 |
News Archive 2011 |
Last updated 13 December 2011
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 |
- Ian Jamieson (2036)
- William Cormack (1939)
- Colin Macgregor (1898)
- Alan Armstrong (1881)
- Raymond Burridge (1830)
- Andrew Macmillen (1821)
- 04 Nov 11 | Magazine 115 Published
- The third e-mag of the 2011 set is being distributed by email and post today. As usual, members will be asked to download their e-mags from the secure Members' page on the website, while complimentary e-mags will be attached to the email. Download times will similar to last quarter. Just before we went to press, Bernard noticed a duplicate game in his Games Column, but it was too late to do anything about it - please accept our apologies for this and also the delay to the publication date. If you have any problems with this edition, please drop me an email at: webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk and I'll do what I can to help. Enjoy the read!
- 30 Oct 11 | Perth Correspondents win Postal League Div 1
- The latest round of results mean that Perth Correspondents have amassed 8 points, while nearest challengers Social Stars can only reach 7. Another title, this time outright, for the Fair City team, so congratulations once more!
- 16 Sep 11 | Witold Bielecki Memorial Team Tournament
- Gian Maria Tani, ICCF-Europa Zonal Director, writes to invite entries for the memorial team event dedicated to the Polish organiser Witold Bielecki who died in 2008. The event will be organised along similar lines to the Harro Otte Memorial (started in 2007) and the European Team Championships. Each member federation may enter one team of 6 players. The average ELO rating of each team in the 2011/4 ICCF Rating List must not be higher than 2000 with no player rated above 2050 and a maximum of two players rated over 2000. Unrated players will be listed with an ELO of 1800. The tournament will be held over two stages with both Preliminary and Final sections having not less than 7 and not more than 9 teams. Players whose ratings increase to over 2050 following the Preliminary section will still be eligible to participate in the Final but any replacement players may be rated not higher than 2050. Play is scheduled to commence on January / February 2012. Entry is free and team lists should be submitted no later than 30 November 2011. If you'd like to take part, please contact George Pyrich before 1 November.
- 02 Aug 11 | Witold's Friends vs RoW Match
- Mariusz Wojnar and Eric Ruch write to advise of a memorial event for the Polish organiser Witold Bielecki who died in 2008. Witold was both an IM and IA, and organised hundreds of tournaments for ICCF including many world championships and world cups. He was chairman of the Polish CC Federation, ICCF delegate, chairman of many ICCF working groups and received the Bertl von Massow Gold award in 1998. The match takes the form of a large friendly international with each player having two games against their opponent(s). Webserver-based, the time controls will be 10/50. Play will start on 1st March 2012, and the registration runs from 1st August 2011 to 1st February 2012. If you'd like to take part, please contact George Pyrich during the registration period.
- 12 Jul 11 | Magazine 114 Published
- The second e-mag of the 2011 set is being distributed by email and post today. As usual, members will be asked to download their e-mags from the secure Members' page on the website, while complimentary e-mags will be attached to the email. Download times will similar to last quarter. If you have any problems with this edition, please drop me an email at: webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk and I'll do what I can to help. Enjoy the read!
- 24 Jun 11 | ICCF Veterans World Cup 4 Reminder
- Alan Borwell writes to remind players that entries for VWC4 close on 1st July. Over 300 players are already signed up, so please contact George Pyrich in the next week to join them!
- 20 Jun 11 | ICCF 31st World Championship Candidates
- Marco Caressa, ICCF Title Tournaments Commissioner, writes to announce the Candidates stage of the 31st World Championship. This event immediately precedes the Final and will be played in sections of 13 players (or 15/17 at the organisers' discretion), with entries closing on 20th July and play commencing on 10th September. Entry must be made through national delegates and qualifying criteria are stringent. SCCA representation is unlikely, but for further details please contact George Pyrich by early July.
- 06 Jun 11 | SM Titles for Lloyd & Graham
- At the Executive Committee meeting in Perth on 5 June, Geoff Lloyd achieved a 3rd SM norm with a rating of 2313 in the 2011/1 list. Stuart Graham achieved grading norms in the 2010/3, 2010/4 and 2011/2 lists, and also 1st place in the 2010-11 SCCA Championship (7 entrants). Both players were proposed for the SM title by George Pyrich and were unanimously approved. Certificates will be issued shortly by Jim Anderson. That brings us up to 30 SMs in total (3xGM, 5xSIM, 10xIM and 12xSM). Many congratulations to both players!
- 06 Jun 11 | 2011 AGM Highlights
- At the AGM in Perth on 5 June, the following items were noted:
- Full audited accounts showing a surplus of £239 were produced by Gordon Anderson. Alan Hind was reappointed as auditor.
- George Livie and Colin Macgregor stood down from the committee.
- The secretary post will be covered by Kevin Paine (enquiries), Jim Anderson (domestic events) and Iain Mackintosh (minutes) pro tem.
- SCCA membership subscriptions and entry fees remain unchanged.
- Faster time controls will be introduced for the 2012 Leagues.
