Lancaster Standard Play Congress 4 – 6 August 2023
Contact: Richard Walsh, Email – [email protected]
Entries so far can be found by clicking on this link. Note it may take a day or two before your entry is loaded
Welcome to our 5 round ECF rated standard play event. It builds on the success of our two rapid play events and we have increased capacity to 120 entrants. On-line entry only.
In addition we will be running a 7 round open blitz event on Saturday evening. This event is only open to those playing in the rest of the congress and is optional. There will be a chess stall in the analysis room selling books etc.
Prize fund (excluding blitz) £2000 subject to entries. This is a not for profit event. Donations are welcome.
Entry cost £40 per person + £9 ECF for players who are not silver, gold or platinum ECF members
Location
Cumbria University, Bowerham, Lancaster LA1 3JD – Alexandra Building – two large playing rooms plus analysis room. See below for details of how to find us.
Parking
You can park on the main car park next to the Alexandra building. No permits are needed after 4pm on Friday. If you arrive before that, you can pay for parking through www.connectcashlessparking.com.
The venue is Disability Friendly.
Sections and prizes
- Open – First £350, second £100. Grading prize £50 U2100
- Major - U1900 First £350, second £100. Grading prize £50 U1800
- Intermediate – U1750 First £350, second £100, Grading prize £50 U1620
- Minor First U1500 £350, second £100. Grading prize £50 U1200
- Blitz - Entry will be open on Friday and Saturday before the start of round 3. £10 cash entry – all entry fees returned in prizes – for winner, runner up and three grading prizes of £40 for U1900, U1750, U1500 - ie the winner and runner up gets all entry money minus £120 (winner receives 75% runner up 25%). The blitz will be ECF rated too. Maximum 60 as we will only use one room for this.
Opening of congress – 18.15 pm Friday
All standard play games 90 minutes per player – plus 10 seconds per move time increments. Normal FIDE rules time penalties for illegal moves etc will apply
Blitz – 7 rounds – 3 minutes with 2 second increment. No time penalties. First illegal move or using two hands for moving piece and hitting clock will result in a warning. A repeat warning will result in default. Maximum number of entries for Blitz is 60. Entries only accepted on Friday and Saturday.
- Round 1 – Friday – 18.30 pm
- Round 2 – Saturday - 10.00 am
- Round 3 – Saturday - 14.30 pm
- Blitz – Saturday - 19.00 pm to approx. 21.00 finish
- Round 4 – Sunday - 10 am
- Round 5 – Sunday - 14.30 pm
Prize announcements and close 6 pm Sunday
- Chief Arbiter – Keith Freshwater
- Assistant Arbiter – Marcus Fung
Contact details for queries: Richard Walsh, [email protected]
Refreshments
There is a vending machine in the common room but you are advised to bring your own food. Please take any rubbish away with you.
Alternatively there is a Spar and a chippy up the road. There are also two pubs. The Park Hotel down the road and the Bowerham Hotel up the road opposite Spar. Neither are actually hotels! All within short walking distance. The best pub for food and real ale in the evening is the White Cross. Walk down to the canal and go down the small path on the right that leads to the tow path. The pub is 3 mins walk along the tow path.
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:
Entries received after 2 August, if accepted, will require £5 late entry fee. Eligibility for grade-restricted sections is determined by the published ECF July grading list, or depending on date of entry. Application of this rule has allowed several players to move to a lower section. Grading prizes and pairings will be decided using the ECF July grading list.
All sections are ECF graded. The following priority is used for section allocation and seeding in the Standard Play event.
- ECF Standard Play Grade
- FIDE Standard Play Rating
- ECF Rapid Play Grade
- FIDE Rapid Play Grade
The priority to be used for the seeding in the Blitz and for grading prizes will be:
- ECF Blitz Grade
- FIDE Blitz Grade
- ECF Rapid Play Grade
- FIDE Rapid Play Grade
- ECF Standard Play Grade
- FIDE Standard Play Grade
Players without a current grade should use any grading previously held from the on-line ECF database and provide reference number from the site – see entry section for more information. This will be accepted as their grading subject to approval by the organisers.
Ungraded players are not eligible for a grading prize.
Ungraded players can only win up to £50 for the major, intermediate or minor events. Any unallocated prize money in either event will be allocated to the runner up assuming they are graded.
A player qualifying for two prizes receives only the higher of the two prizes. Prize money is subject to change depending on number of entrants.
In the event of a tie for grading prize, the prize is awarded to the lowest graded player.
Swiss manager dictates the pairings in all rounds and they are not changed to suit individual preferences.
Cancellations – in the event that a player is unable to attend there will be no refund but please let the organiser know so pairings can be rearranged.
Byes – entrants may take one half point bye in rounds 1-4. The bye may not be taken in the last round.
BY ENTERING, PLAYERS AGREE THAT IN THE EVENT OF ANY DISPUTE, THE ARBITER’S DECISION IS FINAL.
Entry
- Maximum entry is 120 players
- Entry fee £40.
- ECF Grading Fee - £9 (Silver, Gold and Platinum members do not need to pay)
- £5 extra for entries received after 2 August.
- Entries are not accepted on the day.
Please pay £40 or £49 by direct transfer to the Lancaster Chess Club Account (plus late entry fee if appropriate).
- sort code 40-03-33
- account number 82357054
Include your initials and surname as reference number so we can match your payment to your entry.
After payment, please send the following in an email to Richard Walsh [email protected]:
ECF Graded players
Go to the ECF database ecfrating.org.uk and find your details. Click on your ECF Code to do this. Forward a link to your details to [email protected] together with which section you wish to enter (open, major, intermediate or minor) and your name and rating. Use the priority list in the entry section of this website to determine your grade.
Note – if you do not do this you will be treated as an ungraded player unless we can track your details in some other way.
If you would like to take a half point bye please let Richard know in your entry e-mail and say which round you would like the bye.
Ungraded players
Please email [email protected] the following information:
- First Name
- Second Name
- Sex
- Date of Birth
- Club if any
Accommodation
Cumbria University has made available well priced student on-site campus accommodation – see link for how to book.
Note as there is limited availability early booking is recommended. Note there are also a very small number on en-suite rooms at a slightly higher price. If you would like one of these please contact Pilar direct – her contact details are shown in the link.
How to find us:
By road:
From the north leave the M6 at junction 34 and follow signs to the city centre. Travel south, keeping in the left lane of the one-way system. Just past the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (on the right), take the first exit at the large roundabout onto Bowerham Road. The entrance to the campus is 300 yards on the left, opposite Bowerham Primary School. From the south leave the M6 at junction 33 and follow the A6 into Lancaster. At the first roundabout, take the third exit onto Bowerham Road. The entrance to the campus is 300 yards on the left, opposite Bowerham Primary School.
By rail:
Lancaster is on the main west coast rail line from London to Glasgow. The campus is a 30-minute walk or short taxi ride away. A taxi from the station will take around five minutes and cost around £5. Alternatively there are regular buses from Common Garden St – 100 or 4. Get off at Park Hotel stop and follow footpath to the campus.
Walking from the station · Leave the station passing the main ticket office and via the station slip road and left onto · Meeting House Ln. Continue to the traffic lights at the bottom of the hill and · Turn right onto King St/A6. continue straight ahead, against the flow of road traffic · At the canal bridge traffic lights, continue straight ahead, remaining on A6 · At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Bowerham Rd · The entrance to the campus is 300 yards on the left. There is a pedestrian footpath just by the Park Hotel bus stop.
