All posts by Marc Bryant

Lara invited you to her fundraiser Save Hastings International Chess Congress

https://www.facebook.com/donate/1131621066999298/

Fundraiser by Lara Barnes

About the fundraiser
At this time of year, the organisers of Hastings International Chess Congress are usually busy preparing the entry form for the annual event which starts at the end of December. To enable this, a new lead sponsor is needed to replace the Tradewise Insurance Company, whose agreed term of support came to an end after the 2018-2019 event. Hastings Borough Council, which has co-sponsored the tournament for many many years, is willing to continue its support, but this requires match-funding. The Congress is seeking to raise £10,000 – £15,000 to enable this historic and world-renowned event to take place as usual at the end of this year. So far, £2,000 has been pledged towards this target. The present day Congress, which takes place from 28th December until 6th January each year, brings considerable income to the town at a time of year when visitors are scarce. Each year the event attracts around 400 entries from over 20 countries and provides excellent opportunities for aspiring chess champions to achieve international honours. The careers of many illustrious chess players have benefitted from playing here, and the event also provides a feast of chess for ordinary club players. The games in the Masters tournament are broadcast worldwide, and this IT aspect is something which could easily be exploited to the sponsor’s advantage. The recent success of the English team securing the Silver Medal at the World Open Team Championship also owes some debt to Hastings – all members of the team have honed their skills at the HICC in the past. The great Hastings tournament of 1895 cemented its place in chess history, being the strongest worldwide of the 19th century. The list of participants reads like a roll-call of the world’s greatest chess players. It has now become an integral part of Hastings and English heritage. The centenary of the Hastings International Chess Congress will take place in 2020-2021. Past sponsors include – The Times, ICL, Foreign & Colonial Financial Management and Tradewise Insurance Company Ltd. Sponsorship is being sought urgently to ensure the continuation of the event this year. However, the ultimate aim is to attract a major sponsor which would enable the Congress to recover its past status on the international chess calendar and reach another centenary in 2024-25.

How much would you like to donate?

£20

£50

£100

£200

Other

 

HASTINGS INTERNATIONAL CHESS CONGRESS

www.hastingschess.com

● HASTINGS CHESS – NEXT MOVE

At this time of year the organisers of Hastings International Chess Congress are usually busy preparing the entry form for the annual event which should start at the end of December. To enable this a new lead sponsor is needed to replace Tradewise Insurance Company whose agreed term of sponsorship came to an end after the 2018-2019 event.

Hastings Borough Council, which has sponsored the tournament for many years, is willing to continue its support but this requires match-funding. The Congress is seeking to raise £10,000-£15,000 to enable this historic and world renown event to take place as usual at the end of this year. So far £2,000 has been pledged towards this target. The present day Congress which takes place from 28th December to 6th January each year, brings considerable income to the town at a time of year when visitors are scarce.

Each year the event attracts around 400 entries from over 20 countries and provides excellent opportunities for aspiring players to achieve international honours. The careers of many illustrious chess players have benefited from playing here. The event also provides a feast of chess for ordinary club players. The games in the Masters tournament are broadcast worldwide attracting a wode audience and the IT aspect is something which could easily be exploited to a sponsor’s advantage.

The recent success of the English team securing the silver medal at the world Open Team Championship also owes some debt to Hastings. All members of the team have honed their skills at Hastings.

The great Hastings tournament of 1895 cemented its place in chess history being the strongest worldwide chess event of the 19th century. The list of participants reads like a roll-call of the world’s greatest chess players. The late Russian grandmaster David Bronstein, who tied for a World Championship title, said that Hastings had become an integral part of Hastings and English heritage.

The centenary of the Hastings International Chess congress will take place in 2020-2021. Sponsorship is being sought urgently to ensure the continuation of the event this year. However, the ultimate aim is to attract a major sponsor which would enable the Congress to recover its past status in the international chess calendar.

For further information please contact:

Pam Thomas, PR Officer, Hastings International Chess Congress
e-mail: pae123@aol.com
Tel: mobile: 07817 446070 home: 01424 445348

Hastings International Chess Congress is the World’s most historic chess event in which many World Champions have played. The late Russian grandmaster, David Bronstein said that Hastings Congress had become an integral part of English heritage. This event provides an ideal opportunity for any company seeking promotion locally, nationally and internationally.

● The Hastings International Chess Congress is the longest running international chess tournament in the world and will reach its centenary in 2020-2021. A time to celebrate.

● Players range from grandmasters to local club players and include children.

● The event attracts local, national and international media coverage.

● The Congress incorporates separate tournaments including a 9-round Open event in which grandmasters compete, five-day events for the casual club player and a Weekend Congress. Entries number around 400 from upwards of 20 countries. This allows for a range of sponsorship opportunities, total or partial.

