MSCL Main News Page

"Horsham Chess Club are honoured to have been awarded the English Chess Federation club of the year for 2010. CJ De Mooi , President of the ECF and a regular on the tv show Eggheads, will be presenting the trophy on 7 September at our AGM.

"This tops off an eventful year for us, firstly with our 130th celebrations which included a chess event with representatives from nearly all the MSL clubs and then managing to take the double of the first division and the knockout.

"The MId Sussex league is such an integral part of our chess season that it is a good moment to reflect on the great contribution that the MSL gives to chess in Sussex. We offer our thanks to all our friends in other clubs for their usual courtesy and in particular to the committee for their hard work which enables us all to enjoy so much good chess over so many matches."

Congratulations to Brian Denman on becoming County Champion 2010. Over a 4 game marathon final he beat Feliks Kwiatkowski by 3 games to 1.

Bernard Cafferty laments a tendency for playing on to the bitter end despite the position being clearly lost. While not raised as an MSCL problem specifically, Bernard queries whether the increasing use of QPF-type time rules make this practice more likely in the hope of winning in a time scramble. His thoughts on the subject initiate a new Forum thread. Perhaps others have views?

The 25th Crowborough Rapidplay Congress, consisting of a 6 round Swiss tournament with 30 minutes per player per game will be held on Sunday 19th September 2010. Full details can be found here.

At the AGM of the Sussex County Chess Association last Saturday Paul Buswell (Hastings & St Leonards CC) was elected as the new Tournament Controller, his predecessor Dr Opie being unable to continue due to ill health. Entries for the various competitions have rather waned in recent years and Paul will be seeking to re-invigorate them. To this end, he is seeking the views of players throughout Sussex. His request for inputs is posted on the Sussex page.

This appeal is REAL AND URGENT, for all Sussex chess players keen to be able to continue to participate in inter-county chess.

We benefit from a great deal of chess activity throughout the combined counties of East and West Sussex. We have many very active clubs. The Mid Sussex League is well supported and very successful. A number of chess congresses take place within our boundaries each year, including perhaps the best-known UK congress at Hastings over each Christmas / New Year period. However, it is important that we do not lose sight of the vital role played by the Sussex County Chess Association.

The County Association fulfills 2 primary functions; sponsoring county teams in both over-the-board County Championships and in correspondence chess, and arranging a number of county-wide competitions for either individual or team entry.

In the County Championships, Sussex teams have a good record in progressing beyond the regional stages to the ECF stages. Two seasons ago the Sussex Under 125 team were the losing finalists. This season, our Open team is playing in the national final this coming weekend, while the Under 140 team made it as far as the quarter finals. (Full results can be monitored on the SCCU website.) None of this would be possible without an active County Association. The regional stages are organised by the SCCU and their rules state "The Competitions shall be open only to Member Counties".

While having East and West Sussex treated as a single county gives us strength in numbers, organising county-wide competitions can be daunting. The MSCL is currently the only active inter-club league in Sussex. While our rules state we are open to membership by any club in Sussex, stretching our effective boundaries beyond the traditional Mid Sussex limits to the eastern part of Sussex has not been without some difficulties. To the west, we barely cross the border into West Sussex. The County Association remains the sole sponsor of county-wide competitions, seeking to draw in everyone from Bognor to Hastings.

The Sussex County Chess Association has existed since 1882 but is now in serious danger of falling into abeyance for want of 3 or 4 key Officers. Over recent years a number of key functions have been maintained by a dwindling number of individuals, some taking on multiple tasks to keep things going. Alas, the laws of time have not stood still for these key players and after many years of sterling service from them, the County Association is faced with the prospect of a number of retirements at the forthcoming AGM. The roles that will need to be filled include:

General Secretary: key person who keeps the cogs well oiled throughout the year, liaising as necessary with other Officers. Takes the Minutes at General Meetings. This is the person whose details are given in the ECF Yearbook as the point of contact with the County. Use of the internet and e-mail are nowadays considered essential for this role.

Tournament Secretary: as discussed above, organising and maintaining interest in county-wide competitions is seen as an important role for the County Association to support a county-wide community spirit and helping to foster interest in supporting County teams. Entries in these competitions has dwindled substantially in recent years. Re-kindling interest is an important challenge for the Association. The Tournament Secretary will need to take the lead in this, organising pairings and fixtures for the season. collating results (and suppling them to the Grading Officer) and resolving any issues or disputes that might arise.

In addition to these specific roles, I believe it would be useful if one of these Officers, or another individual, was able to set up and maintain a dedicated website for the County Association. Whilst I am happy to post the occassional item here on the MSCL website, it would be better if the County Association had its own facility.

John Dodgson (Correspondence Team Captain) is coordinating efforts to find volunteers to fill these important roles. He is having some success, but often with the proviso "... if no one else wants the job ...". Consequently, if anyone else believes they could take on any of these roles, please contact John directly (j.dodgson51@btinternet.com or tel. 01797 22606).

The AGM at which these various roles must be filled will take place at 2pm on Saturday 7th August at the United Reformed Church hall, Hassocks BN6 8AB (. see map ) Car parking in nearby residential roads is not a problem, while the hall is only a short walk from Hassocks railway station (London to Brighton line). Please attend if you possibly can.

The e2e4 organisation are extending their repertoire with their first congress to be held in Brighton over the weekend of 12th - 14th November. Details and an entry form can be found at e2e4 Brighton

The 4th Weald Chess Congress is taking place at Copthorne, near Crawley, over the weekend of 10th / 11th July 2010. While organised by Sussex Junior Chess, it is open to all ages. It incorporates play for the Sussex U14 and U18 titles. Details can be obtained at Sussex Junior Chess - Weald Congress

David Fryer seeks a discussion on the Rule changes that were passed at the recent AGM, in particular new Rule 8.1. A new Forum thread has been created here

The following are NOT the official Minutes of last night's AGM, which will be issued in due course. They are just a brief summary of the main decisions reached, based on my brief notes.

1. Both proposals by Hastings & St Leonards Chess Club concerning the venues for their matches, and meeting the costs of alternative venues were lost. An amendment raised at the meeting simply to drop the existing "home" venue condition on Hastings & St Leonards and Bexhill College (i.e. to treat them exactly as any other club) found favour in a vote, but failed on a point of order raised from the floor. The objection was that this constituted a substantive change to the proposals actually circulated and could not, therefore, be raised without warning at the meeting.

2. Declaring Nominations. The proposal to amend Rule 4.1.2 to require 4 players to be nominated for all but the lowest team entered was passed. The proposal to amend Rule 4.2.2 to preclude playing for lower teams after appearing on the match card for higher teams 3 times was further amended to propose "4 times" and was passed. (i.e. players will be able to "play up" 3 times without being excluded from lower teams, but following a 4th such appearance, they will be excluded.)

3. The proposed new Rule 4.1.3 was not proceeded with. The point is covered in the newly drafted Guidance Notes that have been circulated and posted on this website.

4. The proposed amendment to Rule 6.2, which sought only to clarify the intent, was passed.

7. The proposal to increase the size of teams to 6 players in Division 1 was rejected. The consequent proposal to increase nominations to 5 players for 1st Division teams was therefore dropped.

8. The proposal to amend Rule 1.3 by deleting the option of declining promotion from Division 2 to Division 1 was passed.