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May 2005 - Barbican 4NCL - Unsung
Heroes
1 October 2001 - Press
Release
5 August 2001 - Pre-Season
Newsletter 2001-2002
5 August 2001 - Rules
2001-2002
5 August 2001 - Registration
Guidelines 2001-2002
6 October 2000 - Players Available for Division
2 or 3
8 September 2000 - 4NCL Annual Awards Ceremony
28 August 2000 -
Everything you ever wanted to know about the 4NCL but were afraid to ask ...
25 August 2000 - Division 1
25 August 2000 - Division 2
25 August
2000 - Division 3
25 August 2000 - Pre-Season Message
1 July 2000 -
1999-2000 Norms
The Wood Green 1 v Guildford 1 match was indeed a fantastic affair and we salute both sides, but all the same attention will sooner or later turn to the other matches over the last weekend and I would like to point out the achievements of Barbican 4NCL 1, which have so far been, I feel, rather neglected.
As you may know, we finished third for the second time in the last three years. To do that, we had to beat either Guildford 1 or Wood Green 2 in the last weekend. We already had a plus score against both teams over the last three years, but of course we were playing both teams at the worst possible time this year. We are still a purely amateur team and cannot bring in even one new player to strengthen ourselves for such encounters!
I think that our close 4.5-3.5 loss to Guildford 1 on the Saturday deserves more attention than it received. Guildford 1 only secured the match in the sixth hour, when Emil Sutovsky finally held Brian Kelly to a draw after conducting an awkward defence from the start. John Cox beat Stuart Conquest in this match, and two days later (playing for the second team) he would beat Peter Wells. This performance gave him a super IM norm (a performance around 2550). Apparently he is not so fazed by playing GMs of around his age, because he often remembers them as equals (if even that) from his junior days. Fortunately for him, of course, most English GMs are of around his age ...
To the final day: Wood Green 2 had their strongest second team ever. This team was even stronger than that which controversially beat betsson.com last year. It contained four players who had successfully played against our first team earlier in the season! But the writing was on the wall from a comparatively early stage when Mark Ferguson and Adam Collinson quickly dispatched Jon Levitt and Matthew Turner with White. Possibly Wood Green 2 lost their sense of danger on these boards, but both Barbican players, despite their reputedly conservative playing styles, have superb records with White of late. Probably Wood Green 2 could do no more than draw the match at this point (in which case we would still have finished third on gamepoints) but a blunder in time trouble from Baburin against Brian Kelly sealed the match.
But in fact Barbican 4NCL as a whole beat five grandmasters on that same day - surely a 4NCL record? In the second division Hilsmark Kingfisher fielded four grandmasters and outrated Barbican 2 by a ridiculous amount, but (needing to draw the match in order to secure promotion without having to rely on favours elsewhere) we at least gave it a shot! As already mentioned, John Cox beat Wells, and after three sleepless nights and a terrible 4NCL season, I mated Keith Arkell in 28 moves with Black! I daresay that this speculative effort is publishable...
In total then, Barbican players faced 16 grandmasters over this last weekend. We scored nine points from these encounters!! In five of these encounters, our player did not even have the IM title, and of course we only have one grandmaster in our whole Club.
We are hoping to represent England again in the European Club Cup this year. You will recall that we finished as the top amateur Club in Europe two years ago, and I would expect us to retain this (unofficial) status again.
The 8th season of the UK’s premier chess league, the 4NCL, got underway in Birmingham over the weekend of 22nd and 23rd September. The new season features a total of 36 teams split across three divisions, with play taking place over 5 weekends culminating in May.
In Division 1, defending champions Beeson Gregory I got off to a flying start by winning both their matches. Their superstar top player, world ranked number 5 Michael Adams, led them to victory with wins against Michael Hennigan and Stuart Conquest. Bristol I and Wood Green I also enjoyed two victories during the first weekend, with Wood Green taking a slim lead at the top of the table on game points. Bristol were something of a surprise package, chalking up a good win against Slough I in the first round.
The first weekend features all the 'first team' against 'second team' matches. Although results ultimately went to form, both Barbican and Wood Green’s elite squads were made to sweat a bit against their bumptious understudies.
