SCCA News

	News Archive 2020

Last updated 18 December 2020

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18 Dec 20 | ICCF World Correspondence Chess Championship Preliminaries Announced: ICCF Title Tournaments Commissioner Gian-Maria Tani writes to announce the Preliminaries stage of the 2021 (45th) World Championship. This event will be played in sections of 13 players (or 15/17 at the organisers' discretion), with entries closing on 2nd February and play commencing on 20th March 2021. Entry must be made through National Delegates and each member federation is allowed to nominate entries. SCCA is entitled to 2 places in the 2021 cycle (includes Preliminaries and Semi-Finals).; If you are interested, please contact Gordon Anderson as soon as possible and before 31st January 2021.

18 Dec 20 | UK Counties and District Correspondence Chess Championship: One of the oldest team events run in the UK is the Counties and District Correspondence Chess Championship. This is a team event based upon 8 player teams using the Hutton format, which means each player only plays 2 games, but each team plays against each other team.; The next event will start early in the New Year. Is there interest in forming a team to represent Scotland or a Scottish Region? If any Scottish player is interested in forming a team can they please contact Gordon Anderson within the next 7 days to express an interest.; The Rules of the competition can be found on the EFCC website.

10 Dec 20 | ICCF CCE Title for Buchan: Allan Buchan from Edinburgh has achieved his second Correspondence Chess Expert (CCE) norm whilst participating in the Mike L. Nicholson Memorial. Allan reached the qualifying standard of 6½ points with 1 game still to complete. With his second norm Allan achieves the CCE Title. Congratulations to Allan!

23 Nov 20 | SCCA 2021 Membership Forms Available: Membership forms for 2021 are now available for download from the website on the membership page. The forms are in Word format and can be returned by post or email. Please use them whether you're renewing or joining as a new member, and remember to complete the tournament form to say which events you'd like to play in during 2021. For further information, please contact Iain Sneddon by email, or use his home contact details provided on the officials page.

19 Nov 20 | ICCF 3rd States and Regions Team Event Announced: This event, organised by the Welsh CCF, is now open for entry. Details may be found on the: ICCF Website.; No Scottish Region has entered in the previous events. However, if Scottish players wish to explore entering the event please liaise with Gordon Anderson by 15 December and he will co-ordinate efforts to create a regional team.; The closing date for all entries is 5th March 2021. Pairings will be issued as soon as possible after that date.

05 Nov 20 | ICCF DE 15th Webserver Anniversary Tournament (DE15A) Announced: The ICCF Congress in 2020 decided that following the incredible popularity of DE5A and DE10A, DE15A would be held to celebrate 15 years since the start of the Direct Entry Programme. Working in collaboration with ICCF, the Non-Title Tournament Commissioner, IM Jörg Kracht, IA (GER), will organise the DE15A.; The first stage of DE15A will start on 5th April 2021, the 15th anniversary of the Direct Entry Programme.; The event will be organised in three stages, which will allow several players from each group stage to advance to the semifinals and final. The number of promotions will depend on the total entries received. Preliminary groups will likely comprise either 9 players (8 games), or 11 players (10 games), or 13 players (12 games), depending upon the number of entries received.; All games will be played by webserver with triple block system:; All games will be rated with title norms possible.; DE15A is open to all players who are eligible to enter tournaments via the Direct Entry Programme.; Players must enter via the ICCF Direct Entry system ONLY (Click on ‘New events’ then ‘Jubilee Tournaments’). No entries may be made through national federations. The entry fee by Direct Entry will be €14.04.; Although the number of preliminary groups which each player may enter is unlimited, no player will qualify for more than two semifinal groups or more than one place in the final.; The closing date for all entries is 5th March 2021. Pairings will be issued as soon as possible after that date.

01 Nov 20 | ICCF CCE Norm for Smith: Edinburgh-based Mark Smith has achieved his first Correspondence Chess Expert (CCE) norm whilst participating in the Peggy Clarke Memorial. Mark reached the qualifying standard of 6½ points with 2 games still to complete. Congratulations to Mark!

