CLUB AND COUNTY

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updated 31.7.99 CLUB AND COUNTY NEWS
ESSEX LEAGUES 1998-9
Division 1 1 Ilford 21/22; 2 Southend I 19; 3 Writtle 16; 4 Wanstead I 14; 5 Newham I 12; 6 Brentwood I 9; 7 Powdermill 9; 8 Eastbrook I 8; 9 Upminster I 6; 10 Waltham Forest I 6; 11 Edmonton 5; 12 Billericay 1
Division 2 1 Basildon 14/16; 2 Southend II 12; 3 Ilford II 41; 4 Upminster II 9; 5 Grays I 7; 6 Wanstead II 7; 7 Waltham Forest II 6; 8 Brentwood II 4; 9 Wanstead III 2
Division 3 1 Roding & Loughton I 14/16; 2 Roding & Loughton II 11; 3 Wanstead IV 9; 4 Ilford IV 8; 5 Grays II 8; 6 Ilford III 8; 7 Upminster III 5; 8 Eastbrook II 2; 9 Eastbrook III -2
Division 4 1 Newham II 14/14; 2 Eastbrook IV 10; 3 Brentwood III 9; 4 Wanstead V 9; 5 Wanstead VI 4; 6 Eastbrook V 0; 7 Eastbrook VI 0; 8 Upminster IV -2
Source: Chessex

4NCL PRESS RELEASE
26th July 1999
Entries for the 1999/2000 season are now in, and the 4NCL Chess League continues to grow. The new season will see an additional four teams, with Guildford 2 returning and three new teams, 3C's, Perceptron Youth, and Thistle Birmingham White Rose.
     Thanks to ADC's sponsorship, the Guildford 1st team will be renamed "Guildford-ADC", and strengthened by the addition of three leading Grandmasters, Daniel King, Jim Plaskett and Stuart Conquest. With this strengthening of the first team the second team will now return to Division 2.
     Thistle Birmingham White Rose will be a second team for the Yorkshire based White Rose squad, with backing from the Thistle Hotel (Birmingham).
     The 3C's team are based in Oldham and have enjoyed much success in recent years in the Manchester League. Originally they were a junior team, but with the passage of time they now plan to field a team best described as young.
     Perceptron Youth is organised by BCF Directors Peter Turner and Howard Curtis with the backing of Perceptron Ltd - a company which 'teaches' mental skills to adults.
     A number of teams have changed their names. Invicta Knights and Home House have merged and will enter three teams, to be know as I.K.H.H. 1, I.K.H.H. 2 and I.K.H.H. 3. Coulsdon and Purley will become Poison Pawns, and the B.C.M. team will now be know as "The AD's". The newly promoted White Rose team will be sponsored by WH Sinclair and Sons whose main brand name is SILVINE, so they will now be know as Silvine White Rose.
     One point of interest is the three teams promoted to the 1st division at the end of the 97/98 season were relegated at the end of the 98/99 season. While registrations for the 99/00 season have not yet closed, both Guildford and Silvine White Rose have significantly strengthed their squads with titled players, turning the heat up on the established teams.
     Nigel Johnson
4NCL Events Director

SURREY EASTER CHESS CONGRESS
The Surrey County Chess Association intends sub-contracting the management of the Surrey Easter Chess Congress for the year 2000 and later years, and is currently inviting tenders from interested individuals or organisations. The deadline for all tenders to be received is Monday 26 July, and anyone interested should contact Martin Cath, Chairman of the Congress Sub-committee, as soon as possible at the following address:
     H M Cath, 6 Northwood Avenue, Purley, Surrey CR8 2EP: Tel 0181 660 6252.

SOME ESSEX RESULTS 1998-9
Southend & District League: final positions
Division I (6 teams) 1 Southend I 20/20; 2 Southend II 14... Division II (6 teams) 1 Wickford I 18/20; 2 Basildon I 15... Division III (6 teams) 1 Basildon II 15/20; 2 Wickford II 14... Division IV (5 teams) 1 (after play-off) Basildon III 10/16; 2 Rayleigh II 10...
Perriman Cup (handicap KO, don't know what sort of handicap): Basildon I beat Southend IV 6-0 in the Final.
Results Chessex