Division 2 saw Richmond and Perceptron Youth setting the early pace as the only teams to start off with 2 wins. Craig Hanley’s victory on top board for the Youth against Levy Gee 3C’s grandmaster Nigel Davies was one of the highlights of the division. Many of the matches were very close and a tough battle for the three promotion places is clearly in prospect.
At the end of the weekend, South Wales Dragons II are the clear leaders of Division 3, having defeated the Warwickshire Select and All Four Corners outfits. No mistaking it’s a competitive division this year – 4 of the 12 matches ended in 4-4 draws.
Battle will be joined again on the weekend of 24th and 25th November when rounds 3 and 4 will take place.
Michael Adams vs. Michael Hennigan Beeson Gregory I vs. Beeson Gregory II, board 1 Division 1, round 1
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.0-0 Nge7 5.c3 a6 6.Ba4 d5 7.exd5 exd5 8.d4 c4 9.Re1 h6 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.b3 cxb3 12.axb3 Be6 13.Ne5 Qb6 14.Nd2 g6 15.Ba3 Bg7 16.Qe2 Qb7 Disaster strikes down the e-file ... 17.Nxf7 (ouch!) and Black resigns.
On Saturday evening the glitterati of British Chess gathered in Hugo's Bar for the presentation of the 4NCL awards for the 2000/2001 season. The winners included:
Captain / Manager of the Year: Richard Haydon (Witney & Swindon).
Player of the Year (Division 1): Mark Hebden (Beeson Gregory).
Player of the Year (Division 2): Nigel Davies (Levy Gee 3C's).
Player of the Year (Division 3 and 4): Peter Taylor (Barbican 4NCL).
Female Player of the Year: Teresa Khoo (BCCA).
Game of the Season: Tony Miles (Slough) for his win against Alexander Baburin.
The Board meeting on the 22nd July decided on the following for next season:
LEAGUE STRUCTURE
Three divisions of twelve teams each with eight players in each team. Since 39 entries were received this meant three teams had to be excluded. After much debate the following were chosen:
BRISTOL 3 - Reason: Finished 37th
WOOD GREEN 3 - Reason: Finished
38th
WESSEX 2 - Reason: New team and not fair to exclude established team
when contracting league size (but see below).
The draw was then made and this was done using a similar seeding method to last year with the intention of creating matches between the top seeds each weekend but these would be spread over Saturday and Sunday. Details of the draw are on the web-site http://www.4ncl.co.uk.
To provide an incentive for new teams to enter in 2002/03 it was decided that the bottom three places in Division 3 would be up for grabs i.e any team finishing in these positions would not necessarily be assured of a place for the next season.
RULES
A new set of rules was agreed with various changes made from last year. These are enclosed with the changes underlined.
Points to note are:
1/ The old rule 6.6 about non-European Union participation has been
deleted.
2/ Telephone registrations are no longer permitted.
3/ Team
lists maust be submitted two hours before the round starts.
4/ Any
complaint about the composition of an opposing team must be received before the
scheduled start for the round.
5/ A fee is required if a team wishes to
change its name.
REGISTRATIONS
A guideline is attached in which Richard Furness clarifies most of the various registration scenarios that can arise but I would stress that it is vital to consult him on any unclear situation so that misunderstandings do not occur.
PRIZEGIVING
This will take place from 8pm to 9pm in the Breakfast room of the Grand on Saturday 22nd September. A bar will be provided and the usual prizes will be presented. Voting for the various categories will take place later this year and will be co-ordinated by Richard Furness as usual.
HOTEL
We have an exclusive arrangement with the Grand this year with the rates set at £33 for a single and £45 for a double. It is very much in the interests of the league that players book into the hotel as we will receive proportionally more commission the higher the number of rooms that are booked. This in turn will allow us to be more generous with the cash prizes, which will be at least as high as last year. When booking it is vital to state that you are with the 4NCL so that (a) you receive the discounted rate and (b) a note can be made of the number of 4NCL rooms that are booked.
OTHER POINTS THAT AROSE
Due to other commitments John Richards has decided to retire from the 4NCL Board. This is a great shame because John has been an invaluable member of the team. We wish him well for the future and thank him for his contribution during the past seasons.
