e2e4 Grand Prix

[Sean Hewitt]

e2e4 Chess runs what are widely regarded as the best chess tournaments in the UK. In keeping with this we have introduced a Grand Prix which will run from 1st January 2011 - 31st May 2011. Full details can be found at http://www.e2e4.org.uk/grandprix

Points scored in e2e4 events will count towards the e2e4 Grand Prix which contains two sections:-

British Championship

Open to players not holding a GM, IM or FM title. Points scored in any International Masters or Weekend Open will count for e2e4BC points (multiplied by any advertised Grand Prix multiplier). The winner of the e2e4 British Championship Grand Prix will be the player will most e2e4BC points. The winner will qualify for the 2011 British Championship in Sheffield AND will have their entry fee (worth £200) paid on their behalf, AND will receive half priced entry to every e2e4 event between 1st June 2011 and 31st May 2012. A truly great prize.

e2e4 Championship

Open to players not holding a GM or IM title. Points scored in any e2e4 event or section will count for e2e4GP points (multiplied by any advertised Grand Prix multiplier). The winner of the e2e4 Championship will be the player will most e2e4GP points. The winner will receive free entry fee to every e2e4 event between 1st June 2011 and 31st May 2012 and a suitably engraved trophy. The player accumulating the second largest number of points will receive half priced entry to every e2e4 event between 1st June 2011 and 31st May 2012.

And before anyone asks, I'm still thinking about what the tie break should be!

[Christopher Kreuzer]

These sound great! A few questions:

1) What are the dates again? The first line of the post says "1st January 2010 - 31st May 2010", which is obviously wrong. Later on, you say "1st June 2011 and 31st May 2012" - does this mean the e2e4 Grand Prix doesn't start until June next year? Oh, hang on, you must mean: "1st January 2010 - 31st May 2011". Confusion gone!

2) For both, you say "Open to players not holding a GM or IM title." Does this mean that players holding a GM or IM title aren't included?

3) Where is the current table - I should be on the e2e4 Championship table somewhere!

[Sean Hewitt]

These sound great! A few questions:

1) What are the dates again? The first line of the post says "1st January 2010 - 31st May 2010", which is obviously wrong. Later on, you say "1st June 2011 and 31st May 2012" - does this mean the e2e4 Grand Prix doesn't start until June next year? Oh, hang on, you must mean: "1st January 2010 - 31st May 2011". Confusion gone!

Actually, I mean 1st Jan 2011 - 31st May 2011. I'm always bad with getting the year right.

2) For both, you say "Open to players not holding a GM or IM title." Does this mean that players holding a GM or IM title aren't included?

Correct. There seems little point including someone in an event where the prize is free entry to something which they already get free entry to!

3) Where is the current table - I should be on the e2e4 Championship table somewhere!

The event starts on 1st Jan 2011, so no-one is on the table yet!

[Sean Hewitt]

Standings going into the last event at Gatwick (which carries double points)

British Championship Grand Prix

Player Total Of Pts
Haydon, David L 10
Player, Edmund C 9
Holland, James P 7.5
Pleasants, Allan J 7
Amato, Giampiero 6
Bonafont, Philip R 6
Hickman, John E 6
Shepley, Julien M 6
Haria, Ravi 5.5
Lenier, Jude A 5
Shaw, Matthew H 5
Stewart, Ashley 5

e2e4 Grand Prix

Player Total Of Pts
Othman, Mustapha 18
Prior, Stephen 14.5
Zhou, Yang-Fan 12.5
Kane, Robert 12
Haria, Ravi 11.5
Craft, Isaac 10.5
Ignatovic, Ernest 10.5
Bryant, Richard BE 10
Haydon, David L 10
Homer, Neil S 10
Zhou, Yang-Jian 10

[Richard Bates]

Just as a matter of interest, why is the "British Championship Prix" not open to FMs?

Of course it's your own competition so your decision, but personally i think FMs should get more benefits for their title. I strongly disagree with the British Championship only offering their entry fee discount to "FMs qualifying in the last year" (grossly unfair in my view, especially as recently qualified FMs should be MORE motivated to pay the full fee and it is unsurprising that so many vote with their feet) but in this competition it appears that having the FM title actually disadvantages anybody who holds it!

[IM Jack Rudd]

Of course it's your own competition so your decision, but personally i think FMs should get more benefits for their title. I strongly disagree with the British Championship only offering their entry fee discount to "FMs qualifying in the last year" (grossly unfair in my view, especially as recently qualified FMs should be MORE motivated to pay the full fee and it is unsurprising that so many vote with their feet)

For what it's worth, I agree with you. And say so every time the British Championship questionnaire comes around.

[Richard Bates]

Of course it's your own competition so your decision, but personally i think FMs should get more benefits for their title. I strongly disagree with the British Championship only offering their entry fee discount to "FMs qualifying in the last year" (grossly unfair in my view, especially as recently qualified FMs should be MORE motivated to pay the full fee and it is unsurprising that so many vote with their feet)

For what it's worth, I agree with you. And say so every time the British Championship questionnaire comes around.

Of course it also misses the fact that reduced entry fees aren't simply a "benefit" offered in recognition of achieving a title. The organisers of international norm tournaments should IMO recognise FMs (and those rated 2300+ who haven't claimed) as assets to their tournaments because they are usually necessary for norm performances. I doubt that half price entry fee would actually cost the British anything because they would get more entries to balance the supposed lost income, and I for one would certainly welcome a few more players closer to my own rating.

