The 2024 Congress will follow the successful format of previous years with a five-round event across four sections from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.
LIVE DGT chess boards for the top boards in ALL sections
Large practice/study area with TV screens displaying matches from every section.
Chess Essentials book store
Date:
Friday 12th January to Sunday 14th January 2024
Location:
The Wrekin Housing Group, Colliers Way, Old Park, Telford, Shropshire, TF3 4AW
Sections and Prizes:
Open – ECF-rated
First £300, Second £150, Third £75)
Major U1900 – ECF-graded
First £300, Second £150, Third £75
Intermediate U1700 – ECF-graded
First £300, Second £150, Third £75
Minor U1500 – ECF-graded
First £300, Second £150, Third £75
3 GRADING PRIZES IN EVERY SECTION
No player may win more than one prize in any section. In the event of a shared place prize, all prize money will be split equally.
Junior Prizes
Top Junior in each section – £25 Chess Essentials voucher.
Entry fees: All sections – Adult £35 Junior (U18) £30 Additional late entry fee if received after 31/12/2022- £5 ECF congress fee for all sections if not Silver/Gold/Platinum member – £9
Playing schedule Round 1 – Fri 6 Jan 2023 – 7pm – 11pm Round 2 – Sat 7 Jan 2023 – 9.30am – 1.30pm Round 3 – Sat 7 Jan 2023 – 2.30pm – 6.30pm Round 4 – Sun 8 Jan 2023 – 9.30am – 1.30pm Round 5 – Sun 8 Jan 2023 – 2.30pm – 6.30pm
There will not be a Prizegiving ceremony; prizes will be paid to winners following the event.
Players may request a half-point bye in any one of the first four rounds at the time of entry.
Rate of Play All moves in 100 minutes, plus 10 seconds per move, from move one.
(All moves to be recorded until your clock goes under 5 minutes remaining)
Ratings and gradings ECF Ratings from the October 2023 ECF list will be used.
Other information Disabled access, Free Parking on site
Arbiters: Peter and Glynis Purland
All entrants will receive a Chess Congress wristband – please keep this visible whilst in the building otherwise you may be challenged by security.
Catering and refreshment Friday evening- Light snacks and an honesty box
Saturday/Sunday- cooked breakfasts from the housing trust catering team
– main courses served from lunch time inc Sunday roast
Tea, coffee and soft drinks available throughout the weekend.
2024 Munu to be updated once available
Menu and Prices 2023 – menu will be similar to 2023 although prices may vary (to be confirmed)
Drinks £1.50 – Bottled Pop £1.00 – Cans £1.00 – Bottled Water £1.50 – Specialty Coffee £0.50 – Tea
Congress Terms and Conditions
It is a condition of entry that players agree to abide by the following Congress rules.
1a. To wear a Congress wristband whilst in the Housing Trust building. 1b. The organisers reserve the right, without giving a reason, to transfer or refuse an entry. 2. All fees must be paid before play starts. Late Entries at the venue are at the discretion of the organisers. 3. ECF Standard play Grading Lists (October 2023) will be used to determine sections and seeding. 4. Conversions from other rating systems and estimates for un-graded players will be decided by the organisers. 5. Seeded Swiss pairings will be made by Controllers using ECF rules or computer programs based on ECF or comparable rules. 6. Move rate is all moves in 100 minutes plus 10 second increment per move. All moves must be recorded until your clock goes under 5 minutes remaining. 7. Players arriving more than 30 minutes late for a round may be deemed to have lost by default unless the Controller can re-pair them satisfactorily. Players present, whose opponents have not arrived may be re-paired up to 30 minutes after the start of the round. 8. If a player qualifies for more than one cash prize, he shall be paid the higher amount and the Congress organisers will decide how most fairly any balance shall be re-distributed. 9. Congress equipment may not be removed from the playing or analysis areas. 10. Smoking is not permitted inside the housing trust offices. 11. Mobiles and PDA’s must be switched off. Failure to do so, or if it makes a sound, will result in the loss of the game. 12. In the event of a dispute, players agree to abide by the decision of the Arbiters. 13. Any photographs taken at the event may be used for publicity purposes. If any entrant objects to this, they must inform the Congress Organiser. 14. Players’ details will be held electronically for the purposes of administering and marketing Shropshire Chess Congresses; their entries will be published on the Congress website; and Congress games and results will be made available to the English Chess Federation (ECF) for grading purposes and will be published online at chess-results.com. Players not wishing to have their details published on the ECF Website should contact the ECF Office directly. All personal entry information is required for either player identification or communication purposes and will be either safely removed if no longer required or securely retained for the purpose of this and future Shropshire Congresses only. We will not share your details with third parties other than the ECF. Please advise the organisers if you wish to opt out of any of the above
