Middlesex County Chess Association

IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT THE WEBSITE OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY CHESS ASSOCIATION

2024-10-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

29 October 2024

Middlesex County Chess Association changes its website

This website was created by Adam Raoof in 2011. It was later taken over by Anthony Fulton, who stepped down as Webmaster at MCCA's Annual Council Meeting on 8 July 2024.

On 29 October 2024 the Association's Executive Committee appointed David Lewis as its Webmaster, with a mandate to replace this website with a new one. He continues in his role as MCCA Treasurer, to which he was appointed in April 2023.

MCCA's new website went live on 29 October 2024. To view it, click on Middlesex County Chess Association.

Adam and Anthony share a record of solid achievement in making the 2011 website an essential information resource for chess administrators and the general chess public. David Lewis intends to build on that achievement with the 2024 website, albeit in his own way.

The 2024 website

Our website will continue to be not only a window for the chess world and the general public, but also a resource for helping our officers to manage MCCA and our member clubs to manage their Middlesex League activities and their constitutional role as members of the MCCA Council.

Much of the contents of the 2011 website has become out of date following Anthony's resignation as Webmaster. For up-to-date and accurate information on MCCA and its activities you should always go to the new website, where we hope you will be a frequent visitor!

The 2011 website

Importantly, the 2011 website includes much of historical interest, thanks largely to Anthony Fulton’s keen interest in the history of English chess, as evidenced by his authorship of The Southern Counties Chess Union - a retrospective, published in 2022.

The 2011 website now becomes our Legacy Website: a resource for chess historians and for casual browsers with an interest in league and county chess in general and Middlesex chess in particular. Gradually key articles from the 2011 website will be added to the 2024 website (and may then be removed from the 2011 website).

2024-25 County Chess Season

2024-09-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

Middlesex are entering the usual 5 teams in this year’s SCCU Championship:-

Open, U2050, U1850, U1650, U1450.

16 board teams in all except the U1450 which is 12 boards.

The top 2, or for U1650 3, teams will be invited to play in ECF County Championship in which our U1450 team are the current National Champions.

County Success!

2023-08-04T01:23:00.005-07:00

Having belatedly congratulated the Division Winners of the 2022-23 Middlesex League season, belated congratulations are also issued to Middlesex's county teams!

Each year the MCCA enters teams into the county championships. The competition is run in two stages:

Stage 1: Regional Stage - Middlesex participate in Southern Counties Chess Union entering teams into the following sections: Open, u2050, u1850, u1650 and u1450.

Stage 2: National Stage - the top two teams in each section qualify for the respective sections of the National competition which pitches the qualifiers of the five chess Unions (East Anglia Chess Union, Midlands Counties Chess Union, Northern Counties Union, Southern Counties Chess Union, and West of England Chess Union) against each other. On occasion the third placed team is requested to make up numbers, so 4/5 in National Stage not a bad return! The team finishing 3rd in Open section progresses onto Minor Counties Competition.

SCCU Stage

During the Regional Stage Anthony's Open and Keith's u1850 were crowned SCCU Champions; Evan's u1650 team finished runner-up, Anthony's u2050 finished 3rd and Dilu's u1450 collected the wooden spoon. Consequently, Open, u1850 and u1650 teams all qualified for the National Stage as of right. the u1450 also participated in the National Stage as Kent declined the invitation to make up places. For full details of respective SCCU performance see here.

National Stage

The u1450 entered at the preliminary stage and met familar foe Surrey. The term third time lucky seemed to apply as the team scored a comprehensive 7.5-4.5 victory. Unfortunately, due to penalties for failing to request permission to play unrated players, the team lost 5.5-4.5. This was disappointing as after a challenging season the team showed their class only to be undone by the rules. Overlooking the disappointment the team score a moral a victory and are in a good place for 2023-24.

Evan's u1650 team were knocked out at the QF round by Greater Manchester A tough result to take but it was the first time in decades that the team had reached this stage. It would be hoped the team now has a taste and will qualify again next season.

