News – 2014–15

Items on this page are in reverse chronological order (i.e. the most recent items are at the top). For the very latest news, visit the home page.

NCA General Meeting (21st Jun)

The NCA General Meeting will be held at West Bridgford Chess Club on Monday 13th July. Please can all reports be sent to Alan Kenyon by 6th July. The agenda for the general meeting is available to download.

Leek Rapidplay (21st Jun)

Pablo Padilla (Ashfield) finished joint second in the open section behind Keith Arkell with a score of 4½/6 and won £45 prize money. Steve Burke (Ashfield) also played in the open but scored a disappointing 2/6. However, Steve did have an interesting game against Keith Arkell in the first round with a good opportunity to draw against the Grandmaster. View game

National Chess Day (7th Jun)

There is a National Chess Day planned for September 12th 2015. The aim is to raise money for the charity MIND and to encourage people to take up the game of chess. A stand will need hiring on the day in Nottinghamshire where there is a good footfall of the general public. The stand should have players (including juniors) playing chess all day and possibly offering lessons. If you would like to volunteer to help out then please contact David Levens. A poster can be downloaded for this event.

Chess Talk (7th Jun)

On July 19th David Levens will be preaching in St Andrew's Church, Station Road, Langley Mill on the theme of chess. The service starts at 10:30am and all are welcome. This is a very friendly and lively church and nobody will be bored and most will learn something about chess that they did not know! The service will include a christening and most services only last an hour.

Nottinghamshire Congress 1982 Results (24th May)

Here is a bulletin report by Paul Hare on the 1982 Nottinghamshire Congress. The Congress was held at the County Hall in West Bridgford. The Premier event was won by Geoff Lawton with a score of 5½/6.

Inter-County Championship - ECF Quarter Final Stage (24th May)

There were 4 Nottinghamshire teams competing in the quarter final stage which took place on Saturday 16th May. They were all closely fought matches with no more than a point difference in the scores. The U100 team beat Lancashire by a score of 6½-5½. The U140 had a bye and automatically go through to the next stage. The U160 team lost 8½-7½ to Middlesex. The U180 team lost 8½-7½ to Devon.

Quarter Final Results
U100 - Lancashire 5½-6½ Nottinghamshire Full results
U140 - Nottinghamshire bye
U160 - Nottinghamshire 7½-8½ Middlesex Full results
U180 - Devon 8½-7½ Nottinghamshire Full results

Semi Final Draw
U100 - Essex v Nottinghamshire
U140 - Hampshire v Nottinghamshire

Team Chess Challenge (10th May)

Report from John Swain

Nottingham High School qualified again as one of thirteen secondary schools in the second Team Chess Challenge at Imperial College, London, on Wednesday 22 April, where they came eighth on 10.5 points (out of a possible 20) but only 1.5 points behind the second-placed team. They defeated Bangor GS and Westminster Under School both by a 3-1 margin, Hampton School 2.5-1.5, drew with Mill Hill CHS 2-2 and lost to a strong Millfield team 0-4. The highlight of the day was probably their victory over GM Jonathan Mestel, ex-British Champion, in a clock simultaneous. View game

NCA Rules Revision Meeting (10th May)

The Rules Revision meeting will take place at West Bridgford Chess Club on Wednesday 20th May commencing at 7:30pm. An agenda and associated paperwork can be downloaded for the meeting.

pdf documentProposals 5a - 5f
pdf documentProposal 5g
pdf documentProposal 5h
pdf documentProposal 5i
pdf documentAgenda

The Hope Valley 5-Minute Tournament (26th Apr)

A 5-minute chess tournament is being held on Tuesday 5th May 7:15 for 7:30pm start at The Red Lion, 653 London Road, Heeley, Sheffield S2 4HT. If you have participated previously, there is no need to book a place; just turn up and enjoy this end of season fun evening! If this is to be your first participation in this annual event then please contact John Fryer on tel: 0114 230 1697 / mob: 07763 938623