19 Oct 20 | ICCF Friendly Match Ukraine v Rest of World: Notice has been received that to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Ukrainian CC Federation a match is to be played between Ukraine and the Rest of the World. Play will commence on 30 November 2020, will be over 60 boards with a time control of 50 days for each 10 moves. Each Federation is asked to nominate one player to play in the match plus one reserve. It is anticipated that the reserve player may play in the match depending in overall responses. Scottish players wishing to be considered are asked to contact Gordon Anderson by 31 October 2020.

08 Oct 20 | Friendly Versus USA Starts: Team captains Gordon Anderson and Carl Siefring have finalised their teams and play will officially start on 21st October in our friendly match against USA (pairings have been issued and moves are possible now). The match comprises 30 boards and will take place on the webserver. This is our third match against the Americans. The USA have won both previous encounters, but the scores were tight: 22-20 and 25½-24½. As always, best wishes to both teams for keenly fought chess and the establishment of new friendships!

06 Oct 20 | ICCF Grading List 2020/4 Published: The fourth quarterly list of 2020 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 Alistair Maxwell.

06 Oct 20 | SCCA Magazine 151 Published: The third e-mag of the 2020 set is being distributed by post and email 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 a bit longer 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!

05 Oct 20 | ICCF CCE Title for Montgomery: Robert Montgomery from Livingston has achieved his third Correspondence Chess Expert (CCE) norm whilst playing in the George D. Pyrich Memorial Team tournament. Robert achieved his first and second norms in January 2018 and November 2018 whilst playing respectively in the North Atlantic Team Tournament and the North Sea Team Tournament. With his third norm Robert achieves the CCE Title. Congratulations to Robert!

24 Sep 20 | ICCF CCE Norm for Buchan: Allan Buchan from Edinburgh has achieved his first Correspondence Chess Expert (CCE) norm whilst participating in III TORNEO PABLO ATARS IM 2020 GRUPO 9A. Allan reached the qualifying standard of 8 points with 1 game still to complete. Congratulations to Allan!

24 Sep 20 | ICCF Friendly Match Europe Zone v World Zone: A reminder that those who wish to participate in the above match should contact Gordon Anderson no later than 30th September. Apparently, demand to play is high and the Europa Director has written to indicate that each Federation can nominate up to 10 players. Scotland has plenty of scope to accept requests to play in the match.

22 Sep 20 | SCCA SM Title for Sneddon: Grader Alistair Maxwell has confirmed that Iain Sneddon from Irvine has now (over-)qualified for the Scottish Master (SM) title. Iain's recent IM norm counts as an SM norm, and he now has 4 grading norms (2300+ separated by 20+ games) gained in 2020/4, 2020/3, 2020/2 and 2001/1. The SM title is traditionally bestowed at the SCCA AGM, so we'll hand over his certificate at the 2021 meeting. Many congratulations to Iain!

15 Sep 20 | ICCF IM Norm for Sneddon: Iain Sneddon from Irvine has achieved his first International Master (IM) norm whilst participating in WS/MN/B/19. Iain reached the qualifying standard of 7½ points from his 12 games. Congratulations to Iain!

14 Sep 20 | ICCF Friendly Match Europe Zone v World Zone: ICCF Zone 1 and ICCF World Zone are delighted to announce that a friendly match Europe v World Zone will be organised in November, 2020.; Scottish players interested in being nominated as one of Scotland’s 4 players should contact Gordon Anderson as soon as possible and no later than 30th September.

07 Sep 20 | Douglas McRoberts RIP: Sad news from Kirkcaldy where Douglas McRoberts died suddenly at the Victoria Hospital on 17h August. Douglas was 88 and is survived by five children born to his late wife Elizabeth. Douglas was the SCCA's second life member and a great stalwart of the Association. The ICCF webserver only lists his last 44 games, showing a highest grade of 2223 in 1994 and a closing grade of 2052 in 2001-02. His funeral was private.

31 Aug 20 | Friendly Match Scotland v USA: Gordon Anderson writes: as National Delegate I have received an invitation to play a friendly match against the USA. Recently, a notice was distributed asking members to indicate if they were available for selection in friendly matches. The response was very good, although a number of regulars have not yet advised if they are available or not. The aim is to start the match with the USA in early October. Anyone who wishes to play and has not already confirmed to me is requested to contact Gordon Anderson as soon as possible but no later than 7th September.

