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updated 26.7.04

NATIONAL CLUB 2003-4


See our updated copy of the Rules. We regret to say you still aren't allowed to use the current FIDE Laws in this competition.

OPEN
10 entries (10 last year)
Round 1 (by 18th January). Seeded teams underlined: ranking in brackets. Hastings & St Leonards 2½ 3½ Ilford (4) 1; Basingstoke 4½ 1½ The Hen and Chickens (5); Cavendish (3) 1½ 4½ Kingston; Mushrooms 2½ 3½ Bedford (2); Wood Green (1) 5½ ½ Maidstone
1 "5 games drawn, and the very rare QP instant replay looming with two Ilford players already having left for home, when the Hastings player, exchange up in the ending but making very slow progress, drops a whole rook."
     Has anyone ever seen an instant replay? Is it a sensible rule? Can you expect early finishers to miss two or three trains home while they wait for a non-draw to happen? (Paul Buswell 1.12.03 responds to this in Open Forum.)
Round 2 (by 14th March)  Basingstoke beat Kingston, to judge by the next-round pairing; rest byes
Semi-finals (by 9th May) Bedford 4 2 Basingstoke; Ilford 2 4 Wood Green
Final Wood Green 4½ 1½ Bedford. "Wood Green fielded a heavyweight team, all graded over 200, against Bedford, who had achieved an upset victory when the teams met in the 2001 final. Wood Green proved to have too much strength in depth this time." - JAP
PLATE
Round 1 Maidstone 4 2 Hastings & St Leonards; rest byes
Semi-finals Mushrooms 3½ 2½ Cavendish; The Hen & Chickens 3 3 *Maidstone
Final Maidstone 3½ 2½ Mushrooms. "Mushrooms, the holders, took the lead by winning Board 6, but Maidstone hit back on boards 4 and 5. Boards 2 and 3 were drawn to see the trophy change hands."

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MAJOR U160
20 entries (27 last year)
Round 1 (by 21st December) Bedford 3 2 Loughborough; Bourne End 1 4 Wanstead & Woodford; Hastings & St Leonards 2½ 2½ *Hilsmark Kingfisher; Hounslow scr w/o The Holt; Metropolitan *2½ 2½ Wood Green; Milton Keynes 2 3 Rose Forgrove; Pentyrch ½ 4½ Gloucester; Thornbury 1 4 Brown Jack; Tunbridge Wells 3 2 Cosham; Writtle 1 4 Maidstone
Round 2 (by 22nd February) Tunbridge Wells* 2½ 2½ The Holt; Maidstone 2 3 Metropolitan
Round 3 (by 18th April) Rose Forgrove 2½ 2½ *Wanstead & Woodford; Bedford* 2½ 2½ Hilsmark Kingfisher; Gloucester 2½ 2½ *Brown Jack; Metropolitan 3 2 Tunbridge Wells
Semi-finals (by 13th June) Wanstead & Woodford 3 2 Bedford; Brown Jack 2 3 Metropolitan
Final Wanstead & Woodford 4 1 Metropolitan. "Wanstead won board 4 after a double edged variation worked out in their favour, and were fortunate to win board 5 also after standing worse for most of the game. Draws on boards 3 and 2 saw the title secured, and board 1 was then also won to give a rather flattering 4-1 margin of victory".
PLATE
Round 1 Pentyrch 1 4 Thornbury; Writtle 2½ 2½ *Milton Keynes
Round 2 Thornbury 3 2 Bourne End; Loughborough 1½ 3½ Milton Keynes; Hounslow* 2½ 2½ Hastings & St Leonards; Cosham 1½ 3½ Wood Green
Semi-finals Milton Keynes 2½ 2½ *Hounslow; Wood Green 4 1 Thornbury. (Thornbury are from Bristol.)
Final Wood Green* 2½ 2½ Hounslow. "Hounslow quickly took a two point lead by winning boards 4 and 5, but wins on boards 2 and 3 levelled the score for Wood Green. Given the board count situation, Hounslow had to win board 1, and the game reached a rook and opposite coloured bishop ending where Hounslow were a pawn up. However, progress could not be made and the game (incidentally the last of the afternoon to finish) was agreed drawn."

