Carlsen loses three in a
row twice as champion
heads for World Cup
- Leonard Barden
09.07.21 -
Garry Kasparov to take
on world title challenger,
Ian Nepomniachtchi, this
weekend.
Magnus Carlsen suffered
a rare double setback
last weekend when the
world champion twice
lost three games in a
row at the $100,000
Goldmoney Asian Rapid.
The defeats occurred in
his losing semi-final
against the world No 5,
Levon Aronian, then in
his third place play-off
against Ding Liren,
though he still managed
to defeat China’s world
No 3.
The 30-year-old Norwegian
had an off day, missing
several tactical chances.
The No 1 has already
qualified for the Meltwater
Champions Tour final after
winning the two previous
events, so diminished
motivation explains it. Next
week he bids to try and put
to rest a longstanding
hoodoo when he makes his
fourth attempt at the
206-player, $1.9m World Cup
knockout in Sochi ... more.
In contrast, English
over-the-board competitive
chess is only now starting
to revive from the pandemic,
although pent-up demand is
certainly there. This
weekend’s 4NCL (Four Nations
Chess League) congress in
Leamington Spa and next
Saturday’s £2500 DecodeChess
Rapidplay in Manchester
Square, London, have entry
limits of 130-150 and are
already oversubscribed.
The London tournament is
followed next day, Sunday 18
July, by the ChessFest in
Trafalgar Square, which may
attract thousands of
players.
The pandemic wiped out the
last 4NCL over-the-board
season, although it
continued to thrive online.
Now the plan is to play the
first of five 2021-22
weekends in late November,
with venues at Milton
Keynes, Leamington and
Doncaster.
The return of the 4NCL is
significant not only for
competing clubs but for
individuals, because it
offers a realistic chance of
qualifying for GM and IM
norms, plus the women’s
equivalents, which are a
prime target for ambitious
players.
Diagram:
Heikki Westerinen v
Gudmundur Sigurjónsson, New York
1977. White to move. Black threatens
Qxc2+ and Qxe2 mate. Can you find
White’s winning move and winning
sequence?
We continue to plan the 4NCL's return to OTB chess. As
well as our 25th 4NCL Congress at Woodland Grange
(Leamington Spa) on 9-11 July 2021, we have also booked
the same venue for our 26th 4NCL Congress on 10-12
September 2021. More information to follow when we have
it. Needless to say, arrangements may be subject to
change depending on what happens later this year with
Covid-19.
Mike Truran
4NCL Dates 2021-2022
We're very pleased to be
able to announce the
dates and venues for the
4NCL's 2021-2022 season,
which
can be found here.
Our thanks go to our
friends at Guaranteed
Events for their help in
finding suitable venues
for us. Please note the
following:
The dates may be
affected (or indeed
may need to be
cancelled) should
the Covid-19
situation not evolve
as HM Government
hopes. We will keep
a careful eye on
future developments
and keep
captains/managers
informed.
Given the prevailing
uncertainty we will
not be publishing
entry guidelines,
rules etc until much
closer to the first
round - probably
mid/end October.
Despite 2 above,
Guaranteed Events
are happy to field
early accommodation
enquiries. As
usual, no money is
taken until after
arrival at the
venue, so there is
no financial risk to
captains, managers
and players booking
accommodation early
should, for example,
a Covid-19
resurgence require
weekends to be
postponed or
cancelled. Please do
NOT try to book
accommodation direct
with the hotel as
you will not get the
preferential 4NCL
arrangements.
The proposed divisional format/structure for
2021-2022 (and for 2022-2023) is explained in
more detail here.
Kind regards,
Mike Truran
Many congratulations to
all the 4NCL Online
Season 3 Champions
If you have a problem please try
to direct your enquiry to the person
best placed to assist.
See more...
25th Congress
I'm very pleased to say that we've
booked 4-star conference centre
hotel Woodland Grange in Leamington
Spa for our 25th 4NCL Congress on
9-11 July 2021.
More here...
The
4NCL Online and Junior
4NCL Online fair play
guidelines have been
updated for season 3.
Please read and bring to
the attention of your
players the following
updated sections in
particular:
Section 4: 4NCL Online
Fair Play Panel;
Section 5: 4NCL Online
Appeals Committee;
Section 8: Other (public
allegations of cheating
against other players);
Team
captains will be able to
submit their squad lists
from 7th January.
Returning teams will be
able to amend/update
their squad lists from
the end of season 2. New
teams will have until
16th January to submit
their squad lists, and
the squad lists at that
point will be used for
the purpose of seeding
the pairings in the
lowest division.
Pairings and teams will
be published on 17th
January, and captains
will be able to submit
their team lists for
round 1 from 18th
January.
