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News Archive 2013 |
Last updated 18 December 2013
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- 18 Dec 13 | ICCF 2014 World Championship Preliminaries
- ICCF Title Tournaments Commissioner Gian-Maria Tani writes to announce the Preliminaries stage of the 2014 World Championship. This event will be played in sections of 13 players (or 15/17 at the organisers' discretion), with entries closing on 15th February and play commencing on 20th March. Entry must be made through national delegates and each member federation is allowed to nominate entries - SCCA is once again entitled to 3 places in the 2014 cycle (includes Preliminaries and Semi-Finals). Stuart Graham has achieved pre-qualification for the 2014 Preliminaries following his performance in the 35th World Championship. If you are interested, please contact George Pyrich as soon as possible and before 8th February.
- 04 Dec 13 | SCCA League Results 2013
- Dave Savage reports an exciting finish to the Postal League this year, with the BCCA A team just failing to make it a triple tie for first place. Previous winners Perth Correspondents and Social Stars had both reached 7/10, but BCCA with 3/6 could catch them if they won their remaining fixtures. The last games to finish saw BCCA come tantalisingly close with 3½ points, leaving the much-crowned Perth and Social teams as joint winners - congratulations once more to them!
- In the Webserver League, Kevin Paine reports things being more clear-cut. Hounds of the Scheming Mind (12½/16) won division 1 by two clear points from defending champions Perth (10½), with Knights of the Board A (8½) a further two points behind in third. In division 2, Black Knights stormed home with 15/16, well ahead of Civil Service A (10½) and Renfrewshire Knights (7½). Many congratulations to both winners, particularly the Hounds who recorded their first triumph!
- 02 Dec 13 | ICCF European WS Championship 2014
- Marco Caressa, ICCF-Europa Zonal Director, writes to advise that preliminary rounds for this new tournament will start continuously after 1st January in 11-player sections, with winners and 2nd places qualifying for the semi-final stages. The following players are eligible:
- players rated between 2100 and 2299 at the time of application.
- players who have won a European Championship Open Round, regardless of rating.
- until 30 September 2014 players without ICCF ratings may be nominated by National Federations. Such Nominations must be accompanied by a statement of qualification confirming that the player is considered to be of sufficient strength to enter directly into the Preliminaries.
- Winners of European WS Higher Class started during the years 2011-2013.
- From 1 January 2014, member Federations may annually submit 2 nominations (MFN) regardless of the specifications described above to the European Championship Preliminaries. Please email George Pyrich, ideally before end-December, for further details and to register your interest.
- 02 Dec 13 | ICCF Germany v Rest of Europe
- Marco Caressa, ICCF-Europa Zonal Director, writes to advise of a friendly international over 280 boards (!), featuring Germany v Rest of Europe. Rudi Rohs (Germany) and Artis Gaujens (Latvia/RoE) invite all ICCF European federations to nominate eight players for this match which will commence on 1st March 2014. Please email George Pyrich before 6th January for further details and to register your interest.
- 25 Nov 13 | ICCF Chess 960 Russia v Rest of World
- Team captains Nikolay Poleshchuk (Russia) and Artis Gaujens (Latvia/World) invite all ICCF federations to enter players for this match which will commence in February 2014. Please email George Pyrich before 15th December for further details and to register your interest.
- 25 Nov 13 | Beecham for Adrian Hollis Memorial
- Andrew Dearnley writes to confirm that Richard Beecham will play in the elite group of the Adrian Hollis Memorial being organised by the BCCA. Play starts in January 2014, and the competitors will include English qualified ICCF World Finalists, GM Richard Hall and GM Nigel Robson. Good luck Richard!
- 24 Nov 13 | 3rd SCCA Webserver Open Started
- George Pyrich has now initiated the preliminary sections of this event. The official start date is 12th December, but players can make their first moves now. We attracted sufficient entries for two preliminary sections in each tournament. Group A (≥2000) will play single round-robin pairings, while Group B (<2000) will play double round-robin. Links to all sections are on the Webserver Open page. Both tournaments have healthy prize funds with additional mystery prizes for placed players. Good luck and good chess to all our competitors!
- 20 Nov 13 | ICCF European Postal Championship Reminder and Fees
- Marco Caressa, ICCF-Europa Zonal Director, writes to remind us of registration for the Open and Semi-Final stages.