Nottingham Congress (25th Apr)

Jonah Willow (West Notts), aged 12, drew with Russian Grandmaster Alexander Cherniaev in the final round to secure outright 3rd place in the Open, and the British Championship qualifying place. Cherniaev was first, ahead of Mark Hebden. Full Results

There were local winners in the other sections:

Major - Mark Kenyon (West Notts) 4/5 =1st
Intermediate - Andrew Thompson (Gambit) 4½/5 =1st
Minor - Ross Mackay (Nottinghamshire) 4/5 =1st

Best Game Prize (25th Apr)

Entries are invited for this season’s best game prize. In fact, this year there are two prizes (£15 each). One is open to all, while there is a new Under 140 prize (July 2014 grading list).

Any game played in an NCA event (League, County Championship, Rapidplay, Congress or County Match) since May 2014 is eligible.

Games don’t have to be perfect to win! A mistake or two, doesn’t necessarily rule a game out. So why not enter your most enjoyable game of the season? Not everyone can win, but it would be good to share more of the highlights of our season with our fellow players.

Please send entries to Steve Burke by the end of May.

Derby Furnace Evening Rapidplay (3rd Apr)

A rapidplay will be held on the 4th Thursday of every month at the Furnace Inn, 9 Duke Street, Derby DE1 3BX. Players need to arrive at 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start. Please contact James Collis on 07972 489528 or James.Collis@atkinsglobal.com for further details.

MCCU Congress (29th Mar)

The MCCU Congress took place in Walsall from 14th Mar to 15th Mar. Mike Barnes (Gambit) came 2nd in the open section with a score of 4/5 and won £200 in prize money. Jonah Willow (West Notts) shared 3rd place with a score of 3½/5 and won £33.33 in prize money. Jonah had a 191 grading performance for the tournament which is much higher than his actual grade of 168. Drag Sudar finished equal 3rd in the Major section with a score of 3½/5 and won £50 in prize money. Here are the results for all the Notts players that took part in the competition (all scores out of 5):

Blackpool Congress (29th Mar)

The Blackpool Congress took place at The Imperial Hotel, Blackpool from 6th Mar to 8th Mar. David Dunne (Mansfield) won a grading prize of £100 for a score of 4/5 in the intermediate section. Here are the results for all the Notts players that took part in the competition (all scores out of 5):

Doncaster Congress (29th Mar)

The Doncaster Congress took place at Hall Cross School, Doncaster from 27th Feb to 1st Mar. Peter Mercs (Gambit) came equal 1st in the open section with a score of 4/5 and won £125 in prize money. Simon Scott (West Notts) shared first place in the minor section with a score of 4/5 and won £100 in prize money. Here are the results for all the Notts players that took part in the competition (all scores out of 5):

Nottinghamshire Chess on the BBC (22nd Mar)

Nottinghamshire Chess on the BBC - chess, brain power, and expansion in schools and colleges. There was an article on the BBC Radio Nottingham morning show (about 2 hours 15 minutes in) featuring well known officers. Some of the subjects they discuss are the benefits of chess, the rules of chess, the time to play a game of chess, the use of computers in chess and getting children involved in chess. It is available to listen to on the BBC iPlayer.

Inter-County U160 Championship: Greater Manchester 4-12 Nottinghamshire (22nd Feb)

The U160 team beat Greater Manchester 12-4 and are the Midlands U160 Champions. Their next match will be in the National Quarter Finals on May 16th. Full Results

Inter-County U180 Championship: Nottinghamshire 6½-9½ Warwickshire (6th Feb)

Only two teams entered the U180 championship this season. After failing to get out of the group stage in the Minor Championship, Nottinghamshire decided to try their luck in the U180 Championship. They lost 9½-6½ to Warwickshire but still qualify for the National stages. Full Results

Inter-County U140 Championship: Staffordshire 4½-11½ Nottinghamshire (6th Feb)