FINALLY
I look forward to another exciting season and pray that it will be trouble free...... Have a great summer and do not hesitate to contact me if you need any further information.
Best wishes, Paul Littlewood
1 Management
1.1 Each year the Management Board shall
announce the arrangements for the following season including the entry fees,
the official closing date for the receipt of team entries and registration
lists, and the name and address of the person appointed to receive entries.
1.2 On each match weekend the Chairman shall arrange a meeting for team
captains/managers at which matters of current interest and future policy shall
be discussed.
2 Team Registration Lists
2.1 Entry to the League shall be
effected by payment of the designated fees and the submission of a list of the
players it wishes to register for the season.
2.2 Each team's list of
players shall show the name, date of birth, nationality and (if applicable) the
FIDE rating and identification number for each player who has indicated their
wish to play for the team in the forthcoming season. Where a player does not
have a FIDE rating, the equivalent national rating must be given.
2.3 Each
team's entry fee shall cover the registration of up to sixteen players. A
registration fee of £5 is required for each player above the team's
allocation of 16 players.
2.4 A player shall only be deemed to be fully
registered when a valid Player Registration Sheet for that player has been
received by the League.
2.5 Where a team enters the League but does not
submit a list of its players by the due date, the Management Board may, in the
interests of the League, deem the team's list of players for the previous
season to have been carried forward.
3 Additions to the Team Registration List
3.1 Additional
names may by added to a team's list of registered players and shall be sent to
the Registrations Secretary either by letter or e-mail.
3.2 The date of
application shall be taken as either the postmark of the letter or the date of
the e-mail.
3.3 Subject to the completion of formalities the player will
become fully registered 21 days later. A player registered on a Saturday
completes the 21-day qualification period three Saturdays later.
3.4 Unless
payment has been made (see rule 2.3) and a valid Player Registration Sheet
submitted, the player will be considered to be a Wildcard.
4 Wildcards
4.1 A Wildcard is a player who is not registered
for any team in the League.
4.2 A team in Division 1 or 2 may play one
Wildcard in each match.
4.3 In other divisions a team may play up to two
Wildcards in each match provided at least one of the Wildcards plays on one of
the bottom four boards (boards 5 - 8).
4.4 An all-inclusive registration
fee of £10 shall be paid for each Wildcard.
4.5 A Wildcard will
become fully registered 21-days later, provided the registration fee is paid
and a valid Player Registration Sheet was received prior to the player's first
game.
4.6 A Wildcard on a Saturday (Sunday) is still a Wildcard on the
Sunday (Monday) unless by then the 21-day registration period has been
completed.
5 Transfers during the Season
5.1 A player who is named on a
team's list of players may transfer to another team provided (a) he has not
played during the current season, and (b) the League has not received a valid
Player Registration Sheet in respect of the player.
5.2 The transfer
request must be made in writing by the player and sent to both the
Registrations Secretary and the Chief Arbiter.
5.3 The team to whom the
player is moving must fulfil all the requirements for additional registrations.
An administration charge of £10 shall be paid
5.4 The player will
become eligible for the new team 21 days after a valid application is received.
5.5 Only in exceptional cases will a player who has already played in the
League during the current season be allowed to transfer.
5.6 For such a
case to be considered, the written transfer request from the player must be
sent to both the Registrations Secretary and the Chief Arbiter and a transfer
payment of £25 made. The transfer request will be considered by the
Management Board and the Chief Arbiter and a decision reached within 7 days of
receipt of the application and payment. If the request is granted the player
will be eligible to play 21 days after the decision is reached. If the request
is refused, the payment will be refunded.
5.7 A transferred player is not
available as a Wildcard.
5.8 No transfer will be permitted after Round 8.
6 Fixtures and Match Arrangements
6.1 The League's fixtures
shall be played over five weekends with one round being played on Saturday and
one round on Sunday. A third round may be played on the Monday if that day is a
Bank Holiday.
6.2 The first-named team in each pairing shall have the white
pieces on the odd-numbered boards and black on the even-numbered boards.
6.3 Starting times for each round shall normally be :- 1400 hours on the
first day of the weekend, 1400 hours on the middle day of a three-day weekend,
1100 on the last day of the weekend.
6.4 Each match shall be contested over
eight boards.