16 Aug 20 | British Correspondence Chess Championship (BCCC) 2020-22 Name Check: In recent years there have been some issues with entries not being recognised or misplaced and the BCCC Committee has agreed to list names to check nobody who wants to enter has been missed. If you believe you have entered and are not on the list, please get in touch with Gordon Anderson as quickly as possible. Current entries are:

13 Aug 20 | ICCF CCM Title for Blake: Mickey Blake of Castle Douglas has obtained his second ICCF Correspondence Chess Master (CCM) norm and subsequently the CCM Title. Mickey reached the qualifying standard of 6 points while playing in the 50 years CXEB-Group D. Mickey’s first norm was obtained in October 2019 whilst playing in the Veterans World Cup Semi-final 1 where he also earned his first IM norm. Congratulations to Mickey!

13 Aug 20 | ICCF CCM Title for Sneddon: Iain Sneddon of Irvine has obtained his second ICCF Correspondence Chess Master (CCM) norm and subsequently the CCM Title whilst participating in the Celso Sanchez Pouso IM y VII FEDAPVEN Group B2 event where he scored 7/12, the qualifying standard being 6.5 points. Iain’s first norm was obtained in April 2020 whilst playing in the Celso Sanchez Pouso IM y VII FEDAPVEN Group B4 which he won with a score of 7/12. Congratulations to Iain!

05 Aug 20 | Friendly Versus Venezuela Starts: Team captains Gordon Anderson and César Reyes Maldonado have finalised their teams and play will officially start on 15th August in our friendly match against Venezuela (pairings have been issued and moves are possible now). The match comprises 16 boards and will take place on the webserver. This is our third match against the South Americans. We won the first encounter by 23½-21½, but the Venezuelans got their revenge in the second match, winning emphatically by 32-18. Let's see who can take the lead in the series... As ever, best wishes to both teams for competitive chess and the forging of new friendships!

26 Jul 20 | ICCF 3rd Chess 960 European Team Cup Announced: The Zonal Director for Europe has written to invite all its member Federations to enter a team to a new team tournament to be played on the ICCF webserver. Each member Federation may enter one team of 4 players (and a team captain).; The tournament is likely to be organised in one or two stages (it depends on the number of entries). Pairings will use a Double Round Robin system whereby players play 2 games with alternate colours against each opponent (both games against the same opponent will start with the same randomised position of the pieces but these will vary against other opponents). Time control is 30 days for 10 moves and the games will be rated in ICCF Chess 960 rating system. Members of the first three teams in the final will be awarded medals and certificates.; Scottish players have, in the past, never shown much interest in Chess 960, however, if there are Scottish players who are interested in playing can they please contact Gordon Anderson by 15 August 2020.; There is no entry fee for this tournament, where play will commence on 15th September 2020.

05 Jul 20 | ICCF Grading List 2020/3 Published: The third quarterly list of 2020 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 Alistair Maxwell.

05 Jul 20 | SCCA Magazine 150 Published: The second e-mag of the 2020 set is being distributed by email today. Our printers have just re-opened after lockdown, so we'll try to issue print editions for magazines 149 and 150 as soon as we can. 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 about the same as 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!

01 Jul 20 | British Correspondence Chess Championship (BCCC) 2020-22: The British Correspondence Chess Championship (BCCC) is the premier tournament on the British CC calendar. Running continuously since 1921 and open to all British players, the BCCC has carried ICCF title norms since 2016. The BCCC caters for players of all levels and consists of a final, a candidates section and a number of reserves sections.; The BCCC is organised jointly by the English Federation for Correspondence Chess (EFCC), the Scottish Correspondence Chess Association (SCCA) and the Welsh Correspondence Chess Federation (WCCF).; Further details of the tournament, including the full rules and a list of previous winners, are available on the EFCC website.; Last season’s crosstables can be viewed here:; There is a first prize of £100 and a second prize of £50. Entries close on August 31 and play is due to commence in September 2020. Entries can be made directly to Tournament Organiser - Phil Beckett or via the National Federation.; Entries and the entry fee of £12 should reach Gordon Anderson by 15 August 2020 or Phill Beckett no later than 31st August 2020.

