East Midlands team in the 4NCL

East Midlands team in the 4NCL.

Out of the 81 teams competing in the 4NCL last season, only two were represented the East Midlands – Pandora's Box Grantham and Ashfield / Breadsall.

Most 4NCL matches are also played in the EM – Hinkley Island in Leics, and Daventry Court in Northants.

Therefore we've decided to enter a team in the 4NCL under the name 'East Midlands'. If a sponsor comes along then we'd amend the name accordingly.

We'd start in Division 3 for the 2013-4 Season, with the aim of establishing a solid mid-table first division team within 3-5 years. We'd also enter a second team over the next year or two, numbers dependent.

We don't wish to take away any players from the two established EM teams (Pandora's Box Grantham and Ashfield / Breadsall), but believe that there is a wealth of talent and ability in the East Midlands for an EM side to succeed.

 
With a population of almost five million, similar to Scotland, and the 4NCL weekends on our doorstep, we believe that EM 4NCL chess should flourish.

We're looking for chess players with an EM connection, graded 180+, who'd like to play for us next season, and not necessarily every weekend.

If you're interested then please drop us a line.

With Best Wishes,
Christopher Dunworth

eastmidlandschess'at'gmail.com

Division 3 South 4NCL Weekends @ Daventry Court Hotel, Northants, NN11 0SG.
16 & 17 November 2013
11 & 12 January 2014
15 & 16 February
22 & 23 March
3, 4 & 5 May 2014

The Next East Midlands Chess Junior Training Tournament

East Midlands Chess Junior Training Tournament

Sunday 22 September 2013
Risley Village Hall, 18 Derby Road, Risley, Derby DE72 3SU

11:00 – 18:00        Junior Training Tournament (Individual & Schools)
Open to all children U13 & U130 grade (i.e. Year 8 and under). 6-Round Swiss.
Schools Event – Best 4 scores per school are counted, to determine School Champions.
£20 Entry Fee per child.  A first round bye is available, if needed.

This is our first event of the season, and the first in our new EMC Grand Prix.

This event will be run under the supervision of ECF National Chess Coaches Christopher Dunworth and David Levens, who is also the ECF National Manager of Coaches & England Junior Selector. 

This event will be a unique mixture of competition and training. They will play six games over the course of the day, with training in-between matches so that they learn new skills and make new friends.

And don’t forget to bring a packed lunch and drink!

Email us for an entry form.

eastmidlandschess'at'gmail.com

English Under-11 Closed Chess Championships

The East Midlands will be hosting the English U11 Closed Championships once again.

The event takes place at Nottingham High Junior School on Sat & Sun 12 & 13 October.

Anyone in Year 6 and under can enter provided that they were born in, live in or attend school in England. (So it's only Closed in this sense).

Our very own David Levens is organising the event.

Contact him at david@chesscoach.co.uk for an entry form.

EMC Private Chess Coaching

Private Chess Coaching is an excellent way to hone your skills, whether you're a beginner or a national champion.

Lessons can be delivered in person, or via VOIP e.g. Skype.

Our current charges are £32 per hour, payable in person or via PayPal.

If you'd like your youngsters to enjoy the benefits of chess, improved concentration, better self-discipline, then please contact;

David Levens on 07870-666153 or Christopher Dunworth on 07577-273275.

Callum Wins Bramcote

After a close battle last Sunday Callum Foard, from Sleaford in Lincolnshire, emerged the winner with five wins out of five. 

What particularly impressed us was Callum’s resilience, given that he was worse / losing in three of his matches, but managed to turn those games around.

Again we had a wide of players attending our second EMC Junior Training Tournament 

– from Notts, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Worcestershire, Whaley Bridge, Clay Cross and Leeds.

EMC Bramcote Junior TT Results
Sunday 7 July 2013

Our next Junior TT will be on Sunday 22 September at Risley Village Hall, DE72 3SU

Ben Reigns in Risley

We had a wonderful turnout at our first-ever East Midlands Chess Festival at Risley Village Hall, DE72 3SU, on Sunday 16 June 2013.

There were players who had travelled from Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Lichfield and Northampton to take part. However the winner of the special trophy for the furthest distance travelled was seven-year-old Amelie Garrett from Lancaster, 2½ hours away! Unfortunately due to heavy traffic it took them four hours to get to Risley.

EMC Training Tournaments are a unique blend of competition and quality training, in this case delivered by David Levens, ECF National Manager of Coaches & Junior Selector, and myself.

We were impressed by the high level of play in the TT, where many matches could have gone either way. I (CD) was particularly impressed by the game Susie Wang against Neel Badhe, where Susie consistently found strong moves in the late opening / early middlegame to build up a winning position, only to fall for a clever tactical trap that Neel set.

We also noted the high level of focus, concentration and application during games, with many top county players competing. Especially the focus of Ben Raine from Sheffield who, despite being lower graded than other challengers, used his application to edge the event. Ben drew with a player graded 83, beat players graded 78 & 101, and all five of his opponents were qualified Gigafinalists.

The other junior to stand out was newcomer seven-year-old Mate Ther from Leeds. Apparently Mate only learnt chess in January by teaching himself from a book, and this was his first competition. His stillness and focus at the board belie his years.

EMC Junior Training Tournament & Primary Schools Challenge Results

City Centre Chess Venues – Q & A – Part 2

Answer:

Nottingham already has one, and has had one for the past 166 years...
It's open six days per week, from 10am - 10pm,
and only costs £37 per annum. What a bargain!


