ENNISKILLEN RAPIDPLAY CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019

Saturday May 18, 2019

11:00am to 5:30pm

Tournament Report by B. Jamison, Chief Arbiter

Held at the luxury 5 star Lough Erne Resort, home to the G8 Summit of 2013, the Enniskillen Rapidplay Championships proved very popular with locals and the many visitors, with some travelling as far as 100 miles. 7 Enniskillen entrants were joined by a large contingent from Omagh Chess Club, combined with players from Donegal, Derry, Hillsborough, Belfast, Downpatrick and Bangor.

The inaugural Enniskillen Rapidplay was officially opened by Howard Thornton, Council Chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. He delivered a short witty speech and enjoyed watching the round 1 games. Then the highly acclaimed local newspaper, the Impartial Reporter, arrived to take photos for next Thursday’s edition.

Players ranged in age from 8 year old Cian Suitor to 81 year old Dr.John Phillips. 27 players in total, 12 in Senior, 15 in Junior. At the awards ceremony the tournament organiser extended his gratitude for all the work done in the background to secure the excellent venue, only made possible thanks to the efforts of Tom Johnston, Charles Boyle and John Bradley.

Prize-winners:

Champion:  Gareth Annesley (5.5/6) from South Belfast Chess Club.

2nd Place: Mark Newman (5/6) from Civil Service Chess Club, East Belfast.

Under 1400 Grading Prize: Adam Rushe (3.5/6) from Bangor, playing for Strand Chess Club.

Junior Champion: Ciaran Rowan (5/6) from Downpatrick, playing for Strand Chess Club

Junior 2nd Place: Paul Anderson (5/6) from East Belfast, playing for Ballynafeigh Chess Club

Under 1000 Grading Prize: Anthony White (4.5/6) from Omagh Chess Club

Under 900 Grading Prize: Charles Boyle (3/6) from Enniskillen Chess Club.

Location: Fermanagh Room

Lough Erne Resort, 193 Lough Shore Road, Ross Inner, Enniskillen, BT93 7ED

Round 1 will begin at 11:15am sharp

We are looking forward to holding our first ever rapidplay chess championships in Enniskillen this May. The tournament is in a large function room at this luxury 5 star hotel.

ARBITER:

Chief Arbiter: B. Jamison (UCU Tournament Director)

ENTRANTS:

27 players

Under 1400 Grading Band:

Junior Section: 1200 and under (subject to change, depending on new entries)

Under 1000 Grading Band:

EVENT TITLE: Enniskillen Rapidplay Chess Championships 2019

DATE: Saturday May 18, 2019

START TIME: 10:45am to 11am for check-in / payment of entry fees. Round 1 at 11:15am

END TIME: 5:30pm (Prize-giving at 5:25pm).

REGISTRATION:

Emailing to register means that you have read the information below and agree to abide by the rules. Please email playchessni@gmail.com by 12 noon on Wednesday May 15, 2019 with the following info if you are non-UCU or non-ICU registered:

Full name

Year of Birth

Rating (if any)

FIDE ID (if you have it)

Entries after 12 noon will not be accepted. Entries through other people will not be accepted so please make direct contact.

ENTRY FEES:

£10 for adults

£5 for under 18 year olds.

£5 for students.

6 PRIZES:

All entry fees will be distributed as prizes at end of the day. A list of prize fund will be published on the day after all money is collected from entry fees.

Senior Champion

Senior 2nd Place

Under 1400 Grading Prize

Junior Champion

Junior 2nd Place

Under 1000 Grading Prize

CHIEF ARBITER: B. Jamison

FORMAT: 6 rounds. Two sections, a senior and a junior. The split will be determined after first 20 entries have been received. Both sections will be rated by Ulster Chess Union.

TIME CONTROL: 25 minutes per player for all the moves therefore each game will last a maximum of 50 minutes.

TIE BREAKS: For tie-breaks, players will be ranked based on their scores by Median Buchholz, followed if necessary by Buchholz and then Progressive Scores.

RULES: FIDE rules will apply. Touchmove will apply. The second illegal move will result in the immediate loss of the game, however, your opponent must announce when the first illegal move has been played and then once again announce the second illegal move has been played before claiming the win, provided the player still has mating material left on the board, otherwise only a draw can be claimed. If play continues, the opponent may not claim the win retrospectively.

Remember FIDE rules about mobile phones is very strict. If your phone makes a noise during the game, you will automatically lose the game therefore always remember to have your phone switched off. Phones should not be seen in the playing hall. If you are a doctor on call, please notify an arbiter in advance.

PUNCTUALITY: Players who arrive at their board after their clock has been started will receive a strike against their name. Even if it is 10 seconds after the clock has been started, you will still be marked down as late. If this continues for a third time in the same tournament, you will be disqualified. For rapidplay chess tournaments, we request that ALL PLAYERS TAKE THEIR SEATS 2 MINUTES BEFORE STARTING TIME.

LOCATION: Lough Erne Resort, 193 Lough Shore Road, Ross Inner, Enniskillen, BT93 7ED

TIMETABLE:

Lough Erne Resort, 193 Lough Shore Road, Ross Inner, Enniskillen, BT93 7ED

Hotel website:

http://www.lougherneresort.com