- The Open and Semi-Final rounds will start continuously from 1st January 2014, according to the notes set out below (27 Oct and 19 Sep).
- SCCA fees for entry to EU Postal and Webserver events are now listed on our Fees page.
- Please email George Pyrich for further details and to register your interest.
- 27 Oct 13 | SCCA Membership Forms Online
- Online SCCA membership and tournament entry forms for 2014 are now available on the membership page. Click the appropriate pdf or Word image to download it; complete the form and return it by post or email to Kevin Paine.
- 27 Oct 13 | Dick van Geet Memorial
- Frank Geider, ICCF World Tournament Director, writes to announce the Dick van Geet Memorial tournament. GM van Geet (1932-2012) was a strong CC and OTB player who was well-known for his unconventional opening play - the opening 1.Nc3 is named after him. There are three categories within this Memorial event:
- A. Category VII. Rating 2400+. Prizes €500/€400/€300.
- B. Category V. Rating 2350+. Prizes €400/€300/€200.
- C. Category I. Rating 2250+. Prizes €300/€200/€100.
- Time controls for all categories are 10/50 and play starts on 1st February 2014. Entries are free and close on 15th December. The Dutch Federation (NBC) will endeavour to balance Dutch/non-Dutch participation in each category, and ideally wish one player per National Federation in each category (though reserves may be nominated).
- Please email George Pyrich before 30th November for further details and to register your interest in the event.
- 27 Oct 13 | ICCF European Postal Championship Entries
- Marco Caressa, ICCF-Europa Zonal Director, writes to announce the start of registration for the Open and Semi-Final stages.
- The Open rounds will start continuously from 1st January 2014, according to the Rules set out below.
- The Semi-Final rounds will also start continuously from 1st January 2014, but note that, in addition to the Rules below (i.e. rating; winner of an Open section; nomination by your National Federation), winners of European Postal Higher Class sections which started between 1st January 2010 and 31st December 2013 are also eligible.
- Please email George Pyrich for further details and to register your interest.
- 02 Oct 13 | 3rd SCCA Webserver Open Announced
- This popular event is open to Scottish players, as defined by birth, residency, or membership of either Chess Scotland or the SCCA. It will consist of two main sections, as follows:
- Webserver Open A. Aimed at Scottish OTB & CC players with ratings =>2000. The number of rounds and sections will depend on entries and the prize fund will extend to £400.
- Webserver Open B. Aimed at Scottish OTB & CC players with ratings <2000 and no computer assistance. The number of rounds and sections will depend on entries and the prize fund will extend to £300.
- Entry into both events is free, and subject to the eligibility criteria outlined above. In addition to cash prizes, we have also received a number of chess DVDs from a mystery donor which will be distributed as prizes to placed players.
- Both events will be played entirely on the webserver with the standard time control of 10 moves in 40 days. In order to allow for advertising through Chess Scotland media, the closing date for entries will be 15th November and we hope to commence play by 30th November.
- Please email George Pyrich to register your interest. We hope to get a good response from both CC and OTB players of all strengths, and wish all our entrants an enjoyable and successful tournament!
- 02 Oct 13 | 1st SCCA Best Game Prize Announced
- The inaugural SCCA Best Game Prize will operate for games completed during 2013, and the winner will receive the The R.J. Burridge Trophy. The competition rules are as follows:
- Entries will be games which finish in a given calendar year (2013 in this case);
- Entries will be restricted to events organised by SCCA or ICCF;
- Only SCCA members can submit their games (wins or draws);
- The submission period will close at the end of January 2014;
- The Committee will appoint a judge (who cannot submit a game!);
- The winner will be announced by end-March 2014 and we’ll feature the game in a subsequent magazine;
- A trophy miniature and certificate will be awarded to the winner.
- In the first instance, please send your games to Iain Mackintoshby end-January 2014. Multiple entries are allowed.
- 02 Oct 13 | ICCF Grading List 2013/4 Published
- The fourth quarterly list of 2013 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.
- 02 Oct 13 | Magazine 123 Published
- The third e-mag of the 2013 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!
- 19 Sep 13 | ICCF European Postal Championship Rules
- Marco Caressa, ICCF-Europa Zonal Director, writes to confirm new rules agreed by the European Zone at the 2013 Congress. They become effective from 1st January 2014.