Anthony's and Keith teams received byes to SF where both had hard fought wins likewise against Greater Manchester. u1850 won on board count with Open winning a close encounter 8.5-7.5

With both the Open and u1850 teams progressing to the final both teams were seeking to attain their own records: Open were seeking to set a new record of 30 National titles the most of all counties when the competition introduced in 1908; u1850 were seeking to make it a hat-trick of titles where these titles straddled the pandemic. Keith had an easier time of it defeating familar foe Yorkshire 10-6.The Open had another tough match this time against Surrey and after a match that had enough swings and roundabouts ended up winning on board count 37-38 as the two teams could not be separated. A detailed account of the Open match is available in July's Chess Moves.

Congratulations to both Keith and Anthony, both will look forward to defending their doubles in 2023-24. It is hoped that the County will be able to get all teams through to the National Stage in next campaign.

Should you wish to represent any of the county teams do fill in the Play for a Middlesex County Team form or contact the respective captains directly.

Enjoy the photos of the winning captains, Anthony and Keith.

Victorious Open Team

Victorious u1850 Team

Middlesex League League Fixtures meeting 2023-24

2023-07-31T22:11:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to the following teams for winning their respective divisions for the 2022-23 season:

Middlesex League Division 1: Hackney

Middlesex League Division 2: Albany

Middlesex League Division 3: Harrow Juniors

The trophies held by 2021-22 division winners will be transferred to current winners in due course.

The new season will be fast upon us and with this in mind the League Secretary draws your attention to the following:

The 2023-23 Middlesex League Fixtures meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 12th September 2023 at The Carpenters Arms. Clubs will be contacted in advance to verify:

a) Time

b) Composition of respective divisions for Middlesex League

A key agenda item will be to review the Formula League boundaries - the current boundaries are based on 3-digit rating when of course 4-digit rating is in operation. It is hoped that the competition can be revived once new boundaries established. By way of reminder the competition is a 4 board competition and runs alongside Middlesex League. Individuals participating in Formula League are not exempted from participating in Middlesex League so no nomination issues. It is a good competition for club members who are returning to competitive play or would like to 'blood' themselves!

Clubs should have been contacted by Treasurer to request that they confirm participation in MCCA-run competition ensuring they have paid their dues in advance certainly by 1st September 2023. It is not possible to participate in any MCCA-run competition unless your dues have been paid. The Treasurer urges you to pay soon rather than later to secure your MCCA affiliation.

Enquiries about Middlesex/Formula League should be referred to League Secretary

Enquiries about fees should be referred to Treasurer

County Championship News

2023-03-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

A message from Anthony Fulton, MCCA Senior Match Captain:

"On 11th March 2023 the SCCU Cycle came to an end and all told it was a successful one for the County!

Open - SCCU Champions

u1850 - SCCU Champions

u1650 - 2nd

u2050 - 3rd

u1450 - 3rd/4th (final position to be determined as there is a unresolved dispute however should all teams finish on 6pts it looks as though Mx will miss out on Game Points (2nd tie-break!))

Once again the Open and u1850 teams finish as regional champions and their comprehensive wins in the final round of matches sends out a message to their national rivals.

It is good to see the u1650 once again reach the KO stage after a lengthy break (2014-15)

The u2050 will keep fingers crossed to see if extra teams required, unlikely

The u1450 will rue their slow start to the campaign as they look like missing out.

Now that the regional stage is over we can look forward to National Stage and taking on our national rivals.

The Open will be seeking to regain the National Title which has rested with NCCU since 2014.

The u1850 will be seeking to defend their title and if they do Keith will in essence be the first 3rd team captain to completed a hat-trick of victories (2018-19, 2021-22, 2022-23?). Granted COVID-19 has spoilt a pure hat-trick but it is a hat-trick nevertheless as the team would have won the last three contested titles!

The dates for the National Stages are:

22nd April 2023 Preliminary - All sections

13th May 2023 QF Open and u1850

20th May 2023 QF u1650

10th June 2023 SF All sections

1st July 2023 F All sections

The results for this campaign holds us in good stead for 2023-24 as we should be looking to be getting all teams to National Stage. If we can develop the junior team as well we will show that Middlesex is a force at all levels not only regionally but nationally!

Congratulations to all captains and squad members for another fully completed cycle!

Go on the Middlesex!"

If you would like to represent the County either contact the captains via the Officers page or complete the following form.