All
players will need to
sign the Fair Play Form
again for Season 3, on
the basis that the fair
play guidelines have
changed significantly
from the end of season
2. The fair play form,
the link for which can
also be found in the
dropdown menu(s) at the
top of this page,
summarises the
significant changes from
season 2 which players
need to be aware of.
Players will not be
available for selection
until the fair play form
has been signed.
4NCL Online & Junior
4NCL Online
If you have a
problem please try
to direct your
enquiry to the
person best placed
to assist:
Software (e.g. can't
log in, tie-breaks
are wrong, accounts
for assistant
managers/vice
captain):
David Thomas
PGNs don't appear on
the website: please
e-mail Andy Howie
(as above) or
contact the
webmaster
or use
the
contact us form.
25th 4NCL Congress
I'm
very pleased to say that
we've booked 4-star
conference centre hotel
Woodland Grange in
Leamington Spa for our
25th 4NCL Congress on
9-11 July 2021. This
will be our first OTB
4NCL congress since the
start of 2020 if
restrictions are indeed
lifted on 21 June as we
all hope.
Although we are not
publishing entry forms
just yet, our friends at
Guaranteed Events are
happy to field early
accommodation enquiries.
As usual with 4NCL
congresses, no money is
taken until after
arrival at the venue, so
there is no financial
risk to players booking
accommodation early
should a Covid-19
resurgence require the
congress to be postponed
or cancelled. Please do
NOT try to book
accommodation direct
with the hotel as you
will not get the
preferential 4NCL
arrangements.
As the proverb has it,
'There's many a slip
'twixt cup and lip', but
on the (possibly heroic)
assumption that
restrictions will ease
as HM Government hopes
over the next few months
we'll be publishing
information, entry forms
etc on the 4NCL website
once we have our
organisational ducks in
a row.
11 players were banned
due to fair play
violations;
11 other players were
banned by Lichess, for
whom the weight of
statistical evidence did
not support the 4NCL
overturning results
(e.g. the bans were
imposed as a result of
the cheating taking
place in non-4NCL games
on Lichess);
Of the 22 cases above,
only 3 cases were
attributable to players
in Junior 4NCL Online;
the other 18 were
attributable to 4NCL
Online.
In Season 1, there were 50
cases, with the reduction in
part caused by changing the
definition of what
constituted a ban.
Previously all 22 cases
above would have resulted in
the player being banned. In
addition:
A number of
players who were
banned in Season
1 have not
returned in
Season 2;
With two
exceptions,
players who were
banned in Season
1 and readmitted
in Season 2 have
a clean bill of
health.
On the face of it, this is a
dramatic reduction and looks
positive; and for Junior
4NCL Online, it does look
considerably more like we
would expect to see from an
over-the-board event as a
whole.
However, 4NCL Online still
has a number of people who
we expect, if they continue
to behave in the way that
they have for much longer,
will be banned by Lichess
and meet our tolerance
threshold.
There
are approximately 25 players
in 4NCL Online who we
believe were probably
cheating in Season 2. We say
this based on comparing data
from Season 2 with 4NCL over
the board dating back to
2017; there are a number of
performances which far
exceed anything we have ever
seen naturally from over the
board chess in England, but
which nevertheless fall
short of the thresholds
under which either 4NCL or
Lichess will ban someone.
There is a reasonable
probability that maybe one
or two of these people are
playing honestly, but the
chances that they are all
playing honestly are
vanishingly small. 4NCL
Online will be combining
Season 2 with Season 3 data,
and so the slate will not be
wiped clean, and may be used
to provide justification for
bans in Season 3. Most
disappointingly, amongst
these 25 are three squad
captains and an ECF arbiter.
While it’s disappointing
that a number of people are
clearly ‘sailing close to
the wind’, and also that
bans/suspicious activity are
weighted disproportionately
towards 4NCL Online rather
than Junior 4NCL Online,
nonetheless the overall
trend does appear to be in
the right direction.
The
fair play guidelines
have been reviewed
and amended to take
account of
experience gained in
Seasons 1 and 2, and
we believe that they
strike a good
balance between
identifying cheats
effectively and
reducing the risk of
wrongly accusing the
innocent. We
encourage captains
to read the new
guidelines and to
share them with
their players – and
we also thank the
vast majority of
captains and players
who are committed to
a clean playing
environment.
Carlsen starts well but
slows while little-known
Swede impresses
- Leonard Barden
22.1.21 -
World champion admits to
errors after four
grinding draws as Nils
Grandelius surprises
world No 5, Maxime
Vachier-Lagrave, at Wijk.
Magnus Carlsen
launched his campaign at
Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee,
the “chess Wimbledon” in
style as the world
champion
elegantly
defeated the rising star Alireza Firouzja, 17, by
an imaginative attack.