European Postal Championship Open Round- Will consist of 4 players per section, double-round robin. Starting continuously. The following players have the right to participate in the European Postal Championship Open Round:
- players new to ICCF or without an ICCF Rating.
- a player rated below 2100 at the time of application.
European Postal Championship Semi-Finals- Will consist of 6 players per section, double round robin. Starting continuously. The following players have the right to participate in European Postal Championship Semi-Finals:
- a player rated 2100 or over at the time of application.
- a player who has won a European Postal Championship Open Round is entitled to one start in the Semi- Finals, regardless of rating.
- a player without an ICCF rating who is nominated by the National Federation and accompanied by a statement of qualification confirming the player is considered to be of sufficient strength to enter directly into the Semi-Finals.
European Postal Championship Final- Will normally consist of 13 players, single round robin. But the Tournament organiser shall have the power to change the number of players to 11, 15 or 17. Starting at the Tournament Organiser’s discretion. The following players have the right to participate in European Postal Championship Final:
- the 1st, 2nd & 3rd placed players from the previous Final.
- the 1st & 2nd placed players in the Semi-Finals.
- In the event that the number of qualifiers exceeds 17, the tournament organiser shall admit players to the Final in the following order of priority:
- those players who qualified for a previous Final but were omitted under this order of priority.
- 1st placed player in a previous Final.
- 1st placed player from a Semi-Final section.
- 2nd placed player in a previous Final.
- 2nd placed player from a Semi-Final section.
- 3rd placed player in a previous Final.
- The Final qualifications can be deferred only once.
- Where vacancies exist for a Final, after all qualifiers wishing to play have been included, then the European Zonal Director may admit the next qualified players from the previous Final or Semi-Final, namely those who failed to qualify on the basis of a tie-break. The European Zonal Director also has the right to grant up to two free places on the basis of extraordinary international performance.
- It should also be noted that Server qualifications can be used for the Postal stages, but not vice versa.
For further information, please contact George Pyrich.
- 16 Sep 13 | ICCF Chess 960 European Team Cup
- Marco Caressa, ICCF-Europa Zonal Director, writes to announce this new team tournament to be played on the ICCF webserver. Member federations may enter one team comprising 4 players and a (non-playing) team captain. Each player will have 2 games with alternate colours against each opponent on the same board, with the randomised start position will be the same for any one pairing (and different for other pairings). Time control will be 20 days for 10 moves and the games will be unrated. Play will start on November 1st, with entries closing on October 15th. For further information, please contact George Pyrich before end-September.
- 10 Sep 13 | Friendly Versus Venezuela Starts
- Our third friendly international of 2013 has now started against Venezuela, with George Pyrich and his counterpart César Jesús Reyes Maldonado having agreed the pairings. The formal start date is 20 September, but play has begun on several boards now. Once again, the match is on webserver, over 22 boards. We've never played Venezuela before, but it's possible that some of their players turned out for the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra which has visited the Raploch in Stirling. The Venezuelans are fielding several new (to CC) players who have either FIDE or provisional gradings. Best wishes to everybody on both teams for enjoyable chess and new friendships!
- 01 Jul 13 | ICCF Grading List 2013/3 Published
- The third quarterly list of 2013 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.
- 01 Jul 13 | Magazine 122 Published
- The second e-mag of the 2013 set (and the 50th altogether) 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!
- 17 Jun 13 | SM Title for Cumming
- At the Executive Committee meeting in Perth on 16 June, David Cumming was assessed as having four SM grading norms: 2317 on the 2012/2 list (506 games); 2323 on the 2012/3 list (539 games); 2319 on the 2012/4 list (562 games); and 2304 on the 2013/1 list (593 games). David was proposed for the SM title by George Pyrich and was unanimously approved. His certificate will be issued shortly by Jim Anderson. That brings us up to 33 SMs in total (3xGM, 5xSIM, 10xIM and 15xSM). Many congratulations to David! In addition, Peter Bennett and Robert Montgomery were assessed as having two full SM norms each.
- 17 Jun 13 | 2013 AGM Highlights
- At the AGM in Perth on 16 June, the following items were noted:
- Full audited accounts showing a surplus of £323 and net assets of £10,340 were produced by Gordon Anderson. No grant was received from Chess Scotland, and SCCA also donated £500 to Chess Scotland to assist with team expenses at the 2012 FIDE Olympiad. This was offset by there being no ICCF Congress delegate expenses this year, plus increased income from patron memberships and donations.