A History of Chess in Brent

2022-04-09T09:34:00.004-07:00

Speaking about the history of clubs in the Middlesex area, Willesden & Brent Chess Club Secretary, Anthony Fulton, advises that the club has published a document outlining the history of chess in his borough of Brent. The article has been written in order to show that chess in Brent (actually the former Wembley Urban District and Willesden Municipal Borough) is not alien and it inspires more in the borough to give chess a go!

The article can be found on W&BCC website along with ECF Chess Histories.

Hammratty!

2022-04-09T09:23:00.004-07:00

Hammersmith reach 60year milestone!

Hammersmith Chess Club are intending to celebrate their 60th birthday with a chess congress over the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend - 4th and 5th June 2022 - see here for more details. The club were born in August 1962 after the actions of P. Martin to found one. They initially met at Westcott Lodge.

It will be interesting to note that although Hammersmith may be running its first ever congress a Hammersmith Congress did exist beforehand. In January 1968 Thames Valley Chess League (TVCL) and Hammersmith Corporation agreed to run a four-day congress called the Hammersmith Chess Congress. It could only be held as TVCL agreed their Richmond Congress could be held in Hammersmith. The first congress ran from 15th-18th April 1968 and it ran annually until to at least 1976. It will be left to those interested in the chess history of Hammersmith and/or TVCL to complete.

Good luck to Hammersmith on their new venture and an early, 'Happy Birthday!'

Stanmore Chess Club

2022-02-14T03:39:00.000-08:00

A new chess club has formed in the Middlesex area - Stanmore Chess Club.

Their details were found purely by accident when reviewing the ECF's Club Finder's page to identify unaffiliated clubs in Middlesex area who have individuals willing and able to represent one of the county teams. The words of the club's founder are left to speak for themselves:

"We play social chess and offer coaching for beginners and those who want to improve their game. We offer an oportunity to make new chess friends with short demos, instruction and checking of understanding. We are very excited to have moved to Stanmore Library, 8 Stanmore Hill, Stanmore, Harrow, HA7 3BQ as of Tuesday 9th November (and each Tuesday thereafter) from 2.30 – 4.45pm.

Current attendees range in age from 4yrs to 70yrs and include people in business, at school and retired. We promote the skills of logic, reading, numeracy, creativity, language, problem solving and Chess etiquette i.e. we play quietly to help concentration.

Harrow Library services are very pleased to host us and they are looking to utilise the Borough Council website to promote our Chess club in a COVID safe environment."

It is hoped that the club will expand beyond their current hours and although based in Harrow consider reaching out to the Edgware area. It has been over 50years since there has been a club in that part of the world and Stanmore could fill the void.

It is also hoped that at some stage Stanmore will affiliate to the Association and take part in its events. Irrespective of affiliation we look forward to their players contacting the county captains in order to represent one of the county's teams.

Stanmore, welcome to Middlesex if not yet the Association!

A Vision for Middlesex's County Teams

2022-02-05T21:37:00.002-08:00

Middlesex's Senior Match Captain, Anthony Fulton, asks us to publish his vision for Middlesex''s county teams.

"Dear Middlesex Chess Players,

I am Anthony Fulton Middlesex's Senior Match Captain. Some of you may know me or seen me at county matches or at Middlesex/Hillingdon/London/Central league matches.

A little background on me. I have this title because I have captained the u2050 team (formerly u175 and u180) since 2006 and Open team since 2007 so am the longest serving Middlesex captain, in fact I am one of the longest serving current captains both regionally and nationally. I recognise my longevity is partly because of wanting to set new records as a Middlesex Captain but in part because of a vision. From the outset of my captaincy both had a low starting base consequently, I have intimate insight into the struggles a match captain has firstly in building a squad and second to organise a team for a specific match, so mentor existing and new county match captains. In spite of my longevity and the successes of my teams it is a constant struggle to maintain a squad if only because being a London-based county there is a high turnover of players however I have been able to do so due to the loyalty of a core of individuals. For those of you who have turned out for any one of my teams, "I thank you". This goes double for you who have turned out or willing to turn out during trying cycles.

