English Chess Forum

Normally at this time, I open a thread for each of the Divisions for the forthcoming season - however last year contributions were in some cases minimal and then we find seven pages of posts on the Division Two 2025-26 thread recently concerned a matter that really belonged elsewhere. Consequently I have now opened this thread in which discussion can take place on non-Division specific general 4NCL matters. If board members want individual threads for each Division please either open a thread or post on here and I'll endeavour to sort this out.

In relation to the above there has been an influx of new entrants into the 4NCL. The following has appeared on the 4NCL website:-

Please note that we’re not accepting any further entries into next season’s Division 4 for the time being until we’ve had a chance to reassess the playing space capacity issues resulting from the large number of paid-for entries from new teams. Please also note that this includes any existing Division 4 teams that have submitted entry forms but have not yet paid their entry fees.

Captains will recall that this was mentioned as a possibility in the email that was sent out on 29th August: ‘Entries are only confirmed once the entry fee has been received … We’ve had a reasonably significant number of new teams enter for the coming season, which may mean that we have to close entries early if it looks like we’re going to exceed our available playing space. Entries are accepted on a first come first served basis …’.

We’ll provide an update as soon as we can.

What this means is that a number of teams who were existing members at the end of 2025/26 may lose their places for the forthcoming season. In addition I presume if Teams in Divisions 1-3 fail to enter and pay their entry fee by end of play on September 6th, they too will lose their places and be replaced allowing other teams to fill vacancies and make space in Division 4.

That’s a fair summary. We’ve had this in some previous seasons, but not to this extent.

It’s not easy on the playing space planning side. When we negotiate with hotels about how much free playing space they’ll give us in return for good bedroom take-up we have to assume (so as not to overpromise on things we can’t promise to deliver on) that the next season will look pretty similar to the current one. The level of interest this time round has been entirely unprecedented.

At least we now have something to go on regarding likely team numbers (and therefore playing space requirements/bedroom take-up) in terms of planning for 2027–2028.

Interesting (and encouraging) to hear of this uptick in interest. Wonder what has caused it? Maybe nothing more than efficient organisers and captains creating new teams. Slightly concerning if some teams who were slow on the uptake have to break the news to their regular players that they don't have a place in the league any more... (that could cause some teams to fold).

The listing of (paid-up) entered teams is here:

https://www.4ncl.co.uk/data/2627/runners_riders.htm

I must confess I had not realised that it cost £325-£500 to enter a team these days!

Dare I ask how much it cost to enter a team in the long-ago halcyon days of the 1990s?

Mike Truran wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 03, 2026 10:35 pm

The level of interest this time round has been entirely unprecedented.

Too late now of course, but perhaps existing teams should have been given a deadline of, say, the end of August to re-enter with a guaranteed place, with new teams only having "subject to space" entry prior to that deadline.

A short update - Division 1 is now complete; there are still 5 teams in Divisions Two/Three who need to enter by the deadline.

Neil Graham wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 04, 2026 2:14 pm

A short update - Division 1 is now complete; there are still 5 teams in Divisions Two/Three who need to enter by the deadline.

https://www.4ncl.co.uk/data/2627/runners_riders.htm has been updated. Four divisions of 12 and one of 36 albeit with three teams not showing as paying their entry fee.

I was resisting the urge to ask, but I presume "ToBeDecided" is an actual team name?

Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 09, 2026 4:02 pm

I was resisting the urge to ask, but I presume "ToBeDecided" is an actual team name?

Yes.

LawrenceCooper wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 09, 2026 3:52 pm

https://www.4ncl.co.uk/data/2627/runners_riders.htm has been updated. Four divisions of 12 and one of 36 albeit with three teams not showing as paying their entry fee.

If that's the final team list for Division 4 then some of last season's Division 4 teams have lost their place through not entering early.

It’s not the final team list for Division 4. That will follow soon once a couple of admin points have been sorted out.

LawrenceCooper wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 09, 2026 4:07 pm

Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 09, 2026 4:02 pm

I was resisting the urge to ask, but I presume "ToBeDecided" is an actual team name?

Yes.

As it's taken an inordinate time to actually have a sensible team name possibly they've decided not to enter/pay their entry fee for for 2026/27? The other squad not shown as entered is the Woodpushers - with the Greater Woodpushers and Average Woodpushers still presumably unpaid and the Apprentice Woodpushers disappeared from the prospective Div Four entrants.

Mike Truran wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 09, 2026 7:24 pm

It’s not the final team list for Division 4. That will follow soon once a couple of admin points have been sorted out.

Without trying to work out if any team has actually withdrawn or renamed, the new entrants seem to be:-

Alpha Chess x 2; Desert Penguins 2; Fianchetto Fellowship; Hammersmith, Iceni 3; Night Owls; Malpas & Friends; Midland Univ 4NCL; Peterborough; Schachattack 2; White Knights; Wotton Hall 2. Total 35 up from 29 last week.

Once the final list appears it will be easier to see which teams have actually disappeared. There could be some strong newcomers bearing in mind that teams have to start in Division Four before becoming upwardly mobile (remembering playing against Manx Liberty in Division Three).

There are several points I would like to check regarding the rules of the 4NCL. Unfortunately, the rules are yet to be published. This has not deterred entries. Team captains must assume that this season's rules are more or less the same as last. Surely some basic ruleset can be published to help team planning.

Neil Graham wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 10, 2026 9:57 am

LawrenceCooper wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 09, 2026 4:07 pm

Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 09, 2026 4:02 pm

I was resisting the urge to ask, but I presume "ToBeDecided" is an actual team name?

Yes.

As it's taken an inordinate time to actually have a sensible team name possibly they've decided not to enter/pay their entry fee for for 2026/27? The other squad not shown as entered is the Woodpushers - with the Greater Woodpushers and Average Woodpushers still presumably unpaid and the Apprentice Woodpushers disappeared from the prospective Div Four entrants.

Woodpushers paid for 2 teams today