Have you actually ever had the rationale for the "recently qualified" FM discount explained by the organisers?

[Adam Raoof]

Of course it's your own competition so your decision, but personally i think FMs should get more benefits for their title. I strongly disagree with the British Championship only offering their entry fee discount to "FMs qualifying in the last year" (grossly unfair in my view, especially as recently qualified FMs should be MORE motivated to pay the full fee and it is unsurprising that so many vote with their feet)

For what it's worth, I agree with you. And say so every time the British Championship questionnaire comes around.

Of course it also misses the fact that reduced entry fees aren't simply a "benefit" offered in recognition of achieving a title. The organisers of international norm tournaments should IMO recognise FMs (and those rated 2300+ who haven't claimed) as assets to their tournaments because they are usually necessary for norm performances. I doubt that half price entry fee would actually cost the British anything because they would get more entries to balance the supposed lost income, and I for one would certainly welcome a few more players closer to my own rating.

Have you actually ever had the rationale for the "recently qualified" FM discount explained by the organisers?

Possibly you are right - more evidence needed!

Can you post here, if you have a moment, a list of UK FMs who haven't played in the British in the last few years - in other words potential new entrants to the British who might balanced the 'lost' income?

[Alex Holowczak]

Have you actually ever had the rationale for the "recently qualified" FM discount explained by the organisers?

I believe it's because the £x discount is the same as the £x you'd pay to get the title of FM. So you basically get a free FM title application.

[Sean Hewitt]

Just as a matter of interest, why is the "British Championship Prix" not open to FMs?

Simply because FM's do not appear to enter the British very often. There are only a handful (two I think last year) and I want to maximise the value of the prize we are offering.

Of course it's your own competition so your decision, but personally i think FMs should get more benefits for their title. I strongly disagree with the British Championship only offering their entry fee discount to "FMs qualifying in the last year" (grossly unfair in my view, especially as recently qualified FMs should be MORE motivated to pay the full fee and it is unsurprising that so many vote with their feet) but in this competition it appears that having the FM title actually disadvantages anybody who holds it!

I agree entirely, which is why FM's get significant discounts in all of our events. If I were running the British FMs would get half price entry. For norm tournaments FMs are worth their weight in gold.

[Richard Bates]

Possibly you are right - more evidence needed!

Can you post here, if you have a moment, a list of UK FMs who haven't played in the British in the last few years - in other words potential new entrants to the British who might balanced the 'lost' income?

No. Here is a list of English FMs however. I would guess a substantial majority haven't played in recent years. On top of these you probably have a number of 2300+ who haven't claimed the title. At Canterbury there were 6 FMs/2300+ non IMs playing, two of whom weren't English and at least 3 of whom got half price entry by qualifying at the previous year's Championships. So if I'm wrong and it would cost money to offer half price entry or better, it wouldn't be much!

Nathan Alfred
Rawle A Allicock
Adam G Ashton
Michael Barnes
Gerald H Bennett
Stephen Berry
Richard Britton
Matthew Broomfield
Simon D Brown
Graham Burgess
Paul Byway
Bernard Cafferty
Neil L Carr
James Cavendish
Glen Charleshouse
Peter H Clarke
Stuart Clarke
Adam Collinson
Paul Cooksey
Anthony Corkett
Stephen Cullip
Neil F Dickenson
Christopher R Duncan
Christopher Dunworth
Richard G Eales
Robert Eames
David Eggleston
Michael Forster
Michael J Franklin
David Friedgood
Nicholas Frost
Stephen Giddins
Ben Hague
Alan E Hanreck
Andrew Harley
Jonathan Hawkins
Owen M Hindle
Brian Johnson
Charles Kennaugh
Gary Kenworthy
Andrew P Law
David Ledger
Graham D Lee
Andrew P Lewis
Mark Lyell
Andrew Mack
Rafe Martyn
A Tyson Mordue
Robin Moss
John G Nicholson
John C Pigott
John R Richardson
Jonathan Rogers
Philip J Rossiter
David E Rumens
Ben Savage
Robert Shaw
Kenneth Shovel
Peter J Sowray
Charles Storey
Desmond Tan
Martin R Taylor
Erik O M C Teichmann
Nicholas Thomas
Ian D Thompson
James Vigus
Graham A Waddingham
David Walker
Martin G Walker
Tim Wall
Julian Way
Laurence Webb
Richard M Webb
Michael White
Kevin J Wicker
Tom E Wiley
Jonathan Wilson
David A Wood
Timothy Woodward

[Adam Raoof]

Thanks Richard - again, probably right, and I agree with Sean. However I am not convinced that lack of a discounted entry fee is what puts FMs off playing in the British!

[Alex Holowczak]

Bernard Cafferty

He was playing in the British last year - the Seniors.

[Sean Hewitt]

Thanks Richard - again, probably right, and I agree with Sean. However I am not convinced that lack of a discounted entry fee is what puts FMs off playing in the British!

There's one way to find out.

[Richard Bates]

Thanks Richard - again, probably right, and I agree with Sean. However I am not convinced that lack of a discounted entry fee is what puts FMs off playing in the British!

There are obviously many reasons why many people, including FMs, do not play in the British. Only FMs themselves could say that the lack of a discounted entry fee is a contributing (even if not decisive) factor for them. I would be surprised if for some it were not. Even if only on principle, that it is out of step with the norm.

As i suggested however, i think that on the record of last year's entry there is hardly anything to lose and much to gain by trying to find out.