English Chess Forum

Definitely well done to them Seemed very motivated all through.

They don't seem to have won the main ECF one, I can't get at the NCCU records to see if they've even won that. Huge geographical dispersion of course, and (historically anyway) far fewer people than the big 2. No idea when they last even entered a team.

So I'd not be surprised if they haven't.

Northumberland website

a deserved first for our county

Thanks to all who made this possible. I enjoyed playing in spite of awful results but no disconnects.

Whatever the situation with OTB chess in 20-21 season , I hope there will be online championships structured on European football lines in 20-21 rather than CU lines .

Have there been any announcements yet?

IanCalvert wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 24, 2020 11:32 am

rather than CU lines.

No doubt I am being dim, but what is CU?

NIck,

CU = Chess Union. You may find it hard to believe but Surrey and Middlesex are SCCU neighbours.

IanCalvert wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 24, 2020 11:32 am

Thanks to all who made this possible. I enjoyed playing in spite of awful results but no disconnects.

Whatever the situation with OTB chess in 20-21 season , I hope there will be online championships structured on European football lines in 20-21 rather than CU lines .

Have there been any announcements yet?

As far as I know, the intention is to run it again in January; I think the captains have been asked for feedback, or maybe it was discussed in a Zoom meeting, as to format etc

The MCCU are running a similar competition from October to December, pretty much copying the ECF format on time controls and grading bands; there's a trial match soon between G Man & Worcs on Lichess with a view to using that rather than chess.com, which is disliked by a few players

My view, which I think there was a least some sympathy with, is that if it happens again the format should be somewhat similar but with a knockout/plate structure. Eight rounds would be far too many in anything approaching normal times.

I'd also like to place on record my thanks for the hard work of the controller and others. There was a few innovations which have helped English chess I think.

Also good to see some of the peripheral counties winning things (well I would say that of course), but it is not just due to small populations that Devon and Northumberland haven't won a first team title before.

Well said Jon, and well done too; personally I found it a better experience than trekking round the Midlands to venues, so for Devon it must have been a big bonus

I think if and when OTB county chess returns, we will see if there's appetite to continue with the online version

Yes, congratulations to Devon too!

Mick Norris wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 24, 2020 4:29 pm

Well said Jon, and well done too; personally I found it a better experience than trekking round the Midlands to venues, so for Devon it must have been a big bonus

I think if and when OTB county chess returns, we will see if there's appetite to continue with the online version

Its interesting, I think. Cutting down on the travel - especially for the K/O stages! - is objectively a huge win. As would letting people play counties that otherwise can't even raise a team.

On the other hand I do worry(?) that the demographic playing county chess doesn't hugely overlap with the one playing online. Dunno.

"On the other hand I do worry(?) that the demographic playing county chess doesn't hugely overlap with the one playing online. Dunno."

That is a good point. Having played chess in Surrey for years, where there were about ten clubs within 30 minutes' drive, and it was feasible to also play other leagues, I moved to Somerset, where the nearest three clubs are about 30 minutes away. In SCCU, it was feasible to go by public transport for many county matches, whereas for the Somerset-Devon-Cornwall matches, it is difficult. So it is quite possible, that the counties like Northumberland and Devon can get stronger teams out online?

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 25, 2020 11:25 am

"On the other hand I do worry(?) that the demographic playing county chess doesn't hugely overlap with the one playing online. Dunno."

That is a good point. Having played chess in Surrey for years, where there were about ten clubs within 30 minutes' drive, and it was feasible to also play other leagues, I moved to Somerset, where the nearest three clubs are about 30 minutes away. In SCCU, it was feasible to go by public transport for many county matches, whereas for the Somerset-Devon-Cornwall matches, it is difficult. So it is quite possible, that the counties like Northumberland and Devon can get stronger teams out online?

I would have thought that an equally significant factor is that in the Online Counties Championship counties can include their diaspora.

To take an example at random, I can't imagine that Matthew Turner would be able to play regularly for Lincolnshire in the OTB Championship, either home or away.

I cant remember when we (Northumberland) last played an OTB county match - probably early 90's? I do remember numerous long coach journeys and AGM discussions about the cost of participating in national stages should we qualify. I have a clear recollection of us receiving a ban one year - after we got gurther than we expected and then found that a combination of people not being prepared to trek half the length of the countyr plus the coach/driver hire meant that we defaulted much to the (reasonable) annoyance of teams we had elminated... I also remember a really painful telephone match run out of the County Hotel in Newcastle against Cornwall - who had some upstart junior on board one who demolished our top board with some ease - M.Adams...

David Sedgwick wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 25, 2020 1:11 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 25, 2020 11:25 am

"On the other hand I do worry(?) that the demographic playing county chess doesn't hugely overlap with the one playing online. Dunno."

That is a good point. Having played chess in Surrey for years, where there were about ten clubs within 30 minutes' drive, and it was feasible to also play other leagues, I moved to Somerset, where the nearest three clubs are about 30 minutes away. In SCCU, it was feasible to go by public transport for many county matches, whereas for the Somerset-Devon-Cornwall matches, it is difficult. So it is quite possible, that the counties like Northumberland and Devon can get stronger teams out online?

I would have thought that an equally significant factor is that in the Online Counties Championship counties can include their diaspora.

To take an example at random, I can't imagine that Matthew Turner would be able to play regularly for Lincolnshire in the OTB Championship, either home or away.

Funnily enough the last time Devon played Lincolnshire it was in Worcestershire and Matthew Turner did indeed play for them (against me with the expected result).

I think we might have struggled to get Gary Lane playing for us over the board though...

"Funnily enough the last time Devon played Lincolnshire it was in Worcestershire and Matthew Turner did indeed play for them (against me with the expected result)."

One of the Devon players could have given him a lift up the M5... (although he might have been walking back!)