Welsh Chess Union (Undeb Gwyddbwyll Cymru)

The deadline for entries for the 2018 award is 31 January 2019; so there is still time to nominate a game (which need not have been played by the person making the nomination).  The detailed rules can be found here but briefly to qualify for consideration a 2018 game must be a win or a draw by a player qualified to represent Wales in a FIDE competition against a non-Welsh opponent graded over 2250 and FIDE-rated at least 150 points above the entrant at the time the game was played.

Entries should be sent to Howard Williams (howard.swnynant@btinternet.com).

The games so far identified by the judges as meeting the above criteria are in chronological order:

(1) Strugnell, C (2305) – Federovsky. M (2487), Augsburg, 03.01.2018

(2) Strugnell, C (2305) – Rozentalis. E (2527), Augsburg, 04.01.2018

(3) Brown, Thomas (2064) – Willmoth, Robert F (2267) 4NCL, 13.01.2018

(4) Blackburn, J (2189) – Ledger, A (2363)4NCL, 10.02.2018

(5) Kett, T (2215) – Taylor, Mart (2367)4NCL, 17.03.2018

(6) Davies, Matthew (2006) – Hall, John (2252)4NCL, 06.05.2018

(7) Fletcher, John T (1943) – Jhunjhnulawa, Ramesh (2260)WSTT 50+, 07.07.2018

(8) Jukes, Sam (1853) – Dambrauskas, V (2301)15th South Wales Int, 09.07.2018

(9) Jones, Iolo C (2175) – Vogt, Lothar (2376)WSTT 65+, 09.07.2018

(10) Kulashko, A (2349)- Blackburn, J (2185) 43rd Olympiad, 26.09.2018

(11) Camp, Imogen A L (1940) – Rodriguez Rueda, P (2298)Olympiad Women, 26.09.2018

(12) Bullen, Alex (2098) – Ker, A (2315) 43rd Olympiad, 26.09.2018

(13) Bekker Jensen, S (2482) – Blackburn ,J (2185) 43rd Olympiad, 30.09.2018

(14) Pleasants, A (2090) – Khader, Sam (2405)43rd Olympiad, 05.10.2018

(15) Blackburn, J (2185) – Ahmad, Al Khatib (2355)43rd Olympiad, 05.10.2018

(16) Podlesnik, B (2365) – Bevan, P (1886) 34th ECC Open, 12.10.2018

(17) Mansner, Harry (2278) – May, Adam J (1924) 34th ECC Open, 13.10.2018

(18) Lampen, T (2332) – Heaven, Pete (2041) 34th ECC Open, 13.10.2018#

(19) Hewitt, B (2015) – Sammalvuo, T (2414)34th ECC Open, 13.10.2018

(20) Thorarinsson, P (2270) – Garcia, Jas (2027) 34th ECC Open, 16.10.2018

(21) Dauletova, G (2261) – Jukes, Sam (1888) London Classic Open, 09.12.2018

The scores of these games can be downloaded here.  Any notes to these games (and any others) submitted by 31 January will be taken into account by the judges in reaching their decision.

These games have been taken from the weekly bulletins on the website of ‘The Week in Chess’. But games from less well-publicised English/European tournaments do not necessarily reach TWIC.  So would players please check that games they feel qualify are in the list and, if not, send them in.

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

DEADLINE: 15 JANUARY 2019

This announcement invites WCU members, registered as Welsh with FIDE, to let us know by 15 January whether they may be interested in taking part in this event (and in which section) by e-mailing Peter Bevan (internationaldirector@welshchessunion.uk)  and Howard Williams (chairmanselectors@welshchessunion.uk).  

Players intending to form part of the team for the over-50 section which Mark Adams is organising need not respond directly to this request.

Details of Event

This event will take place in Rhodes from 15 April 2019 (date of arrival) to 25 April (date of departure). More detailed information is available here. Briefly, as in recent years, the WSTC will be a nine-round Swiss with standard FIDE time limits and one round a day. Teams of four play in any one round but that team may be chosen from a squad of five. Teams may represent either a national federation or ‘any regional structure of a federation’ and there is no limit to the number of teams a federation may enter.  But all the players in a squad must be registered with FIDE as representing the Federation making the entry.  There will be separate open events for teams of players all over 50 and all over 65 at the end of the calendar year.  Details of accommodation costs and the transportation / registration charge are given in the website announcement.

Welsh Participation

Players responding to this note who are over 65 (or will be by 31/12/19) and who are not members of Mark’s team (see above) should say whether they would be interested in taking part as members of a second over-50 team instead of an over-65 team. As in the past the WCU wish to give as many players as reasonably feasible a chance to participate in these events.  Requests to enter Welsh club or regional sides, as well as teams representing the WCU itself, are welcomed.  Players in club or regional sides must be WCU members but otherwise need not meet the WCU’s own eligibility rules on international representation. Welsh participants in these events in the past have found them enjoyable with many games against players of roughly the same standard as themselves.  The over-65 teams have done particularly well. The WCU is unable to contribute to players’ costs of participating in these events beyond paying one entry fee (of E100 to FIDE).

European Seniors Team Championships 2019

The equivalent event (usually with the same format as the World Seniors) is due to take place from 17 to 26 September in Croatia but no further details are currently available. The European event in recent years has been eclipsed by the World event and has attracted only small entries.  But, if there is sufficient demand, the WCU is prepared to enter a team or teams in this event too.  A website notice, seeking expressions of interest, will be posted once more is known.