19 Jun 20 | ICCF CCE Norm for Burridge: Raymond Burridge of Aberdeen has achieved his second Correspondence Chess Expert (CCE) norm whilst playing in the EU Amateur Cup 2019 Semi-final 2. Raymond has equalled the norm score of 6.5 points and is presently leading the event, having completed all his games. Raymond needs to achieve one further norm to achieve the CCE title. Congratulations to Raymond!

19 Jun 20 | ICCF Sweden v Rest of Europe Match Announced: The Europa Zonal Director writes to announce that a friendly match has been organised between Sweden and the Rest of Europe.; Scottish players wishing to be considered for selection should contact Gordon Anderson as soon as possible but no later than 15 August 2020.

19 Jun 20 | ICCF 40th WCCC Candidates Tournament Announced: Gian-Maria Tani, ICCF Title Tournaments Commissioner, writes to announce the Candidates stage of the 40th World Championship which will start on 20th September. The following players are eligible for the 40th candidates:; Registration completes on 5th August, so please contact Gordon Anderson before 29th July, if you meet the entry criteria, to register your interest.

02 Jun 20 | ICCF Virtual Congress 2020: With the present situation relating to Coronavirus continuing to dominate the headlines it has been necessary to cancel the 2020 ICCF Congress in Glasgow (Clydebank). The ICCF Executive Board has agreed to hold a Virtual Congress in 2020. As part of that process, it is now possible for National Delegates to lodge Proposals for consideration by Delegates. The window for Proposals closes on 23rd June 2020.; Since these Proposals impact on all CC players, the SCCA Executive Committee would welcome input from Scottish players on each/all of the proposals. The Executive Committee plans to ‘meet’ to discuss the various Proposals on Monday, 29th June 2020. Players wishing to provide input should send their observations to Gordon Anderson by 25th June 2020.

26 May 20 | ICCF IM Norm for Cumming: David Cumming of Inverness has achieved his first International Master (IM) Norm in the III Celso Sanchez Pouso IM y VII FEDAPVEN Grupo A6 event. David has completed his games in his group and achieved the qualifying IM norm score of 7 points. Congratulations to David!

26 May 20 | ICCF 23rd World Cup Announced: ICCF General Secretary, Michael Millstone has written to announce the launch of the 23rd World Cup. The tournament will be in 3 stages, with the Preliminaries commencing on 30th September 2020. Each group will consist of 7-11 players. The event will be played by webserver with the pace 40 days per 10 moves (45 days leave per year, no special leave). Linear conditionals can be entered. Each player plays one game with every player of his group simultaneously. Allocation of players to the Preliminary sections will be made as random as possible; however geographical distribution as well as an achievement of reasonable equality of the average rating will be taken into account.; All players are eligible to enter. Players must register in the usual way through ICCF registration system (select “Register by Direct Entry” or “Register via National Federation”). Tournament fees by Direct Entry will be €14.04 Euros and through SCCA £9. Multiple entries are allowed up to the number of preliminary sections.; All Preliminary groups will finish on 1st May 2022. The Semi-final round will be started on 31st October 2022.

25 May 20 | 2020 AGM Highlights: At the AGM via Skype on 24 May, the following items were noted:; Members can download AGM and Executive Committee minutes from the members download page. Full financial details may be accessed from accounts page and its attached analysis sheets.

24 May 20 | ICCF CCE Norm for Burridge: Raymond Burridge from Aberdeen has achieved his first Correspondence Chess Expert (CCE) norm whilst playing in the BCCA 2020 WS Silver Medal Tournament. Raymond has exceeded the norm score of 5 points and is presently leading the event with 5.5 points with one outstanding game. Congratulations to Raymond!

22 May 20 | SCCA Selection for Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament Announced: Gordon Anderson reports that the following team will represent Scotland in this memorial for Carlos Flores Gutiérrez, open to players rated <2300. Play commences on 1st July, 2020 - good luck to everyone involved!

