World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

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Tim Harding
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World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by Tim Harding » Sun Aug 18, 2019 10:09 pm

FIDE has abolished the 70 Euro FIDE entry fee for its World Senior Championships, to be held in Bucharest, Romania, in November.
They say anybody who has already entered and paid that as part of their deposit will have the 70 Euro refunded on arrival.

Entries seem to be slow at present (especially considering the great increase in the prize fund to 46,000 Euro) but they usually pick up in the second half of August. The closing date to enter without penalty fee is 11 September.

The website is https://worldseniors2019.com/ and the email address to communicate with the organisers is [email protected]
They don't have an online registration form but a rather clunky Excel file really designed for federations to submit multiple entries.

So it's probably OK to just send an email with all the information they are looking for, including flight details etc.

Within a couple of hours of sending mine today, I received a helpful acknowledgment email in good English signed Manole Vasile.

From now on they intend to update the online entry lists twice weekly. British names so far listed as having entered are:

65+ Open: David Bray, Brian Hewson, William Ingham (total entries so far 40)
65+ Women: no entry list posted yet
50+ Open: Erdogan Hassan (29 entries so far)
50+ Women: Helen Milligan (New Zealand, ex-Scotland: 6 entries so far)
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

Paul Dargan
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Re: World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by Paul Dargan » Tue Aug 20, 2019 3:40 pm

I was seriously thinking about playing in this - but it has the usual "must stay in the hotel" policy. The RIN Grand Hotel Bucharest is offering Full Board for 69Euros a night - which might be OK, but the TripAdvisor reviews aren't great - including this stunner...

Avoid this property!!! It’ s next to a city garbage station
"This hotel is at the edge of Bucharest, just cross the road from a huge garbage site, where they collect the garbage from half of the city. More than that a few km away is being build another garbage site so better make another choice for your stay in Bucharest. The smell and mess are awful 🤭"

John McKenna

Re: World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by John McKenna » Tue Aug 20, 2019 4:44 pm

How they (don't) room at the top -

https://grandchesstour.org/2019-grand-c ... apid-blitz

(See below...)
Last edited by John McKenna on Tue Aug 20, 2019 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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David Shepherd
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Re: World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by David Shepherd » Tue Aug 20, 2019 6:08 pm

John McKenna wrote:
Tue Aug 20, 2019 4:44 pm
How they room at the top -

https://grandchesstour.org/2019-grand-c ... apid-blitz
From a quick look - not that well if they are staying on site as I don't think it has any accommodation :o

John McKenna

Re: World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by John McKenna » Tue Aug 20, 2019 6:51 pm

I think that's right, David.

They could try -

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/s/Greenfield-R ... i--Romania

Tim Harding
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Re: World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by Tim Harding » Wed Sep 04, 2019 9:05 pm

Entries close (or at least entries at the original prices) 7 days from now, 11 September, so anyone still thinking of entering should contact the organisers quickly.
As last year the full amount must be paid before the start of the event (credit card payments apparently not accepted) but up to the 11th the deposit will suffice for starters.

I looked at the state of entries as shown this evening.
It's clear that the raised prizes have attracted more professional players in the 50+ but entries from the plebs like me are well down, for which the unattractive venue is probably in part responsible.
We are back to the levels seen in 2014, the first year these events were split into 50+/65+ instead of the old 60+. Women's championship entries have nearly collapsed.

http://chess-results.com/tnr449485.aspx?lan=27

50+ Open so far 59 entries including 10 GMs, and some IMs and FMs. No Keith Arkell, I'm sorry to see.
Top UK entrants are IM Stephen Mannion (SCO) and FM Terry Chapman.
Also from the UK are Neil Farrell, Ian Robertson, Rosemary Giulian, Ian Aird and Glynis Grant (SCO); plus Erdogan Hassan (ENG).

Only nine entries for the Women's 50+ including Helen Milligan (New Zealand).
There are only four entries so far fro the Womens 65+ (highest rated player a Romanian below 1900) so again maybe there will be late entries, but usually it's the titled players from eastern Europe whose names go up first.

