British Chess Championships 2011

Debate directly related to English Chess Federation matters.
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Adam Raoof
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by Adam Raoof » Wed Aug 11, 2010 1:56 pm

Paul Littlewood wrote:I would be delighted to play in such an event but I feel that it should be a serious tournament and not just a quickplay...I find it difficult to avoid blunders with loads of time to think...never mind when I have only a few minutes !
OK. Let us say it is going to happen in 2013, in Torquay. 10 player apa. Who will play?
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Alex Holowczak
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by Alex Holowczak » Wed Aug 11, 2010 1:56 pm

Paul Littlewood wrote:I would be delighted to play in such an event but I feel that it should be a serious tournament and not just a quickplay...I find it difficult to avoid blunders with loads of time to think...never mind when I have only a few minutes !
The problem with it being a serious tournament, is that serious chess tournaments take time. So it'd have to run alongside the main Championship. As Canterbury showed, you can still hack it in the Championship; so it's better for the tournament if you're in the Championship instead!

St. Andrews planned to host a four-hole shoot-out thing between the alive Open Champions (until 50mph wins gusted through). They never thought of holding a 4-round event held over four days running alongside it...

We also know that most of the people who would be sought after aren't going to be too available (else they'd play in the Championship now), so a one-day thing would tie in with their availability much more. I would see this event more as an exhibition rather than something serious. If it was on one day, you could probably even drag Short, Adams and co. along too.

Alex Holowczak
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by Alex Holowczak » Wed Aug 11, 2010 2:09 pm

Another idea: Split the champions into two teams, and have a team match? Then just have a 4-hour match on the Saturday afternoon before the Championship. Then a dinner where the public can attend (like the one CJ organised for Karpov). Then get one to stay behind to do the simul the day after.

Roger de Coverly
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by Roger de Coverly » Wed Aug 11, 2010 2:11 pm

Alex Holowczak wrote:Then a dinner

That's one way of enticing the 1971 champion. :)

David Sedgwick
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by David Sedgwick » Wed Aug 11, 2010 2:39 pm

Adam Raoof wrote:
Paul Littlewood wrote:I would be delighted to play in such an event but I feel that it should be a serious tournament and not just a quickplay...I find it difficult to avoid blunders with loads of time to think...never mind when I have only a few minutes !
OK. Let us say it is going to happen in 2013, in Torquay. 10 player apa. Who will play?
You could invite the living former champions in order of seniority of title. I think that would make the first twelve Barden, Penrose, Haygarth (if traceable), Lee, Keene, Hartston, Botterill, Mestel, Speelman, Bellin, Nunn and Littlewood. Yes, I have deliberately left one out.

Ian Kingston
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by Ian Kingston » Wed Aug 11, 2010 4:08 pm

David Sedgwick wrote:
Adam Raoof wrote:
Paul Littlewood wrote:I would be delighted to play in such an event but I feel that it should be a serious tournament and not just a quickplay...I find it difficult to avoid blunders with loads of time to think...never mind when I have only a few minutes !
OK. Let us say it is going to happen in 2013, in Torquay. 10 player apa. Who will play?
You could invite the living former champions in order of seniority of title. I think that would make the first twelve Barden, Penrose, Haygarth (if traceable), Lee, Keene, Hartston, Botterill, Mestel, Speelman, Bellin, Nunn and Littlewood. Yes, I have deliberately left one out.
That's the second time the 1972 champion has gone unnamed in this thread. Was it Lord Voldemort?

And this post makes three.

Jonathan Rogers
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by Jonathan Rogers » Wed Aug 11, 2010 4:14 pm

Is He Who Must Not Be Named traceable either?

The last sighting of him that I heard of was at a cafe in Amsterdam some ten or more years ago, but I wonder whether he has moved on, since the advent of the European Arrest Warrant.

Alex McFarlane
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by Alex McFarlane » Wed Aug 11, 2010 5:21 pm

If I read the gist of this correctly we want for the former champions event 12 players decided by where they stay and when they won. We could use the following criteria:

British Residents Initially And Next Eliminate Latest Years.