Let me share with you a vision I have. County chess has been a staple in the south of England since 1884 when Sussex and Surrey played in the first match. From 1904 'big' county matches were arranged. These matches were 100+boards. After forming in 1907 and affiliating to SCCU Middlesex were not only able to consistently raise these teams but consistently won the titles that were contested for. In 1972 these types of matches were broken up and we have the current system of non-overlapping matches. The only time the overlap can occur is at the National Stage Final when on Finals Day all six matches (Open, Minor, u2050, u1850, u1650 and u1450) are played at the same time.

My vision is that Middlesex has a team in each section on finals day. The Open, u2050, u1850 are consistent qualifiers for the National stage with each reaching finals day at various times, but not all three at the same time. The u1650 is a work in progress, it has been a while since they played in National Stage and certainly consistently. The same applies to u1450 who have qualified a few times in recent times but not as consistently as I'd like or expect. Middlesex's u1450 team should really be one of the strongest in the country. If we are able to get all five teams to finals day once, we would have achieved one of my visions to field a team of 76players so emulate some of the big matches of the past. However, having done it once we would need to repeat and keep repeating. If we were to do this we would show that Middlesex are the best organised county in the country. Of course if all were to win their respective section we would have the undisputed claim of being the best in the country!

With this in mind I write to you with a personal request - please support the county team! Support my vision!

County chess is an important part of the chess pyramid as it affords many benefits. These include:

a) Playing a good quality game of classical chess

b) Playing an opponent of similar standard

c) Playing as a team with individuals whom you may played against in league or tournament chess - think the equivalent of golf's Ryder Cup

d) An opportunity to graduate to a higher team thereby prove improvement and continue to test yourself against your peers.

I could go on but give the main ones.

I hope the sharing of this vision gives you food for thought and either persuades to represent the county for the first time; or better yet reinvigorates your willingness to represent it! The county teams still have a few remaining fixtures for this cycle and all could still qualify for the National Stage should there be one. Get involved.

Go on the Middlesex!"

County Chess Fixtures - 13th November: u2050 vs. Essex (A); u1650 vs. Essex (H)

2021-11-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

Middlesex's opening matches in the SCCU County Championships for the remaining teams are upcoming a double header against Essex. Match reports to come.

For those interested in representing a county team either complete form Play for a Middlesex County Team above or contact the relevant Match Captain via the Officers page.

County Championship 1st Round - Open/u1850/u1450

2021-11-07T09:02:00.001-08:00

The resumption of County chess as one format of OTB play was welcomed. However, to be honest the current climate saw a heavy focus on resumption of leagues so overshadowed it as all 3 Middlesex teams playing in the opening round of the Open/u1850/u1450 had difficulties raising teams as proven by the reduction to 12boards for Open and u1850 and the plethora of juniors dragooned into representing the u1450. The difficulty for the Open understandably meant fielding an understrength team against a virtually full strength Kent. The team would have done well in a Minor or u2050 competition but as expected struggled against a genuine Open team.

There is not much too write home about as all 3 teams suffered a reverse:

Open lost 3.5-8.5

u1850 lost 4.5-7.5

u1450 lost 5.5-6.5

Rather than give respective reports as nothing great to report your author will focus on the fact that for a long time a significant number of juniors represented a Middlesex Senior Team. Granted it was for the u1450 team but if this talent is nurtured we ought to find in short order they will accelerate through the divisions and become a permanent presence in the Open or at least u2050.

The 13th November sees the opening round of the u2050 and u1650 campaigns who have a double-header against Essex. It is hoped that the results favour Middlesex!

The 2nd Round for Open/u1850/u1450 is 4th December when it is hoped that all 3 teams will fare better.

13th Richmond Blitz - The Rik Thomas Memorial

2021-10-28T10:34:00.004-07:00

This will take place on Saturday 18th December 2021, from 12:00 to 18:00, at Orleans Park School, Richmond Road, TWICKENHAM TW1 3BB.

This will be held in memory of “Rik Thomas” a chess teacher at Richmond Junior Chess Club and a popular organiser at King’s Head Chess Club, who passed away last year during the lockdown. Two Richmond Juniors’ parents, Suman Chatterjee and Jatinder Sian will also be remembered, who also passed away during the lockdown. A donation box will be left at the event for contributions for the families concerned.