Then the
script went awry, as
Carlsen’s next four results
were all grinding draws
against lower ranked
opponents, while his
limelight was stolen from an
unexpected quarter
... more.
Britain’s national chess
league, the 4NCL, has tapped
a rich vein of popularity as
it begins its third lockdown
season with more than 250
teams of four competing in
the 4NCL Online in seven
divisions. Matches are once
a fortnight on Tuesday
evenings, played to a
comfortable time limit
allowing up to three hours
per game. A separate junior
league has hundreds of
players.
The pre-pandemic 4NCL had
teams of eight who played on
weekends at a central hotel
venue, which proved too
difficult for some distant
teams.
The over-the board
version has been dominated
by Wood Green and Guildford
for most of its 28 years. In
contrast, the online version
has surging numbers, is
attracting teams from
Cornwall to Dundee, has two
seasons a year rather than
one, and is a more open
competition at the top.
4NCL Online looks set to
stay even if or when the
pandemic is over, and its
fourth season, expected to
start this summer, should
continue its rapid
expansion. Its participant
numbers are already
comparable with the weekend
congress Fischer boom of the
1970s.
Diagram: Alexey
Shirov v Samuel Sevian,
Stockholm 2016. How did
the then US 15-year-old
(Black, to move) defeat
the former world title
challenger?
Many congratulations to
all the 4NCL Online
Season 2 champions
4NCL
Online
Division
1: ChessPlus Kingston
Division
2: CSC 1
Division
3: Catford Cosmonauts 2
Division
4: Hertford 1
Division
5: Hackney Thirsty
Division
6: Dundee City B
Junior
4NCL Online
Division
1: KJCA Young Kestrels A
Division
2: May the Fork Be With You
1
Division
3: KJCA Young Kestrels F
Division
4: Barnet Knights A
Malcolm Pein on…the
Kingston 4NCL Champions
31.12.20
-
Malcolm Pein turns
his attention back to
the Four Nations Chess
League in today’s
Daily Telegraph
chess column – and the
match which made
Kingston 4NCL champions.
The big final brought
plenty of action and a
surprising result.
ChessPlus Kingston
stunned Wood Green to win
the First Division of the
4NCL Online League. Having
pulled off one giant-killing
act to defeat Guildford
Young Guns 2½-1½
in the semifinal, they
produced another, despite FM
Marcus Harvey taking his
score for the season to a
whopping 8½/9
by defeating Goran Pavlik.
More here ...
Former
finance minister scores
winning point in British
final
- Leonard Barden
21.12.20 -
The surprise winners
of Britain’s online 4NCL
league last week were
ChessPlus Kingston, who
overcame the favourites
Wood Green in the final.
ChessPlus organises
instructional courses
for chess teachers, with
support from
the European Chess
Union.
Fittingly
in the time of The Queen's
Gambit, CPK’s women made
decisive top board
contributions. In 1984 Pia
Cramling defeated Viktor
Korchnoi at the height of
the legend’s powers, her
Beth Harmon moment, and last
week she saved a lost rook
ending.
Dana
Reizniece-Ozola scored CPK’s
winning point. There have
been keen but weak chess
players, like Andrew Bonar
Law and Fidel Castro, in
positions of political
power, and strong players,
notably Garry Kasparov, who
never achieved power.
Latvia’s
former finance minister has
beaten the world No 1 woman,
and is still active in both
areas, scrutinising the
national budget on a
spreadsheet while playing
her 4NCL semi-final. She
speaks five languages and is
a mother of four children so
the FT is a good place to
mark her achievements.
Reizniece-Ozola’s
imaginative
sacrificial attack decided
the final, but IM Ravi Haria
missed a draw at the end. A
different 27th queen move
would have forced White to
draw by perpetual check or
allow Black a winning
counter.
Puzzle
2399:White mates in three
moves (by Ellis Ridley,
1890). Just a single line of
play with all moves on both
sides forced and no checks
before the final mate, yet
some solving experts have
found it hard. How do you
compare?
Solution.
'Game of the Year'
decides title as
Covid-19 hits Russian
championship
- Leonard Barden
18.12.20 -
World No 4, Ian
Nepomniachtchi, wins and
Daniil Dubov creates as
Sergey Karjakin fails
again.
A game
cast in the romantic mould
of the nineteenth century
and of the legendary Latvian
Mikhail Tal decided first
prize at this week’s Russian
championship.
Its
creator Daniil Dubov, 24, an
aide to Magnus Carlsen for
the 2018 world championship,
played what has been widely
hailed as the “Game
of the Year”, as he took
down Sergey Karjakin with a
prepared gambit where Dubov
blitzed out his first 13
moves and followed up with
sacrifices of bishop and
queen.
