Hull 4NCL Congress 2025

Friday 5 - Sunday 7 September 2025, Canham Turner Conference Centre

 

Amos Burn Memorial Open | U2000 | U1750 | U1500 | Games | Information | Prize fund £3,750

 

 

 

Fee: £40.00 (Amos Burn Memorial Open, U2000, U1750), £30.00 (U1500)

 

Accommodation: University of Hull | Nearby Options

 

 

 

 

 

 


6th 4NCL Online Autumn Congress

 

Tuesday 2 September - Tuesday 25 November 2025

 

Open | U1700 | U1400 | Games | Information | Winners | Fee: £12.00

 

 

 

 


Main 4NCL Online - Season 12

 

 

 

 

Results, Pairings & Tables | Replay Games | Dates & Times | Captains & Managers

 

Note: New teams will be eligible to play in the round following receipt of the entry form if the entry form is received at least three days in advance of the round in question. Dates for each round are shown here.


Junior 4NCL Online - Season 12

 

   

 

Results, Pairings & Tables | Replay Games | Dates & Times | Captains & Managers

 

Note:  New teams will be eligible to play in the round following receipt of the entry form if the entry form is received at least three days in advance of the round in question. Dates for each round are shown here.


Manx Liberty’s wildcards deliver in style to regain British team chess crown

 

The Isle of Man team enlisted two young English stars to help regain the 4NCL title that they won in 2022 and 2023.

 

 

   
 

The Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) is a bedrock of British chess. Staged over 11 rounds and five weekends from October to May at Midlands hotels, with teams of eight in the top division and six in divisions two to four, it attracts players from club level to grandmaster, many of whom do not compete in any other national event. Its organisation, by the English Chess Federation chief executive, Mike Truran, and a hardworking team of arbiters, is consistently excellent.

 

As expected, the 2024-25 season ended last Monday with a close 11th round match between the favourites and defending champions, Wood Green, and the winners for the two previous years, Manx Liberty. The outcome was a rarity. All eight games were drawn for a 4-4 scoreline, although most were hard fought and Manx missed a winning endgame chance.

 

Contrary to predictions, the title was already decided in the previous round when The Sharks, who had tied 4-4 with Manx in round nine, defeated Wood Green 4.5-3.5.

 

 

Final leading scores were Manx Liberty 20/22 match points, Wood Green 17, Wood Green Youth 16, Chessable White Rose 16, Cheddleton Savills Catering 13, The Sharks 13, CSC/Kingston 11.

 

In previous seasons the top teams often brought in a world-class wildcard for the final weekend. This time Wood Green added the eight-time British champion Michael Adams, who duly delivered one of the best games of the weekend in round 10, complete with bishop and knight sacrifices, but was held to draws in the crunch matches of rounds nine and 11.

 

Read more and see solution...

 

Diagram: Augustin Neumann v Dawid Przepiorka, Vienna 1904. White to move and win.

 

 


Online Fair Play Form - Season 12

 

All players involved in new registrations will need to sign the Fair Play Form for Season 12. Please note that players will not be available for selection until the fair play form has been signed and received. Previous/old registrations roll over.


4NCL Results 2024-25

 

Top 4 in Division 1

1 - Manx Liberty (20/22, W9 D2, won with a round to spare)
2 - Wood Green (17/22)
3 - Wood Green Youth (16/22, 54½ GP)
4 - Chessable White Rose 1 (16/22, 48½ GP)


Top 3 in Division 2 (promoted to Div.1)

1 - Warwickshire Select 1 (18/22, W9 L2)
2 - Celtic Tigers 1 (17/22)

3 - Oxford 1 (14/22)

Celtic Tigers 1 and Oxford 1 bounce back from relegation from Div.1 last season.
Positions 7-10 all finished on 10 MP, two teams of which were relegated to Div.3 on game points.