There will be an exceptional prize fund of £3,000 to mark this special event. 1st £500, 2nd £375, 3rd £275, 4th £200, 5th £150. 1st female £375, 2nd £275. U2000 1st £100, 2nd £60. U1500 1st £100, 2nd £60. Richmond Junior 1st £100, 2nd £60, 1st girl £60. Former Richmond Junior (including staff) 1st £100, 2nd £60. King’s Head or former King’s Head £100, 2nd £60

Details and download the entry form from: http://rjcc.org.uk/richmond-blitz.

Middlesex Club vs. Rest of Middlesex

2021-10-28T08:30:00.003-07:00

Middlesex's Senior Match Captain, (i.e., longest serving Match Captain, Venue Organiser, Equipment Manager, Captain's Guide and current Captain of Open and u2050 teams!) and unofficial MCCA Archivist, Anthony Fulton, advises the recent Hendon vs. Rest of Middlesex is not the first time that an event of this kind has taken place in MCCA history. He writes,

"There was at least one occasion when a match of this kind took place at the outset of the 1928-29 cycle when Hampstead played the Rest of Middlesex. In this case Rest of Middlesex succumbed 17.5-12.5."

He advised more research will need to be done to determine issues such as date, venue, respective teams and individual board score for above encounter. He goes on to state if readers of the website express an interest in this piece of history he will even review MCCA's archived documents in the London Metropolitan Archives to see if other matches of this kind took place and if so over what timescale then forward his research so can be published on website. Traditionally comments on website posts are not allowed but in this case they are being allowed so that Tony can gauge level of interest in his offer.

County Chess Matches - 6th November 2021: Open vs. Kent (H); u1450 vs. Kent (H); u1850 vs. Kent (A)

2021-10-27T20:40:00.003-07:00

Middlesex's opening matches of the resumed SCCU County Championships begins with a triple-header against Kent. Match reports to come.

For those interested in representing a county team either complete form Play for a Middlesex County Team above or contact the relevant Match Captain via the Officers page.

Resumption of County Championship

2021-10-27T20:03:00.004-07:00

After a break of 20months or so the County Championship is due to resume.

Middlesex have entered teams in all sections with the fixture dates being:

Open & u1850 & u1450

6/11/2021; 4/12/2021; 22/1/2022; 5/2/2022; 26/2/2022; 12/3/2022

u2050 & u1650

13/11/2021; 11/12/2021; 29/1/2022; 19/2/2022; 5/3/2022; 19/3/2022

The timetable is rough especially in the new year but this is due to the truncated nature of the cycle i.e. the month of October has not been able to be used to host matches.

The last Championship (2019-20) saw Middlesex lift the Open and u160 titles and finish 2nd in the u180, so all told a good return!

It goes without saying that the Open and u160 teams as defending Champions will want to retain their titles however as the fixtures list shows for the u160 (u1850) it will be under very different circumstances. In their wisdom the ECF have decided to adopt 4-digit grades (a move that many in the past have argued would help the Open as it would attract more players) and revise the grading boundaries. In 2009 it was decided to narrow the grading bands from 25 to 20 points which allowed the introduction of a 6th band. The move was welcomed by some, especially the SCCU, as it meant that more players could represent their county. Others though resented the change as it meant a reduction in the pool of players that could be selected from. The ECF decision is to effectively return to pre-2009 conditions. Thus under the new system the grading bands as indicated above are Open, u2050, u1850, u1650 and u1450. Middlesex would argue that that the banding grades are incorrect and that each should be at least 50pts higher. and that with only 5 bands it is probable that some dedicated county players may now not get a game.

Notwithstanding the changes this years county rules are stringent as they have an eye on the COVID world we currently live in. The rules do follow Government guidance regarding masks, sanitising and cleaning but does put a financial pressure on counties, namely, each county team is to have their own playing space, i.e. a bubble. Consequently, counties will have to either have a venue that is able to supply 2 rooms or alternatively use 2 venues. The outcome for Middlesex is that on the assumption we are able to continue using the Child's Hill venue another one will have to be found!

It is hoped that those who have previously represented the county in OTB play pre-COVID and those who joined the Online county teams in the successful 2020 Online County Championship campaigns are able and willing to represent the county in this and future cycles.