- Alan Hind was reappointed as auditor.
- The secretary post will continue to be covered by Kevin Paine (enquiries), Jim Anderson (domestic events) and Iain Mackintosh (minutes).
- SCCA membership subscriptions and entry fees remain unchanged.
- ICCF entry fees are expected to be reduced with effect from January 2014.
- Members can download AGM and Executive Committee minutes from the members download page. 2012-13 Accounts can be viewed on the accounts page.
- 12 Jun 13 | 2nd Thor Løvholt Memorial Team Tournament
- Neil Limbert writes on behalf of ICCF-Europa to announce the second Thor Løvholt Memorial Team Tournament, specially designed for medium-rated players. The event is expected to have a Preliminary Round (sections of 5 or 6 teams) and Final, and each member federation may enter one team of 6 players graded as follows:
- Boards 1-2: under 2300
- Boards 3-4; under 2250
- Boards 5-6; under 2200
- Play will be on the ICCF webserver, at 10 moves in 40 days. There is no entry fee. Entries close on 15th August, so if you are interested, please contact George Pyrich before end-July.
- 29 May 13 | SCCA AGM 2013
- This will be held at 7 Tullylumb Terrace, Perth PH1 1BA at 4:00pm on Sunday, 16th June. Skype facilities can be made available for those unable to attend in person (please contact the president). The agenda is:
- Apologies
- Minutes of Previous AGM and Matters Arising
- President's Remarks
- Secretary's Report
- Treasurer's Report
- International Secretary's Report
- Election of Office Bearers
- Appointment of Auditor
- Proposed Subscriptions and Fees
- AOCB
- 17 May 13 | ICCF 10th European Team Championship Semi-Finals
- Sergey Grodzensky writes on behalf of ICCF-Europa to announce the Semi-Finals of the 10th European Team Championship. Previously planned to start on 18th August 2013 with the closing date for entries 30th June, the event has now been rescheduled to begin on 1st November, with entries closing in mid-September. Each Europa federation may enter one team consisting of 8 players and all games will be played on the ICCF webserver. The Final will consist of 13 teams; the Semi-Final line-up will depend on entry numbers. For further information, please contact George Pyrich before end-August.
- 25 Apr 13 | ICCF Veterans World Cup 6 Announced
- Dr Uwe Staroske, president of BdF (the German CC Federation), writes to announce that VWC6 will start on 1st September, 2013, with the closing date for entries 1st August. As with previous VWCs, the event will be organised in three stages, which will allow several players from each group stage to advance to the Semi-finals and Final. The number of promotions will depend on total entries received, but it is envisaged that groups at each stage will comprise 13 players (12 games) played by webserver with a rate of play of 10 moves in 40 days. Playing time in each stage will be 18 months, with a fixed closing date specified at the outset. VWCs are open to all players who are 60 years old or more at the start date of the tournament. Although the number of preliminary groups which each player may enter is unlimited, no player will qualify for more than two Semi-final groups or more than one place in the Final. Players may enter through their National Federations (the SCCA entry fee is £11) or, where eligible, via the ICCF Direct Entry system. For further information, please contact George Pyrich before mid-July.
- 23 Apr 13 | Friendly Versus Spain Starts
- Hard on the heels of our friendly international against Germany, we've now concluded the pairings for another, this time versus Spain. The formal start date is 10 May, though play is possible now. The match is on webserver, over 22 boards. We've played Spain twice before: parallel matches starting in 2007, with a 20-board webserver encounter going Spain's way 14½-23½, and a 14-board postal fixture ending similarly, 8½-17½. As in the German match, the Spanish are blooding a number of new (to CC) players on the lower boards, but it would be foolish of us to expect any easy games! Best wishes to everybody for enjoyable chess and new friendships!
- 18 Apr 13 | ICCF Veterans World Cup 4 Semi-Finals
- The 31 Preliminary Groups of VWC4 have been concluded and all qualifiers for the Semifinals stage have been determined. There will be 7 groups, each with 15 players and the top 2 players from each group will qualify for a 15 player Final. The start date for the VWC4 Semifinals will be 15th May with closing date of 14th November 2014 - each Veterans World Cup playing cycle being of an 18 month duration, with a rate of play of 10 moves in 40 days. Should there be any non starters before 30th June 2013, there is a prioritised list of reserve players who will be offered any vacancies which arise. This event is sponsored by the SCCA which will provide prizes for all of the eventual medallists. For further information, please contact Alan Borwell.