Dubov’s 15
Bf6! and 19 Qxg6!!
sacrifices were too hard to
defend in practical play.
The square g6/g3 was the
setting for two of the
classic queen sacrifices of
chess history, Frank
Marshall’s “golden coins”
Qg3!! game
against Stefan Levitsky
at Breslau 1912 and
Alexander Alekhine’s Qxg6!
against Emanuel Lasker
at Zurich 1934
... more.
England’s
4NCL online league attracted
228 teams in six divisions
in its second season which
ended this week with a
surprise winner. ChessPlus
Kingston were the promoted
second team of ChessPlus,
which organises courses for
actual and potential chess
teachers in 14 European
countries.
Its
founder John Foley’s
contacts produced a strong
team for the finals, led by
two women whose careers have
included Beth Harmon
moments. Pia Cramling was
within one move of defeating
Viktor Korchnoi at his peak,
while Dana Reizniece-Ozola
beat the world No 1, Hou
Yifan, at the 2016 Olympiad.
Diagram: White mates
in four moves (by Fritz
Giegold, 1968). Just
like last week’s puzzle,
there is only a single
line of play with all
moves on both sides
forced, and no checks
until the final mate.
Michael Adams wins seven
as England's top players
battle lockdown
- Leonard Barden
25.9.20 - English
GMs compete in the Czech
Republic, Germany,
Hungary and online in
the absence of UK
over-the-board chess.
England’s
top grandmasters, most of
them ranked among the
world’s best 100 players,
are battling against the
rule of six and other
restrictions which have
virtually eliminated
over-the-board chess in the
UK.
Michael
Adams, the England No 1,
took eye-catching advantage
of the better opportunities
in central Europe with a
Caruana-esque run of seven
straight wins in classic
tournaments. It was a
performance which harked
back to the seven-time
British champion’s peak
years in 2000-02, when he
was ranked No 4 in the world
... more.
Back in
the UK, the national 4NCL
league is flourishing
online, England’s juniors
performed above expectations
in the online European youth
championships, while Simon
Williams is one of the most
popular web commentators.
For
over-the-board British
chess, in contrast, the
immediate outlook remains
challenging to bleak, with
the new restrictions coming
at the start of the club,
county and congress seasons.
The Northumbria Congress
announced for this weekend
was a bold attempt at a
revival, but it had to be
cancelled due to the
North-east lockdown.
There is
still hope for the future,
though. The English Chess
Federation is in a sound
financial position, and its
membership renewals have
been above expectations
despite the lack of
activity. There will be
scope in future for
Innovatory events with a mix
of online qualifiers and
over-the-board finals to
harness English chess’s
current strange pattern of
simultaneous boom and slump.
Diagram: Loek van
Wely v Richard Rapport,
Solingen v Baden-Baden,
Bundesliga 2020. Black
to play. Can you find
Black’s winning move and
why it prompted White’s
immediate resignation?
08.9.20
-
The
Premier
League
commences
Saturday
12th
September.
So
there's
still
time to
enter
your
team at
https://fantasy.premierleague.com/.
Could
you do
better
than
Magnus
Carlsen
who was
10th
overall
last
year?
"Premier
Chess"
welcomes
prospective
managers
- join
code
this
year is
9as9zf.
4NCL Online Fair Play
Guidelines
These are the
current guideline and rules for fair play in 4NCL Online
including a summary of anti-cheating arrangements. The rules
are being reviewed on an ongoing basis and will be updated
as appropriate based on experience from 4NCL Online and
other events ... see full guidelines.
Note: The above are the proposed fair play guidelines
for 4NCL Online & Junior 4NCL Online for Season 2.
Coronavirus
(COVID-19)
Cancelled:
Easter Congress
(9-13 Apr),
Women's League
(25-26 Apr), 3rd
Spring BHol
Congress (22-25
May) &
Crewe Congress
(10-12 July).
Cancelled:
Weekend 4 (28-29
Mar & 4-5 Apr)
and Weekend 5
(8-10 May).
More here.
Entry forms for
the three
cancelled
congresses and
the cancelled
Women's League
have been
withdrawn, and
these events
will not be
taking place as
planned given
the current
pandemic.
Call to Arms
The 4NCL requires extra
assistance to help us to
administer an expanded
portfolio of online
events during the
2020-21. If you are an
arbiter,
click here to fill
in the application form.
We have with great regret
decided not to proceed with
weekends 4 and 5 of this
season's 4NCL, which we had
hoped could be held in August
and September. Given the
continuing uncertainty caused by
the prevailing Covid-19
pandemic, in our view the
financial and operational risks
both to the 4NCL and to
Guaranteed Events are just too
big to run the risk of
proceeding at this stage.