13 May 20 | ICCF Europa King Chess Event Announced: The Europa Zonal Director has written to all players within the Zone to take part in the first experimental international tournament “Mont Blanc” at King Chess. The details of the tournament have been sent to all players and that detail is not repeated here. Players should enter in the usual way. Those applying through the National Federation route will pay a fee of £3 per event. This fee should be paid to SCCA either by cheque sent to Gordon Anderson, or by direct electronic transfer into the SCCA bank account (details from Gordon).

11 May 20 | ICCF Lockdown Event Announced: As over the board chess leagues around the world have closed their doors due to COVID-19 lockdown, correspondence chess continues. In honour of all chess players who have succumbed to this terrible disease, ICCF announce a unique one-off event, the “ICCF Lockdown Open”. This is open to all chess players around the world; in particular we welcome players who are currently unable to play chess because of national lockdown.; Entry will be by Direct Entry or via the player’s member federation; the entry fee for direct entries will be €6.24 Euros and for entry through National Federation the fee will be £6.00. Registration will close on 20th June 2020. Multiple entries are allowed, however will be limited to the number of groups running in the first round, additional entries will be refunded if necessary.; ICCF will donate 100% of the entry fees from this event to the COVID-19 Solidarity Fund for the World Health Organisation.; The time control will be Triple Block “650” with 75 days initial bank and 4 days increment for the first 50 moves; guaranteed time will be deployed after the first 50 moves.; The tournament will be split into two rounds:

10 May 20 | SCCA AGM 2020 Notice: This will nominally be held at 7 Tullylumb Terrace, Perth PH1 1BA at 4:00pm on Sunday, 24th May, but will be a Skype conference due to the Coronovirus restrictions. Please contact the president for Skype details. The agenda is:

06 May 20 | Friendly Versus England (Under 1800) Starts: Team captains Gordon Anderson and Phillip Beckett have finalised their teams and play will officially start on 15th May in our friendly match against England (Under 1800) (pairings have been issued and moves are possible now). The match comprises 10 boards and will take place on the webserver. Surprisingly, this is our first encounter with England at any level since our friendly calendar was compiled, so we look forward to a somewhat overdue encounter with our neighbours! As usual, best wishes to both teams for competitive chess and the forging of new friendships!

05 May 20 | ICCF 70th Jubilee Events Announced: The ICCF General Secretary, Michael Millstone has written to announce events to celebrate the above Jubilee. Details of the various events can be found on the ICCF Website on a posting dated 5th May 2020. Players wishing to enter any of the proposed events require to do so through the usual practice of going into their ICCF account. A link to the announcement can be found here.

21 Apr 20 | EFCC Brian Jones Celebration Event Announced: The English Federation for Correspondence Chess (EFCC) has written to advise that they are planning to hold a Celebration Event for Brian Jones, a Yorkshireman now living in Australia. Brian has had a long chess career and for a period was Australia’s National Delegate to ICCF before illness forced him to relinquish that responsibility. Brian has recently decided to retire from all chess activities and EFCC in collaboration with the Yorkshire Chess Association are planning an event starting in late June 2020.; The event is primarily for friends of Brian’s, both his children are intending to play. However, Scotland has been invited to nominate 2 Scottish players. The aim is for players in the rating range 1900 to 2100, although some flexibility is available. While knowing Brian is important this is not essential.; Would any Scottish players wishing to participate contact Gordon Anderson as soon as possible, but no later than 7th May 2020.

20 Apr 20 | ICCF III Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament Announced: The ICCF Non-title Tournament Commissioner has written to announce the III. ICCF Team Tournament for players rated <2300 – in memoriam Carlos Flores Gutiérrez. All ICCF member federations (that are not currently suspended) are invited to enter their teams to this event, which will be played on the ICCF web-server on two rounds: preliminaries and final.; Each federation may enter two teams. All players on the team must be rated at <2300 on the ICCF rating list 2020/2 or on the current FIDE list. In addition all players must be full members of the federation they represent or be registered on the ICCF server for the county of the federation they represent for the duration of the tournament.; The preliminaries will start on July 1st, 2020. There will be 6 players in each team. A maximum of 3 players may be replaced during the tournament.; The right to be promoted from the preliminaries shall be determined by the ICCF Non-Title Tournaments Commissioner and approved by the Executive Board at the start of the tournament. The intention will be for a 13 Team final.; The entry fee will be at the rate of €5 per player, i.e. €30 per team. There will be no further entry fee for the final. Time control will be Triple Block (Duration of Tournament: 700 days; Initial Clock: 50 days; Initial Bank: 50 days; Increment: 5 days).; FIDE Ratings will be treated as “unfixed” for title norm purposes. Players who have no ICCF fixed rating nor FIDE rating will be allocated with a provisional rating of 2100.; Scottish players who wish to be considered for selection should contact Gordon Anderson as soon as possible, but no later than 24th May 2020.

