British Chess Championships 2011

[Gareth Harley-Yeo]

Well done CJ, I’m impressed by your work rate!

The British is always something I’ve wanted to enter but the cost of entry along with accommodation has always priced me out of the event. To my mind if there are players in the 2000-2200 bracket who are willing to pay these sums to enter the competition then they should be allowed to, after all they are the financial backbone of the event.

In the present financial climate the top players of this country can’t have their cake and eat it. If they want conditions for playing then the money has to come from somewhere. The most feasible source is from diluting the standard of player by asking them to foot the bill. If however a sponsor could be found who’d be willing to not only pay out the prize money but also pay for the players conditions then I’d be all for making the tournament more exclusive.

[Ben Purton]

To be honest Id pay £200 to pay the British(which i never have time to qualify for )

But id don't think i can be bothered with major open.

Ben

[Gavin Strachan]

Well done CJ - excellent work. wow someone being positive on the forum.

Getting two very strong players will certainly draw a lot of others to the event!

[David Gilbert]

If the anaesthetic has worked properly it’s unlikely that I’ll remember any of this when I come round. But if I am really conscious this is the best British chess news ever, ever, ever. Well done CJ, very impressive! Until now, I wasn't particularly looking forward to spending my 2011 holidays in Sheffield (the beach is awful!), but my expectations have now been raised. Good luck!

[Adam Raoof]

put the dates - 24th July to 6th August 2011. - in your diary now!

[Stewart Reuben]

Ponds Forge in Sheffield in 2011 will be one of the best-ever playing venues for the British (1900 sq.m. Liverpool had 700 and Canterbury will have 1100). The venue is free. There will be reasonably priced accommodation available. There is a large chess community there (they could even offer hospitality to players which could be very valuable if properly organised). It will be cheaper overall to travel to (compare that with Torquay for example). Provided you have a car there is magnificent countryside 20 minutes away. Sheffield is now a large, thriving, bustling town.
After considering everything with David Welch I had no hesitation in recommending the ECF Board to agree to Sheffield and they had no hesitation in doing so.

Stewart Reuben

[Sean Hewitt]

Sheffield will be a very good venue indeed.

[cjdemooi]

I'm now ready to make 4 announcements concerning next year's tournament -
1. The old prize structure will be reinstated with £10,000 first prize
2. Adams, Short, McShane and Howell have all agreed to play
3. So far, at least another 10 GMs have indicated their willingness to play (this should make it the strongest British Championships ever)
4. The entry fee for all juniors will be halved

[David Sedgwick]

I'm now ready to make 4 announcements concerning next year's tournament -
1. The old prize structure will be reinstated with £10,000 first prize
2. Adams, Short, McShane and Howell have all agreed to play
3. So far, at least another 10 GMs have indicated their willingness to play (this should make it the strongest British Championships ever)
4. The entry fee for all juniors will be halved

Wow! Well done, CJ

[Richard Bates]

Have all the other GMs agreed to play unconditionally, or only if conditions are available? Coz even with the extra 10k prize the strength of the opposition can't make it particularly attractive financially.

On another point has any thought been given to staggering the entry fees more effectively? Debate has been had about increasing fees to try and limit the number of relatively weak players competing, but the British is also very unusual in not offering reduced fees for FMs or those over 2300 (except, somewhat strangely, for those who have secured the title in the last year). The lack of players in the 2250-2400 bracket seems to be a particular weakness in the British at the moment - which is contributing to the large rating disparities, and also I think to the relatively small number of norm chances (both because titled players (not just IMs/GMs) are a necessary condition for norms, but also because it is from the above group that one would expect genuine norm seekers to be found. Everything that can reasonably done to encourage them to play should be done IMO. (Making the British more attractive to these players could also have a knock-on effect on the strength of players emerging as qualifiers from the weekend circuit).

It's all very well getting the top 4 players (well done for that), but in the context of the British being a large Swiss tournament it should not be forgotten that strength in depth is still quite important to making the tournament attractive, and is certainly just as important for long term sustainability.

What is the thinking behind halving junior entry fees?

[cjdemooi]

I agree about increasing the dearth of players in the rating bracket you mention. However, I must emphasise I have no authority in the British Champs and can only try and introduce various incentives to make the event more appealing to all potential participants.
I prefer not to discuss specific conditions for various people simply because this would be an invasion of their professional privacy and also, if the money is coming out of my own pocket, it would be inappropriate for me to comment.
However, I am confident of attracting a sponsor at Staunton Memorial Dinner and if this is achieved, further conditions to other titled players will be available.

[Sean Hewitt]

Great news. I think we should all express our thanks to CJ for this.

[Ljubica Lazarevic]

Yeah, it certainly will be a phenomenal event! With such a line-up, it'll very likely attract a large global audience.

[Stewart Reuben]

Richard Bates >The lack of players in the 2250-2400 bracket seems to be a particular weakness in the British at the moment <

This not a new phenomenon, nor is it restricted to the British Championship. Possibly for 10 years here has been a lack of players in the 2200-2400 range participating. This may be because players reach a certain level and then realise there is no prospect of professional advancement in the game. That is one reason why we no longer have norm factories, unlike say the later Lloyds Bank Masters at one of which 13 norms were achieved. Gibraltar is possibly the world's most attractive event in prize money and title opportunities for players in that range (the other contenders are the World Open and Aeroflot), yet is not overrun with such players.

Reducing the entry fee or increasing the prize money available do not seem to do the trick. Any suggestions?
Stewart Reuben

[David Pardoe]

I don`t agree about restricting to over 2200... it should be open to all who have qualified. It gives some lower graded players a chance to pit there wits against the top players...and maybe cause an `upset`, or prove to themselves that they could indeed make the grade..!!
No, dont give the juniors a half price deal. But normal reductions are fine....
And lets have more ECF Council meetings in Sheffield...it might encourage more support from the NCCU..and more participation in the functioning/running of the ECF from northern quarters.....
"you`ve got to be in it to win it"...the North needs to join in.....