The ECF is pleased to announce the participation of England Open and Girls teams in the invitation-only European Online Youth Individual and Team Championships, to be held from Friday 18th September to Sunday 20th September, 2020.
The 24 selected England players (3 in each of the categories: Girls Under 12; Open Under 12; Girls Under 14; Open Under 14; Girls Under 16: Open Under 16; Girls Under 18; and Open Under 18) will play online under arbiter and Zoom camera supervision from a single central venue, Mercure Daventry Court Hotel and Spa.
Players will compete individually for European titles in each age group and as part of the England Open and Girls teams in the 9-round Rapidplay event, with three rounds per day. The time control will be 25 minutes per player, plus 5 seconds per move. The “hybrid” event, online but under arbiter and Zoom video conference supervision, is being organised by the European Chess Union in one of the first international events of its kind.
The players will play their games by laptop computer with strict social distancing in the same playing hall (with an area of 500 square metres) that normally accommodates the entire Division 1 & 2 of the 4NCL. Due to Covid-19 safety regulations, no spectators will be allowed in the playing area.
Apart from players’ laptops, no electronic devices will be permitted in the playing area, and as well as checks of players’ laptops, normal ‘over-the-board’ Fair Play enforcement procedures will also be in force. Players will be required to be on Zoom throughout their games, sharing the laptop screen. While we expect the hotel’s WiFi connection to fully support streaming for all players, we would ask players to ensure they have their own WiFi hotspot/portable internet connection available as backup in case of emergency.
Players and their parents/guardians will be expected to stay overnight at the Mercure Daventry Court Hotel on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th September, following the same principle as the ‘England cricket squad bubble’. The relevant government Covid-19 social distancing guidelines must be observed at all times, and players will have their temperature checked with a digital thermometer before play begins each day.
After players are selected, families will be asked to book their accommodation through Bridge Overseas, who have kindly arranged the venue for the ECF. The room rate, negotiated through Bridge Overseas, is £69 B&B per room per night (single occupancy), and £79 B&B per room per night (twin/double occupancy).
Selected players will be informed by email in the coming days. Please respond promptly to invitations so that we can register players in time.
The chief arbiter at Daventry will be IA Matthew Carr. All enquiries regarding the European Online Youth Individual and Team Championships should be addressed only to the England Team Manager for the event, FIDE International Organiser Tim Wall, by email to timpeterwall@gmail.com