Hendon vs. Rest of Middlesex match report

2021-10-02T00:12:00.005-07:00

An enjoyable time was had by all when a Rest of Middlesex team descended on The Holly Bush to play Hendon. The match was arranged to celebrate the change of venue for the latter and to show the MCCA’s commitment to resuming OTB play after a difficult 18months for this format of chess.

With the entirety of the county to call upon, The Rest of Middlesex team could be significantly stronger than that of Hendon but for the sake of fair play it was suggested that the teams for this maiden match should fall between 1800 to 2300. The suggestion was a good one as it transpired that both teams were well matched, although Hendon were slightly stronger towards the tail.

Bd	Hendon	Grade	Result	Rest of Mx	Grade	Score
1	J. Richardson (B)	2365	0 - 1	D. Foord (W)	2365	(2) ½ - ½
2	R. Willmoth	2220	½ - ½	B. Eames	2268	(7) 1 - 1
3	G. Senior	2215	0 - 1	M. Gallana	2223	(6) 1½ - 1½
4	S. Marin Stoica	2120	½ - ½	F. Chin	2077	(4) 2 - 2
5	G. Jain	2020	½ - ½	I. Calvert	1993	(1) 2 -3
6	D. Levy	2013	½ - ½	L. Fincham	1900	(3) 2 - 4
7	D. Amoir	1900	½ - ½	P. Conway	1855	(5) 2½ - 4½
8	J-C. Sartenaer	1810	1 - 0	J. Oh (Jr)	1580	(8) 3½ - 4½
	Hendon Ave.	2083	3½ - 4½	Rest of Mx Ave.	2033

The match was played in good spirits even if glory was sought with the bragging rights being claimed by Rest of Middlesex; Marco’s game (Bd3) proved to be decisive difference.

The venture was a novel one for the MCCA as, at least in their recent past, they had never organised or participated in a match of this kind. MCCA used to play against a combined London League team for the Ralph Barnett Trophy on an annual basis but that ceased decades ago and no other format of allowing a combined MCCA to play was formulated. The occasion clearly allows players to socialise and warm-up for the respective County and League campaigns; this benefit cannot be overlooked. It is hoped that matches of this kind will be a permanent one on the MCCA calendar, if so in time both the D1 Champions and Rest of Middlesex teams will show their ‘true’ strength and provide spectacles as entertaining as this initial match.

For a Hendon view of the match see here

County Chess

2021-10-02T00:00:00.004-07:00

County Chess has had a challenging and transformative 18months.

The SCCU’s 2019-20 cycle finished just before lockdown began; its’ end saw a successful one for Middlesex as they won both the u180 and u160 divisions; were placed 2^nd in Open and gave creditable performances in u140 and u120 divisions. In lifting the u160 title Keith Jones became the first Middlesex Captain in this division to win a hat-trick. Lockdown of course prevented the three teams from participating at the National Stage where all would have been harbouring hopes of lifting their respective titles.

Although the National Stage did not go ahead the ECF ran an online competition during the Summer – ECF Online County Championship – and Middlesex proved they could be successful in this format also. They were the only team to enter three teams in the Online County Championships – two in Open Division and one in u1825 The Open Division 2 were the only team to be crowned Champions when defeating Oxfordshire but, the other teams performed equally as both were knocked out in the semi-finals (Open Division 1 by Northumberland and u1825 by Lincolnshire.) A team was not entered for the 2021 version but, entries overall were down compared to 2020 – only 10 teams total in both Open divisions in 20201 as opposed to 23 in 2020. The final online competition of 2020 was the National 100 in which Middlesex provided significant numbers for The South Team. This proved to be the difference as The South went onto lift the title with a 100%. This team comprised of u100 players bodes well for Middlesex’s u100 and junior teams when OTB resumes. All told a successful online campaign!

With OTB play resuming we await to hear what happens with County Chess. Notwithstanding when it does resume you will note there is a change in divisions. The ECF has adopted the 4-digit grading system so naturally the grading bands had to be revised. The divisions are now:

We shall see if the effective return to the pre-2009 grading boundaries will make a significant difference to participation. With respect to Middlesex, it is hoped that those who have represented the teams prior and during lockdown irrespective of format will be willing and able to do so once again. If so, Middlesex will look to sweep titles at both Regional and National Stages as they used to doon regular basis in the past. The Open team for example can look to break their hoodoo of finals losses (x in y years!) and finally extend record of the most National Titles won (Middlesex hold current record of 29 titles). News will be circulated on both the website and through MCCA Captains once the position of County Chess is finalised. Watch this space!

