Saturday 18th November 2023
St Marks, Little Common
On Sat 18th november, sleepy Bexhill on sea was once again descended upon by some of the best chess players in the county and beyond. Players young and old were locked in fierce combat for 6 grueling rounds of intense rapidplay chess.
By the time the winners were announced some 8 hours after the battles began, new friends were made, new champions were crowned but sadly, some had fallen by the wayside.
All results and plenty of photos can be found below, Bexhill Chess Club would like to thank each and every one of the players and supporters for making the day so successful and we look forward to seeing you all again next year!
Bexhill Rapid 2023 winner: Ilya Iyengar 5.5/6
2nd place: Andrew McGettigan and Gavin Knott 5/6
Top Senior: John Sugden 4.5/6
Top Junior: Tobias Taylor 4/6
Top Bexhill player: Anh Nguyen 4.5/6
Top Under 1900: David Fryer 3.5/6
Top Under 1820: Richard Welford and Janis Petersons 4/6
Top Under 1550: Hal Gomez, Aditya Gupta, Samuel Merchant 3/6
Bexhill Challengers winner: Aidan Burnside 5/6
2nd place: Rose Burgess 5/6
3rd place: George Taylor 4.5/6
Top under 18: Sebastian Merchant 3/6
Top under 12: Harry Morter 3.5/6
THE EVENT
This is an ECF rated event. 6 rounds, 25 + 5. The tournament will be divided into two sections, a main section and a challengers section for those with a lower rating or new to tournament chess. We anticipate the divide to be around 1400ECF, but we will make a final decision nearer the time. Please specify which section you would prefer to play in when entering. (Players are welcome to play up). Should we feel someone is playing in the wrong section we will contact you directly to discuss this. We will use the November 1st rating list.
ENTRY AND PRIZES
Adult entry = £25 Junior entry = £17.50
(Note: As this is an ECF rated event, anyone who is not a GOLD or SILVER member will need to pay an extra £9 on the ticket price.)
Main tournament prizes:
1st place = £150 + perpetual trophy (The Moyra Mitchell cup) + permanent trophy
2nd place = £100 + permanent trophy
3rd place = £50 + permanent trophy
£120 in grading prizes.
Permanent trophy for top senior (over 60)and top junior (under 18).
The Joseph Sharp trophy for top Bexhill player.
Challenger prizes:
1st place = £60 + perpetual trophy (The Alan Ticehurst cup) + permanent trophy
2nd place = £40 + permanent trophy
3rd place = £20 + permanent trophy
Plus medal for top under 18 and top under 12.
No player will be able to win more than one prize. In the event of a tie, cash prizes will be split, but tie breaks will be used to award trophies. All decisions by tournament controllers are final.
Due to the size of the council chambers, we are limited to 60 spaces. It will be strictly first come, first served and we anticipate selling out. So book early to avoid dissapointment. In the event that we do not sell out, entries will close at 6pm on friday 17th November. There will be no entries on the day.
SCHEDULE
The town hall will be open from 9.15am. A welcome speech will be given at 9.45 and the round times will be as follows:
Round 1: 10.00 Round 2: 11.15 Round 3: 12.45
Round 4: 14:00 Round 5: 15.15 Round 6: 16.30
Prize giving will be as soon as possible after the last game finishes, approximately 5.45pm.
The tournament will be paired by UTU pairing system. Pairings will be displayed in the playing area via pairing boards 5 minutes prior to each round. Cross tables will be posted and updated regularly in the waiting areas. Digital clocks will be used for all games and help can be given to anyone new to playing with clocks.
PARKING
There is plenty of free parking available at the rear of the building, accessed from Amhurst road. The town hall is also a short walk from Bexhill train station and many bus routes stop in town hall square or in the nearby town.
REFRESHMENTS
There will be tea, coffee and water/squash available free of charge all day. There is no catering on site, but there are many cafes, shops and a sainsburys very close to the town hall.
WAITING AREAS
Outside of the playing area, we have two waiting areas. One room will be set with boards and pieces for anyone who wishes to analyse their games. The second area will be a general waiting area where we encourage players to eat.
FAIRPLAY
Please note that mobile phones and other electronic devices such as smart phones must be switched off at all times while in the playing area.
RESPECT
We are incredibly lucky to be offered the use of this beautiful and prestigious space. We kindly ask all players to respect the staff, the building and its contents while on the premises. And hopefully they will have us back next year!
Any other questions, concerns, please contact: s.merchant.chess@gmail.com