpragmatic."

However, they are a shining beacon of brilliance compared with Warwick University's management...

I fear I am slightly more pro University than Student Union, the University has not caused members of the Chess Society anywhere as much grief, compared to our SU!

In the meantime, I hope this interest in our terrible SU, translates into sympathy, and in turn translates into even more entries to our Rapidplay (I jest)!