Dear ECF Member
Welcome to the June edition of the eNewsletter. In this edition we have a fascinating lengthy interview with Moustaque Choudhury, secretary of the British Bangla Chess Association, whose club is proving to be a huge success on and off the board. In their first season they have won London League Division Four at a canter while using chess as a tool for much needed social change among young people in one of the poorest areas of London. We also look at some excellent performances by juniors in the 4NCL Spring Congress, there’s a welcome return of the Master in Your Local series and the annual problem solving championships are beginning soon.
On a housekeeping note, we understand members are finding difficulty with ‘preferences’ if they have previously unsubscribed. We apologise for this inconvenience and we will put this right.
With the County Championships and British Championships coming up in June and July, there is plenty of distraction from the football World Cup (I am assuming England will revert to type and be on the plane home before they get off the one that brings them to Russia).
— Mark Rivlin
Across the board
Mark Rivlin interviews British Bangla Chess Association secretary Moustaque Choudhury here — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/BBCA.docx
Advance to finance
Aside from membership rates featured in last month’s newsletter, there were other important decisions taken on the ECF Finance Council meeting including make-up of county championships and initiative to get more women involved in chess. More here — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/finance-council-meeting-2018-decisions/
Guild-ed edge – 4NCL final weekend
Guildford won the 4NCL Division 1 title with a round to spare, and there were norms for Australian Justin Tan (GM), Irishman David Fitzsimmons (IM) and England’s Adam Taylor (IM). More here — www.4ncl.co.uk
http://www.4ncl.co.uk/download/reports1718/4NCL_May_2018_Report.pdf
https://www.englishchess.org.uk/gm-im-norms-at-the-4ncl/
http://www.4ncl.co.uk/data/pairings_1718.htm
12 Hungry Men
The following 12 GMs have confirmed playing at the British Championships in Hull next month — Michael Adams, Gawain Jones, Jonathan Hawkins, Luke McShane, Daniel Gormally, Keith Arkell, Mark Hebden, Nick Pert, Peter Wells, Daniel Fernandez, Chris Ward and John Emms.
Problem solved
The Winton British Chess Solving Championships 2018-19 get under way late July. Competition details here — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/winton-british-chess-solving-championship-2018-19/ and more here — http://www.theproblemist.org
Chess wealth of nations
The Commonwealth Chess Championships are being hosted in India from 25th June to 4th July – more here — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/commonwealth-chess-championship-2018/
World Team Chess Championship for the Disabled
This year the tournament is in Dresden – more here — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Invitation_and_Regulations_WTCD_281217.pdf
Chester Le Streets ahead
Another excellent weekender in the North East. More here (note that Silver Membership is required) — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Chester-le-Street.docx
CHESS Magazine June sample
Click here — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/CHESS-June-2018.pdf
Hewell never walk alone
ECF Chess in Prisons Director Carl Portman features in the HMP Hewell newsletter. Carl takes up the story — “Hewell were kind enough to send me a copy of their prison magazine yesterday. I feature on page 9 and as you can see the ECF is mentioned. I particularly like the quote from the inmate too – a big statement indeed. The moustache was only growing then – I do possess the handlebar version now. I am off to America tomorrow as Captain of the UK Chess team playing in the NATO Chess Championships so that should be fun. It is only 40 degrees Centigrade at the moment! I then spend a week with friends in Arizona and I intend to go snake hunting – as you do. I have some more prison work developing but I shall deal with it all after I return from the US which won’t be until 18 June. I can say that on July 10 I am visiting HMP Bedford. More here — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Carl-Portman.pdf
European Clubs Cup — http://www.europechess.org/european-club-cup-2018-regulations/
Treasurer’s Island
Latest instalment of FIDE’s long running soap here — http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/10901-fide-treasurers-letter.html
World Schools Chess Championships
There was a good presence from England at the World Schools Championships held in Durres, Albania in May. The team consists of Max Miller, Adam Hussein, Georgia Headlong, Denis Dupuis and Nadhmi Auchi, Kavin Thooran, Siena Gurjar and Sohum Lohia. The coaches were GM Glenn Flear, GM Jonathan Hawkins and FM Adam Taylor. Results here — http://chess-results.com/tnr334475.aspx?lan=1&art=25&fedb=ENG&flag=30 and reports here — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/Juniors/world-schools-chess-championships-2018/
King’s Place
Adam Raoof’s excellent six-round rapidplay is back on Saturday 7 July. More here — https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/learning/demontford-bell-kings-place-chess-festival/ and here — chessengland.com
Springboard for success – 4NCL Spring Congress
Two great junior performances in the U2050 section with 14-year old Nadia Jaufarally winning the section on 6/7 and Shreyas Royal scoring an unbeaten 4.5/7. Leonard Barden wrote, “Shreyas is rated 1812 and all his seven opponents were over 1900, three of them over 2000. His TPR is not available yet but should not be far short of 2100. I don’t recall an English U10 ever making a 2000+ performance before, although the gold standard remains Luke McShane’s World U10 championship at age 8 at Duisberg 1992. Luke finished ahead of three future elite GMs, Levon Aronian, Alexander Grischuk and Etienne Bacrot.”
GM Nicholas Pert won the Open with 6.5/7 followed by IM Alan Merry and GM John Nunn.
Academy news
Latest here — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/Juniors/academy-news/
Captains Fantastic
The ECF invites applications or the posts of England Women’s Team Captain and England Open Team Captain for the Chess Olympiad at Batumi, Georgia, running from 23.9 to 6.10 2018. More here — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/captains-for-the-womens-and-open-olympiad-teams/
All the way Frome Somerset
Results of the Frome congress — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/29th-frome-congress-report/
Arbiter courses
See here for ECF arbiter course in June and later in year here — https://www.englishchess.org.uk/ecf-arbiter-course-registration/
Canny Danny
GM Daniel Gormally was the Master in Your Local taking on all comers in Newcastle City Library in February. The simul was open to the public in the main cafe of the Newcastle City Library, and lasted for two hours. The event was part of the Newcastle Chess Festival organised to popularise chess on Tyneside, whose centrepiece was the Northumbria Masters. Daniel produced a 100 per cent performance against local club players and members of the public who saw the simul and joined in on the spot.The simul was covered extensively in the Newcastle Chronicle — https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/watch-chess-grandmaster-take-30-14286630
Obituaries
GM Ivan Bukavshin
https://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=8061&sid=fd25aa5f873f5767278defd7b3fa5abf
Colin Roberts, Shropshire Chess Association
https://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=9628&sid=fd25aa5f873f5767278defd7b3fa5abf
Roy Starkie, Cowley Chess Club
https://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=9628&sid=fd25aa5f873f5767278defd7b3fa5abf
GM Evgeni Vasiukov
https://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=9661&sid=fd25aa5f873f5767278defd7b3fa5abf