11 Apr 20 | ICCF CCM Norm for Sneddon: Iain Sneddon from Irvine has achieved his first Correspondence Chess Master (CCM) norm whilst participating in CELSO SANCHEZ POUSO IM y V11 FEDAPVEN Group B4. Iain reached the qualifying standard of 6.5 points with 1 game still to complete. Congratulations to Iain!

06 Apr 20 | ICCF Grading List 2020/2 Published: The second quarterly list of 2020 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 Kevin Paine.

06 Apr 20 | SCCA Magazine 149 Published: The first e-mag of the 2020 set is being distributed by email today. Printed copies are not available because of the closure of our printers during the Coronavirus Pandemic. We'll try to issue the print edition when things return to normal. 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 about the same as 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!

23 Mar 20 | ICCF Congress 2020 Glasgow Cancelled: The Congress venue, the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel, Glasgow (Clydebank), is owned by NHS Scotland. On Friday, March 20, we were contacted by the venue and advised that the Scottish Government had instructed the venue to close its commercial operations with immediate effect until, at least, October 1, 2020. The venue’s website contains the following message:; “The Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel is an important part of NHS Scotland. During the current challenges to our health service, the Hotel will be offering our resources to support the wider NHS effort. Therefore, we will only be accepting NHS priority-based activity until further notice. This is a challenging time for everyone, and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”; Consequently, the 2020 ICCF Congress cannot now be hosted by the SCCA. This news is extremely frustrating; however, we are all aware of the worldwide pandemic and the uncertainty which exists. The ICCF Executive Board (EB) is considering alternative arrangements and further communication will be released on behalf of ICCF in due course.

15 Mar 20 | ICCF Individual Zonal Tournament Announced: Dinand Knol, the organizer of Individual Zonal Tournament (IZT), has announced the 4th edition of IZT. There will be 12 groups of 9 players each, so the Europa Zone is expected to have 40 entries. Each National Federation is guaranteed to have one participant and may nominate a few additional players to fill vacancies.; Entry fee is £4.50 per player. This event will start with a preliminary stage consisting of groups of 9 players each in categories 1-3. Players can qualify for CCE, CCM and IM title norms. The top three finishers of each group will qualify for the semi -final stage in at least category 4. Participants must have a fixed ICCF rating of between 2200 and 2375. Start date is 31st March 2020.; Any Scottish player who is interested in participation should contact Gordon Anderson by 19th March 2020.

09 Mar 20 | 6th British Webserver Team Tournament Entries Open: The Welsh Correspondence Chess Federation (WCCF) is pleased to announce that entries for the 6th British Webserver Team Tournament are now open; this tournament will start on 12th April 2020. The entry fee remains £20.00 per team. Entries should be sent to Russell Sherwood and include the team name and the names, board numbers, and ICCF ID numbers of the team captain and each of the four players. The closing date for entries is Friday 10th April 2020, and the WCCF will inform you of payment arrangements on receipt of your entry. The full rules of the tournament are available on the WCCF website.; There are two significant changes from the 5th season:; WCCF will be operating a Player-Team matching service, so any team looking for player or players for a team should make contact on the address above.; Please note that each team should include at least one player playing under the flags of Wales, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, or a British crown dependency or overseas territory; there are no restrictions on the nationalities of the other two players. Returning teams should include at least two members from Season Five, or they will be considered as a new team. New teams are very welcome, and will normally start in the lowest division, however the WCCF Executive Committee reserve the right to allocate teams to higher divisions should it be merited.; For further information, please do not hesitate to contact Russell Sherwood.