Top 2 in Division 3 Bishops (promoted to Div.2)

1 - She Plays To Win Lionesses (17/22, 46½ GP, all female team captained by Lorin D'Costa)
2 - Barnet Knights B (17/22, 44½ GP)


Top 2 in Division 3 Knights (promoted to Div.2)

1 - Sussex Martlets 1 (22/22, bounce back from relegation last season)
2 - ToBeDecided (20/22, second successive promotion)


Top 4 in Div.4 (promoted to Div.3)

1 - Barnet Knights C (18/22, W7 D4)
2 - Golden Cockerels (17/22, 43 GP, defeated War and Piece A 4-2 in Rd.8)
3 - War and Piece A (17/22, 43 GP, team consisting of current and former armed forces/MOD employees)

4 - Warrington Mates (17/22, 40 GP)

Barnet Knights will have a team in all 4 divisions next season (provided they enter four teams again).


Norm achievers:

Team

Fed

Player

Norm

Blackthorne

Zoe Varney

WIM (2nd norm)

Cheddleton Savills Catering

Richard Pert

GM (2nd norm)

The Sharks 1

Tom O'Gorman

GM (1st norm)

Wood Green Youth

Svyatoslav Bazakutsa

GM (2nd norm)

 

Some notes on norms:

  • All norms were for 9 rounds total and were achieved in Division 1.
  • Zoe's round 10 and 11 games did not form part of her norm, it was achieved after her Rd.9 draw.
  • Richard achieved his norm in Rd.10 which was banked, his Rd.11 game was an attempt to gain a slightly improved norm (he needed to win but could only achieve a draw).
  • All these players reached the target score exactly (i.e. the GM norms were all must wins, and Zoe only needed a draw).

 

Those looking at the games of norm achievers may want to look at Richard's round 10 game against Samuel Chow, in particular 20.Bxe6! offering a queen sacrifice, and Svyatoslav's final game against Nicholas Pert which featured a rather dramatic twist at the end - their other games may also be interesting but I haven't checked them.

 

In the next day or two cleaned PGNs from the final weekend will appear here, in the meantime the games can be found on lichess and Chess.com.


Thomas Evans

4NCL Chief Arbiter


Online - Season 11 Winners

Congratulations to the teams below for their achievements in the season 11 online event.

 

 

Main 4NCL

Junior 4NCL

Div 1

Dundee City A

Chess Rising Stars 1

Div 2

Wells Hartbreakers 1

Chess Rising Stars 3

Div 3

Better Call Tal

Chess Rising Stars 4

Div 4

Chess Rising Stars

 

Div 5

Five Towns Superchargers

 

 

Main: Pairings and Results Replay Games All Games in PGN

Junior: Pairings and Results Replay Games All Games in PGN

 

- with thanks to Andy Howie and Mike Truran.


Main 4NCL 2024-25

 

Division 1

Division 2

Div 3 Bishops

Div 3 Knights

Division 4

 

Weekend 1

 
 

Weekend 2

 
 

Weekend 3

 

Weekend 4

 
 

Weekend 5

 
 
 
   
   

 

The registration list is published here

 

 

24-25 Rules | Dates & Venues | All Games in PGN | Captains & Managers | Accomm Booking Arrangements

     
 

 
 

 

Hull 4NCL Congress

 

Friday 5 - Sunday 7 Sept 2025

 

Canham Turner Conference Centre

 

Click here for further details

 
     

 

 

     
 

 
 

 

6th 4NCL Online

Autumn Congress 

 

Tues 2 Sept - Tues 25 Nov 2025

 

Click here for further details

 
     

 

 

     
 

 
 

 

Main 4NCL Online S12

 

9 Sept - 16 Dec 2025

 

Results, Pairings & Tables

 
     

 

 

     
 

 
 

 

Junior 4NCL Online S12

 

25 Sept - 27 Nov 2025

 

Results, Pairings & Tables

 
     

 

 

     
 

 
 

 

Main 4NCL 2024-25 

 

9-10 Nov 2024 to 3-5 May 2025

 

Results Report 24-25

 
     

 

         
                     

More News - Page: 1 | 2 | 3

 


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Four Nations Chess League

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