Congress shows growth in Tyneside clubs

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(Chronicle Chess 29 September 2023)

The 59th Northumberland Congress kicks off this evening at the Parks Leisure Centre, North Shields, and runs throughout the weekend.

The top seeds in the Open are FIDE Masters Rafe Martyn (London), David Walker (Leam Lane), Tim Wall and Andy Burnett (both Newcastle).

As of Thursday, the congress had 114 entrants – slightly down on the record numbers from last year and 2021, but still higher than before the pandemic.

This reflects the healthy state of chess clubs in and around Tyneside as we get ready for another league season. For a complete list of clubs and where and when they meet, go to: northumberlandchess.com.

The biggest club in the North East is Gosforth, which this year is entering 10 teams of four players in the Northumbria League. Gosforth meets at the Gosforth Empire Club on Salters Road on Monday evenings from 7-10:30pm. It also runs a junior section on Saturdays, 10am-12noon. For more info, contact: mickriding@hotmail.co.uk

Forest Hall has four teams and meets on Fridays (juniors 5-7pm, adults 7-10.30pm) at a new venue, the Forest Hall Ex-Servicemen’s Institute. Contact: foresthallchessclub@gmail.com

South Shields has three teams, and meets on Thursdays, 7-10:30pm at the New Ship Inn on Sunderland Road. They also run free drop-in sessions at The Word, South Shields, from 10am-12noon on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Contact: eddie@southshieldschessclub.co.uk

Tynemouth also has three teams, and meets on Tuesdays, 7-10:30pm, at The Hunting Lodge, West Monkseaton. More info at: https://tynemouthchessclub.netlify.app/

Newcastle is a new club, and meets at the Tyneside Irish Centre, Gallowgate, on Mondays from 6:30pm-9:15pm. They are entering two teams, one in Division 1 and one in Division 6.

Newcastle held their first tournament on Monday, a FIDE-rated Blitz. The winners were Andy Burnett, Nathan Ekanem and Zheming Zhang, who were equal first on 5/7. Winning the Under 2000 and Under 1600 categories were Jeremy Revell and Danny Atcheson, respectively.

From October 2, Newcastle is hosting a Rapidplay Championship, with ECF rated games every Monday evening at a time control of 30 minutes plus 10 seconds a move.

Newcastle also runs a junior club on Sundays, 2:30pm-4:30pm, at Jesmond Library. For more details on Newcastle’s activities, contact: timpeterwall@gmail.com