KENT FINALS DAY
30th May 1999 at Sevenoaks
Arbiter David Sedgwick. Kent hold all their league Finals simultaneously, under one roof. Bit like the BCF, really. Only no one complains, because Kent is smaller than England. Grading limits are means.
County Cup (Open) Maidstone I 4 2 Lewisham I; Lewis Cup (not over 160) Maidstone III w/o scr Rainham I; Stevenson Cup (not over 140) Hastings & St Leonards 2½ 3½ Beckenham & Bromley III; En Passant Cup (not over 120) Tunbridge Wells II* 3 3 Chislehurst III; Harvey Cup (not over 100) Danson II 2 4 Chislehurst IV; Tom Fuller Cup (not over 80) Danson III 0 4 Petts Wood V
     A football match played concurrently was a popular counter-attraction, on the big screen in the bar. It cannot be proved that a team defaulted because Gillingham were playing. It is a fact that a Tunbridge Wells player competed only on condition that the venue had a television. He was possibly the only Manchester City supporter in the room, and he heroically missed the penalty shoot-out to win a time-trouble shoot-out of his own in the last game to finish. So TW also came back from 2-0 down and won on penalties. Well, board count. Thanks, Russell, and glad your other team won. You deserved it. (Forgive rjh his personal comments as TW match captain. There's more to chess than chess, and it's not every day Tunbridge Wells win something.)

CHILTERN CUP 1998-9
Nigel Dennis has sent a complete cross-table, with everything on it except the adding up. If we've worked it out right, it's 1 Oxon 8/8; 2-3 Berks Adults, Bucks Adults 3½; 4-5 (and joint winners of Chiltern Junior Cup) Berks Juniors, Bucks Juniors 1½. Two matches not played.
     Other matches: Hants Juniors 7½ 7½ Berks Juniors; Hants 11½ 4½ Bucks; Hants 8½ 7½ Berks; Bucks 9 7 Hants. Wargrave Jamboree 17th April 1999 1 Hants 13½/20; 2 Oxon 10½; 3 Bucks 8½; 4 Berks 7½.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN CHESS
Not quite "Club and County" perhaps - it was brought to a head by a recent incident complained of by Cathy Forbes. How widespread a problem is it? Ms Forbes has written a long and impassioned article detailing instances of harassment from her own and others' experience. Harassment is so frequent, it seems - and apparently accepted as the norm in some circles - that it amounts almost to a campaign against women in chess. It has ruined her enjoyment of the game.
     We have seen the article, but we do not know in what publication it is to appear. However, it has gone to the BCF Director of Womens Chess (and to others, including members of the Management Board) with an official complaint and a request that the Federation "should issue a statement of zero tolerance regarding harassment and abuse of any kind, but sexual harassment of women in particular."
     Ms Forbes has an additional request. The latest instance, by her account, took a physical form and came from her opponent in the course of the game (though not at the board). She was too distressed to continue and the arbiter declared the game drawn, despite her protests that the opponent should be defaulted. She feels that default should be the automatic penalty "with an offence of such seriousness", and she asks the BCF to default him retrospectively. This they clearly cannot do, if only because they weren't running that event. But what should an arbiter do, in such a case?
     The SCCU website goes around with its eyes shut. It's never seen a woman harassed at a chess event. But then it doesn't play in the sort of event women much play in. We'd be pleased (well, you know what we mean) to hear of anyone else's experiences.

SOUTHEND CONGRESS
announces a major GM Invitation Knockout with this year's congress.

HERTS results 1997-8
Leagues: Div 1 (7 teams) Hertford I; Div 2 (7 teams) Bumbles Green; Div 3 (7 teams) Mid Herts I; Div 4 (7 teams) Watford III; Div 5 (7 teams) Royston II; Div 6 (8 teams) Mid Herts III; Div 7 (8 teams) Watford V. Team Knock-outs: Russell Trophy (16 teams but 6 withdrew) Bumbles Green; Sharp Trophy (16:6) Hoddesdon; Under 125 (16:4) Rothamsted. Expect the 16s were hopeful guesses. We assume the Russell Trophy is "division 1" since it’s named first in the Herts Newsletter. (Your Editor’s own county doesn’t even number its leagues. They all have opaque names and you’re supposed to know what order they come in. Well, it says in the rules.) Individual Knock-outs: Capel Cup (13:1) Gary Kenworthy; Burn Cup (8:1) Steve Law.

J GLYNNE JONES
Glynne Jones died on the 10th November 1998 after a long battle with leukaemia. An appreciation appears on the Herts CA website.

Southend Congress Secretary: new address
Howard Grist (who also represents the Congress on the SCCU Executive) is now at 12 Pilgrims Close, Southend on Sea, Essex SS2 4XF 01702 617976.