English Chess Forum

This takes place this weekend, but their website claims "full" at 250 (!).

https://www.stalbanscongress.com/index.php/en/

I can confirm that the congress has 250 entries and is completely full.

It is the first occasion I can recall when the congress has had to close the entry list early.

The flurry of entries received in the last two weeks far exceeds anything we have experienced before.

With Kidlington selling out the last couple of years, I make it a trend

Michael Flatt wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 04, 2019 11:33 am

I can confirm that the congress has 250 entries and is completely full.

It is the first occasion I can recall when the congress has had to close the entry list early.

The flurry of entries received in the last two weeks far exceeds anything we have experienced before.

Is there any chance that you could ask some of the new people why they have decided to enter this year?

Might publicity for the World Championship Match last year and the England team's silver medal in Kazakhstan be giving rise to a mini-boom? I know that that seems unlikely, but I can't think of any obvious explanation for the jump in St Albans's entries.

Start of Easter holidays combined with Brexit uncertainty meaning people haven't made plans to go away?

Richard Bates wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 05, 2019 8:11 am

combined with Brexit uncertainty meaning people haven't made plans to go away?

On that basis nobody will be going anywhere for years!

We'll call it the Brexit boom!

But on a serious note, there's obviously a lot of anecdotal, if not firmer, evidence of people steering clear of foreign trips around the intended March 29 exit date.

Intended??

Inchoate!!

St Albans doesn't clash with other events locally, unlike the easter weekend with too many events near each other relatively, diluting the numbers.

On a personal note i played because i was free, i missed last year because i was not. Family pressures define my availability generally.