The National Schools Under 11 Chess Championships 2016/17

Contact: Julian Clissold Email: julian.clissold@englishchess.org.uk

Finals — Uppingham School 6/7th July 2017

Congratulations to King’s College School, winners of the ECF Under 11 Schools. The national final was hotly contested and the outcome was unclear until the final few boards. Heathside School and Pointers came second and third respectively. This year the tournament was enriched by  the attendance of schools from both Scotland and Wales.

If your school would like to take part next year, contact Julian Clissold at julian.clissold@englishchess.org.uk

Regional Finals

North East Champions at RGS Newcastle
Saturday 26th November 2016
— RGS Newcastle A, runners-up RGS Newcastle B

North West Champions at Sunninghill School, Bolton
Saturday 12th November 2016
— Sacred Heart, Liverpool

The ECF National Schools Tournament 2016 got under way with the North West Regional Final in Bolton on 12th November 2016. Congratulations to Sacred Heart RC Primary School, Liverpool who narrowly beat Aughton St Michael Primary School, Ormskirk; but the result went down to the final game. Eight teams took part, and there were fifty children playing

1. Sacred Heart A – 20 points
2. Aughton St Michael – 19.5 points
3. Sacred Heart B – 14.5 points

North Midlands Champions at St Edwards School, Leek
Saturday 12th November 2016
— St Edwards School A, runners up St Edwards School B

South West Champions at The Grange School, Monmouth
Sunday 20th November 2016
— The Dell

St John’s (2nd) qualify for the final.

South Midlands Champions at SS Mary & John’s, Oxford
Saturday 3rd December 2016
— Hallfield School, Edgbaston (Q), runners up St. Joseph’s School, Oxford

London & Home Counties Champions at Twickenham Prep. School
Saturday 25th February 2017
— St Pauls School (Q) came first and qualify by right. Kings College School (Q) qualify as a strong runner up.

Scottish Champions at Broughton High School, Edinburgh
Sunday, 26th February 2017
— St Peters School (Q) won and qualify. Sciennes (Q) qualify as a strong runner up.

London and Home Counties Champions at Heathside School, London
Sunday 5th March 2017

London and Home Counties Champions at The Hall School
Sunday 15th April 2017       

The Final will be at Uppingham School in July 2016. Current qualifiers are —
St Pauls, London; Kings College School, London; St Peters, Lothian; Sciennes, Lothian; RGS, Newcastle; Sacred Heart, Liverpool; St Edwards, Leek; Hallfield, Edgbaston; The Dell, Monmouth; St John’s, Monmouth; plus two more schools from North London.

U11 RULES – September 2016

1) The Championship is open to all schools in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Schools from the islands of the UK outside these areas may enter at the Chief Controller’s discretion.
2) Teams are of 6 players.
3) A school may enter any number of teams. Teams will be designated A, B, C and so on. Where teams are not of equal strength the A team must be the strongest, the B team the second strongest, and so on. Children may not play for more than one team in the regional Zone Stage.
4) Eligibility of players:

1. Each player must be a bona fide pupil of the school he/she represents in the year of the competition;
2. Age limit: under 11 on the 1st January 2016;
3. No player may represent more than one team in the course of a season, except as provided by (e) below;
4. No player may represent more than one school in the course of a season;
5. Where a school enters more than one team, then in the National Stage (but not the Zonal Stage) of the competition members of a lower (eg B) team may be promoted to a higher (eg A) team if their original team has been eliminated.
6. Ineligible players will be penalised in accordance with Rule 18.

ORGANISATION OF THE COMPETITION

5) The Championship will be organised in two stages: a one day Zonal stage, and a two day National Final for Zone Champions and runners-up. Dates for all these events are given in the Appendix.
6) The Zonal stage

1. Zone Stage Winners will be accorded the title of ECF Regional Champions.
2. The Competition will feature a number of zonal tournaments. Schools may elect to enter any of the zonal events. The zones will be distributed around the country as far as is possible.
3. The zonal events will be organised as Swiss Tournaments. In each case the winner will be invited to participate in the final. Second places will be invited in accordance with 7.II below.
4. Teams will present a team list in board order prior to the beginning of the first round. Board order may not be varied during the event without agreement with the tournament controller. The Board order should be based on grade strength or the best estimate of the same. Any defaulted boards will be on the bottom boards.
5. Players who arrive more than thirty minutes after the clock start will be defaulted.
6. Time controls will be all moves in twenty five minutes for regional finals. The final will use 50 minutes for all moves or an appropriate time allowance with increments.
7. Winners will be based on highest scores. Where scores are equal then qualifying places will be decided by:

1. Match score between teams on the same score
2. Sum of progressive scores.
3. Bottom Board elimination.
4. In the final first place, if tied, will be shared.