We will be actively looking at
two options for the future:
If over the board chess
resumes in an orderly manner
and in a way which makes
running 4NCL weekends viable
by late 2020 we will
consider starting the
2020-21 season in
November/December 2020 and
continuing as normal in
2021. In this event the
2019-20 season would
effectively be abandoned (so
there would be no promotions
or relegations).
If over the board chess does
not resume in an orderly
manner and in a way which
makes running 4NCL weekends
viable until 2021 we will
consider holding the final
two weekends of the 2019-20
season in March-May 2021,
effectively 'losing' a
season - assuming, that is,
that a return to orderly
over the board chess is
possible even then. Please
note that FIDE has given the
option for leagues to extend
beyond a year, and so any
title norm opportunities
would still be available in
the event of option 2.
If there is a suitable gap in
the calendar under option 2, we
may look at holding a separate
one-off weekend team event at
some point.
We apologise for the continuing
lack of clarity over future
plans (other than the clarity
that the 4NCL will not now
resume until November/December
2020 at the earliest), but the
4NCL Board hopes that 4NCL
captains and players will
understand the difficulties that
we face at present in making
anything like informed decisions
that do not entail significant
risk at a time of such
uncertainty.
Kind regards,
Mike Truran
Fair Play Article
08.7.2020 -
Alex
Holowczak has written about
Fair Play issues in
online chess, with particular emphasis on the experience
of the 4NCL over the course of its first 4NCL Online season.
The 4NCL is thankful to
CHESS magazine, where
this article will also be
published in its August 2020
edition.
You can subscribe to it here.
Online End of Season 1
Winners
Very many thanks to all
the teams who participated
in the first season of 4NCL
Online and Junior 4NCL
Online, and congratulations
in particular to the
following;
4NCL Online
Division 1:
Winners - Chessable
White Rose 1,
runners-up Guildford
Young Guns.
Division 2:
Winners - ChessPlus
Beta, runners-up
Wood Green Youth,
also promoted
Chessable White Rose
2, St Benildus A,
Wessex Some Stars A,
Liverpool, Bristol
University A, Exeter
Honey Badgers.
Division 3:
Winners - Brentwood,
runners-up Warwick
University B, also
promoted West is
Best 2, 3 Smarties 1
Tube, Hull Romans,
Harrow 2, The
Rook1Es, CSC 3.
Division 4:
Winners - Celtic
Tigers Cubs,
runners-up
Chessmates, also
promoted Bon Accord
B, Kent KJCA
Kestrels C, St
Benildus B, Hatch
End A, Warwickshire
Bears A, Clevedon.
05.7.2020 - Many thanks
to John Foley for his detailed account, with annotated
games, about the various
ChessPlus teams.
Questionnaire Responses
08.7.2020 - The 4NCL is
pleased to publish the questionnaire responses received for
the 4NCL Online and Junior 4NCL Online. Click these links
for the relevant document:
4NCL Online |
Junior 4NCL Online
Magnus Carlsen prepares
for meeting with prodigy
Alireza Firouzja
- Leonard Barden
10.4.20 - Magnus
Carlsen, the world
champion, has helped
spark an immediate and
impressively rapid
growth in online chess
with his announcement of
a
$250,000 elite
tournament which
starts on
Saturday 18 April
with Carlsen himself as
the No 1 seed.
Before
that, there is the
fascinating prospect of a
dream final in chess24’s
Banter Blitz Cup where
players commentate on their
moves verbally while the
game is in progress and may
also trash-talk their
opponent
... more.
Britain’s
national league, the 4NCL,
was quickly into action as
an online 4NCL attracted 172
four-player teams, far above
expectations.
The
opening weekly round (of 10)
was played on Tuesday on
Lichess.org, the
user-friendly free site
where you are paired with an
opponent within a few
seconds and which is
recommended for newcomers to
internet chess.
One
unusual aspect of the online
4NCL is that Guildford, who
have dominated the
over-the-board version for
the best part of a decade,
are absent. In place of
their elite GM squad there
is a team of rising talents,
Guildford Young Guns. There
is also Guildford
Gatekeepers, a quartet of
low-rated amateurs.
Sanan Sjugirov v
Magnus Carlsen, Banter
Blitz semi-final 2020.
White’s last move d3-d4
was a fatal blunder. Can
you match the world
champion and find the
forced win for Black (to
move)?
Fide drops handshakes
after coronavirus
cancels five Opens
- Leonard Barden
07.3.20 -
Coronavirus is starting
to affect major chess
events. Five
international Opens have
already been cancelled
or postponed while Fide,
the global chess body,
has issued
detailed medical advice
for the over-50 and
over-65 World Senior
Teams which have just
begun in Prague.