Nottinghamshire are the Midlands U140 Champions after a 11½-4½ win over Staffordshire. They now go through to the National Quarter Finals which will be played on May 16th. Full Results

Nottingham Rapidplay (25th Jan)

The winner of the Open section was GM Mark Hebden (Guildford 4NCL) with a score of 6/6. The major section was won by Nathanael Paul (Newport) with a score of 5/6. The intermediate section was won by Matthew Wilson (Wigston) with a score of 5½/6. The minor section was won by Stephen Crockett (Redditch) with a score of 6/6. Full Results

London Junior Chess Championships (13th Jan)

Aditya Munshi (West Notts) came equal 4th in the Under 12 Major section with a score of 6½/9.

Hastings Congress (13th Jan)

Chris Fraser (West Bridgford) came 2nd in the Christmas Afternoon C event with a score of 4/5 and won £80 prize money.

Nottingham Central and Bridgford Christmas tournament (23rd Dec)

Report from Tim Walker

Robert Richmond won the time-handicap Nottingham Central and Bridgford Christmas tournament on December 15th with a score of 4½/5. Second equal were Tim Walker and last year's winner Harry Croasdale, both on 4/5.

The top standings in the tournament (out of the 24 that played) were:

1 R. Richmond (West Bridgford) 4½/5
2= T Walker, H. Croasdale 4
3= H. Solomonides, R. Truman 3½

Robert Richmond's victory was impressive in that he only had 3 or 4 minutes on the clock out of a combined 20 minutes, for three of his matches. Of some festive interest also may be, that he may also have broken a new record in winning a tournament in which he had the black pieces in every round.

Inter-County U100 Championship: Warwickshire 8½-3½ Nottinghamshire (22nd Dec)

The U100 team lost 8½-3½ to Warwickshire in their second match of the season. Having defaulted their bottom 3 boards it was always going to be difficult for the Notts team to recover. Full Results

Inter-County U120 Championship: Nottinghamshire 8-4 Worcestershire (20th Dec)

Another convincing win for the U120 team, this time beating Worcestershire by a score of 8-4, sees them top the table with one match left to play. Full Results

Inter-County Minor Championship: Nottinghamshire 5½-10½ Leicestershire (20th Dec)

The minor team suffered a heavy defeat to Leicestershire by a score of 10½-5½. This result means they are eliminated at the group stage and do not progress any further in the Minor Championship. Full Results

New Nottingham Central team in Division 5 (30th Nov)

Nottingham Central have entered a new team into the league in Division 5 called Nottingham Central 3. They will be allowed to play half a season (each club once - 7 matches) commencing January 2015. Their match fixtures are as follows:

Tuesday 13 Jan Ga5 v Ce3
Tuesday 27 Jan Ce3 v No3
Tuesday 17 Feb Un3 v Ce3
Tuesday 24 Feb Ce3 v WB6
Tuesday 10 Mar Un4 v Ce3
Tuesday 17 Mar Ce3 v WN5
Monday 13 Apr WB5 v Ce3

Friends of Nottinghamshire Junior Chess (30th Nov)

Nottinghamshire junior chess has had much success in recent years. To run events, provide a high level of coaching, and maintain this level of success requires money. David Levens (Head Coach to NPSCA) would like to form a Friends Association for the county of Nottinghamshire. This would help raise money with raffles and with other fund-raising activities. If you are willing to help then please contact him. A letter can be downloaded with further details.

Nottinghamshire County Championship (30th Nov)

The 2014/15 County Champion is Mike Barnes (Gambit) with a score of 4/5. Full results

EMJCA Grand Prix (22nd Nov)

The dates for the EMJCA Grand Prix events being run this season are as follows:

14 December - Risley
22 February - Bramcote
8 March - Bramcote
10 May - Risley
7 June - Risley
5 July - Bramcote

All the events are held on a Sunday from 11am to 6pm. The entry fee for each event is £20. The player with the best 4 results from 6 events will be declared the winner. Please send entries to Christopher Dunworth. Further details are available to download.

