Hampshire Chess Congress 2024

[GrahamStuart]

The annual Hampshire Chess Congress & Hampshire Individual Championships will take place from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd November 2024 at the Lysses House Hotel, 51 High Street, Fareham, Hampshire,

There are three sections this year with the Open being ECF and Fide rated and the Major and Minor ECF rated.

Open (ECF & FIDE rated)
Major (under 1850)
Minor (under 1600)

This year after careful consideration we have switched to a 5 round congress, and a change in time control, as we now have access to all DGT clocks. The venue has a capacity of just over 90 and the congress has sold out the last two years. Early entry is recommended!

Full details and entry form are available on the Hampshire Chess Website:
https://www.hampshirechess.co.uk/hampsh ... ress-2024/

[Roger de Coverly]

This year after careful consideration we have switched to a 5 round congress, and a change in time control,

With only two rounds a day and a 90 30 move rate, you could run the timetable an hour or half an hour later. Rounds at 10 am and 3pm instead of 9 am and 2 pm.

[GrahamStuart]

This year after careful consideration we have switched to a 5 round congress, and a change in time control,

With only two rounds a day and a 90 30 move rate, you could run the timetable an hour or half an hour later. Rounds at 10 am and 3pm instead of 9 am and 2 pm.

We did consider this, but felt we wanted to keep to our normal start times and this means the Sunday does not finish too late. We also wanted to leave more time for the Saturday evening in case we wanted to add something else e.g. Blitz tournament. But we will see how this works out this year.

[GrahamStuart]

The annual Hampshire Chess Congress & Hampshire Individual Championships will take place from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd November 2024 at the Lysses House Hotel, 51 High Street, Fareham, Hampshire,

There are three sections this year with the Open being ECF and Fide rated and the Major and Minor ECF rated.

Open (ECF & FIDE rated)
Major (under 1850)
Minor (under 1600)

This year after careful consideration we have switched to a 5 round congress, and a change in time control, as we now have access to all DGT clocks. The venue has a capacity of just over 90 and the congress has sold out the last two years. Early entry is recommended!

Full details and entry form are available on the Hampshire Chess Website:
https://www.hampshirechess.co.uk/hampsh ... ress-2024/

With the Congress in just over 4 weeks I wanted to update that we currently have 49 entries (Open - 19, Major - 15 & Minor - 15). We have a capacity of 92 to ensure players have enough room. We sold out last year (1 week before the Congress) and at this stage last year we had 35 entries.

[GrahamStuart]

Just wanted to update to say the Congress has now reached our maximum number of entrants (92) and we are no longer accepting new entrants. We are happy to add players to a reserve list but please don't send money.
Many thanks to everyone who has entered and helped support Hampshire Chess we have a wide range of local and non local players and players of all ages.

Also after arbitering the Congress for many years, Kevin Thurlow will instead be playing, we hope he enjoys the other side of the Congress.

https://www.hampshirechess.co.uk/entrie ... -congress/

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Also after arbitering the Congress for many years, Kevin Thurlow will instead be playing, we hope he enjoys the other side of the Congress."

I'm primarily hoping that I can go for a stroll between moves without someone thinking I'm the arbiter approaching me to complain about their opponent's conduct! It's happened before...

I also hope my replacement has a peaceful time.

[Roger de Coverly]

I'm primarily hoping that I can go for a stroll between moves without someone thinking I'm the arbiter approaching me to complain about their opponent's conduct! It's happened before...

I could imagine that arbiters are allowed a bit of sightseeing during rounds, if only to locate the nearest takeaway. Don't try that as a player!

[Kevin Thurlow]

"I could imagine that arbiters are allowed a bit of sightseeing during rounds, if only to locate the nearest takeaway. Don't try that as a player!"

There's a pub across the road! If anyone runs a tournament near Newark, there's a very good air museum which I can recommend.

[GrahamStuart]

"I could imagine that arbiters are allowed a bit of sightseeing during rounds, if only to locate the nearest takeaway. Don't try that as a player!"

There's a pub across the road! If anyone runs a tournament near Newark, there's a very good air museum which I can recommend.

And of course there is a bar downstairs, and the arbiter and organisers enjoyed a meal in the Arbiter Room on Sunday when the last round started. Of course this was when lots of people turned up for a chat (very welcome, but bad timing.....)

[John Upham]

Here are 4NCL arbiters in 2012 at the Barcelo Hinckley Island Hotel following the above advice:

4NCL arbiters having a break in 2012

_JEU0081-X2.jpg (380.99 KiB) Viewed 2415 times

[Kevin Thurlow]

Yes - I have to say the Lysses hotel has been excellent before, delivering bar food to the arbiters' lair with a smile. I emailed them today and got a really helpful reply almost immediately, so I guess they're still excellent.

[GrahamStuart]

Yes - I have to say the Lysses hotel has been excellent before, delivering bar food to the arbiters' lair with a smile. I emailed them today and got a really helpful reply almost immediately, so I guess they're still excellent.

Kevin playing than doing his previous arbitering duties.

[GrahamStuart]

Photographs from the Congress are now on the Hampshire Chess History website.
https://hampshirechesshistory.co.uk/202 ... s-gallery/

[GrahamStuart]

The Hampshire Chess Congress has a best game prize and we received 18 entrants this year trying to win the John Dunleavy prize (and £100). David Collyer was successful with his excellent round 4 win against Kevin Thurlow in the Open section.

David Lightfoot the organiser of the IOW International Chess Tournament was just behind David Collyer in the voting and received a discretionary 2nd place prize from the Chris Priest Fund for his attacking game against one of the Minor top seeds.

Both players have annotated their games for the HCA Website.

https://www.hampshirechess.co.uk/iow-players-dominate/

Many thanks for the players who submitted their games for the prize.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Well done David!