The 2nd Derbyshire Chess Congress 23rd & 24th Nov 2024

[dwoodhouse]

Following the huge success of our inaugural event last year, I am pleased to announce that this year's congress will be held on the 23rd and 24th of November this year. Please note the new date! However, the venue is the same - Trent College, Long Eaton NG10 4AD. Entries will open on the 15th of April, (not before), but I am hoping to have flyers available at various congresses before then. The website https://dcc24.co.uk will go live at this point too. There will be five sections as last year, but the grading boundaries have been tweaked slightly in order to try and make the numbers in each section a little more equal. As before, the entry limit will be 200. Following feedback, there will be a greater range of refreshments this year, still competitively priced! Many thanks to all who supported us last time. We look forward to welcoming you again to our fantastic venue which is very disability friendly and has excellent transport links as well as generous, free parking. If you have any questions/comments, please use this email address: [email protected]
Many thanks, David Woodhouse.

[dwoodhouse]

I'm delighted to confirm that, as mentioned in my previous post, entries have now gone live for this event. The (revamped and improved) website for the congress is at https://dcc24.co.uk
There is a downloadable flyer on the website, and a link to the latest version of this will appear very soon on the information about the congress on the ECF's Calendar.
Many thanks for your support; after a fabulous inaugural event last time around, I look forward to getting nearer to the maximum number of entries (200) that we can accommodate this year.
David Woodhouse

[Roger de Coverly]

There is a downloadable flyer on the website,

I don't think one of the hotels mentioned, the Best Western, is currently available.

https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/ ... 83937.html

[dwoodhouse]

Hi Roger,
Yes, having read your message I did a bit of digging and it appears that it may be being used for asylum seekers at the moment. The situation may change; I'll keep an eye on it. In the meantime, I've checked that the other two hotels mentioned on the flyer are still taking bookings. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
David.

[dwoodhouse]

Dear All,
Following the ECF's decision to merge silver and gold memberships, I have had to revise the extra amount bronze members will need to pay if they wish to participate in this year's congress. I have therefore rejigged the flyer accordingly. The new version of the downloadable flyer is now on the website, https://dcc24.co.uk and a link to this latest version is also on the information about the congress on the ECF's Calendar. A link to the website is also on there too, thanks to Andrew Walker.
David

[dwoodhouse]

Many thanks to those of you who have already entered this year's congress. Entries are trickling in nicely at this stage, and it looks as though numbers will be up slightly on last year which is encouraging. In case you hadn't entered before, (i.e.last year), and didn't know where the venue was, if you had clicked on the "Get directions" button on the previous version of the ECF Calendar, Google Maps would have taken you to a different Derby Road! Many thanks to Andrew Walker who has rejigged the whole look of the calendar for all listed events. As part of this process, the Google Maps link is now correct. For the avoidance of doubt, the venue is Trent College NG10 4AD and the Derby Road in question is the A6005.
Best wishes,
David Woodhouse.

[dwoodhouse]

Following up on Roger's comment about the Best Western Hotel not being available, I've done some recent checking and it is still closed, but the other two are open. A Google search will probably find others reasonably nearby, but these two seem the nearest for those of you requiring accommodation. I've updated the flyer (and made a few other minor changes) to reflect this. As before, this can be downloaded via the website: https://dcc24.co.uk and the website is also where online entries can be made. I am hoping that some flyers will also be available to pick up at the upcoming Scarborough Congress.
Following feedback from last year (most of which was extremely good, thank you) the team will be aiming to sell homemade filled baps and/or sandwiches and possibly homemade cake of some description. As last year, everything will be at rock bottom prices. Unlike last year, however, we intend to use a card reader for those of you who don't generally bother with cash anymore, although cash will still be an option.
Many thanks for your support; we look forward to welcoming you soon!
David Woodhouse and the team.

[dwoodhouse]

As is often the case, entries are coming in a little faster as we approach the congress, so thank you for that. There is still quite a bit of room for more, especially in the Foundation Section where the top rating is set encouragingly low, at below 1350. If you are relatively new to competitive chess, or have had a long gap in your playing career, have joined the ECF but perhaps don't have a rating (or only a P rating), don't panic if our system won't accept your automatic entry. Get in touch, preferably via email (or phone if necessary) and I'll sort out a manual entry for you.
Please note that the cut-off time for ALL entries will be 12 noon on Friday the 22nd of November, so don't leave it too late! As mentioned before, the website for the congress is at https://dcc24.co.uk
I think Bennetts Hotel may already be full (it's not very big anyway), but a Google search should suggest other options in addition to the Holiday Inn nearby if you need accommodation.
Many thanks for your continued support, especially to many of you who are returning this year; we must have done something right the first time around!
David Woodhouse and the team.

[dwoodhouse]

Dear All,
Many thanks to those of you who braved the weather and took part at the weekend. We had 151 entries in the end which was slightly up on last year, so thanks for that. It was encouraging once again to receive lots of positive feedback. Many congratulations must go to 14 year-old Kajus Mikalajunas who won the Open with 4½/5, a full point ahead of his rivals. There will be an article in December's ChessMoves magazine.
There was some lost property left at the venue; a water bottle, a flask and a light green lunch bag with a marine life design. Please contact Trent College directly on 0115 849 4949 to claim your property asap.
The good news is that we can go back to the September date next year and for future years, so next year's congress will be on the 20th and 21st of September. Reserve the date, and we'll see you there!
Very many thanks to those who helped in whatever capacity - the technical side, catering, or arbiting.
If you wish to leave any (private) feedback, feel free to contact me through Belper Chess Club's website: https://belperchess.club/
David Woodhouse.