● The website www.hastingschess.com is active throughout the year and displays results and live games during the event attracting an international audience. The IT aspect of the event provides excellent promotional and merchandising opportunities for any sponsor.

● The event offers opportunities for corporate hospitality.

● Events carry the sponsor’s name relative to level of sponsorship.

● We would be very happy to talk to any interested parties when we could provide more detailed information.

Find out more by contacting:

Pam Thomas
PR Officer, Hastings International Chess Congress
e-mail: pae123@aol.com
Tel: mobile 07817 446070 home 01424 445348

Notice of MSCL AGM at Lewes Chess Club Tuesday 25 June 2019 at 7.45pm

Please note the AGM will be as per the subject line. The address is St Mary’s Supporters Club, Christie Road, Lewes, Sussex BN7 1PL.

The Committee accept proposals for rule changes; please email these to me by Wednesday 5 June at the latest. However, unlike previous years, the Committee will not be engaging in pre-publication discussion with clubs in an attempt to bring greater coherence to proposals. Proposals submitted for inclusion should be substantially ‘ready to go’ and while every last dot and comma that would require change need not be specified, full account of the implications of adopting the proposal should be clear. Please also provide a succinct rationale which can be published with the proposal. The Committee reserve the right to decline to place significantly ill-conceived and incoherent proposals on the agenda or alternatively ask the meeting to reject such proposals in their entirety. Further, at the AGM the Committee intend to adopt a more robust line on rule change amendments: only minor modifications (where the implication of the same is clear, unambiguous, and limited) will be accepted for debate and vote, and strictly where the original proposal has demonstrably failed to take into account the consequence identified.

You may wish to be aware that the Committee have already published its intended proposal to reform current Rule 7 regarding match timings. The proposal may be read on the Forum of the League website. Please read the proposal and contribute to discussion, either on the Forum, and or at the AGM.

The agenda will be circulated at least 14 days before the AGM and will include any rule change proposals accepted for inclusion.

Matthew Britnell

Secretary
Mid-Sussex Chess League

grading

‎13‎ ‎May at ‎15‎:‎24

I do appreciate the 32 organisers who responded to the recent consultation. Before I summarise the results, I thought I would start by giving you a timeline for the changes.
At the next Board meeting my boss, Dave Thomas, will be challenged to say whether a start date for monthly grading can be January 2020. It is a difficult decision since it depends on if we can get volunteers to help with the programming.
If we go ahead then the tentative schedule is as follows:
January 2020: ECF have in place ability to accept monthly submissions appropriate for monthly lists. Graders will be able to use existing procedures, but will be asked to have greater regard to the dates of games. A stretch target day 1 would be to load results from the ECF League Management system automatically. The usual January (3-digit) grading list will be produced
January – June 2020: Improvements in administration and at some point, pilot production of the new monthly lists. These new grades will be treated as indicative and will be ratified by the ECF as notappropriate for competition use (yet).
July 2020: Usual closing rules for 6-monthly list which will be produced as ECF grades.
August 2020: Production of the usual “August List” appropriate for use in all ECF competitions for season 2020-21. At this stage the Board will decide if Monthly Lists will become formally the ECF grading system. It may well decide to defer adoption if either the administration or the methodology are inadequate. When the system is adopted the current 3-digit list updates will cease.
August 2021: If adopted, all ECF 2021-22 competitions will to have to amend regulations to recognise the new grading system.
Looking at the consultation:
* A fair number of you would like grades back to biblical times!
* Most of you would prefer the historical list to be a conversion of the 3-digit lists, with the conversion basis published. We have data back to 1994 and I think we will archive the existing website with the 3-digit grades and develop a list of those grades converted as an initial database for the new list.
* There is no groundswell to keep A-E categories. The majority found the category F concept useful, but a fair number had had difficulties with the status it received from players. Most found the idea of publishing a “sub F” grade a hindrance. We will develop a proposal for a complete rethink on categories in the light of these comments
* The idea of active/inactive players was found useful. We will look at the data and make a proposal.
* The main problem with dual grading lists for the pilot period was seen as players using the best option for them, leading to difficult decisions for arbiters. The above timeline recognises this issue with there only ever being one recognised grading list.
When I have a better idea of the plans for H1 2020 administration there will be a need to consult with graders about the inevitable changes that will arise. Thank you for identifying your software providers, I will be contacting them at an appropriate time.
I will update you as the project develops.
Brian Valentine
Manager of ECF gradin

En Passant cup FINALS Sun 19th May 2019

Petts Wood & Orpington 4 v Hastings & St Leonards 3

Board Home Petts Wood & Orpington 4 Hastings & St Leonards 3 Away
1 (W) 162A (162)
G

