Yarm Preparatory School's Delancey UK Schools' Chess Challenge 2022

We had an excellent day at Yarm Preparatory School on Saturday, running the Delancey UK Schools' Chess Challenge there for the first time in two years.

We had a record entry of 82 players and each section - from Year 2 up to Year 6 - featured strongly contested title battles.

Thank you to all of the children and staff who helped to make it such a memorable day.

Here is a gallery from our very fine day of chess (all photographs are © Mr Grundmann).

Our players are now looking forward to the Teesside Megafinal on Sunday 1 May.

Click on the image below to find the online enrolment page.

Event Announcement: Fifth Teesside Megafinal

I am very pleased to announce the details of the Fifth Teesside Megafinal.

This will be our first Megafinal since 2019. Our plans for 2020 and 2021 had to be curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Event: 2022 Delancey UK Schools' Chess Challenge Teesside Megafinal. This year, children do not need to have qualified from the initial phase to enter a Megafinal. Entry is open to all!

Venue: Yarm Senior School, specifically the Princess Alexandra Auditorium.  This is one of the North East's premier concert venues and we are delighted to be back here. Parking is available on site.

Date: Sunday 1 May 2022

Timings: Please arrive for 9.30 a.m. Play will start at 10.00 a.m. The prize giving will be at approximately 5.00 p.m. but we are hoping to pull the timings forward if we have the opportunity to do so on the day.

Closing Date for Entries: Tuesday 26 April 2022

The online entry form and other information can be found on the UKCC website.

Format: All players will play six rounds, on the Swiss system. We will combine some of the sections but the champions of each one will receive the trophies and titles. Tied places will be resolved by the Sum of Progressive Scores tiebreaker.

Arbiter: Sean Marsh

General Information: 

The Megafinal has a set number of 150 places. Once these have been booked the online entry system will not allow any more.

We cannot accept any more entries once the Megafinal is full and we will definitely not be able to take extra entries on the day.

If you miss out on a place on Teesside, please try another Megafinal. They are listed here.

We cannot offer full supervision anywhere outside of the playing rooms. Parents/guardians must supervise their children at all times other than when the children are in the playing rooms.

Parents, guardians, teachers and chess coaches will not be allowed in the playing rooms during the rounds.

Problems arising during the games will be solved by the tournament Arbiter. Children must alert the Arbiter to any problems by raising their hand. It is very difficult to solve problems retrospectively.

The venue's cafe will be open and basic refreshments will be on sale throughout the day. However, we advise you to bring a packed lunch too.

We will be working very hard on the day trying to ensure everyone has a great time. As usual with our events, we want to keep the pressure on the children to an absolute minimum. To help protect this ethos, we want the children to relax between the rounds and to temporarily forget about their chess battles. It would be greatly appreciated if all parents, guardians, teachers, chess coaches et al supported this ethos too and helped all of the children to enjoy the day without applying any pressure between the rounds.

Full reports will appear across our range of social media platforms. Please let me know on the day if you have any concerns regarding the use of photographs.

The Arbiter's decision in all matters relating to the tournament is final.

A full list of Megafinal rules can be found on the UKCC website.

Training Day Tour 2021-22: Historic Hull

Hull was the latest stop on my CSC Training Day Tour, following on from this season's dates in London, Manchester, Stoke, the London Chess Classic and two online days.

As previously mentioned, Hull is a special place for me and I always try to create time to explore the city while I am there.

History awaits from the start, with significant contributions to the city commemorated at the railway station.

This report starts with some notable sights from Hull.

Philip Larkin

.

                                          

.

                                           

Impressive skyline

.

                                           

.

                                            

.

                                           

.

                                            

.

                              

I enjoyed a performance at Hull's City Hall, by Barrie Steele and friends, celebrating the music of Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly.

It was soon time for the training day. We had to miss the 2021 date for obvious reasons, so this was our first one at Hull's Central Library for two years.

One thing is certain: we are always guaranteed a warm welcome from Isaac and the library team.

.

                                          

The library spoiled us by setting out a magnificent chess display, as subtly demonstrated by Jo, the official training day assistant.

Isaac was very attentive to our needs and joined the initial part of the session to address the delegates on the subjects of housekeeping and health and safety.

We were fortunate indeed to have Dan Staples with us on the day. Dan wears many CSC hats, including one as Yorkshire's Regional Coordinator.

We had another special guest, in the form of Grandmaster Nigel Davies. Nigel addressed the delegates to tell them how unsuitable he was as a classroom teacher!

.

Of course, the real stars of the show were the magnificent delegates, all whom are intent on giving something back to the chess community. They worked hard all day long and we are now looking forward to helping everyone with their future progress.

There are lot of great people in Hull and they are working very hard to create chess opportunities for people of all ages.

Plans are afoot for future visits; the story will continue...

Thank you, everyone, for making it such an enjoyable day.

The Ali Ghiassi Memorial Junior Chess Tournament

The Ali Ghiassi Memorial Junior Chess Tournament 

Sponsored by Marguerita Evans in memory of her son Ali Ghiassi 

Date: Saturday 19 February 2022 

Time: 10.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. 

Venue: Sports Hall, John Leggott College, West Common Lane, Scunthorpe, DN17 1DS 

Tournament Format: Five-round Swiss

Ali Ghiassi

'Ali started playing at a chess club in London at six years old but it wasn't until he moved to Scunthorpe that he started playing competitively. Ali continued to play chess throughout his life and he would have been so pleased to think that through this tournament young players are being encouraged to participate playing chess into the future. '

General Information 

Entry Fee: £2.00 per player (cheques payable to ‘Joanne Hutchinson’). Closing date for entries: Wednesday 16 February 2022

Prizes include trophies, medals and certificates. Sections may be combined, depending on the number of entries.

We cannot offer full supervision outside of the playing hall and children must be accompanied by an adult throughout the day. Basic refreshments will be available on the day but please bring a packed lunch.

ECF Arbiter Jo Hutchinson is the tournament organizer and controller. The controller's decision, in all matters regarding the tournament, is final. All enquiries to: johutchinsonchess@gmail.com