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MINOR U125
30 entries (24 last year)
Round 1 (by 21st December) Leighton Buzzard 1½ 3½ Hammersmith; Hereford 1 4 Aberystwyth; Buckley/Mold w/o scr Llandudno; Copperworks 4 1 Barton on Humber; Lancaster 3½ 1½ Alwoodley; Westcliff* 2½ 2½ Chislehurst; Cosham 2 3 Basingstoke; Hayes 1½ 3½ Milton Keynes; Woodpushers 2 3 Hastings & St Leonards; Rainham w/o scr Tunbridge Wells; Shell 1½ 3½ Bury (Cannons) St Edmunds; Hesperides 1½ 3½ East Grinstead; Syston I 2½ 2½* Forest of Dean; Newark 5 0 Syston II; Ashfield 2 3 Littlethorpe
Round 2 (finishing date not known to us) Rainham 2 3 Hammersmith; Aberystwyth 2 3 Buckley/Mold; Lancaster 4 1 Copperworks; Newark 4½ 1½ Littlethorpe; Milton Keynes 3 2 Bury Cannons; East Grinstead 2 3 Hastings & St Leonards; Forest of Dean presumably beat Basingstoke, considering the rd-3 pairings; Westcliff v Bye
Round 3 (by 11th April) Hammersmith 3½ 1½ Hastings & St Leonards; Buckley/Mold 2 3 Lancaster; Milton Keynes* 2½ 2½ Westcliff; Forest of Dean 1½ 3½ Newark
Semi-finals (finishing date not known to us) Hammersmith beat Milton Keynes; Lancaster lost to Newark. Scores not known.
Final Newark 3½ 1½ Hammersmith
PLATE
Round 1 Llandudno scr w/o Alwoodley; Woodpushers* 2½ 2½ Cosham; Hereford w/o scr Leighton Buzzard; Tunbridge Wells 2½ 2½ *Hayes; Chislehurst scr w/o Shell; Barton on Humber 3½ 1½ Syston I; Syston II ½ 4½ Ashfield; Hesperides v Bye
Round 2 Alwoodley 3 2 Barton on Humber; Shell 3½ 1½ Woodpushers; Ashfield 2 3 Hereford; Hayes 4½ ½ Hesperides
Semi-finals Alwoodley beat Hereford; Hayes beat Shell. Scores not known. We expect there's a reason why Alwoodley were at home to Hereford.
Final Alwoodley 4 1 Hayes

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HANDICAP RAPIDPLAY
David Smith writes:
The National Club Handicap Rapidplay was held Sunday 9th November 2003 in the extremely pleasant surroundings of Magdalen College School in Oxford. 13 Teams competed in a 5 round Swiss event, and the success of the handicapping system led to an extremely close finish, with two of the three winners coming from the SCCU Area.
     Adjusted scores. Handicap adjustment in brackets.
1 (tie-break) Magdalen College School II (+3) 10½; 2-3 Cardiff (+1), Wanstead & Woodford (-1) 10½; 4-6 Crowthorne II (-1), Guildford (-3), Magdalen College School I (-3) 9; 7-8 Syston (+1), Bedford (-3) 8½; 9-10 Milton Keynes (-3), Mushrooms (-6) 8; 11 Cowley (-1) 7½; 12 East Grinstead (+3) 7; 13 Crowthorne I (-6) 6
     While Magdalen College School II were awarded the Trophy, prize money was split between the three winners.
[rjh: basis of handicap not clear. It was a variation on the usual CFWJ theme (see Counties Team Rapidplay 28.9.03 in the Congress page). But the adjustments used (and apparently announced at the end of round 3) turned out to be different from the ones on the entry form. We gather there was a fuss about it.]

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CONTROLLERS
Open
Philip Clemow, Parkfield House, Slackstead, Braishfield, Romsey, Hants SO51 0QL

Major U160 mean grade
Mike McNaughton, Bryn Goleu, Rhosesmor Rd, Halkyn, Flints CH8 8DL mikemcnaughton@clara.co.uk

Minor U125 mean grade
Julie D Johnson, 105 Central Avenue, Syston, Leics LE7 2EG juliedjohnson@yahoo.com

Handicap Rapidplay (9th November 2003) for teams of four
G Kendall, 5 Sycamore Close, Broughton, Brigg, Lincs DN20 0UB 01652 659497 geoff.kendall@btopenworld.com

ENTRY FEE, all competitions: £22

PRIZE FUND a lot more than it ought to be, considering the revenue expected from entries. Open £1125; Major and Minor £675; Handicap £520 minimum.

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