Britain’s 4NCL (Four
Nations Chess League)
played its latest
matches last weekend at
Daventry, where
Guildford stretched
their unbeaten sequence
to 85 matches and eight
years. Guildford’s world
team silver medallist
Gawain Jones brought off
a quick finish as he
exploited White’s army
crammed in a corner.
Guildford’s rivals Manx
Liberty have also won all
six matches, but the most
impressive performance so
far has been by Grantham,
whose team has no
grandmasters and just a few
IMs. They have lost only to
Manx and are sure to qualify
among the eight teams in the
championship pool, while it
was a Grantham player who
brought off the most visual
finish of the weekend in the
puzzle diagram.
Katarzyna Toma v Rajat
Makkar, Wood Green v
Grantham, 4NCL 2020. How did
Black (to play) win quickly
and cleverly?
Changes to team
lists can still be made without
penalty until midnight of the
day before the fixture, but they
should be made online or by
email (in other words, do not
rely on arbiters staying up
late).
Guildford extend
unbeaten run to 83
matches over nearly 8
years
- Leonard Barden
14.2.20 - The Surrey club’s two
wins in the 4NCL mean
they are unbeaten since
5 May 2012 while a
victory for Michael
Adams, 48, makes him the
world’s second oldest
2700-rated player
Guildford’s
stranglehold on
Britain’s Four Nations
Chess League (4NCL) is
set to continue for an
eighth consecutive
season as the Surrey
club steamrollered two
more opponents at
Daventry last weekend,
while their sponsored
rivals from Yorkshire
and the Isle of of Man
lost ground on the
leaders.
Guildford last lost a
match, 3½-4½
to White
Rose, on 5 May 2012,
since when the team’s
unbeaten run stretches
to 81 wins and two draws.
25.9.19
-
The
guidelines
are
intended
to
advise
team
captains
on the
interpretation
of Rule
8 which
will be
applied
to the
first
weekend
of the
2019-20
season.
Please
read
more
here
- Dave
Thomas,
Chief
Arbiter.
Sad News - Jane Kremer
20.2.20 -
I am sad to tell
you that my partner Jane
Kremer, whom many of you
will remember assisting with
the admin at the 4NCL for
many years, died in the
early morning of Wednesday
5th February.
Her funeral will
take place at Rowley Regis
Crematorium, B65 0AD at
3.15pm on Monday 2nd March.
No flowers, bright clothes
please
- Dave Thomas, 4NCL Chief
Arbiter.
Note:
The rate
of play for all divisions was 40 moves in 1
hour 40 minutes plus 30 seconds
per move, followed by the rest
of the game in 50 minutes plus
30 seconds per move |
See Rules Governing Play
Dominant Guildford face
new British chess league
challengers
- Leonard Barden
13.1.20 -
Britain’s 4NCL (Four
Nations Chess League)
has been monopolised by
a single team for almost
a decade now.
Guildford last lost a match
in 2012, since when the
Surrey players have won 79
encounters and drawn just
two. They often score at
least 7-1 over eight boards,
and even single game defeats
are rare.
They had just one game loss
in the entire 2018-19
season, and in last
weekend’s matches, which
launched the 2019-20
fixtures, Guildford crushed
Cambridge University by 8-0,
then Barbican, the City of
London team, by 7-1.
World
chess
champion’s
firm
gets on
board to
help
Yorkshire
team
target
title
10.1.20 - The north's strongest chess team start their
campaign for glory in the game’s equivalent of
the Premier League this weekend after catching
the eye of world champion Magnus Carlsen.
Yorkshire-based White Rose has received
backing from one of the Norwegian star’s
companies and is now expecting a sudden
influx
of world-class grandmasters for the new season.
Note:
The rate
of play for all divisions was 40 moves in 1
hour 40 minutes plus 30 seconds
per move, followed by the rest
of the game in 50 minutes plus
30 seconds per move |
See Rules Governing Play
Pairings for the first
stage all-play-all pools
and for the first
weekend of division
three North, and the
first round of division
four
are published. The
pairings for round two
of division four will be
published once round 1
is complete - with
thanks to Dave Thomas,
Chief Arbiter.
We're indebted to the John Robinson Youth Chess
Trust for their financial support on the junior
side, and to Hull & District Chess Association,
Hull Culture & Leisure, Friends of Chess and the
ECF for their financial support for the GM norm
tournament.
Afterwards there was
a wake and
substantial buffet
at the
Grove House Hotel,
Grove Road,
Wallasey, CH44 4BT.
Many thanks to
all attendees and to the kind
messages. The chapel was packed
with standing room only. A
fitting tribute to a man who
gave so much to UK chess and to
the World of chess.
09.11.19-
It is with great sadness to
report that FIDE Arbiter and
Trainer David Welch passed
away peacefully this
morning. David's contribution to
British and World chess is
immeasurable. He will be sorely missed.