Hendon vs. Rest of Middlesex

2021-10-01T23:59:00.004-07:00

In order to celebrate the resumption of OTB play Hendon, the only recognised Middlesex League Champions for 2019-20, have agreed to play an 8board match against the Rest of Middlesex on 30^th September 2021. The match not only celebrates the intention to return to OTB play but is also one to congratulate Hendon moving to a new venue – The Holly Bush in Hampstead. It has been sometime since a Club has been based in Hampstead, the Hampstead Community Centre was the home of Hampstead Chess Club before their dissolution.

One criterion for the respective teams is that the grades cover 1800-2300 range so that Rest of Middlesex do not have an unfair advantage! For this cycle at least the Rest of Middlesex also need to consider the following: Members of the team are comprised of –

a) Individuals whose Club is affiliated to MCCA who are committed to playing OTB

b) Individuals whose Club is not affiliated to MCCA but is in Middlesex catchment area and they are committed to playing OTB, e.g., Hillingdon League, London League, Thames Valley League, etc.

c) Individuals who are unaffiliated to any Club but satisfy County Championship Eligibility rules

The idea of the League Champions playing the Rest is something other sports and Chess Associations have regularly engaged in but is new to Middlesex. It is hoped that the idea will be an ongoing one and matches will be played annually. If so, it can potentially replace some of the defunct competitions once run by the MCCA, e.g., Winter’s and Ralph Barnett Trophies – Middlesex Team Competition and MCCA match against London League.

MCCA OTB Resumption Plan

2021-10-01T23:55:00.001-07:00

At MCCA AGM (28th July 2021) the Council were of one voice and hoped that some form of OTB play could take place for 2021-22. The commitment to this hope was fully demonstrated when the General and League Secretaries formulated the following plan:

1) Determine how many clubs would be willing to participate in OTB play

2) Depending on numbers decide whether League proper or Formula League would be enacted

3) Aim to get OTB playing up and running sometime in October

The plan was circulated just before the now rearranged fixture meeting; it was delayed in part due to the extended deadline of the London League (LL). It was felt that fixtures could not be feasibly scheduled until the position of the LL was known, and their fixture dates entered into club calendars.

Anecdotal conversations with Club Secretaries and Captains intimate they are happy with the proposals. It seems therefore as though both the League proper, and Formula League will be up and running for the current cycle, thus ‘Business as usual!’

Date of fixture meeting to be confirmed

Middlesex Girls Chess Championships 2020 - Results

2020-10-20T08:14:00.002-07:00

Middlesex Girls Chess Championships 2020

Here is the link to the final results; https://tornelo.com/chess/orgs/chess-england/events/middlesex-girls-chess-championships-2020/ and you can view the crosstables. First three in each section get a medal, and highest girl from Middlesex also gets a plate. Thanks to Beryl Metcalf for sponsoring the event!

If you have won a medal or a plate then please let me have your postal address - email adamraoof@gmail.com.

U18: Narayanan, Niranjana (gold medal)

U14: Ashwina Haria-Skuse and Emily Maton =1st (gold medals), Lindsay Pyun 3rd (Bronze medal)

U11: Amelie Rees 1st (Gold medal), Riya Aude Barbier-Ramaiah and Seha Konara =2nd (Silver medals)

U9: Samiksha Yerabati 1st (Gold medal), Rhea Pal 2nd (Silver medal) and Amya Patel 3rd (Bronze medal)

U7: Amelie Bryant 1st (Gold Medal), Eliza Blin and Zeel Shah =2nd (Silver medals)

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MxB ECF Online Open Challengers Champions

2020-08-23T22:08:00.001-07:00

MxB were the sole team flying the flag for Mx and one of two teams flying for the SCCU. MxB faced group stage opponents Oxfordshire over 24boards. The high number agreed upon as both had teams in Open and u1825 competitions so in this way as many could be involved on finals day as possible. Whether match played over 12,16 or 24 boards the advantage lay with MxB and this was demonstrated with an overwhelming victory 17-7. MxB therefore are one of six online counties champions.

