Any enquiries should be sent both to stewartreuben@aol.com and Roger Scowen at patscowen@waitrose.com. The eligibility rule is that you have to be 50 or 65 on or before 31st December 2019 …
4th – 7th April ENGLISH SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
St Johns Hotel, Solihull B91 1AT
A 6 round Swiss starting at 7.30pm, 2 rounds 5 and 6 and 1 round 7th at 2pm. Contact Ed Goodwin at edhgoodwin@gmail.com. It is known that there is an overlap with the ES Individual.
5th – 15th April – EUROPEAN SENIOR INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP
5th – 15th April – EUROPEAN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
15th – 25th April – WORLD SENIOR TEAM CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP
All three of these events are at the Olympia Palace Hotel, Rhodes. Play, in the first round of each of the first two, is 6th April and last 14th. In the WSTCC, the first is 16th and last 24th. Thus there is no play 15th April.
This is a new initiative – the organisers hope some people will be attracted to the idea of needing only one flight and one hotel for two events. There is the new problem of 18 games in 19 days. Play in each event is from 15.00 daily, except the last round 10.30 with the closing ceremony at 17.00.
For the WSTCC it is teams of four in fixed order +1 optional reserve who, if in the team, always plays board 4. Other than for the teams in contention for a prize, it is usually arranged so that one player gets 8 games and the other four 7 games each.
All players must be from the same federation, in this case, ENG. Apart from the top few teams, the strength in the 50+ is quite similar to that in the 65. Since the event is not in Germany, there will be fewer weak teams competing than in 2018.
Generally a playing strength of about 1800 or 155 is adequate to secure a respectable score.
The provisional list must be registered by 20th February 2019. However, changes can be made until the Technical Meeting 16th April 2019 at 13.00.
The rate of play is 90 minutes for 40 moves + 30 minutes for the rest of the game, + 30 seconds per move increment throughout. Score must be kept throughout. It is strongly recommended that anybody unused to an increment should get experience in advance. The default time is 30 minutes after the start of the game.
The fee is €75 for registration and transport to and from Rhodes report. The request must be submitted when registering. private transportation can be provided for other dates.
There is an additional FIDE fee of €25 per player. The accommodation must be registered and booked at the Olympia Palace –
10 nights in a double room – €665
10 nights in a single room – €905
This includes full board, free WIFI and use of the hotel pools. After 20th February, subject to availability, registration may be offered at an increased cost. There is a discount of €100 for anybody who plays in the ESC or EAC and also the WSTCC.
The registrration must be made by 20 February through dan@bridgeoverseas.co.uk. The final sum, as agreed with Dan, must be done through Bridge Overseas. Two excursions will be arranged.
This year we managed to field a women’s team for the first time. I hope this will also be possible in 2019. Matters are by no means settled yet regarding the support for, and composition of, our two first teams.
Currently the cheapest 15th April, returning 25th, is £150 LHR to Rhodes via Manchester Ryanair 6.45 – 20.55, return 23.20 – 01.30. Of course many people may not start from London, indeed it seems cheaper from Manchester. If you want Bridge Overseas to take over your travel arrangements, please indicate this on the attached form. When putting in your initial entry, please make it clear whether you will definitely want to play, or whether matters are unclear. Please indicate whether you will be accompanied and, if so, for which days.
The magic number, after which we can accommodate any number of players, is 13 in each group. This year we had 41 players, but even so there was a last minute problem, as so many flights were cancelled or delayed.
If you are 65+, but willing to transfer to a 50+ team, please indicate this. That proved very helpful this year. Please indicate whether you prefer to play in a four or five person team. This option cannot be guaranteed. If you wish to play, please complete the attached form.
26th July – 4th August BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Riviera International Centre in Torquay is our most successful venue.
17th – 26th September EUROPEAN SENIOR TEAM CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Croatia – further details will become available in due course. Some of the technical problems explained under the WSTCC will also apply. This event has not been very successful for the last few years, probably because it was scheduled too close to the WSTCC.
11th – 24th November WORLD SENIOR INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Oradea, Romania – further details will become available in due course