MCCU Congress (22nd Nov)

The MCCU Congress will be held on 14-15 March 2015 at Walsall. This is a 5 round long play competition and is part of the MCCU Grand Prix. There is a total prize fund of £1860. An entry form can be downloaded for players interested in taking part.

Inter-County Minor Championship: Nottinghamshire 7½-6½ Derbyshire (16th Nov)

The minor team beat Derbyshire 7½-6½ in a closely fought match. The result was closer than expected given that the Notts players outgraded their opponents on nearly every board. Full Results

Inter-County U120 Championship: Nottinghamshire 9½-2½ Lincolnshire (16th Nov)

The U120 team thrashed Lincolnshire 9½-2½ in a very one sided match. They were 8-0 up before Lincolnshire were able to score their first point. Full Results

British Rapidplay (15th Nov)

There were a number of good performances from junior players of the West Notts club. Jonah Willow scored 6/11 in the major, Hambel Willow scored 6½/11 in the minor and in the U11 Trial Adam Bennett and Armaan Gogia both finished equal 2nd with a score of 4/5. Here are the results for all the Notts players who took part in the competition (all scores out of 11 except the U11 Trial):

Scarborough Congress (15th Nov)

Tim Kendall (Gambit) finished =1st in the minor with a score of 4½/5 and won £375 prize money. Michael Barnes (Gambit) came =4th in the open with a score of 4/5 and won £25. Jonah Willow (West Notts) scored 3½/5 in the major and won a junior prize of £50. In the foundation section Hambel Willow (West Notts) and Chris Budd (West Bridgford) both came =4th and won £20 each. Hambel also won a junior prize of £50. Here are the results for all the Notts players who took part in the competition (all scores out of 5):

Hull Congress (15th Nov)

Chris Fraser (West Bridgford) came =1st in the minor section with a score of 4½/5 and won £350 prize money. Terry Lavelle (West Bridgford) came =2nd in the intermediate section with a score of 4/5 and won £200 prize money. Here are the results for all the Notts players who took part in the competition (all scores out of 5):

Inter-County U100 Championship: Nottinghamshire 7-5 Leicestershire (11th Nov)

The U100 team beat Leicestershire 7-5 in a match that was closer than it should have been given the difference in grades. Full Results

Online entry forms (2nd Nov)

The online entry forms are now available for the County Championship, Rapidplay and Congress. The links to the online entry forms are as follows:

County Championship - Enter Online
Nottingham Rapidplay - Enter Online
Nottingham Congress - Enter Online

If you have any problems with using these online entry forms then please contact the webmaster.

Inter-County Minor Championship: Lincolnshire 9-7 Nottinghamshire (26th Oct)

The minor team lost 9-7 to Lincolnshire. Last season they had an excellent win over Lincolnshire but unfortunately the team weren't able to produce the same result this time round. Full Results

Inter-County U120 Championship: Warwickshire 7½-4½ Nottinghamshire (26th Oct)

The U120 team lost 7½-4½ to Warwickshire in their opening match of the season. An early 4-3 lead was the high point of the day as Warwickshire proved too strong on the bottom boards. Full Results

University captains confirmed (22nd Oct)

The University captains for the current season (2014-15) have been confirmed. Details can be found on the information page.

Inter-County U160 Championship: Warwickshire 6½-9½ Nottinghamshire (22nd Oct)

The U160 team beat Warwickshire by a score of 9½-6½ despite missing several regular players and juniors. The match was decided on the bottom boards where Notts players outgraded their opponents by an average of 12 grading points. Full Results

Nottinghamshire Competitions - entry forms (7th Oct)

The entry forms for the County Championship, Congress and Rapidplay competitions can now be downloaded from the website:

The online entry forms will be available later.

Nottinghamshire Competitions (13th Sep)

The dates have been confirmed for the County Championship, Congress and Rapidplay competitions. These are as follows:

NCA AGM Minutes 2014 (10th Sep)

The draft minutes of the Nottinghamshire Chess Association AGM held at West Notts CC on 21 July 2014 is now available to view on the website.