6.5 Each team must include at least one male and at least one
female player.
6.6 The rate of play shall be 40 moves in two hours, then 20
moves in one hour and an extra 30 minutes to each player to complete the game.
6.7 A player arriving at the board more than one hour after the scheduled
start of the round shall lose the game unless the arbiter decides otherwise.
7 Team Lists
7.1 Team lists must be submitted to the Chief
Arbiter, or in his absence to the Senior Arbiter for the weekend, at least two
hours before the start of each round. The list must give the names and ratings
of each player and the board order.
7.2 A team list may be amended without
penalty provided this is done before the two-hour deadline.
7.3 Where there
is a difference of more than 80 FIDE rating points between two players (or 10
BCF points where neither has a FIDE rating), the higher rated player must play
on a higher board than the lower rated player. Where one player does not have a
FIDE rating, the appropriate national rating will be converted to a FIDE
equivalent. This rule applies across first, second and third teams but is
applied after rule 6.5.
7.4 Any complaint about the composition of a team
must be made before the scheduled start of the round.
7.5 Where both
captains and the arbiter are in agreement, the 80-point rule may be waived for
the purpose of norms and FIDE ratings.
7.6 Known defaults must be on the
lowest board of the lowest team.
7.7 Team lists will be published one hour
before the start of play.
7.8 If the late submission of a team list causes
the match sheet to be published late, the arbiter may - at his discretion -
deduct time from the clock of each member of the offending team.
8 Reserves
8.1 Prior to the two-hour deadline for the
submission of team lists a team may nominate one male and one female as reserve
players.
8.2 A nominated reserve may replace an absent player provided this
is done not more than 55 minutes after the scheduled start of the round.
8.3 The clock of the reserve shall be adjusted to show the elapsed time
subject to a minimum of 30 minutes.
8.4 The improper use of reserves may
result in the Management Board imposing a penalty on the offending team.
9 Other
9.1 The Chief Arbiter, or in his absence the Senior
Arbiter for the weekend, shall be empowered to administer the rules of the
League
9.2 An appeal against a decision may be made to the Management
Board. Notice of such an appeal must be made in writing and received within
seven days of the original decision.
9.3 If at the end of a season teams
are tied on match points, the tie shall be broken in favour of the team having
(a) the greatest number of game points (b) the result(s) of the match(es)
between the teams still tieing (c) board count (d) elimination from the bottom
board upwards (e) the toss of a coin. These tie breaks shall be applied in
order until all ties are broken.
9.4 Changes to team names, especially
during the season, are discouraged. A £100 fee will be required where
this is insisted upon.
9.5 The decisions of the Management Board shall be
final.
A PLAYER IS NAMED ON ONE LIST OF REGISTERED PLAYERS
The player played for the same team last season or a signed registration form was received by the Registration Secretary for that team for last season
Player is registered
The player did not play for that team last season but a signed registration form for 2001-02 has been received by the Registration Secretary
Player is registered
The player played for a different team last season but a signed registration form for the new team for 2001-02 has been received by the Registration Secretary
Player is registered for the new team
The player did not play for any team last season and a signed registration form for 2001-02 has not been received by the Registration Secretary
Player will not be considered registered until such time as he plays or a signed registration form is received by the Registration Secretary
The player played for a different team last season and a signed registration form for the new team for 2001-02 has not been received by the Registration Secretary
Player will not be considered registered for his new team until such time as he plays or a signed registration form is received by the Registration Secretary
A PLAYER IS NAMED ON MORE THAN ONE LIST OF REGISTERED PLAYERS
The player played for one of the teams last season or a signed registration form was received by the Registration Secretary for last season
The player is still registered for the original team until such time as a signed registration form is received indicating a wish to play for one of the other teams. They shall become eligible for their new team 21 days later and may not play as a Wildcard
The player did not play for any of the teams last season nor was a signed registration form received by the Registration Secretary for last season
The player shall not be considered registered for any team until such time as a signed registration form is received by the Registration Secretary. They shall become eligible for their new team 21 days later and may not play as a Wildcard
The following two Monmouth Chess Club players are keen and interested in playing for a team in the second or third division of the 4NCL. They wish to play all/most of the remaining weekends;
Nigel Beveridge performing @ c.185 BCF 01432-870218
ridgeway_hb@compuserve.com
Dai James performing @ c.180 BCF 01443-663582
dafyddtywysog@thefreeinternet.co.uk
NB both players now playing for Bristol
The 4NCL Annual Awards Ceremony will take place during the Dinner at The Birmingham Grand, Colmore Row on Saturday 23rd September. During the last few weeks voting has been taking place and the leading contenders in each category are given below. In each case names are listed alphabetically.