09 Mar 20 | Friendly Versus Netherlands Starts: Team captains Gordon Anderson and Jan van Daatselaar have finalised their teams and play will officially start on 31st March in our friendly match against Netherlands (pairings have been issued and moves are possible now). The match comprises 20 boards and will take place on the webserver. This is our fifth encounter with the Dutch and we boast a perfect score of zero from previous matches! The 1996 Postal match finished 16-34; the 2005 postal/email event ended 16½-25½; the 2012 webserver/postal fixture resulted in 23-37; and the 2015 webserver challenge ended up 18½-31½. If we get within 10 points, we'll be doing all right! As ever, best wishes to both teams for competitive chess and friendships old and new!

09 Mar 20 | ICCF 2020 World Championship Semi-Finals Announced: Gian-Maria Tani, ICCF Title Tournament Commissioner, writes to announce the start date of the Semi-Finals of the 44th WCCC as June 20, 2020. Entries will be accepted according to ICCF Tournament Rules valid as from January 1st, 2020, to be received not later than 10th May 2020. Member Federations Nominations (MFN) for the Semi-Finals should also be submitted not later than 10th May 2020. MFN for 2019 cannot be used for 2020 WC Cycle. Scottish players who are eligible and who are interested in playing should contact Gordon Anderson as soon as possible and before 30th April 2020.

22 Feb 20 | SCCA 2020 Domestic Events Started: Many thanks to Kevin Paine and Iain Sneddon who have initiated all our major domestic events for this year. You can access the x-table links via the following pages: championship; premier; open; and leagues. The leagues are back to three divisions this season, largely because of BCCA being unable to field any teams. Challengers fixtures will follow in March, in order to stagger the games load for players.

27 Jan 20 | SCCA Best Game Prize 2019: We are delighted to announce that GM Dadi Örn Jónsson, the Icelandic ICCF delegate, has kindly agreed to judge our Best Game entries for 2019.; Any games involving SCCA members which completed during 2019 are eligible, and entries will be accepted until the 31st of January 2020. Just a few days left now, so please feel free to send in the game scores of any tussles which gave you some satisfaction last year.; To enter your game please email Iain Mackintosh.

24 Jan 20 | ICCF Congress 2020 Website Launched: ICCF General Secretary Michael Millstone has now circulated all ICCF member nation delegates to announce that the website specially built for the upcoming Congress in Glasgow (Clydebank) is now available for use. You can access it at: congress website. Registration facilities are available for those wishing to attend, and there is plenty of information about hotels, local attractions and the planned programme of events. Further updates will be made between now and August. Our event organiser is Gordon Anderson, who can provide any further information you may need.

19 Jan 20 | Derek Coope RIP: Sad news from Oban where Derek Coope died suddenly at the local Chess Club on 15th January. He'd been teaching youngsters earlier in the day and was with his great friend Duncan Campbell later on when taken ill. Derek was 81 and is survived by his wife Joyce and their four children. Derek was a prolific player, both OTB and CC. He first appeared on the ICCF grading list in 1992 playing almost 1,000 games, with a highest rating of 2129 in 2012. We'll update this notice once we hear about funeral and/or memorial arrangements.

17 Jan 20 | SCCA Webserver League 2020 Entries: We are currently seeking entries for the Scottish Webserver League. The event is for teams of 4 players who take part in Divisions of up to 7 teams. Games are rated.; Entries will be accepted until the 31st of January 2020 with a start date of 7th February 2020. End date will be 31st December 2020.; Time control of 10 moves in 30 days with duplication after 20 days is used. 30 days of leave per year are available to each player. Full ICCF rules will apply. The cost is £2.50 per board for non-SCCA members.; To enter a team please contact Kevin Paine.

16 Jan 20 | ICCF Grading List 2020/1 Published: The first quarterly list of 2020 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 Kevin Paine.

16 Jan 20 | SCCA Magazine 148 Published: The fourth e-mag of the 2019 set is being distributed by email today. Printed copies are also in the post. 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 about the same as 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 20 | WCCF 1st International Open Correspondence Chess Championship: The Welsh Correspondence Chess Federation is pleased to announce the First Welsh International Open Correspondence Chess Championship. CC players of all levels from all countries of the world are warmly invited to participate.; The full announcement can be viewed on the ICCF News page, and players will also receive a personalised ICCF email.