VIII. Teams will provide a Manager who will also act as a Board Steward.

IX. The decision of the Controller will be final.

7) The National stage

1. The National Final will be made up of all the winners from the regional zones.
2. Sufficient second placed teams will then be invited to make the total number of finalists up to twelve. Those teams will be selected on the following basis:
   a. Any regional event with significantly more schools taking part, this at the discretion of the Controller.
   b. The second placed teams closest in point count to their zone winners.
3. In the event of winning teams unable to attend the final, the Chief Controller may select further teams on the above basis.
4. The event will be organised as a Swiss Team Tournament.
5. Winners will be decided by highest game points scored. In the event of equal scores the championship will be tied.
6. The final will be played with time controls of 50 minutes for all moves or an appropriate use of increments.
7. Teams will present their team lists prior to the first round. Board order will be by grade strength or best estimate. Board order may not be varied except after consultation with the controller. Defaults will be on the bottom boards.
8. The National Final will be played over two days (July 2015) at Uppingham School. Qualifying schools will be sent details.

MATCH RULES

8) Except as otherwise provided by these Rules, all play in this competition will be in accordance with the FIDE Laws of Chess.
9) Any claim of ineligibility, or other complaint, must be submitted within 24 hours to the Controller, by first-class post or faster method. An appeal against a ruling by the Chief Controller may be made (within 24 hours) to the English Chess Federation’s Director of Junior Chess, whose decision will be final.
10) Any question arising which is not provided for by Rules 1-24 will be referred to the Chief Controller. An appeal against his/her ruling may be made (within 24 hours) to the English Chess Federation’s Director of Junior Chess, whose decision will be final.
11) The FIDE Laws of Chess which regulate the normal game of chess and the E.C.F. Tournament Rules apply except where specifically modified below.
12) Spectators must never interfere. Normally the Arbiter will not intervene, unless invited to do so by one of the two players involved in a game. The Arbiter, however, may point out a flag fall.
13) The Arbiter will decide where the clock is to be placed.
14) Before commencing a game, the players must inspect the position of the board and the settings on the clock. An error cannot normally be corrected
after each player has made three moves.
15) Players are not obliged to record their moves. Where a game is being recorded, the Arbiter must have full view of the scoresheet.
16) Only one hand shall be used to move the pieces and the same hand must be used to press the clock button.
17) The clock must not be picked up by either player.
18) Any player using undue force on a clock, after a warning by the Arbiter, may be penalised by the loss of the game.
19) The clocks must not be stopped except for a query requiring the presence of the Arbiter.
20) An illegal move suffers the normal penalties of the touch-move rule. Such a move is completed once the opponent’s clock has been started. If either player has less than five minutes left on the clock and an illegal move is made, the Arbiter will award the opponent two minutes for the first offence, and two minutes for a second offence. A further offence will lead to the loss of the game.
21). A player will win on time if he can stop the clocks showing that his opponent’s flag has fallen and his own has not fallen, unless the player cannot possibly checkmate, in which case the game is drawn.
22). If both flags are down, the game is drawn, irrespective of which flag fell first.
Declared Draw
23). A player may claim a draw during the last two minutes on his clock and before his own flag falls. He should offer a draw to his opponent. If it is refused, he must stop the clocks and summon the Arbiter. The Arbiter may then, or subsequently, declare the game drawn if he is satisfied that the opponent is making no effort to win the game by normal means. Where incremental time controls are used this rule ceases to apply.
24). After a draw has been claimed, the fact that the opponent has mating material does not necessarily mean that he will be awarded a win on time.

Guidance for Players who are short of time

1. If you play for a win, you risk losing, unless your opponent has a bare king.
2. If you are holding a position so that your opponent cannot make progress, offer him a draw. If he rejects the offer, summon the Arbiter.
3. If you wish to claim that your opponent is not making progress, do so immediately you have only two minutes left. Any later and the Arbiter may not be able to observe
enough moves to make a decision.
4. Where the final uses incremental time control the above does not apply.

Guidance for Arbiters

1. Rule 21 ‘cannot possibly checkmate’ is defined as there being no mating possibility even with the help of the opponent.
2. Rule 23 is the only rule which requires some chess judgement from the Arbiter. In positions such as where a player has a bare king blocking the opponent’s sole rook’s
pawn, the Arbiter may declare the game drawn if he believes
the defending player is of adequate playing strength.
3. The Arbiter is not expected to adjudicate a position, but he should make himself aware of the circumstances, usually by watching a few moves. For example, if a player:
a) makes tangible progress before his opponent’s flag falls, he will be awarded a win.
b) makes no progress, either because of lack of ability or because of his opponent’s sound defence, he will not be awarded a win.
c) makes no progress because his opponent makes little effort to move, the player will be awarded a win when his opponent’s flag falls.
4) The player who is short of time should make sufficient moves in his/her remaining time to allow you to judge the merits of the claim.
5) The result of games which have been cleared away should not be decided upon unless you are satisfied that the players observed the correct procedure for reporting the results, and that there is an intelligible record of the game available. Otherwise the declared result should stand.