The Newport Chess Congress 2024
A Welsh Chess Union ratified FIDE Rated Tournament
Fri 16th, Sat 17th & Sun 18th August 2024
OPEN, MAJOR, MINOR
and
Welsh Seniors Championships 2024
5 Round Swiss
All Section are FIDE rated
The Under 18 Welsh Chess Championship (incorporated within the OPEN) is kindly sponsored by Mr Iestyn Harrigan
at
Rougemont School Auditorium, Malpas Road, Newport, NP20 6QB, Cymru
OPEN | Open to FIDE Registered members of the WCU or other National Body. The highest place under 18 (born 2006 or later) will be awarded 2024 Welsh Under 18 title and a prize of £100. The Welsh Under 18 Champion’s prize is an additional prize and maybe won together with another prize. |
MAJOR (U1900) | Open to any registered members of the WCU or other National Body with a published rating of: Under 1900 FIDE and WCU. Under 1850 ECF (please see comment below for Players from England). |
MINOR (U1650) | Open to any registered members of the WCU or other National Body with a published rating of: Under 1650 FIDE and WCU. Under 1500 ECF (please see comment below for Players from England). |
SENIOR | FIDE rated OVER 65s – Open to any member of the WCU who is Welsh qualified and born 1959 or earlier. OVER 50s – Open to any member of the WCU who is Welsh qualified and born 1974 or earlier. |
Timetable
Friday 16th August: | Welcome: 6.30pm. Round 1: 6.45pm. |
Saturday 17th August: | Round 2: 10.00am. Round 3: 3.00pm. |
Sunday 18th August: | Round 4: 10.00am. Round 5: 3.00pm. Prize giving: 6.30pm or soon after. |
Rate of Play
Digital clocks will be used. Each Player receives:
90 mins plus 30 sec increment per move (from move one).
Entries will be accepted up to MIDDAY on Friday 9th Aug 2024. Entries after that may be accepted at the standard fee. Entrants on the day are subject to availability and payment of a £10 surcharge.
Prizes: | Apart from Welsh Under 18 prize, no player may win more than one prize. In the event of a tie prize money will be shared (no tie breaks will be used). |
Late Arrival: | Competitors will be allowed 30 minutes on their clocks in any round and then defaulted. |
Appeals: | Any appeal against the Arbiter’s decision will be subject to a formal appeals procedure, to be detailed at the event. |
Exclusions/Transfers: | The organisers reserve the right to refuse or transfer entries. |
Smoking/Vaping: | Smoking or Vaping permitted only in designated areas outside the venue. See organiser. |
Entry Requirement | All players must be a registered member of the WCU or other National Body. The 2023-2024 WCU Registration form can be obtained by clicking on DOWNLOAD. Note registrations using this application form are valid for the 2024-2025 season. |
Players from England | Players from England are asked to advise the ECF on gpa@englishchess.org.uk if they wish to be graded as playing in an out of England tournament by the ECF. FIDE ratings will be submitted as normal. For board ordering purposes, those who have no FIDE rating and only an ECF rating will have their ECF rating uplifted so that it is FIDE/WCU equivalent. The WCU has recently implemented a rating uplift to align with FIDE ratings. Conversion equation: FIDE Equivalent = 0.6 * ECF Rating + 750 (ratings <1875 ECF). |
Rating Prize | Any change in Rating Prizes will be announced at the event. |
Note: July FIDE ratings are used for entry in this order: FIDE, WCU/ECF or other National Body.
If a player wishing to enter the Major or Minor does not have a rating, please consult the organiser before entering. The latest FIDE and National ratings will be used for pairings and rating prizes.
Arbiters
Igor Doklestic, Hannah Richmond and Chris Strong
Organisers
Kevin Staveley, David Norris
Prize Fund
Open | Major | Minor | |
1st Prize | £300 | £220 | £150 |
2nd Prize | £180 | £140 | £100 |
3rd Prize | £90 | £70 | £50 |
Rating | £40 | £40 | £40 |
Welsh U18 Champ | £100 |
Any increase or further prizes are subject to entrant numbers.
Emergency Enquiries to: d.j.norris@outlook.com