Funeral arrangements will be
published as soon as they are
determined.
02.8.19
-
"These
managers
all know
their
onions
and cut
their
cloth
accordingly"
- Mark
Lawrenson.
Yes, you
too have
the
opportunity
to mix
your
metaphors
with the
best of
them by
joining
this
year's
Premier
Chess
Fantasy
Football
League
- the
biggest
and best
fantasy
League
for
chess
players!
The
joining
code for
new
players
in
2019-20
is jgvncj.
Regulars
will be
admitted
automatically.
Sole
rule is
no
pseudonyms
for
managers
please -
real
names
only!
- Neil
Graham.
Update:
27.5.19 -
All the teams relegated from
division two have now
confirmed their intentions
for next season, so we are
in a position to publish the
final list of promoted and
relegated teams - Dave
Thomas.
Division One:
1st: Guildford 1
2nd: Chess.com
Manx Liberty 1
3rd: Cheddleton
1
Relegated
from Division 1:
Oxford 1, West
is Best 1, North
East England,
Alba.
Division Two:
1st: Barbican
4NCL 2
2nd: Cambridge
University 1
3rd: Spirit of
Atticus A
Promoted from
Division 2:
Barbican 4NCL 2,
Cambridge
University 1,
Spirit of
Atticus A,
Gonzaga.
Relegated
from Division 2
to Division
Three North:
Manchester
Manticores 1,
Bradford DCA
Knights A.
Relegated
from Division
Two to Division
Three South:
Wessex A, West
is Best 2.
Division Three
North:
1st: White Rose
2
2nd: Manchester
Manticores 2
3rd: 3C's 2
Promoted from
Division Three
North: White
Rose 2,
Manchester
Manticores 2.
Division Three
South:
1st: Kings Head
2nd: Check
Innmates 1
3rd: Fermented
Sharks
Promoted from
Division Three
South: Kings
Head, Check
Innmates 1.
Relegated
from Division
Three South:
CSC 2, Iceni 2,
Leeds University
Old Boys, Sussex
Martlets 2.
Division Four:
1st: Crowthorne
1
2nd: Ashfield 1
3rd: Oxford 3
Promoted from
Division Four:
Crowthorne 1,
Ashfield 1,
Oxford 3 ,
Wessex B
Individual
Honours:
GM norm: Matthew
Wadsworth
(Guildford)
IM norms: Adam C
Taylor (Wood
Green) and
Ritvars Reimanis
(Celtic Tigers).
Guildford 1 wins 4NCL
by André Schulz
16.5.19
- Last week saw the finale
of the 2018/19 season of the
4NCL in Great Britain. Guildford
1 was dominant and won all bouts
during the season.
Second was the new team from
the Isle of Man: chess.com Manx
Liberty, a team that two years
ago left the German Bundesliga
("Buexit"?). | Photos: 4NCL
The 4NCL
has been around for 20 years and
the term "Four Nations" refers
to the four countries of the
United Kingdom, England,
Scotland, Wales, Northern
Ireland plus Ireland. Recently,
however, there's a new team that
plays under the flag of the Isle
of Man. Unlike most other teams
that are very British, "chess.com
Manx Liberty" is largely
international.
Read more ...
Guildford extend unbeaten run to record 79 matches
- Leonard Barden
10 May 2019
The Surrey club kept their monopoly on the 4NCL title by
defeating an ambitious challenge from the Isle of Man.
There were no
surprises at the 4NCL, then.
Guildford maintained their
stranglehold on the Four Nations
Chess League by winning all 11
matches in the current season
and taking their record unbeaten
run to 77 wins and two draws
spread over more than six years.
The Surrey club
win many matches by 7-1 or more
and even single defeats are
rare. This season its players
lost one game out of 88, when
the former British champion
Jonathan Hawkins scored for
Cheddleton against Laurent
Fressinet.
Guildford’s backbone is a mix
of English and French Olympiad
grandmasters whose long
experience gives them an edge in
team strategy, as was
demonstrated in last weekend’s
final round.
Winners -
Open: 1st GM Mark Hebden 6/7,
2nd IM Alan Merry 5½. U2050 FIDE: Chris Fegan & Bela Botlik
6/7; U1825 FIDE: Russell Robert Goodfellow 6½/7,
2nd= Kevin Winter, Peter J Horlock
5½; U120 ECF: Tomy
Joseph, Steven M Ashworth & Aneesh Sagar
5½.
All scores here. A full list of
prizewinners
is here.
FIDE's
Anti-Cheating
Commission
have set
out
regulations
that
will
shortly
come
into
force.
In anticipation
of this, the
4NCL have been
required to
slightly amend
its procedures
and hope that
these changes
can be
introduced with
a minimum of
inconvenience to
all involved
with the League.
