Northumberland Chess Congress

[Roger de Coverly]

One special condition seems unique to this event.

Players must record their move before pressing the clock. Including players who continue to record moves despite being below the ‘five minute’ marker. This is to mitigate the risk of transgressing distancing rules when it is your opponents move.

I have to say that I don't see the point. If anything it would encourage disputes and the need to summon the arbiter if a player writes the move down, crosses it out, writes another down, crosses it out etc.

[Adam Raoof]

What about the ECF guidance? This appears to have been ignored...

[Wadih Khoury]

Please note I need to update entry form. The Open is no longer FIDE rated and there will be no Foundation section.

May I enquire why that decision was taken?

The fide rated section was the main reason why I was considering driving 5 hours for this Congress. My son was looking forward to it, but now we'll have to reassess our plans.

[NickFaulks]

May I enquire why that decision was taken?

Why indeed? That is a shame.

[Roger de Coverly]

Why indeed?

The Open tournament is not FIDE rated. All sections are the same playing schedule to support time required for cleaning activity in between rounds.

They don't appear to say what the move rates are. The sessions are four hours and there's a reference to the last five minutes of time. They are only allowing half an hours break between rounds which probably isn't enough if they use increments. It remains legal to FIDE rate using 40 moves in 100 minutes plus additional 20 or for that matter all moves in 120 minutes. Whilst logical and for that matter normal for all sections to have the same length of playing session, that doesn't preclude FIDE rating when the sessions are four hours.

[mickriding]

The Entry Form requires updating and will be by Tuesday. Time rate is 110 Mins & 10 second increments from move 1 for all sections. I will enhance the website to reflect so. Breaks will be extended to enable cleaning of equipment. No section will be FIDE rated, so Silver ECF only required.

A paper has been prepared (still work in progress and some corrections to make) and is attached. It too will be uploaded to the Website and entrants posted as and when any changes are made - with a summary of the changes. New entrants are expected to read before entering.

I am delighted we are getting exposure on the ECF forum. However, to ensure I pick up on good suggestions that will make the weekend more enjoyable and safer please post [email protected] - as distilling good ideas from a wider discussion isn't always easy.

Very best - Mick

[Wadih Khoury]

I am no arbiter, but doesn't 110-10 qualify for fide rating???

For a game to be rated each player must have the following minimum periods in which to complete all the moves, assuming the game lasts 60 moves.
Where at least one of the players in the game has a rating 2200 or higher, each player must have a minimum of 120 minutes.
Where at least one of the players in the game has a rating 1600 or higher, each player must have a minimum of 90 minutes.
Where both of the players in the game are rated below 1600, each player must have a minimum of 60 minutes.

[mickriding]

Very quick update from me. Playing schedule will be 90 minutes + 10 seconds. I have been busy (and easily confused). And worse, just completed 3 hour journey and tried to knock something out - never clever. For now we have an OTB chess event that as I write is happening. Hopefully that is enough to keep people happy

Finally - any changes to congress T&Cs will be flagged up to existing entrants who will have the option of withdrawing and any entry fee repaid within 48 hours.

[Adam Raoof]

I think the issue is that you cannot ignore FIDE regulations, and writing the moves down in advance is forbidden. They have ignored the ECF guidance and FIDE rules but can still apparently grade the event.

[Ian Thompson]

One special condition seems unique to this event.

Players must record their move before pressing the clock. Including players who continue to record moves despite being below the ‘five minute’ marker. This is to mitigate the risk of transgressing distancing rules when it is your opponents move.

I have to say that I don't see the point. If anything it would encourage disputes and the need to summon the arbiter if a player writes the move down, crosses it out, writes another down, crosses it out etc.

I took that to mean the required sequence is:

1. Move
2. Write move down
3. Press clock
4. Sit back

so what you are concerned about can't happen.

But I agree it's ineffective if the intent is to try to ensure that the player who's just moved has sat back before the player now to move leans forward. They're entitled to make their move as soon as their opponent has played theirs. There is no requirement to wait for the clock to be pressed. The second condition you'd need to introduce stop both players leaning forwards at the same time is that you're not allowed to play your move until your opponent has started your clock.

The sitting back condition seems problematic to me anyway:

Players must sit back after making a move.

That's not a normal thing to do, particularly if you're expecting a quick reply to a move by your opponent, or you're short of time and need to play your next move quickly. Players will probably inadvertently break it through habit.

[Simon Rogers]

I've entered - looks like 23 so far. At the moment my masks are red & white poka dot or blue & white check, but I'll be getting chess designs for Northumbria. There are some great chess masks out there, I liked this one https://www.redbubble.com/i/mask/Obsess ... 6626.9G0D8

They are great pictures. Playing in North Shields not far from St.James Park. It might be better wearing a black and white mask that looks like a barcode.
Well done Mick Riding for arranging the tournament.

[mickriding]

Hi All/Adam.

'They' are largely embodied in me - with Alex McFarlane very much trying to keep me on the straight and narrow I have pursued this since lockdown with the single motivation of making the event happen. So where 'we' have ignored ECF guidelines please post me [email protected] and advise specifically what - I will try and redress. Be aware I have shared the Protocols document with some ECF personnel and none have cried foul - not yet at least. And I have referred to the guidelines, so any conflict is accidental/misunderstanding rather than ignoring.

Wrt the FIDE move writing if we can come up with an alternative solution e.g. once clock pressed you can't write your move down until your opponent has - then we will. Otherwise people need to understand its a prerequisite of entering in order to maintain safe distancing. Maybe its naff/unreal - but that's where we all are right now.

In the end we are doing what we can. And if it's not enough to satisfy people then they won't enter. I sincerely hope we're doing enough for enough and if we can do better neither I nor Alex are averse to good ideas/advice.

Best - Mick

Right - Off to me mother's 80th now

[NickFaulks]

I think the issue is that you cannot ignore FIDE regulations

Certainly not if you don't ask.

[Roger de Coverly]

Otherwise people need to understand its a prerequisite of entering in order to maintain safe distancing. Maybe its naff/unreal - but that's where we all are right now.

Why is someone any nearer the opponent when they write the move down? If there's enough depth and width on the table, you don't need to move your face any closer to your opponent than when thinking and your hand is no closer than the h file or the a file assuming right handers with the score sheet on the right hand side.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Well, congratulations on getting an event going anyway!