- Scottish Master (SM) qualifying rules were updated.
- 06 Jun 11 | ICCF 9th Ladies Team Championship
- Marco Caressa, ICCF Title Tournaments Commissioner, writes to announce the 9th Ladies Team Championship. This event will be contested by teams of four players in one final stage. The tournament is webserver-based, with fees of 17€/player and the top three teams qualify for the final of the 8th Ladies Olympiad. Entries close on 20 July and play starts on 1 September 2011. SCCA representation is unlikely, but for further details please contact George Pyrich by mid-July.
- 31 May 11 | CAPEA 40th Anniversary Open
- Tomás Llorach Gracia, Secretary of CAPEA (Spanish Postal Chess Club in Germany), writes to invite entries for an international open tournament to celebrate CAPEA's 40th anniversary. The event is webserver-based, played over two or three rounds depending on entries, with sections of 7, 9, 11, 13 or 15 players, and a time control of 10/50. Entries close on 1 September and play starts on 1 October 2011. Prizes include a 500€ first place, numerous chess CDs and a painting by Fernando Arrabal (also a writer, playwright and chess player, one of the event sponsors). The entry fee is 8€ (approx. £7), collected by Paypal. If you are interested, please contact George Pyrich by end-August.
- 18 May 11 | ICCF 9th European Team Championship
- Gian Maria Tani, ICCF-Europa Zonal Director, writes to invite entries for the semi-finals of the 9th European Team Championship. Teams will comprise 8 players and the event is webserver-based. Depending on entries, sections are expected to have 11 teams, so players can expect 10 games each. Play is scheduled to start on 15 July and entries close on 26 June. If you are interested, please contact George Pyrich by early June.
- 09 May 11 | ICCF Europa Postal League - Further Call
- Re the 11 Mar item below: George Pyrich reports that we have three volunteers for a Scotland team (Geoff Lloyd, Ian Marshall and Raymond Burridge). If you can help us by finalising the four-player line-up, please email George Pyrich.
- 02 May 11 | ICCF 1st Chess 960 World Cup
- Leonardo Madonia, ICCF Central Tournament Leader, writes to announce the 1st ICCF Chess 960 World Cup, part of ICCF's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Chess 960 is the brainchild of Bobby Fischer and introduces opening creativity by randomising the starting positions of the pieces (the pawns are situated as normal on the 2nd and 7th ranks). This event is webserver-based and will run over three or four stages depending on entries received (preliminary, optional interim round, semi-final and final). Preliminary sections will have 6 players with 2 games per opponent (White and Black with the same opening position), using a time control of 10 moves in 20 days. Players may enter through their federations or by Direct Entry, with a closing date of 30th September. The start date is 30th October 2011 with a stop date of 31st December 2012. The prize fund is 2000€ split over the top 4 players (1000€; 600€, 300€; 100€), no tie break. A book prize will be given to all winners of the preliminary groups. The event is not graded, but the winner will qualify for a World Championship final; places 2-4 (tie-break applies) for World Championship candidates; and other finalists for World Championship semi-finals. The SCCA fee for World Cups is £11; to enter, or for further information, please contact George Pyrich before 15th September.
- 13 Apr 11 | Correspondence Chess in Britain and Ireland
- Tim Harding's latest book, Correspondence Chess in Britain and Ireland, 1824-1987, was reviewed in magazine 113. You can obtain copies from the European stockist Eurospan and other online stores such as Amazon.
- 11 Apr 11 | Magazine 113 Published
- The first e-mag of the 2011 set is being distributed by email and post today. As usual, members will be asked to download their e-mags from the secure Members' page on the website, while complimentary e-mags will be attached to the email. Download times will be shorter than last quarter. If you have any problems with this edition, please drop me an email at: webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk and I'll do what I can to help. Enjoy the read!
- 21 Mar 11 | 4th ICCF Veterans' World Cup
- Alan Borwell, ICCF Honorary President, writes to announce that the 4th ICCF Veterans' World Cup will start on 1 September 2011. As with VWC2 and VWC3, this event will be run in three stages (prelimininary, semi-final and final), and the preliminary stage will comprise 13-player groups, webserver time controls of 10 moves in 40 days with a fixed duration of 18 months. The closing date for entries is 1 July. This event is open to players who are 60+ and is organised by Alan Borwell, with tournament directors provided and prizes sponsored by the SCCA. Entry is via member federations or the ICCF direct entry scheme. To play, or for further information, please contact George Pyrich before 15 June.
- 16 Mar 11 | Friendly Versus Romania Starts
- George Pyrich and Miron Sferle have now agreed team lists and a new friendly match against Romania will begin on March 31. The match is webserver only and features 20 boards. We last played the Romanians in 2004 and didn't fare too well, so let's hope we can improve this time! Best wishes to all players and we look forward to good chess and good chat. For further details, please refer friendly international index page.