In the 65+ Open there are 89 entries showing, though I know of one more entry from ireland not yet showing, maybe because his money hadn't reached them when the site was last updated.
Also the usual top players from Russia (Balashov etc.) are not yet listed so probably theirs will be a block payment and their names will appear in the end.
At present there are four GMs headed by Rafael Vaganian.
UK entries showing are IM Nigel Povah (ENG), FM Phil Giulian (SCO), Brian Hewson, David Bray, Ivan Myall (all ENG); Raj Bhopal (SCO), William Ingham.
From Ireland there will be Kevin James, myself and I think Pete Morriss,
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

Keith Arkell
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Re: World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by Keith Arkell » Wed Sep 04, 2019 11:04 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Wed Sep 04, 2019 9:05 pm

50+ Open so far 59 entries including 10 GMs, and some IMs and FMs. No Keith Arkell, I'm sorry to see.
Top UK entrants are IM Stephen Mannion (SCO) and FM Terry Chapman.
Because I didn't finish in the top 3 last year, Tim, I'd have to self fund. The ECF have very little interest in senior chess, sadly.

Tim Harding
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Re: World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by Tim Harding » Fri Sep 06, 2019 12:05 pm

Lists updated now.
Open 65+ 114 players now
Open 50+ 75 players so far
Women 50+ 12 players; Women 65+ 5 players.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
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Tim Harding
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Re: World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by Tim Harding » Sat Sep 14, 2019 5:05 pm

Substantial increase in entries since my last posting.
65+ now 172 entries, boosted by 27 from the host country. In previous years since the age-group split in Seniors, host entries have been poor (except when the Czechs ran it in 2016).
Most of the usual big names (Vaisser, Balashov, Jansa) are now in.
Kevin Bowmer's entry brings ENG numbers to 7, Scotland still on 3 (no Craig Pritchett), and Ireland up to 4 (adding Morriss and Jim Murray). No Welsh.

The open 50+ has 118 entries now, England has 4 (FM Andrew Lewis, FM Terry Chapman, CM Kevin Goater and Erdogan Hassan), Scotland 8, Ireland and Wales one each.

The Women's 65+ has 11 entries so that looks like a round-robin; no Nona Gaprindashvili this year. Now 17 in the Women's 50+. No British ladies have entered (unless you count Helen Milligan).

http://chess-results.com/tnr449485.aspx?lan=27&art=0
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

Pete Morriss
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Re: World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by Pete Morriss » Wed Sep 18, 2019 6:30 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Sat Sep 14, 2019 5:05 pm
The Women's 65+ has 11 entries so that looks like a round-robin; no Nona Gaprindashvili this year. Now 17 in the Women's 50+. No British ladies have entered (unless you count Helen Milligan).

http://chess-results.com/tnr449485.aspx?lan=27&art=0
Nona Gaprindashvili is now shown as entered. There are a smattering of extra entries since Saturday in all sections.

Tim Harding
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Re: World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by Tim Harding » Tue Nov 12, 2019 7:16 pm

This event began today. The biggest upsets were that, in the Open 65+ (which the organisers designate M65) the defending champion GM Jansa was beaten.

In the 50+ England's Peter Gayson crushed second seed GM Darcy Lima and Kevin Goater beat GM Dvoirys (with Black).

Maybe somebody who is in Bucharest can honour us with on-the-spot reports from time to time please?
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

Tim Harding
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Re: World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by Tim Harding » Thu Nov 14, 2019 11:52 am

Terry Chapman and Andrew P. Lewis are among 21 players on 2/2 in the 50+ Open championship.
Terry will have White against GM Psakhis and Andrew has Black against GM Movsziszian; 1pm GMT start.

In the 65+, Nigel Povah and Brian Hewson are on 1.5/2. Povah's game should also be going out live.

Sad to hear, Scotland's Jim Webster was taken ill at breakfast today and rushed to hospital with a suspected stroke.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

Tim Harding
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Re: World Senior Individual Championships, Bucharest, November 2019

Post by Tim Harding » Sun Nov 17, 2019 11:49 pm

Update after the rest day with six rounds to go:
http://www.chessmail.com/seniors/Seniors-news.html

This is based mostly on chess-results.com as I am not in Bucharest.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

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