Consequently,
the
following
regulations
shall be in
force during the
4NCL.
08.3.19
- All their
newsletters
can be
viewed here
- with
particular
thanks to Chris
Skulte.
4NCL Privacy Notice
17.11.18
-
For
players,
team
managers
and
officials. We are
committed
to
respecting
your
privacy.
We
explain
the use
of
personal
information
collected
before,
during
and
after
[your
membership]
with us.
The
privacy
notice
also
explains
how we
comply
with the
law |
Full
privacy
notice
Main Rules
22.7.18
-
Available here
together with a copy of the
tracked changes.
There are several amends
from last season and
Captains and Managers are
asked to make themselves and
their team colleagues
familiar with them as soon
as possible -
particular thanks to Dave Thomas,
the Arbiter team and Mike
Truran.
28.12.18
-
The 4NCL
is
seeking
arbiters
to work
at the
Easter
2019 FIDE Rated
Congress
19-22
April in
support
of the
Chief
Arbiter.
The
Congress
will
provide
an
opportunity
to
achieve
arbiter
norms or
give
established
arbiters
an
opportunity
to
increase
their
current
portfolio
of
events.
Further
details
here.
Please
note
applications
closed
on
Monday 4
February
2019.
Registrations 18-19
Nov 2018
-
The new registrations are here
with bookmarked
links to squads or teams - with thanks to Dave Thomas, Chief Arbiter.
Refresh your
display to view updated results
(press F5).
Pairings 18-19
26.10.18
-
The pairings for the
all-play-all rounds (1-7) are published for Div 1 & 2, 3a &
3b. 3n and 4s are available.
More information here.
Note:
Owing to
an
unfortunate
error
the
Div 1 pairings
published
today
were
incorrect.
Contrary
to the
rules
Wood
Green
Monarchs
had been
placed
in the
same
pool as
Wood
Green 1.
The
pairings
have now
been
corrected.
Apologies
to
affected
captains
-
Dave
Thomas,
Chief
Arbiter.
Friends of Chess
02.11.18
-
We are
very grateful for a recent contribution to the 4NCL from
the Friends of Chess.
The Friends of Chess was founded in 1969 with the express
objective to provide funds to aid and initiate chess
enterprises in ways which are perceived as making a
difference. Given the wide-ranging objects there is no limit
on the type of chess-related activity that can be supported.
However, the majority of grants awarded in recent years have
fallen into one of the following four categories; support
for individuals seeking titles, support for events offering
norm or rating opportunities, support for teams and support
for players with disabilities.
If you are interested in becoming a Friend or finding out
more, please contact the Treasurer, Simon Brown - simon@laurels4a.com.
4NCL International
Congress
-
to
celebrate 25 years of
the 4NCL
This took
place
Wed 31 Oct -
Sun 4 Nov 2018
at the
Park Inn,
Telford.
Congratulations to
British KO qualifiers:
GM Simon Williams & GM
Matthew Turner.
06.11.18
-
During a routine Anti-Cheating
check by the arbiting team during the 1st 4NCL
International, a player was found to have used
electronic means to assist them with their
games.
After further investigation,
that player was subsequently disqualified from
the tournament. The details have been forwarded
to the FIDE Fair Play Commission, and
consequently it is not possible to comment
further on the case at this time.
We have received a number of
questions about the scores of the players in the
tournament. Page 13 of the FIDE Anti-Cheating
Guidelines, which are binding on us given the
tournament is FIDE-rated, say the following:
“In an individual Open
tournament, the offender shall be excluded from
the final ranking. Each of the offender’s games
shall be considered a loss, but the score for
the opponent shall remain unchanged. All games
shall be reported as unplayed.”
None of the 8 games played by
the player have been submitted for FIDE rating,
and they will not be submitted for ECF grading.
Alex Holowczak
- Chief Arbiter, 1st 4NCL
International
Runners & Riders
07.10.18
-
The list of teams entered is
complete. Thank you
to captains, team managers and helpers for providing the
required information & fees. Player registration lists will
follow in a few weeks.
The
joining code is 652881-143616
for new managers. Just one team
please per manager and no
pseudonyms!
- Neil
Graham.
Arbiter
Application
15.6.18
-
The 4NCL
is
seeking
arbiters
to work
at the
4NCL
International Congress, 31
October - 4 November at Park
Inn Telford, Forgegate.
The
Congress
will
provide
an
opportunity
for
established
arbiters
to
increase
their
current
portfolio
of
events.
04.6.18-A
report round-up aboutWeekend
5at
De Vere Wokefield Estate including a
deeply annotated 'Star Game' is now
available-
with many thanks again to Steve Burke.