2009 British Chess Championship Qualifying Competitions

All open FIDE Rated Swisses concluding by 7 June will be qualifying competitions for the 2009 British Chess Championship in Torquay 26 July to 8 August. The place will go to the highest placed eligible competitor not already qualified at the time of the event. Where two or more players tie for the place, this shall be resolved in favour of the player with higher sum of progressive score, failing that average of opponents' grades. The place is not transferable except to the next player on the same score. No event can have more than one qualifying place, even if eligible under another criterion; apart from the British Championships and the Hastings Masters for historical reasons. Where a player has two or more byes in the tournament s/he cannot gain the qualifying place on tiebreak.

To be included in this circuit, all players in the open section must be members of their national chess federation and this, and the opportunity, must also be publicised in the entry form and on the website.

This should be a very attractive possibility for congress organisers. Game fee is waived for any tournament for English players where it is required that all English players be members of the ECF. Also the ECF pays the FIDE fees for the first year of the event.

I greatly believe that playing international chess encourages people to take their chess more seriously and thus improve their game. Players are often attracted to events where it is possible to gain partial FIDE Ratings. The International Rating Officer will be able to help you with the technicalities.

After the event concludes, please send Neville Belinfante the name of the qualifier and the tournament table, or, at least, the full list of players and their scores.

If there is any way in which I, as ECF Congress Manager, can help with your event, please let me know. I am particularly interested in whether you still feel it is necessary to produce and distribute entry forms. This is quite expensive for organisers and I wonder whether this is still necessary with websites and email to previous contestants. This is particularly true for FIDE Rated events, especially if you are prepared to provide the ECF Office and me with your address list.

I am also considering whether to run an Organisers' Seminar. Would you be interested?

Stewart Reuben
Congress Manager