CWANG 2014 (18th Aug)

The annual CWANG event took place on Thursday 17th July 2014 at the Horse 'n' Groom. Central/Mansfield won the event with 25 points, followed by last year's winner Gambit on 22 points. Full Results

League Management Committee Minutes (3rd Aug)

The minutes for the League Management Committee meeting held at the Horse & Groom, Basford on Monday 7th July are now available on the website. Please note that these minutes have been reviewed but will not be formally accepted until the next LMC meeting.

Inter-County Championship - ECF Final Stage (20th Jul)

Three Nottinghamshire teams were playing in the finals. The minor team lost 9½-6½ to Suffolk. The U140 team lost 9-7 to Hampshire. The U120 team won 7-5 against Hertfordshire.

Final Results
Minor - Suffolk v Nottinghamshire 9½-6½ Full results
U140 - Hampshire v Nottinghamshire 9-7 Full results
U120 - Hertfordshire v Nottinghamshire 5-7 Full results

Ashfield Chess Club website revived (13th Jul)

Ashfield Chess Club website has gone live again after being dormant for a few years. The new site has been revived by club member's Steve Bak's hard work and expertise. We hope the site will be of interest to club members, and all those who take an interest in Nottinghamshire Chess. Visit the Ashfield Chess Club website.

Nomads - new venue (6th Jul)

Nomads Chess Club have relocated to Horse & Groom pub, Radford Road, Nottingham. Matches will be played in the function room, which many players will recall from the annual CWANG challenge. Interestingly, Nomads are sharing the pub with Nottingham Backgammon Club which gives chess players another game to try out on Monday evenings. Further details can be found on the Nomads Chess Club website.

NCA Annual General Meeting 2014 (29th Jun)

The NCA Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday 21st July at 7:30pm at West Notts Chess Club. An agenda for the meeting and the draft minutes of the RRM meeting on 12th May are available to download. Any reports received by 14th July will be circulated with final papers for the meeting. Please could all officers indicate to the President whether or not they are willing to continue in post for next season; anyone, current officer or otherwise, who would like to take on a role within the NCA is likewise asked to contact the President.

NCA Updates to Rules, Constitution and Executive Committee Standing Orders (29th Jun)

Following the Rules Revision Meeting (RRM) there were changes made to the league rules, constitution and Executive Committee Standing Orders.

Inter-County Championship - ECF Semi Final Stage (21st Jun)

All 3 Nottinghamshire were successful in their matches at the semi final stage. The minor team beat Leicestershire for the third time this season with a score of 9½-6½. The U140 team had a close match against Kent but came through 9-7. The U120 team had a comfortable win over Staffordshire by 7½-4½.

Semi Final Results
Minor - Leciestershire v Nottinghamshire 6½-9½ Full results
U140 - Nottinghamshire v Kent 9-7 Full results
U120 - Staffordshire v Nottinghamshire 4½-7½ Full results

Final Draw
Minor - Suffolk v Nottinghamshire
U120 - Hertfordshire v Nottinghamshire
U140 - Hampshire v Nottinghamshire

Inter-County Championship - ECF Quarter Final Stage (3rd Jun)

The quarter final stage of the county championships was played on 17 May. Nottinghamshire had 3 teams competing in the minor, U120 and U100 sections. The minor team had a convincing 10-6 victory over Manchester and progress to the semi final stage where they will play Leicestershire. The U120 team beat Lancashire 7½-4½ and also progress to the semi final stage where they will play Staffordshire. The U100 team lost 7-4 to Kent and are out of the championship.

Quarter Final Results
Minor - Nottinghamshire 10-6 Manchester Full results
U120 - Lancashire 4½-7½ Nottinghamshire Full results
U100 - Kent 7-4 Nottinghamshire Full results

Semi Final Draw
Minor - Leicestershire v Nottinghamshire
U120 - Staffordshire v Nottinghamshire