- 11 Mar 11 | ICCF Europa Postal League
- Gian-Maria Tani, ICCF-Europa Zonal Director, writes to invite entries for a new European Postal League. Teams will consist of 4 players and may be made up from any nationality, though teams must be entered through the member federation of the captain. The playing format will span preliminary and final rounds (a semi-final is possible if enough entries are received), with 7-9 teams per section and each player having one game against the same board of each opposing team. The organisers will attempt to place individual players who want to play but do not have a team. Entries close on 25 May and play is expected to start by end-June. Entry is free! If you are interested, please contact George Pyrich.
- 11 Mar 11 | World Championship Semi-Finals
- Marco Caressa, ICCF Title Tournaments Commissioner, writes to invite entries for the 35th ICCF World Championship semi-finals. In addition to
promotion from the preliminary stages and successful participation in previous semi-finals, cadidates or final stages, member federations may
also nominate players for this stage. The criteria are:
- Players who at the time of nomination have ratings of 2400 and higher, may be entered through their national organisation
- Holders of the CC IM title with fixed ratings above 2500
- Holders of the CC SIM title with fixed ratings above 2450
- Holders of the CC GM title with ratings above 2400
- Players who have a fixed rating above 2550
- 27 Feb 11 | Friendly Versus France Starts
- We have almost completed the organisation of the friendly match against the French. 26 webserver and 6 postal boards have been agreed, and the postal match will commence on March 15 with the first moves being played by France. We are awaiting confirmation of the French webserver team and will update the match page when details are to hand. For further details, please contact George Pyrich.
- 07 Feb 11 | 2011 League Pairings Published
- At long last, our 2011 domestic event tables are complete with the publication of the webserver and postal league x-tables. Most imaginable administrative difficulties were encountered last month, plus a few original glitches, so apologies to players and team officials for the hassle. Now that we're off and running, enjoy your games!
- 01 Feb 11 | Forthcoming Friendly Versus France
- We are starting to organise another friendly match, this time against the French. Both webserver and postal boards will be available. If you'd like to participate, please contact George Pyrich.
- 01 Feb 11 | ICCF Direct Entry 5th Webserver Anniversary Reminder
- Jean-Christophe Chazalette, DE Commissioner and DE5A Tournament Organiser, writes to remind everyone that entries close for this ICCF Jubilee event on March 1st. You might like to re-read the original announcement. Over 270 entries have been received so far, but none yet from Scotland, so it would be nice to wave the flag. For further information, please contact George Pyrich.
- 17 Jan 11 | ICCF Grading List 2011/1 Published
- The first quarterly list of 2011 is published on the website today. Look under publications/grading list to see the web page, or go to members/downloads for the pdf version. For further information, please contact George Pyrich.
- 17 Jan 11 | Magazine 112 Published
- The last e-mag of 2010 is being distributed by email and post today. As usual, members will be asked to download their e-mags from the secure Members' page on the website, while complimentary e-mags will be attached to the email. Download times will be shorter than last quarter. If you have any problems with this edition, please drop me an email at: webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk and I'll do what I can to help. Enjoy the read!
- 09 Jan 11 | ICCF World Championship 2011 Cycle
- Marco Caressa, ICCF Title Tournaments Commissioner, writes to advise that preliminary world championship sections will start on 10 March 2011. Sections are normally 13-player. Scotland has received 3 member federation nominations. Entries close on 31 January, so please contact George Pyrich before that date if you are interested in taking part.
- 09 Jan 11 | 2011-12 Challengers Cycle
- Kevin Paine advises that the new cycle has been fully posted on the webserver and that postal players have been mailed their cards. Games start on January 17, with adjudication diaried for November 17, 2012. A summary table, player/pairing links and player histories are provided on the Challengers page.
- 07 Jan 11 | 2010 Results Round-Up
- Championship: The 2009-10 tournament ended in a three-way tie between Messrs Cumming, Dawson
and Mackintosh, while in 2010-11 Stuart Graham won his first title with David Cumming second.
Premier: David Cumming and Derek Coope shared the spoils in section A, while Derek Price squeezed past Colin Macgregor and Bill Cormack in section B.
Open: Section A saw Andrew Macmillen and Colin Macgregor unable to be separated. David Cumming won section B with room to spare from Derek Price. Roland Fraser performed really well in section C to finish 1½ points ahead of Andrew Macmillen.
Challenge: David Cumming was the medal winner in the 2009-10 cycle, scoring 9½/10. In the 2010-11 cycle, Stuart Graham scored 17½/22 to take the medal, edging David Cumming into 2nd spot. Daniel Toye finished 3rd.
Postal League: No Postal Division 2 this year, so we had a 7-team Division 1 with a little-used pairing system being revived for the occasion. Old adversaries Perth Correspondents and Social Dragons shared the title once more, both scoring 85%, with Civil Service A finishing a creditable 3rd on 60%.
Webserver League: In Division 1, as in the Postal League, Perth Correspondents and Social Stars slugged it out and couldn’t be separated at the finish, so joint honours once more. Black Knight were a clear third. In Division 2, newcomers Hounds of the Scheming mind finished just half a point ahead of Social Dragons, with Civil Service edging out Dundee Correspondents by the same margin to take 3rd spot.