Jamroz, Viktor

1 – 0
G

Cove, Henry

159A (164)
2 (B) 152B (153)
G

Cook, John

0 – 1
S

Wheeler, James M

160A (156)
3 (W) 143E (148)
B

Parsons, Roy W

½ – ½
S

Kimber, John D

142A (138)
4 (B) 143D (142)
B

Baldwin, Trevor

1 – 0
S

Bryant, Marc A

131A (136)
5 (W) 113A (114)
S

Mann, Lev

0 – 1
S

Woodhams, Mason

129A (134)
6 (B) 078D (103)
S

Luo, Yifan

½ – ½
G

Stock, William

117A (116)
Average 132 3 – 3 Average 140

Last updated by Marc bryant at Mon 20th May 2019 08:09 Reported By Marc bryant Verified By

Hastings loss on board count 5….. 7

County cup FINALS

Petts Wood & Orpington 1 v Hastings & St Leonards 1

s

County cup FINALS Sun 19th May 2019

Board Home Petts Wood & Orpington 1 Hastings & St Leonards 1 Away
1 (W) 219A (216)
G

Merriman, John

1 – 0
G

Sugden, John N

194A (190)
2 (B) 202C (204)
G

Lindner, Daniel

½ – ½
G

Calvert, D Ian

177A (180)
3 (W) 196B (195)
G

Rich, Mark C

½ – ½
G

Tebbs, Howard L

182B (180)
4 (B) 190A (189)
G

Jamroz, Krzysztof

0 – 1
G

Barton, R Alan

183A (178)
5 (W) 182A (188)
G

Watson, Mikey

1 – 0
G

Elliston, Robert V

171C (174)
6 (B) 186C (184)
N

Jugand, Jean-Baptiste

1 – 0
G

Willson, Gary

119B (113)
Average 196 4 – 2 Average 171

EnPassant Semi/Final

Beckenham & Bromley 3 v Hastings & St Leonards 3

Board Home Beckenham & Bromley 3 Hastings & St Leonards 3 Away
1 (B) 166D (159)
S

Barlerin, Samuel

1 – 0
G

Cove, Henry

159A (164)
2 (W) 153C (156)
B

Sands, Alan VH

½ – ½
S

Wheeler, James M

160A (156)
3 (B) 150D (159)
S

Jiang, Freddy

0 – 1
S

Hann, Chris N

145D (146)
4 (W) 138D (131)
S

Jasserand, Pascal

0 – 1
S

Bryant, Marc A

131A (136)
5 (B) 122D (120)
B

Mourant, Malcolm P

½ – ½
S

Woodhams, Mason

129A (134)
6 (W) 110D (106)
G

Newman, Martin E

0 – 1
G

Willson, Gary

119B (113)
Penalty 0 – ½
Average 140 2 – 3½ Average 141

Last updated by Zia Mehmet at Sun 12th May 2019 22:19 Reported By Marc bryant Verified By Malcolm Mourant

BUSWELL RAPID PLAY

STRAWBERRIES & CREAM RAPID PLAY

 

ORGANISED BY PAUL BUSWELL

by courtesy of

THE CHAIRMAN & COMMITTEE OF

HASTINGS & ST LEONARDS CHESS CLUB

 

TO BE HELD ON

SUNDAY 30 JUNE

CLOCKS START 2:00 p.m.

(arrive and pay by 1:45 p.m.)

 

7 Round Swiss of 10 minutes per game plus 5 seconds per move.

Results will be submitted for English Chess Federation rapidplay grading.

 

LAST DAY TO IMPROVE YOUR GRADE FOR THE NEW LIST (out late July)

Even if you have no other results, playing here guarantees a rapidplay grade in the new list

 

ENTRIES ONLY FROM PLAYERS who are Hastings & St Leonards club members, and also ECF members.

(If the event was open more widely it would mean the Club paying fees to the E.C.F. when the results were graded).

 

Many modest (sometimes silly) prizes to be won by players at all levels.

Prize giving is expected to be finished by 6:30 p.m.

 

Entrance numbers strictly limited to 20 absolute tops

and people will be turned away after that number is reached,

so advance booking is strongly recommended.

 

Book by contacting Paul Buswell, on e-mail paulbuswellchess@aol.com or otherwise phone 01424 444321

Don’t give your entry through anyone else,  I do not accept indirect or word of mouth entries.

No tournament if fewer than 12 definite entries by the summer solstice.  .

 

Entry fees:

if entering by the solstice (21 June) £3.50 (£1.75 if grade <120, or if you’ve never played in one of these before);  or 5 guineas for later entry.

 

Tea time refreshments (self-service) included in entry fee.

Visitors’ parking vouchers from Jim Wheeler beforehand, contact him direct.