It's also one of the three elements that enabled me (CD) to develop rapidly as a junior,
the others being my old school NHS, and Graham Waddingham.

My father had been a member in the early sixties when he was a University student,
so that he could use their snooker tables. He took me along in the early eighties, and I started to play for their league teams, and borrow chess books from their extensive library.

These were in the Birkbeck House days. I hadn't realised until a few years ago that they owned the whole building, valued at around £11 million in 2010.

For more information;
Nottingham Mechanics

City Centre Chess Venues – Q & A

Question:

How would it be if the major cities in the EM such as Derby, Leicester and Nottingham had a venue where you could go and play a game of chess during the day and evenings, and was open a minimum of six days a week for chess?

Ahmednagar Checkers

We've been visiting Ahmednagar annually since 1999,
and so it was good to see them finish in the top three in the inaugural season of the MCL.
The success of the Maharashtra Chess League, modelled on the IPL 20 20 Cricket, serves as testimony to strength and expanding depth of Indian Chess, and their willingness to reinvent sporting structures.





Official Website
ChessBase Report
White Copper Entertainment Photos

Champion of Champions for East Midlands Clubs?

Now the dust has finally settled, we offer our congratulations to all the 2012-13 League Champions from across the region;

Derbyshire                                      Chesterfield B

Leicestershire & Rutland              Wigston

Lincolnshire                                     Lincoln

Northamptonshire                         Northampton

Nottinghamshire                            Grantham

How about a one-day Champion of Champions event to decide the overall EM Club Champion? Either just before the summer holidays, or just after and as a curtain raiser to the new season.

Games could be 3 hours each (e.g. 30 moves in 75 minutes; 15 minutes to finish)
Round times: 10am – 1pm; 2 – 5pm; 6 – 9pm.

It could be done on the old European Club Cup basis i.e. 8 teams, three matches, everyone finishes placed 1^st through 8^th.

The three remaining places could go to the best second-placed teams in the leagues (percentage-wise), which would be Breadsall, Kettering & Nottingham Gambit, with Shepshed as reserves.

Any takers?

East Midlands Chess Festival – Risley, Derbys – Sunday 16 June 2013

Our first Chess Festival, with both team and individual events for juniors, and a team event for adults & strong juniors, takes place in Risley, a three minute drive off Junction 25 on the M1.

East Midlands Chess Festival

Sunday 16 June 2013

Risley Village Hall, 18 Derby Road, Risley, Derby DE72 3SU

(Within easy commuting distance of Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham & Sheffield)

09:30 – 12:30        East Midlands Schools Challenge (Primary & Secondary)
                                    Teams of 4 players.
                                    4 Round Swiss. 20 minutes per player per game.
                                    £15 Entry Fee per team.
                                    Trophies & Medals to be won.
                                    Parent / Teacher required to supervise the team

13:00 – 18:00        Individual Junior Training Tournament
                                    Open to all children aged 5 – 18, supervision included.
                                    Individual Tournament with quality training inbetween.
                                    National & County level trainers, all CRB cleared.
                                    £20 Entry Fee per child.
                                    Trophies & Medals to be won.

19:00 – 22:30      EMC Clubs 20:20 Team Event
                                    Teams of 4 – Adults & Strong Juniors.
                                    4 Round Swiss. Match Points, then Game Points.
                                    £10 Entry Fee per team.

East Midlands Chess
Reinventing Chess Structure & Reinvigorating the Existing

These EMC events organised by Christopher Dunworth
Fide International Organiser, Arbiter & Master (IO, IA & FM)
& David Levens, ECF National Manager of Coaches & Junior Selector
Email eastmidlandschess@gmail.com for further details of these events

Huddersfield Rapidplay this Sunday, May 19.

Huddersfield's Rapidplay takes place this Sunday with a £350 first prize!

It's good to see an event with a strong first prize, promoting professional chess,
and supporting our professionals (who haven't had it easy in the past twenty years).

Venue is the Huddersfield Grosvenor Casino, HD1 3LT from 9.30am - 6pm.
Further details at http://bit.ly/14vpVk8
& http://bit.ly/10UwK08

And it's only an eighty minute drive from Nottingham or Derby...

Good Luck to All Megafinalists

60,000 children, 1750 schools & clubs from across the UK,
41 regional Megafinals.

UK Chess Challenge 2013


Congratulations to all of those qualified from their schools from across the East Midlands.
Some have already played their Megafinal,
whilst the Derbyshire Megafinal takes place this Saturday 18 May
at Heanor Gate Science College, Kirkley Drive, Heanor, Derbys DE75 7RA
from 9.45am - 5.30pm

Derbyshire Chess Association Junior Results

East Midlands 20 20 Chess League

The East Midlands 20 20 Chess League will run over seven evenings from October 2013 - May 2014.

Four games per evening. Four players per team.

Venue will be near the M1, inbetween junctions 24 - 26.

Further details will be posted shortly.

#ReinventingChessStructure   @EMidlandsChess

Congratulations to Grantham on their 4NCL success

Congratulations to Pandora's Box Grantham who gained promotion to the top level of the 4NCL last weekend.
They finished as runners up in Division 2, securing the second promotion spot;
http://www.4ncl.co.uk/


We believe that they will be the first ever East Midlands team to play in 4NCL Division 1 in its twenty year history.
Grantham Chess Club
Grantham Chess World

#EastMidlandsChess

#EastMidlandsChess   @EMidlandsChess