Under 11 Open – National Schools Chess Championships

The National Schools Under 11 Chess Championships 2015 sponsored by Heathside Preparatory School

Finals – Uppingham School July 2nd/3rd 2015

Congratulations to The Hall School who are the ECF Champion School at Under 11 for 2015. They narrowly beat Magdalen College School and Heathside School in the National Finals held at Uppingham School.

The event was played in a very sporting spirit and the chess was as expected for a major national final.

A big thanks goes to Uppingham School for hosting the event and to our sponsors, Winchester School, St Catherine’s School and Heathside School.

A big thank you also to all the people who ran regional finals. However the biggest thank you to all the children who showed that chess can be played in a competitive way and continue to be sporting.

Rank	Team	Gam.	+	=	–	Pts.	MP
1	The Hall School A	5	4	1	0	22	9
2	Magdalen College School	5	4	0	1	21	8
3	Heathside School	5	2	2	1	17½	6
4	The Hall School B	5	3	0	2	16½	6
5	King’s College School	5	2	2	1	16	6
6 =	Aughton St Michael School	5	2	0	3	15½	4
6 =	The Grange School	5	2	0	3	15½	4
8	St Paul’s School	5	2	1	2	14	5
9	RGS Newcastle	5	2	0	3	13½	4
10	The Dell School	5	1	2	2	13	4
11	Lisle Marsden School	5	2	0	3	12½	4
12	St Edwards Academy	5	0	0	5	3	0

– Julian Clissold, ECF National Schools Under 11 Controller

Regional Finals

The final three regional zones have taken place over the last week, all in the London area. The results were as follows —

The Hall School, Belsize Park, London – Sunday 1st March 2015

1st – The Hall School A Team (Q)
2nd – The Hall School C Team (Q)
3rd – Pointer School
4th – The Hall School B Team
5th – The Hall School D Team
6th – New End School
7th – St Mary School A Team
8th – Frith Manor School
9th – St Mary School B Team

Thanks go to the school for hosting the event and to British Chess Champion GM Jonathan Hawkins for supporting the event and making the presentations.

Twickenham Preparatory School, Hampton, London – Wednesday 3rd March 2015

1st – Kings College Junior School (Q)
2nd – Sheen Mount School
3rd – Twickenham Prep School

Thanks go to Twickenham Prep School for hosting the event.

Heathside School, Hampstead, London – Sunday 8th March

1st – Heathside School A Team (Q)
2nd – St Pauls Primary School A Team (Q)
3rd – Martin’s Primary School
4th – Heathside School B team
5th – Heathside School C Team
6th – St Paul;s Primary School B Team
7th – Heathside School D Team
8th – Frith Manor Primary School

Thanks go to Heathside School for hosting the event and to Lateefah Messam-Sparks for organising the facilities. Thanks also go to Angela Eyton who has provided invaluable support to both the North London events.

(Q) Teams that have qualified for the final at Uppingham School on 2nd/3rd July.

North East Regional Final – Newcastle, 8th November 2014

1st – RGS Newcastle A Team
2nd – RGS Newcastle B Team
3rd – Newcastle Prep. School
4th – Dame Allen School A Team
Controllers: Paul Bielby and Richard Boddy

North Midlands Regional Final – Leek, 8th November 2014

1st – St Edward’s Academy A Team
2nd – St Edward’s Academy B Team
3rd – The Elms School
4th – St Edward’s Academy C Team
Controllers: Matthew Carr and Andrew Davies

North West Regional Final – Bolton, 15th November 2014

1st – Aughton St Michael’s School
2nd – Lisle Marsden School
3rd – Sacred Heart School B Team
4th – St Bridget School
Controllers: Julian Clissold and Rod Middleton

Regional Final, Monmouth – 23rd November 2014

1st – Grange A
2nd – Howell’s School
3rd – Grange B
4th – St. John’s College
Arbiter: Ian Eustis

Regional Final, Oxford

1st – Magdalen College School – 19½ Qualifiers
2nd – Dell Primary School – 15 Qualifiers
3rd – Aldro School – 14½
4th – Magdalen College School C – 11
5= Magdalen College School B – 10½
5= ‘Terminators’ – 10½
7th – William Fletcher School – 9
8th – SS Mary & John School – 6

Thanks go to Magdalen College School for hosting the event.

Last year, Heathside Preparatory School, a small and friendly day school close to Hampstead Heath in London, sponsored the ECF U11 Championship, which gives primary schools across the UK an exciting opportunity to compete for the official ECF title of ‘Under 11 National Schools Chess Champions’.

Schools are invited to enter teams of 6 players for the 2014/15 championships.

Julian Clissold – U11 Open Conductor Tel: 01204 852036
Email: j_clissold@btinternet.com

ECF NATIONAL SCHOOLS CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP: U11 RULES – October 2014
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:
(a) Each player must be a bona fide pupil of the school he/she represents in the year of the competition;
(b) Age limit: under 11 on the 31st August of the school year in which the competition begins;
(c) No player may represent more than one team in the course of a season, except as provided by (e) below;
(d) No player may represent more than one school in the course of a season;
(e) 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.
(f) 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

Zone Stage Winners will be accorded the title of ECF Regional Champions.
The Competition will feature a number of zonal tournaments, one of which shall be an internet option**. Schools may elect to enter any of the zonal events. The zones will be distributed around the country as far as is possible.
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.
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. 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.
Players who arrive more than thirty minutes after the clock start will be defaulted.
Time controls will be all moves in fifty minutes.
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.
Teams will provide a Manager who will also act as a Board Steward.
The decision of the Controller will be final.

7) The National stage

The National Final will be made up of all the winners from the regional zones.
Sufficient second placed teams will then be invited to make the total number of finalists up to eight. 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.
In the event of winning teams unable to attend the final, the Chief Controller may select further teams on the above basis.
The event will be organised as a seven round all-play-all.
Winners will be decided by highest game points scored. In the event of equal scores the championship will be tied.
The final will be played with time controls of 50 minutes for all moves.
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. Defaults will be on the bottom boards.
The National Final will be played over two days (2^nd/3^rd July 2014) at Uppingham 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.
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

If you play for a win, you risk losing, unless your opponent has a bare king.
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.
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.

Guidance for Arbiters

Rule 21 ‘cannot possibly checkmate’ is defined as there being no mating possibility even with the help of the opponent.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Regional Finals	Venues	Provisional date
North East Champions	RGS Newcastle	Saturday 8 Nov 2014
North West Champions	Sunninghill School, Bolton	Saturday 15th Nov 2014
South Midlands Champions	Magdalen College School, Oxford	Sunday 7^th December 2014
London and Home Counties Champions	Heathside School, London	Saturday 7^th March 2015 To be confirmed
London & Home Counties Champions	Twickenham Prep. School	28^th February 2015
London and Home Counties Champions	The Hall School	1^st March 2015
North Midlands Champions	St Edwards School, Leek	Saturday 8^th November 2014
South West Champions	The Grange School, Monmouth	Sunday 23 November 2014

The Final will be at Uppingham School on the 2nd/3rd July 2015

** The Internet Zone is part of collaboration with ICC. Entries should be in, indicating the Internet Option, before 30^th November. The ECF Junior Team will then advise schools on how the tournament is to be conducted. This may depend on the size of the entry.