07 Jan 20 | SCCA 2019 Results Summary: There was one Premier section last year, which finished in a triple tie between Jim Anderson, Ian Whittaker and Carlos Almarza Mato - all with identical points, Baumbach and SB scores.; We also had one Open section last year, won by Andrew MacMillen who came close to a 100% score with 7/8.; The Challengers 2019-20 Cycle was won by Colin Beveridge, who also just missed out on a 100% score with 7½/8. Full results for all players are now available on the website.; We organised four webserver Leagues for the first time in 2019. Winners were Hounds of Scheming Mind A (Div 1 - 4 in a row for them!); Hounds of the Scheming Mind C (Div 2); White Rose B (Div 3) and BCCA Amethysts (Div 4).; Well done to all competitors for another enjoyable year of CC!

06 Jan 20 | Mackintosh wins 2019-20 SCCA Championship: Iain Mackintosh has won the SCCA Championship for a record 10th time (5 outright; 5 shared), finishing with 9½/12. There are unfinished games, but Iain can't be caught now. If Mickey Blake wins all his remaining games, he can reach 9 points and claim outright 2nd place. At present, Iain Sneddon and David Cumming are tied on 8½ points. The top 4 players enjoyed a very tight contest, and the one decisive game between them decided the outcome. Congratulations once more to the man from Perth!

05 Jan 20 | ICCF President's New Year Message: To all Correspondence Chess Friends,; As 2019 ends, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to you and all those dear to you for a very healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year. I also want to extend my sincere thanks to all officials and delegates for their devoted work on behalf of ICCF during the last year.; This last year has indeed been demanding for all ICCF officials and volunteers but nevertheless has proved to be successful for ICCF, which has achieved substantial progress and improvement, and most of the decisions made during the last congress in Vilnius have already been implemented in the ICCF bylaws and on the server.; The ICCF Congress 2020 will be held near Glasgow, Scotland, in August, and I hope that many delegates, officials and correspondence chess players will join us. More details about the venue will be published soon.; In closing, let me once again extend to you my best wishes for the New Year. I hope that 2020 will bring satisfaction in all your endeavours, personal, professional, and chess!; Amici Sumus,; Eric Ruch; ICCF President

Asquith J (ENG)	Bailey M (ENG)	Bailey S (WLS)	Beckett PJ (ENG)	Beecham CR (SCO)	Bishop W (WLS)
Brotherton T (ENG)	Bruce R (ENG)	Buchan A (SCO)	Bullen A (WLS)	Burridge RJ (SCO)	Clark S (ENG)
Clark SL (SCO)	Cowan A (ENG)	Cumming DR (SCO)	Elwood D (ENG)	Franks K (ENG)	Gardner A (ENG)
Graham O (ENG)	Grayland SJ (ENG)	Griling C (ENG)	Grummitt W (ENG)	Hardwick ME (SCO)	Herman T (ENG)
Hollands G (ENG)	Illingworth JB (ENG)	Jones G (WLS)	Jones Ian (WLS)	Jones R (WLS)	Kitson K (ENG)
Law K (ENG)	Lloyd G (SCO)	Lockett J (ENG)	Lumley W (ENG)	Maguire G (ENG)	Marchant A (ENG)
O'Mahoney M (ENG)	Owen C (ENG)	Perrin R (ENG)	Pope P (ENG)	Raby EBD (ENG)	Rawlings AJC (ENG)
Richardson D (ENG)	Roberts A (ENG)	Roberts S (ENG)	Ruffle A (ENG)	Scott P (WLS)	Sherwood A (WLS)
Sherwood H (WLS)	Sherwood R (WLS)	Squires M (ENG)	Sutton A (ENG)	Tibbert PH (ENG)	Wakeham MR (WLS)
Walsh HJ (ENG)	Ward R (ENG)	Webster R (ENG)	Wharam G (ENG)	Whittaker IP (SCO)	Wood BA (ENG)

News Archive 2020