The ACO is back!

Details of upcoming UK events, please provide working links if possible.
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David Gilbert
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by David Gilbert » Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:02 am

Numbers are up again this morning as the 31 March deadline for the maximum discount approaches. There are now 172 registrations for the ACO Crete Seniors in October. Mostly German of course, but with a blanket over eighteen countries in total: 85 German; 23 Swiss; 14 English; 11 Dutch; 7 Austrians; 5 Belgiums; 4 Americans; 4 French; 4 Swedes; 3 Norwegians; 3 Slovenians; 2 Danes; 2 Romanians; 1 Bermudian; 1 Indian; 1 Irish; 1 Russian; and 1 Welsh. The ACO seems to have made a good fist of its international marketing.

Updated 31 March 2020 09.14am
Last edited by David Gilbert on Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:14 am, edited 2 times in total.

Brendan O'Gorman
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by Brendan O'Gorman » Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:57 am

I think you'll find that's 13 English and 1 Irish !

David Gilbert
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by David Gilbert » Mon Mar 29, 2021 11:08 am

Brendan O'Gorman wrote:
Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:57 am
I think you'll find that's 13 English and 1 Irish !
Absolutely right, but after Saturday’s result I thought he might want to stay in hiding!

David Gilbert
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by David Gilbert » Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:56 pm

This’ll probably be my last post on this thread for a while (cue ‘hear, hear’ from David & Tim?). The 31 March 2021 deadline has passed and the next cut-off date for the €100 discount is 31 May 2021. With still six months to go, the ACO Seniors in Crete in October 2021 has up 'til this point attracted 179 registrations (14 English, 1 Irish & 1 Welsh) from nineteen countries while the Amateurs in Rhodes in July has so far seen 75 registrations (3 English & 1 Scot) from sixteen countries.

There’s still a long way to go and if we’ve learnt anything at all from the last year it’s that anything can happen in between. Some good news for chess players and holiday makers hoping conditions allow them to get away this Summer, the pound topped €1.17 this week as we forge ahead on vaccinations and the British economy emerges from lockdown at the same time as some other EU countries hunker-down for yet another.

Happy Easter everyone!
Last edited by David Gilbert on Sat Apr 03, 2021 2:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

NickFaulks
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by NickFaulks » Thu Apr 01, 2021 6:27 pm

David Gilbert wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:56 pm
and the British economy emerges from lockdown at the same time as some other EU countries hunker-down for yet another.
So why is it that German and Austrian players seem confident that they will be allowed out in July whereas English players accept that they have little chance?

Anyway, I shall be happy if I am allowed out by October. Or ever.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

David Gilbert
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by David Gilbert » Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:36 am

Anyone looking to get away early this Summer? News this morning that the delayed 2020 ACO Amateurs and Seniors, due to have taken place in May 2021, have been moved to the new dates 11 - 20 June 2021. Still in Crete at the Fodele Beach Resort.

Meanwhile the number of registrations for the 2021 ACO Seniors in Crete in October has grown to 195 including two English Nigels: IM Nigel Povah and Nigel White (who I assume is the Wanstead player who played in the famous Czech train tournament a few years ago. A good read https://europeexplored.travel.blog/2020 ... KeqsgWYcUs)

Updated 19 April 2021 Updated 26 April 2021
Last edited by David Gilbert on Mon Apr 26, 2021 3:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.

David Sedgwick
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by David Sedgwick » Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:15 am

David Gilbert wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:36 am
Meanwhile the number of registrations for the 2021 ACO Seniors in Crete in October has grown to 186 including two English Nigels: IM Nigel Povah and Nigel White (who I assume is the Wanstead player who played in the famous Czech train tournament a few years ago.
You are almost certainly mistaken there, David.

Nigel Povah is friendly with Nigel White of Guildford (299565H) and they travelled together to the Guernsey International Chess Festival 2019. You are by no means the first person to confuse the latter player with Nigel White of Wanstead (295791H); I have done so myself in the past.

Please see the "White" page at https://www.ecfrating.org.uk/v2/new/lis ... arch=White.

Nigel White
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by Nigel White » Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:21 am

I can confirm that it's not me! (I'm the Wanstead one) - my namesake and I both returned to chess after a long break about six years ago, we were also born in the same month, but a year apart. It's not surprising the we get confused for each other, but the other one is a rather better player than me!

David Gilbert
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by David Gilbert » Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:35 pm

First apologies for muddling the two Nigels. Frankly, when I add two and two together it doesn't always make four! However, the Wanstead Nigel's blog on his Czech-Train experience was a worthwhile diversion (there's still time to extend your tour to Crete, Nigel!). The registrations for the Seniors in October now amount to 194 (updated 4 May 2021) and include sixteen English, one Welsh, one Irish and one Bermudian. Talking of Bermudian, my Toucan and Pineapple polo shirt arrived last week, but I'm not sure I'd want to be seen out in it! Man alive we're going to have a great time!