Manager of the Year
Nigel Johnson
(Slough 1), Nigel Povah (Guildford-ADC 1), John Richards (Bristol 1 & 2),
Jonathan Rogers (Barbican 4NCL 1), Syringa Turvey (Poisoned Pawns)
Player of the Year (Division 1)
Nick
Pert, Jon Speelman, Matthew Turner, Chris Ward
Player of the Year (Division 2)
Ameet
Ghasi, Bogdan Lalic, Stephen Ledger, Ian Upton
Female Player of the Year
Melanie
Buckley, Jessie Gilbert, Harriet Hunt, Rosalind Kieran, Susan Lalic
Junior Player of the Year
Melanie
Buckley, Ameet Ghasi, Adam Hunt, Gawain Jones, Luke McShane
Game of the Year
P Littlewood v J
Rogers, A Morozevich v J Rowson, N Pert v J Levitt, J Plaskett v N Short, C
Ward v M Hennigan
Facts 1. 26 Clubs, 40 teams, 3 Divisions, 536 players registered.
Facts 2. Highest number of registration as of 25th August - IndexIT (45) Lowest Number of registration as of 25th August - Athenaeum (10)
Facts 3. Highest average elo for top 10 registrations as of 25th August - IndexIT (2545) Lowest average elo for top 10 registrations as of 25th August - Mindsportsltd.com (1851)
Facts 4. Team changes - Bigwood have reverted to Midland Monarchs after the loss of there sponsor. Lawrence Cooper has retired as the team manager and "Team Ledger" have taken over. All 3 Ledger brothers, have for the first time this season, been registered for the same team in the 4NCL.
IndexIT has merged with The AD's (previously B.C.M.) and will have two teams in the first division. The IndexIT 2nd team that was last year in the 2nd division will now become IndexIT 3rd, in the 3rd Division. NOTE the spelling IndexIT (all one word, with capital letters as displayed).
Athenaeum are based on the London League team of the same name.
Bray is an Irish team, located near Dublin.
Milton Keynes are based on the Hertfordshire League Team.
Mindsportsltd.com are based around the Hasting area and are sponsored by Mindsports Limited.
North Circular Chess League, will draw from the North London area where the League is based.
Facts 5. Summer Transfers - Division 1 - IndexIT have signed, Nigel Short from Wood Green and Mark Hebden from Slough, to add to a very strong initial squad.
Guildford-ADC have signed Chris W Baker from Bigwood, which provides the team sponsor (Nigel Povah) with the option of playing in their second team!!
Slough have a new signing IM Aleksandar Wohl from Australia.
Wood Green have signed Matthew Turner from Slough.
Barbican 4NCL have signed GM Jonathan Parker and IM Mark Ferguson from Bigwood.
Lastly for the 1st division, no one has as yet registered England's number one lady player Harriet Hunt!
Facts 6. Summer Transfers - other Divisions - Levy Gee 3Cs have signed GM Nigel Davies from White Rose and Stuart Clarke from North West Eagles.
Bristol have not registered their number one Lady, Melanie Buckley and as with Harriet Hunt, no one has yet registered her.
Mindsportsltd.com have registered David Howell.
Wessex have signed James Poulton from Wood Green.
Comments 1 - Tips for the Championships.
Division 1 - 1st IndexIT 1 - 2nd Wood Green 1
Division 2 - 1st Bristol
1 - 2nd Wood Green 2
Division 3 - 1st Bray - 2nd Barbican 3
Comments 2 - Tips for relegation.
Division 1 - 12th South Wales Dragons - 11th Richmond
Division 2 - 12th
Witney and Swindon - 11th Slough 2
Comments 3 - Competition. The blood will flow in the 2nd division. While all division will be competitive, going in to the last weekend the second division will be the closest.
