Online Counties Championships 2020 – finals

After three months of competition, twelve teams remain in the first Online County Championship, contesting six seeded finals.

Northumberland and Lincolnshire contend for the title of National Online County Champions
History is in the making, as neither team has won an Open national county championship in 100 years of over-the-board competition.

Lincolnshire and Essex contend for the title of National Online U1825 County Champions
By virtue of the seeding applied in the group stages, eight other counties play for four additional championships tailored to their average team strength.

You can follow the results and the games live on the ECF LMS by clicking on the links below to take you to the matchcard for each of the finals.

Division 1
Open – Lincolnshire v Northumberland
Major Open – Devon v Yorkshire
 
Division 2
Open Challengers – Middlesex B v Oxfordshire
Minor Open – Somerset v Worcestershire

U1825
U1825 – Essex v Lincolnshire
U1825 Challengers – Norfolk v Greater Manchester

Live Streaming
Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan will be showcasing a selection of live games from the Finals at https://www.youtube.com/c/GameChangerChess

Live Scores
You can follow all of the scores in the Championships Finals and the lasts round of the National 100 (including the U100 pool match) from the ECF League Management System from the Fixtures page. In the ‘Matches’ filter box at the top of the fixture list select ‘Unlocked’ and you will then have a list of the live matches. Refresh your browser and reselect for updates. Alternatively scroll down the dates to the 22 August matches.

Watch In Play Live instructions
When you reach the live matchcard, identify the games you would like to follow. Click on the board number TV icon of the first and you will be taken to the live game for that board. Go back to the matchcard (or a different one) and click on the second game. A new tab in your browser will open which you should then close (Chess.com does not allow multiple live windows). In the first Chess.com tab opened, you will see that both games chosen appear as tabs below the board, so you can toggle between the two. Repeat the process to add additional boards until your row of tabs is full. If you reduce your screen font size (using the zoom option in Windows settings) the size of the tabs reduces so that more can be displayed. If you wish to view others or change your mind close one or more of the tabs below the viewing board and select the replacement(s) from one of the matchcards.
For those familiar with Chess.com with established playing accounts, use the /observe username command in the Chat box to the right of the board to create a list of players to follow live.
Direct URL links to view, together combined groups of boards for each final, will be posted on the home pages for the competition on Chess.com, ECF LMS and at ECF Online National Events – take your pick!

These facilities should not be used by players during their live games as the opening of a second live window may cause your game window to disconnect and lose you the game. 

Replay instructions
The Chess.com profiles of the participants, including their completed games, can be viewed from the matchcards by using the TV icon following a player’s name in the pairing card. You can have as many profile windows open as you like.

Join the season’s celebration finale
Saturday 5th September at 6:30pm the North of England v South of England Challenge. Two teams of all playing strengths compete in a multi-board match last fought in 1894. Open to all new season (2020/21) ECF members and supporters from Grandmaster to beginner. Visit the event web page for more information including how to sign up.

Other competition information
Visit the competition web page for more information about the Online Counties Championship and the National 100.