An unwieldy phrase but we could use an acronym..... then again perhaps not.

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Paul Littlewood
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by Paul Littlewood » Wed Aug 11, 2010 5:44 pm

People who have won the British only once are usually peculiar characters....there are of course exceptions !?

Jonathan Bryant
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by Jonathan Bryant » Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:34 pm

Jonathan Rogers wrote:Is He Who Must Not Be Named traceable either?

I bet he's hoping he's not.

Neville Belinfante
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by Neville Belinfante » Wed Aug 11, 2010 9:14 pm

Can forumites please stay on topic please. Discussions about an ex-champions competition in 2013 should be in a new thread titled "British Chess Championships 2013" and not this one.

Congratulations are due to the following players who have just qualified for next year's British Championship.

Paul Byway - British Seniors Champion

Ryan-Rhys Griffiths - British Under 18 Champion
Chris Dorrington - British Championship 6.5/11
FM Robert Eames - British Championship 6.5/11
Felix Ynojosa - British Championship 6/11 at Under 21
James Jackson - British Under 21 Champion
IM Jack Rudd - TPR over 2400 in British Championship

Paul Talsma - Major Open 8.5/11
Angus French - Major Open 8/11
Roger De Coverly- Major Open 7.5/11
Liam Rabbitte - Major Open 7/11 at Under 21



Regards

Neville Belinfante

cjdemooi
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by cjdemooi » Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:02 am

In the next 4 weeks, I have 2 meetings (1 with an individual, 1 with a major company) both of whom have asked to see me concerning providing sponsorship fot the British Championships. I am very hopeful that an arrangement can be reached with one, if not both, of the parties and we can secure the tournament at a high level for the next 3 years at least.

Michael Jones
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by Michael Jones » Mon Oct 04, 2010 4:32 pm

Good work, I hope that the meetings prove fruitful.

Keith Arkell
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by Keith Arkell » Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:51 pm

Paul Littlewood wrote:Speaking as one of the brethren would it be an interesting publicity exercise to make sure all the ex-British Champions are invited to play in the 2011 British Championships ? The extra names would be people such as Jonathan Speelman, John Nunn, Jonathan Mestel, Julian Hodgson...all of whom still play a mean game. Also the most interesting case is Peter Lee who I can tell you still plays pretty well despite concentrating his efforts on bridge these days.
How about all the ex-English Champions too. After all,this thing is run by the ECF these days not the BCF :idea: I think the only former English Champions who aren't former British Champions are Stevo Gordon and myself :wink: :P

benedgell
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Re: British Chess Championships 2011

Post by benedgell » Sun Jan 02, 2011 12:04 pm

Adam Raoof wrote:
benedgell wrote:
Adam Raoof begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting wrote: The control teams are not strictly volunteers; they do receive expenses and a per diem amount. However it's not a great deal but it adds up, and you can't cut back on the control team - in fact I think we need more controllers and more events. It would therefore be good to have local arbiters to come in and assist at the various events, and perhaps take on some more evening activities.
I know of someone who is going to the British this year to take the arbiter's course/ test. Could the ECF advertise locally to each year's Championship for people to take the arbiter's course, with the practical experience consisting of controlling one of the weekend/ 5 day tournaments, and then taking the test at the end?
That is a very good idea, Ben! I did something very similar with the RYA, which got me the RYA Competent Crew certificate (http://www.rya.org.uk/coursestraining/c ... tcrew.aspx) before I took it further. The British, and perhaps the Scottish, are two events we could probably have scope to do something similar leading to a practical qualification. Do you want to suggest it to Alex and David, and copy me in?
I brought up this idea for last year's Championship, and thought I'd mention it again ahead of this years one. Given that a large expense each year for the British Championship is the cost of arbiting, are there any plans to encourage local chess players to volunteer as arbiters?

I think the Championship itself and the rapidplay events are probably unsuitable, but I don't see any reason why some of the other events couldn't be run by local chess players providing there's a senior arbiter at the venue at all times to provide assistance/ advice if necessary.