English Chess Forum

On the basis of this weekend's results it looks at if SCCU Open is Kent, Surrey and Middlesex in that order. Sussex and Essex eligible for minor counties.

Open semis would be Kent v Lancs/Middlesex and Yorks v Staffs/Surrey

The EACU concluded it's Open Championships yesterday and the qualifying counties are E1 Suffolk, E2 Cambridgeshire and E3 Norfolk.

Most of the discussions between the team captains evolved around the clash of the preliminary round falling on the same weekend as the Great Yarmouth Congress (why can't organisers get their act's together to avoid these clashes?). This added an extra incentive to winning the Championship and thus avoiding the preliminaries.

Pre-warning to potential opponents, possibly E2 and in particular E3 (the host's of the Congress) will be seeking to play their matches before the scheduled dates.

MINOR COUNTIES
Preliminary (1) Cambs (E2) v Leicestershire (M3); (2) Norfolk (E3) v W2
Quarter-finals (A) Lincolnshire (M1) v Essex (S2); (B) Somerset (W1) v winner of Prelim 1; (C) Suffolk (E1) v Worcestershire (M2); (D) Sussex (S1) v winner of Prelim 2

Taken from
SCCU website

Cambs can contact Leics if they want to change the date - Norfolk will have to wait to find out who is W2

Last I heard Cornwall were favourites to take the W2 spot, but I believe it hinged on the Cornwall- Hampshire match from the weekend, and I'm not sure what the result of it was.

benedgell wrote:Last I head Cornwall were favourites to take the W2 spot, but I believe it hinged on the Cornwall- Hampshire match from the weekend, and I'm not sure what the result of it was.

Cornwall won
Cornwall 11-5 Hants

Just to re-iterate what I said earlier, no pairing is official until the draw is formally published on 1st April when all Unions have sent their nominations to the controller (obviously if all Unions get them sent in earlier the draw will be published earlier). The reason for this is that under the rules Unions are not obliged to nominated counties in any order (as Jack Rudd said above some Unions do have internal regulations) so not publishing any pairings until all nominations are in prevents tactical nominations (ie making the winning team X2 and another team X1).

Obviously I appreciate some county captains want to get on with it (typing up the pairings together with the relevant information is a big job as well so the sooner I can get that out the way the better).

Both SCCU "minor counties" appear to have qualified for the U180. Andrew's caution probably sensible.