Read full match report here.

ECF Events: North v South - The Oldest Challenge

2020-08-15T00:19:00.003-07:00

In 1893 & 1894 the historic counties of England contested a match to determine where chess was the strongest. The South won both encounters the 2nd comfortably due to the existence of the first and oldest chess Union the SCCU who were able to aid in the co-ordination and communication of the southern counties.

After a 126years a much delayed 3rd match is to take place on Saturday 5th September on chess.com. The match is open to all ECF members or supporters see link for more details. https://www.englishchess.org.uk/online-north-v-south-challenge-2020/

In the tradition of the first two encounters it is hoped that match will be contested over a minimum of 100 boards if possible more.

If you are interested in playing what will be an historic events register at https://www.chess.com/club/ecf-south

Anthony Fulton

The South Team Captain

ECF Online Counties Championship - Group Stage Summary

2020-08-04T23:22:00.008-07:00

The Group Stage of the ECF's new venture is complete and it can be safe to say Mx had the best of it. Due to COVID-19 the National Stage was suspended so the ECF devised an online version by way of compensation. The Competition is to be run in sections Open and u1825 with the top two in each proceeding to a KO phase. If there were sufficient entrants each section would be split into divisions which would thereby create a number of KO sections - 4 for the Open: Open, Major Open, Challengers and Minor; 2 for the u1825: u1825 Championship and u1825 Challengers - as the top four finishers could progress to a National Stage thereby increasing the number of counties/individuals continue to play in the competition.

Mx were supportive of the new venture as from the off they had decided to participate. Many counties were able to field teams in Open and u1825 but Mx were the only county who could enter 2 teams in the Open. The numbers of Mx players wanting to participate coupled with an inability of other counties to field large teams meant that it was only right that Mx had two teams in Open. Had sufficient interest been expressed by those u150 Mx would have entered two teams in the u1825 also! All told 22 counties enter teams in the Open with 9 able to enter a team in u1825 also. When all things considered Mx are the sole county to have 3 teams participating in the online counties championships with two in the top section! Mx may not exist in a political sense but they certainly do in a sporting one chess included!

See here for full details of the competition however a quick summary of how each Mx team performed in the group stage is given here.

ECF Online Competition - National 100

2020-07-30T00:22:00.006-07:00

With the suspension of OTB chess the ECF has suspended the National Stage of the Counties Championship. This is somewhat disappointing for Middlesex as they have 4 teams waiting to participate as they had successfully negotiated the SCCU competition - Open (SCCU Champions), u180 (Runner-up), u160 (SCCU Champions) and u120 (3rd). Each were expecting to go on to achieve great things in the National Stage.

In light of the suspension the ECF devised a new venture the Online Counties Competition in which Middlesex have entered and are doing well. However, despite the competition's success it was noticed that a group of players were poorly catered for the u100. In order to redress the balance a new section has been devised that will run in conjunction with the knock-out stage from 8th August to 22nd August, The National 100.

In short there are 4 Regional u100 teams who will participate in an All-Play-All format to determine the winner.

For further information read the National 100 on the ECF Online page

For those interested in competition they should register here

Alternatively contact one of the following:

The South Team Captain - Anthony Fulton

The South Team Vice Captain - Angela Eyton

Middlesex League Suspended

2020-07-29T10:44:00.001-07:00

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Middlesex League was suspended with immediate effect in March. The League Secretary circulated a message via ECF LMS to advise of the suspension. The requirements of social distancing and the concerns about viral transmission means that it is unknown when OTB play will resume. An announcement will be made shortly about whether the league season will resume or be terminated and the implications of either decision.

The past few weeks has seen a relaxation of social lockdown and clubs may be thinking of resuming OTB play. If so in accordance with the steer from the ECF the MCCA would ask clubs to ensure they consider the implications of doing so and at least use the following in order to conduct a risk assessment in to determine whether it is right to do so.

ECF Risk Assessment Checklist

Finally although OTB play has been suspended this has not prevented Middlesex from playing competitively. They are currently participating in the ECF's new venture the Online Counties Championships. See how the respective teams are doing:

MxA

MxB

Mxu1825

Match reports