- 12 Apr 13 | ICCF Grading List 2013/2 Published
- The second quarterly list of 2013 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.
- 12 Apr 13 | Magazine 121 Published
- The first e-mag of the 2013 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!
- 09 Apr 13 | Friendly Versus Germany Starts
- Our first friendly international of 2013 is against Germany. The formal start date is 16 April, though play is possible now. The match is on webserver, over 22 boards. Germany is one of the strongest CC nations and our last match with them started in 2006. It proved tough going, with the final score 19½-36½ in their favour. Their team this time contains serveral players with provisional CC ratings, but I suspect they'll all know how to move the pieces! We have some new and returning players ourselves, so best wishes to everybody for good chess and new friendships!
- 01 Apr 13 | ICCF 2013 World Championship Cycle Semi-Finals
- ICCF Title Tournament Commissioner, Gian-Maria Tani, writes to announce that this stage will commence play on June 10th, 2013 and that entries must be received by May 10th. Sections are usually 13 players, but may be extended to 15 or 17 in special circumstances. Several SCCA players have the necessary qualification, title and/or grading norms and we also have two unused member federation nominations left for 2013. For further information, please contact George Pyrich.
- 11 Feb 13 | 2013 Domestic Events Under Way
- Our postal league, traditionally the last event to start, is now under way and completes the 2013 domestic programme. There should be enough time to play matches by post, but those players with access to email might prefer to use that method - it's quicker and a lot cheaper! All the 2013 event x-tables can be accessed via the events/scca domestic menu.
- 23 Jan 13 | First IM Norm for Bell
- In 9th European Team Championship, Semifinal 2, Board 4, Alan Bell has reached 6½ points and thus qualifies for his first IM norm. This is a 12-player section, category 7, with an average rating of 2424, so Alan's performance is highly creditable and he currently sits in third place on SB count. IM rating performance is 2450, and the title can be awarded after two master performances in ranked events over a total of at least 24 games. Let's hope it's not too long before Alan completes his qualification, but meantime, many congratulations to him!
- 16 Jan 13 | ICCF Events Player Links Updated
- With a relatively small active player pool in Scotland, SCCA members enter numerous ICCF and National Federation events each year (we had 78 such entrants during 2012). The SCCA website offers a series of pages where members can quickly link to the relevant x-tables held on the ICCF webserver. The pages are organised by the type of event, e.g. the major team tournaments (Olympiads, European Team Championships, Champions League), and popular individual events (World Championships, Norms, Master/Higher/Open Classes, World Cups, Thematics, etc.). To access the pages, use the Events Menu, then either ICCF Team or ICCF Individual. Links are now up to date as of 31 December 2012.
- 10 Jan 13 | ICCF Grading List 2013/1 Published
- The first quarterly list of 2013 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.
- 10 Jan 13 | Magazine 120 Published
- The last e-mag of the 2012 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!
- 08 Jan 13 | RCCA Open Tournament
- Sergey Yakovlevuch Grodzensky, RCCA President, writes to announce an open tournament celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Russian CCA. The event is webserver-based, and will be played in three stages: preliminary, semi-final and final. Time control is 10 moves/40 days. The preliminaries are played in groups of 7-11 players (round robin system), with duration limited to 18 months and unfinished games will be adjudicated. Sections will be balanced as far as possible by grade and geography. GMs, SIMs and those rated over 2400 may enter the semi-finals directly if they wish. Play commences on 24th April 2013 (the RCCA anniversary date) and registration runs until 15th March. Entry fee via SCCA is £9. If you are interested, please contact George Pyrich as soon as possible and before 8th March.
- 02 Jan 13 | ICCF 37th World Championship Preliminaries
- ICCF Title Tournaments Commissioner Gian-Maria Tani writes to announce the Preliminaries stage of the 37th World Championship. This event will be played in sections of 13 players (or 15/17 at the organisers' discretion), with entries closing on 15th February and play commencing on 20th March. Entry must be made through national delegates and each member federation is allowed to nominate entries - SCCA is entitled to 3 places in the 2013 cycle. If you are interested, please contact George Pyrich as soon as possible and before 8th February.