Historical winners list (from 1908 – 2017) | Archive of previous years | 100 Years of the County Championship
2023 Finals – National Champions
(pictured above – Counties Controller Mark Murrell (centre) and ECF Events Director Shohreh Bayat (left) present the Open Trophy to Middlesex Captain Anthony Fulton – photograph and gallery below by Philip Staniland)
Championship – Middlesex (also SCCU Champions) on 1st tie-break, extending the county’s record of most wins to 30
Minor Counties – Cambridgeshire (also EACU Champions) on 1st tie-break, last won in 1988
U2050 – Essex (also SCCU Champions) retained their title (a hat-trick interrupted by Covid-19)
U1850 – Middlesex (also SCCU Champions) retained their title (a hat-trick interrupted by Covid-19 if the former U160 event counts)
U1650 – Yorkshire (also NCCU Champions), a first in this section
U1450 – Greater Manchester, a first in this section
The tie-breaks were (1) lowest board count of games won (2) elimination of lowest board score until tie is broken (3) team with black on board 1
The Finals
Open – Surrey 8 – 8* Middlesex (Hythe Centre, Staines)
Minor Counties – Norfolk 8 – 8* Cambridgeshire (The Guildhall, Thetford)
U2050 – Essex 16 – 0 Warwickshire (conceded)
U1850 – Yorkshire 6 – 10 Middlesex (Syston Community Centre)
U1650 – Yorkshire 9 – 7 Warwickshire (Syston Community Centre)
U1450 – Greater Manchester 8.5 – 3.5 Essex (Syston Community Centre)
Matches were played over 16 boards except for the U1450, which was played over 12 boards, at the above regional venues chosen by the ECF Home Director.
Open
Minor
Control/ Arbiting Team
Chief Arbiter IA Shohreh Bayat and Controller Mark Murrell; in Staines – IA Shohreh Bayat & Richard Buxton; in Syston – Francis Bowers & Phill Beckett; in Thetford – Rob Hammond
Commentary
WIM Natasha Regan and Ben Purton on the ECF Twitch Commentary Channel – https://www.twitch.tv/ecf_commentary
Replay the Finals online
Open – Lichess.org – https://lichess.org/broadcast/ecf-counties-championship-open-final-2023/round-1/CxV3fuSG
Open – DGT Livechess iCloud – https://view.livechesscloud.com#b1efd519-d723-4bb6-8e91-1557822f78b5
Open – Chess.com – https://www.chess.com/events/2023-ecf-counties-open-championship-final
Minor Counties – Lichess.org – https://lichess.org/broadcast/ecf-counties-championship-minor-counties-final-2023/final/iQxWonJP
Minor Counties – DGT Livechess iCloud – https://view.livechesscloud.com/#8885abd8-7360-408d-9e6d-5fec827784fd
Minor Counties – PGN download here – 2023-Minor-Counties
Minor Counties photo gallery – https://photos.app.goo.gl/57e3FjW9kNvvQuvQ9
Matchcard pairings and results for each final can be viewed at the following ECF LMS links —
Championship | Minor Counties | U2050 | U1850 | U1650 | U1450
Championships schedule
26 March – close of nominations
22 April – Preliminary Round
13 May – Open, Minor Counties, U1850 & U1450 Quarter Finals
20 May – U2050 & U1650 Quarter Finals
10 June – Semi Finals of all championships
01 July – Finals of all championships
Championships Results (in the ECF LMS)
Open | Minor Counties | U2050 | U1850 | U1650 | U1450 | Draws | Draws (PDF) (updated 19/06/23)
Qualifying competitions
These were held by all Unions, whose results can be viewed here —
East | Midlands | North | South | West
The Championships
Open
FIDE & ECF rated (no rating limit)
Gold ECF membership required for more than 1 game and FIDE registration that is not Russian or Belarusian.
Minor Counties
For County teams with a maximum team average ECF rating of 2050
Bronze ECF membership required
ECF rating limited sections
For County teams with players rated U2050, U1850, U1650 and U1450
Bronze ECF membership required.
The 1st September monthly standard Official Original list (Blue September 2022) categories A and K only determines eligibility for the purposes of the rating limited sections and team average in the Minor Counties. Eligibility for players without such a rating will be determined by the first published category K or A rating in a subsequent monthly standard Official Original (blue) list and otherwise by the allocation of a competition estimate by the National Controller.
Rules 2022/23
County Championship Rules 2022-23