On a more serious note, the Greeks seem to be getting on with their vaccination and testing programmes, and numbers of new cases and deaths have been falling off for the last few of days. Let’s hope that trend continues. They have announced that the country will be opening up for tourism again from Friday, 14 May 2021, that will include resuming direct flights to the airport at Heraklion on Crete. Visitors from UK will be able to travel without fear of having to quarantine when they arrive, but they will need evidence of a full vaccination, or a negative PCR test carried out 72 hours prior to arrival. It’s a start!
Last edited by David Gilbert on Tue May 04, 2021 11:47 am, edited 2 times in total.

NickFaulks
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by NickFaulks » Mon Apr 19, 2021 10:16 pm

David Gilbert wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:35 pm
Visitors from UK will be able to travel without fear of having to quarantine when they arrive
I never doubted for a moment that the Greek government would treat me decently. They're not the one I'm worried about.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

David Gilbert
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by David Gilbert » Mon May 10, 2021 11:51 am

Here’s comes the Sun. Less than five months to go until the ACO Crete Seniors in October. Anyone wishing to enter has until 31 May 2021 to claim the €100 discount. The sea-view rooms at the Fodele Resort are booked out, but there are still standard rooms available. There’s been a few new registrations and a few withdrawals over the last couple of weeks, but numbers are steady at 195. Including partners, and others, the overall figure is likely to be close to 300. It’s uplifting to see so many chess players take over the lion’s share of a big hotel.

Edit: 207 registrations on 29 May 2021

Annoyingly, bloomin’ British Airways cancelled our flights from Gatwick and offered alternatives from, and back to, Heathrow. That means an earlier start. It’s a bit of a pain. Let’s hope the six-hour waits for customs checks have cleared by then!

David Gilbert
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by David Gilbert » Fri Jul 02, 2021 1:30 pm

Three months to go and registrations for the ACO’s 2021 Seniors on Crete in October are piling-up. The figure is now 219. We’ve lost a couple of English entries, but we’ve also gained two - they are Black and Brown. So at the moment we have sixteen English, one Irish, a Welshman and a London-based Bermudian. Six of us are down for a pre-reunion at the 25th 4NCL Congress in Leamington Spa next week. Maybe we can sort out some shared taxi-rides from the airport.

The Fodele Resort is really fabulous, especially if you enjoy food and splashing around. Tim Spanton (who spent his free time walking uphill) played there at the delayed 2020 Seniors last month and if you haven’t been following his excellent daily blog (Lawrence Cooper hasn’t!) https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2021/ his testimony to the Fodele Resort goes as like this:

“I have only once before stayed in all-inclusive accommodation. That was in Barbados and was for work (I had to escort there the first winner of The Sun's Page 3 Idol contest) and I have to admit that at the time I was very pleasantly surprised ... by the quality of the food, I mean. The food at the Fodele Beach Resort in Crete, which is where the Amateur Chess Organization held its postponed 2020 world senior and amateur championships, was even better. And the choice at every meal was fantastic - you would have to be very finicky indeed not to find something to your taste (there was even vegan cheese).”

Tim has also given us a starting out guide to getting through customs at Heraklion Airport:

"Checking in and boarding the plane at Gatwick were straightforward, the only differences being that you had to present a QR code showing you had filled in the Greek equivalent of a passenger locator form and, in my case, proof of having been doubly vaccinated against covid. At the Crete end you go through customs as normal, but then have to show a (friendly) Greek policeman your passenger locator QR and, again in my case, proof of having been doubly vaccinated. I found at both ends it was convenient to have the NHS passport-vaccine letter as otherwise it would have got a little messy juggling downloads on my smartphone."

Having hard copy of your passenger locator form and proof of double vaccination sounds like a good plan, the latter you can have sent to you by email via the NHS App (not the Test & Trace App). And being nice and friendly back to Greek policemen can't do any harm!

Simon Rogers
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by Simon Rogers » Fri Jul 02, 2021 6:23 pm

Good to see a very strong titled Bermudan playing there. I'm guessing he might be the favourite.
A number of other forum members are playing which is great to see.
Why is there so many Germans going? A lot more than the other nations combined.

Roger de Coverly
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by Roger de Coverly » Fri Jul 02, 2021 6:28 pm

Simon Rogers wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 6:23 pm
Why is there so many Germans going? A lot more than the other nations combined.
That's no surprise, German players have participated in chess tourism and holidays for many years and the ACO is a German based organisation.

NickFaulks
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Re: The ACO is back!

Post by NickFaulks » Fri Jul 02, 2021 7:16 pm

Simon Rogers wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 6:23 pm
Good to see a very strong titled Bermudan playing there. I'm guessing he might be the favourite.
One of the favourites, certainly - but why is he shown as ENG?
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

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