Comments 4 - Want an Elo? When the 2nd division was first launched, people questioned what would the players get from playing in it? While no one has achieved an IM norm in the second division yet, the number of players with full elo grades have grown steadily. This season if you want to get a full elo, then the second division is where you need to play. You need to score some points to get an elo and there are to many titled players floating around in the 1st division.
Comments 5 - What's happening in the North West? The North West Eagles have been the banner carriers for the North West of England since the first season of the League. But while I believe this season is possibly a little early for a full challenge, Levy Gee 3Cs, look to have the them in their sights. Round 5 in the 2nd division will be interesting.
To ensure a good spread of top matches every weekend, initially 4 teams were seeded (IndexIT 1, Slough, Guildford-ADC, and Wood Green). These teams were seeded using a number of factors, including there placing last season, and there registrations for next season. While both Bigwood (Midland Monarchs) and Barbican 4NCL 1, finished higher then IndexIT and Guildford-ADC, the latter teams were seeded due to the additional strength their sponsorship deals provide (GM registrations).
Once the top 4 teams had been drawn, then the next two seeded teams, Bigwood (Midland Monarchs) and Barbican 4NCL 1, were placed in the hat and drawn. It is hoped that this second stage to the draw will help to further spread the competitive matches through out the season.
As the teams in the 2nd division are far closer in strength (on paper), it was decided just to seed the top 6 teams then do the draw. The three teams demoted from the 1st division (Bristol 1, North West Eagles and Wood Green 2) plus Kings Head, Wessex and Guildford-ADC 2 were select as the seeds. While Kings head and Wessex finished in 4th and 5th last season, in a bold decision, the sponsorship of the Guildford-ADC team was viewed as being decisive for the last seeded place. The 4NCL Board fully expects to see the Perceptron Youth and B.C.C.A teams making every effort to prove their judgement mis-guided.
The league has once again grown, and a decision of the format of the 3rd division has yet to be decided, depending on the number of teams in the division. Currently the league has 15 teams in the 3rd division, and is searching for a 16th. If a 16th team is found then the format of the 3rd division will be 2 pools of 8, all-play-all with the top 4 going forward to play the top 4 of the second pool and the bottom 4 facing the bottom 4 of the other pool. Of course, any team not finishing in the top 12 places could be faced with playing in a 4th division, if the league continues to grow.
One interesting development in the 3rd division is the entry of the Irish team Bray. They have registered a strong squad of players which should make them a contender for promotion. Other new teams include Athenaeum, Milton Keynes, Mindsportsltd.com, and North Circular Chess League.
The final number of teams has now been settled and the 4NCL Chess League will be 30% larger next season and the total number of teams will be 40, representing 26 clubs.
There are 5 new clubs this season, Athenaeum, Bray (nr Dublin, Ireland), Milton Keynes, Mindsportsltd.com, and North Circular Chess League. Plus for the first time this season there will be 3rd teams from Barbican 4NCL, Guildford-ADC, IndexIT and Wood Green.
Divisions 1 and 2 will be 12 team all-play-all events. The 3rd division, 16 teams, will have an initial two pools of 8 teams, all-play-all, with the top and bottom 4 from each group, then facing the top/bottom 4 from the other group.
Subject to confirmation, the Leagues believes that we had four norms, namely Matthew Turner (GM), Nick Pert (GM), Brett Lund (IM) and Melanie Buckley (WIM), as a result of this seasons results.
A number of other just missed out, including Jonathan Parker (Bigwood), who need to win in the last round for a GM norm, with black, against none other the Dr. Nunn.
Request from Nigel Johnson (4NCL Events Director) for entries for the 2000-2001 season
Closing date for entries is 1st July 2000, send by post to:
Mike Truran (4NCL Finance Director)
The Old Farmhouse
7 Church
Street
Ducklington
Whitney
Oxon OX8 7UA
NB This must also include a cheque
All teams entering must then send a team list to arrive no later than 1st August 2000 to Nigel Johnson (4NCL Events Director)
Any new or existing teams who require an entry pack or additional information should contact Nigel Johnson (4NCL Events Director)
The 4NCL Management Board will meet on Sunday 13th August to decide the structure of the League for the 2000/2001 season.
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